Cent Eur J Public Health 2010, 18(1)
Assessment of Environmental and Socio-economic Stress
Dieter Helm, Detlef Laußmann, Dieter Eis
Cent Eur J Public Health 2010, 18(1):3-7 | DOI: 10.21101/cejph.a3554 
Since long, socio-economic status, often expressed as an index, is known to correlate with health outcomes like behavioural problems. We constructed a new index that encapsulated not only economic and social but also environmental stressors (ESES), using data of the German Health Interview and Examination Survey for Children and Adolescents, a nation-wide representative surveillance of 17,641 participants aged between 0-17 years. Different factors were selected to account for socio-economic stress (low parental education, low household income, low occupational status of the householder), domestic stress (living in large cities, exposure to tobacco...
Association of Very High Hungarian Rate of Preterm Births with Cervical Incompetence in Pregnant Women
Ferenc Bánhidy, Nándor Ács, Erzsébet H. Puhó, Andrew E. Czeizel
Cent Eur J Public Health 2010, 18(1):8-15 | DOI: 10.21101/cejph.b0012
Background: Maternal cervical incompetence in pregnancy (CIP) showed an association with a higher rate of preterm births. The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence of CIP in Hungarian pregnant women, to determine the rate of preterm birth, and to check the preventive efficacy of preterm births due to CIP by therapeutic cerclage or bed rest alone. Methods: Analysis of the population-based large data set of 38,151 newborns (without any defects) of the Hungarian Case-Control Surveillance System of Congenital Abnormalities (HCCSCA), born during 1980-1996, i.e. 1.8% of Hungarian newborns. Prospective cohort analysis based...
Nutrition and Metabolism: Underlying Mechanisms and Clinical Consequences
Dana Müllerová
Cent Eur J Public Health 2010, 18(1):15,42
Short Life Expectancy and Metabolic Syndrome in Romanies (Gypsies) in Slovakia
Vlado Simko, Emil Ginter
Cent Eur J Public Health 2010, 18(1):16-18 | DOI: 10.21101/cejph.b0011
The aim of this review is to explain short life expectancy in Romanies. Romanies represent the second largest minority in Slovakia (about 7%). Most of them exist on the fringes of the majority society. Their general situation worsened after the fall of communism in 1989. In a market oriented society the unemployment of Romanies further increased due to their poor education and lack of skills. Romany general health is substantially worse than that of the majority population: They have high prevalence of communicable diseases due to poor sanitary and living conditions. Furthermore, epidemiological and metabolic studies revealed in Romanies high prevalence...
Similarities and Differences between Smoking and Non-smoking Ten-year-old Children in Primary Schools
Drahoslava Hrubá, Iva Žaloudíková, Halina Matějová
Cent Eur J Public Health 2010, 18(1):19-24 | DOI: 10.21101/cejph.a3558
Background: For the majority of smokers, smoking is related to other forms of risk behaviour, especially poorer eating habits. The primary preventive educational programme "No smoking is a norm" focuses on children of younger school age (under 10 yrs), enables comparison and statistical evaluation of whether there are any differences (and which) between ten-year-olds with various smoking experiences, with special attention paid to their exposure to the influence of smokers, and their eating habits. Methods: Analysis of data gained from a questionnaire compared groups of boys and girls, smokers and non-smokers, and children from families...
Social Will for Tobacco Control among the Hungarian Public Health Workforce
Kristie L. Foley, Péter Balázs
Cent Eur J Public Health 2010, 18(1):25-30 | DOI: 10.21101/cejph.a3559
Background: More than 1 in 5 deaths in Hungary can be attributed to tobacco smoking. The role of the public health agency in responding to and ameliorating the tobacco epidemic in Hungary has been, until now, unexplored. This paper explores the social will of the public health agency workers to adopt tobacco control measures. Methods: 269 Hungarian public health workers throughout Hungary completed an electronic survey on the types of programs offered by the public health agency, the perceived level of responsibility to reduce tobacco use, and the social will of the agencies to curb tobacco use. Multivariate analyses were performed to...
Evaluation of Breastfeeding in a Baby-friendly City, Çorum, Turkey
P. Elif Erkul, S. Songül Yalçın, Sevda Kılıç
Cent Eur J Public Health 2010, 18(1):31-37 | DOI: 10.21101/cejph.a3552
Çorum is one of the Baby-Friendly Cities in Turkey since 2004. For optimum initiation and continuing of breastfeeding, not only educating the mothers about breast milk and breastfeeding is enough but also social support systems including family support is very important. The aim of this study was to evaluate the breast feeding status and the effect of lactation counseling support (LCS) on breastfeeding and social support in a Baby-Friendly City. In a cross-sectional study, a questionnaire was administered to 800 mothers of infants between 2-24 months admitted to government and private hospitals and government health facilities in urban part, towns...
Effect of Working Posture on Occurence of Musculoskeletal Disorders among the Sand Core Making Workers of West Bengal
Somnath Gangopadhyay, Tirthankar Ghosh, Tamal Das, Goutam Ghoshal, Banibrata Das
Cent Eur J Public Health 2010, 18(1):38-42 | DOI: 10.21101/cejph.a3503
The sand core making process is performed manually in West Bengal involving a large number of workers of lowest economic strata. The core making workers most often work for a prolonged period of time and they are forced to handle various amounts of heavy load during the entire period of work. In this study an attempt was made to identify the work related musculoskeletal disorders among the sand core-making workers. Fifty male workers engaged in carbon dioxide and chemical core making work at an unorganized sector at Baruipur, Calcutta were randomly selected for this study. A detailed modified Nordic questionnaire study on discomfort feeling was performed...
Determinants of Regional Differences in Sick Leave Duration for Homogeneous Groups in the Netherlands: Their Implications for Social Security Policy-Making
Willibrord Beemsterboer, Roy Stewart, Johan Groothoff, Frans Nijhuis
Cent Eur J Public Health 2010, 18(1):43-53 | DOI: 10.21101/cejph.a3557
Objectives: Regional differences in sick leave duration determinants were studied between in age and profession homogeneous groups in different regions in the Netherlands, i.e. Utrecht and Southern Limburg, in order to find any effects of socio-cultural factors. Material and methods: 137 participants in Utrecht and Southern Limburg were interviewed. Data of sick leave duration were obtained from the social fund. Results: A statistical comparison of sick leave duration figures showed that, in Southern Limburg, determinants of 'health status' (questions about perceived health and burnout due to work) and 'individual characteristics...
News and Notes
Surveillance and Future of Epidemiology
Karel Markvart
Cent Eur J Public Health 2010, 18(1):54-60 | DOI: 10.21101/cejph.b0010
Symposium Held in Prague, November 11, 2009, as a Tribute to Professor Karel Raška, the Outstanding Epidemiologist.
Karel Raška and Smallpox
Vladimír Zikmund
Cent Eur J Public Health 2010, 18(1):55-56
Karel Raška - The Development of Modern Epidemiology. The Role of the IEA
Walter W. Holland
Cent Eur J Public Health 2010, 18(1):57-60