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Comments on Tables 2a, 2b, 2c, 2d, 2e, 2f, And 2g (Regular
Cigarette Smokers)
- Continuing the downward trend, the proportion of regular cigarette
smokers among Canadian men 20 and over dropped on average from
58 per cent in 1965 to 50 per cent in 1972.
- The decrease in smoking among adult males is found as early as
the 20 to 24 age group and continues through the 25 to 44 and 45
to 64 age groups. Comparisons between 1966* and 1972 indicate
that this decrease is found in all regions but that marked dif
rences remain among regions in the proportions of male regular
cigarette smokers. Among men 65 and over, there were decreases
in regular cigarette smoking in the Ontario, Prairie and British
Columbia Regions with the Atlantic Region remaining about the
same and Quebec showing an increase.
The proportion of regular cigarette smokers among males 15 to
19 appears to have decreased in Quebec between 1966* and 1972
while increasing or levelling off in other regions.
Sixty per cent of men 20 and over smoked cigarettes regularly in
Quebec in 1972 compared to fifty per cent in the Atlantic Region,
46 per cent in Ontario and 44 per cent in the Prairie and British
Columbia Regions. Forty-four per cent of boys 15 to 19 smoked
cigarettes regularly in Quebec in 19 '72 compared to 38 per cent
in the Atlantic ''Region,, 31 per cent in the Prairie Region, 'JO per
cent in Ontario and 27 per cent in British Columbia.
Based on comparisons of 1966* with 1972, regular cigarette smoking
appears to have declined to varying degrees among females 20 to
24 and 25 to 44 in all regions except Quebec. British Columbia
showed the most change,relinquishing to Quebec its place as t-he
region with the highest proportion of female smokers. The
increase-in smoking among adult Quebec women is especially notice-
'able in the 20 to 24 age group where it rose almost five per cent
while dropping in all other regions in this age group between
1966* and 1972.
- The differences in the percentages of smokers in the female age
groups 20 to 24, 25 to 44 and 45 to 64 indicate that smoking is
still spreading up through the age groups of women by aging.
- Thirty-seven per cent of women 20 and over smoked cigarettes
regularly in Quebec in 1972 compared to 34 per cent in British
Columbia, 32 per cent in the Prairie Region and 31 per cent in
the Atlantic and Ontario Regions.
Data for age groups by regions (tables 2f and 2g) are not available for
1965, hence 1966 is used as the reference year for these comparisons.
Although trends are considered reliable, precise differences should be
interpreted cautiously.
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2
There were substantial increases in regular-smoking among teenage
.girls in all regions except British Columbia between 1966* and
1972. The change was most marked in. Quebec where the proportion
'19 increased
of regular cigarette smokers amorm females 15 to
f if teen per 'cent f rom 24 to .39 per cent. There was an apparent
levelling off in smoking among teenage girls in British Columbia.
(Data marked with a Q as with the figures for smoking among teen-
age girls in British Columbia, in Table 2g, have a high sampling
variability and caution should be applied in their use. Any
ifurther use of such data should make note of this.)
The increase in smoking among teenage girls could be partly due:
(a) to an increased willingness in 1972 for teenage girls or
their mothers to admit their smoking; (b) to women starting
to smoke at earlier ages rather than that more of them are destined.
to become smokers. Regional differences in smoking among teenage
girls may also be partly attributable to regional differences in
these factors.
-'The proportion of regular cigarette smokers among Quebec boys and
girls (44 and 39 per cent respectively in 1972) exceeds that among
teenagers, boys or girls, in the other regions. A close runner-up
to Quebec girls and boys are boys in the Atlantic Region (38
per cent).
- In all age groups but one, for both males and females, Quebec has
the highest proportion of regular smokers. For women 45 to 64,
British Columbia has the highest percentage of regular smokers.
- The gap is narrowing between the proportions of male and female
smokers but in no age group other than the teenage group, does
the proportion of female smokers in one region exceed the pro-
-portion of male smokers in that or other regions.
- The decrease in regular cigarette smoking among adult men in all
age groups and regions is mainly due to a decrease in the percen-
tage of men smoking 11 to 25 cigarettes per day and, to a lesser
extent, to a drop in the percentage of men smoking 1 to 10
cigarettes per day. The change in the proportion of men smoking
more than 25 cigarettes per day was negligible between 1965 and
1972. This could result from heavier smoking men being less likely
to quit a's well as from other factors such as increased smoking
.associated with aging and with affluence. As would be expected,
Data for age groups by regions (tables 2f and 2g) are not available zt'or
1965, hence 1966 is used as the reference year for these comparisons.
Although trends are considered reliable, precise differences should be
interpreted cautiously.
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with the higher percentage of adult male smokers in Quebec,
there are proportionately more very heavy smokers in that
region. The Prairie Region has the lowest percentage of
very heavy smokers among men.
There has been a decrease in the percentage of females 15 and
over smoking 1 to 10 cigarettes per day with increases in those
smoking 11 to 25 and.-over 25 cigarettes per day.
In general, proportionately more men than women are very heavy
smokers. For example, the proportion of men 15 and over who
smoked over 25 cigarettes per day in 1972 ranged from a low of
three per cent in the Prairie Region to a high of eight per cent
in Quebec. The proportion of women 15 and over smoking over
25 cigarettes per day in 1972 was two per cent in Ontario and
the Prairie Region and three per cent in British Columbia and
Quebec. The gap narrows somewhat when one compares very heavy
smokers as percentages of regular smokers rather than all
persons. On this basis, the percentage of male regular cigarette
smokers 15 and over, using more than 25 cigarettes per day in
1972, varied from eight per -cent in the Prairie Region to four-
teen per cent in Quebec. The percentage of female regular
cigarette smokers 15 and over, using more than 25 cigarettes
per day in 1972 was five per cent in the Ontario and Prairie
Regions, seven per cent in Quebec and eight per cent in British
Columbia.
- The percentage of heavy smokers' tends to increase with age groups
among men up to and including the age groups 45 to 64 and among
women up to and including the age group 25 to 44.
- Contrary to commonly-held opinion, a minority - only two out of
five Canadian adults are habitual cigarette smokers.
There were an estimated 6,150,000 regular cigarette smokers, 15
years of age and over in Canada in 1972, exclusive of members
of the armed forces, persons in institutions and residents of
Indian reserves and of the Northwest Territories and Yukon.
Because population growth is outstripping the growth in numbers
of smokers, it is estimated that there were some 460,000 fewer
regular cigarette smokers in the population in 19,72 than there
would have been if 1965 rates had continued. Mainly because
of men quitting smoking, there were some 550,000 fewer regular
cigarette smokers among males 15 and over than there would have
been if 1965 rates had continued into 1972. The difference
between the two figures is almost entirely attributable to the
increase in smoking among teenage girls. The decrease or
levelling-off of smoking among adult women is also attributed
to many of them quitting. otherwise, An increase would be
expected because of more teenage girls smoking and smoking still
spreading up through the age groups of women.
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