Cent Eur J Public Health 2025, 33(1)

Association between complex exposure to cadmium and mercury and atopic dermatitis in elementary school students: analysis using data from the Korean National Environmental Health Survey (KoNEHS) Cycle 4

Kiook Baek

Cent Eur J Public Health 2025, 33(1):3-11 | DOI: 10.21101/cejph.a8437

Objectives: Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a common allergic disease with potential links to environmental pollutants, including heavy metals. This study investigates the association between co-exposure to cadmium and mercury and AD among Korean children. Methods: Data from the fourth cycle of the Korean National Environmental Health Survey (KoNEHS) included 736 elementary school students. Urinary cadmium and mercury levels were measured, and their association with lifetime prevalence of AD was analysed using logistic regression, weighted quantile sum (WQS) regression, quantile g-computation (QGC), and Bayesian kernel machine regression (BKMR). Confounders...

New treatment strategies in HIV/AIDS infection and the impact of treatment adherence on the quality of life of people living with HIV

Dalibor Sedláček, Sam Hofman, Jiří Frei, Marek Malý

Cent Eur J Public Health 2025, 33(1):12-16 | DOI: 10.21101/cejph.a7382

Objective: The aim of the study was the assessment of adherence to antiretroviral (ARV) treatment in a population of people living with HIV (PWH), improving the awareness of PWH, drawing attention to the risk of developing HIV drug resistance and subsequent treatment failure. Methods: The basic cohort consisted of PWH followed up long-term at the HIV centre of the University Hospital Pilsen. Adherence to treatment was assessed by ARV levels. Nucleoside analogs were determined in urine by high pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC), in relation to clinical data, viral load (HIV RNA), and absolute CD4 and CD8 T cell counts. To assess mental and physical...

Association of depressive symptoms and social determinants of health in medical students of four countries - Czechia, Iran, Kenya, and Venezuela

Anna Zimovjanová, Frederick Murunga Wekesah, Fatemeh Dehghani Firouzabadi, Jan Brož, Jana Urbanová, Jeffrey I. Mechanick, Natalia Sulbarán, Andrea Medina, Geraldo A. Maranhao Neto, Ramfis Nieto-Martinez, Masih A. Babagoli, Maritza Torres, Monika Kunzová, Martin Pešl, José Medina, Eunice Ugel, Hesam Jahandideh, Maryam Roomiani, Niloofar Deravi, Amirhossein Poopak, Alireza Esteghamati, Juan P. González-Rivas

Cent Eur J Public Health 2025, 33(1):17-23 | DOI: 10.21101/cejph.a8222

Objectives: Medical students experience worse psychological well-being than the general population. Social determinants of health (SDOH) relate to conditions in which people live, work, and age and significantly influence mental health. This study examines the association between depressive symptoms and SDOH in medical students from four countries: Czechia, Iran, Kenya, and Venezuela. Methods: An online cross-sectional survey was conducted in the spring of 2022. The questionnaire focused on depressive symptoms (using a validated psychiatric scale DASS-21 to assess mental health) and various SDOHs. Results: A total of 2,033 medical students participated...

Health literacy and socioeconomic characteristics of young people in Serbia and their influence on reproductive health and sexual behaviour

Milena Maričić, Goran Stojanović, Zlata Rajković Pavlović, Jovana Milosavljević, Melanija Tepavčević, Kristijan Jovanović, Nikoleta Janićijević, Milos Stepović

Cent Eur J Public Health 2025, 33(1):24-29 | DOI: 10.21101/cejph.a8336

Objectives: Having adequate level of health literacy is a very powerful tool of improving health. "Emerging adulthood" is described as a period between age of 18-25 years, characterized by changing life circumstances, developing personality and exploring possibilities. The aim of this study was to establish the relationship between health literacy and socioeconomic status of young adults in Serbia and their individual influence on the reproductive health and sexual behaviour. Methods: This research was conducted as observational, cross-sectional study. We used STOFHLA to assess the health literacy level of young people and general information questionnaire...

Oral health of pregnant women and possibilities for improving oral health prophylaxis in Lithuania

Jolita Juknienė, Gabrielė Šimėnaitė, Birutė Mockevičienė

Cent Eur J Public Health 2025, 33(1):30-35 | DOI: 10.21101/cejph.a8459

Objectives: The aim of the study was to identify potential areas for improvement in the prevention of oral diseases in pregnant women by assessing their oral care habits and awareness regarding oral health. Methods: An original, anonymous, web-based survey was conducted among women at any stage of pregnancy. The survey consisted of 23 questions regarding oral care habits, knowledge about oral health of mother and child, general and oral health changes, and attendance of oral healthcare services during pregnancy. The data analysis was performed using IBM SPSS 27.0 version software. Descriptive statistics, Chi-square and Wilcoxon signed-rank tests were...

Prevalence of dietary supplement use among the military population: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Roghayeh Molani-Gol, Maryam Rafraf, Beitullah Alipour

Cent Eur J Public Health 2025, 33(1):36-48 | DOI: 10.21101/cejph.a8321

Objectives: The aim of the study was to evaluate widespread dietary supplements (DSs) use among the military population. There is no recent study to comprehensively evaluate the prevalence of DS use among the military population. Therefore, this systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to present an overview and estimate of the overall prevalence of DSs use among the military population. Methods: PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and Google Scholar databases were searched up to September 2023 using relevant keywords. All original articles written in English evaluating the prevalence of DSs use among the military population were eligible for this study....

The role of conservative treatment in regional variations of 30-day acute myocardial infarction mortality: a case of the Czech Republic

Ivo Hlaváč, Matěj Opatrný

Cent Eur J Public Health 2025, 33(1):49-56 | DOI: 10.21101/cejph.a8462

Objectives: The aim of the study was to analyse the role of conservative treatment and regional differences in 30-day hospital mortality for acute myocardial infarction (AMI) patients in the Czech Republic. Methods: Using administrative data from Czech health insurance companies for 2018-2020, we employed a probit model to examine factors influencing mortality across 13 complex cardiovascular centres, calculating average marginal effects to ensure interpretable results. Results: Conservative treatment was associated with a 4.7 percentage point increase in 30-day mortality compared to percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) treatment (95% CI: 3.6-5.7)....

Beliefs about third-hand tobacco smoke among university employees: a cross-sectional study

Ilgin Timarci, Asya Banu Babaoğlu, Mustafa Tözün, Kaan Sözmen

Cent Eur J Public Health 2025, 33(1):57-64 | DOI: 10.21101/cejph.a8366

Objectives: This study aimed to evaluate the beliefs about third-hand tobacco smoke (THS) among administrative and academic staff at a university. THS is a residual pollutant from tobacco smoke that lingers on surfaces and poses health risks, particularly to children. The study also aimed to understand these beliefs in relation to socio-demographic factors. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted with 332 university employees aged 18 and over. Data were collected between September and December 2023 through face-to-face and online questionnaires. The survey included the Beliefs About Third-hand Smoke (BATHS-T) Scale and questions on socio-demographic...

Impact of injury location and type of traffic participants on the outcome of traffic accidents in Montenegro

Damir Peličić, Mirjana Nedović Vuković

Cent Eur J Public Health 2025, 33(1):65-70 | DOI: 10.21101/cejph.a8241

Objectives: The aim of this study was to examine the frequency of fatalities in injuries in traffic accidents in Montenegro, identify contributing risk factors, and determine the most vulnerable participants in these accidents. Methods: The research was designed as a retrospective descriptive study. Participants were people admitted to the Urgent Centre of Clinical Centre of Montenegro due to injuries in traffic accidents that resulted in serious bodily injury or death in the period from 2011-2020. We presented data using descriptive statistics. The square test was used to examine the association between the outcome of traffic injury with sex, age,...

Possibilities of influencing the function of the deep stabilization system by exercising for low back pain

Elena Žiaková, Nina Sládeková, Jana Havlová

Cent Eur J Public Health 2025, 33(1):71-76 | DOI: 10.21101/cejph.a8199

Objectives: Chronic back pain is the most common cause of incapacity for work. The purpose of the study was to determine the effectiveness for activating the function of the deep stabilization system (DSS) in patients with chronic low back pain. Methods: The effectiveness of three different methods was compared: Pilates method (PM), dynamic neuromuscular stabilization and balance aids on deep stabilization system function and pain perception in the lumbar spine. The group consisted of 75 patients. Results: The results show differences in the effectiveness of the methods depending on the observed characteristics. The least significant differences were...

Short communication

Rising incidence of Mycoplasma pneumoniae pneumonias in a tertiary paediatric centre: implications for antibiotic therapy

Luboš Bača, Lea Slováková, Jitka Vočková, Karolína Doležalová

Cent Eur J Public Health 2025, 33(1):77-79 | DOI: 10.21101/cejph.a8434

Objectives: The aim of this study is to determine the incidence of Mycoplasma pneumoniae pneumonia (MPP) in children and adolescents in Prague, Czech Republic, between January and July 2024, and to compare the findings with data from the preceding period. Methods: A retrospective analysis of data of paediatric patients at our single tertiary care facility was conducted. Two distinct patient cohorts were subjected to analysis: the first comprising individuals who had been hospitalised between January 2019 and July 2024, and the second consisting of outpatients who had been treated during the periods of January to July 2023 and January to July...