These provincial-level maps show, first, the prevalence of smoking
and, second, the proportions of smokers considering quitting. Prevalence
is measured as the proportion of all persons 12 years of age and
older who smoked daily or occasionally in 1996 to 1997. The second
map measures of the proportion of daily smokers who were considering
quitting. In general, the two maps show an inverse relationship
to each other. In provinces where smoking rates are high, as in
Quebec and Newfoundland, intentions to alter behaviour or quit smoking
are relatively low. Conversely, in provinces such as British Columbia
and Ontario where the prevalence of smoking is relatively low, larger
proportions of daily smokers were considering quitting in 1996 to
1997. Figure 1 re-enforces this observation.
[D] Click for larger version, 3 KB Figure 1. Provincial Relationships: Smoking Prevalence versus Considering Quitting
The relationships between smoking prevalence and considering quitting
by educational attainment levels are illustrated in Figure 2. In
1996 to 1997, nearly 40% of Canadians with an educational level
of less than high school graduation were found to be current smokers,
with fairly substantial decreasing prevalence values associated
with higher levels of education. The inverse pattern along this
education continuum is reflected in the proportions of daily smokers
intending to quit.
[D] Click for larger version, 6 KB Figure 2. Smoking Prevalence and Considering Quitting by Educational Attainment Levels
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