Social acceptability of smoking and unintended consequences of tobacco control in the Czech Republic

The diploma thesis "Social acceptability of smoking and unintended consequences of tobacco control in the Czech Republic" offers an understanding of the question whether the smokers in the Czech Republic are stigmatized in connection with denormalization strategies, whether and how public policies contribute to them and what their unintended negative consequences on the health of citizens in various forms. Research from a semi-structured in- depth interview with smokers revealed that they perceive that smoking is neither normal nor modern. While there was no stigmatization among respondents, as demonstrated abroad, some elements suggesting stigmatization were present. Some smokers feel that they are negatively perceived by the neighborhood, as manifested by their relatives, as well as negative verbal and nonverbal expressions from the wider environment. The negative consequences of stigmatization in respondents to this research, unlike foreign experiences, did not show up in the social and health spheres and did not imply a significant change in cigarette consumption of a given smoker. The influence of public policies on stigmatization of smokers has also not significantly materialized in this research