Canada’s Youth Smoking Survey: A National Resource 1994-2007

1. Canada’s Youth Smoking Survey: A National Resource 1994-2007 Steve Manske, EdD Chris Lovato, PhD Bill Morrison, PhD 3 November 2009 NCTH

2. Concurrent Session Objectives • (Re-)Introduce participants to YSS • Provide examples of use of data • Describe ways to make obtaining quality data from national surveys sustainable • Discuss opportunities for use of YSS • As a platform to collect data • As a mechanism to ask policy and practice-related questions

3. Trends in Youth Tobacco Use in Canada: YSS 1994-2007 Manske S, Murnaghan D, MacDonald M, Wong K, Ahmed R, Burkhalter R for YSS Collaborative 3 November 2009 NCTH

4. YSS Introduction • Bi-annual Youth Smoking Survey informs national and provincial tobacco control policy and practice. • Each cycle contains up to 467 schools and 71,000 students in grades 5-12. • Data collected characterize • tobacco usage (e.g., cigarettes, cigarillos, smokeless) • susceptibility and onset • quitting • potential correlates (e.g., knowledge, attitudes, social influences, marketing, restrictions, school connectedness, alcohol & other drug use).

5. YSS: Opportunities for you too! • Rich data create multiple opportunities for policy and program relevant research. • YSS platform (consortium of investigators from 10 provinces) provides opportunity to collaborate in data collection. E.g., • School –level policy & program information • Complementary topics • Public files available at each university

6. Trends in Smoking Onset • Decreased by half since 1994, about equally in males & females • More dramatic decrease in younger students • Some western provinces seem to be bucking the trend in the latest YSS (BC, SK, MB) • Did these tryers really go away, or are they hiding?

7. Ever Tried a Cigarette, Even a Puff by Sex & Grade, YSS

8. Ever Tried a Cigarette, Even a Puff by Province, YSS

9. Susceptibility • It’s also decreasing nationally, in both sexes. • Smaller decrease in older students. • QC, ON, BC appear highest

10. Susceptibility to Smoking by Sex & Grade, YSS

11. Susceptibility to Smoking by Province, YSS

12. Use of Cigarettes in Past 30 Days • Very dramatic reductions from 1994, but leveling off in last two cycles. • Similar patterns for males and females, and by grade. • Appears the leveling off is actually a reversal in three provinces (BC, QC, MB)

13. Used Cigarettes in Past 30 Days by Sex & Grade, YSS

14. Used Cigarettes in Past 30 Days by Province, YSS

15. Use of Any Tobacco Product (except cigarettes) • Tobacco company marketing may simply have shifted the emphasis from cigarettes to other products. Therefore, we examine use of any tobacco product. • These too, have been cut in half, but more dramatic in younger students than older.

16. Use of Any Tobacco Product (except cigarettes) by Sex & Grade, YSS

17. Use of Any Tobacco Product (except cigarettes) by Province, YSS

18. Current Smokers • Similar pattern to “ever try”. Celebrate success of reducing by more than half. Consistent for males and females. • Continues to be trend for greater likelihood that older youth smoke. • Provincial discrepancies: none higher than 6%; NL lowest at 1%; traditional leader (BC) seeing rebound – similar to susceptibility

19. Current Smokers by Sex & Grade, YSS

20. Current Smokers by Province, YSS

21. Pipes or Cigars, YSS • Of concern because of change in marketing • Generally 04 and 06-07 level, but exceptions in BC, QC & PE

22. Ever tried cigars or pipes by Sex and Grade, YSS

23. Ever tried Cigars or Pipes by Province, YSS

24. Ever Tried to Quit • Not too much movement since 1994, but did seem to be increases in middle years. • Current data show NL & AB are concerns, where quit attempts have dropped dramatically in the latest round, to almost half of what they were previously.

25. Ever Tried to Quit by Sex and Grade, YSS

26. Ever tried to quit,by Province, YSS

27. Sources of Cigarettes (smoked last 30 days), YSS • Created a dichotomous variable that where youth who smoked in past 30 days indicated where they obtained their cigarettes – either social source, or retail source (includes the variety of them like corner stores and contraband). • What is striking is the low percentage (as low as 1% in NL) who are obtaining from retail sources – these are younger kids, and the campaigns appear to have helped • Of concern is that social sources are continuing to help the behaviour thrive. • Males are twice as likely to obtain cigarettes from retail • No province has more than 17% of cigarettes used by youth in grades 7-9 available through retail sources.

28. Source of cigarettes – Retailby Sex & Grade, YSS

29. Source of cigarettes – Retailby Province, YSS

30. Source of cigarettes – Social by Sex and Grade, YSS

31. Source of cigarettes – Socialby Province, YSS

32. Social Influences (any friends who smoke), by Sex & Grade, YSS

33. Social Influences (any friends who smoke, by Province, YSS

34. Conclusions • Concern that policy makers and program people will let the ball drop with relatively low rates • Need to point out exceptions that tobacco industry is now marketing to • Recent legislation banning flavoured cigars and cigarillos is a victory in part due to surveys like YSS • The data are publicly available to answer additional questions

35. Members of Youth Smoking Survey Collaborative • NL: Antony Card, Shirley Solberg • PE: Donna Murnaghan • NS: Meg McCallum • NB: Bill Morrison • QC: Jennifer O’Loughlin, Cathi Sabiston • ON: Steve Manske, Scott Leatherdale • MB: Jane Griffith • SK: June Blau • AB: Cameron Wild, Candace Nykiforuk • BC: Chris Lovato, Marjorie MacDonald

36. Acknowledgment • Production of this presentation has been made possible through a financial contribution from Health Canada. • The views expressed herein do not necessarily represent the views of Health Canada. • Go to www.yss.uwaterloo.ca for an electronic version of these slides.