Objectives: To show selected findings from the Global Youth Tobacco Survey (GYTS) conducted in Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia.
Methods: Representative sample of 16918 school children aged 13-15 years; data were obtained through uniform questionnaires. The fieldwork was conducted in 2002 and 2003.
Results: Age at initiation of smoking was particularly earlier in Czech Republic, Poland, and Slovakia than in Hungary. Over one third of the students reported current cigarette smoking in Czech Republic (34.9%) and Hungary (33.5%) compared to about one-fourth in Slovakia (24.3%) and Poland (23.3%). Among current smokers, about two thirds in Slovakia (64.0%) desired to stop smoking, while only one third in Hungary (36.7%). The prevalence of current cigarette smoking was similar between genders.
Discussion: Smoking prevalence in these countries is considerably higher than worldwide data. Women's smoking could be an important public health problem in the future. Repeated surveys could show trends and give a clearer picture of the epidemiological situation.