Week 0: Introduction to My Project

Hi, everyone! Welcome to my first senior project blog, where I will be discussing the relation between mental health and tobacco products. I’ll start with an explanation of my interest in this topic and then talk about how I plan to execute my project.

My interest in this topic stems from my past work on the Union City Youth Commission, where I drafted stricter tobacco policies for Union City, which is where I grew up. Through my work, I heard many students report that their friends would vape in school bathrooms, and I recognized that there is a vaping epidemic among youth that needs to be fixed. I began working on creating stricter tobacco policies in January 2021 and continue to work on it, which is why the issue of tobacco product usage is so important to me. However, even if my recommended policies are enforced, people will always have some access to tobacco products, as they can in many cases just go to a different city to purchase them.

As a result, I want to look into ways to prevent (or at least curtail) tobacco usage from the demand/consumer’s side, and I have chosen to do that through my senior project. I want to examine what the possible reasons are behind tobacco usage and whether they have anything to do with people’s mental health. Hopefully, my research can provide information on ways, other than strict tobacco sale policies, to help reduce teen tobacco usage.

Through all my years advocating for stricter tobacco policies, I have had the opportunity to work with my external advisor, Nathan Subramanian, who is an employee of the Alameda County Tobacco Control Coalition, which is a part of the Alameda County Public Health Department. He will be helping me access past data regarding mental health reports and tobacco product usage in Alameda County. 

Additionally, after talking to my teachers and advisors, I have decided to expand my survey to residents of Alameda County, not just Union City. I will be administering an online survey where I will ask people about their tobacco product usage habits, as well as questions that would help me determine if they show symptoms of mental illnesses such as depression, stress, and anxiety. Through the data I collect, I will look for a correlation between mental health and tobacco product usage for the following age groups: 12-18, 19-25, 25-40, 40-60, and 60+. This data will be used to make informational campaigns for each of these age groups. I will finish designing this survey and begin sending it out during the first week of my project. 

Be sure to read my next post for updates!