Province Leads Country In Butting Out

Thursday, September 04, 2008 03:48 AM

Prince George, B.C. - National survey results on tobacco use, just released, indicate British Columbia boasts the lowest smoking rate in the country in a number of categories, especially in young people.

B.C.'s smoking rate for 2007 is listed at 14.4 per cent in the Canadian Tobacco Use Monitoring Survey (CTUMS) annual results on tobacco use and related knowledge, attitudes and behaviour. (click here for the full CTUMS report) This is lower than the Province's 2006 rate of 16.4 per cent. By contrast, the national smoking rate for 2007 is 19 per cent.

The story is much different in the region covered by Northern Health. Stats collected between September 2006 to August 2007 (click here for the full report ) indicated the percentage of population aged 15 or older that smokes is 23%.

The CTUMS indicates young British Columbians, aged 15 to 19, are also leading the country in butting out. The survey results show B.C.'s youth smoking rate dropped to single digits for the first time ever at nine per cent, down from 12.4 per cent the year before. The national youth rate is 15 per cent. Again, the Northern Health rate as noted in August 2007 was much higher, at 21%.

"Addictions can form in children from a very young age," said provincial health officer Dr. Perry Kendall. "That's why it's important we continue to encourage healthy lifestyles while discouraging harmful behaviours such as smoking."

British Columbia's tobacco control strategy aims to further reduce B.C.'s smoking rates. In April 2008, government introduced amendments to the Motor Vehicle Act that protects children under the age of 16 from second-hand smoke in motor vehicles.

Other recent initiatives include legislation that bans smoking in indoor public spaces and workplaces and the use of tobacco at schools, restricts the way tobacco is displayed and sold, and the introduction of a provincewide policy that will see all health authority facilities in B.C. smoke-free by October of this year.

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Posted on Thursday, September 04, 2008 03:48 AM in News by 250 News

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Comments

Posted by: YamaDooPolCat on September 4 2008 7:42 AM

Too late for all us Baby Boomers. We were raised at a time when EVEYONE smoked. Oh well, it just us something to complain about, or blame someone.

Posted by: Shellshadow on September 4 2008 8:01 AM

Yep! I remember as a child sitting in a room full of adults smoking. The room would be blue with smoke. Or riding in a car all the way back to Quebec with a mother who chain smoked. But in those days the results of smoking was not known. It was cool to smoke. Then I grew up and worked as a bartender for 14 years, more second had smoke. Now all I can hope for is that the last 20 yrs of no 2nd hand smoke in my lungs has helped my situation. Thank God that this sort of behavior has stopped. Thank God!

Posted by: MrPG on September 4 2008 8:14 AM

I am just amazed that here are still people who can afford to smoke.

Posted by: Death to Socialism on September 4 2008 12:51 PM

Bet if you split the province into North & South, the North would be WAY above the national average.

Posted by: Runner46 on September 4 2008 4:04 PM

Not ALL Baby Boomers smoked, Yama. You as usual are generalizing. Someone at your age should realize that the youngsters are looking up to you an as such should be a bit more specific when passing out words of wisdom.

Posted by: acrider54 on September 4 2008 4:52 PM

Thats why there are new taxes being introduced, to make up for all the B.C.ers that quit contributing to the high smoke taxes. I always wondered how'd they get that money back. CARBON TAX! What a joke.