Smoking attributable mortality in the Czech Republic in 2002

Overview

Objectives:
To estimate smoking-attributable mortality (SAM) in the Czech Republic in 2002 and compare this estimate with the estimates from earlier years.

Method:
For computation of smoking-attributable fractions we used data from the US Cancer Prevention Study II and those on smoking prevalence from a large national population survey carried out in 2002. Smoking- attributable mortality was calculated using Czech mortality statistic and the SAFs.

Results:
In 2002, 20,827 (95% CI 18,851–21,981) deaths were attributable to tobacco use (14,800 in males and 6,027 in females). The deaths caused by smoking represent 19 % of total mortality in the country in 2002 (27 % of mortality in males and 11 % in females). Earlier available estimates were made by Peto and Lopez for the years 1995 (22,300 deaths attributable to smoking) and 2000 (17,790 deaths). The Current estimate is quite close to the latter estimate of Peto and Lopez, the difference is due to lower SAM for women (3,653 deaths compared to figure from the current study).

Conclusions:
The stable and relatively high smoking-attributable mortality reflects the high prevalence rates for smoking and shows non-significant variation in the last decade (slight decrease in males and increase for females). The government should adopt a substantially more effective anti-smoking policy inducing on increase in tobacco taxes in order to reduce smoking prevalence and thereby eventually save lives and reduce costs in health care.

Key words:
mortality, smoking, Czech Republic