Heart & Stroke Foundation of Canada

1. Introduction A-1 Download PDF (27 Kbytes)
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1.1	Background A-1
1.2	Purpose and Objectives A-3
1.3	Methodology A-4
1.4	Macro Regions A-5
1.5	Principal Variables A-6

Background
A recent study published on deaths attributable to tobacco use concluded that smoking continues to be the number one preventable cause of death in all regions of Canada. Yet, at least one in four Canadians aged 15 years and over (or 6.6 million people) still smoke cigarettes daily. British Columbia has a somewhat lower rate than most provinces, with one in five adults smoking cigarettes on a daily basis, but it continues to pay a high price for those living and dying here who have smoked in the past. In British Columbia, $500,000,000 goes directly towards the treatment of health problems caused by tobacco use. The cost is not only felt in dollars but in lives lost: there were 5,800 smoking-related deaths on B.C. during 1996. British Columbia will pay a higher price in the future as the lung cancer rates among women continue to mount at nearly 5% per year, adding to the other 18 known smoking-related illnesses already burdening the medical care system. Unless the recruitment of new smokers among our youth can be stemmed and more smokers can be helped to quit, present rates of tobacco use in B.C. will continue to stretch the resources of our health care system beyond sustainability.

At the same time, it is difficult to develop a comprehensive tobacco control strategy for the province of B.C. with the paucity of data currently available to the Ministry of Health and to the Regional Health Boards and Community Health Services Societies. Both current and planned surveillance mechanisms (i.e., usually population health surveys conducted by the Federal government) do not provide sufficient sample sizes for B.C. to assess trends in tobacco use with an adequate degree of sensitivity or accuracy. Better mechanisms for monitoring the prevalence and patterning of tobacco use in B.C., on a recurring basis, are sorely needed to provide statistically reliable estimates for B.C. and its health regions.

It is for these reasons that the Ministry of Health and Ministry Responsible for Seniors initiated a province-wide survey on the prevalence of tobacco use. The Ministry contracted the Health and Stoke Foundation of B.C. & Yukon to manage the project, including establishing an expert committee, chaired by Dr. Ken Prkachin, to review bids, questionnaires, and survey findings. The survey results are intended to inform the development of public policy and allow the 18 Regional Health Boards and Community Health Services Societies (RHBs/CHSSs), and voluntary health agencies, to strategically plan for the needs of their own communities.

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