OTRU’s research activities are aligned with five strategic themes:
- Who Are Today's Smokers?
- Factors Influencing Tobacco Use and Cessation
- Availability
- Smoking Outdoors and in Private Spaces
- Ending the Epidemic: Developing the Evidence Base for the Future Policy Agenda
Under each theme, OTRU is addressing a number of important tobacco control topics such as:
- Changes in the smoker population
- Patterns of NRT use
- Role of health professionals in tobacco control
- Tobacco marketing and point-of-sale display
- Contraband cigarettes
- Smoking in outdoor public places
- Impact of Toronto bar smoking ban
- Public support for smoke-free spaces
- Innovative models for funding tobacco control research
- Tobacco product modification
In addition, OTRU serves in a rapid response and scientific consultation capacity for the Ontario Ministry of Health Promotion and Sport, providing data analysis, literature review, knowledge syntheses and fact checking. In this role, OTRU contributes to the development of evidence-based decision making.
OTRU researchers obtain additional funding from external granting agencies such as Canadian Institutes of Health Research, National Cancer Institute of Canada, Canadian Tobacco Control Research Initiative, Ontario Problem Gambling Research Centre, and Health Canada.
Our research findings are frequently presented at national and international scientific conferences and widely disseminated as journal articles, book chapters and expert reports.
In addition, OTRU staff are regularly invited to sit on expert panels and to be members of grant review committees.
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