The behaviour of parents in ensuring car passenger safety for their children is associated with socio-economic (SE) status of the family; however, the influence of parental education has rarely been ...researched and the findings are contradictory. The aim of the study was to clarify whether parental education influences the use of a child car seat during short rides.
A cross-sectional survey was carried out in outpatient clinics for children's healthcare across Slovenia. 904 parents of 3-year-old children participated in the study; the response rate was 95.9%. A self-administered questionnaire was used. A binary multiple logistic regression was applied to assess the association between parental unsafe behaviour as dependent variable, and education and other SE factors as independent variables.
14.6% of parents did not use a child car seat during short rides. Families where mother had low or college education had higher odds of the non-use of a child car seat than families where mother had a university education. Single-parent families and those who lived in areas with low or medium SE status also had higher odds of the non-use of a child car seat.
Low educational attainment influences parents' behaviour regarding the non-use of a child car seat. Low parental education is not the only risk factor since some highly educated parents also have high odds of unsafe behaviour. All parents should therefore be included in individually tailored safety counselling programmes. SE inequalities could be further reduced with provision of free child car seats for eligible families.
Mental health inequalities are an increasingly important global problem. This study examined the association between mental health status and certain socioeconomic indicators (personal social ...position and the socioeconomic status of the family) in Slovenian 15-year-old adolescents.
Data originate from the WHO-Collaborative cross-national 'Health Behavior in School-aged Children' study conducted in Slovenia in 2010 (1,815 secondary school pupils, aged 15). Mental health status was measured by: KIDSCREEN-10, the Strength and Difficulties questionnaire (SDQ), a life satisfaction scale, and one question about feelings of depression. Socioeconomic position was measured by the socioeconomic status of the family (Family Affluence Scale, perceived material welfare, family type, occupational status of parents) and personal social position (number of friends and the type of school). Logistic regression and a multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) were performed.
Girls had 2.5-times higher odds of suffering feelings of depression (p < 0.001), 1.5-times higher odds of low life satisfaction (p = 0.008), and a greater chance of a lower quality of life and a higher SDQ score than boys (p = 0.001). The adolescents who perceived their family's material welfare as worse had 4-times higher odds (p < 0.001) of a low life satisfaction, a greater chance of a low quality of life, and a higher SDQ score than those who perceived it as better (p < 0.001). Adolescents with no friends had lower KIDSCREEN-10 and higher SDQ scores than those who had more than three friends.
Despite the fact that Slovenia is among the EU members with the lowest rates of social inequalities, it was found that adolescents with a lower socioeconomic position have poorer mental health than those with a higher socioeconomic position. Because of the financial crisis, we can expect an increase in social inequalities and a greater impact on adolescents' mental health status in Slovenia in the future.
In the third Slovenian national healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) prevalence survey, conducted within the European point prevalence survey of HAIs and antimicrobial use in acute care hospitals, ...we estimated the prevalence of all types of HAIs and identified factors associated with them.
Patients were enrolled into a one-day cross-sectional study in November 2017. Descriptive analyses were performed to describe the characteristics of patients, their exposure to invasive procedures and the prevalence of different types of HAIs. Univariate and multivariate analyses of association of having at least one HAI with possible risk factors were performed to identify risk factors.
Among 5,743 patients, 4.4% had at least one HAI and an additional 2.2% were still treated for HAIs on the day of the survey, with a prevalence of HAIs of 6.6%. The prevalence of pneumoniae was the highest (1.8%), followed by surgical site infections (1.5%) and urinary tract infections (1.2%). Prevalence of blood stream infections was 0.3%. In intensive care units (ICUs), the prevalence of patients with at least one HAI was 30.6%. Factors associated with HAIs included central vascular catheter (adjusted odds ratio aOR 4.1; 95% confidence intervals CI: 3.1-5.4), peripheral vascular catheter (aOR 3.0; 95% CI: 2.3-3.9), urinary catheter (aOR 1.8; 95% CI: 1.4-2.3).
The prevalence of HAIs in Slovenian acute care hospitals in 2017 was substantial, especially in ICUs. HAIs prevention and control is an important public health priority. National surveillance of HAIs in ICUs should be developed to support evidence-based prevention and control.
In the second Slovenian national healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) prevalence survey, conducted within the European point prevalence survey of HAIs and antimicrobial use in acute-care ...hospitals, we estimated the prevalence of all types of HAIs and identified risk factors.
Patients from acute-care hospitals were enrolled into a one-day cross-sectional study in October 2011. Descriptive analyses were performed to describe the characteristics of patients, their exposure to invasive procedures and the prevalence of different types of HAIs. Univariate and multivariate analyses of association of having at least one HAI with possible risk factors were performed to identify risk factors.
Among 5628 patients, 3.8% had at least one HAI and additional 2.6% were still being treated for HAIs on the day of the survey; the prevalence of HAIs was 6.4%. The prevalence of urinary tract infections was the highest (1.4%), followed by pneumoniae (1.3%) and surgical site infections (1.2%). In intensive care units (ICUs), the prevalence of patients with at least one HAI was 35.7%. Risk factors for HAIs included central vascular catheter (adjusted odds ratio (aOR) 4.0; 95% confidence intervals (CI): 2.9-5.7), peripheral vascular catheter (aOR 2.0; 95% CI: 1.5-2.6), intubation (aOR 2.3; 95% CI: 1.4-3.5) and rapidly fatal underlying condition (aOR 2.1; 95% CI: 1.4-3.3).
The prevalence of HAIs in Slovenian acute-care hospitals in 2011 was substantial, especially in ICUs. HAIs prevention and control is an important public health priority. National surveillance of HAIs in ICUs should be developed to support evidence-based prevention and control.
Antimicrobial agents used to treat infections are life-saving. Overuse may result in more frequent adverse effects and emergence of multidrug-resistant microorganisms. In 2016-17, we performed the ...second point-prevalence survey (PPS) of healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) and antimicrobial use in European acute care hospitals. We included 1,209 hospitals and 310,755 patients in 28 of 31 European Union/European Economic Area (EU/EEA) countries. The weighted prevalence of antimicrobial use in the EU/EEA was 30.5% (95% CI: 29.2-31.9%). The most common indication for prescribing antimicrobials was treatment of a community-acquired infection, followed by treatment of HAI and surgical prophylaxis. Over half (54.2%) of antimicrobials for surgical prophylaxis were prescribed for more than 1 day. The most common infections treated by antimicrobials were respiratory tract infections and the most commonly prescribed antimicrobial agents were penicillins with beta-lactamase inhibitors. There was wide variation of patients on antimicrobials, in the selection of antimicrobial agents and in antimicrobial stewardship resources and activities across the participating countries. The results of the PPS provide detailed information on antimicrobial use in European acute care hospitals, enable comparisons between countries and hospitals, and highlight key areas for national and European action that will support efforts towards prudent use of antimicrobials.
Infections due to antibiotic-resistant bacteria are threatening modern health care. However, estimating their incidence, complications, and attributable mortality is challenging. We aimed to estimate ...the burden of infections caused by antibiotic-resistant bacteria of public health concern in countries of the EU and European Economic Area (EEA) in 2015, measured in number of cases, attributable deaths, and disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs).
We estimated the incidence of infections with 16 antibiotic resistance–bacterium combinations from European Antimicrobial Resistance Surveillance Network (EARS-Net) 2015 data that was country-corrected for population coverage. We multiplied the number of bloodstream infections (BSIs) by a conversion factor derived from the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control point prevalence survey of health-care-associated infections in European acute care hospitals in 2011–12 to estimate the number of non-BSIs. We developed disease outcome models for five types of infection on the basis of systematic reviews of the literature.
From EARS-Net data collected between Jan 1, 2015, and Dec 31, 2015, we estimated 671 689 (95% uncertainty interval UI 583 148–763 966) infections with antibiotic-resistant bacteria, of which 63·5% (426 277 of 671 689) were associated with health care. These infections accounted for an estimated 33 110 (28 480–38 430) attributable deaths and 874 541 (768 837–989 068) DALYs. The burden for the EU and EEA was highest in infants (aged <1 year) and people aged 65 years or older, had increased since 2007, and was highest in Italy and Greece.
Our results present the health burden of five types of infection with antibiotic-resistant bacteria expressed, for the first time, in DALYs. The estimated burden of infections with antibiotic-resistant bacteria in the EU and EEA is substantial compared with that of other infectious diseases, and has increased since 2007. Our burden estimates provide useful information for public health decision-makers prioritising interventions for infectious diseases.
European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control.
Uvod. Podatki iz tujine kažejo, da začnejo kaditi praviloma mladostniki in mladi odrasli. Za Slovenijo imamo o tem malo podatkov. Namen prispevka je prikaz podatkov o starosti ob začetku kajenja in ...razlik v začetku kajenja glede na spol, starostne skupine, izobrazbo, družbeni sloj in geografsko regijo med prebivalci v Sloveniji.
Dementia is becoming an increasingly important public health priority that will continue to increase due to the population aging and longevity. Appropriate national assessment of dementia prevalence ...is essential for properly planing the actions needed to address dementia. The purpose of this work was to identify the known prevalence of dementia in Europe and in Slovenia in the last twenty years, as well as to produce an estimation for 2018 and a projection for 2030 based on population data in Slovenia. The PubMed database search engine was used. We searched for hits in various combinations and reviewed the literature on the prevalence of dementia in Europe and in Slovenia. Estimates of dementia revalence for Slovenia were not found in the reviewed literature; we calculated it based on Slovenian data for 2018 and projections for 2030. Dementia prevalence rates in Europe have not changed significantly in most age groups in recent decades. In Slovenia, in 2018, the age-standardized prevalence rate for those aged 65 and over was 6.9%, for women 8.8% and for men twice lower, and according to the projection for 2030 it was 7.2% for men, 9.0% for women, which was twice as much as in men. The gross prevalence rate for dementia in people aged 65 and older in Europe ranges from 5.9% to 9.4%. The results of all studies show that the prevalence is increasing with increasing age, that it is higher and it is increasing earlier and faster in women (80–84 years) compared to men (85–89 years). The prevalence of dementia in women was twice as high as that of men and was increasing more rapidly with age. In Slovenia we can expect an increase in the number of people with dementia in the next ten years, primarily due to the aging of the population and extending of the life expectancy.
Demencija postaje sve važniji prioritet za javno zdravstvo
koji će se nastaviti povećavati zbog starenja i dugovječnosti stanovništva.
Odgovarajuća nacionalna procjena prevalencije demencije ključna je za pravilno
planiranje aktivnosti potrebnih za rješavanje problema demencije. Svrha ovog
rada bila je identificirati poznatu prevalenciju demencije u Europi i Sloveniji
u posljednjih dvadeset godina, kao i izraditi procjenu za 2018. i projekciju za
2030. na temelju podataka o broju stanovnika u Sloveniji. Upotrijebljena je
bila tražilica baze podataka PubMed. Tražili smo nazive u raznim kombinacijama
i pregledali literaturu o rasprostranjenosti demencije u Europi i Sloveniji. U
recenziranoj literaturi nismo pronašli procjene prevalencije demencije za
Sloveniju; izračunali smo ju na temelju slovenskih podataka za 2018. godinu i
projekcija za 2030. Stopa prevalencije demencije u Europi nije se značajno promijenila
u većini dobnih skupina posljednjih desetljeća. U Sloveniji je u 2018. godini
standardizirana stopa prevalencije za starije od 65 godina bila 6,9%, za žene
8,8%, a za muškarce dvostruko niža, a prema projekciji za 2030. bila je za
muškarce 7,2%, za žene 9,0%, što je dvostruko više nego kod muškaraca. Gruba
stopa prevalencije demencije kod ljudi starijih od 65 godina u Europi kreće se
od 5,9% do 9,4%. Rezultati svih studija pokazuju da je prevalencija u porastu s
porastom dobi, da je veća i da se povećava ranije i brže kod žena (80-84
godina) u usporedbi s muškarcima (85-89 godina). Prevalencija demencije kod
žena bila je dvostruko veća nego kod muškaraca i s godinama se brže povećavala.
U Sloveniji možemo očekivati porast broja oboljelih od demencije u sljedećih
deset godina, prije svega zbog starenja stanovništva i produljenja životnog
vijeka.
Background. Smoking is initiated mostly by adolescents and young adults. In Slovenia, we have limited data about this. The purpose of this paper is to show data on age at smoking initiation and ...differences in age at smoking initiation by gender, age groups, education, social class and geographical region among inhabitants of Slovenia.
Methods. We used data from the cross-sectional survey ‘Health-related behaviour 2012’ in Slovenian population aged from 25 to 74 years.
Results. 4591 ever smokers, aged 25-74, that gave information about the age at smoking initiation were included in the analysis. At the age of 25 or less, smoking was initiated by 96.7% of Slovene ever smokers, at the age of 18 or less by 71.0%. The average age at smoking initiation was 17.7 years. Male ever smokers initiated smoking at an earlier age compared to female ones. Age at smoking initiation was decreasing in both male and female ever smokers, but was more pronounced in females. In male ever smokers, there were no differences in average smoking initiation age by education, self-reported social class and geographical regions, while in female ever smokers, there were significant differences in terms of education and geographical regions.
Conclusion. The initiation of smoking predominantly occurs in adolescents and young adults. Age at smoking initiation has decreased in recent decades. Our study confirms the importance of early and sustained smoking prevention programmes in youth and the importance of national comprehensive tobacco control programme with effective tobacco control measures to ban tobacco products marketing.
Uvod. Podatki iz tujine kažejo, da začnejo kaditi praviloma mladostniki in mladi odrasli. Za Slovenijo imamo o tem malo podatkov. Namen prispevka je prikaz podatkov o starosti ob začetku kajenja in razlik v začetku kajenja glede na spol, starostne skupine, izobrazbo, družbeni sloj in geografsko regijo med prebivalci v Sloveniji.
Metode. Uporabili smo podatke iz presečne pregledne raziskave »Z zdravjem povezan vedenjski slog 2012« med prebivalci Slovenije, starimi od 25 do 74 let.
Rezultati. V analizo je bilo vključenih 4591 posameznikov, starih 25-74 let, ki so kadarkoli v življenju kadili, in so podali podatke o starosti ob začetku kajenja. V starosti 25 let ali manj je prvič kadilo 96,7% prebivalcev, ki so kadarkoli v življenju kadili, v starosti 18 let ali manj pa 71,0 %. Povprečna starost ob prvem kajenju je bila 17,7 leta. Moški, ki so kadili kadarkoli v življenju, so prvič kadili pri nižji povprečni starosti kot ženske. Povprečna starost ob začetku kajenja se je zniževala pri obeh spolih, a izraziteje med ženskami. V povprečni starosti ob začetku kajenja pri moških, ki so kadili kadarkoli v življenju, ni razlik glede na izobrazbo, samoporočani družbeni sloj in geografsko regijo, medtem ko so pri ženskah prisotne značilne razlike glede na izobrazbo in geografsko regijo. Ženske z najvišjo stopnjo izobrazbe, ki so kadile kadarkoli v življenju, in tiste iz vzhodne geografske regije so prvič kadile pri nižji starosti.
Zaključek. Kaditi začnejo in nadaljujejo do rednega kajenja večinoma mladostniki in mladi odrasli. Starost ob začetku kajenja se je v zadnjih desetletjih zniževala. Podatki iz raziskave potrjujejo pomembnost zgodnjih in dolgotrajnih programov preprečevanja kajenja med mladimi ter nacionalnega celovitega programa ukrepov nadzora nad tobakom za zaustavitev marketinga tobačnih izdelkov.
Background: Binge drinking and other forms of ethanol abuse are, when present, a serious problem in preteens and adolescents worldwide. Aim: The present study has analyzed the trend in ...alcohol-related intoxications requiring the hospitalization of children, adolescents and young adults aged less than 21 years in Slovenia in the 1999–2018 period. Methods: We performed a retrospective study on patients discharged after hospitalizations due to mental and behavioral disorders due to acute alcohol intoxication (MBDAAI) or hospitalizations due to the toxic effects of alcohol (TEA We considered three groups: children (aged 10–14), adolescents (aged 15–19) and young adults (20–21 years old). Hospitalization rates and time trends were analyzed using joinpoint regression to obtain the annually calculated age- and sex-specific rates and the annual percentage of change (APC). Results: Considering a total of 2912 MBDAAI-hospitalizations, 15–19-year-old subjects showed a significantly higher hospitalization rate compared to the immediately younger and older age groups and a significant increase in hospitalization rates in the period 1999–2011, followed by a significant decrease. Considering 1143 TEA-hospitalizations, we observed a continuous decrease in the hospitalization rates for children and young adults and, conversely, a continuous even if less than significant increase for adolescents aged 15–19. Conclusions: Alcohol consumption in Slovenian children and adolescents is a highly important health concern. Special attention to public health problem of severe alcohol abuse requiring hospitalization in children and adolescents is needed, especially with possible crisis of SARS-CoV-2/Covid-19 situation.