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National Population Health Survey Highlights

Smoking Behaviour of Canadians
Cycle 2, 1996/97 (January 1999, No. 1)

Profile of the Provinces

Table of Contents
1.1 Description of the Survey and Reports
1.2 Overview of Results
1.3 Profile of Youth Aged 15-19
1.4 Profile of Young Adults Aged 20-24
1.5 Profile of the Provinces
1.6 Profile of Canadians who Smoke
1.7 Who is Starting to Smoke and Why?
1.8 Who is Quitting and Why?
1.9 Exposure to Environmental Tobacco Smoke
1.10 Smoking: Attitudes and Perceived Health Risk
1.11 Environmental Tobacco Smoke and Perceived Health Risk
 
Supplementary Tables 1996/97
Supplementary Tables 1994/95


Prevalence of Smoking and Amount Smoked

In 1996/97, over 6.7 million Canadian residents aged 15 and older smoked. This represented 29% of all Canadians aged 15 and over, of which 25% were daily smokers and 4% were occasional smokers. Provincially, the prevalence of smoking ranged from a low of 26% in British Columbia and Ontario to highs of 34% in Quebec, and 33% in Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island (Figure 1.5-1).


Figure 1.5-1

Nationally, more males smoked than females (32% vs. 26%), a difference that was observed in all provinces except Saskatchewan and British Columbia, where the prevalence of smokers was similar among both sexes (Figure 1.5-2). The difference between males and females was especially pronounced in Prince Edward Island, where 41% of males aged 15 and older smoked, compared with only 24% of females of the same age.


Figure 1.5-2

The national average number of cigarettes smoked per day by daily smokers aged 15 or older was 18. There appears to be a positive relationship between smoking prevalence and amount smoked (Figure 1.5-3): those provinces with higher prevalences, such as Quebec, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island, also reported the highest average number of cigarettes smoked per day by daily smokers; British Columbia, Ontario, and Manitoba exhibited lower daily smoking prevalences than other provinces and lower averages for the amount smoked by daily smokers. Newfoundland did not follow this general pattern (see Figure 1.5-3). Ontario residents, followed by Manitoba and New Brunswick residents, were most likely to avoid smoking altogether (46%, 43% and 42% respectively had never smoked), in contrast to Nova Scotia and Newfoundland, where 35% and 36% respectively reported never smoking.


Figure 1.5-3

Changes Over Time

The National Population Health Survey estimate of the national prevalence of smoking (cross-sectional) decreased slightly between 1994/95 (31%) and 1996/97 (29%). The smoking prevalence within provinces exhibited little change between 1994/95 and 1996/97. The proportion of daily and occasional smokers, and of male and female smokers within each province, also remained fairly stable between 1994/95 and 1996/97 for all the provinces.

Intentions to Quit

The percentage of daily smokers within each province who were considering quitting in the next six months varied from a low of only 39% in Newfoundland to a high of 55% in Ontario and 54% in British Columbia. Only 42% of daily smokers in Quebec and New Brunswick indicated that they intended to quit in the next six months. The percentage of daily smokers in other provinces who intended to quit was similar to the national rate of 49%.

Estimation of Addiction

The amount of time that elapses from when daily smokers wake up to when they have their first cigarette is one measure of how addicted they are to smoking. The percentage of daily smokers who had their first cigarette within 30 minutes of waking ranges from 57% in Ontario to 68% in New Brunswick.

 

Terminology

  • Current smoker - was smoking at the time of the interview, and includes daily smokers and non-daily smokers (also known as occasional smokers). Smoking status was determined from the response to the question: "At the present time do you smoke cigarettes daily, occasionally or not at all?"
  • Former smoker - was not smoking at the time of the interview, however answered "YES" to the question: "Have you ever smoked cigarettes at all?" Former daily smokers and former occasional smokers were then determined by their response to the question: "Have you ever smoked cigarettes daily?". In Cycle 2, time since quitting was not collected.
  • Never smoker - was not smoking at the time of the interview and answered "NO" to the question: "Have you ever smoked cigarettes at all?"
  • Non-smokers - are former smokers and never smokers, combined.
  • Prevalence of smoking - the proportion of cigarette smokers in the specified population.
  • Amount smoked - the number of cigarettes smoked per day for daily smokers only.
  • Quitters - those individuals who classified themselves as either "daily" or "occasional" smokers in 1994/95, and then as "former smokers" in 1996/97.
  • Environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) - also known as second-hand smoke. Exposure to ETS was determined from the response to the question: "Does anyone in this household smoke regularly inside the house?"



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Last Updated: 2003-01-17
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