Nova Scotia

Smoking prevalence

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In 2017, smoking prevalence in Nova Scotia was 18.5%, well above the national average of 15.1%.

Figure 2.24 (below) shows smoking prevalence, overall and by sex, in Nova Scotia from 1999-2017. Prevalence decreased fairly steeply for the first five years, before reaching a plateau for quite some time, and then becoming more variable in the most recent years. Prevalence estimates were greater among males than females in all years observed, although only slightly in several instances; it appears that sex differences may be increasing in the most recent survey years.

See data table below with 95% confidence intervals.

Figure 2.24 data table with 95% confidence intervals

Current smoking prevalence* by sex, Nova Scotia, 1999-2017
	NS	Males	Females
1999	28.9	31.5	26.5
2000	29.8	31.1	28.5
2001	24.9 [22.6-27.1]	26.3 [23.0-29.5]	23.5 [20.5-26.5]
2002	25.3 [22.7-28.0]	25.7 [21.7-29.7]	24.9 [20.6-29.3]
2003	22.1 [19.8-24.4]	24.9 [21.4-28.4]	19.4 [16.5-22.4]
2004	20.2 [18.1-22.3]	21.8 [18.3-25.3]	18.7 [15.8-21.6]
2005	21.0 [18.7-23.3]	24.4 [20.5-28.2]	17.8 [14.7-20.9]
2006	21.8 [19.5-24.1]	23.4 [20.1-26.7]	20.3 [17.4-23.2]
2007	20.4 [18.3-22.4]	22.0 [18.7-25.4]	18.8 [16.0-21.6]
2008	19.7 [17.6-21.8]	22.9 [19.9-26.0]	16.7 [14.1-19.3]
2009	19.8 [17.5-22.0]	22.2 [18.6-25.7]	17.5 [14.8-20.2]
2010	20.8 [18.6-23.1]	23.4 [19.7-27.0]	18.4 [15.5-21.4]
2011	18.1 [16.0-20.2]	18.8 [15.9-21.7]	17.4 [14.3-20.4]
2012	15.6 [13.7-17.5]	17.4 [14.3-20.4]	14.0 [11.6-16.4]
2013	19.4 [17.0-21.7]	22.8 [19.0-26.6]	16.1 [13.1-19.2]
2015	17.8 [14.9-20.6]	20.9 [16.4-25.5]	14.8 [11.4-18.1]
2017	18.5 [14.1-22.8]	25.3 [18.3-32.4]	12.0 [7.3-16.6]

* Includes daily and non-daily smokers
Data sources: Canadian Tobacco Use Monitoring Survey, 1999-2012; Canadian Tobacco, Alcohol and Drugs Survey, 2013, 2015, 2017.

Figure 2.25 shows smoking prevalence by age group in Nova Scotia, from 1999-2017. During this time period, smoking prevalence decreased substantially, although not steadily, in all age groups. The largest decrease observed was among youth aged 15-19, for whom smoking was reduced to one-third of the 1999 estimate. Smaller decreases were observed among older age groups.

See data table below with 95% confidence intervals.

Figure 2.25 data table with 95% confidence intervals

Current smoking prevalence* by age group, Nova Scotia, 1999-2017
	15-19	20-24	25-44	45+	Overall
1999	30.1	36.6	35.7	21.5	28.9
2000	25.1	37.2	38.2	22.2	29.8
2001	26.8 [23.0-30.6]	31.4 [26.6-36.2]	30.9 [26.9-34.9]	18.5 [15.3-21.6]	24.9 [22.6-27.1]
2002	20.2 [16.5-23.8]	33.8 [28.1-39.5]	30.7 [25.9-35.6]	20.6 [17.0-24.2]	25.3 [22.7-28.0]
2003	18.3 [14.2-22.4]	35.4 [30.1-40.7]	26.0 [21.9-31.2]	17.6 [14.3-20.9]	22.1 [19.8-24.4]
2004	20.3 [16.5-24.1]	32.7 [27.8-37.7]	25.5 [20.9-30.1]	14.3 [11.3-17.3]	20.2 [18.1-22.3]
2005	12.9 [9.7-16.2]	26.6 [21.7-31.5]	30.0 [24.9-35.1]	15.3 [12.4-18.3]	21.0 [18.7-23.3]
2006	14.8 [11.7-17.9]	32.6 [27.5-37.6]	29.3 [24.7-33.9]	16.4 [13.6-19.1]	21.8 [19.5-24.1]
2007	13.4 [10.3-16.4]	29.3 [24.2-34.5]	23.8 [19.6-28.0]	17.9 [15.0-20.8]	20.4 [18.3-22.4]
2008	14.4 [11.1-17.7]	26.3 [21.3-31.4]	23.8 [19.4-28.3]	17.1 [14.3-19.8]	19.7 [17.6-21.8]
2009	14.2 [11.2-17.2]	30.0 [24.6-35.5]	23.9 [18.9-28.9]	16.7 [14.0-19.3]	19.8 [17.5-22.0]
2010	15.8 [12.4-19.2]	23.5 [18.9-28.3]	27.7 [22.8-32.5]	17.3 [14.5-20.2]	20.8 [18.6-23.1]
2011	11.8 [8.4-15.2]	29.4 [24.6-34.1]	20.9 [15.9-25.8]	15.8 [13.2-18.3]	18.1 [16.0-20.2]
2012	10.7 [7.7-13.6]	21.4 [17.1-25.8]	22.1 [17.1-27.1]	12.1 [9.8-14.3]	15.6 [13.7-17.5]
2013	9.7 [6.9-12.5]	21 [16.2-25.8]	27.1 [21.1-33.1]	16.4 [13.4-19.4]	19.4 [17.0-21.7]
2015	!	19.8 [14.5-25.1]	23.7 [16.7-30.7]	15.8 [12.6-18.9]	17.8 [14.9-20.6]
2017	9.7 [4.7-14.6]	19.7 [12.0-27.5]	25.8 [14.3-37.2]	15.6 [11.3-19.9]	18.5 [14.1-22.8]

* Includes daily and non-daily smokers
! Estimate suppressed du to unacceptable quality
Data sources: Canadian Tobacco Use Monitoring Survey, 1999-2012; Canadian Tobacco, Alcohol and Drugs Survey, 2013, 2015, 2017.

Cigarette consumption

Between 1999 and 2017, while average daily cigarette consumption in Nova Scotia appears to have decreased overall, there was a substantial uptick in the most recent year (Figure 2.26). Male smokers consumed more cigarettes per day than female smokers in all years, with some variation in magnitude.

See data table below with 95% confidence intervals.

Figure 2.26 data table with 95% confidence intervals

Average daily cigarette consumption* by sex, Nova Scotia, 1999-2017
	NS	Males	Females
1999	18.1	19.2	16.8
2000	17.7	20.2	15.2
2001	17.1 [15.8-18.5]	18.8 [16.8-20.8]	15.4 [13.6-17.2]
2002	17.4 [15.6-19.1]	18.9 [16.2-21.6]	15.9 [14.6-17.1]
2003	15.1 [14.1-16.1]	15.9 [14.5-17.4]	14.0 [12.7-15.2]
2004	14.9 [14.0-15.8]	16.5 [15.1-17.8]	13.4 [12.2-14.6]
2005	15.5 [14.5-16.6]	16.9 [15.3-18.5]	13.7 [12.1-15.2]
2006	16.4 [14.7-18.1]	19.6 [16.9-22.2]	12.8 [11.5-14.0]
2007	15.2 [14.0-16.5]	17.1 [15.3-18.9]	13.0 [11.7-14.3]
2008	15.5 [14.2-16.7]	17.1 [15.3-18.9]	13.2 [11.8-14.6]
2009	15.1 [14.0-16.2]	17.7 [16.0-19.4]	12.0 [10.9-13.0]
2010	16.7 [15.4-18.0]	19.3 [17.5-21.1]	13.3 [11.5-15.2]
2011	15.3 [14.2-14.5]	16.5 [14.8-18.2]	14.2 [12.7-15.7]
2012	13.8 [12.8-14.8]	15.1 [13.7-16.6]	12.2 [10.9-13.6]
2013	14 [12.8-15.1]	15.7 [14.0-17.4]	12 [10.7-13.3]
2015	12.9 [11.3-14.6]	13.3 [10.6-15.9]	12.4 [10.8-14.1]
2017	16.3 [13.1-19.5]	19.3 [15.2-23.5]	10.2 [7.2-13.2]

*Among daily smokers
Data sources: Canadian Tobacco Use Monitoring Survey,1999-2012; Canadian Tobacco, Alcohol and Drugs Survey, 2013, 2015, 2017.