Comparison of smoking patterns of different population groups - implications for interventions

Background: Smokingprevalencein Serbiaishighbothamonggeneralandvulnerable populations.Interventionsshouldbeevidencebasedandinlinewithneedsofeachpopulation group. Thehighestprevalenceofsmokingisamongvulnerablegroups,whereinterventions beyondthoseaimedatgeneralpopulationarerequired.Aims: Toanalyzeandcompare smokingprevalenceanditspatterns,exposuretotobaccosmokeandtheircorrelatesamong generalpopulationandvulnerablegroupsandtoidenitfygapsandneedsformonitoringand policy.Materialandmethods:Secondaryanalysisofdataobtainedthroughdifferentsurveys implementedin2013and2014wasconducted. Databasesfromthreegeneralpopulation surveysandsixsurveysamongselectedvulnerablegroups(prisoners, menhavingsexwith men,sexworkers,peoplelivingwithHIV,Romayouth,institutionalizedchildren)wereused. Results:Datashowhighsmokingprevalenceamongadults(34.7%)withgenderdifferences. Lowersocioeconomicstatusisthestrongestfactorassociatedwithsmokingamongadults. Smokingprevalenceisthehighestintheagegroup35-45years(47.0%).AmongSerbian youth,perceivedavailabilityandbeingtaughtinschoolabouttobaccoareimportantcorrelates ofsmoking. Morethanhalfofadultsandyouthareexposedtotobaccosmokeatvarious places.SmokingissociallyhighlyacceptableinSerbiansocietyandriskperceptionisatlow level....