rss_2.0Sciendo RSS Feed for Slovenian Journal of Public Healthhttps://sciendo.com/journal/SJPHhttps://www.sciendo.comhttps://sciendo-parsed.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/6473853e4e662f30ba540a09/cover-image.jpghttps://sciendo.com/journal/SJPH140216https://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/sjph-2025-0006<abstract> <title style='display:none'>ABSTRACT</title> <sec> <title style='display:none'>Objectives</title> <p>To estimate the lifetime prevalence of first and recurrent systemic allergic reaction to bee venom among Slovenian beekeepers. Additionally, we aimed to elucidate the risk factors predisposing beekeepers to developing systemic allergic reaction to bee venom.</p> </sec> <sec> <title style='display:none'>Methods</title> <p>A nationwide cross-sectional study was conducted among 1,080 beekeepers who are members of the Slovenian beekeeper’s association, between 1 November 2021 and 31 May 2023. Epidemiological data were collected using a validated questionnaire, with the clinician-confirmed observed health outcome.</p> </sec> <sec> <title style='display:none'>Results</title> <p>The estimated overall lifetime prevalence of self-reported first systemic allergic reaction to bee venom was 9.4% (102/1,080), with 40.7% (24/59) of the clinician-confirmed cases being severe (grade III-IV according to the Mueller classification). The estimated overall lifetime prevalence of reported recurrent systemic allergic reaction to bee venom was lower at 3.7% (40/1,080), with 60.0% (9/15) of the clinician-confirmed cases being severe (grade III-IV according to the Mueller classification). Risk factors associated with the first systemic allergic reaction to bee venom included age, male sex, number of bee stings per season, a history of large local reaction and experiencing nasal symptoms while working at hives. Younger male beekeepers, with a low number of bee stings per season, a history of large local reaction and nasal symptoms while working at hives, are at a high risk of having systemic allergic reaction to bee venom.</p> </sec> <sec> <title style='display:none'>Conclusions</title> <p>High lifetime prevalence of clinician-confirmed severe first and recurrent systemic allergic reaction to bee venom underscored the importance of targeted public health strategies and clinical interventions to protect this high-risk population.</p> </sec> </abstract>ARTICLEtruehttps://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/sjph-2025-00062025-01-02T00:00:00.000+00:00https://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/sjph-2025-0008<abstract> <title style='display:none'>ABSTRACT</title> <sec> <title style='display:none'>Background</title> <p>Sports science students (SPS) are more likely to be affected by low back pain (LBP) compared to the young, physically active population. The aim of this prospective study was to evaluate potential risk factors for LBP in the population of SPS.</p> </sec> <sec> <title style='display:none'>Methods</title> <p>Before the beginning of the study the participants (n=54) performed initial physical performance testing and gave blood samples. Then they were followed up for 10 weeks. The observed outcome was LBP occurrence. The presence of the observed outcome was recorded using the Oslo Sports Trauma Research Centre Overuse Injury Questionnaire weekly. The association between LBP and potential explanatory factors - potential overtraining parameters (e.g. ferritin and iron levels, amount of sleep) and motor ability parameters (e.g. muscle strength, vertical jump) - was assessed using multiple binary logistic regression.</p> </sec> <sec> <title style='display:none'>Results</title> <p>During the 10 week prospective follow-up LBP was the most common problem affecting 13% of students. From the group of explanatory factors for LBP only two were included in the final model as statistically significant: low ferritin level (OR=8.70, p=0.008), and history of previous LBP (OR=8.69; p=0.006) made students more likely experience new LBP problems.</p> </sec> <sec> <title style='display:none'>Conclusions</title> <p>The SPS that are more at risk of experiencing LBP are those with a history of LBP and those with low ferritin level. Awareness should be raised among students about the importance of comprehensive LBP prevention (preventive exercise, preventive medical check up including blood test).</p> </sec> </abstract>ARTICLEtruehttps://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/sjph-2025-00082025-01-02T00:00:00.000+00:00https://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/sjph-2025-0007<abstract> <title style='display:none'>ABSTRACT</title> <sec> <title style='display:none'>Introduction</title> <p>This study investigates the differences in patient care across various organisational forms of general practitioners (GPs) in Upper Austria.</p> </sec> <sec> <title style='display:none'>Methods</title> <p>Data was collected from GPs across Upper Austria, examining patient demographics, prescription patterns, staff employment, services offered and the proximity of practices to hospitals. The variability in recording patient visit reasons was also analysed.</p> </sec> <sec> <title style='display:none'>Results</title> <p>Of the 30 participating GPs (Response Rate 5.1%), 17 worked in single practices, 7 in group practices, and 6 in PHC units. In our sample, single practices tend to prescribe more medications for chronic conditions. Group practices and PHC centres are more prevalent in areas with larger populations, offer online appointment bookings more frequently and employ more staff. The study also highlights variability in documenting patient visit reasons, emphasising the need for standardised documentation practices. The most common reasons for the patient to contact their GP, based on ICPC-2 categories, were general and non-specific, respiratory and locomotor problems, and the most common chronic diseases seen in the practice are cardiovascular, endocrine diseases and locomotor system problems. The most common therapeutic procedures were counselling and prescription of medication.</p> </sec> <sec> <title style='display:none'>Conclusion</title> <p>Our study, the first of its kind, reveals significant insights into the variability and adaptability of general medicine outpatient practices in Upper Austria, highlighting the need for improved diagnosis coding at the primary care level.</p> </sec> </abstract>ARTICLEtruehttps://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/sjph-2025-00072025-01-02T00:00:00.000+00:00https://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/sjph-2025-0002<abstract> <title style='display:none'>ABSTRACT</title> <sec> <title style='display:none'>Aim</title> <p>The aim of the study was to explore the experiences of patients with delivered healthcare in selected Slovenian hospitals.</p> </sec> <sec> <title style='display:none'>Methods</title> <p>A cross-sectional study was employed. A total of 1,748 patients participated. A shortened version of the Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems survey was used. Permission to conduct the study was obtained from the Slovenian Medical Ethics Committee. Data were collected between February and March 2020. Univariate, bivariate and multivariate analyses were conducted.</p> </sec> <sec> <title style='display:none'>Results</title> <p>The average hospital rating was 8.86 (SD=1.47; p&lt;0.001) out of 10. The hospital would be definitely recommended to others by 1,290 (75.7%) respondents. The regression model “patients’ experience with care” was explained in 18%, mostly by “patients’ general health status” (-0.267), “provision of written and oral information about symptoms or health problems post discharge” (-0.200), and “talking to patients about care post discharge” (-0.175). The model “hospital rate” was explained in 30.4% by “patients’ experience with care” (0.576), “new medication was explained” (-0.242) and “patient age” (0.132).</p> </sec> <sec> <title style='display:none'>Conclusion</title> <p>The hospital rates are good and mostly explained by patient experience. The results revealed that tasks connected to comprehensive preparation of patients for healthcare treatment including communication, health education and appropriate discharge are only partially fulfilled. Improvements and holistic data capture are needed to make the measurement of patient experience a greater contribution to the improvement and efficiency of hospital care.</p> </sec> </abstract>ARTICLEtruehttps://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/sjph-2025-00022025-01-02T00:00:00.000+00:00https://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/sjph-2025-0005<abstract> <title style='display:none'>ABSTRACT</title> <sec> <title style='display:none'>Background</title> <p>In Slovenia, the practice of having family present during resuscitation (FPDR) in the clinical setting is still controversial. Therefore, the aim of the study was to explore current public perceptions regarding FPDR in Slovenia and to investigate whether demographic characteristics are related to these perceptions.</p> </sec> <sec> <title style='display:none'>Methods</title> <p>A cross-sectional study was conducted using the FPDR Benefit–Risk Scale (BRS) to collect data from a sample of 618 participants. The FPDR-BRS includes 23 items rated on a 5-point Likert scale (1 = strongly disagree to 5 = strongly agree). The online survey was conducted from 15 September to 30 December 2023. Inferential statistics were computed using IBM SPSS version 25.</p> </sec> <sec> <title style='display:none'>Results</title> <p>The results indicate moderately favourable attitudes towards FPDR among participants in general. Older individuals (aged 60–82) and respondents not affiliated with the healthcare sector scored higher on the overall FPDR-BRS, indicating more favourable attitudes towards the practice of FPDR. Respondents who had previous experience with cardiopulmonary resuscitation were less concerned that FPDR could cause psychological trauma to family members.</p> </sec> <sec> <title style='display:none'>Conclusions</title> <p>These findings have significant implications for the adoption of FPDR policies and practices in the healthcare sector. Healthcare providers should prioritise education, training and support as the presence of family members during resuscitation becomes more widely accepted.</p> </sec> </abstract>ARTICLEtruehttps://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/sjph-2025-00052025-01-02T00:00:00.000+00:00https://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/sjph-2025-0001<abstract> <title style='display:none'>ABSTRACT</title> <p>The Slovenian Journal of Public Health, established 63 years ago as the official publication of the National Institute of Public Health in Slovenia, was initially aimed at tracking the development of public health in Slovenia and disseminating scientific advancements to professionals in the field. In 2000, a new editorial board took over and shifted the journal’s focus towards enhancing scientific rigour and achieving international recognition. This strategic transformation led to the journal being indexed in the Social Sciences Citation Index (SSCI) in 2009, specifically within the category of Public, Environmental &amp; Occupational Health. The indexing enabled the journal to acquire its first impact factor in 2011, which has demonstrated a consistent upward trajectory, currently standing at 1.6 (IF2023). The journal has recently ascended to the third quartile of its field and is now recognised as the second highest-ranked medical journal in Slovenia. Following over two decades of successful leadership, the journal is poised to enter a new phase under an incoming editor-in-chief. It is imperative for the journal to sustain its contributions to public health by promoting high-quality scientific publications and facilitating critical discourse among researchers.</p> </abstract>ARTICLEtruehttps://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/sjph-2025-00012025-01-02T00:00:00.000+00:00https://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/sjph-2025-0004<abstract> <title style='display:none'>ABSTRACT</title> <sec> <title style='display:none'>Aim</title> <p>The aim was to examine the extent of missed nursing care (MNC), the reasons behind it and the contribution of nurses’ job characteristics to MNC in Slovenian hospitals.</p> </sec> <sec> <title style='display:none'>Methods</title> <p>A cross-sectional explorative research was conducted. The BERNCA-R and part B of the MISSCARE questionnaire were used. A total of 880 nurses from 10 hospitals in Slovenia participated with completed questionnaires; of those, 57.6% were healthcare assistants and 42.4% were registered nurses. Univariate, bivariate and multivariate analyses were performed.</p> </sec> <sec> <title style='display:none'>Results</title> <p>In the five-component solution of the MNC, the activities of ‘Monitoring’ (M=2.09; SD=0.909) and ‘Caring, support, activation, education’ (M=2.03; SD=0.822) were the most frequently missed, with the leading item being ‘Conversation with a patient or their family’ (M=2.45; SD=0.940). Labour resources (M=3.44; SD=0.642) were the most common reason for MNC, with inadequate number of staff (M=3.75; SD=0.660) as the leading item. The stepwise multiple regression model showed that the more significant the labour resources are, the more frequently MNC occurs in all five dimensions (p=0.000-0.002). Most job characteristics proved to be significant; however, as satisfaction with wages, years of employment and assessment of the quality of nursing care increase, MNC decreases in all five dimensions.</p> </sec> <sec> <title style='display:none'>Conclusions</title> <p>This study enables healthcare decision makers and managers at the national level and in healthcare organisations to understand the problem of missed nursing care and to plan and implement changes accordingly.</p> </sec> </abstract>ARTICLEtruehttps://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/sjph-2025-00042025-01-02T00:00:00.000+00:00https://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/sjph-2025-0003<abstract> <title style='display:none'>ABSTRACT</title> <sec> <title style='display:none'>Aim</title> <p>To evaluate Slovenian adolescents’ awareness of common cancer risk and protective factors, identifying knowledge gaps to develop targeted health education initiatives.</p> </sec> <sec> <title style='display:none'>Methods</title> <p>A cross-sectional questionnaire survey was conducted among 795 students aged 13 to 19 years in primary and secondary schools in Slovenia. The responses were analysed using descriptive and analytical statistics. The relationship between educational level, age and gender and awareness of selected cancer risk factors was analysed performing univariate and multivariate logistic regression.</p> </sec> <sec> <title style='display:none'>Results</title> <p>Overall, adolescents demonstrated good awareness of certain risk factors such as smoking (98%), sun exposure (90%) and physical activity (87%). Significant knowledge gaps were identified regarding dietary factors. While 49% recognized red meat consumption as a risk factor, knowledge of protective fruit and vegetable consumption and alcohol consumption as a risk was relatively low at 14% and 38%, respectively. Gender differences were found, with boys better at recognising smoking (p=0.025) and girls better at recognising alcohol (p&lt;0.001). Older students were less aware of the importance of fruit and vegetable consumption (p&lt;0.001), and secondary school students were less aware of the importance of healthy body mass, red meat and alcohol consumption (all p&lt;0.001).</p> </sec> <sec> <title style='display:none'>Conclusion</title> <p>Slovenian adolescents have varied knowledge of cancer risks, showing both strengths and areas for improvement in preventive education. We have identified important gaps in knowledge about diet and alcohol consumption, particularly among older, secondary school students and boys, where targeted interventions can have a major impact on promoting healthier lifestyles and reducing future cancer risks.</p> </sec> </abstract>ARTICLEtruehttps://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/sjph-2025-00032025-01-02T00:00:00.000+00:00https://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/sjph-2024-0026<abstract> <title style='display:none'>Abstract</title> <sec><title style='display:none'>Background</title><p>The use of e-cigarettes has been rapidly expanding in recent years. The reasons people in Slovenia chose to use electronic cigarettes have not been studied to date. This study examines e-cigarette users' attitudes regarding their health risks.</p></sec> <sec><title style='display:none'>Objectives</title><p>The aim of the study was to examine the users' standpoint towards e-cigarettes and their understanding of the impact on people's health.</p></sec> <sec><title style='display:none'>Methods</title><p>This qualitative study consists of 15 semi-qualitative interviews. Fifteen active or former tobacco smokers and/or e-cigarette users were interviewed using semi-structured interviews between 1 December 2019 and 30 April 2020. Data were analysed using qualitative content analysis. The employed inductive analysis consisted of coding, creating categories and abstraction; that is, framing a general description of the research topic through generating categories.</p></sec> <sec><title style='display:none'>Results</title><p>Data show that the interviewees do not have a unified opinion regarding the use and harmful effects of e-cigarettes. They agree that e-cigarettes are less harmful than regular cigarettes, but do not believe that they completely eliminate harmful effects for people that smoke regularly. The results also show that vaping is typical of young people, who use e-cigarettes as an important element of their subculture.</p></sec> <sec><title style='display:none'>Conclusions</title><p>The use of e-cigarettes in Slovenia is still a matter of public debate, because the advantages and harmful effects of using e-cigarettes are not yet well known. National guidelines for reducing the harmful effects of e-cigarettes are needed.</p></sec> </abstract>ARTICLEtruehttps://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/sjph-2024-00262024-09-23T00:00:00.000+00:00https://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/sjph-2024-0024<abstract> <title style='display:none'>Abstract</title> <sec><title style='display:none'>Introduction</title><p>Tobacco use is a major global health problem, contributing to premature death and disability. In Slovenia, the prevalence of smoking is higher than the EU average, emphasizing the need for effective tobacco control measures. The aim of this study was to identify the characteristics of patients most likely to benefit from pharmacotherapy for smoking cessation.</p></sec> <sec><title style='display:none'>Methods</title><p>We performed cross-sectional analysis of factors associated with successful smoking cessation using pharmacotherapy for Slovenian smokers. A total of 176 (24.6%) smokers with an average age of 50 years agreed to receive pharmacotherapy for their smoking cessation attempt and were enrolled in the study. Participants were followed up at 4-week intervals during treatment and for 24 weeks after completion of pharmacotherapy.</p></sec> <sec><title style='display:none'>Results</title><p>Attempts to quit smoking with prescription medications were successful in 24.4% of those willing to try. Female smokers, older persons, those with more children, with a lower self-perception of health, a higher number of cigarettes per day and a higher nicotine dependence were more likely to attempt to quit smoking. However, the strongest predictors of smoking cessation success were lower nicotine dependence, which was tested using the Fagerström test for nicotine dependence, and higher adherence to pharmacotherapy.</p></sec> <sec><title style='display:none'>Conclusion</title><p>Nicotine dependence and adherence to pharmacotherapy are the strongest predictors of a successful smoking cessation attempt. Identification of potential responders, prescription of pharmacotherapy and follow-up are applicable in the primary healthcare setting.</p></sec> </abstract>ARTICLEtruehttps://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/sjph-2024-00242024-09-23T00:00:00.000+00:00https://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/sjph-2024-0025<abstract> <title style='display:none'>Abstract</title> <sec><title style='display:none'>Introduction</title><p>Stigmatising attitudes towards mentally ill people are present among healthcare professionals. The aim of the study was to evaluate medical students' attitudes in five medical schools from Albania, Bulgaria, Moldova, Romania and Serbia and to determine if psychiatry clerkship improves these attitudes.</p></sec> <sec><title style='display:none'>Methods</title><p>In the first stage, the study included students from the first and final years of medical school; in the second stage, only final-year students were included; The Mental Illness Clinicians' Attitude Scale (MICA-2) and the Attribution Questionnaire (AQ-9) were used in this study. The total sample comprised 1,526 medical students in the first stage and 614 in the second stage.</p></sec> <sec><title style='display:none'>Results</title><p>The analysis of the average AQ-9 and MICA-2 scores between countries revealed significant differences (p&lt;0.05). Multivariable analysis showed that female students were 30% more likely to have elevated AQ-9 scores than male students (p=0.029). Final-year students had a significantly lower chance of having a higher MICA-2 score compared to first-year students (OR=0.7; p&lt;0.05).</p></sec> <sec><title style='display:none'>Conclusions</title><p>Psychiatry clerkship contributes to a decrease in the level of stigmatising attitudes among medical students. Further research is required to assess the curricula to achieve better results in reducing stigma among future doctors.</p></sec> </abstract>ARTICLEtruehttps://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/sjph-2024-00252024-09-23T00:00:00.000+00:00https://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/sjph-2024-0023<abstract> <title style='display:none'>Abstract</title> <sec><title style='display:none'>Introduction</title><p>This article presents the development, implementation and results of the project “An interdisciplinary approach to the treatment of overweight children” under the name “My Challenge” camp. It is a 2-week multidisciplinary programme involving a physician, a dietitian, a psychologist, an occupational therapist or physiotherapist and a kinesiologist. The children stay in camp for 2 weeks and are actively involved in the daily preparation of healthy meals, participate in cooking workshops and interactive nutrition lessons, and are active outdoors throughout the programme.</p></sec> <sec><title style='display:none'>Methods</title><p>The study included 117 overweight or obese children, aged 7–18 years, 66 girls and 51 boys from ten camps between 2017 and 2023. Completed dietary questionnaires and anthropometric measurements were compared at baseline, after 2 weeks, and after 1 month.</p></sec> <sec><title style='display:none'>Results</title><p>Changes in children's diets include an increase in meal frequency, in higher vegetables, fish, and seafood consumption, lower consumption of fried food and reduced consumption of sugary drinks. Boys more frequently consume fried food than girls and less frequently consume milk and dairy products. After one month, there was a decrease in body fat percentage, waist circumference and waist-to-height ratio in both genders.</p></sec> <sec><title style='display:none'>Conclusions</title><p>The “My Challenge” camp demonstrates promising outcomes in combating childhood obesity. Through a two-week multidisciplinary programme, significant improvements in dietary habits and anthropometric measures were observed. The findings underscore the importance of preventive education programmes for children in addressing the long-term health consequences of obesity. Further research and continued implementation of such initiatives are warranted to effectively tackle this public health issue.</p></sec> </abstract>ARTICLEtruehttps://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/sjph-2024-00232024-09-23T00:00:00.000+00:00https://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/sjph-2024-0027<abstract> <title style='display:none'>Abstract</title> <sec><title style='display:none'>Introduction</title><p>Mumps data were analysed to assess the effect of vaccination on mumps complications and hospitalisation.</p></sec> <sec><title style='display:none'>Methods</title><p>The mumps cases reported to the Czech nationwide surveillance system from 2013 to 2022 were analysed using logistic regression with an odds ratio (aOR) adjusted for age, sex, year of onset and administrative region to measure the association between vaccination and complications or hospitalisation. Adjusted vaccine effectiveness (aVE) was calculated: aVE=(1-aOR)x100.</p></sec> <sec><title style='display:none'>Results</title><p>A total of 11,913 mumps cases were reported, of which 6,885 (58%) were male. The median age of the study participants was 16 (range: 0–89 years). No complications occurred in 91% of patients. Mumps orchitis occurred in 633 (9%) male cases. A total of 946 (8%) patients required hospitalisation. The highest proportion of complications and hospitalisations was in the age group 35–44 years. Two doses of vaccine reduced statistically significantly the risk of any complications and of hospitalisation compared with unvaccinated patients: aOR 0.48 (95% CI: 0.37, 0.62), aVE of 52% (95% CI: 38, 63); and aOR 0.43 (95% CI: 0.33, 0.56), aVE of 57% (95% CI: 44, 67), respectively. Two doses showed statistically significant aVE 50% (95% CI: 32, 64) against orchitis, and 59% (95% CI: 23, 79) against meningitis. Among the two-dose recipients, the proportion of complications increased gradually with the time from the second dose.</p></sec> <sec><title style='display:none'>Conclusions</title><p>Our findings demonstrated a protective effect of two-dose vaccination against mumps complications and hospitalisation for mumps. We recommend continuing routine childhood mumps vaccination and maintaining high MMR coverage in Czechia.</p></sec> </abstract>ARTICLEtruehttps://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/sjph-2024-00272024-09-23T00:00:00.000+00:00https://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/sjph-2024-0022<abstract> <title style='display:none'>Abstract</title> <sec><title style='display:none'>Objective</title><p>Anxiety and depression are common disorders in children and adolescents and can have a negative impact on their lives. The Revised Child Anxiety and Depression Scale – Child and Parent versions (RCADS and RCADS-P) are widely used standardized measurement tools, but the Slovenian versions have not yet been validated. The aim of the present study was to examine the psychometric properties of the Slovenian version of RCADS and RCADS-P in a representative Slovenian school sample.</p></sec> <sec><title style='display:none'>Methods</title><p>We examined the psychometric properties (factor structure, internal reliability, short-term stability, inter-rater agreement and convergent validity) of the Slovenian version of the RCADS and the RCADS-P in 754 primary and secondary school students and parents of 485 students. The short-term stability of anxiety and depressive symptoms in youth was assessed in a subsample of 117 children and adolescents.</p></sec> <sec><title style='display:none'>Results</title><p>Confirmatory factor analysis showed an acceptable fit of the 6-factor model with CFI=0.92, TLI=0.92 and RMSEA=0.056 for RCADS and with CFI=0.93, TLI=0.92 and RMSEA=0.047 for RCADS-P. Cronbach's α and McDonald's ω ranged from 0.70 to 0.95 for the total scale and the six subscales. The subscales correlated significantly positively with the total Child Anxiety Life Interference Scale score.</p></sec> <sec><title style='display:none'>Conclusion</title><p>The results affirm the good psychometric properties of the Slovenian versions of RCADS and RCADS-P within a school-based sample. There is a need in the future to examine psychometric properties in clinical samples and to provide normative data.</p></sec> </abstract>ARTICLEtruehttps://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/sjph-2024-00222024-09-23T00:00:00.000+00:00https://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/sjph-2024-0021<abstract> <title style='display:none'>Abstract</title> <p>Academic medicine encompasses education, research and clinical practice, and plays a crucial role in advancing medical science and training physicians. However, the field faces a crisis, with fewer graduates pursuing academic careers.</p> <p>Family medicine emerged as an academic discipline in the second half of the 20th century, contributing significantly to science and primary healthcare. Despite its recognised status, the World Health Organization has yet to formally define it as an academic discipline. Nevertheless, the discipline must continually update its academic dimension in order to address future challenges.</p> <p>The international conference in Banja Luka, attended by deans or representatives of Medical Faculties in Southeast Europe, emphasized family medicine's role in primary healthcare and academic medicine, adopting the Banja Luka Declaration to promote family medicine as an independent academic discipline. The conference aims to inspire global support for family medicine as an academic discipline.</p> </abstract>ARTICLEtruehttps://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/sjph-2024-00212024-09-23T00:00:00.000+00:00https://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/sjph-2024-0019<abstract> <title style='display:none'>Abstract</title> <sec><title style='display:none'>Introduction</title> <p>This study aimed to assess the prevalence of edentulism and tooth loss in the Slovenian elderly population, along with the associated risk factors, and investigate the association between systemic and oral health.</p> </sec> <sec><title style='display:none'>Methods</title> <p>The study included 445 individuals aged 65 or older (average age: 79.7±8.9 years). Data on preserved teeth, dental history, chronic diseases, and medications were collected through clinical examinations. Height and weight were recorded in order to calculate body mass index (BMI), and the education level was also collected. Chronic systemic diseases and medications were categorized. Statistical analysis was conducted using linear regression and nonparametric tests.</p> </sec> <sec><title style='display:none'>Results</title> <p>Participants had an average of 4.7±7.7 teeth, with no significant gender differences. Higher age (β=−0.185, p&lt;0.001) and lower education level (p&lt;0.001) were associated with fewer teeth, while higher BMI showed no correlation (β=−0.085, p=0.325). Diabetes mellitus (p=0.031), cardiovascular diseases (p=0.025), and thyroid diseases (p=0.043) were inversely related to retained teeth. This inverse relationship also applied to individuals who recovered from malignancies, not including head and neck malignancies (p=0.019). No significant relationship was found between osteoporosis and the number of teeth (p=0.573). Notably, antidiabetic drug use was inversely related to the number of teeth (p=0.004), while analgesics showed a positive relationship (p=0.022).</p> </sec> <sec><title style='display:none'>Conclusions</title> <p>This study highlights the association between specific sociodemographic factors, chronic diseases, and retained teeth among elderly individuals in Slovenia. High edentulism rates among the elderly emphasize the need for enhanced preventive measures and risk factor management, particularly for high-risk groups like the elderly.</p> </sec> </abstract>ARTICLEtruehttps://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/sjph-2024-00192024-06-14T00:00:00.000+00:00https://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/sjph-2024-0015<abstract> <title style='display:none'>Abstract</title> <p>The Joint Action on CARdiovascular diseases and DIabetes (JACARDI) aims to reduce the burden of cardiovascular disease and diabetes in European countries, both at the individual and societal levels. The initiative covers the entire patient journey, from improving health literacy and awareness of cardiovascular diseases and diabetes, travelling through primary prevention among high-risk populations and screenings, reaching people living with cardiovascular diseases and diabetes, improving service pathways, self-management, and labour participation. The project involves 21 European countries, 76 partners and plans to implement 142 pilot interventions, ensuring diversity in terms of cultural backgrounds, public health priorities, and healthcare systems.</p> <p>In Slovenia, interventions will be developed and tested to improve screening for diabetes through community involvement, the involvement of people with diabetes in education programmes in health centres, and the involvement of people with diabetes in a screening programme for diabetic retinopathy. A set of unified, comprehensive and integrated health education materials and approaches will be developed for both healthcare providers and patients referred to the outpatient cardiovascular rehabilitation programme. The effectiveness of the upgraded health education intervention will be tested in a randomized trial. Furthermore, Slovenian experts are involved in developing a harmonized implementation methodology across all 142 pilot interventions, including contextual analysis at the country and pilot levels, multidimensional assessment and evaluation.</p> <p>JACARDI will enhance cross-national collaboration, maximizing the exploitation of lessons learned through a clear strategy, promoting the integration and sustainability of approaches to achieve high-level impact, including the implementation of effective interaction, cooperation and co-creation between science and policy.</p> </abstract>ARTICLEtruehttps://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/sjph-2024-00152024-06-14T00:00:00.000+00:00https://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/sjph-2024-0017<abstract> <title style='display:none'>Abstract</title> <sec><title style='display:none'>Aim</title> <p>The aim of this study was to estimate the effects of a pulmonary rehabilitation programme (PR) on the functional capacity and respiratory muscle strength of patients with post-COVID syndrome.</p> </sec> <sec><title style='display:none'>Methods</title> <p>A cross-sectional study was conducted using hospital data on patients who participated in a pulmonary rehabilitation programme at the Clinic for Lung Diseases, University Hospital Centre Zagreb, Croatia, between January 2021 and December 2022. Data on the spirometry, respiratory muscle strength, and functional exercise capacity of patients were collected at baseline and three weeks after the start of rehabilitation. The study included 80 patients (43 females, 37 males) with a mean age of 51±10 years.</p> </sec> <sec><title style='display:none'>Results</title> <p>A significant increase in respiratory muscle strength (P&lt;0.001) was observed after pulmonary rehabilitation, with effect sizes ranging from small to large (Cohen’s d from 0.39 to 1.07), whereas the effect for PImax expressed as a percentage was large (Cohen’s d=0.99). In addition, the pulmonary rehabilitation programme significantly improved the parameters of the six-minute walk test in patients, and the parameters of lung function, FVC, FEV1, and DLCO also improved significantly after PR (P&lt;0.05).</p> </sec> <sec><title style='display:none'>Conclusion</title> <p>The results showed that the pulmonary rehabilitation programme has clinically significant effects on functional capacity and respiratory muscle strength in patients with post-COVID syndrome.</p> </sec> </abstract>ARTICLEtruehttps://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/sjph-2024-00172024-06-14T00:00:00.000+00:00https://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/sjph-2024-0016<abstract> <title style='display:none'>Abstract</title> <sec><title style='display:none'>Objective</title> <p>Our aim was to assess the level and socio-demographic correlates of the ability to maintain health among children in Albania, a post-communist country in the Western Balkans.</p> </sec> <sec><title style='display:none'>Methods</title> <p>A cross-sectional study was conducted in Albania in September 2022. The study population consisted of a nationwide representative sample of 7,831 schoolchildren (≈54% girls) aged 12–15 years. A structured self-administered and anonymous questionnaire inquired about the children’s attitudes toward health promotion (ability to maintain and improve health) and a range of key dimensions on knowledge and practices regarding healthcare services. Socio-demographic data were also collected. Binary logistic regression was used to assess the socio-demographic correlates of children’s ability to maintain health.</p> </sec> <sec><title style='display:none'>Results</title> <p>Overall, about 71% of schoolchildren exhibited the best attitudes toward health promotion (ability to maintain and improve health). In the multivariable adjusted logistic regression models, poorer attitudes toward health promotion (ability to maintain and improve health) were significantly related to older age (OR=1.2, 95% CI=1.0–1.3), middle/low maternal education (OR=1.2, 95%CI=1.1–1.3), poor/very poor economic situation (OR=1.5, 95%CI=1.2–1.8), lack of appropriate knowledge about rights to healthcare (OR=1.3, 95% CI=1.1–1.5), lack of knowledge about obtaining healthcare services (OR=1.7, 95%CI=1.4–2.2), and lack of consultations/visits with health professionals excluding vaccinations (OR=1.2, 95%CI=1.1–1.4).</p> </sec> <sec><title style='display:none'>Conclusions</title> <p>Almost 1/3^rd of Albanian schoolchildren included in this study did not exhibit the best attitudes toward health promotion (ability to maintain and improve health). The best attitudes were related to a higher socioeconomic level and adequate knowledge and practices regarding healthcare services. There is thus a need to increase health literacy levels among children in order to ultimately induce sustainable healthy behavioural/lifestyle practices.</p> </sec> </abstract>ARTICLEtruehttps://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/sjph-2024-00162024-06-14T00:00:00.000+00:00https://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/sjph-2024-0020<abstract> <title style='display:none'>Abstract</title> <sec><title style='display:none'>Background</title> <p>Beekeepers represent a high-allergic risk population group due to their unavoidable seasonal or persistent exposure to the elicitors of <italic>Hymenoptera</italic> venom allergy, bees in particular. A systematic literature review and meta-analysis aimed to estimate the prevalence of self-reported systemic allergic reaction to <italic>Hymenoptera</italic> venom among beekeepers worldwide.</p> </sec> <sec><title style='display:none'>Methods</title> <p>We rigorously reviewed and conducted meta-analysis on observational studies retrieved from seven electronic databases (MEDLINE via PubMed, Web of Science Core Collection, Scopus, Academic Search Complete, ScienceDirect, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature, Zoological Record), spanning data from inception to August 1, 2023. The Joanna Briggs Institute Prevalence Critical Appraisal Tool was employed to assess the risk of bias. A meta-analysis was conducted to synthesize evidence.</p> </sec> <sec><title style='display:none'>Results</title> <p>Out of 468 studies, eight original articles met the inclusion criteria. The estimated overall lifetime and one-year prevalence of self-reported systemic allergic reaction to bee venom were 23.7% (95% CI: 7.7–53.4) and 7.3% (95% CI: 5.8–9.2), respectively. The estimated lifetime prevalence of self-reported systemic allergic reaction to bee venom for grades III–IV (severe systemic allergic reaction) was 6.0% (95% CI: 3.0–11.7). In general, substantial heterogeneity and a high risk of bias were observed across the majority of studies. The impact of geographical location and climate differences on the estimated lifetime prevalence is suggestive for severe systemic allergic reaction.</p> </sec> <sec><title style='display:none'>Conclusions</title> <p>Future observational cross-sectional studies should employ rigorous study designs, using validated questionnaires, and thoroughly report the observed health outcomes, verified by physicians.</p> </sec> </abstract>ARTICLEtruehttps://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/sjph-2024-00202024-06-14T00:00:00.000+00:00en-us-1