Smoking behaviour among schoolteachers in the north of the Syrian Arab Republic

Characterizing the smoking habit in specific populations is important for health planners and policy-makers. We studied the smoking patterns of schoolteachers in Saraqeb, Syrian Arab Republic and found that 52.1% of males and 12.3% of females were current smokers. Male daily smokers smoked 20 +/- 1 cigarettes per day, females 10 +/- 4. Males had smoked for, on average, 16 +/- 1 years, females for 9 +/- 4 years. Daily smokers buying foreign brands spent 22.0% of their monthly income on cigarettes, while those smoking local brands spent 12.2%. Most teachers who smoked did so openly at school. Smoking among teachers should receive attention because it is closely related to the attitudes and practices of young people towards smoking

Effects of environmental tobacco smoke on the health of children in the Syrian Arab Republic

In the Syrian Arab Republic, studies on the effects of environmental tobacco smoke on children are lacking. We conducted a cross-sectional study on the effect of household environmental tobacco smoke on 1859 children under 12 years from both urban and rural areas. Parental and household smoking were associated with respiratory morbidity in the children. Parental smoking was associated with an increased likelihood of having sudden infant death syndrome in the family and was also associated with the presence of other smokers within households, which adds to children's exposure. To our knowledge this is the first study in the Syrian Arab Republic to report a clear association between environmental tobacco smoke and childhood respiratory morbidity