In this research, we aimed to provide a comparative examination of at-risk gambling and four types of gambling activities from the standpoint of socioeconomic, demographic and psychological factors. ...Using data collected from 7,385 adults aged 18–64 from Serbia, we investigated how specific variables contribute to the likelihood of participation in lottery playing, sports betting, casino games, and slot games across the three time frames (lifetime, last year, and last month), and at-risk gambling. Logistic regressions revealed that male sex, ages 18 to 34, drug use, harmful alcohol use, and elevated levels of distress were significant predictors of participation in any point of life in sports betting, casino games, and slot games, and at-risk gambling. Secondary education, residing in an urban area, and harmful alcohol use predicted – across three time frames – the engagement in lottery playing, sports betting, and slot games playing, respectively. Smoking, and specifically heavy smoking, was shown to be predictive of lifetime participation in all types of gambling, while having single marital status and being unemployed emerged as the factors increasing the odds for the last-month slot games playing. Notably, the 18 to 24 age cohort turned out to be the most vulnerable part of the population, as they displayed the largest odds for at-risk gambling, and both lifetime and last-year involvement in sports betting, casino games, and slot games playing. This highlights the necessity of targeted public health interventions for the young adult population and people who experiment or already experience problems related to substance use.
Objectives
The objective is to determine association of age, gender, BMI, body image (body satisfaction, body appearance), depression, unhealthy weight control behaviors with smoking among Serbian ...adolescents and specifically association of these variables with smoking for weight control among adolescent smokers.
Methods
This is a secondary analysis of data collected from 2763 students aged 13–15 years old (49.9% boys; 50.1% girls) obtained through cross-sectional Health Behavior in School-aged Children Survey conducted in Serbia in 2018 and analyzed using multivariable logistic regression.
Results
In Serbia, 12.9% adolescents 13–15 years old smoke and 6.6% smoke for weight control, while this practice was present among 48.8% of the smokers. Higher odds of smoking were found among adolescents who perceive themselves thin and good looking, while these two factors didn’t play role for the smoking for weight control among smokers. Depression and unhealthy weight control behavior other than smoking significantly predicted smoking and smoking for weight control. Gender was not associated with smoking in adolescents, but among adolescent smokers, boys had two times higher chance compared to girls to report smoking for weight control.
Conclusions
Findings call for incorporating and strengthening interventions for adolescents’ weight control management and mental health as part of smoking prevention and cessation programs.
The aim of the paper is to present the oral health profile of 12- and 15-year-old schoolchildren in Serbia. Basic Methods for Oral Health Surveys of the WHO were implemented to record: Decayed, ...Missing, and Filled Teeth/Surfaces Index (DMFT/DMFS), gingival bleeding, enamel fluorosis and other structural anomalies, dental erosion, dental trauma, and oral mucosal lesions. In addition, Silness and Löe plaque index and orthodontic status were assessed. A total of 36% of 12-year-olds and 22% of 15-year-olds in Serbia were caries-free. The mean DMFT was 2.32 ± 2.69 for 12-year-olds and 4.09 ± 3.81 for 15-year-olds. DMFT was made up largely by the decayed component. Gingival bleeding was present in 26% of examined 12-year-old and 18% of 15-year-old children. Dental plaque was observed in 63% of both 12- and 15-year-olds. Fluorosis, structural anomalies, dental erosion, dental trauma, and oral mucosal lesion were rarely detected. Low prevalence of malocclusions was found. Oral disease is still a common public health problem among schoolchildren in Serbia. A significant increase in the prevalence of caries disease between 12- and 15-year-old groups implies that preventive care for adolescents requires special attention. Corrective actions and reforms to the current school-based oral health prevention program are needed to further improve oral health in Serbian children.
Introduction: Concurrent use of tobacco products is associated with an increased risk of nicotine dependence and smoking-related health complications. Growing popularity of concurrent use of ...cigarettes and electronic cigarettes and/or waterpipe tobacco is of concern, especially due to the adolescents’ exposure to nicotine and call for the better understanding of patterns and predictors of multiple product use. Methods: This is a secondary analysis of cross-sectional data obtained through the 2017 Global Youth Tobacco Survey conducted in Serbia on a nationally representative sample of 3362 students aged 13 – 15 years. Students were categorized into eight groups based on their experience with cigarette, e-cigarette and waterpipe use. To explore differences in sociodemographic and psychosocial characteristics, students were further placed in four groups: non-users; exclusive cigarette users; users of e-cigarette and/or waterpipe who do not smoke cigarettes; cigarette and other product users. Results: We show that among the 13 – 15 years old students, the most common pattern of tobacco/nicotine use is waterpipe and/or e-cigarette use with no cigarette smoking (7.5%, 95% CI: 6.6 – 8.4) followed by exclusive cigarette use (5.8 %, 95% CI: 5.0 – 6.6). Among cigarette smokers, 52.8% were exclusive cigarette smokers. Having the majority of their friends smoking is a mutual predictor for exclusive cigarette (AOR=33.2, 95% CI: 14.52 – 75.90) waterpipe and/or e-cigarette (AOR=2.57, 95% CI: 1.56 – 4.25) and cigarette and other products use (AOR=52.3, 95% CI:12.28 – 223.22) compared to no use of any product, and the same in the case of exposure at the point-of-sale marketing: exclusive cigarette vs not any product users (AOR=1.82, 95% CI: 1.22 – 2.73); waterpipe and or/ecigarette vs not any product users (AOR=1.64, 95% CI:1.18 – 2.28); and cigarette and other products vs not any product users (AOR=3.40, 95% CI: 1.99 – 5.80). Conclusions: Tobacco control interventions should address dual- and poly-tobacco use with special focus on inter-personal factors and protection from exposure to advertising of e-cigarettes and waterpipes.
Sustainable development and public health quite strongly correlate, being connected and conditioned by one another. This paper therein attempts to offer a representation of Europe's current situation ...of sustainable development in the area of public health.
A dataset on sustainable development in the area of public health consisting of 31 European countries (formally proposed by the European Union Commission and EUROSTAT) has been used in this paper in order to evaluate said issue for the countries listed thereof. A statistical method which synthesizes several indicators into one quantitative indicator has also been utilized. Furthermore, the applied method offers the possibility to obtain an optimal set of variables for future studies of the problem, as well as for the possible development of indicators.
According to the results obtained, Norway and Iceland are the two foremost European countries regarding sustainable development in the area of public health, whereas Romania, Lithuania, and Latvia, some of the European Union's newest Member States, rank lowest. The results also demonstrate that the most significant variables (more than 80%) in rating countries are found to be "healthy life years at birth, females" (r2 = 0.880), "healthy life years at birth, males" (r2 = 0.864), "death rate due to chronic diseases, males" (r2 = 0.850), and "healthy life years, 65, females" (r2 = 0.844).
Based on the results of this paper, public health represents a precondition for sustainable development, which should be continuously invested in and improved.After the assessment of the dataset, proposed by EUROSTAT in order to evaluate progress towards the agreed goals of the EU Sustainable Development Strategy (SDS), this paper offers an improved set of variables, which it is hoped, may initiate further studies concerning this problem.
Background/Aim: The aim of this study was to conduct a comparative analysis of the national oral health programmes in the Balkan countries, to compare key measures and activities in the ...implementation of the general and specific objectives of the programme, and to analyse the results achieved after the implementation of the programme. Material and Methods: The data were obtained through an electronic search of publicly available documents published by the relevant institutions in the field of dental health care in the Balkan countries. The search terms were: "national programme", "strategy", "action plan", "project", and "oral health". The search was conducted in English and in the native languages of the Balkan Peninsula countries. A comparative analysis of valid documents and those whose validity period has expired was carried out. Results: Bulgaria and the Republic of North Macedonia have valid national preventive programmes. In Cyprus, a strategic plan for the provision of dental services is described. An oral health promotion programme for elementary school children and universal preventive programme for children ("dentist pass") have been implemented in Greece. Serbia has a national preventive programme that has expired, but the programme activities still apply. Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Romania, and Turkey do not have national oral health preventive programmes. Countries in the region with no oral health promotion programmes have poorer oral health indicators compared to countries with existing programmes. Conclusions: While countries in the Balkan Peninsula have made progress in improving the oral health of their inhabitants, the absence of national oral health promotion programmes is striking in many countries in the region. Greater involvement of the community in activities to maintain and improve oral health is needed, as is more comprehensive dental care for vulnerable populations. This paper (Part I) compares national oral health promotion programmes of the Balkan countries, the key measures and activities, and general and specific objectives of the programme.
To identify the involvement of Serbian paediatric dentists in oral health promotion and education, and to propose further actions for the improvement of these activities.
This is an analysis of data ...collected by a cross-sectional, questionnaire-based survey of 445 dentists involved in the provision of dental health services to children at the primary healthcare level. We explored dentists' involvement in oral health education and promotion and the cooperation with other health professionals at the healthcare centre and the community level as well as their attitudes towards the importance of some factors influencing their work.
Dentists estimate their cooperation with different services with ratings higher than 3 on the scale of 1 to 5. They reported the highest satisfaction in cooperation with paediatric services for preschool and schoolchildren (4.0±1.0). At the community level, they reported excellent cooperation with kindergartens (4.4±0.8), while collaboration with Roma health mediators (3.14±1.34) and nongovernmental organizations (2.5±1.4) received lower ratings. According to the average rating (4.7±0.7), dentists perceive the motivation of patients and/or their guardians for keeping good oral health as the factor with the highest importance for the quality of interventions they provide.
Dentists involved in the provision of dental healthcare for children and adolescents in primary healthcare centres in Serbia participate in different oral healthcare education and promotion activities in the community, and highlight the importance of strengthening cooperation with healthcare and other professionals and services aimed at vulnerable population groups, both within the health sector and nongovernmental organizations.
Background/Aim: The requirements for dental specialties and the number of specialists in each country are unique and strong indicator of the availability and affordability of primary health care for ...children and adolescents. The aim of this study was to determine the pattern, type and the extent of dental services, as well as the influence of regional factors and data on whether services are provided by a pediatric dentist or general dentist have effect on these parameters, based on information obtained from dentists providing dental care to children and youth. Material and Methods: Within the project "Program for the improvement of oral health of children and youth in the Republic of Serbia", supported by the Ministry of Health of Serbia, a research was conducted among dentists involved in dental care for children and youth in Serbia. Data collection from primary health care facilities was performed through a specially designed questionnaire. A total of 445 questionnaires were collected from dentists from 102 health centers in Serbia in the period June - October 2019. Results: There are significant differences between regions in the pattern, type and the extent of dental services. In the quantitative analysis, there are no significant differences in the type of dental services between pediatric and preventive dentistry specialists and general dentists. Conclusions: The data from the conducted research speak in favor of a large daily workload of dentists who deliver oral health care for children and youth in Serbia. Additional multifactorial analysis, which includes epidemiological data from the region, but also environmental, demographic and cultural parameters of oral health could be the basis for improving the provision of preventive dental and preventive oral care
Background: Overall, Serbian adults are aware of the association of smoking with malignant diseases. However, it is not known whether adult smokers perceive this a risk for future concern. The study ...objective is to understand how smoking related opinions and risk perception in Serbian adults is associated with smoking status in order to support planning of targeted interventions. Methods: Secondary analysis of data drawn from a 2014 cross sectional, National Survey on Lifestyles of Citizens in Serbia. Multivariate logistic regression was used to determine the association of smoking opinions and risk perception with smoking status. Results: A total sample of 5385 adults aged 18-64 years were analysed with a smoking prevalence of 39.8%. Tobacco use ranked 15thof 17 listed problems in Serbia by its perceived importance. Opinions on tobacco use as a problem significantly differs by smoking status (p< 0.001, χ2=90.04). Among those (75.5%) who report tobacco use as rather important or an important problem, 44.5%, are non-smokers, 36.5% are current smokers and 19.1% ex-smokers. There is also a significant difference (p< 0.05, χ2=329.22) in risk perception according to smoking status, 66.5% of adults perceived smoking one or more packs of cigarettes per day to be great risk, of which 48.9%, are non-smokers 31.7% are smokers and 19.4% are ex-smokers. Those who think tobacco is an important problem compared with people who think it is not a problem (OR 1.6, p< 0.001) and those who perceive smoking as not risky (OR,7.0, p< 0.001) compared with those who think it is a great risk, have higher odds of being smokers. Conclusions: Despite high prevalence, smoking is not recognized as important problem in society. Among current smokers, risk perception is low. Findings call for interventions aimed at changing risk perception and opinions on importance of tobacco control.
Aim and objective: Smoke free law came into effect in Serbia on December 2010. Law bans smoking in enclosed public places with exemption to hospitality sector. The aim of the study is to present ...changes in smoking status after the adoption of the smoking ban. Methods: We used data of nine surveys which are conducted since the adoption of the law. First survey was conducted at the time of adoption, followed by surveys three and nine months after adoption of the law and afterwards on annual basis. These surveys were conducted on representative samples of the ca 1000 of Serbian adults. Results: Three months after adoption of the law 22.9% smokers stated that smoke free law had influence on their smoking status in the way they stoped smoking or reduced number of smoked cigarettes. Percentage of smokers that reduced or stopped smoking reached 29.2% in the fourth year after adoption of the law (2014), followed by the decrease. In 2017, less smokers stopped or reduced number of cigarettes (21.6%) compared to the first year. The changes in smoking status by years were statistically significant (p=0.000). One of the factors contributing to the reversed trend might be lower compliance with the Law. Same surveys showed that also that in the fourth year after adoption of the law, percentage of people estimating compliance with the current smoke free law as not good, started to increase and reached 22,8% in 2017. Conclusions: The smoke free law contributed to changes in smoking status and patterns of smoking in Serbia. However, the influence of the smoke free law started to weaken in the forth year after the implementation. Contributing factor might be lower compliance with the law.
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