The purpose of the study was to evaluate the amplitude of tobacco and alcohol consumption among two populations living in urban, respectively rural areas in the South-Western part of the country. The presence of the two risky behaviours during the pregnancy was also analysed.
Material and method: A number of 1,200 people, men and women, aged 18-75 years, with different educational levels, living in urban and rural communities were asked to answer a questionnaire with 111 items regarding their knowledge and attitudes about the sexual-reproductive health; 11 items referred to tobacco smoking and alcohol drinking.
Results: About half of the subjects have never smoked. The mean age of starting smoking was 16.97 years. A number of 295 subjects (24.6%) were daily active smokers, men more frequently than women (p < 0.001). A percentage of 77.3% of the subjects used to drink alcohol, 16.4% of them daily. The daily alcohol consumption was more frequent among men, low educated people and rural inhabitants comparing to women, respectively high educated or urban inhabitants (p < 0.001); 11.2% of the respondents got frequently drunk. During the last pregnancy in the couple, women and high educated people stopped smoking and drinking more frequently then men, respectively low educated people.
Conclusions: The above findings indicate the need to start in school effective health promotion campaigns to reduce tobacco and alcohol consumption and the need for support of population-based educational interventions aimed at smoking cessation in both parents.