A new study published this week by the Conference Board of Canada (CBoC) reveals smoking continues to be a big healthcare burden in Newfoundland and Labrador.
According to the study, which was based on dated for 2012, smoking causes 985 deaths in the province each year and one in five of all deaths - 18.4 per cent - across the country.
It also has a major impact on the Newfoundland and Labrador healthcare system, resulting in a direct cost of $135.4 million and an indirect cost of $53.2 million a year.
The study found the health burden from tobacco was significantly higher across Canada in 2012 than a decade earlier.
There were an estimated 45,464 deaths caused by smoking in 2012, up from 37,209 deaths caused by smoking in 2002. Direct healthcare costs were $6.5 billion in 2012, up from $4.4 billion in 2002.
Smoking rates have declined in Newfoundland and Labrador over the past decade. Approximately 20 per cent of the province’s population, however, continues to smoke.
