Data Sources | Analysis | Suggested Citation | Acknowledgements

This report is the third edition in a series of annual reports on tobacco use in Canada. It was developed by the Propel Centre for Population Health Impact at the University of Waterloo. The report uses data from national surveys conducted by Health Canada and Statistics Canada to summarize the main patterns and trends in tobacco use in Canada, primarily between 1999 and 2010, with a focus on the current year.

Foreword

Having access to relevant information not only helps people do their jobs more effectively, it also informs action, permits an assessment of progress and propels us closer to our collective vision of healthier populations. As we launch the third edition of Tobacco Use in Canada: Patterns and Trends, it is our shared hope that this “big picture” overview will give the tobacco control community ready-access data and important trend information to help us deal with tobacco’s corrosive effect on our health and society.

You’re familiar with the stats. Of the estimated 4.7 million current smokers in Canada, up to half will become ill or die from continued tobacco use (i). Tobacco is a leading preventable cause of death in Canada, responsible for over 37,000 deaths annually (ii) and about one third of cancer (iii). The economic impact of tobacco use in Canada is also significant, with an estimated social cost of $17 billion per yeariv. Recent estimates indicate that tobacco-related illness costs Canadians $4.4 billion in direct health care costs, and is responsible for 2.2 million acute care hospital days (iv).

While prevalence is at its lowest point since CTUMS began monitoring in 1999 (at 16.7 per cent in 2010), the trend toward smaller declines each year reinforces the need for persistence and vigour to reduce the unconscionable burden from tobacco.

The 2012 edition of Tobacco Use in Canada: Patterns and Trends updates the previous (2011) edition with estimates from the CTUMS annual 2010 dataset. For the first time, the report includes a supplement outlining key tobacco control policy developments in Canada, at both the federal and provincial levels over the past decade. We hope to expand this section in future editions.

We are grateful for a community that shares our passion and commitment to transforming the health of individuals and populations in Canada and around the world. The Propel Centre for Population Health Impact thanks the Canadian Cancer Society for the support required to produce this report. The Society’s persistent and outstanding leadership in cancer prevention and tobacco control is having a profound effect on improving the health of Canadians.

Readers who find this report relevant are encouraged to also refer to Canadian Cancer Statistics, which is produced annually by the Canadian Cancer Society in partnership with the Public Health Agency of Canada and Statistics Canada; and the Ontario Tobacco Research Unit’s Tobacco Informatics Monitoring System.

Special thanks to Jessica Reid, David Hammond and their team for producing a report that can help guide and support research and advocacy.

Together, we are achieving what could not be done alone.

Barbara Riley, PhD	Paul Lapierre
Executive Director	Vice President, Public Affairs and Cancer Control
Propel Centre for Population Health Impact	Canadian Cancer Society