Czech medical faculties and smoking.

At the 1st Medical Faculty of Charles University in Prague the prevalence of smoking was investigated among the faculty, staff, students and among health professionals in the country. We found 38.1% smokers (current and occasional) among malephysicians (N = 625), 25.6% smokers among women physicians (N = 394), 48.7% smoking nurses (N = 729) and 42.3% smokers among paramedical staff (N = 298). We have also followed up smoking habits among our students since 1989 (N = 1235). The number of smokers among them rose from 7% in 1989 to 18% in 1994. Students were also asked about their opinion on smoking as a risk factor for coronary heart disease which has a rising trend. Trying to coordinate the anti-smoking activity at all seven medical faculties in the Czech Republic, in collaboration with the Faculty of Medicine of Masaryk University in Brno, the National Centre for Health Promotion and the Czech Commission of EMASH, present the main points of the anti-smoking strategy at Czech medical faculties.