Your community, your health: Findings from the Canadian Community Health Survey, Highlights

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An update on smoking from the 2005 Canadian Community Health Survey

The prevalence of smoking in Canada continues to decline. In 2005, 22% of the Canadians aged 12 or older were smokers, a slight decrease from the 23% reported in 2003 and from 26% in 2000/01.

The sharpest decline between 2000/01 and 2005 was among youth aged 12 to 17. The proportion of smokers in this age group fell from 14% to 8%. This decline is explained by an increase in the percentage of young people who never started smoking.

More and more households restrict smoking in the home. In 2005, almost two thirds (64%) of the population aged 12 or older lived in a household where smoking was banned, compared with 57% in 2003.

The proportion of people living in homes where smoking was completed restricted was highest in British Columbia (77%), and was particularly low in Quebec (43%).

Exposure to second-hand smoke continues to decline among non-smokers. In 2005, 23% of non-smokers reported they were exposed to second-hand smoke daily, down from 29% in 2003.

Youth aged 12 to 17 were, by far, the age group most likely to be exposed to second-hand smoke: 4 in 10 were regularly exposed to second-hand smoke at home, in a private vehicle or in a public place.

Diabetes care in Canada: Results from selected provinces, 2005

In 2005, 5% of Canadians aged 12 or older reported that they had been diagnosed with diabetes. The rate of diabetes is higher in the eastern provinces and among males and increases with age.

The Canadian Clinical Practice Guidelines (CPG) recommends that people with diabetes have their haemoglobin A1C checked every three months. 3 in 4 diabetic diabetic respondents in participating provinces had had this test at least once in the previous year. Those who were tested at least once were tested an average of 3.4 times.

Access to a regular medical doctor was a key contributing factor to glucose testing. Diabetic individuals from the participating provinces with a regular medical doctor were approximately two times more likely to have their haemoglobin A1C checked compared with those without a regular medical doctor.

The CPG recommend annual foot examinations by a health care professional for all individuals with diabetes. In 2005, only half of diabetic respondents in participating provinces reported having had their feet examined in the previous year.

The CPG recommends that all people with diabetes be screened and examined for retinopathy either at the time of diagnosis (for those with Type 2) or within 5 years of diagnosis after age 15 (for those with Type 1). The majority of respondents (68%) in participating provinces reported having had at least one eye dilation examination. However, approximately one in three had never had such an eye examination.