Health locus of control and sociodemographic factors in older adults: Insights from exercise programs – Crosssectional study

Introduction: Aging is an inherent and progressive process affecting all living organisms, characterized by physical, mental, and psychological changes. With the societal changes that involve rapid information exchange, there is also a change in the behavior of older individuals. The aim of this study is to analyze the level of health locus of control in older adults participating in exercise programs and its association with certain sociodemographic factors. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted from November 2018 to March 2019. A total of 200 individuals aged 65 and older, who were participating in free exercise programs, were included. Among them, 190 were female, and only 10 were male. For the purposes of this study, the Health Locus of Control Scale (Croatian- ZLK-90) and a general questionnaire on demographic characteristics were used. The questionnaire was completed in a traditional pen-and-paper format. Results: The results of the Health Locus of Control Scale revealed that, among the respondents, the Eo scale (Circumstances) component had the highest median score of 21.00, while the Evd scale (Important Others) showed the lowest median at 18.00. Furthermore, the findings indicated statistically significant differences in certain subscales of the Health locus of control scale. Specifically, there was a significant difference in the Eo scale (Circumstances) associated with the respondents’ level of education, with the highest ranks found among individuals with the lowest education level. A statistically significant difference was also observed in the factor related to respondents’ living arrangements, demonstrating a significant variation in the I scale (Internal Locus) for those who live alone. Conclusion: This study unveiled the health-related locus of control level and its correlation with demographic characteristics in older adults engaged in exercise programs. The findings provide valuable insights into the relationship between the health locus of control and specific traits of the active older population

PERCEPCIJA UTJECAJA OKOLIŠNIH ČIMBENIKA NA ZDRAVLJE U VUKOVARSKO-SRIJEMSKOJ ŽUPANIJI

Zagađenje okoliša je složeno pitanje s obzirom na kruženje tvari u prirodi. Utjecaj onečišćenja na zdravlje ljudi ovisi o nekoliko čimbenika, kao što su doza, vrijeme izlaganja i stupanj štetnosti svakog čimbenika. S obzirom da na području Vukovarsko-srijemske županije, osim praćenja kakvoće vode, ne postoji uspostavljen sustav kontinuiranog praćenja kakvoće zraka i tla, buke te ionizirajućeg zračenja, u radu se nastojalo istražiti percepciju stanovnika županije o stupnju onečišćenja okoliša. Istraživanjem je obuhvaćeno 105 odraslih ispitanika (N=105), od čega 74 muškarca i 31 žena, a korištena je neeksperimentalna metoda i kvantitativni pristup istraživanju. Rezultati pokazuju relativno nisku percepciju kvalitete okoliša jer većina ispitanika smatra da je okoliš u dobrom stanju (47,6%) i prihvatljivom (39%). Samo 10% ispitanika smatra da je okoliš u izvrsnom stanju a 3,8% ispitanika smatra da je okoliš izrazito zagađen. Ispitanici smatraju da su najzagađeniji: zrak (38,1%), zatim tlo (25,7%) voda (12,4%) hrana (9,5%) i 14,3% ispitanika smatra da u navedenim kategorijama nema onečišćenja. Na Likertovoj ljestvici (1-5) samoprocjene trenutnog utjecaja okolišnih čimbenika na zdravlje ispitanika, većina rezultata je u lijevom dijelu raspona skale (1-3) kako slijedi: "ni malo" 21%, "malo" 30,5%, "ni malo ni puno" 34,3%, "mnogo" 11,4% i "jako" 2,9%.Čimbenici za koje se smatralo da imaju najveći utjecaj na zdravlje bili su mehanički čimbenici (17 ispitanika), biološki (15 ispitanika) te buka (12 ispitanika)

Virtualna stvarnost u rehabilitaciji i liječenju

This paper describes virtual reality and some of its potential applications in rehabilitation and therapy. Some aspects of this technology are discussed with respect to different problem areas (sensorimotor impairments, autism, learning difficulties), as well as previous research which investigated changes within some motor and motivation parameters in relation to rehabilitation of children with motor impairments. Emphasis is on the positive effects of virtual reality as a method in which rehabilitation and therapy can be offered and evaluated within a functional, purposeful and motivating context.U radu se prikazuje opis virtualne stvarnosti i neke mogućnosti njezine primjene u rehabilitaciji i terapiji. Navedeni su neki vidovi primjene ove tehnologije u različitim problemskim područjima (senzomotorički poremećaji, autizam, teškoće u učenju), kao i neka znanstvena istraživanja u kojima su se ispitivale promjene nekih parametara motorike i motivacije vezane uz rehabilitaciju djece s motoričkim poremećajima. Naglašeni su pozitivni učinci virtualne stvarnosti kao metode u kojoj se rehabilitacijski i terapijski postupci mogu provoditi i ocjenjivati unutar funkcionalnog, planiranog i motivirajućeg konteksta

FREQUENCY OF USE OF THE INTERNET BY THE ELDERLY

Uvod: Starost i starenje kroz povijest bili su predmet interesa u umjetnosti, literaturi i znanosti. Filozofi su starost povezivali sa mudrošću i autoritetom, liječnici sa bolešću i fiziološkim promjenama koje nastaju tijekom godina, a gerontologija u svojim teorijama želi prikazati starost sa svim njezinim prednostima uključujući utjecaje bioloških, psiholoških, socijalnih i ekonomskih faktora na proces starenja i starosti. Cilj: Učestalost korištenja interneta i socijalnih mreža na internetu kod osoba starije životne dobi. Metode: u istraživanju je korišten dio anketnog upitnika koji se odnosi na sklonost korištenja različitih medija. Rezultati: provedeno istraživanje pokazuje da starije osobe imaju važnu ulogu u razvoju stereotipa o starijim osobama svojim stavovima i svojim ponašanjem. U svakodnevnom životu gotovo da ne koriste sve vrste medija, osobito one novijeg doba, kao što su internet i internetske socijalne mreže, ali je prisutno svakodnevno informiranje putem lokalnih medija i televizije koji imaju veliku ulogu u stvaranju stavova. Zaključak: slabo korištenje novih oblika medija kao što su internet, internetske društvene mreže možda su rezultat lošije ekonomske situacije i još uvijek slabije obrazovanosti starijih osoba. U budućnosti se očekuje promjena u obrazovnom statusu starijih osoba pa time i njihov interes za modernije medijske izbore.Introduction: Age and aging throughout history have been the subject of interest in the arts, literature and science. Philosophers associated age with wisdom and authority, doctors with the diseases and physiological changes that occur during the years, and gerontology in their theories wants to show age with all its advantages, including the effects of biological, psychological, social and economic factors in the aging process and age. Objective: The frequency of using the Internet and social networks within the elderlies. Methods: The study used a part of the questionnaire which refers to the tendency of using different media. Results: conducted research shows that older persons play an important role in developing stereotypes about the elderly, their attitudes and their behavior. In everyday life, they almost not use all types of media, especially new ones, such as the Internet and online social networks, but daily informing through local media and television is present, which has a major role in creating attitudes. Conclusion: poor use of new forms of media such as the Internet and social networks may have been the result of worse economic situation and low education level of the elderlies. In the future, changes in the educational status of the elderlies are expected and, therefore, their interest in modern media choices