Cent Eur J Public Health 2025, 33(2)
Colorectal cancer screening to identify undiagnosed hepatitis C in an Austrian cohort
Hannah Hofer, Sebastian Bachmayer, Hannah Oberthaler, Georg Semmler, Sarah Wernly, Sophie Gensluckner, Lea Maria Stangassinger, Bernhard Wernly, Ursula Huber-Schönauer, Bernhard Paulweber, Elmar Aigner, Gertie Janneke Oostingh, Christian Datz
Cent Eur J Public Health 2025, 33(2):83-87 | DOI: 10.21101/cejph.a8270
Objectives: Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection remains a significant public health concern despite the introduction of direct acting antiviral agents. To reach the World Health Organization (WHO) goal of eliminating viral hepatitis as a public health threat by 2030, adequate screening strategies and early diagnosis are crucial. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of HCV infection in an Austrian cohort and assess the feasibility of incorporating HCV screening into colorectal screening programmes. Methods: The study enrolled 1,894 asymptomatic individuals during a colorectal screening programme with a mean age of 57 (± 7 years) years. Sera...
Incidence of tuberculosis in the city of Cordoba and its relationship with areas in need of social transformation: a study from 2015 to 2021
Emilia García Rivera, Carmen Aguilar Romero, Rafael Ruiz Montero, Juan José López Moyano, Mohamed Farouk Allam, Álvaro Serrano Ortiz, Inmaculada Salcedo Leal
Cent Eur J Public Health 2025, 33(2):88-94 | DOI: 10.21101/cejph.a8452
Objectives: In 2022, about 17% of Andalusian population lived in disadvantaged areas, which accounted for 21% of tuberculosis (TB) cases. This concentration of cases resulted in TB rates in these areas being higher than both the regional and national averages. The aim of the present study was to understand the behaviour of TB in terms of person, time, and place in the city of Cordoba during the period 2015-2021 and its association with areas in need of social transformation (ANST). Methods: A retrospective observational analytical study was conducted on cases reported to the Andalusian Epidemiological Surveillance System (Spanish acronym SVEA). Membership...
Body mass index limitation of overweight and obesity in Czech military personnel
Blanka Kupsová, Vladimír Pavlík, Jana Fajfrová, Václav Šafka, Petr Lašák, Jan M. Horáček
Cent Eur J Public Health 2025, 33(2):95-100 | DOI: 10.21101/cejph.a8529
Objectives: The first aim of this cross-sectional study was to reveal the prevalence of overweight and obesity among Czech military personnel (CMP). The second aim was to compare accuracy of the body mass index (BMI) classification with the body fat percentage (BF%), waist circumference (WC), and visceral fat area (VFA). BMI is a commonly used method to assess obesity, but its accuracy in reflecting body composition, especially in physically fit individuals, has been questioned. Methods: Data were collected from six military units in the Czech Republic. Soldiers underwent anthropometric assessments including height, weight, WC, BF%, and VFA using the...
Preventive effect of precautionary lowered exposure or adaptation of nanomaterial workers?
Daniela Pelclová, Tomáš Navrátil, Jaroslav Schwarz, Vladimír Ždímal, Štěpánka Dvořáčková, Pavlína Klusáčková, Štěpánka Vlčková, Andrea Rössnerová
Cent Eur J Public Health 2025, 33(2):101-107 | DOI: 10.21101/cejph.a8524
Objectives: Nanotechnology is a fast-growing field in both science and industry. However, experimental studies brought warning data concerning the negative effect of engineered nanoparticle exposure leading to oxidative stress, inflammation, decreased immune cell viability, and genotoxicity. The consequences of human exposure may appear with decades of latency. Therefore, more data is needed to identify the hazardous effects of nanoparticles. Exposure should be under control and biomarkers of effect are urgently searched. Methods: Exposures of researchers working with nanocomposites were measured in yearly intervals for 5 years and biomarkers of oxidative...
COVID-19 as the occupational disease in employees of the University Hospital Ostrava
Silvie Ostřížková, Daniela Vybíralová, Zdeňka Hajduková, Pavlína Kuchařová, Terezie Lichovníková, Renata Zlotkowska, Hana Tomášková
Cent Eur J Public Health 2025, 33(2):108-115 | DOI: 10.21101/cejph.a8428
Objectives: COVID-19 disease, which has caused a global pandemic, poses significant threat to the healthcare system as healthcare workers (HCW) are at an elevated risk of contracting the disease and being temporarily removed from their regular duties. This study analyses and evaluates a cohort of employees at the University Hospital Ostrava (UHO) who applied for the recognition of COVID-19 as an occupational disease. Methods: The disease characteristics and risk factors for severe cases of COVID-19 were analysed for all 474 claimants who applied for recognition of an occupational disease during the reporting period (March 2020 to November 2022) and...
Retrospective evaluation of measures in the field of occupational health services during the COVID-19 epidemic
Matyáš Fošum, Marie Nakládalová, Ladislav Štěpánek
Cent Eur J Public Health 2025, 33(2):116-121 | DOI: 10.21101/cejph.a8626
Objectives: In the Czech Republic, employers and employees are bound by legal regulations that ensure occupational health and safety. These regulations are based on international conventions of the International Labour Organization and directives of the European Parliament and Council and have long been incorporated into Czech legislation. During the COVID-19 epidemic, emergency and crisis measures led to a limitation of occupational health examinations (OHEs) in the Czech Republic, which represented a significant disruption of the occupational health and safety system. The aim of the study was to assess the impact of these measures in order to find...
Alcohol use and COVID-19: three-year impact for the Czech Republic
Vladimír Rogalewicz, Benjamin Petruželka, Jaroslav Vacek, Michal Miovský, Ingeborg Rossow, Carolin Kilian, Jakob Manthey, Miroslav Barták
Cent Eur J Public Health 2025, 33(2):122-131 | DOI: 10.21101/cejph.a8410
Objectives: The aim of the study was to describe alcohol consumption and its changes in the Czech Republic during the period of governmental restrictions related to the COVID-19 pandemic. To this goal, an overview of the governmental measures that may have affected alcohol consumption was compiled from various sources (mostly media reports). Methods: The paper analyses three surveys where the group from Charles University, Prague, participated in design and execution: the European Study Group on Alcohol use and COVID-19 (ESAC) convenience online survey that (in Czechia) took place at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in Europe, in April through June...
Potential impact of e-cigarettes on life-years lost from conventional smoking in Ukraine, a replication study
Giorgi Mzhavanadze, Vladimir Dubrovskiy
Cent Eur J Public Health 2025, 33(2):132-139 | DOI: 10.21101/cejph.a8382
Objectives: Smoking remains a significant public health concern in Ukraine. Recent efforts to combat smoking have shown some progress, but Ukraine's current approach largely overlooks the potential benefits of harm reduction strategies. Concurrently, the use of e-cigarettes has been on the rise among Ukrainian adults. Our study aims to estimate the potential impact of e-cigarettes on reducing the mortality rate associated with cigarette smoking in Ukraine. Methods: We conducted a replication study using a dynamic population simulation model initially developed for the US. We ran simulations for 210 e-cigarette scenarios, varying assumptions on how...
Beliefs about third-hand smoke and health perceptions of the preschool paediatric patients' parents
Esma Üçüncü, Fatma Gökşin Cihan, Hatice Küçükceran, Sevgi Pekcan, Gökçen Ünal
Cent Eur J Public Health 2025, 33(2):140-147 | DOI: 10.21101/cejph.a8357
Objectives: Millions of children suffer from the harmful effects of tobacco smoking. The aim of this study was to investigate the health perceptions of preschool paediatric patient's parents and their beliefs and attitudes towards third-hand smoke. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted with the parents of pre-school paediatric patients. A questionnaire including the socio-demographic information form, the Beliefs About Third-Hand Smoke (BATHS-T) scale and the Perception of Health Scale (PHS) were applied to the participants. Results: Of the 500 parents participating in the study, 74.6% were mothers. Among participants 440 (88.0%) stated...
Tobacco use among health professionals: example of one of the largest Czech hospitals, 2012-2023
Eva Králíková, Lenka Štěpánková, Anna Horňáková
Cent Eur J Public Health 2025, 33(2):148-151 | DOI: 10.21101/cejph.a8435
Objectives: The General University Hospital in Prague (GUH) is one of the largest hospitals in the Czech Republic. The prevalence of smoking among hospital staff is monitored as part of its Health Promoting Hospitals (HPH) network membership. Methods: This study employed a cross-sectional design, utilizing anonymous questionnaires distributed to all hospital employees in the years 2012 and 2023 through the hospital's electronic system (response rates 25% and 28%, respectively). Data were analysed using chi-square tests to compare smoking prevalence across time and among subgroups based on profession, sex and age group. Results: The total prevalence...