Browsing by Author "Popović, Aleksandra (36192200300)"

Background/Aim. Around 30% of university students have chronic diseases and/or special care needs. As future taskforce in various job sectors will be drawn from current university student population, it is essential that their healthrelated problems are recognized and properly managed. The aims of this study were to estimate the prevalence and patterns of chronic diseases in the university student population and to assess their health-related quality of life (HRQoL). Methods. A total of 1,624 Belgrade University students were recruited from April to June 2009 at the Student Public Health Center. The students filled in sociodemographic and behavioral questionnaire, the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) and the SF-36 questionnaire. Data on chronic diseases were self-reported and thereafter validated in medical records. The impact of chronic diseases on HRQoL was evaluated through series of linear regression models. Results. The prevalence of chronic diseases was 16.5%. The most common chronic diseases were asthma and chronic bronchitis (4.2% and 3.1%, respectively). All SF-36 domains, both composite and total scores were lower compared to healthy students (p < 0.001). Females with chronic diseases reported all eight HRQoL domains as worse, whilst males with chronic diseases reported some HRQoL domains as worse. After adjustment, having chronic diseases remained significantly associated with worse HRQoL [beta (β) -5.69; 95% confidence interval (CI) -8.09, -3.28]. Conclusion. To meet the needs of university students, the health care service should provide support in prevention and treatment of chronic diseases. © 2018, Inst. Sci. inf., Univ. Defence in Belgrade. All rights reserved.

Introduction: Over the past few years, the results of numerous studies have emphasized the importance of adolescents' insufficient knowledge about reproductive health (RH), which implies an increasing trend of unwanted pregnancies and sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate knowledge, attitudes and behaviour of adolescents about RH in the population of Belgrade. Method: The study comprised 292 students from three secondary schools in Belgrade involved in the research February 1-15, 2008. The semistructured questionnaire about adolescents' knowledge, attitudes and behaviour about RH was filled in by themselves in presence of a student-investigator who provided assistance when necessary. Statistical analysis included χ2 test and correlation analysis. Results: Most adolescents (70.5%) showed the medium level of knowledge about RH. In our study, 33.6% of adolescents were sexually active. Sexually active students achieved a better score on the test about RH compared with the students who have not had sexual intercourse yet (χ2-test=34.003; p<0.01). The average age of the first sexual intercourse was 16.5 years for females, and 15.7 years for males. The students with a lower average grade in school education experienced the first sexual intercourse earlier compared to the adolescents with a higher average grade during the school education (ρ=0.485; p<0.01). The most common (73.4%) source of information about RH is mass media. Conclusion: The results of our study indicate the need for more intensive and comprenhensive educational programmes in the area of RH for adolescents in our country.

Introduction Obesity in children has become a global epidemic with many health and social consequences that often continue into adulthood. According to the International Obesity Task Force report from 2005, Serbia has had one of the most rapidly increasing trends in the prevalence of childhood obesity during the last 10 years. Objective The aim of the study was to estimate the prevalence of childhood obesity in a sample of schoolchildren in Belgrade and to investigate the correlation between child obesity and the presence of selected diseases. Method The study comprised of 854 pupils from two primary schools in Belgrade. The anthropometric data, as well as the data on the presence of selected diseases were obtained from medical records of regular health check-ups in the period from 2006-2007. The classification of childhood obesity was done according to the WHO percentiles reference data for obesity and overweight in children. Statistical analyses included χ2 test and correlation analysis. Results In our sample of schoolchildren, the prevalence of obesity was 30.7%. The following diseases were present among the pupils: spinal deformities 192 (22.5%), chest wall deformities 90 (10.5%) and foot deformities 226 (26.5%). Statistically significant correlation was registered between child obesity and the presence of spinal (ρ=0.192; p=0.001) and foot deformities (ρ=0.099; p=0.049). Chest wall deformities were more frequent in the group of children with normal weight compared with the obese group (χ2=0.206; p=0.052). Statistically significant correlation was registered between childhood obesity and the presence of hypertension (ρ=0.261; p=0.001). Regular physical activity was in correlation with the absence of childhood obesity (ρ=-0.093; p=0.055). Conclusions In our sample of Belgrade schoolchildren, we detected a high prevalence of obesity. Furthermore, a significant correlation between childhood obesity and the presence of hypertension, spinal deformities and foot deformities were also observed.