Summary
Evidence on the association between insomnia symptoms and mortality is limited and inconsistent. This study examined the association between insomnia symptoms and mortality in cohorts from ...three countries to show common and unique patterns. The Finnish cohort comprised 6605 employees of the City of Helsinki, aged 40–60 years at baseline in 2000–2002. The Norwegian cohort included 6236 participants from Western Norway, aged 40–45 years at baseline in 1997–1999. The Lithuanian cohort comprised 1602 participants from the City of Palanga, aged 35–74 years at baseline in 2003. Mortality data were derived from the Statistics Finland and Norwegian Cause of Death Registry until the end of 2012, and from the Lithuanian Regional Mortality Register until the end of 2013. Insomnia symptoms comprised difficulties initiating sleep, nocturnal awakenings, and waking up too early. Covariates were age, marital status, education, smoking, alcohol, physical inactivity, obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, depression, shift work, sleep duration, and self‐rated health. Cox regression analysis was used. Frequent difficulties initiating sleep were associated with all‐cause mortality among men after full adjustments in the Finnish (hazard ratio 2.51; 95% confidence interval 1.07–5.88) and Norwegian (hazard ratio 3.42; 95% confidence interval 1.03–11.35) cohorts. Among women and in Lithuania, insomnia symptoms were not statistically significantly associated with all‐cause mortality after adjustments. In conclusion, difficulties initiating sleep were associated with mortality among Norwegian and Finnish men. Variation and heterogeneity in the association between insomnia symptoms and mortality highlights that further research needs to distinguish between men and women, specific symptoms and national contexts, and focus on more chronic insomnia.
Objective: Dementia is one of the most common diseases in the elderly population. The aim of this study was to reveal the experiences of individual care workers performing oral care for dementia ...patients. The oral health of the elderly is in a critical state and in most cases not enough attention is paid to this problem. Material and methods: A qualitative research method was chosen for the research. The data collection instrument was a semi-structured interview, the purpose of which was to reveal the experience, knowledge, and attitude of individual care workers towards the importance of oral care and the oral hygiene habits of patients with dementia. The number of research informants was 10. The inclusion criteria were individual care workers working in social care institutions who were responsible for the personal care of dementia patients. Results: The analysis of the study showed that the main obstacles facing individual care workers in performing oral care for dementia patients are related to their cognitive disorders. For this reason, unreasonable fears of patients may arise, which also affect the proper performance of individual oral hygiene and other tasks assigned to employees. Conclusions: The results of the study showed that according the informants’ opinions it is crucial to take care of dementia patients’ oral care daily.
Background. Human health is largely determined by the body’s resistance to various damaging factors and, in particular, the functional state of its immune system. The use of unique, new generation ...immunomodulators in prevention of diseases is promising. Goal of the research was to defne the perspectives in the application of immunocorrector Transfer factorTM in immunoprophylaxis programmes and immunorehabilitation analysing and summarizing scientifc articles. Methods. Systemic literature overview was performed, including 77 scientifc articles and conference proceedings in English, published in the period from 1949 to 2016. The main inclusion criterion was clinical trial or literature review, analysing the effect of immunocorrector on human health in cases of different disorders. Results. Transfer factors are molecules that communicate antigenic immunological information intracellularly from a donor to a recipient. Mammalian Transfer factors, including those of humans are small molecules between 3,500 and 10,000 Daltons. Transfer factor’s functions of cell-mediated immunity and non-specifc immunological activity differ from the functions of antibodies. Transfer factors are divided into three fractions: the inductors that provide rapid immune response and general readiness of the immune system; suppressors, which regulate the intensity of the immune response, preventing allergic and autoimmune reactions; antigen specifc Transfer factors with a set of certain antigens, allowing quick adjusting of the immune system to recognize many bacterial and viruses. Conclusions. Transfer factors have no side effects and are considered as highly effective in treatment of infectious, parasitic, oncological, dermatological, venereal and somatic diseases, so are highly recommended for preventive purposes and decreasing of aging.Keywords: transfer factor, immunoprophylaxis, immunorehabilitation.
Background. For many, the adolescent years can be a difficult emotional period and a time when dental and medical needs may be neglected. Oral health is one of the most unmet health care needs of ...adolescents. Oral diseases can have a profound effect on overall health, including pain, missed school, heart disease, and even death (Silk and Kwok, 2017).Aim of the survey: to study the gender differences in oral hygiene habits, attitudes and behaviours in Klaipeda city adolescents sample.Methods: There were 1206 questionnaires distributed (response rate 95.3 %). A total of 1150 adolescents participated in the study, with 52.4 % being girls, and the mean age was 13.4 years.Results. The study results demonstrated girls more often brushed their teeth than boys, 86.8 % and 68.5 %, respectively (p<0.001). Almost all the participants (98.5 %) used toothpaste and a toothbrush on a daily basis, but girls more often used dental floss (66.3 % as compared to boys 33.7 %, p<0.001), mouthwash (60.3 % as compared to boys 39.7 %, p<0.001) and other dental care products (79.5 % as compared to boys 20.5 %, p<0.05) for toothbrushing and daily dental care. The girls brushed their teeth in the morning (92.9 %) and before bedtime (91.0 %), as well as the boys (85.0 % and 77.5 %, respectively, p<0.001).Conclusions. Girls demonstrated better oral health care habits, comparing to boys. Boys had greater, as compared to girls, dental fear, restricting them from having regular appointments for check-ups at the dental office. Girls more frequently than boys had an attitude that teeth should be kept clean for aesthetic purposes and in order to ensure their longevity. Girls preferred to seek a dentist’s help as soon as it is needed and to maintain good oral health, because it’s essential to human health in general.
Atliktas kokybinis tyrimas su dešimt informantų / pacientų, kurie pateikė savo nuomonę apie mobiliosios programėlės „Mobilusis burnos higienistas“ privalumus, trūkumus ir tobulinimo galimybes. ...Tiriamieji teigiamai vertino mobiliąją programėlę „Mobilusis burnos higienistas“, kaip papildomą priemonę savo burnos sveikatos savistabai. Ypač didelis programėlės privalumas, informantų / pacientų nuomone, kad ji suteikė galimybę tiesiogiai bendrauti su burnos higienistu. Informantai / pacientai įžvelgė tam tikrų mobiliosios programėlės trūkumų: blankus dizainas, papildomų funkcijų trūkumas. Programėlės trūkumų įžvalgos padės tobulinti programėlę, kad ji taptų patrauklesnė ir prieinamesnė pacientui naudotis.
The aim of the study was to establish factors associated with poor sleep and to assess the relationship between self-evaluated sleep quality and health-related quality of life.
Sleep complaints were ...evaluated using Basic Nordic Sleep Questionnaire, and health-related quality of life was assessed by SF-36. Subjective data about sleep quality were obtained from 1602 randomly selected persons: 600 males and 1002 females, aged 35-74 years. SF-36 was filled in by 1016 persons: 379 males and 637 females. Health status was evaluated by Perceived Health Questionnaire. The odds ratios of poor sleep were calculated using binary logistic regression analysis.
Among males poor self-evaluated health, frequent stress events, regular nighttime awakenings, and sleep latency period longer than 15 min in workdays were significant predictors of poor sleep. Among females, duration of sleep shorter than 7 h, frequent stress events, poor self-evaluated health, sleep latency period longer than 15 min in workdays, and regular nighttime awakenings predicted poor sleep. Poor sleepers, as compared with good ones, had poorer health-related quality of life.
Poor perceived health, frequent stress events, regular nighttime awakenings, and sleep latency period longer than 15 min were indicated as significant predictors of poor sleep. Poor sleep worsened health-related quality of life in all domains of SF-36.
Dental hygienists are important members of the dental team in promoting and maintaining the oral health of patients. They carry out educational, therapeutic, and preventive activities. The aim of ...this study is to analyse the attendance of Lithuanian dental hygienists in educational activities related to the prevention of dental diseases. Dental hygienists were invited to be part of a qualitative research project which involves individual semi structured interviews. Interviews were recorded (audio and video) and later transcribed. Interviews were conducted with seven dental hygienists. A thematic analysis of data from the interview was performed. Five themes were extracted from the contents. Two themes are observed in this article: participation in prevention programmes and changes are needed for dental diseases prevention. Conclusions: Dental hygienists attend children educational institutions and other communities for educational dental prevention purposes. Dental hygienists are involved in educational activities, usually on their own initiative, receiving no reward for this work.
Background. The aim of the study was to establish relations between work experience and health, evaluated by salutogenic health indicators, among school workers.
Materials and methods. Teachers (n = ...180) and other school workers (n = 154) from randomly selected Panevėžys district schools were questioned using instruments developed by scientists of the Kristianstad University: the Work Experience Measurement Scale (WEMS) and Salutogenic Health Indicator Scale (SHIS). The questionnaire of personal data contained questions about sociodemographic and work-related characteristics. The differences among the mean values were tested by the independent samples t-test and one-way ANOVA. The Cronbach’s alpha coefficient was used to check the internal consistency. The significance level was accepted at p = 0.05.
Results. In the teachers’ group, 86.7% were females (75.3% among others), 20.4% were older than 55 years (30.7% in other goups), 18.9% held an executive position (8.5% among others). Teachers, as compared with other school workers, scored higher the domain of internal work experience, (76.9 vs. 62.8, respectively), while other school workers gave higher standardized scores for the time experience domain (71.9 vs. 63.7, p < 0.001 respectively). The SHIS scores among teachers varied from 54.7 (worst experience) to 78.0 (best experience), p < 0.001. In the group of other school workers, the SHIS mean scores varied from 51.9 to 80.0, p < 0.001.
Conclusions. Teachers more positively evaluated the domain of internal working experience, while other school workers were more satisfied with time experience at the workplace. The established strong correlation between work experience and health, measured by salutogenic health indicators, encouraged the idea to implement workrelated health promotion at school.
Keywords: work experience, health, school, salutogenic health indicators
Research in the area of workplace health promotion from a salutogenic perspective is lacking in Eastern Europe.
To evaluate the relationship between psychosocial work environment and health from a ...salutogenic perspective among Lithuanian hospital workers.
Using a cross-sectional design a questionnaire was distributed to staff in a large hospital in Lithuania. Out of 811 employees, 714 completed the survey: 151 physicians, 449 nurses and 114 other staff members (e.g., psychologists, technicians, therapists). A response rate of 88.0% was achieved. The Work Experience Measurement Scale (WEMS) and the Salutogenic Health Indicator Scale (SHIS) were linguistically adapted and used for the first time in a Lithuanian context. Logistic and multiple linear regression models were used for the analyses.
Supportive working conditions, positive internal work experiences and time experience contributed the most to good health, defined as a high SHIS index. Having an executive post was significantly related to good work experiences, i.e. a high WEMS score, while being at the age of 40-54 years was associated with a low WEMS score. Physicians had the highest score on supportive working conditions; while nurses had the lowest scores on autonomy.
A salutogenic approach enables an organisation to identify how to improve working conditions for the employees by focusing on possibilities and resources. Individual activities for workplace health promotion among different work groups seem necessary.
Ortodontinis gydymas visame pasaulyje tampa vis populiaresnis dėl augančio pacientų sąmoningumo apie burnos sveikatą, estetinės išvaizdos svarbą ir dėl platesnio ortodontinio gydymo būdų pasirinkimo. ...Tačiau vis daugiau epidemiologinių tyrimų įrodo, kad periodonto ligos yra vienas iš ortodontinio gydymo šalutinių poveikių. Ortodontiniai aparatai yra svetimkūniai burnoje, kurie būna pritvirtinti prie dantų ilgą laiką. Juos nešiojant burnoje gausiau kaupiasi ir užsilaiko bakterinis apnašas, todėl padidėja burnos higienos poreikis (Cozzani, ir kt., 2016). Daugelis pacientų stokoja žinių apie burnos higieną ir netinkamai pasirenka burnos priežiūros priemones bei vengia atlikti profesionaliąją burnos higieną. Nesilaikant tinkamos burnos higienos ypač padidėja rizika išsivystyti gingivitui ir periodontitui (Pandey ir kt. 2016). Periodonto ligos dažnai suaugusį žmogų lydi visą gyvenimą ir yra neatsiejamos nuo jo gyvenimo būdo bei bendros organizmo sveikatos. Kadangi tarp suaugusių Lietuvos gyventojų periodonto ligų paplitimas siekia net 95,7 proc. (Globienė, 2001), o profilaktika ir gydymas – viena iš sudėtingiausių problemų šiuolaikinėje odontologijoje, todėl rizikos įvertinimas tampa vis aktualesnis. Norint patenkinti ortodontinių pacientų estetinius ir geros savijautos poreikius, visai neseniai pradėtas taikyti inovatyvus dantų tiesinimo būdas naudojant skaidrias tiesinamąsias kapas. Atitinkamai toks gydymo metodas paskatino ortodontinio gydymo tarp suaugusiųjų populiarumą. Tačiau skaidrių tiesinamųjų kapų poveikis periodonto būklei dar nėra pakankamai plačiai ištirtas, nes šis ortodontinis gydymo metodas yra palyginus naujas. Epidemiologiniai tyrimai būtini tiriant periodonto ligas lemiančius veiksnius bei planuojant efektyvias burnos priežiūros paslaugas. Šiame kontekste atliktas 3 mėnesių klinikinis tyrimas, kurio tikslas - palyginti tiesinamųjų kapų ir fiksuotų ortodontinių aparatų poveikį pacientų burnos higienai ir periodonto būklei.
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