Highlights

Tobacco use among Canadian Adults (15+), 2017

SMOKING PREVALENCE

15.1% of Canadians (approximately 4.6 million) were current smokers, significantly greater than the 2015 prevalence estimate of 13.0%.
The majority of smokers reported smoking daily (10.8% daily/4.3% non-daily prevalence).
Prevalence was higher among males (16.7%) than females (13.5%).
Smoking prevalence was highest among adults aged 45-54, at 19.9%. Prevalence was lowest among youth aged 15-19 (7.9%).
There were significant differences between provinces in smoking prevalence.
Self-rated health varied by smoking status, with never smokers rating their general health and mental health better than smokers.

CIGARETTE CONSUMPTION

Daily smokers in Canada smoked an average of 13.7 cigarettes per day.
Average consumption has declined by more than 3 cigarettes per day since 1999.
Male daily smokers consumed nearly 3 cigarettes more per day than females (14.9 vs. 12.1).
Canadians purchased over 27 billion cigarettes.

USE OF OTHER TOBACCO PRODUCTS

Cigarillos and cigars were the most popular tobacco products other than cigarettes: 1.9% of Canadians reported use in the past 30 days.
Cigar, cigarillo, and chewing tobacco/snuff use were more prevalent among males.
Use of other smoked tobacco products was most prevalent among young adults.

EXPOSURE TO SECONDHAND SMOKE (SHS)

A majority of respondents (63.6%) reported being exposed to SHS in the past month, including 13.3% who reported being exposed either every day or almost every day.
SHS exposure was more prevalent among males, young people, and current smokers.

PLANS TO QUIT

The majority (63.1%) of Canadians who have ever been smokers have now quit.
More than half (57.9%) of smokers were seriously considering quitting in the next 6 months; over one-quarter (26.9%) were considering quitting in the next month.
Similar proportions of males and females were seriously considering quitting smoking in the next 6 months, and in the next month.
Quit intentions in the next 6 months did not differ by age. However, the percentage of smokers considering quitting in the next 30 days varied by age group, and was lowest among adults aged 25-34.

QUIT ATTEMPTS AND SUCCESS (ABSTINENCE)

Almost half of smokers (46.2%) had tried to quit in the past year; nearly one-third (31.3%) tried more than once.
Similar percentages of males and females had made a quit attempt in the past year.
Quit attempts did not differ significantly age group.
Among respondents who had made a quit attempt in the past year, 12.3% were still abstinent from smoking at the time they were surveyed.

CESSATION ASSISTANCE

Two-thirds of smokers who attempted to quit used some form of cessation assistance.
The most commonly used forms of cessation assistance were e-cigarettes (32.4%), nicotine replacement therapy (30.8%), and stop-smoking medications (14.7%).
Over half (55.9%) of smokers who visited a doctor in the past year received advice to quit.

Youth in grades 7-9, in 2016-17

8.6% of students in grades 7-9 had ever tried a cigarette.
1.0% of students in grades 7-9 were current smokers overall, varying by grade.
- Similar proportions were daily (0.4%) and non-daily (0.5%) smokers.
- Smoking prevalence did not differ significantly between males (1.1%) and females (0.8%).
One-third of never-smokers in grades 7-9 were classified as susceptible to smoking.
Daily smokers in grades 7-9 smoked an average of 7.5 cigarettes per day.
4.7% of students in grades 7-9 had ever smoked a cigar or cigarillo.
Most smokers in grades 7-9 usually obtained their cigarettes from social sources.
Three-quarters of current smokers in grades 7-9 reported ever trying to quit smoking.

Youth aged 15-19, in 2017

One in six (16.4%) youth aged 15-19 reported ever having smoked a whole cigarette.
7.9% were current smokers overall, with age-specific rates ranging from 4.1% among 15- and 16-year-olds to 14.4% of 19-year-olds.
- Daily smoking (2.9%) accounted for less than half of youth prevalence (4.9% non-daily).
- Prevalence was significantly higher among males (9.7%) than females (5.9%).
Daily smokers aged 15-19 smoked an average of 9.4 cigarettes per day.
16% of youth aged 15-19 had ever smoked a cigarillo, 10% had ever smoked a cigar, and 10% had ever used a waterpipe.
- Sex differences were apparent: 16% of males and 5% of females had smoked a cigar, while 21% of males and 10% of females had smoked a cigarillo.
44% of smokers aged 15-18 usually bought their cigarettes from stores, while 37% were given cigarettes by another person, and one in five obtained them through “other” sources.
Six out of ten smokers aged 15-19 were seriously considering quitting in the next 6 months.

A substantial number of Canadians had tried e-cigarettes, but few reported regular use: 15.4% of Canadians (4.6 million) reported having ever tried an e-cigarette; 2.9% had used one in the past 30 days, and 1.0% reported daily use.
Ever use of e-cigarettes increased significantly between 2015 and 2017, while past 30-day use did not change significantly.
E-cigarette use was most prevalent among young people: 22.8% of youth aged 15-19, 29.3% of young adults aged 20-24, and 25.6% of adults aged 25-34 reported ever trying.
Prevalence of e-cigarette use was much greater among smokers: 54.1% of current smokers had ever used e-cigarettes, compared to 6.7% of non-smokers; past 30-day use was 12.2% among current smokers and 2.4% among non-smokers.
Two-thirds (64.4%) of users reported that the last e-cigarette they used contained nicotine.
Among all ever users, nearly one-quarter (23.6%) reported using e-cigarettes to help them quit smoking within the past two years.
In 2016-17, 12.6% of Canadian students in grades 7-9 reported ever trying an e-cigarette, and 5.4% had used one in the past 30 days.