8.6% of students in grades 7-9 overall had ever tried a cigarette, ranging from 4.4% in grade 7 to 13.5% in grade 9.
One-third of never-smokers in grades 7-9 were classified as susceptible to smoking.
1.0% of students in grades 7-9 were current smokers overall, with grade-specific estimates ranging from 0.3% in grade 7 to 1.9% in grade 9.
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, including buying, taking, or being given cigarettes by friends, family or others, or having others buy cigarettes for them.
Three-quarters of current smokers in grades 7-9 reported ever trying to quit smoking.
One in six youth (16.4%) reported ever having smoked a whole cigarette, ranging from 6.7% of 15-year-olds to 24.6% of 19-year-olds.
Overall, 7.9% of youth aged 15 to 19 were current smokers, with age-specific rates ranging from 4.1% among 15- and 16-year-olds to 14.4% of 19-year-olds.
16% of youth aged 15 to 19 had ever smoked a cigarillo; 10% had ever smoked a cigar.
Daily smokers aged 15 to 19 smoked an average of 9.4 cigarettes per day.
Among smokers aged 15 to 18, the most common source of cigarettes was buying them from a store (44%), while 37% were given cigarettes by social sources, and one in five obtained them through “other” sources (including buying from others and on/from First Nations Reserves).
Six out of ten smokers aged 15 to 19 were seriously considering quitting in the next 6 months.
Half of smokers aged 15 to 19 had made a quit attempt in the past 12 months.
