Vaping among high school students dropped to 24 per cent, says Health Canada
CTV
New data released by Health Canada shows vaping among high school students decreased from 29 per cent in the 2018-19 school year to 24 per cent in 2021-22.
Health Canada says there has been a five per cent decrease in vaping among high school students in grades 10 to 12 during the 2021-22 school year compared to 2018-19.
Data comes from the Canadian Student Tobacco, Alcohol, and Drugs Survey (CSTADS) conducted between September 2021 and June 2022 in nine Canadian provinces.
According to the federal health agency, a total sample of 61,096 students in grades 7 to 12 were involved in the survey, excluding students in New Brunswick who declined to participate.
The data reveals that students in grades 7 to 9 exhibit a higher willingness to continue vaping, as indicated by the minimal one per cent decrease observed from 11 per cent in 2018-19 to 10 per cent in 2021-22.
The data also shows that smoking among students in grades 7 to 12 decreased to 14 per cent in 2021-22 from 19 per cent in 2018-19.
The survey found 17 per cent of students in grades 7 to 12 had tried at least one tobacco product in 2021-22.
When it comes to alcohol, 39 per cent of students in grades 7 to 12 said they consumed alcohol in the last 12 months in 2021-22, a five per cent decrease compared with 2018-19.
