SMOKING IN ONTARIO, 1991 TO 1996

Surveys by the Addiction Research Foundation of Ontario have produced annual estimates on smoking prevalence since 1991. This report describ es the three series of telephone surveys from which these data are dra wn as well as future plans to monitor tobacco use in Ontario, In addit ion to provision of updated descriptive results, the: methodology and limitations of the data are discussed. Prevalence data for 1996 are pr esented from the Ontario Drug Monitor, a telephone survey of Ontario a dults (n=2721). The overall prevalence of smoking in Ontario was 27% ( 35% confidence interval: 25% to 29%); 23% smoked daily (95% confidence interval: 21% to 25%). There is no evidence of any decline in the pre valence of smoking since 1991, and no sex differences were found in sm oking prevalence. Future reports will update trend data and provide ro bust regional estimates.