Hygiena, 2007 (vol. 52), issue 4

Dear readers

Ľudmila Ševčíková

Hygiena 2007, 52(4):99  

Are the Antismoking Programmes on the Primary Schools Effective?

Veronika Zachovalová

Hygiena 2007, 52(4):100-104  

The educational programme "Our Class Does Not Smoke" has been designed for higher grade elementary school children and is based on the active influence of non-smoking children on their classmates, making it possible that a non-smoking environment is perceived as a social norm. The programme is derived from the Smokefree Class Competition project implemented in most EU 15 countries.In the school year 2005/2006, altogether, 255 students of 11 eighth-grade classes from 3 elementary schools in Brno and two elementary schools in other localities (Kostelec u Holešova, Frýdek-Místek) joined the programme.From an anonymous questionnaire survey, it...

Smoking and the Opinions of Parents of School Age Children

Drahoslava Hrubá, Iva Žaloudíková

Hygiena 2007, 52(4):105-109  

In the program "Non-smoking is normal", attention is drawn to and effort made to involve parents in targeted education and bringing up of their children towards a healthy lifestyle, including their protection against passive smoking. Parents' experience and opinions were measured in a questionnaire containing 10 questions, each with several options of answers, distributed through their children in the 2nd grade of primary school. The data were evaluated by the statistic program EPI INFO (χ2 test). Together 565 parents filled in the questionnaire; among them 59.9 % did not smoke, in 28.0 % families there was one smoker and in 12.1 % families both...

Economics of the Smoking Habit in the Czech Republic

Daniela Habrová, Drahoslava Hrubá

Hygiena 2007, 52(4):110-114  

This study concentrates on information about the economic measures used to curb the tobacco smoking habit, and about their effectiveness and cost-effectiveness. It also provides an analysis of the impact of smoking on the Czech economy in 2003 weighing up the profits and losses within public funds caused by smoking.Using the methods of nationwide studies in other countries, the data from the Czech Home Office, 2001-2004; Czech Institute of Health Information and Statistics, 2003 and 2006; Czech Statistical Office, 2003 and 2004, the analysis of the impact of smoking on the Czech economy shows that it has a negative impact on the public purse. The...

Can Population Ageing Be Associated with Decreased Morbidity?

Jaroslav Kříž

Hygiena 2007, 52(4):115-117  

Mean life expectancy is increasing in a great part of the world and the population is ageing. In developed countries including the Czech Republic, an increase in years lived in good health and, at the same time, a decrease in years lived in disease have recently been observed. This phenomenon is called morbidity compression and is explained by a variety of positive socio-economic changes resulting in a higher level of health care, disease prevention and health promotion. Pessimistic prognosis of uncontrollable growth in health care costs related to population ageing may turn out not to be fully justified.

Using Molecular Biology Based Methods in Public Health Microbiology Laboratories II. Laboratory Diagnostics of Some Agents - Bordetella pertussis, Bacillus anthracis, Toxoplasma gondii

Lucia Maďarová

Hygiena 2007, 52(4):118-125  

The application of knowledge of bacterial genetics is no longer a new issue and the domain of research and development centers, being increasingly applied in routine microbiological practice. The introduction of new diagnostic methods, based on principles of molecular biology, to the clinical microbiology laboratories has simplified the identification of etiological agents in examined samples. This fact is especially significant in relation to therapy and in the introduction of efficient epidemiological measures and safety precautions. Using molecular-biology methods it is possible to confirm clinical diagnoses, where other detection methods had failed.

Socio-economic Deprivation - Theoretical Approaches and the Measuring of Socio-economic Deprivation through Indices

Hana Šlachtová, Petra Fejtková, Anna Šplíchalová, Pavla Polaufová, Hana Tomášková

Hygiena 2007, 52(4):126-134  

The results of epidemiological studies confirmed evidence in the differences in mortality of social classes or groups that reflects the concurrent effect of many factors - including the socio-economic ones. Health is affected by these factors mostly by the extent of deprivation of the specific social group - it is both material and social deprivation.Socio-economic deprivation is measured at both levels - at the individual as well as at area level using a variety of socio-economic deprivation indices. The methodology of measurement of the socio-economic status has also been elaborated by the World Health Organization. Deprivation is thought to...

Deprivation Indices: A Literary Survey

Hana Šlachtová, Hana Tomášková, Anna Šplíchalová, Petra Fejtková

Hygiena 2007, 52(4):135-141  

Over the last three decades a number of indices of socio-economic deprivation (SESDI) were created. The goal of the review is to bring published information on methods of the most commonly used SES indices and their use in public health. The paper presents the theoretical concepts of poverty and deprivation and their measurement. It deals with the main data sources for construction of indices, their advantages and weaknesses. With respect to the most sophisticated system of deprivation indices in Great Britain and their widespread routine use, the review was based on English and Scottish indices of deprivation. In the paper the validity of indices,...

3rd Conference School and Health 21 and 35th Conference on Health Promotion in Children and Adoloscents

Věra Kernová

Hygiena 2007, 52(4):109  

Problems of Health Under Portuguese Presidency of the EU

Jaroslav Kříž

Hygiena 2007, 52(4):114  

Central European Journal of Public Health, No. 2, Vol. 15, 2007

Jaroslav Kříž

Hygiena 2007, 52(4):117  

55th Anniversary of the Public Health Service

Jaroslav Kříž

Hygiena 2007, 52(4):125  

Ageing in Health

Jaroslav Kříž

Hygiena 2007, 52(4):134  

European Research Area - New Perspectives

Jaroslav Kříž

Hygiena 2007, 52(4):134  

Central European Journal of Public Health, No. 3, Vol. 15, 2007

Jaroslav Kříž

Hygiena 2007, 52(4):141  

Gustav Kabrhel: To the 150th anniversary of the birth of the founder of Czech scientific hygiene

František Kožíšek

Hygiena 2007, 52(4):142-143  

Jan Evangelista Purkyně Was Born 220 Years Ago

Jaroslav Kříž

Hygiena 2007, 52(4):143  

A Jubilee Worthy of Attention

Jaroslav Kříž

Hygiena 2007, 52(4):144