Browsing by Author "Bjegovic, V. (6602428758)"

The science and practice of the New Public Health have a key role in the promotion of people's health and in the reform of the health system. Serbia experienced many social and economic threats to public health during the 1990s when the health infrastructure both for curative and preventive services gradually deteriorated. Existing skills and knowledge of public health professionals are insufficient in virtually all fields of public health activities. The foundation of the Centre - School of Public Health, within the Medical School of Belgrade University has been a precondition for the improvement of professional training in public health. The objectives are described as (1) education of capable experts in the field of public health, (2) improvement of knowledge in the health sciences, (3) health promotion in cooperation with local communities, (4) training of competent researchers in the field of public health and (5) improvement of the process of decision making and policy formulation. The training programme covers five key areas of education in the domain of public health: (1) public health in Europe, (2) epidemiology and biostatistics, (3) health policy and management, (4) health promotion, health education and social sciences and (5) environment and health. In the first year, 27 students were admitted for the Master of Public Health programme and more than 350 participants attended various short courses for continuing education in public health and health management based on applied learning approach. The next developmental steps focus on sustainability of the programmes for continuing education and research and a wider national and international partnership. © Springer-Verlag 2006.

This study was conducted in Serbia, including Vojvodina and central Serbia, but excluding Kosovo. We aimed to assess the level of knowledge and misconceptions about tuberculosis (TB) in the general population in Serbia. A total of 1,129 inhabitants aged at least 15 years old were interviewed. A combination of telephone and field surveys was used. More than 20% of respondents correctly understood the modes of transmission of TB. However, more than a quarter (28.5%) of respondents had some misconceptions about the possible modes of transmission. Analysis showed that the only significant predictors of a correct understanding of the modes of transmission were the education level and a close personal relationship with a patient with TB. The strongest predictors of misconceptions were older age and an urban type of settlement (odds ratio [OR] 1.5, confidence interval [CI] 1.3-1.6; OR 0.4, CI 0.3-0.6, respectively). A total of 33.9% of respondents could not identify any sign of TB and 86.6% of respondents knew that TB could be treated effectively, but only 20.1% knew that the treatment was free of charge. Our study showed that knowledge about TB is not satisfactory in the general population in Serbia. © 2008 Springer-Verlag.