Cessation methods

The 2017 CTADS asked about a number of cessation methods; estimates of their use in the past two years are presented in Figure 6.24. Reducing cigarette consumption as a way to quit was popular, cited by the majority (62.6%) of smokers. Excluding reduction, two-thirds of smokers (66.5%)^a who attempted to quit used some form of cessation assistance. Four in ten (39.1%) used stop-smoking medications (SSMs), including nicotine replacement therapy (NRT), or “medications such as Zyban, Wellbutrin or Champix”. One-third (32.4%) reported using an e-cigarette as a cessation aid, and 23.2% made a deal with friends or family to quit.

Use of cessation assistance was also included in the previous CTUMS survey, as well as in CTADS 2013 and 2015 (see Figure 6.24). Note that caution should be used when comparing to previous estimates, due to changes in question coverage; recent quitters and smokers who attempted to quit in the last year were asked in CTADS 2013 and 2015, while those who attempted to quit in the past 2 years were asked in CTUMS and in CTADS 2017. Some forms of assistance, such as workplace cessation programs, websites, and quit smoking contests, were used by relatively few people in the years with available data.

See data table below with 95% confidence intervals.

Telephone helpline

The Smoker’s Helpline number was added to cigarette package warning labels and inserts in 2012.^xv In 2017, four out of five current smokers (80.3%^b) said that they were aware of “1-800 telephone quit-lines or other smoker help lines available to help you quit smoking”. Further, use of a telephone quitline was reported by 7.1%^c of current and former smokers who had quit or tried to quit in the past 2 years.

Figure 6.24 data table with 95% confidence intervals

Prevalence of use of various quit methods among current and former smokers who had quit or attempted to quit smoking in the past two years*, 2003-2017
	SSM (NRT, Zyban)	Reduce # of cigarettes	E-cigarettes	Deal with friends/family	Workplace cessation program	Quit smoking contest	1-800 Quitline	Internet website
2003	48.6 [45.3-51.9]	55.1 [51.9-58.2]	--	25.3 [22.5-28.1]	--	6.0 [4.3-7.8]	1.0 [0.4-1.6]	1.9 [1.0-2.7]
2004	49.0 [45.5-52.6]	56.3 [52.9-59.8]	--	23.7 [21.1-26.3]	--	3.6 [2.4-4.9]	1.6 [0.7-2.5]	2.7 [1.4-4.1]
2005	44.0 [40.4-47.5]	52.2 [48.4-55.9]	--	24.5 [21.6-27.4]	--	6.8 [5.1-8.5]	1.8 [1.0-2.7]	3.3 [2.2-4.5]
2006	45.3 [42.1-48.6]	62.2 [59.0-65.4]	--	28.3 [25.4-31.2]	--	--	--	--
2007	47.9 [44.5-51.4]	64.9 [61.7-68.1]	--	26.2 [23.3-29.0]	2.3 [1.1-3.5]	--	--	--
2008	45.5 [41.6-49.3]	62.7 [58.8-66.5]	--	24.2 [21.2-27.3]	2.3 [1.0-3.6]	--	--	--
2009	47.4 [43.7-51.0]	65.4 [61.8-69.0]	--	28.3 [24.7-31.8]	1.7 [1.0-2.4]	--	3.3 [2.0-4.6]	--
2010	48.3 [44.5-52.2]	68.8 [65.3-72.3]	--	28.6 [25.0-32.2]	4.5 [2.4-6.6]	--	3.2 [2.0-4.5]	--
2011	45.6 [41.6-49.6]	64.9 [60.8-68.8]	--	22.2 [18.8-25.5]	1.2 [0.8-1.6]	--	3.2 [1.9-4.4]	--
2012	44.2 [39.6-48.7]	63.8 [59.2-68.4]	--	21.4 [17.6-25.3]	2.4 [0.6-4.2]	--	4.5 [2.5-6.5]	--
2013	--	--	--	--		--	5.6 [3.2-7.9]	--
2015	--	--	33.5 [28.1-38.8]	--	--	--	6.9 [4.1-9.6]	--
2017	39.1 [33.2-45.0]	62.6 [56.4-68.8]	32.4 [26.5-38.2]	23.2 [18.3- 28.1]	--	--	7.1 [3.9-10.3]	--

*In 2013 and 2015, only current smokers who had tried to quit in the last year (rather than past two years) were included, as well as former smokers who stopped smoking.
Data sources: Canadian Tobacco Use Monitoring Survey, 1999-2012; Canadian Tobacco, Alcohol and Drugs Survey, 2013, 2015, 2017.

95% confidence intervals for in-text estimates

a: 66.5 [60.5-72.6]
b: 80.3 [75.5-85.1]
c: 7.1 [3.9-10.3]