Prevalence of Cigarette and Cigar or Cigarillo Use Among Students in Québec: 2010-2011

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The publication of the second issue in the “Youth Smoking Survey” (YSS) series in 2010 showed the trends in cigarette and cigar or cigarillo use among students in Québec in 2006-2007 (Lasnier and Cantinotti, 2010). The purpose of this document is to update the smoking profile of Secondary 1 to 5 students using data collected in 2008-2009 and 2010-2011. Indicators are presented for the proportion of students who smoked cigarettes in the 30 days preceding the survey, the proportion of smokers by smoking status, as well as the proportion of students who used alternative tobacco products (cigars, cigarillos and little cigars) in the last 30 days.

In 2010-2011, the prevalence of cigarette use among Secondary 1 to 5 students was higher in Québec (12%) than in the rest of Canada (9%).
Unlike the situation in 2006-2007, cigarette use was more prevalent than cigar or cigarillo use among secondary school students in Québec as a whole in 2010-2011.
The proportion of occasional smokers and beginning smokers is similar among girls and boys, with, however, a proportionally higher number of boys than girls smoking every day (daily smoker status).
There are differences between girls and boys with respect to the type of tobacco product used; cigarette use is more prevalent among girls, while cigar or cigarillo use was more common among boys.
A higher proportion of boys than girls reported using a combination of cigarettes and cigars or cigarillos in the 30 days preceding the survey.