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Introduction. Smoking is the leading preventable cause of mortality in the world. The World Health Organization estimates that annually more than seven million lives are lost worldwide due to smoking-related diseases. The aim of the study was to examine lifetime use of tobacco and electronic cigarettes, using patterns in the last 30 days, and to determine cigarette availability among the first grade high school students in Novi Sad. Material and Methods. The cross-sectional study was conducted among the first grade public high school students in Novi Sad. The study sample included 1.067 participants (587 girls and 480 boys), born in 2002. The survey used the questionnaire of the European School Project on Alcohol and other Drugs. Results. Of the examined sample, a total of 40.1% of high school students in Novi Sad have at least tried smoking cigarettes during their lifetime, girls significantly more often (p=0.001). With no gender difference, 20% of students smoked at least one cigarette in the month preceding the survey. Every seventh student (13.9%) tried their first cigarette at the age of 13 or younger, girls significantly more often (p=0.001). A little less than one fifth of the examinees (18.4%) tried electronic cigarettes. In the month preceding the survey, every twelfth examinee used electronic cigarettes (8.1%). Conclusion. Monitoring the prevalence of tobacco use in young people, especially new tobacco products, indicates the need for continuous and intensive activities in the field of health promotion with implementation of effective tobacco control measures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction. Having a relatively high suicide rate of 19.5 per 100.000 inhabitants, the Republic of Serbia is in the first half on the list of the European countries concerning the number of suicides. However, the situation is particularly alarming in Vojvodina, which has been one of the areas with a very high population mortality rate caused by suicide for a long period of time not only in Serbia of nowadays, but also in former Yugoslavia. The number of suicides has increased by almost 50% over the last five and a half decades, and every eighth suicide was committed by a young person. The aim of this paper was to explore adolescents' attitudes towards suicide and to find out whether the difference in age affects changes in attitudes regarding suicide. Material and Methods. The George Domino's Suicide Opinion Questionnaire was completed by 254 adolescents divided into two age groups - 124 respondents were in the age group 13 to 15 and 130 of them in the age group 18 to 19. Results. The results of this study suggest that the attitudes of younger and older group of adolescents towards suicide mostly coincide and there is no statistically significant difference in the answers according to the analyzed clusters. Conclusion. This research shows that the attitudes of respondents of both age groups indicate a lack of awareness about suicide, its causes and dynamics of development of this public health problem. This leaves space for more intensive educational work in the mental health of the population, especially young people and for further research of the suicide problem as a basis for developing strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]