Population Studies

The Public Health and Regulatory Policy Research Unit is comprised of a multidisciplinary group of researchers, including epidemiologists, sociologists, psychologists, and criminologists. Investigators also serve as experts to governmental, non-governmental, and international agencies such as the World Health Organization, the Pan American Health Organization, and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime. Unit Scientists hold appointments with University of Toronto departments, including Public Health Sciences, Psychology, Psychiatry, Sociology, and Pharmacology.

One objective of this Unit is to describe the extent of addiction and mental health indicators in the general population and monitor trends. This includes: providing and disseminating accurate and timely data regarding alcohol use, other drug use and mental health indicators among general and special populations; and monitoring and identifying risk and protective factors for alcohol, other drug use and mental health indicators.

CAMH Population Health Surveys
The Public Health and Regulatory Policy Research Unit oversees two ongoing CAMH population surveys:

(1) The Ontario Student Drug Use and Health Survey (OSDUHS) is the longest ongoing school survey of adolescents in Canada. The OSDUHS (formerly known as the OSDUS) began in 1977 and is conducted every two years. The survey examines alcohol, tobacco, and other drug use, as well as physical health, mental health, gambling, and risky behaviours among students in grades 7 to 12.

(2) The CAMH Monitor is the longest ongoing addiction and mental health survey among adults in Canada. This survey, first conducted in 1977, interviews about 2,400 Ontario adults by telephone every year. The CAMH Monitor tracks alcohol, tobacco, and other drug use, as well as mental health and gambling problems.

Other Population Health Surveys
Unit staff are also involved in other population surveys:

(1) The 2004 Canadian Campus Survey, funded by the Canadian Institutes for Health Research, interviewed over 6,000 university undergraduate students from almost 50 campuses, making this one of the largest university surveys ever conducted in Canada. In addition to researchers from the CAMH, the project team involves researchers from the University of Montreal, University of Alberta, and Dalhousie University. The 2004 questionnaire is available to download: English questionnaire (PDF, 104 Kb) and French questionnaire (PDF, 109 Kb).

The descriptive report is available to download in English and French:

Canadian Campus Survey 2004 [PDF, 1.4 Mb]
Enquête sur les campus canadiens 2004 [PDF, 1.4 Mb]

(2) The Canadian Addiction Survey (CAS) is the first major national survey since 1994 dedicated to alcohol and other drug issues. The CAS interviewed just under 14,000 Canadians aged 15 and older by telephone between December 2003 and April 2004. A preliminary report, available from the Canadian Centre on Substance Abuse, was released in November 2004.

CAMH Population Studies eBulletins
Highlights of findings from most of these surveys are disseminated in our bimonthly eBulletin. In addition to being posted on our website, the eBulletin is distributed to public health and education professionals.