Cent Eur J Public Health 2016, 24(4)
Awareness of HIV Transmission Risks and Determinants of Sexual Behaviour: Descriptive and Multivariate Analyses among German Nursing Students
Carolin Jacob, Katharina von Lindeman, Jörg Klewer, Joachim Kugler
Cent Eur J Public Health 2016, 24(4):255-261 | DOI: 10.21101/cejph.a4410 
Background and Aim: Nursing students play a crucial role in sexual health education. Evidence suggests, however, that nursing students had several gaps in their knowledge of HIV transmission. This study investigates how nursing students in Germany assess the potential risks of spreading HIV in defined situations and which factors influence the self-expressed sexual behaviour patterns of these students. Methods: A standardized anonymous questionnaire was administered to a sample (N=617) of nursing students in 2008 and 2013. The survey was conducted during lessons, resulting in a response rate of 100%. Results: For 17.4% of the students,...
Overweight and Obesity in Italian Adolescents: Examined Prevalence and Socio-demographic Factors
Myriam Galfo, Laura D'Addezio, Laura Censi, Romana Roccaldo, Deborah Martone
Cent Eur J Public Health 2016, 24(4):262-267 | DOI: 10.21101/cejph.a4367
Aim: This study aimed to evaluate the prevalence of overweight and obesity derived from measured data of weight and height in a cross-sectional sample of adolescents in the Italian region of Lazio and to analyse their association with different socio-demographic factors. Methods: The study was conducted in a representative sample of 15-16-year-old adolescents recruited in secondary schools between December 2011 and May 2012. 369 adolescents were investigated. Body weight, height and waist circumference were measured. The BMI of each subject was calculated, and the prevalence of overweight and obesity was determined by age and sex using...
Relative Importance of Traditional Risk Factors for Malignant Melanoma in the Czech Population
Lucie Rajská, Dana Göpfertová, Jana Hercogová, Anna Jiráková, Zuzana Sečníková, Filip Rob, Zdeněk Šmerhovský
Cent Eur J Public Health 2016, 24(4):268-271 | DOI: 10.21101/cejph.a4569
Aim: The Czech Republic is one of the leading European countries in incident cases of malignant melanoma (MM), which is on the rise. The study objective was to assess the strength of associations between MM and the known generally accepted risk factors for MM in the population of the Czech Republic. Methods: The study was designed as a case-control study where cases were incident cases of MM detected at the Department of Dermatology and Venereology of the Bulovka Hospital. Controls were selected from cancer-free patients admitted to departments other than Dermatology and Venereology. Validated questionnaires were used to collect demographic,...
Nurses' Attitudes toward Intervening with Smokers: Their Knowledge, Opinion and E-Learning Impact
Eva Králíková, Vladislava Felbrová, Stanislava Kulovaná, Kateřina Malá, Iveta Nohavová, Eva Roubíčková, Alexandra Pánková, Stella A. Bialous, Marjorie J. Wells, Jenny Brook, Linda Sarna
Cent Eur J Public Health 2016, 24(4):272-275 | DOI: 10.21101/cejph.a4652
Background: Numbering about 90,000, nurses represent the largest group of health care providers in the Czech Republic. Therefore, nurses can make a significant impact in the treatment of tobacco dependence, particularly in applying brief interventions to smokers. Methods: During 2014, 279 nurses from the Czech Republic participated in an e-learning education programme consisting of two Webcasts with additional web-based resources about smoking cessation in relation to health and treatment options in daily clinical practice, particularly regarding brief intervention methods. Before viewing the e-learning programme, and three months after...
Active Smoking and Associated Behavioural Risk Factors before and during Pregnancy - Prevalence and Attitudes among Newborns' Mothers in Mures County, Romania
Florina Ruta, Calin Avram, Septimiu Voidăzan, Claudiu Mărginean, Vladimir Bacârea, Zoltán Ábrám, Kristie Foley, Andrea Fogarasi-Grenczer, Melinda Pénzes, Monica Tarcea
Cent Eur J Public Health 2016, 24(4):276-280 | DOI: 10.21101/cejph.a4559
Background and Aim: Smoking before, during and after pregnancy leads to detrimental outcomes on maternal and foetal health and represents an important public health issue. This study aims to evaluate the prevalence and correlates of smoking before and during pregnancy in a sample of Romanian women. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted among mothers (N=1,278) in three maternity hospitals in Tirgu-Mures, Romania, immediately after childbirth, in 2014. We evaluated the prevalence of smoking before and during pregnancy and used binary logistic regression to assess the influence of socio-demographics and other health behaviour factors...
Substance Use among European Students: East - West Comparison between 1995 and 2011
Alojz Nociar, Janusz Sierosławski, Ladislav Csémy
Cent Eur J Public Health 2016, 24(4):281-288 | DOI: 10.21101/cejph.a4309
Aim: The aim of the study was to investigate long-term trends differences in student substance misuse between countries of former Eastern Bloc (FEB) and Western Europe (WEST). Overall data on student substance misuse gathered in five waves of the European School Survey Project on Alcohol and other Drugs (ESPAD) conducted between 1995 and 2011 were pooled and analysed. Findings were compared between FEB and WEST countries at the five time-points of data collection. Methods: Over 396,000 of 16 years old students from thirteen FEB and thirteen WEST countries completed anonymous ESPAD questionnaires. The following data were compared by Wilcoxon...
Family Carers' Perspectives on Integrated Community Care in the Czech Republic
Eva Křížová, Hana Janečková, Jaromír Běláček
Cent Eur J Public Health 2016, 24(4):289-296 | DOI: 10.21101/cejph.a4463
Aim: The problem of family care for people dependent on another person has only recently become a focus of research. As demand for health and social services has not been adequately met by public service providers, growing attention has been given to informal care and the integration of families within systems of health and social care at the community level. This paper presents the results of a survey on informal carers' views and opinions under the current conditions of social support in the Czech Republic. The survey was based on theoretical concepts of caring societies, deinstitutionalization, refamilization, and integrated community care,...
Urine Levels of Phthalate Metabolites and Bisphenol A in Relation to Main Metabolic Syndrome Components: Dyslipidemia, Hypertension and Type 2 Diabetes. A pilot study
Roman Piecha, Štěpán Svačina, Marek Malý, Karel Vrbík, Zdenka Lacinová, Martin Haluzík, Jana Pavloušková, Adam Vavrouš, Dagmar Matějková, Dana Müllerová, Miloš Mráz, Martin Matoulek
Cent Eur J Public Health 2016, 24(4):297-301 | DOI: 10.21101/cejph.a4704
Aim: Human exposure to organic pollutants (some of them also called endocrine disruptors) can be associated with adverse metabolic health outcomes including type 2 diabetes. The aim of this study was to compare the urine levels of bisphenol A and phthalate metabolites in subgroups of patients with metabolic syndrome composed of patients with and without three important components of metabolic syndrome (hypertension, dyslipidemia and diabetes). Methods: We have investigated 24 hours urine samples of 168 patients with metabolic syndrome from the Metabolic Outpatient Department of General University Hospital in Prague. Using standard metabolic...
The Relations between Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons Exposure and 1-OHP Levels as a Biomarker of the Exposure
Zuzana Klöslová, Marek Drímal, Karol Balog, Kvetoslava Koppová, Jarmila Dubajová
Cent Eur J Public Health 2016, 24(4):302-307 | DOI: 10.21101/cejph.a4179
Background and Aim: Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are the products of incomplete combustion or pyrolysis of various organic materials. Their ubiquity in the environment leads to measurable levels of exposure. However, the exposure varies strongly between different regions in Europe. Some PAHs with four or more rings are suspected to be human carcinogens. Therefore, the occupational and/or environmental exposure to PAHs may cause a significant health risk. The aim of the study was to evaluate current levels of PAH exposure in defined groups of workers.Methods: The industrial sites selected in this survey involved PAHs originating...
Nanomaterials - a New and Former Public Health Issue. The Case of Slovakia
Stanislav Kuka, Marta Hurbánková, Martina Drličková, Tibor Baška, Henrieta Hudečková, Zuzana Tatarková
Cent Eur J Public Health 2016, 24(4):308-313 | DOI: 10.21101/cejph.a4872
Nanoparticles exist for a long time as both inorganic and organic parts of nature. Recently, massive expansion of nanotechnologies is evidenced, together with intentional production of new nanoparticles which have not been in contact with living organisms until now. Besides obvious positive aspects, potential threats related to their exposure should be taken into consideration. Unique physical-chemical properties of nanoparticles cause a high bioactivity following their intake (through air, ingestion and skin) and unrestricted spread in exposed organs. Primary effects of nanoparticles on cellular level represent oxidative stress and reactions leading...
Cytomegalovirus Immunoglobulin G Avidity Index among Blood Donors in Alexandria, Egypt
Aleya Abdel Gawad, Mona Hashish, Amani Abaza, Aisha El-Kayal
Cent Eur J Public Health 2016, 24(4):314-320 | DOI: 10.21101/cejph.a4157
Background and Aim: Transfusion transmitted diseases (TTD) are a major challenge to transfusion services all over the world. Cytomegalovirus (CMV) is considered one of the main viruses associated with blood transfusion. As CMV screening is not included in routine screening tests done for donated blood in blood banks in Egypt, the detection of CMV Immunoglobulin G (IgG) avidity needs to be tested for being a useful tool to diagnose recent infection among blood donors. The aim of this work was to study CMV IgG avidity index (AI) among blood donors. Methods: A total of 88 blood samples were collected from the non-remunerated volunteer blood...
Prevalence of HPV Infection in Croatian Men during a 12-year Period: a Comparative Study of External Genital and Urethral Swabs
Zora Profozić, Tomislav Meštrović, Ivan Savić, Velimir Profozić
Cent Eur J Public Health 2016, 24(4):321-325 | DOI: 10.21101/cejph.a4378
Aim: The aim of the study was to compare the prevalence and distribution of both low-risk and high-risk HPV infection of the urethra and outer genital region in Croatian men. Thus far there is a consensus that sampling the coronal sulcus and glans of the penis is essential for adequately assessing HPV status in men but less agreement is noted for urethral sampling. Methods: External genital brushing and urethral swabs were taken from 1,342 men during a 12-year period and tested with the hc2 HPV DNA Test using Hybrid Capture 2 technology. Results: The overall prevalence of male HPV infection in this study was 36.66%. Infection with...
Study of the Microbiological Quality of Bulgarian Bottled Water in Terms of Its Contamination with Pseudomonas Aeruginosa
Vesela Georgieva, Yulia Dimitrova
Cent Eur J Public Health 2016, 24(4):326-330 | DOI: 10.21101/cejph.a4219
Background: Due to the widespread use of bottled water, it is important from a hygienic point of view to ensure that these products have good quality and meet the requirements set out in regulations. Methods and Results: In the period 2000-2013, a large-scale study (2,500 samples) was carried out on the quality of Bulgarian bottled water as per the microbiological parameters laid down in the European and Bulgarian legislation. Standard microbiological methods were applied. Results: There is strong evidence that the most frequently isolated contaminant in these products was Pseudomonas aeruginosa. This agent was found in...
Genotyping of Varicella Zoster Virus Clinical Isolates from the Czech Republic
Vanda Boštíková, Radek Sleha, Pavel Boštík
Cent Eur J Public Health 2016, 24(4):331-332 | DOI: 10.21101/cejph.a4307
Should Enteroviruses Be Monitored in Natural Recreational Waters?
Soňa Šarmírová, Viera Nagyová, Darina Štípalová, Iveta Drastichová, Danka Šimonyiová, Zuzana Sirotná, Renáta Kissová, Katarína Pastuchová, Jana Tirpáková, Daniel Kuba, Cyril Klement, Shubhada Bopegamage
Cent Eur J Public Health 2016, 24(4):333-336 | DOI: 10.21101/cejph.a4368
Enteroviruses (EVs) infections occur worldwide. Although, infections by these viruses are often asymptomatic and go unnoticed, they can be shed in stool for several weeks. The EVs are associated with sporadic outbreaks and a wide range of clinical symptoms, occasionally accompanied with fatal consequences. Presently in the Slovak Republic (SR) recreational waters are tested only for bacterial indicators. Our aim was to monitor EVs in recreational waters. Water samples were collected during the years 2012-2014 from different recreational natural lakes in Central and West regions of SR. The samples were concentrated by centrifugation using the two-phase...