Prevalence among students in grades 7-9

Bar chart showing percentage of youth who have ever tried various tobacco products, grades 7 to 9, from 2018 to 2019. Trends described in text. Data table below with 95% confidence intervals.

In 2018-19, one in 20 students in grades 7-9 reported having ever smoked a cigar or cigarillo (Figure 9.1). Fewer reported having used a waterpipe (2.8%) or smokeless tobacco product (2.1%).

Between 2016-17 and 2018-19, there were no significant changes in ever use of cigars/cigarillos47 or waterpipe48 among students in grades 7-9, but ever use of smokeless tobacco increased.49 As shown in Figure 9.2, ever use of cigars/cigarillos and smokeless tobacco both dropped substantially in the decade after 1994; cigar/cigarillo use continued to decrease after 2008-09, while smokeless remained low. Pipe use and waterpipe use remained relatively low in all years measured.

NOTE: CSTADS 2018-19 asked past 30-day frequency of use of each product; options indicating ever use were grouped (vs. “I have never tried”). CSTADS 2014-15 and 2016-17 asked about ever use of each product (yes/no), and previous years asked in a “check all that apply” format. Estimates may not be comparable over time.

Figure 9.1 data table with 95% confidence intervals
Figure 9.1: Percentage of youth who have ever tried various tobacco products, grades 7-9, 2018-19
  Grades 7-9
Cigars/Cigarillos 5.1 [4.5-5.7]
Waterpipe 2.8 [2.3-3.3]
Smokeless tobacco (Chewing tobacco/Snuff) 2.1 [1.8-2.4]

Data source: Canadian Student Tobacco, Alcohol and Drugs Survey (CSTADS) 2018-19.

Line graph showing percentage of youth in grades 7 to 9 who have ever tried various tobacco products, from 1994 to 2018-19. Trends described in text. Data table below with 95% confidence intervals.

Figure 9.2 data table with 95% confidence intervals
Figure 9.2: Percentage of youth in Grades 7-9 who have ever tried various tobacco products, 1994 to 2018-19
  Cigars/Cigarillos (+ Pipe for 1994-2004-05) Smokeless tobacco Waterpipe Pipe
1994 25.9 11.8 N/A N/A
2002 18.8 4.8 N/A N/A
2004-05 13.3 [12.1-14.5] 3.3 [2.1-4.5] N/A N/A
2006-07 14.5 [11.7-17.3] 3.9 [3.1-4.6] 3.1 [2.1-4.1] 3.2 [2.4-4.0]
2008-09 14.9 [13.7-16.1] 2.2 [1.8-2.6] N/A 3.7 [3.1-4.3]
2010-11 9.4 [8.4-10.4] 1.7 [1.3-2.1] 2.8 [2.1-3.6] 2.8 [2.3-3.4]
2012-13 8.4 [6.9-10.0] 1.7 [1.3-2.2] 4.3 [3.4-5.2] 2.4 [1.8-3.0]
2014-15 6.0 [3.9-8.1] 1.8 [1.2-2.3] 4.5 [3.4-5.7] N/A
2016-17 4.7 [4.2-5.2] 1.5 [1.2-1.7] 3.2 N/A
2018-19 5.1 [4.5-5.7] 2.1 [1.8-2.4] 2.8 [2.3-3.3] N/A

NOTE: Cigars and pipe were asked as a single item prior to 2006-07; pipe asked as a seperate item only from 2006-07 to 2012-13; items for cigars and cigarillos have been combined from 2008-09 up to 2016-17, but asked as a single "Cigars, little cigars or cigarillos" item in 2006-17 and 2018-19; items for chewing tobacco and snuff were combined up to 2006-07, but asked as a single "Smokeless tobacco" item from 2008-09 onward; waterpipe not asked in 2008-09.
Data sources: Youth Smoking Survey, 1994, 2002, 2004-05, 2006-07, 2008-09, 2010-11, 2012-13; Canadian Student Tobacco, Alcohol and Drugs Survey, 2014-15, 2016-17, 2018-19.