Grant: CIHR Fellowship

Education is a well-acknowledged social determinant of health. However, postsecondary education completion rates are lower in Drayton Valley (46%), a rural oil and gas town in Alberta, than the national average in Canada (55%). Increasing postsecondary education completion rates could help to reduce some health consequences (e.g., stress, anxiety) of living through the boom-bust cycles of oil and gas, especially for financially strained residents and their families. Recognizing the importance of education in promoting community health and well-being, Drayton Valley began a zero-fee postsecondary education (ZFPE) initiative in 2019. This initiative enables residents, regardless of their financial circumstances, pursue education and training in town. Through Town partnerships with Alberta postsecondary institutions, various ZFPE programs (e.g., healthcare aide) are being offered. However, the health and social impacts of ZFPE remain unexplored. In the Drayton Valley context, we will ask 1) how can ZFPE improve students' health outcomes? and 2) how can ZFPE shift social norms regarding postsecondary education? Over the next 3 years, I will lead a team of research assistants to answer these questions using mixed methods, including interviews, focus groups, and surveys. Recruitment and data collection will be facilitated via pre-established relationships with Town partners. To understand ZFPE impacts, we will examine change over time in ZFPE students' health outcomes like perceived stress. We will also learn from high school students, staff, and parents about their knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs concerning postsecondary education. We will use this information to explore whether and how ZFPE can shift social norms around pursuing postsecondary education in Drayton Valley. Overall, findings will inform the use of ZFPE as a novel health promotion tool (currently, the only one of its kind in Canada) for use in other rural communities nationwide and internationally.