Welcome and Introductions

BUILDING CAPACITY FOR

TOBACCO RESEARCH IN
ROMANIA
brm Zoltn, MD, PhD

University of Medicine and

Pharmacy from Targu Mures

Location: Trgu Mure, Trgu-Mure

University of Medicine and Pharmacy
and partners
Tobacco research in Romania
Building Capacity for Tobacco
Research in Romania

University of Medicine and

Pharmacy

Partners

Babes-Bolyai
University

Sapientia University

Mures County General Directorate of Social Assistance

and Child Protection

Tobacco research in Romania

*** Fumatul i sntatea public n Romnia. Cunotine,

atitudini i practici legate de consumul de produse din tutun
n rndul populaiei generale din Romnia, editat de Centrul
pentru Politici i Servicii de Sntate, Bucuresti, 2004.
(coord. Prof. dr. Cristian Vldescu)
*** Cunotinele, atitudinile i practicile populaiei generale
referitoare la de consumul de tutun si la prevederile
legislative in domeniu. Centrul pentru Politici i Servicii de
Sntate, Bucuresti, 2007.
Ordinului comun MS & CNAS privind Programele Nationale
(PN) de Sanatate 2011 si 2012 din 30/12/2010, Programul
naional nr. 5 de evaluare i promovare a sntii i
educaie pentru sntate cuprinde subprogramul 2.
Prevenire i combatere a consumului de tutun.

Recent surveys
Global Youth Tobacco Survey (GYTS)
2003 Hungary
2004, 2009 Romania

Irimie S. et al. Tobacco Use among students from Romania 2004

versus 2009 GYTS data. Applied Medical Informatics, 2010, 27: 5561

Global Adults Tobacco Survey (GATS)

2011 Romania

Institutul Romn pentru Evaluare i Strategie. Fumatul i sntatea.

Comportamente i atitudini, 2011

Recent surveys

European Monitoring Centre for

Drugs and Drug Addiction, National
Anti-drug Agency, Bucharest, 2011
National Report

Raport naional privind situaia drogurilor. Noi evoluii, tendine i

informaii detailate cu privire la temele de interes european.
Agenia Naional Antidrog, Bucureti, 2011

Programul Stop Fumat

A national network of doctors and

psychologists (100)
Counsel,
treatment,
hot line (TelVerde): 0213356920
Rate of succes: 39,1% quit to
smoke/2009
Negoescu R. Ancheta de supraveghere la 1 an a campaniei de
renunare la fumat Quit&Win 2008 Romnia. Institutul de Sntate
Public Bucuresti, 2009.

Eurobarometer

Special Eurobarometer 332 Tobacco. Directorate General

Communication, European Commission, Brussels, 2010

15- year

You smoke at the present time?

- smoking is highest in Greece (40%),

Bulgaria (39%) and Hungary (38%)
- is lowest in Sweden (16%) and Finland (21%)
- EU27 average is 29%
- Romania: 30%, 12-14.

Smokers at the present time

In the European Union in three years the

proportion of smokers has declined by three
points:
from 32% in 2006 to 29% in 2009.
Romania
2006 - 31%
2009 - 30%

Number of cigarettes smoked each day

Smoking is allowed inside the house

You used to smoke but you have

stopped

- EU27 average is 22%

- The Netherlands (33%), Sweden (31%) and
Denmark (31%) have the greatest proportion of
respondents who have given up smoking
- The lowest proportions of ex-smokers among the
EU member States: Romania (12%) , Portugal
(13%) and Greece (14%).

Attempts to quit smoking in the last 12

months

Conclusion
In Romania smoking prevalence, SHS
presence and the number of cigarettes
smoked are quite high, while here is
reported the lowest proportions of exsmokers among the EU member States
and a high percentage of the attempts to
quit smoking,
so that tobacco research and tobacco
cessation
intervention
have
good
perspectives.

Building Capacity for Tobacco

Research in Romania

Antecedents: Hungarian research model,

personal professional relationships
12 August 2011 visit of Kristie Foley
and
Peter Balazs at the UMPh Tg.
Mures
14 Sept 2011 grant submitted to NIH
March-July 2012 scientific review and
funding decision

6 June 2012 Annual Fogarty-team

meeting, Budapest, Hungary to
Romania: not an ending, a beginning
(KF)
September 2012 Subaward
Agreement
12 September 2012 meeting of
local lead scientists
17 October 2012 first common
meeting of all scientists

Projects

School-based Prevention & Cessation of Tobacco Use

among Adolescents
A Community-Based Prevention Program among
Teenagers from Diverse Communities
Smoking and SHS Exposure among Pregnant Women &
Children
Adopting Systems-Level Changes to Promote Cessation
among Residents in Social Institutions*
Implementation of a Smoking Cessation Program for
CVD Patients and Medical Students
Economic Impacts of Smoking
Air Quality Monitoring for SHS Exposure and Policy
Advocacy**
**4 year
*3
year

Scientists

Zoltan Abram, UMPh Tg. Mures, Consortium PI

Valentin Nadasan, UMPh Tg. Mures, CoI
Eniko Albert-Lorincz, Babes-Bolyai University
Monica Tarcea, UMPh Tg. Mures,
Lorand Schmidt, Children Protection Authority
Pal Kikeli, UMPh Tg. Mures
Arpad Szabo, Sapientia University
Zsuzsanna Szasz, UMPh Tg. Mures

Role of mentors

Conduct new rigorous, transdisciplinary, high

impact tobacco research in Romania by filling
strategic gaps and by building the individual
capacity of tobacco scientists.
Create institutional capacity that will support
scientists and advocates engaged in tobacco
research.
Translate research findings into programs and
policies to reduce tobacco use in Romania.

Expectations

high-quality intervention-oriented tobacco research

innovation: special ages (10- year),
vulnerable populations (ethnicity, residents in
social institutions),
new topic (economics)
accent on secondhand smoking
air quality measurements
accent on prevention, on cessation
better knowledge:
new information
consultations,
trainings, workshops

Expectations

wide perspectives in the collaboration of scientists

and institutions, tobacco-control partnerships
presence at conferences, scientifical meetings
paper publications (ISI), books, informative
leaflets, presence in mass media etc.
new preventive and tobacco cessation programs
(ex. online program, medical students)
contribution to programs (policies) to reduce
smoking and SHS exposure
contribution to a useful collaboration among local
authorities, institutions, NGOs
to develop teaching skills

American, Hungarian and Romanian

researchers together will answer the
questions and will realize the
expectations by sharing of ideas and
results, by a succesful
communication and by new
partnerships.
I wish succes for everybody!

Thank you for your attention!