Is tobacco use finally decreasing in France?

Tobacco is responsible for a third of all cancers, as well as a large proportion of cardiovascular and chronic respiratory diseases. Monitoring of the tobacco epidemic is necessary everywhere, in particular in non-English-speaking countries where until recently no decrease was seen in tobacco consumption. National population surveys have been conducted repeatedly on representative samples of both the adolescent and adult French population to evaluate trends in smoking behavior.

[Smoking and social class in France 1974-1991].

We examined trends in cigarette smoking behaviour in France from 1974 to 1991 separately for men and women as well as according to social class indicators. Overall, cigarette smoking prevalence has declined among men but has increased among women over the 18-year period which was taken into consideration. Analysis by social class groupings shows, among men, that the decrease is greater among higher level executives, professionals and academics and occurred as early as 1983.

EUROHEALTH Programme.

The countries of central and eastern Europe (CCEE) and the newly independent states (NIS) of the former USSR are undergoing rapid and profound change, and assistance from the international community has lacked a common focus. In late 1990, the WHO Regional Committee for Europe created the EUROHEALTH programme to try to meet the urgent and medium-term needs of the CCEE/NIS for technical, managerial and material resources within the framework of the long-term regional strategy for health for all. The programme's strategy includes making collaborative agreements with each of the CCEE/NIS, raising funds and coordinating tripartite assistance with a wide variety of international organizations.

[Current development of smoking in young people in France].

Two sets of data, collected independently, have been analysed to study the recent evolution of tobacco smoking in France among young people. For the first time a trend towards a reduction of this habit has been observed.