Chatham-Kent Public Health (CKPH) is reporting fewer smokers across the municipality.
A report from CKPH Youth Engagement Coordinator Jeff Moco stated the latest known daily smoking rate of CK residents 15 years and older has dropped from approximately 19 per cent to 15.5 per cent. However, it is still higher than the provincial average of 10.1 per cent.
Moco also reported those aged 20-44 in CK continue to have the highest rate at 17.7 per cent, followed by those aged 45-56 at 15.3 per cent, and those aged 65-plus at 10.5 per cent. The age group that had the best improvement over the last reporting period was 20-44 with a 6 per cent improvement, those aged 45-56 saw a 3 per cent improvement, and those aged 65-plus remained unchanged.
Moco's report also showed that Chatham-Kent has moved up on the provincial list of lowest smoking rates. It was ranked 10th highest smoking rate in the province, but has now moved more to the middle of the rankings with 14 other regions now having a higher reported smoking rate. In the southwest region, Chatham-Kent now sits in the top three communities with the lowest smoking rates with only Windsor-Essex and London/Middlesex County scoring lower, according to the data.
Moco noted it is difficult to accurately summarize the current smoking rates in Chatham-Kent because most provincial surveillance reports are dated.
With regards to youth smoking and vaping, he wrote there is also a "lack of quality data" for specific youth smoking and vaping rates in Chatham-Kent.
However, he added approximately 3.2 per cent of Ontario students have smoked cigarettes in the past year while 13.4 per cent have vaped, according to the 2023 Ontario Student Drug Use Survey. That's a reported decrease from the previous data for both categories of 4.1 per cent for smoking and 15.3 per cent for vaping.
"Current smokers cost the healthcare system more than double compared to former smokers and people who have never smoked," wrote Moco. "Former smokers cost the system about 25 per cent more compared to people who have never smoked."
He points to smoking cessation treatments, such as the CK STOP Program and Stop on the Net Program, as options for those who want to quit.
Moco said 91 per cent of clients were smoking daily with an average of 20 cigarettes per day prior to joining the CK STOP Program, but at the 12-month mark, 45.5 per cent of participants are smoke free.
"These results are significant when considering that the expected abstinence rates estimate that only 10 per cent of adults are smoke free after 12 months when attempting to quit on their own without professional supports," wrote Moco.
He added 264 CK residents enrolled in Stop on the Net Program from April 2023 to March 2024 and 36 per cent of them reported being smoke free six months after enrolling in the program.
On the enforcement front, eight fines were issued for vaping on school property, according to Moco, and two illegal tobacco sales to a test shopper at Chatham convenience stores resulted in three fines.
Click here to join the CK STOP Program or contact CKPH by email at CKSmokeFree@chatham-kent.ca or by phone at 519-352-7270 ext: 2438.
