Tobacco

Exposure Secondhand Smoke Public Places

Roughly 8% of non-smokers in Simcoe Muskoka said they were regularly exposed to secondhand smoke in public places in 2019-2020, which has decreased over time.
Children and youth are more likely to report exposure in public places.
Regular exposure to secondhand smoke in public places among non-smokers is higher for those living in households with lower income across Ontario, and is lower among people with a higher level of education.

According to the Canadian Community Health Survey (CCHS), for the 2019-2020 survey years, 8% (6.5, 10.6%) of Simcoe Muskoka residents (12+) that identified as non-smokers said that they were regularly exposed to secondhand smoke in public places.
There was a significant decrease from 15% (12.3%, 18.6%) of non-smokers reporting regular secondhand smoke exposure in public places in the 2015-2016 CCHS survey years.
This was not significantly different from the comparable provincial average of 10% (9.2%, 10.6%) in 2019-2020, decreasing from 16% (15.5%, 17.3%) in 2015-2016.

Secondhand smoke exposure in public places Simcoe Muskoka Ontario

The reporting of regular exposure to secondhand smoke in public places is highest among non-smoking children and youth (12-19 years) and decreases with age.
In combined data from the 2015-2016 and 2019-2020 CCHS surveys, 24% (16.4%, 33.1%) of non-smoking children and youth in Simcoe Muskoka reported regular exposure to secondhand smoke in public, which was similar to what was reported for all children and youth across the province.

Secondhand smoke exposure in public places by age group

Regular exposure to secondhand smoke among non-smokers is higher for those living in urban areas compared with those residing in rural areas.
In Ontario, 14% (12.9%, 14.2%) of Simcoe Muskoka non-smokers (12+) living in urban areas were regularly exposed to secondhand smoke in public, which was significantly higher than the 9% (8.1%, 9.6%) for those that live in rural areas.
The difference between urban and rural exposures was not significant at the Simcoe Muskoka level.

Secondhand smoke exposure in public places by geography

Regular exposure to secondhand smoke in public places among non-smokers is higher for those living in households with less income and lower among those with higher levels of education.
In combined data from the 2015-2016 and 2019-2020 CCHS surveys, 17% (15.4%, 18.4%) of Ontario non-smokers (12+) living in households in the bottom 20 per cent of income were regularly exposed to secondhand smoke in public, which was significantly higher than the 10% (8.6%, 10.5%) for those living in households in the top 20 per cent of income.
Regular exposure to secondhand smoke in public places was reported by 10% (9.0%, 11.1%) of non-smokers with a degree or higher in Ontario, which is significantly lower than the 13% (11.7%, 14.3%) of people with a high school diploma or less.

Secondhand smoke exposure in public places by education and income

Questions about exposure to secondhand smoke were included in the 2015, 2016, 2019 and 2020 CCHS surveys, but were not included in 2017 and 2018.