Overview
Background
Carmen is an NHMRC Emerging Leadership Fellow at the National Centre for Youth Substance Use Research. Her research seeks to understand why young people start using substances and develop strategies that advance public health.
Her work spans four key areas:
(1) Youth vaping and social media, where she examines trends and the influence of social media on youth vaping; (2) Cannabis and regulation, investigating industry marketing practices and compliance with regulatory guidelines; (3) International comparisons and equity - developing culturally appropriate prevention and harm reduction strategies to address substance use in diverse contexts; (4) Substance use and mental health - exploring the links between substance use and mental health conditions.
Through her research, Carmen aims to generate evidence that informs policy, guides prevention and harm reduction efforts, and support healthier futures for young people. She has published over 100 peer-reviewed papers in addiction and mental health (Google Scholar: >10K citations, h-index = 43, 31% output in top 10% citation percentile).
Carmen holds qualifications in biostatistics, public health and epidemiology. She has experiences in teaching and mentoring students from diverse demographic and cultural background, and welcomes self-driven, curious students with interest in public health, psychology, epidemiology, or statistics to join her team.
Availability
- Dr Carmen Lim is:
- Available for supervision
Fields of research
Qualifications
- Doctor of Philosophy of Psychology, The University of Queensland
Research interests
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Substance Use
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Harm reduction
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Mental health
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Digital advertising
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Biostatistics
Research impacts
My research focuses on why young people start using substances such as e-cigarettes, cannabis, and alcohol, and how we can reduce the harms that follow. By combining survey data with innovative tools like social media analysis, I provide early evidence that helps communities, schools, and policymakers respond to emerging challenges.
This work has informed national discussions and inquiries on youth vaping, contributed to World Health Organization reports, and supported the development of harm reduction program internationally.
Beyond academia, I share findings widely through media outlets like The Conversation and national radio interviews, making evidence accessible to the broader community and ensuring it reaches those who can use it to drive change.
Works
Search Professor Carmen Lim’s works on UQ eSpace
2023
Journal Article
Sleep behaviors and progression of multimorbidity in middle-aged and older adults: a prospective cohort study from China
Zhou, Yaguan, Ni, Yujie, Jones, Mark, Dai, Xiaochen, Lim, Carmen C. W., Zhu, Anna and Xu, Xiaolin (2023). Sleep behaviors and progression of multimorbidity in middle-aged and older adults: a prospective cohort study from China. Journals of Gerontology. Series A: Biological Sciences and Medical Sciences, 78 (10), 1871-1880. doi: 10.1093/gerona/glad087
2023
Journal Article
Intake of sugary beverages with chronic conditions and multimorbidity: a prospective cohort study of UK Biobank
Zhang, Yue, Chen, Hui, Lim, Carmen C. W., Carrillo-Larco, Rodrigo M., Yan, Lijing L., Mishra, Gita D., Yuan, Changzheng and Xu, Xiaolin (2023). Intake of sugary beverages with chronic conditions and multimorbidity: a prospective cohort study of UK Biobank. International Journal of Epidemiology, 52 (5), 1473-1485. doi: 10.1093/ije/dyad057
2023
Journal Article
A systematic review and meta‐analysis of the relationship between youth drinking, self‐posting of alcohol use and other social media engagement (2012–21)
Cheng, Brandon, Lim, Carmen C. W., Rutherford, Brienna N., Huang, Sandy, Ashley, Daniel P., Johnson, Ben, Chung, Jack, Chan, Gary C. K., Coates, Jason M., Gullo, Matthew J. and Connor, Jason P. (2023). A systematic review and meta‐analysis of the relationship between youth drinking, self‐posting of alcohol use and other social media engagement (2012–21). Addiction, 119 (1), 28-46. doi: 10.1111/add.16304
2023
Journal Article
Self-reported depression and anxiety and healthcare professional interactions regarding smoking cessation and nicotine vaping: Findings from 2018 International Tobacco Control Four Country Smoking and Vaping (ITC 4CV) Survey
Tildy, Bernadett, McNeill, Ann, East, Katherine, Gravely, Shannon, Fong, Geoffrey T., Cummings, K. Michael, Borland, Ron, Chan, Gary, Lim, Carmen, Gartner, Coral E., Yong, Hua‐Hie and Brose, Leonie S. (2023). Self-reported depression and anxiety and healthcare professional interactions regarding smoking cessation and nicotine vaping: Findings from 2018 International Tobacco Control Four Country Smoking and Vaping (ITC 4CV) Survey. Tobacco Prevention and Cessation, 9 (August) 26, 1-12. doi: 10.18332/tpc/168288
2023
Journal Article
Vaping on TikTok: a systematic thematic analysis
Sun, Tianze, Lim, Carmen C.W., Chung, Jack, Cheng, Brandon, Davidson, Lily, Tisdale, Calvert, Leung, Janni, Gartner, Coral E., Connor, Jason, Hall, Wayne D. and Chan, Gary C.K. (2023). Vaping on TikTok: a systematic thematic analysis. Tobacco Control, 32 (2), 251-254. doi: 10.1136/tobaccocontrol-2021-056619
2023
Journal Article
Sleep problems associate with multimorbidity: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Zhou, Yaguan, Jin, Yichen, Zhu, Yi, Fang, Weiwei, Dai, Xiaochen, Lim, Carmen, Mishra, Shiva Raj, Song, Peige and Xu, Xiaolin (2023). Sleep problems associate with multimorbidity: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Public Health Reviews, 44 1605469, 1-10. doi: 10.3389/phrs.2023.1605469
2023
Journal Article
A latent class analysis of patterns of tobacco and cannabis use in Australia and their health‐related correlates
Lim, Carmen C. W., Leung, Janni K. Y., Gravely, Shannon, Gartner, Coral, Sun, Tianze, Chiu, Vivian, Chung, Jack Y. C., Stjepanović, Daniel, Connor, Jason, Scheurer, Roman W., Hall, Wayne and Chan, Gary C. K. (2023). A latent class analysis of patterns of tobacco and cannabis use in Australia and their health‐related correlates. Drug and Alcohol Review, 42 (4), 815-826. doi: 10.1111/dar.13614
2023
Journal Article
Global prevalence of heated tobacco product use, 2015‐2022: a systematic review and meta‐analysis
Sun, Tianze, Anandan, Aathavan, Lim, Carmen C. W., East, Katherine, Xu, Steve S., Quah, Anne C. K., Rutherford, Brienna N., Johnson, Benjamin, Qi, Yaqi, Stjepanovic, Daniel, Leung, Janni, Connor, Jason P., Gartner, Coral, Hall, Wayne D., Vu, Giang and Chan, Gary C. K. (2023). Global prevalence of heated tobacco product use, 2015‐2022: a systematic review and meta‐analysis. Addiction, 118 (8), 1430-1444. doi: 10.1111/add.16199
2023
Journal Article
What is the hype on # MedicinalCannabis in the United States? A content analysis of medicinal cannabis tweets
Lim, Carmen C. W., Sun, Tianze, Gartner, Coral, Connor, Jason, Fahmi, Marco, Hall, Wayne, Hames, Sam, Stjepanović, Daniel, Chan, Gary and Leung, Janni (2023). What is the hype on # MedicinalCannabis in the United States? A content analysis of medicinal cannabis tweets. Drug and Alcohol Review, 43 (1), 28-35. doi: 10.1111/dar.13618
2023
Journal Article
Cryptocurrency trading and its associations with gambling and mental health: a scoping review
Johnson, Benjamin, Co, Steven, Sun, Tianze, Lim, Carmen C.W., Stjepanović, Daniel, Leung, Janni, Saunders, John B. and Chan, Gary C.K. (2023). Cryptocurrency trading and its associations with gambling and mental health: a scoping review. Addictive Behaviors, 136 107504, 1-8. doi: 10.1016/j.addbeh.2022.107504
2023
Other Outputs
Dataset for the cryptomarket paper
Chan, Gary and Lim, Carmen (2023). Dataset for the cryptomarket paper. The University of Queensland. (Dataset) doi: 10.48610/8c2c84e
2022
Journal Article
Non-medical use of pharmaceutical opioids with and without other illicit substance use: Trends from two repeated nationally representative Australian surveys
Leung, Janni, Stjepanovic, Daniel, Vu, Giang, Lim, Carmen, Anandan, Aathavan Shanmuga, Hall, Wayne, Connor, Jason and Chan, Gary (2022). Non-medical use of pharmaceutical opioids with and without other illicit substance use: Trends from two repeated nationally representative Australian surveys. Drug and Alcohol Dependence Reports, 5 100118, 1-5. doi: 10.1016/j.dadr.2022.100118
2022
Journal Article
Trends and socio-demographic differences of cannabis vaping in the USA and Canada
Lim, Carmen C. W., Chan, Gary C. K., Wadsworth, Elle, Stjepanović, Daniel, Chiu, Vivian, Chung, Jack Y. C., Sun, Tianze, Connor, Jason, Leung, Janni, Gartner, Coral, Hall, Wayne and Hammond, David (2022). Trends and socio-demographic differences of cannabis vaping in the USA and Canada. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19 (21) 14394, 14394. doi: 10.3390/ijerph192114394
2022
Conference Publication
Does second-hand smoking mass-media campaign increase public awareness and reduce second-hand smoke exposure? A systematic review
Lim, Carmen C. W., McClure-Thomas, Caitlin, Stjepanovic, Daniel, Cheng, Brandon, Sebayang, Susy, Fausiah, Fitri, Farassania, Ghea, Maidin, Alimin, Ansariadi, Ansariadi, Gartner, Coral, Scheurer, Roman, Chan, Gary C. K., Gouda, Hebe and Leung, Janni (2022). Does second-hand smoking mass-media campaign increase public awareness and reduce second-hand smoke exposure? A systematic review. APSAD 2022 Conference, Darwin, NT Australia, 9–12 October 2022. Chichester, West Sussex United Kingdom: Wiley-Blackwell.
2022
Conference Publication
Adolescent exposure to advertisements and promotions for tobacco products on the internet
Leung, Janni, Foo, Shaun, McClure-Thomas, Caitlin, Lim, Carmen C. W., Fausiah, Fitri, Farassania, Ghea, Gouda, Hebe and Sebayang, Susy (2022). Adolescent exposure to advertisements and promotions for tobacco products on the internet. HOBOKEN: WILEY.
2022
Conference Publication
A systematic review of the relationship between alcohol-related media on social networking sites and alcohol use
Cheng, Brandon, Lim, Carmen C. W., Rutherford, Brienna N., Huang, Sandy, Ashley, Daniel P., Chung, Jack, Chan, Gary C. K., Coates, Jason M., Gullo, Matthew J. and Connor, Jason P. (2022). A systematic review of the relationship between alcohol-related media on social networking sites and alcohol use. APSAD 2022 Conference, Darwin, NT Australia, 9–12 October 2022. Chichester, West Sussex United Kingdom: Wiley-Blackwell.
2022
Conference Publication
Perceived loneliness, peer and parental relationship with smoking: A cross-sectional analysis of adolescents across South-East Asia
McClure-Thomas, Caitlin, Lim, Carmen C. W., Sebayang, Susy, Fausiah, Fitri, Farassania, Ghea, Gouda, Hebe and Leung, Janni (2022). Perceived loneliness, peer and parental relationship with smoking: A cross-sectional analysis of adolescents across South-East Asia. HOBOKEN: WILEY.
2022
Journal Article
#TurntTrending: a systematic review of substance use portrayals on social media platforms
Rutherford, Brienna N., Lim, Carmen C. W., Johnson, Benjamin, Cheng, Brandon, Chung, Jack, Huang, Sandy, Sun, Tianze, Leung, Janni, Stjepanović, Daniel and Chan, Gary C. K. (2022). #TurntTrending: a systematic review of substance use portrayals on social media platforms. Addiction, 118 (2), 206-217. doi: 10.1111/add.16020
2022
Journal Article
Association of dietary patterns and food groups intake with multimorbidity: a prospective cohort study
Zhang, Yue, Chen, Hui, Carrillo-Larco, Rodrigo M., Lim, Carmen C.W., Mishra, Shiva Raj, Yuan, Changzheng and Xu, Xiaolin (2022). Association of dietary patterns and food groups intake with multimorbidity: a prospective cohort study. Clinical Nutrition ESPEN, 51, 359-366. doi: 10.1016/j.clnesp.2022.07.019
2022
Journal Article
Association between socioeconomic status and health behaviour change before and after non-communicable disease diagnoses: a multicohort study
Wang, Danyang, Dai, Xiaochen, Mishra, Shiva Raj, Lim, Carmen C W., Carrillo-Larco, Rodrigo M., Gakidou, Emmanuela and Xu, Xiaolin (2022). Association between socioeconomic status and health behaviour change before and after non-communicable disease diagnoses: a multicohort study. The Lancet Public Health, 7 (8), e670-e682. doi: 10.1016/s2468-2667(22)00157-8
Funding
Current funding
Supervision
Availability
- Dr Carmen Lim is:
- Available for supervision
Looking for a supervisor? Read our advice on how to choose a supervisor.
Available projects
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Social Media Advertising on Youth Perceptions of Vaping
This PhD project aims to assess how targeted advertising on social media platforms affects youth perceptions of vaping. A mixed-methods approach could be used to analyze both quantitative and qualitative data.
Supervision history
Current supervision
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Doctor Philosophy
Digital Deterrence: Exploring innovative social media interventions to curtail youth vaping
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Jason Connor, Professor Coral Gartner
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Doctor Philosophy
The influence of social media upon alcohol use: An investigation of effects and mechanisms
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Associate Professor Gary Chung Kai Chan, Professor Jason Connor
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Doctor Philosophy
Population-level of substance use and health outcomes
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Associate Professor Gary Chung Kai Chan, Professor Leanne Hides, Associate Professor Janni Leung
Media
Enquiries
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