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TABLE 42:

FIGURE 25:

Highlights:
Tab 42
Fig25

TABLE 42
SMOKING-ATTRIBUTABLE MORTALITY
British Columbia, 2002

FIGURE 25
SMOKING-ATTRIBUTABLE MORTALITY
BY SELECTED CAUSES AND GENDER
British Columbia, 2002

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HIGHLIGHTS TO TABLE 42/FIGURE 25

• In 2002, there were 5,761 deaths that were attributed to smoking. Smoking-attributable mortality (SAM) is based on estimates of the relative exposure risk of the adult population (age 35 or older). A detailed definition of this term is provided in the Glossary. Table 42 presents, for each specific cause of death, the total number of deaths by gender, the proportion of these deaths which are attributed to smoking (labeled SAM%), and the number of SAM deaths.

• Smoking-attributable mortality can be grouped into deaths from cancers (malignant neoplasms), circulatory system diseases and respiratory system diseases. Out of 100 smoking-attributable deaths in 2002, approximately:
  • 40 were from cancers (malignant neoplasms) (2,311)
  • 36 were from circulatory system diseases (2,045)
  • 24 were from respiratory system diseases (1,406)

• By specific causes of death, lung cancer (malignant neoplasms of trachea, lung, and bronchus) was the major contributor (1,683 deaths) to smoking-attributable mortality in 2002, followed by ischemic heart disease (991) and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (924). Together these three causes of death accounted for 3,598 deaths or 62.4% of smoking-attributable mortality in the province in 2002.

• In 2002, three in five smoking-attributable deaths were males.