How can Public Health better engage post-secondary students on substance use and leverage campus services?
Project Description: Ontario Public Health units focus is on Substance Use and Injury Prevention. Within this area, public health is directed to review local data on substances of concern and identify areas of action and interventions to address substances of concern and their harms.
Comprehensive tobacco control includes work in 4 pillars: industry, prevention, protection/enforcement and cessation (Public Health Ontario). The transition from youth to young adulthood increases the risk of nicotine use initiation. In Ontario, young adults have higher past 30-day vape use, past 30-day dual use of cigarettes and vapes, and past year use of nicotine pouches, compared to all other adult age categories.
Hamilton’s Public Health Mental Well-Being & Substance Use team focuses on reducing harms associated with alcohol, cannabis, and other substances through prevention, health promotion, and harm reduction approaches. Post-secondary students aged 19-24 typically consume alcohol and cannabis at higher rates compared to other age groups due to biological, social, and environmental factors. Health behaviours adopted during these formative years often persist into adulthood, making it an ideal time to promote safer choices.
This project would include an environmental scan for ways to engage young adults and adult allies on campus on healthy public policy, environmental supports and/or knowledge/awareness related to substance . The goal of the scan is to identify the main communication and engagement channels, key groups, organizations, faculty, services and events that might have a vested interest in or are already engaged on this topic. This work will inform further exploration of effective alcohol/cannabis/nicotine messaging that resonates with students utilizing the channels identified if time allows. This information will help public health practitioners align their work with existing institutional systems and develop more effective and targeted strategies for supporting students within post-secondary environments.
City Staff: Kristin Olive, Rick Epp, Healthy and Safe Communities Department
Deliverables: Environmental scan, summary report
Project Start Date/ Availability: Fall 2026
Location: City Wide
City Strategy Priority: Healthy and Safe Communities