Browsing by Author "Davidovic, Dragana (13614022900)"

Objectives: Adults aged 65 years and older comprise one fifth of the Serbian population. Many of them have multiple, often diet-related comorbidities. We aimed to investigate their dietary habits by comparing them with younger adults' and to determine the relation of the differing ones to demographic, socioeconomic and health factors. Methods: We performed a secondary analysis of 2013 Serbian National Health Survey data on 14,082 adults. Binary logistic regression was used to determine dietary habits associated with older age (≥65 years) compared to younger age (18–64 years) and to assess their independent predictors in older adults. Results: Older adults more often reported everyday breakfast (OR = 2.085, 95%CI = 1.622–2.680) and brown/wholegrain bread consumption (OR = 1.681, 95% CI = 1.537–1.839), while using margarine (OR = 0.578, 95%CI = 0.397–0.839), discretionary salt (sometimes: OR = 0.648, 95%CI = 0.596–0.705, almost always: OR = 0.522, 95%CI = 0.445–0.614) and consuming fish (two or more times a week: OR = 0.465, 95%CI = 0.383–0.566) less frequently than younger adults. This was mainly positively related to urban environment, affluence, higher education and poor health. Conclusion: Using nationally representative data, we found that older adults reported healthier dietary habits compared to younger adults, which requires timely public health action. © Copyright © 2021 Stosovic, Vasiljevic, Jovanovic, Cirkovic, Paunovic and Davidovic.

Background: A significant reduction in bacterial growth on stethoscope membranes has been noticed after performing daily disinfection. Nevertheless, disinfection is rarely performed. We aimed to assess self-reported stethoscope disinfection practices among medical doctors, detect bacterial contamination on personal stethoscopes, and estimate the effectiveness of 70% ethanol as a stethoscope disinfecting agent. Methods: To determine stethoscope disinfection practices, participants filled out a questionnaire (N = 47), followed by providing stethoscopes for bacterial analysis. Differences in bacterial contamination were observed through the self-reported frequency and method of stethoscope disinfection. The effect of disinfecting with 70% ethanol was evaluated by comparing the presence of bacterial growth before and after disinfection. Results: The presence of bacterial growth was found in 78.7% of the stethoscope samples, with the median (interquartile range) number of colony-forming units at 25 (10-105). The frequency of disinfection greatly impacted the number of colony-forming units, and the method affected the presence of bacterial growth. Disinfection of stethoscope membranes using 70% ethanol resulted in a compelling 97.3% reduction of bacterial growth. Conclusions: Adequate stethoscope disinfection is highly efficient in reducing bacterial contamination and as such should be considered a critical step in hygienic practices. © 2023 Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology, Inc.