Introduction:
The current study aimed to investigate the smoking prevalence in Greece using two nationally representative sets of data conducted before and after the implementation of tobacco prevention programs through school-based interventions in Greece since 2009

Material and Methods:
4 cross-sectional surveys were used to summarize the prevalence of smoking in Greece using the “Kaparesearch” Surveys and Statistics Company surveys of 2012 (S12) and 2017 (S17) and two surveys from the Hellenic Statistical Authority (HSA) conducted in 2009 (S09) and 2014 (S14). For surveys S12 and S17, 1,066 individuals in 2012 and 2,054 in 2017 >17 years of age, were interviewed by telephone using an electronic questionnaire. Surveys S09 and S14 included a sample of 6,172 and 8,223 individuals, respectively, via in-person interviews. Annual data on legally taxed cigarettes in Greece from 2007 to 2016 were also obtained from the Hellenic Ministry of Economy and Development.

Results:
Smoking prevalence in Greece was 37.9% in S09, 36.7% in S12, 32.5% in S14 and 27.1% in S17. A total of 28.5% reduction of smoking was observed from 2009 to 2017, while those aged 16-24 years exhibited a 33% reduction from 2009 to 2014. The total number of legally taxed cigarettes in Greece showed a parallel trend, with 35.1 billion in 2007 and 17.9 billion in 2016 showing an overall 49% total reduction

Conclusions:
Smoking prevalence in Greece has been steadily declining from 2009 to 2017 and supported by a parallel trend in billions of cigarettes taxed over time. This reduction was especially apparent among youth, which indicates the possible role of implemented school-based intervention programs.

Funding:
This work is supported by a George D. Behrakis Foundation Grant.