Grades 6-9 | Age 15-19

Previous research indicates that most smokers begin smoking by age 19 (x). Accordingly, preventing smoking initiation is the target of many youth tobacco interventions, and youth initiation is monitored by Canada’s national tobacco surveys.

Ever Smoking - Grades 6-9

In 2008-09, the majority (78.5%) of students in grades 6-9 surveyed had never tried smoking cigarettes, ranging from 91.6% in grade 6 to 64.3% in grade 9. However, 21.6% of students overall had tried smoking. Figure 7.1 provides a breakdown of the smoking status of these students.

By Sex In 2008-09, a higher percentage (56) of male students (23.5%) had tried smoking cigarettes, compared to females (19.6%) in grades 6-9.

By Grade

Although the overall percentage of students in grades 6-9 who had ever tried smoking dropped drastically between 1994 and the 2000s, it did not change significantly between 2006-07 and 2008-09 (57) (Figure 7.2). The percentage of students who had tried smoking a cigarette increased with grade level: in 2008-09, 8% of students in grade 6 had tried smoking, compared to 36% of grade 9 students.

By Province The percentage of students in grades 6-9 who had ever tried smoking a cigarette varied significantly by province (58) (Figure 7.3). For example, just 13.6% of Ontario youth had tried smoking, while nearly triple that (36.3%) in Quebec had tried.

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