Shapthavi Christy Sutharsan is in her third year of the Honours Life Sciences undergraduate program at McMaster University. During the 2024 Learning Pillar Week at St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton, she won the People’s Choice Award in the annual Research & Education Poster Competition.
Shapthavi’s research poster was titled “Examining the Interconnected Links Between Smoking, Vaping, and Mental Health Disorders.” The poster was based on a literature review that Shapthavi conducted, which focused on rates of smoking, vaping, and mental health disorders specifically in young people.
The Research Institute's Innovation & Partnerships Manager, Mackensey Bacon, presents the People's Choice Award to Shapthavi Christy Sutharsan, during Celebrate Research 2024.
While smoking isn’t nearly as popular among children and adolescents as it used to be, rates of vaping in youth have drastically grown within recent years. The 2019 Canadian Health Survey on Children and Youth found that 5.4 per cent of children aged 12 – 14 vape, as well as 21.3 per cent of those aged 15 – 17.
Vaping can have negative repercussions on both physical and mental health, and the mental health risks are particularly dangerous for children and adolescents as their brains are still developing.
Shapthavi wanted to learn more about why young people vape so she could better understand the pressures around vaping that her younger family members, including her brother, might face from their peers. By having a stronger understanding of the factors that influence young people to vape, she hopes to have more open conversations with her family members about healthier alternatives to vaping.
Shapthavi’s literature review found that young people tend to vape as a form of stress relief, perhaps because of how accessible and easy it is compared to other stress management solutions such as exercising or counselling. However, she also found that vaping directly worsens mental health, which may lead to people vaping even more to cope with worsening mental health as the cycle continues.
Literature shows that the more psychosocial stressors (such as bullying or academic pressure) that are present in someone’s life, the more likely they are to vape. This suggests that initiatives to reduce the rates of these psychosocial stressors and make healthy coping strategies more accessible to youth may decrease rates of vaping. Shapthavi wants to continue her research in this area to help develop novel interventions.
“Through further research, I aim to explore how lifestyle factors—such as physical activity, nutrition, and emotional support—can be optimized to create opportunities that promote better mental and physical health for youth,” Shapthavi said. “This research will hopefully help inform policies and programs that provide the necessary support for youth to thrive in all aspects of their development, setting the foundation for a higher quality of life as they grow into adulthood.”
Each year during Learning Pillar Week, St. Joe’s hosts a poster competition in the main lobby of the Charlton campus. This gives participants the opportunity to share their research findings with many different audiences throughout the week, from doctors and researchers to patients and their loved ones. Here, participants can gain valuable insights and feedback and make strong professional connections.
“St. Joe's hosting the poster presentation was a pivotal moment in my professional career,” said Shapthavi. “By presenting my own research, I not only gained exposure but also learned how to enhance my research, presentation, and communication skills for the future. I see this experience as a steppingstone for my goal of conducting research in the field of children and adolescent mental and physical health, where I can work toward creating lifestyle opportunities for youth to improve their quality of life.”
Click here to view the full list of poster winners at the 2024 Learning Pillar Week.