Cent Eur J Public Health 2017, 25(3)
Public Health Crisis: The Need for Primary Prevention in Failed and Fragile States
John Quinn, Preslava Stoeva, Tomáš Zelený, Toozy Nanda, Alžběta Tomanová, Vladimír Bencko
Cent Eur J Public Health 2017, 25(3):171-176 | DOI: 10.21101/cejph.a4671 
Objective: A new 'normal' in global affairs may be erupting from large global powers to that of non-state actors and proxies committing violence through scaled conflict in a post-Westphalian world generating significant global health policy challenges. Health security of populations are multifactorial and indirectly proportional to war, conflict and disaster. Preventing conflict and avoiding the health vacuum that occurs in war and violence may be best practices for policy makers. This paper considers an approach of applying clinical primary prevention principles to global health policy. Methods: Brief policy review of current standards...
The Czech Republic and Slovakia in Terms of Mortality from Malignant Neoplasms: Similar or Opposite Tendencies?
Klára Hulíková Tesárková
Cent Eur J Public Health 2017, 25(3):177-184 | DOI: 10.21101/cejph.a4360
In Europe, a steady mortality decline has been observed from the 1950s, however, Central and Eastern Europe underwent a period of stagnation or even worsening from the 1960s to 1980s. Since that time an evident mortality decline could be observed in that part of Europe too. Within the post-communist countries, mortality development has been most favourable in Slovenia, the Czech Republic and Slovakia. The aim of this study is to describe the latest development of cancer mortality in two selected countries - the Czech Republic and Slovakia. These two countries have much in common, including many similar long term trends in demographic or social indicators'...
Vitamin D Deficiency in Acute Coronary Syndrome - Clinically Relevant or Incidental Finding?
Marijana Knežević Praveček, Željka Vuković-Arar, Blaženka Miškić, Irzal Hadžibegović
Cent Eur J Public Health 2017, 25(3):185-190 | DOI: 10.21101/cejph.a4577
Objective: Vitamin D deficiency has been associated with cardiovascular disease. The aim of this study was to determine serum concentration of 25 hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) in patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS) and to assess the prognostic role of serum vitamin D level in ACS patients during 3-year follow up. Methods: The study included 60 ACS patients hospitalized at cardiology department for ACS between March 2012 and October 2012, and 60 age- and sex-matched control patients without ACS. Standard laboratory testing and vitamin D determination were performed in all study patients. In addition, ACS patients underwent coronarography...
Alcohol Consumption in Population Aged 25-65 Years Living in the Metropolis of South Moravia, Czech Republic
Jindřich Fiala, Ondřej Sochor, Helena Klimusová, Martin Homolka
Cent Eur J Public Health 2017, 25(3):191-199 | DOI: 10.21101/cejph.a4481
Objective: The aim of the study was to evaluate alcohol consumption in a representative sample of the population of the city of Brno, as part of research on cardiovascular risk factors. Methods: Cross-sectional survey on a sample of 2,160 randomly selected residents 35-65 years old was carried out. For the invited volunteers who became a part of the investigation, alcohol consumption was determined in a controlled, face to face interview structured in accordance with a special questionnaire form. The frequency of alcohol consumption during the previous year was determined, in more detail during the last month (including quantification...
Exposure to Psychoactive Compounds Amongst Students of Medical University
Krystyna Kowalczuk, Elżbieta Krajewska-Kułak
Cent Eur J Public Health 2017, 25(3):200-205 | DOI: 10.21101/cejph.a4626
Objective: The aim of this study was to assess the frequency of exposure to psychoactive compounds amongst students of the Medical University of Bialystok. Method: This cross-sectional study included 504 students selected by means of stratified sampling based on the university faculty, study discipline and year, and participant's gender. Results: Nearly three fourths of our respondents have contact with their student colleagues who use psychoactive compounds, or have heard that such individuals exist. Approximately one fourth of the students declared that they considered using psychoactive compounds at least once. Marijuana and...
Brand Awareness and Access to Cigarettes Among Children 8-12 Years Old in the Czech Republic
Jarmila Kučerová, Jiří Rameš, Keely Fraser, Eva Králíková
Cent Eur J Public Health 2017, 25(3):206-210 | DOI: 10.21101/cejph.a4634
Objective: The aim of the study is to assess smoking behaviour, knowledge of cigarette brands and access to cigarettes among children 8-12 years old in the Czech Republic. Method: Between 2009 and 2012, a cross sectional survey was conducted among 4,439 children aged 8-12 years attending 51 primary schools in Prague and Central Bohemia, Czech Republic. Data including age, gender, ever smoking, parental and sibling smoking, knowledge of cigarette brands, sources of cigarettes, and smoking frequency were collected. Results: Fifty nine percent of all children could name one or more cigarette brands, 62.8% of boys and 55.3% of girls...
Patients' Risk of Causing Traffic Violations and Traffic Accidents While Driving
Nevenka Šestan, Metoda Dodič Fikfak, Zvone Balantič
Cent Eur J Public Health 2017, 25(3):211-215 | DOI: 10.21101/cejph.a4642
Objectives: This study examines whether drivers suffering from epilepsy, chronic alcoholism and/or hazardous drinking, psychoactive substance abuse, other diseases of the nervous system, mental and behavioural disorders, cardiovascular diseases, severe diabetes, and severe eye diseases are at a greater risk of causing traffic accidents and traffic violations than drivers that cause accidents and violations without these diagnoses. Methods: A case control study was carried out. The cases were drivers checked by a special medical committee in the period observed suffering from the diseases listed above. Matched controls were taken from...
Body-Image Dissatisfaction and Weight-Control Behaviour in Slovak Adolescents
Martina Bašková, Jana Holubčíková, Tibor Baška
Cent Eur J Public Health 2017, 25(3):216-221 | DOI: 10.21101/cejph.a4724
Objectives: The aim of the study was to examine body-image dissatisfaction in adolescents aged 13-15 years reporting to be on a diet and to assess gender and age differences in weight-reduction behaviour in Slovak adolescents. Methods: Data on a representative sample of 2,765 adolescents (mean age 14.37 years) from the Slovak part of Health Behaviour in School Aged Children Study carried out in 2014 were analysed. Self-reported body-image dissatisfaction and engagement in weight-reduction behaviour of 13 to 15-year-old adolescents was assessed using multiple logistic regression models. Results: More that 20% of boys and 35% of...
Self-Reported Health Status Predicting Resilience and Burnout in Longitudinal Study
Iva Šolcová, Vladimír Kebza, Miloslav Kodl, Věra Kernová
Cent Eur J Public Health 2017, 25(3):222-227 | DOI: 10.21101/cejph.a4840
Objective: The study examined the links between health-related indicators, adult resilience, and burnout. Method: The data were collected during two waves of the longitudinal study (in 2004-05, N = 98, and 2011-12, N = 88, respectively). Health behaviour, self-rated health (SRH), Sense of Coherence Scale (SOC), and Shirom-Melamed Burnout Measure (SMBM) were measured. Results: The comprehensibility of SOC and physical fatigue of SMBM as measured in wave 2 were determined by SRH as measured in wave 1. In the cross-sectional part, the meaningfulness of SOC was related to SRH, and alcohol consumption in wave 1. The comprehensibility...
National Laboratory Surveillance of Influenza in Macedonia During Four Seasons
Golubinka Bosevska, Vladimir Mikik, Irena Topuzovska Kondova, Nikola Panovski, E. Dokic Trajkovska, Z. Milenkovic, K. Stavridis, E. Janceska, G. Kuzmanovska, Shaban Memeti
Cent Eur J Public Health 2017, 25(3):228-234 | DOI: 10.21101/cejph.a4272
Objective: The aim of the study is to comprehend results of the influenza lab surveillance system in the Republic of Macedonia after the 2009 pandemic and to determine the main characteristics of four consecutive epidemic seasons (from 2010/2011 until 2013/2014). Methods: As part of the universal surveillance system, nasal and throat specimens were collected from patients. After extraction of RNA, the CDC real-time RT-PCR assays for the detection of influenza types and subtypes were performed. Results: Out of 920 tested samples, 406 (44.1%) laboratory confirmed cases of influenza were found. Influenza activity begins as early as...
Legionellosis: A Walk-Through to Identification of the Source of Infection
Dimosthenis Chochlakis, Vassilios Sandalakis, Maria Keramarou, Yannis Tselentis, Anna Psaroulaki
Cent Eur J Public Health 2017, 25(3):235-239 | DOI: 10.21101/cejph.a4660
Objectives: Although a number of human Legionnaires' disease in tourists are recorded annually in Europe, there are few cases where a direct link can be made between the infected person and the source of infection (hotel or other accommodation). We present a scheme followed in order to track down and identify the source of infection in a tourist suffering from L. pneumophila sg 5 infection, who was accommodated in seven different hotels during his holidays in the island of Crete, and we comment on various difficulties and draw-backs of the process. Method: Water samples were collected from the seven hotels where the patient had...
Inverse Relationship Between Adherenceto the Mediterranean Diet and Serum Cystatin C Levels
Natalia G. Vallianou, Ekavi Georgousopoulou, Angelos A. Evangelopoulos, Vassiliki Bountziouka, Maria S. Bonou, Evangelos D. Vogiatzakis, Petros C. Avgerinos, John Barbetseas, Demosthenes B. Panagiotakos
Cent Eur J Public Health 2017, 25(3):240-244 | DOI: 10.21101/cejph.a4786
Objective: The aim of the present study was to examine serum cystatin C levels in association with the Mediterranean diet in a healthy Greek population. Methods: Cystatin C together with basic clinical chemistry tests was measured in a total of 490 adults (46 ± 16 years, 40% of males), who underwent an annual health check. Demographic, anthropometric and lifestyle characteristics were recorded, while adherence to the Mediterranean diet was evaluated through the MedDietScore (0-55). Results: The mean level of serum cystatin C was 0.84 mg/L, while men had increased serum cystatin C levels compared to women (0.86 mg/L vs. 0.83...
Level of Education as a Risk Factor for Extensive Prevalence of Cervical Intervertebral Disc Degenerative Changes and Chronic Neck Pain
Vedran Markotić, Damir Zubac, Miro Miljko, Goran Šimić, Amra Zalihić, Gojko Bogdan, Dorijan Radančević, Ana Dugandžić Šimić, Josip Mašković
Cent Eur J Public Health 2017, 25(3):245-250 | DOI: 10.21101/cejph.a4897
Objective: The aim of this study was to document the prevalence of degenerative intervertebral disc changes in the patients who previously reported symptoms of neck pain and to determine the influence of education level on degenerative intervertebral disc changes and subsequent chronic neck pain. Methods: One hundred and twelve patients were randomly selected from the University Hospital in Mostar, Bosna and Herzegovina, (aged 48.5 ± 12.7 years) and submitted to magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the cervical spine. MRI of 3.0 T (Siemens, Skyrim, Erlangen, Germany) was used to obtain cervical spine images. Patients were separated...
Bohumír Procházka, longtime CEJPH Editorial Board member, dies at 64
Marek Malý, Eva Švandová, Viktor Hynčica, Ladislav Tomášek, Jan Kynčl
Cent Eur J Public Health 2017, 25(3):251
Biostatistician Assoc. Prof. Bohumír Procházka, PhD, passed away on 17 August 2017 after a long illness. He dedicated his professional life to applied statistics and informatics.