Trends in General Practitioners/Family Doctors Workload in Croatia in Period 1995–2012

This research aimed to present public data describing the Croatian family doctors (FDs) workload, presented as the average number of patients on the lists, and annual and daily number of consultations per one FD team during the period 1995–2012. Croatian Health Service Yearbook for consecutive years was used as basis for data collection. Impressive increase number of persons on FD lists and significant increase of rate of persons per FD team were observed. Average number of contact to FD team also showed constant increase, starting at level of 5.9 per year in 1995 and reaching 9.6 per year in 2012. However, average number of direct consultation (including physical examination) to FD showed modest increase from level of 4.1 per year in 1995 till level of 5.8 per year in 2005 The number of referrals per one visit remain stable, but the number of referrals per one direct consultation decreased. The data stress problem of discrepancy of increasing number of persons on FD lists and stagnation trend of number of FD teams in Croatian primary health care. Results suggested problem of increasing workload of FD teams, but further research are needed for deeper amylases of the FDs workload

Prvi hrvatski kongres preventivne medicine – obilježja radova (M. Kujundžić Tiljak)

Od ukupno 327 radova najveći udio sačinjavali su dakako radovi iz Republike Hrvatske (84,4%), potom slijede Slovenija (5,5%) te Bosna i Hercegovina (4,6%). čak 6 radova bilo je iz Kanade (1,8%)

Anthropometric measurements of foot length and shape in children 2 to 7 years of age

Background and purpose: A child’s foot changes shape and proportions during growth so that it adapts to function. The purpose of this article is to determine foot length in children aged 2-7 years as a fundamental unit for measuring the growth of the foot, with which it will be able to compare other anthropometric measures of the foot. Determination of the shape of the foot and interpretation of the growth curve of the foot in length are important for standardization of the foot.Materials and methods: The study was conducted on a sample of 2745 children, totalling 5490 feet. Of this, there were 1375 boys and 1370 girls. The population encompassed children aged 2 (1.50-2.49) to 7 (6.50-7.49) years and subjects were divided into 6 age groups. Foot length was measured by measuring tape, while shape was determined clinically.Results: There is no difference in length and shape between the left and right feet of boys and girls across all age and sex groups, and the most common shape was the Egyptian foot shape. The foot grows most rapidly between the 2nd and 3rd year. From the 3rd to 6th years, the foot grows by approximately 1cm yearly, while in girls between the 6th and 7th year the foot grows 5mm.Conclusions: Foot length is the basis for size comparison and determination of foot shape type. The results obtained demonstrate that the foot grows in length equally yearly and that there is no difference between the left and right feet.</p

Growth Charts for Croatian School Children and Secular Trends in Past Twenty Years

The aim of this study was to construct new Croatian growth charts for body height and weight of boys and girls aged 6.5 to 18.5 years and to investigate differences between our and pre-existing studies. Analysis was based on a multistage stratified sample representative for school children aged 6.5 to 18.5, 6046 boys and 5656 girls. Growth reference was constructed using LMS method. Present results demonstrated an increment of body height and weight during the last two decades. Highest increase of body height is in boys aged 13–14 years 6.5 cm, in girls aged 12 years is 5.0 cm. Highest increase of body weight is in 16 year age group of boys 8.7 kg and in 11–12 year age group of girls 5.2 kg. In conclusion, regarding presence of secular trend because previously used growth charts in Croatia are obsolete

Comparison of body mass index percentiles for schoolchildren in Croatia with international reference values

Cilj istraživanja bio je utvrditi centile indeksa tjelesne mase (ITM) školske djece u Hrvatskoj u dobi od 6,5 do 18,5 godina i usporediti ih s referentnim vrijednostima Centara za kontrolu i prevenciju bolesti Sjedinjenih Država (USCDC 2000.) i Svjetske zdravstvene organizacije (WHO 2007.) kako bi se ispitale razlike među tim vrijednostima. Ovo reprezentativno poprečno ispitivanje obuhvatilo je 12.389 školske djece (6372 dječaka and 6017 djevojčica) u dobi od 6,5 do 18,5 godina (stopa odgovora 94,5%). Provedeno je standardizirano mjerenje tjelesne visine i težine. Centilne krivulje za ITM utvrđene su metodom Lambda-Mu-Sigma. Centile ITM školske djece u Hrvatskoj razlikovale su se od analognih centila u dvjema međunarodnim referentnim populacijama. Peta centila bila je u dječaka i djevojčica slična objema referentnim populacijama do dobi od otprilike 13 godina, dok je nakon te dobi pokazala pomak naviše; 50., 85. i 95. centila pokazala je pomak naviše u dječaka svih dobnih skupina, dok je u djevojčica pomak naviše zabilježen do dobi od otprilike 14 godina te pomak naniže nakon te dobi. U zaključku, zabilježene razlike u centilama ITM kod školske djece u Hrvatskoj u usporedbi s referentnim vrijednostima USCDC 2000. i WHO 2007. ukazuju na to da su centile ITM izvedene prema nacionalnom reprezentativnom uzorku primjerenije za procjenu stanja uhranjenosti na nacionalnoj razini. Međunarodni standardi mogli bi se rabiti za usporedbu stanja uhranjenosti među različitim populacijama.The aim was to determine body mass index (BMI) percentiles in Croatian children aged 6.5-18.5 years and to compare them with the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (USCDC 2000) and World Health Organisation (WHO 2007) BMI reference values in order to show the pattern of diff erences. A representative cross-sectional national survey with standardized body height and weight measurements included 12,389 schoolchildren (6372 boys and 6017 girls) aged 6.5-18.5 years (response rate 94.5%). BMI percentile curves were established using the Lambda-Mu-Sigma method. BMI percentiles of the Croatian schoolchildren diff ered from analogical percentiles in two international reference populations. The 5th percentile in boys and girls was similar to both reference populations until the age of about 13 years, and in the age onwards it showed an upward shift. The 50th, 85th and 95th percentiles in boys showed an upward shift in boys in all ages observed; in girls, an upward shift was observed until the age of about 14 years and downward shift in the age onwards. The diff erences observed between BMI percentiles of Croatian schoolchildren and USCDC 2000 and WHO 2007 references imply that BMI percentiles developed on a nationally representative sample would be more appropriate for assessment of nutritional status at the national level, whereas international standards could be used for comparison of nutritional status among diff erent populations

Smoking Habits, Signs of Chronic Diseases and Survival in Inland and Coastal Regions of Croatia: a Follow-up Study

Aim of the study was to estimate, the relationship between survival, smoking habits, and the results of medical examinations in inland and coastal regions of Croatia. Age and sex stratified sample of general population (1,571 men and 1,793 women, 37–56 years old in 1972; followed in 1982: N= 1,090 men; 1,325 women and/or 1972–1999 controlling vital status). Relative risks and 95% confidence limits were estimated using Cox regression in the model with time dependent covariates, separately by sex. In all regions, the proportion of male smokers decreased between 1972 and 1982. The proportion of female smokers increased, differently in urban and rural regions. During the follow-up between 1972 and 1999, 568 deaths were recorded among men and 382 among women. In men, in addition to age, significant hazards of death were the number of smoked cigarettes per day, body mass index, sedative intake, vital lung capacity (FVC), 100FEV1/VC, systolic blood pressure, electrocardiogram, history of heart attack, and region. In women, in addition to age, significant predictors were the number of smoked cigarettes per day, systolic blood pressure, electrocardiogram, history of heart disease (excluding coronary diseases), and region. Survival relative risk increased with each additional smoked pack of cigarettes by 2.4% in women and 1.3% in men. Regional differences vs. smoking habit were observed. These data emphasize the need for prevention of smoking