2015 smoking data from the Canadian Community Health Survey are now available
On March 22, Statistics Canada published new smoking data from the Canadian Community Health Survey (CCHS2) for the year 2015. This is the second federal government survey to provide estimates of smoking -- a little over 4 months ago, the 2015 results of the Canadian Tobacco, Alcohol and Drugs Survey (CTADS) were made public.
As we reported in a blog post last November, the gap between these two surveys keeps growing. The (larger) CCHS survey produces an estimate of the number of Canadian smokers which is 38% bigger than that of CTADS -- some 1.45 missing smokers.
Does this matter? Perhaps not at an operational level. Either number justifies the need for effective and sustained interventions on the part of government, communities, families and individuals.
But in evaluating success, the surveys leave very somewhat different impressions. According to CTUMS/CTADS, there was a 23% reduction in the number of smokers between 2005 and 2015, and a 31% reduction in smoking prevalence. The CCHS data* show a 10% drop in the number of smokers an 18% drop in prevalence. Progress by either count -- but much less so by one than the other.
As we reported in a blog post last November, the gap between these two surveys keeps growing. The (larger) CCHS survey produces an estimate of the number of Canadian smokers which is 38% bigger than that of CTADS -- some 1.45 missing smokers.
Does this matter? Perhaps not at an operational level. Either number justifies the need for effective and sustained interventions on the part of government, communities, families and individuals.
But in evaluating success, the surveys leave very somewhat different impressions. According to CTUMS/CTADS, there was a 23% reduction in the number of smokers between 2005 and 2015, and a 31% reduction in smoking prevalence. The CCHS data* show a 10% drop in the number of smokers an 18% drop in prevalence. Progress by either count -- but much less so by one than the other.
CTUMS/CTADS
|
CCHS
|
Difference
|
||||
Smokers #
|
%
|
Smokers
|
%
|
Smokers
|
%
|
|
1999
|
6,121,992
|
25
|
||||
2000
|
6,007,562
|
24
|
||||
2001
|
5,411,822
|
22
|
6,677,856
|
26
|
1,266,034
|
123%
|
2002
|
5,414,335
|
21
|
||||
2003
|
5,332,326
|
21
|
6,080,504
|
23
|
748,178
|
114%
|
2004
|
5,116,200
|
20
|
||||
2005
|
4,966,600
|
19
|
5,874,689
|
22
|
908,089
|
118%
|
2006
|
4,934,022
|
19
|
||||
2007
|
5,176,302
|
19
|
6,112,442
|
22
|
936,140
|
119%
|
2008
|
4,880,488
|
18
|
6,009,311
|
21
|
1,128,823
|
123%
|
2009
|
4,851,274
|
18
|
5,730,321
|
20
|
879,047
|
118%
|
2010
|
4,701,868
|
17
|
5,967,259
|
21
|
1,265,391
|
127%
|
2011
|
4,910,520
|
17
|
5,764,843
|
20
|
854,323
|
117%
|
2012
|
4,629,987
|
16
|
5,933,095
|
20
|
1,303,108
|
128%
|
2013
|
4,233,300
|
14.6
|
5,722,635
|
19
|
1,489,335
|
135%
|
2014
|
5,400,000
|
18
|
||||
2015
|
3,846,800
|
13
|
5,300,000
|
17.7
|
1,453,200
|
138%
|
* The 2001 and 2015 CCHS survey used somewhat different methods, and Statistics Canada does not compare them with results from 2003 to 2014. Another complexity in the search for estimates.
