This post provides information on the release of the Public Use Micro File (PUMF) for the Canadian Student Tobacco, Alcohol and Drug (CSTADS), 2020-2021.
CSTADS is a periodic survey funded by Health Canada on the substance use of Canadian middle and high school students. It has been conducted four times over the past decade - during the school years 2014-2015, 2015-2017, 2018-2019 and then 2021-22. The first 3 waves were conducted by the University of Waterloo, after which the work was was contracted to CCI research.
The results of the 2021-22 wave - reported in an earlier blog post - were first made public in May, but were withdrawn from Health Canada's website soon afterwards for unspecified technical reasons. They were recently re-uploaded and updated.
CSTADS (now CSADS) is the largest youth health survey in Canada. Information from more than 61,000 students in grades 7 to 12 was provided during class time from most parts of the country. (New Brunswick declined to participate in 3 of the waves, including the most recent one).
The charts shown below are derived from the PUMF file, but are presented without the benefit of statistical tests.
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By the time they leave high school, almost 1 in 5 Canadian students use vaping products at least once a week (and 1 in 8 uses them every day).
Health Canada generally groups results into two age groups, but the PUMF file allows for a review of substance use in each grade. Because substance use progresses over time and because younger children are less likely to use substances, grouping produces underestimates of the drug use by students at the end of their school years. The PUMF file, however, allows this estimate to be shown.
High school students living in rural areas are heavier vapers.
Most students surveyed (82%) were identified as attending a school in an urban area, using Statistics Canada's definitions. Proportionately more students in rural schools reported using e-cigarettes daily.
According to this survey, although only one-fifth (18%) of students are in rural schools, one-third (34%) of youth who vape daily attend rural schools. Although a similar pattern was seen with respect to cigarette smoking, the very low rates of daily smoking (1.5% overall) make the presentation of data without statistical tests less appropriate.
The survey asked students "How would you describe yourself?" The results were grouped into 8 categories: "white", "black", "West Asian/Arab", "South Asian/Indian", East/Southeast Asian (Chinese ...)", "Latin American/Hispanic", "Aboriginal (First Nations, Métis, Inuit..)" and "Another race/Multiple."
More than half (57%) of students identified themselves as "white", with no other ethnic category composing more than 7% of responses. Three percent of students identified themselves as aboriginal.
"White" and "Aboriginal" students were disproportionately represented among those who vaped on a daily or weekly basis (70% and 5% respectively).
