Current Abstracts: Our monthly list of selected journal articles and reports on tobacco topics, with an emphasis on Canadian authors and research Reading Lists: Our reading lists focus on hot topics in tobacco control to help get you started on your research and information needs.

Tobacco and Public Health: From Theory to Practice features accessible, comprehensive and evidence-based Canadian content that is geared to individuals working in tobacco control.

OTRU Update: Contraband Use Among Ontario Youth OTRU Update: Tobacco Product Availability: Current Issues and Next Steps OTRU Monitoring Updates: • Tobacco Control Funding Commitments • Youth Access to Tobacco Products • Retail Display of Tobacco Products • Prohibition of Tobacco Sales In Specific Places • Protection From Secondhand Smoke: Monitoring Update • Tobacco Taxes: Monitoring Update

2010 SRNT Annual Meeting Baltimore, MD February 24-27, 2010 More events

Tobacco Control Funding Commitments: Monitoring Update

This OTRU update provides an overview of 2008-2009 Canadian tobacco control funding commitments by federal, provincial and territorial governments. Selected information on international tobacco control funding is included for comparison.

Each year OTRU produces a series of Monitoring Reports to examine the progress of the Smoke-Free Ontario Strategy. Based on qualitative and quantitative data, these reports document changes in the provincial tobacco control climate, including policies, programs, knowledge, attitudes and behaviour.

Current Updates:

• Tobacco Control Funding Commitments (updated January 21, 2010)
• Retail Display of Tobacco Products (updated January 11, 2010)
• Youth Access to Tobacco Products (updated November 19, 2009)
• Tobacco Taxes (updated October 29, 2009)
• Prohibition of Tobacco Sales In Specific Places (updated September 22, 2009)
• Protection from Secondhand Smoke (updated September 18, 2009)

Contraband Use Among Ontario Youth

This update is based on excerpts from the tobacco summary section of the report, Drug Use among Ontario Students, 1977-2009: Detailed OSDUHS Findings. The Centre for Addiction and Mental Health’s Ontario Student Drug Use and Health Survey (OSDUHS) is the longest ongoing school survey of adolescents in Canada and the second longest in North America.

Application materials and funding schedule for the winter 2010 competition of the Ashley Studentships for Research in Tobacco Control are now available

OTRU is pleased to announce the winter 2010 competition of the Ashley Studentships for Research in Tobacco Control. The purpose of the studentship program is to increase the tobacco research capacity in Ontario by developing a future cadre of tobacco researchers and practitioners. Five studentships of up to $7,200 each will be awarded in this competition.

OTRU Student Poster Competition held at the 6th National Conference on Tobacco or Health

OTRU would like to congratulate the Awardees of the OTRU Student Poster Competition held at the 6th National Conference on Tobacco or Health in Montreal, Quebec - November 2009.

1st Prize
Ryan David Kennedy, PhD Candidate, University of Waterloo
“Evaluation of Woodstock’s Outdoor Smoking By-law – A Longitudinal Study of Smokers and Non-Smokers”

2nd Prize
Seema Mutti, MSc Candidate, University of Waterloo
“A Scan of Smoke-Free Policies in Outdoor and Quasi-Outdoor Transit Environments across Ontario”

3rd Prize
Simon Racicot, PhD Candidate, Concordia University  
“Is Second Hand Smoke Exposure Associated with Smoking-related Behaviours?”

The OTRU Glossary of Tobacco Control contains over 1000 definitions of tobacco control terms, including abbreviations and acronyms, with links to cross-references and literature citations.