Cent Eur J Public Health 2012, 20(2)

Public Health Ethical Perspectives on the Values of the European Commission's White Paper "Together for Health"

Peter Schröder-Bäck, Timo Clemens, Kai Michelsen, Tobias Schulte in den Bäumen, Kristine Sørensen, Glenn Borrett, Helmut Brand

Cent Eur J Public Health 2012, 20(2):95-100 | DOI: 10.21101/cejph.a3729  

Background: In 2007 the European Commission issued the White Paper: "Together for Health". Considered the EU Health Strategy for the years 2008-2013, it offers the cornerstones for setting priorities in EU health actions. Objectives: The public health framework offered in this strategy is explicitly built on shared values - including the overarching values of universality, access to good quality care, equity and solidarity that reacted to certain health care challenges within the EU. This article analyses the Health Strategy via its ethical scope and considers implications for future health policy making. Methods: The Health Strategy...

Dramatic decline of ischaemic heart disease mortality in post communist central Europe: recovery from totality.

Emil Ginter, Vlado Simko

Cent Eur J Public Health 2012, 20(2):101-103 | DOI: 10.21101/cejph.a3658  

After 1970 the preexisting gap in population health between democratic Europe and communist countries became even more prominent. While in the democratic Europe there was a progressive rise in life expectancy associated with the decline in ischaemic heart disease (IHD), the trend on the other side of the iron curtain was exactly reverse. After the fall of communism in 1989 population health in the post-communist central Europe (CE) rapidly signalled a favourable recovery. This biphasic trend in post-communist countries is very remarkable. Most remarkably the decline in IHD mortality started soon after the demise of totality, even before the modernization...

Validation of a Greek Version of PSS-14: a Global Measure of Perceived Stress

Alexia Katsarou, Demosthenes Panagiotakos, Aggeliki Zafeiropoulou, Marios Vryonis, Ioannis Skoularigis, Filippos Tryposkiadis, Charalabos Papageorgiou

Cent Eur J Public Health 2012, 20(2):104-109 | DOI: 10.21101/cejph.a3698  

Aim: To evaluate validity of the Greek version of a global measure of perceived stress PSS-14 (Perceived Stress Scale - 14 item). Materials and Methods: The original PSS.14 (theoretical range 0.56) was translated into Greek and then back-translated. One hundred men and women (39±10 years old, 40 men) participated in the validation process. Firstly, participants completed the Greek PSS-14 and, then they were interviewed by a psychologist specializing in stress management. Cronbach's alpha (α) evaluated internal consistency of the measurement, whereas Kendall's tau-b and Bland & Altman methods assessed consistency with...

Volunteering and Mutual Aid in Health and Social Care in the Czech Republic as an Example of Active Citizenship

Eva Křížová

Cent Eur J Public Health 2012, 20(2):110-115 | DOI: 10.21101/cejph.a3707  

This article informs about recent research findings on voluntary and mutual aid in the Czech Republic with a special attention paid to formal volunteering in health and social care. The data suggest that public involvement is comparable to middle-frequency experienced in European countries. In this respect, volunteering is higher in the Czech Republic than in other former Eastern European countries and is an evidence of a successful and rapid restoration of the civic sector. New patterns of volunteering featured by planning, coordination, and contracting have spread out being strongly supported by national and EU policy measures. Managerial patterns...

Pattern of Road Traffic Injuries in Lublin County, Poland

Mariusz Goniewicz, Adam Nogalski, Meleckidzedeck Khayesi, Tomasz Lübek, Beata Zuchora, Krzysztof Goniewicz, Paulina Miśkiewicz

Cent Eur J Public Health 2012, 20(2):116-120 | DOI: 10.21101/cejph.a3686  

Background: Road traffic injury patients admitted to 35 hospitals in Lublin region. Objective: To describe the pattern of road traffic injuries in Lublin county, Poland. Methods: Review of medical records for the period from January 2004 to December 2005. Results: Pedestrians accounted for the largest share of the Road traffic crash (RTC) injury cases (35.8%) and 46.4% of deaths. The highest mortality was observed in motorcycle occupants (7.1%) and victims with abdominal injuries (9.8%). Vulnerable road users represented 71.4% of all RTC deaths, with mortality 5.8%. Early transfers accounted for 82.5% of cases. Mortality...

Opportunity for Healthy Ageing: Lessening the Burden of Adult Pneumococcal Disease in Central and Eastern Europe, and Israel

Endre Ludwig, Serhat Ünal, Miron Bogdan, Roman Chlíbek, Yavor Ivanov, Roman Kozlov, Mark van der Linden, Hartmut Lode, Zsófia Mészner, Roman Prymula, Galia Rahav, Anna Skoczyńska, Ivan Solovič, Esra Uzaslan

Cent Eur J Public Health 2012, 20(2):121-125 | DOI: 10.21101/cejph.a3744  

The population of the Region (Central Europe, Eastern Europe, and Israel) is ageing, necessitating preventative programmes to maintain a healthy and active lifestyle in older age groups. Invasive pneumococcal disease (including bacteremic pneumonia, bacteremia without a focus, and meningitis) has higher incidence, morbidity and mortality in older adults and is a substantial public health burden in the ageing population. Surveillance in the Region establishes a significant burden in older adults of invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD), which still appears to be under-estimated as compared with other countries, and this warrants an improvement in surveillance...

Dietary Patterns and Their Changes in Early Childhood

Eva Kudlová, Dagmar Schneidrová

Cent Eur J Public Health 2012, 20(2):126-134 | DOI: 10.21101/cejph.a3703  

Background: Early childhood is a critical period for shaping and influencing feeding behaviours which have implications for future health. Understanding the food consumption patterns and their shifts over time can provide guidance to health care providers and nutrition specialists who provide nutrition counselling and develop nutrition messages. Objectives: To examine feeding patterns of 1-5 year old children and their changes with age. Methods: A cross-sectional questionnaire study designed to obtain information on basic demographic indicators and feeding habits was conducted in Prague and all 13 regions of the Czech Republic....

Excess Winter Mortality of Roma Population in Serbia, 1992-2007

Liljana M. Blagojević, Dragan C. Bogdanović, Sladjana J. Jović, Zoran G. Milošević, Zana Ć. Dolićanin

Cent Eur J Public Health 2012, 20(2):135-138 | DOI: 10.21101/cejph.a3711  

Objectives: Seasonal fluctuations in mortality are associated with age, outdoor temperature, influenza, health care provision, lifestyle risk factors and economic factors. In the Republic of Serbia almost one half of the Roma population lives in poverty and their housing conditions are very poor. The aim of this paper is to describe and compare excess winter mortality (EWM) in Roma and non-Roma population in Serbia from 1992 to 2007. Methods: Using the national mortality database, this study compares EWM index and rates in Roma and general populations in Serbia. Mean winter temperature and ethnicity are analysed against the results for...

Human Biomonitoring Study - Toxic Elements in Blood of Women

Mája Čejchanová, Kateřina Wranová, Věra Spěváčková, Andrea Krsková, Jiří Šmíd, Milena Černá

Cent Eur J Public Health 2012, 20(2):139-143 | DOI: 10.21101/cejph.a3756  

The article describes bio-monitoring study concerning recent and long-term exposure of Czech women to toxic metals. Blood cadmium, mercury and lead levels were measured in groups of women with various life styles, etc., to have comparable results in the course of a long study period; a strong emphasis was laid on the quality control of the whole process during the study. Higher cadmium level was found in smokers compared to non-smokers, lower mercury level was found in the group of women who never eat fish. A slight increase of blood lead level with age was observed. No significant differences were found between localities in a given period. Our results...

A Five Year Retrospective Surveillance; Monitoring and Evaluation for the Regional Tuberculosis Control Programme in Mersin, Turkey 2004-2008

A. Öner Kurt, Tayyar Şaşmaz, Resul Buğdaycı, Seva Öner, Gülçin Yapıcı, Özdemir Özdemir

Cent Eur J Public Health 2012, 20(2):144-149 | DOI: 10.21101/cejph.a3713  

Aim: The aim of this study is to identify and evaluate problems in regional tuberculosis control studies, using an international tuberculosis indicator. Methods: In this retrospective cohort study, the records of a total of 1,776 patients diagnosed with tuberculosis, followed up and treated from 2004-2008 in Mersin were evaluated. Indicators recommended by the World Health Organization were used as assessment criteria. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize data. The Mantel-Haenszel test was used for calculation of the risk between urban/rural, and between male/female which were in different age groups. Results: During the...

Efficacy of Peginterferon alfa-2a and Ribavirin Combination Therapy in Treatment-naive Estonian Patients with Chronic Hepatitis C

Vadim Brjalin, Riina Salupere, Tatjana Tallo, Tatiana Kuznetsova, Ljudmilla Priimägi, Valentina Tefanova

Cent Eur J Public Health 2012, 20(2):150-155 | DOI: 10.21101/cejph.a3706  

Aim: The aim of the study was to assess the efficacy of pegylated interferon (Peg-IFN) α-2a and ribavirin (RBV) combination therapy in treatment-naive patients with chronic hepatitis C in Estonia. Methods: Out of 121 outpatients with chronic hepatitis C (73 males, 48 females, aged 19.63) enrolled in the study, 76 were infected with HCV genotype 1b and 45 with genotype 3a. At baseline, the viral load in 75.2% of patients was higher than 600,000 IU/mL. Histologically, 88.4% of patients had fibrosis score F0.2. Patients received 180 µg of Peg-IFN α-2a weekly plus daily ribavirin 1,000 or 1,200 mg, depending on body weight,...

Early Detection of Influenza-Like Illness Through Medication Sales

Maja Sočan, Vanja Erčulj, Jaro Lajovic

Cent Eur J Public Health 2012, 20(2):156-162 | DOI: 10.21101/cejph.a3735  

Monitoring sales of medications is a potential candidate for an early signal of a seasonal influenza epidemic. To test this theory, the data from a traditional, consultation-oriented influenza surveillance system were compared to medication sales and a predictive model was developed. Weekly influenza-like incidence rates from the National Influenza Sentinel Surveillance System were compared to sales of seven groups of medications (nasal decongestants, medicines for sore throat (MST), antitussives, mucolytics, analgo-antipyretics, non-steroidal anti-inflamatory drugs (NSAIDs), betalactam antibiotics, and macrolide antibiotics) to determine the correlation...

IARC: diesel engine exhaust carcinogenic.

Cent Eur J Public Health 2012, 20(2):120, 138  

New WHO statistics highlight increases in blood pressure and diabetes, other noncommunicable risk factors.

Cent Eur J Public Health 2012, 20(2):134, 149  

WHO highlights importance of good hand hygiene for patient safety.

Cent Eur J Public Health 2012, 20(2):155  

Human development central to changing cancer burden.

Cent Eur J Public Health 2012, 20(2):162  

65th World Health Assembly closes with new global health measures.

Cent Eur J Public Health 2012, 20(2):163-164