Health Reports, February 2017
Released at 8:30 a.m. Eastern time in The Daily, Wednesday, February 15, 2017
Smoking prevalence among Inuit in Canada
The percentage of Inuit aged 15 or older who were daily smokers declined significantly from 64% in 1991 to 52%
in 2012, but remained well above the rate for the total population. The percentage of all Canadians aged 15 or older
who were daily smokers decreased from 22% in 2001 to 16% in 2012.
Almost three-quarters of Inuit live in remote northern communities in the four regions collectively known as Inuit
Nunangat: Nunatsiavut (Labrador); Nunavik (northern Quebec); Nunavut; and the Inuvialuit Settlement Region
(Northwest Territories).
According to a new study on smoking trends among Inuit, daily smoking was more prevalent among Inuit living in
Inuit Nunangat than among Inuit living elsewhere. In 2012, the daily smoking rate was higher in Nunavik and
Nunavut than in the other two Inuit regions.
Daily smoking decreased significantly among Inuit of all age groups except those aged 45 to 54. Inuit
aged 55 to 64 and aged 65 or older recorded the largest declines in daily smoking. In 2012, the prevalence of daily
smoking among those aged 65 or older was 12%, compared with 42% in 1991. For those aged 55 to 64, the daily
smoking rate fell from 51% in 1991 to 34% in 2012.
The average number of cigarettes smoked a day by Inuit daily smokers fell from 14.9 in 1991 to 12.3 in 2012. The
average number decreased among Inuit living in Inuit Nunangat, but did not change significantly among Inuit living
outside of Inuit Nunangat.
The 2017 Aboriginal Peoples Survey will help inform whether the broad trends in smoking prevalence identified in
the current study have continued.
Note to readers
Data in this release are from the 1991, 2001 and 2012 Aboriginal Peoples Survey (APS), which covered First Nations People, Métis and
Inuit. The 1991 sample was from the census population who reported Aboriginal origins and who also identified as Aboriginal in the APS.
The 2001 and 2012 samples were from the census population (or National Household Survey population in 2011) who reported Aboriginal
identity or ancestry, and who also identified as Aboriginal in the APS. The overall prevalence of smoking among Inuit is compared with
published data for the total population based on results from the 2001 and 2012 Canadian Community Health Survey.
The sample for the present study consisted of APS respondents who identified as Inuit, who were aged 15 or older and who provided
smoking data.
The smoking status question was the same in all survey years: "At the present time do you smoke cigarettes daily, occasionally, or not at
all?" Daily smokers were asked: "How many cigarettes do you smoke each day now?" In 2001 and 2012, daily smokers were also asked:
"At what age did you begin to smoke cigarettes daily?"
The evolution of smoking in Canada
As 2017 marks the 150th anniversary of Confederation, we take a look at some historical facts about the
prevalence of smoking in Canada.
From 1965 to 2013, smoking prevalence declined from 49.5% to 14.6% in the population aged 15 and older.
Smoking prevalence among both men and women decreased over the 48-year period. In 1965, the prevalence of
smoking among men was 23 percentage points higher than for women. By 2013, that gap had narrowed to less
than 3 percentage points.
The Daily, Wednesday, February 15, 2017
Chart 1
Smoking prevalence¹ in Canada, adults aged 15 and older, 1965 to 2013
current smokers (%)
65
60
55
50
45
40
35
30
25
20
15
10
1965
1969
Both sexes
1973
1977
1981
1985
1989
1993
1997
2001
2005
2009
2013
Male
Female
1. Includes daily and non-daily smokers.
Source(s): Health and Welfare Canada: Data from 1965 to 1986 were taken from the publication A Critical Review of Canadian Survey Data on Tobacco Use,
Attitudes and Knowledge; data for 1989 were taken from the publication Smoking Behaviour of Canadians: A National Alcohol and Other Drugs Survey Report; data
for 1990 were taken from the publication Canada Health Promotion Survey 1990: Technical Report. Statistics Canada: Data for 1991 for were taken from the
publication Health Status of Canadians: A Report of the 1991 General Social Survey (3894); data for 1994 are from the National Population Health Survey (5004);
data for 1996 are from the General Social Survey (3894); data from 1992 to 2012 are from the Canadian Tobacco Use and Monitoring Survey (4440); data
for 2013 are from the Canadian Tobacco, Alcohol and Drugs Survey (4440).
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Component of Statistics Canada catalogue no. 11-001-X
The Daily, Wednesday, February 15, 2017
The article "Smoking prevalence among Inuit in Canada" is now available in the February 2017 online issue of
Health Reports, Vol. 28, no. 2 (82-003-X, free).
This issue of Health Reports also contains the article, "Prolonged sedentary time and physical fitness among
Canadian men and women aged 60 to 69."
For more information on the article "Smoking prevalence among Inuit in Canada," contact Evelyne Bougie
([email protected]), Health Analysis Division, Statistics Canada.
For more information on the article "Prolonged sedentary time and physical fitness among Canadian men and
women aged 60 to 69," contact Shilpa Dogra ([email protected]), Ontario Institute of Technology.
For more information, or to enquire about the concepts, methods or data quality of this release, contact us
(toll-free 1-800-263-1136; 514-283-8300; [email protected]).
For information about Health Reports, contact Janice Felman (613-799-7746; [email protected]),
Health Analysis Division, Statistics Canada.
Component of Statistics Canada catalogue no. 11-001-X
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