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Objectives: The aim of our paper was to monitor the prevalence of smoking and to analyse the relation among chosen family indicators and smoking in a representative sample of Czech children. Methods: A total number of 4.328 children aged 11, 13 and 15 years out of 88 randomly selected schools in the Czech Republic formed the study population. The data were obtained within the WHO study „The Health Behaviour in School-aged Children: A WHO Cross National Study" (HBSC) in June 2010 by means of standardized questionnaires. Statistical analysis was performed using the NCSS 2007 program. Results: Regular smoking (at least once a week) was reported by 1.6% of children aged 11, 9.7% of children aged 13 and 24.4% of children aged fifteen. Differences between age groups were statistically significant at p < 0.001. In terms of gender, significant association (p < 0.05) was found only in children aged 15, to the detriment of girls. Formal structure of family was found to be significantly associated (p < 0.001) with smoking. Regular smoking was reported least frequently by children from complete families and most frequently by children living without parents. Neither the amount of time spent together with a family nor the quality of communication with parents were found to have significant effect on smoking. Conclusions: The prevalence of regular smokers among Czech children is high. It is important to direct the attention to the primary prevention to decrease the amount of smokers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Calman described poverty in eight dimensions. There are several poverty indexes: Jarman's, Townsend's, Federal poverty index (USA), Gini coefficient, Human poverty indexes I and II (UN) and United Nation's Multiple poverty index (MPI). Childhood socioeconomic deprivation has long lasting detrimental effects on the health of individuals that are observable at the later ages of working life. Children who live in poverty are more likely as adults than their peers to develop and die earlier from a range of diseases. Impoverished environments reduce cortical gray matter of child's brain in several cortical areas. Cognitive and imaging studies in humans suggest which networks may be most influenced by poverty. An example of life in the poor postindustrial area may be life and health of the population of Glasgow, Scotland. This population has very poor health, compared to Scotland as a whole and the rest of the U. K. Glasgow shares some signs of its deprivation with Ostrava, Czech Republic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Addiction in childhood and in adolescence develops much faster than in later years. Not surprisingly, therefore, data from the literature, which found the incidence of pathological gambling among adolescents and younger adults than in the general population. From the perspective of society as whole is therefore the most important to restrict access to gambling for children and adolescents and regulate gambling advertising in such a way as to operate on this highly vulnerable population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Protective factors at the family level include, among others enough time spent with children, enforcing clear rules, including a ban on alcohol, and the ability of parents to solve their problems. More recently, it was found that low visibility and availability of alcohol at home are also very important. The problem is how to pass this information to parents. Family and other medical doctors can play an important role in this respect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]