Use of addictive substances and gambling among Slovak immigrants in the Czech Republic

The article is focused on addictive substance abuse and gambling, and its relationship to the subjective perception of health and basic socio-demographic variables among Slovak immigrants living in the Czech Republic. The Slovak minority is the second largest ethnic minority in the Czech Republic, but surveys concerning this area are lacking. Foreign surveys in the field of addictive substance abuse point to the differences between immigrant populations and the populations in their home countries. The research was carried out using a self-questionnaire in the immigrants’ native language. 184 Slovak immigrants completed the questionnaire, and they were living in seven selected regions of the Czech Republic for different periods of time. The data were statistically analyzed by the SPSS programme. In all areas surveyed, the results pointed to some differences between immigrants and the Slovak population. There were more smokers among immigrants, and daily smokers outnumbered occasional ones. No link between smoking and employment was proved. Also no link between gender and alcohol consumption was proved. In terms of the subjective state of health assessment, occasional smokers felt themselves to be the most comfortable. No statistically significant relationship between the subjective perception of health and passive smoking, alcohol consumption or playing slot machines was proved.