Tobacco

This section of HealthSTATS presents information related to tobacco use, exposure to secondhand smoke and tobacco policy for Simcoe Muskoka. The data sources for this information include: Canadian Community Health Survey(CCHS), Rapid Risk Factor Surveillance System (RRFSS) and School Health Action, Planning & Evaluation System (SHAPES).

Highlights of Simcoe Muskoka tobacco data include:

Approximately two-thirds of smokers smoked their first whole cigarette before the age of 17.

One in four adults reported smoking cigarettes daily or occasionally.

About three-quarters of Simcoe Muskoka youth between the ages of 12 and 19 years have never smoked a whole cigarette in their life.

There are now more former smokers than current smokers in Simcoe Muskoka.

One in five non-smokers live in a home where smoking is allowed.

The majority support banning smoking at outdoor public places like playgrounds and sports fields and inside multi-unit residential dwellings like apartments and townhomes.

An estimated 700 Simcoe Muskoka residents die each year due to smoking-related illnesses.

Further details of these highlights are found within this Tobacco section, as well as in the following two reports: