Canadian Tobacco, Alcohol and Drugs Survey (CTADS): definitions

The terms used have the following definitions:

Past-year use

reported use in the 12 months preceding the interview.

Prevalence

the proportion of a group or population reporting the indicated behaviour or outcome, usually expressed as a percentage.

Smoking prevalence

the number of smokers in a specified group, divided by the total population of that group, expressed as a percentage. May also be referred to as the "smoking rate".

Current smoker

includes daily smokers and non-daily smokers (also known as 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?"

Non-daily smoker

often referred to as "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 ago 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?"

Quit rate

the ratio of the number of former smokers in a specified group divided by the number of ever smokers in that group, based on 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.

Stages of Change

the 5 following stages describe readiness to quit smoking. They are defined according to the conventions of Abrams, Velicer, and colleagues.

Precontemplation

current smokers who answered "NO" to the question "Are you seriously considering quitting within the next six months?"

Contemplation

current smokers who either were seriously considering quitting within the next six months but answered "NO" to the question "Are you seriously considering quitting within the next 30 days?" OR were seriously considering quitting within the next 30 days, but did not try to quit for at least 24 hours during the past year (i.e., answered "NONE" to the question "In the last year, how many times have you quit for at least 24 hours?").

Preparation

current smokers who were seriously considering quitting within the next 30 days and had quit smoking at least once, for at least 24 hours, during the past year.

Action

former smokers (i.e., did not currently smoke) who had quit smoking within the past six months (inclusive).

Maintenance

former smokers who, at the time of the interview, had quit smoking at least six months ago.

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.

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"^{Footnote 1} in Guideline.

Footnotes