Tobacco use includes cigarette smoking, as well as smokeless (or chew) tobacco. Research shows that early exposure to nicotine can negatively impact the developing brain.[1] People who start smoking at a younger age are more likely to become regular smokers.[1] Serious health problems can result from tobacco use including nicotine addiction, lung disease, heart disease, and cancer.[2] Children and youth are also at risk of being exposed to second-hand smoke in the home or elsewhere.[3] Second-hand smoke can cause serious health problems in infants and children, including more frequent and severe asthma attacks, respiratory infections, and ear infections.[4]
Senior kindergarten parents who report someone regularly smoking inside their home |
About the MeasureThis measure comes from the Kindergarten Parent Survey (KPS), a questionnaire completed by parents of senior kindergarten students. The KPS collects information on factors that may influence a child's developmental health. The survey asks parents if anyone smokes regularly inside the home. The 2018 KPS was administered in Dufferin, but not Wellington and Guelph. If you would like to access 2018 KPS data for Dufferin, please contact Jane Hall at County of Dufferin Children’s Services: jahall@dufferincounty.ca Key FindingsOverall, rates of smoking in the home are similar among senior kindergarten parents from Wellington, Dufferin, and Guelph. Parents from Wellington (4.1%) report the highest rates of smoking in the home compared to parents from Dufferin (3.2%) and Guelph (3.2%). Data at the municipal level can be found in the downloadable Excel file at the bottom of this page.
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Source: Kindergarten Parent Survey, 2015. Prepared by the County of Dufferin and the County of Wellington. WDG Report Card Coalition (distributor). Last updated September, 2016. LimitationsThe KPS is completed voluntarily and is subject to underreporting and response bias. Certain sub-groups of the population are less likely to respond to voluntary surveys. As a result, the data may not be representative of the entire population. Rates of smoking in the home may also be underreported as smoking is increasingly viewed as socially undesirable.
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Youth who report regularly smoking |
About the MeasureThis measure is collected from the Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph (WDG) Youth Survey that gathers self-reported well-being data from grade 7 and 10 students. The survey asks students how often they currently smoke cigarettes. Key FindingsAcross the three Youth Survey cycles, the percent of students who reported cigarette smoking has remained fairly stable. More grade 10 than grade 7 students reported regular smoking. More non-binary students reported regular smoking than male and female students. Data at the municipal level can be found in the downloadable Excel file at the bottom of this page.
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Source: WDG Youth Survey, 2017-18. WDG Report Card Coalition. Last updated August 2, 2018. LimitationsThe WDG Youth Survey collects self-reported data and is subject to response and recall bias. Rates of smoking may also be underreported as tobacco use is not legal for youth and smoking is increasingly viewed as socially undesirable.
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Youth who report using chew tobacco in the last year |
About the MeasureThis measure is collected from the Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph (WDG) Youth Survey that gathers self-reported well-being data from grade 7 and 10 students. The survey asks students how often they currently use chew tobacco. Key FindingsThe percent of students reporting the use of chew tobacco in the past year declined between the 2014-15 (7.5%) and 2017-18 (3.7%) surveys. Past year use of chew tobacco was more commonly reported by grade 10 students than by grade 7 students. More students who identified as non-binary reported use of chew tobacco than did male or female students (not shown on graph). Grade and gender data, as well as data at the municipal level, can be found in the downloadable Excel file.
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Source: WDG Youth Survey, 2011-12, 2014-15 and 2017-18. WDG Report Card Coalition. Last updated August 2, 2018. LimitationsThe WDG Youth Survey collects self-reported data and is subject to response and recall bias. Rates of chew tobacco use may be underreported as tobacco use is not legal for youth and using tobacco products is increasingly viewed as socially undesirable.
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[1] Buchmann, A. F., Blomeyer, D., Jennen-Steinmetz, C., Schmidt, M. H., Esser, G., Banaschewski, T., & Laucht, M. (2013). Early smoking onset may promise initial pleasurable sensations and later addiction. Addiction biology, 18(6), 947-954.
[2] National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion (US) Office on Smoking and Health. (2012). Preventing tobacco use among youth and young adults: A report of the Surgeon General. Atlanta, GA: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Available at: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK99242/
[3] Jarvie, J. A., & Malone, R. E. (2008). Children's secondhand smoke exposure in private homes and cars: an ethical analysis. American journal of public health, 98(12), 2140-2145.
[4] U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. (2014). The health consequences of smoking--50 years of progress: A report of the surgeon general. Available at: https://www.surgeongeneral.gov/library/reports/50-years-of-progress/full-report.pdf