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Cigar, Cigarillo, and Little Cigar Use among Canadian Youth: Are We Underestimating the Magnitude of This Problem?

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Abstract

Data from 29,296 students in grades 9–12 as part of the 2008–2009 Youth Smoking Survey were used to examine the prevalence of cigar, cigarillo, and little cigar use and factors associated with their use. Among Canadian youth in grades 9–12, 12.9% reported current use of cigarillos or little cigars, and 8.1% reported current use of cigars. The characteristics of youth most likely to use either cigars or cigarillos and little cigars were being male, being in grade 11 or 12, being a daily or occasional cigarette smoker, having more than $20 of weekly spending money, and having ever tried flavored tobacco. Our findings suggest that cigars, cigarillos, and little cigars are used by a substantial number of Canadian youth, many of whom do not smoke cigarettes. As such, current national prevalence estimates of youth smoking may be underestimated, and existing tobacco control prevention programs and policies may be overlooking a large population of at-risk youth.

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Notes

  1. In 2008, these 10 Canadian provinces represent over 99.9% of the total Canadian population (Statistics Canada 2010).

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Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank the Propel Centre for Population Health Impact for providing support for this project. Dr. Leatherdale is a Cancer Care Ontario Research Chair in Population Studies. The 2008–2009 Youth Smoking Survey is a product of a pan-Canadian capacity building project that includes Canadian researchers from all provinces and provides training opportunities for university students at all levels. Production of this paper has been made possible through a financial contribution from Health Canada. The views expressed herein do not necessarily represent the views of Health Canada.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Health Studies and Gerontology, University of Waterloo, 200 University Avenue, Waterloo, ON, N2L 3G1, Canada

    Scott T. Leatherdale & Patricia Rios

  2. Propel Centre for Population Health Impact, Canadian Cancer Society and the University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON, N2L 3G1, Canada

    Tara Elton-Marshall & Robin Burkhalter

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  1. Scott T. Leatherdale
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  2. Patricia Rios
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  4. Robin Burkhalter
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Correspondence to Scott T. Leatherdale.

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Leatherdale, S.T., Rios, P., Elton-Marshall, T. et al. Cigar, Cigarillo, and Little Cigar Use among Canadian Youth: Are We Underestimating the Magnitude of This Problem?. J Primary Prevent 32, 161 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10935-011-0248-6

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