Martens P, Nickel N, Forget E, Lix L, Turner D, Prior H, Walld R, Soodeen RA, Rajotte L, Ekuma O. Winnipeg, MB: Manitoba Centre for Health Policy, 2015.

This study focused on estimating the excess burden that smoking places on the healthcare system. We used survey data (i.e., Manitoba Heart Health Survey, National Population Health Survey, and the Canadian Community Health Survey) from over 45,000 Manitobans to measure individuals' smoking behaviours. We then linked individuals' survey data with their administrative health data held in the Population Health Research Data Repository. We followed survey respondents for ten years after survey to measure the excess healthcare use and expenditures associated with smoking. Smoking rates have decreased from 1989 to 2011. The study found that smoking is associated with increased physician visits, hospitalizations, and prescription drugs. This increased healthcare use translates into excess annual costs: $39M in physician costs, $40M in prescription drugs, $147M in hospital-related expenses, and $18M in cancer-related costs for a total costs of $244 million a year.

Links:

• Full Report (PDF)
  4-Page Summary (PDF)
  Updates and Errata (PDF)
  Infographic 1 Image ** (JPG)
  Infographic 2 Image ** (JPG)
  Video

---

Comment on Social Media

---

A full list of MCHP Deliverables is available online.

Infographic 1: 
Smoking Strains Manitoba's Healthcare System & Impairs Manitobans' Quality of Life

Infographic 2:
Life Expectancy and Health Outcomes

---

** You may share this infographic online or for educational purposes as long as the following conditions are met. They must remain unaltered – this includes the cropping off of watermarks/credit on the graphics, or cropping out other parts of the graphic; they cannot be used for commercial purposes without prior permission, and attribution to the Manitoba Centre for Health Policy must be given clearly when re-sharing the graphics, and the attribution should also include a link back to the post containing the graphic. For more information about copyright guidelines, visit the University of Manitoba Copyright Office website.