Genetically modified food as a special case of risk in modern society

This paper focuses on the issue of genetically modified food, which is a special case of risk in contemporary society. The author attempts to describe the positions of individual parties involved in the discourse on GMOs, such as NGOs, scientists, farmers, agro-chemical corporations, or government. Risks that could potentially cause the cultivation of transgenic plants, the author divides the work: health risks, environmental risks, and socio-economic risks.Niniejsza praca koncentruje się na zagadnieniu żywności modyfikowanej genetycznie, która jest szczególnym przypadkiem ryzyka we współczesnym społeczeństwie. Autor podejmuje próbę opisu stanowisk poszczególnych stron, zaangażowanych w dyskurs na temat GMO, takich jak organizacje pozarządowe, naukowcy, rolnicy, korporacje agrochemiczne, czy rząd. Zagrożenia, które może potencjalnie wywoływać uprawa roślin transgenicznych autor pracy dzieli na: zagrożenia dla zdrowia, zagrożenia dla środowiska, oraz zagrożenia społeczno-ekonomiczne

Health and quality of life vs. occupational activity

The level of quality of life and health status of the population largely depends on the determinants related to occupational activity. The results of reviewed bibliography indicate a significant and growing importance of employment conditions on the quality of life and population health status in most countries of the world, especially in those with market economy. Of the evaluated determinants the following factors should be listed in particular: sources and the amount of income, stability of the income and employment, the nature of work and the degree of job satisfaction, as well as autonomy and career prospects. Moreover, they proved that the situation of persisting and long-term unemployment and precarious employment leads to a significant deterioration in the quality of life and health, especially among young people. In conclusion, the study of quality of life and population health status should take into consideration factors related to occupational activity. Med Pr 2016;67(5):663–67

Changes in alcohol consumption among medical students during the COVID-19 pandemic – results from POLLEK study

Objectives Social distancing and remote learning as one of the ways to fight against COVID-19 pandemic have affected universities and changed the lifestyle of many students. Psychoactive substances use was one of the way to deal with the anxiety caused by these new settings. Studies published so far have not provided a clear answer on whether COVID-19 leads to changes in the structure of alcohol consumption among medical students. The presented study attempted to answer this question based on the data available from the POLLEK study. Material and Methods The study group included 3 separate groups of medical students (recruited in the following academic years: 2019/2020, 2020/2021, and 2021/2022) with a total number of 899 students. To assess the characteristics of alcohol consumption the authors used a Polish version of the Alcohol Use Disorder Identification Test (AUDIT). Results Students surveyed during the lockdown lived in the family home much more often, reported good health, and declared consumption of a smaller number of alcoholic beverages. Their AUDIT scores were statistically significantly (p = 0.04) lower compared to the group surveyed before the pandemic (5 vs. 6, respectively). There were no significant differences in the AUDIT results between other study periods. Conclusions Lockdown due to COVID-19 pandemic might be associated with a decrease in alcohol intake among medical students. This may be due to a different place of residence of students, a family home rather than a dormitory. However, the debate on this topic seems to be still open. Int J Occup Med Environ Health. 2023;36(3):406–1

The review of prospective studies on mental health and the quality of life of physicians and medical students

Determinanty psychospołeczne odgrywają istotną rolę w kształtowaniu zdrowia psychicznego oraz jakości życia pracowników, w tym lekarzy. W niniejszym przeglądzie piśmiennictwa wykazano, że problemy zdrowia psychicznego lekarzy przejawiają się w postaci zespołu przewlekłego zmęczenia oraz wypalenia zawodowego i mają związek z przewlekłym narażeniem na stres w pracy. Ponadto opublikowane dane wskazują, że do najistotniejszych problemów zdrowia psychicznego studentów medycyny oraz młodych lekarzy należą: uzależnienie od alkoholu oraz ryzykowny sposób jego konsumpcji, depresja, a także potencjalne zachowania samobójcze. Omówione w pracy badania mające na celu identyfikację stanu zdrowia psychicznego i jakości życia lekarzy oraz ich uwarunkowań były prowadzone głównie na podstawie obserwacji prospektywnych, dających możliwość śledzenia zmian w czasie.Psychosocial determinants play a significant role in shaping mental health and the quality of life of workers, including physicians. The results of the presented review indicate that mental health problems of physicians are particularly manifested by chronic fatigue syndrome and burnout syndrome, and are related to chronic stress exposure at the workplace. Moreover, published data suggest that the most important mental health problems of medical students and young doctors include alcohol addiction and risky alcohol consumption, depression, and potential suicidal ideation. The studies on mental health and the quality of life of physicians, including their determinants, as presented in this paper, were mostly conducted on the basis of prospective observations that enable the tracking of changes over time

Quality of Life and Health among People Living in an Industrial Area of Poland

Background: The quality of life and health status of the population significantly depends on socio-economic factors, including working and employment conditions. Methods: This epidemiological cross-sectional study was carried out among young inhabitants aged 25–44 years living in the Silesian voivodeship in Poland. The quality of life was evaluated using the short version of the WHOQOL-BREF questionnaire. Results: A total of 905 respondents were examined. It was shown that the poor quality of life in all assessed domains was associated with a low job satisfaction level, low physical activity, and higher self-assessed health status. Furthermore, the worse self-assessed health status in the study group was mainly related to such factors as earlier diagnosed chronic disease, lower job satisfaction, and low physical activity. Additionally, diagnosed chronic disease among occupationally active respondents was correlated with health deterioration due to excessive stress, living in the vicinity of heavy road traffic, and was declared by women more frequently. Conclusions: The results of the presented study confirmed that the quality of life and health status in young inhabitants of the Silesian voivodeship significantly depends on the work characteristics, employment conditions and lifestyle factors

The Reliability and Compatibility of the Paper and Electronic Versions of the POLLEK Cohort Study Questionnaire

Background: Chronic fatigue, depression, burnout syndrome, and alcohol addiction have been identified as significant mental health problems in young medical doctors. Given the lack of prospective studies in this area in Poland, the POLski LEKarz (POLLEK) cohort study was created. The goal of the POLLEK study is to assess the quality of life and health status (including mental health) of medical students and young physicians. The aim of the presented paper was to assess the reliability and compatibility of paper and electronic versions of the POLLEK questionnaire. Methods: Between 1 October 2019 and 28 February 2020, all medical students (N = 638) of the first year in the Medical University of Silesia were invited to participate in a cross-sectional study. Three hundred and fifty-three students (55.3%) who accomplished both versions were included in the current analysis. Results: Values of Cronbach’s alpha >0.7 proved both modes of delivery to have good internal consistency, except for the individual Alcohol Use Disorder Identification Test (AUDIT) domains and the Environmental domain of the WHOQOL-BREF (paper version). Similarly, interclass correlation coefficients equal to or greater than 0.9 denoted an excellent reproducibility. Conclusions: We documented very good accordance and reproducibility of POLLEK questionnaire (both paper and electronic versions). These findings legitimize the use of the questionnaire interchangeably

Determinants of Alcohol Consumption among Medical Students: Results from POLLEK Cohort Study

Background: The use of alcohol is a serious public health concern all over the world, especially among young people, including students. Medical students are often exposed to higher levels of distress, which may lead to a higher prevalence of psychoactive substance use and psychiatric co-morbidities. Alcohol abuse can be one of the detrimental methods of coping with distress. The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence of alcohol use among medical students in Poland. Methods: We analyzed data from the POLLEK cohort study on alcohol consumption and possible influencing factors. Results: Among the 540 students included, 167 (30.9%) were hazardous drinkers (HAZ) according to the AUDIT test. The main identified risk factors of hazardous/harmful drinking were male gender and smoking cigarettes. Conclusions: Given the fairly widespread alcohol abuse among medical students, it is necessary to implement screening (and intervention in the next stage) programs in these groups

The Association between COVID-19 Pandemic and the Quality of Life of Medical Students in Silesian Voivodeship, Poland

(1) Background: Since the COVID-19 pandemic spread rapidly in 2020, medical universities have been affected by a particular crisis. Due to the increased risk of SARS CoV-2 transmission, the authorities of medical faculties all over the world, including Poland, started to minimize direct contact between students. The objective of the paper is to identify and assess determinants of the quality of life among medical students in Poland before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. (2) Methods: We analyzed data obtained in a cross-sectional study performed among three groups of students tested in three consecutive research periods: period before the COVID-19 pandemic, the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown period and the COVID-19 pandemic period following lockdown. (3) Results: The total number of participants was 1098. We identified that the research period before the COVID-19 pandemic was the risk factor for lower quality of life in terms of the somatic and environmental domains. It was also confirmed that determinants such as poor financial situation, low frequency of physical activity and bad self-declared health status harmed the QoL scores in all domains. (4) Conclusions: The obtained results confirmed that better financial situation, higher physical activity and better self-declared health status were statistically significant factors improving the quality of life of first-year medical students in Poland. The findings of our study also showed that the declared somatic and environmental domains of QoL among medical students were better during the COVID-19 pandemic period. Our observations confirmed that the immediate implementation of e-learning could protect against the deterioration of mental health and quality of life in first-year medical students during possible future epidemic crises

Hospital medical care and the COVID-19 mortality in METEOR partner countries (the Netherlands, Belgium, Italy, And Poland)

Objectives Healthcare systems in European countries, including METEOR partner countries, are faced with the aging population, an increase in costs for innovative technologies and medication, a shortage of health professionals, and inequality in access to healthcare. Presented paper aimed to recognize and compare the functioning of healthcare systems between METEOR partner countries and simultaneously check if the current epidemiological situation of COVID-19 has some relationship with the number of medical staff, yearly gross domestic product, or documented percentage of fully vaccinated people. Material and Methods In the model of descriptive epidemiological study, available demographic, socioeconomic, and healthcare organizational data in the Netherlands, Belgium, Italy, and Poland were compared to the epidemiological situation of the COVID-19 pandemic (percentage of fully vaccinated people, incidence, and mortality) in all mentioned countries. Results Obtained data confirmed that the lowest number of physicians, as well as the life expectancy and gross domestic product per capita, is in Poland. Simultaneously, the lower number of medical staff and lower gross domestic product (GDP) correspond to higher mortality due to COVID-19. The percentage of fully vaccinated with the last dose of the primary series was also the lowest in Poland. Conclusions Obtained results confirmed that higher mortality due to COVID-19 in METEOR participants’ countries is related to a lower number of medical staff and weaker GDP. The worse situation was noted in Poland, a country with problems in the functioning healthcare system, including hospital care and a serious shortage of practicing medical staff. Int J Occup Med Environ Health. 2023;36(3):417–2