Recently Completed Research Projects
Energy Conservation and Demand Management: Integrating Design, Bahaviour and Technology
(Completed 2010)
By Ellie Farahani
The Centre's 2009-10 SSHRC CEI-funded project on energy conservation and demand management employs four graduate students to conduct research on "the human element" in technological feedback design, to promote resource conservation. The project is led by Dr. Beth Savan (Senior Lecturer, CFE), Professor Ingrid Stefanovic (former CFE Director), and Professor Greg Jamieson (Dept. of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, MIE), and coordinated by Dr. Ellie Farahani (CFE Post-Doctoral Fellow).
M.A.Sc. students Adam Smith and Kevin Trinh (both at MIE) and Ph.D. students Angela Loder (Geography and CFE) and Luke Gelinas (Philosophy) are exploring new strategies to encourage behavioural change when it comes to conserving energy. The intent is to frame feedback to align with conservation attitudes using temporal construal theory (TCT) in the behavioural economy. Studies in the field of energy consumption feedback generally encourage personal benefits - mainly in terms of dollars saved. Due to criticisms of this method, this research project integrates energy consumption feedback data with community-based social marketing strategies (CBSM) as well as visual references to deeply held environmental values. It is hypothesized that this approach will encourage further reductions in consumption than any of these techniques on their own. This research will also generate an ethical guideline for the design of CBSM and feedback approaches.
In the summer of 2010, this project was piloted in a two-part usability study on U of T's St. George campus. First, students living in residences were recruited to evaluate an innovative TCT-based feedback design relating to energy use. Then, to better articulate strategies that can work together with human factors engineering feedback approaches, a qualitative investigation engaged the same student population in conversations about nature imagery.
The final stage of the project will attempt to more fully combine the engineering, social science and humanities approaches inherent in this project by linking nature imagery with CBSM, applying the ethical guidelines and testing the degree to which these aspects can be integrated comprehensively in technological feedback design to influence conservation behaviour, particularly of students living in residences. This study has been presented at two conferences and at the Centre's Research Day in April 2010, and will be presented at two more venues in 2010-11.
For more information, contact Beth Savan, b.savan@utoronto.ca or Ellie Farahani, ellie.farahani@utoronto.ca.
The Effectiveness of Public Health Interventions During Heat Episodes
(Completed Summer 2007)
By Kate Bassil
The Centre for Environment has been working in collaboration with partners at U of T’s Department of Public Health Sciences, University of Alberta and local public health units on a project funded by the National Collaborating Centre for Environmental Health. The project, titled What is The Evidence on Applicability and Effectiveness of Public Health Interventions in Reducing Morbidity and Mortality during Heat Episodes?, is led by Donald Cole and Kate Bassil, Associate Professor and Ph.D. student respectively, Department of Public Health Sciences and Karen Smoyer Tomic, Associate Professor, Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, University of Alberta.
Other U of T collaborators include the Centre for Environment’s Alan Abelsohn (Sessional Lecturer), and Clare Wiseman (Assistant Professor) and the Department of Geography’s Sarah Wakefield (Assistant Professor) and Joanna Angus (recent M.A. graduate), and Department of Anthropology’s Mike Callaghan
(Ph.D. student).
Partners from local public health units include Lori Greco, Supervisor of the Chronic Disease and Injury Prevention Division, Region of Peel Public Health; Douglas Sider, Associate Medical Officer of Health, Niagara Region Public Health; and Marco Vittiglio, Manager of the Emergency Planning & Preparedness Unit, Toronto Public Health.
Heat events have been associated with a diverse range of adverse health effects including excess mortality as well as many symptoms falling under the broad umbrella of “heat-related illness”. The impact of heat on health was clearly evident following the Chicago heat wave in 1995 which resulted in over 700 excess deaths and more recently, after the heat waves in Europe in 2003 which resulted in over 45,000 heat-related deaths. This negative impact of heat on health continues to be a persistent concern and is expected to become even more pressing in the future given the predicted meteorological changes linked to climate change. Thus, mitigating this negative impact is an important task for public health practitioners who are faced with the challenge of developing and implementing effective interventions to address both the immediate effects of heat as well as devising longer-term strategies in response to future heat events. A major gap that has been identified both in the literature as well as through communication with public health practitioners is the clear lack of information regarding the effectiveness of different public health interventions for heat-related illness.
In response to this knowledge gap, the current project is being undertaken to summarize the kinds of public health interventions used across Canada and provide evidence on the effectiveness of these interventions. The pros and cons of each intervention strategy and the literature that links these to public health practice will be examined. A complete report of the findings will be forthcoming in the fall of 2007.
Kate Bassil is a Ph.D. candidate in Epidemiology in the Department of Public Health Sciences. For more information, please contact her at kate.bassil@utoronto.ca or contact Donald Cole at donald.cole@utoronto.ca.
Assessment of Canadian Post-secondary Education and Training in Children’s Environment and Health
(Completed Summer 2007)
By Ingrid Leman Stefanovic and Clare L.S. Wiseman
The purpose of a recently completed Centre for Environment project for Health Canada was to assess current post-secondary education and training opportunities in environment and health (EH) in Canada, with a specific focus on children’s health and environment (CHE). The goal was to recommend a path forward for the Government of Canada to support enhanced capacity among health care professionals and researchers.
Current educational programs offered in EH at universities and colleges were identified using an internet and library search. Other educational opportunities for health professionals were also examined (i.e. continuing education). A total of 275 individuals with a variety of backgrounds were invited to participate in a survey to help identify programs offered and barriers in the current educational system, and to develop recommendations.
Our scan of current post-secondary institutions revealed a number of EH programs offered in Canada. Although some could be rated as strong, most, however, do not cover the field of EH in a comprehensive manner. Of specific concern is the fact that EH issues are generally absent in the education and training of doctors, nurses and other health professionals at post-secondary institutions.
There are a number of barriers which hinder the integration of EH and CHE in curricula at post-secondary institutions. The lack of funding available to support EH education and research is clearly a major problem. In addition, other major barriers identified included a lack of recognition of the importance of EH and CHE as a focus of study; a lack of institutional and government support; limited or unavailable expertise in EH and CHE; conflicting jurisdictional responsibilities between major actors at the provincial and federal levels and the challenges of delivering interdisciplinary programs.
The report recommends that the Government of Canada take a proactive role to: 1) increase awareness of the importance of EH and CHE as areas of research and teaching by developing government-endorsed websites and fact sheets, organizing a National Task Force, and supporting the development of “Centres of Excellence”; 2) encourage collaborative planning and coordination between government agencies to enhance CHE research and teaching across the country; 3) consolidate and identify new sources of research funding to support a coordinating Environment and Health Institute, establish Research Chairs in EH, identify new sources of funding to expand EH clinics, and support the work of NGOs in the areas of EH and CHE; and 4) champion legislation at a national level to better protect children from environmental hazards.
Special thanks go to Research Assistants Suzannah Bennett and Elise Ho, as well as to Imran Hasan (Information Technician), Haris Chowdhry (Survey Design and Internet Set-up), Rishi Dhir (Data Analysis) and Alan Abelsohn (Consultant) for their assistance on this project. We are also grateful to Susan Ecclestone, Senior Policy Analyst, and to Jessi Mahon, Policy Analyst, in the Vulnerable Populations Division, Safe Environments Programme of Health Canada, for their support and advice during this project.
Ingrid Leman Stefanovic, Professor and Director of the Centre for Environment, and Clare Wiseman, Assistant Professor at the Centre, were Principal Investigator and Research Coordinator, respectively, of this project. For more information, please email ingrid.stefanovic@utoronto.ca or clare.wiseman@utoronto.ca.