Canadian Tobacco, Alcohol and Drugs Survey (CTADS): 2017 definitions
- Prevalence
- the proportion of a group or population reporting the indicated behaviour or outcome, usually expressed as a percentage.
- Statistically Significant
- the observed relationship between two or more variables is unlikely due to chance alone.
- Weighted Results
- weighting is the statistical technique used to allow the study sample to be representative of the target population; in other words, any participant's response is weighted so that it represents a specific number of identical responses in the target population.
- 95% confidence interval
- provides a range of values in which the estimated prevalence will fall 95% of the time (i.e., if the survey was repeated 20 times, the results would fall within this range 19 of those times, or 19 times out of 20).
- Current smoker
- includes daily smokers and occasional smokers, determined from the response to the question "At the present time do you smoke cigarettes every day, occasionally, or not at all?"
- Daily smoker
- refers to those who respond "everyday" to the question "At the present time do you smoke cigarettes every day, occasionally or not all?"
- Occasional smoker
- refers to those who respond "occasionally" to the question "At the present time do you smoke cigarettes every day, occasionally or not all?"
- Former smoker
- was not smoking at the time of the interview, however, answered "YES" to the question "Have you smoked at least 100 cigarettes in your life?"
- Short term quitter
- a former smoker who quit smoking less than one year prior to the survey. Determined by their response to the question, "When did you stop smoking? Was it less than 1 year ago, 1 to 2 years ago, 3 to 5 years ago, or more than 5 years ago?"
- Long term quitter
- a former smoker who quit smoking a year or more prior to the survey and has not resumed smoking during that time frame. Determined by their response to the question, "When did you stop smoking? Was it less than 1 year ago, 1 to 2 years ago, 3 to 5 years ago, or more than 5 years ago?"
- Never smoker
- was not smoking at the time of the interview and answered "NO" to the question "Have you smoked at least 100 cigarettes in your life?"
- Ever smokers
- current and former smokers combined.
- Non-smokers
- former smokers and never-smokers combined.
- E-Cigarettes
- are battery-operated devices that mimic the act and taste of smoking cigarettes but do not contain tobacco. E-cigarettes include vaporizers with e-juice, vape pen, tank, or mod and are available with or without nicotine.
- Past-year use
- reported use in the 12 months preceding the interview.
- Acute effects
- possible short-term effects of alcohol use include injuries and overdoses.
- Age of initiation
- the age at which a person first used alcohol or a drug.
- Problematic use
- drugs used for reasons other than for prescribed therapeutic purposes including use for the experience, for the feeling they caused, to get high, to feel better (improve mood) or to cope with stress or problems.
- Harm
- drug related harms include harms in any of the following 8 areas: physical health; friendships and social life; financial position; home life or marriage; work, studies or employment opportunities; legal problems; difficulty learning; and housing problems.
- Chronic effects
- possible long-term effects of alcohol use include liver disease and certain cancers.
- Low-risk drinking guideline 1 (chronic)
- people who drink within this guideline must drink "no more than 10 drinks a week for women, with no more than 2 drinks a day most days and 15 drinks a week for men, with no more than 3 drinks a day most days. Plan non-drinking days every week to avoid developing a habit."Footnote 1
- Low-risk drinking guideline 2 (acute)
- those who drink within this guideline do so by "drinking no more than 3 drinks (for women) or 4 drinks (for men) on any single occasion. Plan to drink in a safe environment. Stay within the weekly limits outlined" in the guidelines.Footnote 1
Footnotes
- Footnote 1
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Canadian Centre on Substance Abuse. Canada's Low-Risk Alcohol Drinking Guidelines [brochure], 2017. Accessed August 28, 2018. http://ccsa.ca/Resource%20Library/2012-Canada-Low-Risk-Alcohol-Drinking-Guidelines-Brochure-en.pdf
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