Indicator Metadata
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- Detailed View
Name |
Smoking |
Short/Other Names |
Percentage of Population Who Report Current Smoking |
Description |
The percentage of the population age 12 and older who reported being current cigarette smokers, on either a daily or occasional basis |
Interpretation |
Low results are desirable. |
HSP Framework Dimension |
Social Determinants of Health: Biological, material, psychosocial and behavioural factors |
Areas of Need |
Not applicable |
Geographic Coverage |
All provinces/territories |
Reporting Level/Disaggregation |
National, Province/Territory, Region |
Indicator Results |
Accessing Indicator Results on Your Health System: In Depth (PDF) |
Name |
Smoking |
Short/Other Names |
Percentage of Population Who Report Current Smoking |
Description |
The percentage of the population age 12 and older who reported being current cigarette smokers, on either a daily or occasional basis |
Calculation: Description |
Population age 12 and older who reported current smoking, either daily or occasionally, divided by the number of survey respondents Population estimates are based on weighted survey responses to reflect the total population. |
Calculation: Geographic Assignment |
Place of residence |
Calculation: Type of Measurement |
Percentage or proportion |
Calculation: Adjustment Applied |
None |
Calculation: Method of Adjustment |
Not applicable |
Denominator |
Description: |
Numerator |
Description: |
Rationale |
Smoking is a leading cause of premature morbidity and mortality in Canada. It is a risk factor for conditions such as lung and other cancers, heart disease, stroke and chronic respiratory disease. According to the World Health Organization, smoking is an important and preventable cause of death. |
Interpretation |
Low results are desirable. |
HSP Framework Dimension |
Social Determinants of Health: Biological, material, psychosocial and behavioural factors |
Areas of Need |
Not applicable |
Targets/Benchmarks |
Not applicable |
References |
Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development. OECD Factbook 2014: Economic, Environmental and Social Statistics. 2014. Statistics Canada. Health at a Glance: Current smoking trends. Accessed February 28, 2018. Statistics Canada. Canadian Community Health Survey — Annual component (CCHS). Accessed February 20, 2020. Statistics Canada. Health characteristics, two-year period estimates. Accessed February 20, 2020. |
Data Sources |
CCHS, Statistics Canada, Statistics Canada, Table 13-10-0113-01: Health characteristics, two-year period estimates (by age group and sex, Canada, provinces, territories and health regions). |
Available Data Years |
Type of Year: |
Geographic Coverage |
All provinces/territories |
Reporting Level/Disaggregation |
National, Province/Territory, Region |
Update Frequency |
Every year |
Indicator Results |
Web Tool: |
Updates |
Not applicable |
Caveats and Limitations |
This indicator is calculated based on 2 years of pooled data from 2017 and 2018. This indicator does not take into account the number of cigarettes smoked. Data collected for this indicator is based on the question that refers to the smoking of cigarettes only. Data for the Canadian Community Health Survey (CCHS) is collected yearly from a sample of approximately 65,000 respondents. Table 13-10-0113-01 presents estimates from 2-year combined data and features estimates for all provinces and territories as well as by health regions. The 2-year combined data has higher precision (less variability) than annual estimates; annual CCHS estimates are not available at the health region level. Some values have data quality flags that indicate "use with caution" or "suppressed" due to high coefficients of variation: health regions with small populations and results disaggregated by age group or sex within small regions. The CCHS covers the population age 12 and older living in the 10 provinces and 3 territories.
Altogether, these exclusions represent less than 3% of the Canadian population age 12 and older. |
Trending Issues |
As a result of a redesign in 2015, the CCHS has a new collection strategy and sample design. For this reason, Statistics Canada does not recommend making comparisons with CCHS data from 2001 to 2014. |
Comments |
Data for Ontario's local health integration networks and British Columbia's regional health authorities was received from Statistics Canada through custom tabulation requests: Source: Statistics Canada. Selected CCHS Indicators for Ontario by Local Health Integration Network and British Columbia Regional Health Authority, 2017–2018. January 2020. Reproduced and distributed on an "as is" basis with the permission of Statistics Canada. Indicator results are also available in Please note that these results are calculated based on the population age 15+. Please note that these results are calculated based on age-standardization to the 2011 Canadian standard population age 18+. |