Grey Bruce Tobacco Use Statistics

1.       Smoking Status:

Source:  Rapid Risk Factor Surveillance Survey (RRFSS), January through December, 2003 (over 1200 respondents).

Sample: Obtained via 20-minute telephone surveys using random-digit dialing methods targeting 100 respondents per month, aged 18 years and older in Grey Bruce.

·         Daily  Smoker (a) - 15.5%

·         Occasional Smoker (b) – 2.8%

·         Current Smoker (a+b) – 18.4%

·         Former Smoker – 32.1%

·         Never – 49.4%

·         No differences between the proportions of male to female smokers

·         Current Smokers by age group:

·         18 to 44 years -  23%

·         45 to 64 years – 21%

·         65 years and older – 7%

2.       Smoker Readiness to Quit:

Source:  Rapid Risk Factor Surveillance Survey (RRFSS), January through December, 2003 (225 respondents).

% of Current Smokers:

·         Not considering quitting – 40.4%

·         Considering quitting within 6 months – 40.4%

·         Prepared to quit within 30 days – 16.6%

3.       Smoke-Free Homes:

Source:  Rapid Risk Factor Surveillance Survey (RRFSS), January through December, 2003 (over 1200 respondents).

·         64.2% of households do not allow visitors to smoke in their home

·         63.3% of households with totally smoke-free homes (including visitors)

4.       Smoke-Free Vehicle:

Source:  Rapid Risk Factor Surveillance Survey (RRFSS), January through December, 2003 (over 1100 respondents).

·         73.4% of drivers reported that no smoking was allowed in the vehicle they drive

5.       Tobacco Sales to Minors:

Source:  Rapid Risk Factor Surveillance Survey (RRFSS), February through April, 2004 (over 300 respondents – NB more data available and will be analyzed soon).

·         48.4% were able to correctly identify that 19 is the age a person has to be before s/he buys tobacco products in Ontario

·         6.3% of the percent of adults age 19+ who have been asked by a young person under 19 to give them cigarettes (interpret with caution, high sampling variability)

·         4.9% of the percent of adults age 19+ who have been asked by a young person under 19 to buy cigarettes (interpret with caution, high sampling variability)

6.       Smoking During Pregnancy:

Source:  Grey Bruce Infant Feeding Survey, 2003.

·         18% of Grey Bruce mothers reported that they had smoked at some point during their pregnancy and 80% of them reported that they smoked after the birth of their baby

7.        Teen Smoking:

Source:  Health Behaviours and Lifestyle Practices in Southwestern Ontario: Results from the Canadian Community Health Survey (CCHS), 2000/2001.  (August, 2004).

·         14% of teens in the Grey Bruce Huron Perth region smoke daily (11.7%) or occasionally

8.        Exposure to Second-Hand Smoke:

Source:  Health Behaviours and Lifestyle Practices in Southwestern Ontario: Results from the Canadian Community Health Survey (CCHS), 2000/2001.  (August, 2004).

·         47% of Grey Bruce non-smokers report that they were frequently exposed to ETS in their home during the past month

·         64% of Grey Bruce non-smokers report that they were frequently exposed to ETS in public during the past month

·         In the Grey Bruce Huron Perth region, a significantly lower proportion of non-smoking teens (12 to 19 years) report being exposed to Environmental Tobacco Smoke on most days in a public place (44%) compared to Ontario teens overall (67%)

9.         Smokers who tried to Quit in last 12 Months:

Source:  Health Behaviours and Lifestyle Practices in Southwestern Ontario: Results from the Canadian Community Health Survey (CCHS), 2000/2001.  (August, 2004).

·         46% of current smokers in Grey Bruce tried to quit in the past 12 months

Source:  

A. Leffley

Epidemiologist

Grey Bruce Health Unit

December 2004