Wellness Club

Quiz

Smoking Facts

In 2002, according to the Youth Smoking Survey, 25% of youth in grades 5 through 9 reported that they had tried a tobacco product at least once - mostly smoking a cigarette. This figure is down from 1994, when 42% of teens in this age group indicated that they had tried tobacco.

More than 80% of adult smokers started before they turned 18--hardly anyone starts using tobacco as an adult. People who make it through their teens tobacco-free, are most likely to remain tobacco-free for life.

800,000 Canadian kids under 12 were regularly exposed to second-hand smoke in their home from cigarettes, cigars or pipes.

Smoking kills 47,500 Canadians every year. That is the population of a medium size Canadian town, such as Cornwall (Ontario); Chilliwack (B.C.); Shawinigan (Quebec), Charlottetown (P.E.I.), or Wood Buffalo (Alberta).

The average smoker will die about 8 years earlier than a similar non-smoker. Life expectancy improves after a smoker quits.

Smoking does not lead to a healthy weight. Research conducted at the University of Memphis (USA) with 4000 young people (18-30 years old) showed that smokers gained as much weight as non-smokers in the same age range.

On average, young Canadians first try a cigarette when they are 12.8 years old.

There are approximately 4000 chemicals in cigarette smoke, 43 known to cause cancer, and 400 other toxins.

Among students who had ever tried cigarette smoking, 36% went on to smoke daily.

Studies on teen smokers have found that even occasional smokers crave cigarettes and show signs of dependency on nicotineIt takes a long time to get addicted to tobacco.

Click on this link for more information: http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/hl-vs/pubs/tobac-tabac/quit-cesser-guide/app_b_e.html