The National Institute of Public Health of Quebec unveils a portrait of vaping and the use of cigarettes in Quebec among the Quebec population aged 15 and over. This report presents data from the most recent Quebec tobacco and vaping products, held in 2023.
The results make it possible to bring out the recent trends and make comparisons with the data of the 2020 survey, with the aim of documenting the evolution of vaping and smoking following the Pandemic of COVID-19 and the promulgation of new Quebec and Canadian legislative measures framing the use of tobacco or vaping products.
The analysis reveals in particular a marked increase in vaping in 20-24 year olds, as well as an increase in the number of vapers under the age of 25, making more than 25 uses per day of their electronic cigarette. This suggests the emergence of nicotine dependence in several young vapers. There is also a new trend in vapers, the use of disposable vaping devices. While only 4 % of vapers preferred this type of device in 2020, this rate is 46 % in 2023.
Although vaping constitutes one of the challenges of the hour in public health, the fact remains that smoking still represents one of the main factors of avoidable mortality in Quebec and elsewhere in Canada. According to the survey, the use of cigarettes remained relatively stable between 2020 and 2023, 11 % of respondents who said they had smoked the cigarette in the previous 30 days. This means that around 776,000 Quebecers are at risk of developing health problems related to tobacco use.
These observations illustrate the importance of supporting and strengthening vaping prevention efforts with adolescents and young adults, while promoting the renunciation of smoking and vaping among Quebec smokers and vapers.
Consult the publication
