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Canadian Journal of Public Health = Revue Canadienne de Santé Publique logoLink to Canadian Journal of Public Health = Revue Canadienne de Santé Publique
. 2001 Nov 1;92(6):433–436. doi: 10.1007/BF03404534

Eating and Smoking Behaviours of School Children in Southwestern Ontario and Charlottetown, PEI

Susan Evers 17,✉, Jennifer Taylor 27, Steve Manske 37, Corina Midgett 17
PMCID: PMC6979778  PMID: 11799547

Abstract

We conducted in-class written surveys of fourth to eighth grade children’s eating and smoking behaviours in southwestern Ontario (n=870) and Charlottetown (n=423) in order to facilitate local school boards’ and health units’ planning of health education initiatives. Using chi-square analysis, we examined sex, grade, provincial and rural-urban differences in behaviours. No rural-urban differences emerged. While students reported few gender differences in food group consumption, more PEI students consumed French fries, snack foods, cakes and cookies, and regular soft drinks daily. Only 60.1% (379/630) of girls and 70.0% (462/660) of boys (χ2 = 13.8; p<0.001) ate breakfast every day, falling to 53.2% (115/216) among eighth grade girls, and 32.9% (25/76) among students who smoked. The prevalence of smoking was 4.8% (n=40) in Ontario and 8.5% (n=36) in PEI (χ2 = 6.8; p<0.01). Compared to non-smokers, a higher proportion of students who smoked consumed snack foods and regular soft drinks daily. The results emphasize the need to promote healthy eating behaviours and antismoking messages among school children.

Footnotes

This research was supported by the National Cancer Institute of Canada and the Socio-Behavioural Cancer Research Network with funds from the Canadian Cancer Society.

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