Term: Adolescent Smoking - (CCHS Survey Data)
Last Updated: 2010-08-04
In the CCHS, respondents aged 12-19 were asked the question, "In your lifetime, have you smoked a total of 100 or more cigarettes (about 4 packs)?" Possible responses include yes, no, don't know, or refuse to answer. Respondents who answered no were then asked, "Have you ever smoked a whole cigarette?" Possible responses include yes, no, don't know, or refuse to answer; respondents who had answered yes to the previous question were also assumed to have smoked an entire cigarette. Respondents were then asked a series of questions about the history of their smoking, such as "At the present time, do you smoke cigarettes daily, occasionally or not at all?" to determine if they were a current smoker, former smoker, or never smoked. For more information on how type of smoker is determined, see CCHS Survey Data: Type of Smoker. Respondents who answered don't know, not stated, or refused to answer the questions were excluded from analyses. Crude weighted percentages were calculated using data from CCHS cycles 1.1, 2.1, 2.2 and 3.1.
In Brownell et al. (2008), adolescents aged 12 to 19 years who have smoked 100 or more tobacco cigarettes in their lifetime were categorized as "smokers". Those having smoked only a few cigarettes in their lifetime (i.e., less than 100 cigarettes) or who have never smoked a whole cigarette were considered to be "non-smokers".