The number of classic cigarette smokers in the Czech Republic has been declining for a long time. Last year, according to the State Institute of Public Health (SZÚ), 23% of people over the age of 15 were smokers, about eight percentage points lower than in 2012. However, the number of young people using heated tobacco products and electronic cigarettes is rising. Photo Credit: Freepik / Illustrative Photo.
Czech Rep., June 7 (BD) – As reported on ČTK on World No Tobacco Day, the number of smokers in the Czech Republic has been declining for a long time. According to the national anti-drug coordinator Jarmila Vedralová, this is a consequence of the introduction of anti-smoking laws, improving prevention and better medical knowledge among the population.
According to the results of a questionnaire published by the State Institute of Public Health (SZÚ), in 2020, 23% of the Czech population over the age of 15 were smokers, down from 25% in 2019.
The Czech population smokes mostly classic cigarettes, and there are differences between the sexes in the intensity of smoking. Men most often consume 15-24 cigarettes a day, while women smoke from 5-9. On average, men smoke two cigarettes more than women. This is also the case for electronic cigarettes. The data suggests that 4.8% of Czechs used electronic cigarettes in 2020, or 6% of men and 3.5% of women.
In 2020 the share of daily users of electronic cigarettes more than doubled in the youngest age group 15-24 years, from 2.6% in 2019 to 5.8%. Two-fifths of electronic cigarette smokers stated that they also smoke classic cigarettes at the same time, a quarter are former smokers of classic cigarettes, and a third have never smoked before.
Compared to 2019, the number of people exposed to tobacco smoke in their homes increased from 14% to 17%. Young people aged 15-24 are thus the most exposed to tobacco smoke in the home environment.
More than 26% of current smokers in the age group 15-24 report that they tried to quit smoking during 2020. Compared to 2019, the number of people recommended by the doctor to stop smoking remains the same, almost 35%. In connection with changes to anti-smoking laws, 24% of smokers stated that they smoke less, and 0.5% of smokers have stopped smoking altogether.
