Overall Course Goals
This online course focuses on tobacco-related research, policy, and practice related to smoking cessation, prevention of smoking initiation, protection from secondhand smoke, tobacco control program evaluation and the use of e-cigarettes in the Canadian context.
Upon completion of this course, participants will:
- Recognize the patterns, determinants and health effects of tobacco and e-cigarette use
- Describe the biology and epidemiology of tobacco and e-cigarette use
- Identify the various smoking cessation interventions including population and individual approaches
- Identify the common programs and policies for protection and prevention
- Compare frameworks for evaluating tobacco control programs and policies
- Identify current policy debates in the field of tobacco control
Module-Specific Objectives
Upon completion of the Cessation module, participants will be able to identify the complexities of quitting smoking, describe the roles that nicotine addiction and motivation play in the quitting process, and define best practices for smoking cessation. They will also be able to identify and describe pharmacological and non-pharmacological cessation strategies.
Upon completion of the Prevention module, participants will be able to identify patterns of smoking initiation and summarize the factors that influence smoking uptake. They will also be able to describe prevention interventions including legislation, programs and advocacy campaigns.
Upon completion of the Protection module, participants will be able to describe what is currently known about secondhand smoke, assess its effects on health, and list smoke-free initiatives in Canada. They will also be able to identify and recommend initiatives to counter tobacco industry opposition to smoke-free legislation.
Upon completion of the Evaluation module, participants will be able to describe the importance of evaluating tobacco control initiatives and identify some of the frameworks for evaluating tobacco control programs and policies. They will also be able to plan for program and policy evaluation, learn how to report the results of an evaluation, and identify issues related to the ethics and politics of evaluation.
Upon completion of the E-Cigarettes module, participants will be able to describe the types of e-cigarettes and how they work, as well as identify reasons why smokers and nonsmokers vape. They will also be able to discuss the research evidence on using e-cigarettes to quit smoking, summarize the health effects of use and secondhand exposure to e-cigarette aerosol, and identify key challenges for public health.
