Cent Eur J Public Health 2002, 10(4)

The Role of Socioeconomic Circumstances in Differences in Height of Pre-school Children within and between the Czech Republic and Southern Brazil

de Lourdes Drachler M., Bobák M., Rodrigues L., de Castro Aertz D.R.G., de Carvalho Leite J.C., Dáňová J., Kříž B.

Cent Eur J Public Health 2002, 10(4):135-141  

Children's height is an important indicator of nutritional status and health of populations. Little is known about the role of individual socioeconomic factors and whether socioeconomic differences within countries can help explaining differences in children's height between countries. This paper examines the effect of socioeconomic factors on children's height in two population with different social environments Two separate cross-sectional studies of children 36-59 months old from Southern Brazil and the Czech Republic collected data on height and socioeconomic and demographic variables. Height was converted into height-for-age Z-scores (HAZ) based...

Tobacco-related Mortality Following the Peto-Lopez Epidemiological Model Used in International Public Health Comparison

Wramner B., Pellmer K.

Cent Eur J Public Health 2002, 10(4):142-105  

In estimating the overall scale of death from tobacco in developed countries, there is a range of uncertainty between the lower limits and the upper limits of what is scientifically plausible. Following a method by Peto, Lopez et al. to base the calculations chiefly on the lower limits, we have compared the tobacco-related mortality for females and males separately in various ages groups between Poland and Sweden over a period of three decades. This method is built on the following steps: ignore deaths under age 35, ignore cirrhosis and non-medical causes, compare lung cancer at ages 35-79 with US nonsmokers and concerning other diseases at ages 35-79...

Cost Effectiveness and Cost Benefit of Viral Hepatitis B Vaccination in the Slovak Republic

Hudečková H., Straka Š., Szilágyiová M., Avdičová M., Rusňáková Š.

Cent Eur J Public Health 2002, 10(4):146-108  

In our work we tried to evaluate the cost effectiveness (CEA) and cost benefit (CBA) of the vaccination strategy of viral hepatitis B (VHB) vaccination in Slovakia. Retrospectively we analysed the incidence of VHB before and after the vaccination against VHB. From the calculated yearly cost (direct and indirect) - treatment costs and vaccination costs - we tried to calculate the estimated financial costs of vaccination strategy in 2000 (89.4 mil. SK), the saved costs (92 mil. SK), cost effectiveness (201 642 SK) and cost benefit (2.70 SK).First a decrease of the incidence (after introduction of measures to prevent nosocomial transmission) had been...

The Effect of Heat Exposure on Cortisol and Catecholamine Excretion Rates in Workers in Glass Manufacturing Unit

Vangelova K., Deyanov C., Velkova D., Ivanova M., Stanchev V.

Cent Eur J Public Health 2002, 10(4):149-152  

The aim of the investigation was to study the effect of long term repeated heat exposure on the excretion rates of stress hormones of workers in glass manufacturing unit. Sixteen operators, exposed to heat, were studied during the hot period and compared to a control group of 16 subjects, working in the same manufacturing unit. Both groups had moderate work load. The microclimate components and the Wet Bulb Globe Temperature were used for defining the heat exposure. The excretion rates of cortisol, adrenaline and noradrenaline were followed during the early morning shifts on three hour intervals using RIA and fluoriphotometric methods. Heart rate was...

Infectious Complications in 135 Turkish Renal Transplant Patients

Oguz Y., Bulucu F., Oktenli C., Doganci L., Vural A.

Cent Eur J Public Health 2002, 10(4):153-106  

Infections are the emerging causes of mortality and morbidity due to lifelong immunosuppressive therapy in renal transplant patients (1, 4). Here, we report infectious complications of 135 renal allograft recipients who were followed up in the last 20 years in Gülhane Military Medical Academy, Ankara, Turkey. Of them, 83 (61.4%) had a transplant from living related donors, 18 (13.3%) from living nonrelated HLA matched donors and 34 (25.1%) from cadaveric matched donors. Immunosuppression was achieved in 42 (31.1%) recipients by azathioprine plus corticosteroid (AZA+CS) and in 93 (68.8%) by AZA+CS+cyclosporin A (CsA). Encountered infections were classified...

Magnesium in Drinking Water and Liver Cancer Morbidity - A Possible Relation?

Tukiendorf A.

Cent Eur J Public Health 2002, 10(4):157-162  

The paper presents results of a research on liver cancer morbidity in Opole province, Poland, in relation to magnesium exposure in drinking water. Based on the extensive empirical materials of cancer registry information and water quality, the well known statistical approach using BUGS software was applied in the study. The results support a hypothesis of a possible association between the deficiency of magnesium in drinking water and the increase of liver cancer morbidity in the population exposed. The outcomes were presented in a table and graphically in histograms, scatterplots and maps.

Gender Related Differences in Self-rating of Health and Functional Status of Elderly People with Ischaemic Heart Disease. Comparative Study in 12-year Period

Tobiasz-Adamczyk B., Brzyski P.

Cent Eur J Public Health 2002, 10(4):163-108  

Purpose of the study: The study aim is to present changes in the self-rating of health and functional status in performing activities of daily living, reported by the elderly persons with ischaemic heart disease (IHD), at the time interval of 12 years. Gender-related differences as well as socio-medical characteristics have been involved in the analysed changes.Design and methods: The study was carried out in 607 elderly respondents who participated in two surveys at the time interval of 12 years. The analysis of the functional ability in performing daily activities in both surveys was based on the ADL and IADL scales, self-rated health was based...

Bodily Characteristics and Lifestyle of Czech Children Aged 7.00 to 10.99 Years, Incidence of Childhood Obesity

Kovářová M., Vignerová J., Bláha P., Ošancová K.

Cent Eur J Public Health 2002, 10(4):169-173  

In 1999 - 2000 in the Czech Republic a survey of the prevalence of obesity was made. The assessment was made by the transversal method in elementary schools in all regions of the Czech Republic. Children aged 7.00 to 10.99 years were investigated. The survey comprised a total of 3362 children (1668 girls and 1694 boys). A total of 12 anthropometric dimensions were recorded and questionnaires addressed to the children and parents were analyzed.From the results ensued that the ratio of obese children of both sexes in the CR (i. e. children with BMI values above the 97th percentile of the reference population) increased. This zone comprises 6.0% boys...

Monitoring of the Dietary Exposure of the Population to Chemical Substances in the Czech Republic: Design and History

Řehůřková I.

Cent Eur J Public Health 2002, 10(4):174-179  

The basic objective of the programme of monitoring the dietary exposure in the Czech Republic is to describe the character of the health risk based on the exposure of the Czech population to chemical substances in food. The conception of the monitoring programme is based on the methods of the Total Diet Study, established on the principle of defining the consumption of the most important foodstuffs, their purchase in the network of stores in selected shops on fixed dates, their transport to the central laboratory, cooking and consequent chemical analyses in the central laboratories. In the Czech Republic monitoring has been conducted since 1991/1992...

WHO launches the first global strategy on traditional and alternative medicine.

Cent Eur J Public Health 2002, 10(4):145, 156

WHO to hold urgent expert consultation on acrylamide in food after findings of Swedish National Food Administration.

Cent Eur J Public Health 2002, 10(4):162, 173