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Canadian Tobacco Use Monitoring Survey (CTUMS) 2006
Summary of Results for the First Half of 2006 (February - June)
Overview
According to the latest results from the Canadian Tobacco Use Monitoring Survey (CTUMS), for data collected between February and June 2006, just over 4.5 million people, representing 18% of the population age 15 years and older, were current smokers. Fourteen percent of Canadians aged 15 years and older reported smoking daily and they smoked on average 15.4 cigarettes per day. Approximately 20% of males age 15 years and older were current smokers, slightly higher than the proportion of females (15%).
Youth Aged 15-19
The rate of smoking among youth aged 15-19 was 16% for the first half of 2006 with 9% reporting daily smoking and 7% occasional smoking. There was no difference in the prevalence of smoking among teenage boys (17%) and teenage girls (15%). Youth daily smokers consumed on average 12.0 cigarettes per day with teenage girls (10.9) smoking two fewer cigarettes daily compared to teenage boys (12.9).1 The average number of cigarettes smoked per day for teenage boys has increased from 10.1 during the same period last year.
Young Adults 20-24
The prevalence of smoking among young adults aged 20-24 years was reported at 25% for the first half of 2006 (17% daily, 8% occasional). A greater proportion of males (29%) aged 20-24 years continue to report smoking than females (21%) with males consuming more cigarettes on average per day (14.3) than females (11.0).
Consumption of Cigarettes and Type
Daily smokers aged 15 years and older reported smoking 15.4 cigarettes per day on average during the first half of 2006. This rate was slightly lower than was reported for the first half of 2005 (15.7 cigarettes per day).1 Males (16.6) continued to smoke more cigarettes per day than females (13.9).
Opinions on Smoking Restrictions
Respondents were asked their opinions on smoking restrictions. More than two-thirds (68%) of all Canadians aged 15 years and older stated that smoking should not be allowed in any section of a restaurant. This is up 6% compared to the same time last year (62%) and up 26% from 2001 when the question was first asked of CTUMS respondents. Forty eight percent of Canadians thought that smoking should not be allowed in any section of a bar or tavern, up 6% from the same time last year and 21% from 2001. Respondents were also asked for their opinion on smoking in the workplace and 41% expressed that it should not be allowed in any section of the workplace, this up from 32% last year.
Smoking in the Home
In the first half of 2006, 15% of Canadian households had at least one person who smoked inside the home everyday or almost everyday. For those households without someone regularly smoking inside their home, 87% did not allow smoking in their home. Forty percent of households which did allow smoking in the home, or had someone regularly smoking inside the home, placed some restrictions on it. Restrictions included smoking: only in certain areas (70%), not around young children (22%), and allowed only with windows open or with other type of ventilation (40%). It was also reported that 10% of children under the age of 12 (about 379,000 children) were regularly exposed to second-hand smoke at home.
Exposure to Second-Hand Smoke
Canadians were asked about their exposure to second-hand smoke (SHS) in places other than their own home during the past month. Half of all respondents reported being exposed to SHS outdoors in places such as at an entrance to a building (52%) or on a sidewalk or in a park (51%).
Approximately one quarter of Canadians reported being exposed to SHS inside a car or vehicle (25%), inside a restaurant (20%) and while on an outdoor patio of a restaurant or bar (29%). Seventeen percent said they had been exposed to SHS inside a bar or tavern over the past 12 months while nearly one quarter (23%) reported being exposed at their workplace.
When respondents were asked about the frequency of exposure to SHS in places other than their own home over the past month, 25% said they had been exposed to SHS everyday or almost everyday, 40% at least once a week, and another 36% at least once in the past month.
Cigarette Access/Social Sources
Nine percent of current smokers aged 15 years and older reported ever purchasing cigarettes for or giving cigarettes to a minor. Among this group, 52% reported doing so in the past 12 months and 25% in the past 30 days.
Among Canadian youth at least 15 years old and not of legal age to purchase tobacco products, 51% said they obtained their cigarettes primarily from a social source (such as a friend or relative - either by taking, buying, or being given them) while the remaining 49% identified that they purchased them on their own from a retail source.
Alternative Tobacco Products
For the first time in 2006, CTUMS asked respondents about their use of two alternative smoking products: herbal cigarettes and water-pipes. The results showed that 4% of Canadians aged 15 years and older had ever tried herbal cigarettes and less than 1% of Canadians reported smoking herbal cigarettes in the past 30 days.
Ever tried a water-pipe (known by other names including hookah, sheesha, narg-eelay) was reported by 3% of Canadians aged 15 years and older, with 8% of youth and young adults aged 15 to 24 reporting the behaviour.
Reference Information
CTUMS was developed to provide Health Canada and its partners with timely, reliable, and continual data on tobacco use and related issues. The survey's primary objective is to track changes in smoking status and amount smoked, especially for 15-24-year-olds, who are most at risk for taking up smoking. The CTUMS 2006 Wave 1 collected data from over 9,954 respondents from February to June 2006. The overall margin of error for the smoking rate for Canada is +/- 1.2%. We expect the true smoking prevalence for this population to be between 16.5% and 18.9%, 19 times out of 20.
Note that when comparing results across different data releases of CTUMS, Health Canada advises that it is more accurate and reliable to compare results from one wave with those of other waves and to compare annual results with other annual results.
For more information about the survey and/or its results, please write the Tobacco Control Programme, Office of Research, Surveillance and Evaluation, Health Canada, 123 Slater Street, Address Locator 3507C, Ottawa, ON, K1A 0K9, or send an email request to tcp-plt-questions@hc-sc.gc.ca, or visit Health Canada's Tobacco Control Programme website www.gosmokefree.ca/ctums
For information on the public-use microdata file, contact Statistics Canada's Client Services (1-800-461-9050; 613-951-3321; fax: 613-951-4527; ssd@statcan.ca), Special Surveys Division.
