Young researchers cut through smoke and mirrors

ODILE NELSON

One of the most extensive studies ever conducted on the smoking habits of Nunavik’s school children was presented last month – not by a group of Southern university researchers but by a biology class at Puvirnituq’s Ecole Iguarsivik.

In many ways, it’s a groundbreaking study for the region. To the school’s knowledge, no research organization has ever embarked on such a large and concerted survey of childhood smoking in Nunavik.
By the time Charles Roy’s 3emè Secondaire biology class presented the study during the school’s science week in March, 960 students between the ages of eight and 18 had been surveyed, and all but two Nunavik communities were involved.

The study found 67 per cent of high school students – and a staggering 27 per cent of elementary school students – smoke. Most smokers averaged six cigarettes a day.

It also found the majority of children have parents who smoke. Sixty-one per cent of children said their fathers smoke and 70 per cent reported their mothers smoke.

Yet aside from the significance of the study itself, the initiative also reveals a lot about the teaching philosophy at École Iguarsivik. There seems to be a belief that knitting together classroom theory with practical experience inspires students to learn basic skills while fostering understanding of community issues.

“It showed the students that 80 per cent of students in high school smoke – four times the national average of Canada. It certainly captures their awareness of the situation and it’s a starting point for the students,” Roy said.

“It won’t stop students from smoking but it’s clearly showing the situation – and in a public fashion that doesn’t frighten but only informs.”

The idea for the project began in January when the regional health board began to publicize Quit to Win, a competition where smokers agree to quit cold turkey for six weeks to win prizes. Competitors compete as individuals, families, communities or schools.

But Claude Vallières, the school’s vice-principal, was not content to simply have his school participate in the competition.

“Every year in the school we have a special week. Last year we decided we would have a science week, like a science fair,” Vallières said. “So when the Quit to Win challenge began, I said ‘Wow, what can we do?’ I’ve been living the North since 1970 and there’s definitely a problem with smoking here…. So we decided to take the two ideas and do a project on lungs and smoking.”

Vallières came up with a draft questionnaire on smoking and passed it along to Roy and his class. The class then amended many of the questions, Roy said, to make sure students weren’t intimidated.

Vallières distributed the survey to Nunavik’s principals at a regional school administrators meeting in February. Twelve schools then passed the confidential and voluntary questionnaires on to their students.

It was only after the schools returned the stacks and stacks of completed forms that the real work began. Acting as a team, the 10 students in Roy’s class devoted at least four hours a week to adding the results.

Three weeks, and numerous additions and divisions later, the class presented the study at the school’s science week.

They then took their work to the streets on March 20 with a school parade around Puvirnituq – involving 300 students, community members and a fire truck with a broken cigarette sculpture on top.

Roy said the project allowed students to apply math and research skills to their understanding of a relevant social issue.

“We saw parents smoked more than students. That was terrific because we saw that smoking was a family affair. If everyone smokes at home, a child will have a greater chance of smoking and the students really appreciated that fact,” Roy said.

Amaly Putugu, 16, said the project was fun but a lot of work. A smoker herself, Putugu said she was surprised by the number of people her age who smoke.

“There’s a lot of students who smoke,” Putugu said. “[I started smoking when] I was 10 because I was interested, because my friends did.”

Though she said she didn’t think the study would encourage her to stop smoking right away, she said she might quit in the future and she has discussed the study with her friends.

Encouraging discussion, Vallières said, was one of the project’s main goals.

“Yesterday I was at the co-op and a parent said to me, ‘Hey, you know my child told me about this and he said there’s more girls smoking than boys and then he brought the survey home and we looked at it and sort of had an evening of it,” Vallières said.

The school hopes to publish a 35-page report on their findings this week. It will then distribute the report to the region’s schools and health board.