Background: Mobile phone messaging, such as Short Message Service (SMS) and Multimedia Message Service (MMS), has rapidly grown into a mode of communication with a wide range of applications, including communicating the results from medical investigations to patients. Alternative modes of communication of results include face-to-face communication, postal messages, calls to landlines or mobile phones, through web-based health records and email. Possible advantages of mobile phone messaging include convenience to both patients and healthcare providers, reduced waiting times for health services and healthcare costs. Objectives: To assess the effects of mobile phone messaging for communicating results of medical investigations, on people's healthcare-seeking behaviour and health outcomes. Secondary objectives include assessment of participants' evaluation of the intervention,direct and indirect healthcare costs and possible risks and harmsassociated with the intervention. Search methods: We searched the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL, The Cochrane Library 2009, Issue 2), MEDLINE (OvidSP) (January 1993 to June 2009), EMBASE (OvidSP) (January 1993 to June 2009), PsycINFO (OvidSP) (January 1993 to June 2009), CINAHL (EbscoHOST) (January 1993 to June 2009), LILACS (January 1993 to June 2009) and African Health Anthology (January 1993 to June 2009). We also reviewed grey literature (including trial registers) and reference lists of articles. Selection criteria: We included randomised controlled trials (RCTs),quasi-randomised controlled trials (QRCTs), controlled before-after (CBA) studies, or interrupted time series (ITS) studies with at least three time points before and after the interventions. (Abstract truncated at 2000 characters)
COBISS.SI-ID: 30291161
Introduction: Internet use is important for health education, patient support,professional medical education and healthcare quality. Medical information is amongst the most important information on the internet. Aim: The aim of the research was an analysis of modern information sources, especially the websites and email of the Institute of Public Health of Ljubljana (IPH Lj). Methods: Using statistical analysis of the website, its' "behaviour" online was evaluated in detail. This was done, with a tool for presenting statistical data - Google Analytics. We reviewed how IPH Lj provides information to users online: general information about the activitiesof the Institute at www.zzv-lj.si, and information on travel medicine at www.zdravinapot.si.
COBISS.SI-ID: 29977305
To estimate the pre-vaccination prevalence of cervical infections with 14 high-risk human papillomavirus (hr-HPV) types among 20-64 years old Slovenian women screened for cervical cancer in 2010, we consecutively enrolled 4431 women in 16 outpatient gynaecology services. All were screened with Digene Hybrid Capture 2 HPV DNA Test and Abbott Real Time High Risk HPV Test and all positive specimens genotyped. Prevalence of cervical infection with any hr-HPV type examined was 12.9% with HPV16 3.5% and with HPV18 1.0%. Age specific prevalence estimates were the highest among 20-24 years old women and decreased with age. HPV16 prevalence was lowest among women without evidence of cervical disease and increased with the severity to 41.9% in women with high grade squamous intraepithelial lesion. Our results provide baseline data for monitoring the impact of Slovenian HPV vaccination program and development of future cervical cancer screening strategies in cohorts eligible for free HPV vaccination.
COBISS.SI-ID: 2578917
Background: Social economic conditions have an important influence on health and health behaviour. In Slovenia, there have been no in-depth engagements into researching the differences in the health of children and young people correlated to their socioeconomic conditions. In the article, we intend to research the connection between the socio-economic status and selected indicators of self-evaluated health and health-related behaviour in young people in our country. Methods: The research uses a quantitative methodology, namely the standard international survey questionnaire, in which 5130 11, 13 and 15 year olds were included. Sampling was performed randomly stratified; the sampling unit was a class. For the purposes of the analysis, the chi-square and logistical regression were used. Results: The analysis of the connectedness between socio-economic status and selected indicators of health and health-related behaviour in young people shows that the socio-economic status is significantly connected to all the selected indicators. However, the connectedness is mostly weak. Adolescents from families with a low socio-economic status (in comparison with adolescents from families with a high socio-economic status) more often evaluate their own health worse, are less satisfied with their own life, eat less fruit per day, are less physically active, more often evaluate themselves as overweight, wash their teeth less often and have had fewer injuries in the last twelve month. Conclusions: Measures for preventing health inequalities have to be planned from the political to the individual level. Population programs and measures that would strengthen health and safety factors for the whole population and reduce inequalities are needed, as well as special programs and measures for children and adolescents from poorer families and also their families, who will be given the opportunity for fair and equal access to activities and sources for a healthy life.
COBISS.SI-ID: 2705893
In this project we use an age-stratified sample of 100 men and 100 women aged 55 years and older who were residents of the Selska valley in order to explore two health indices, allostatic load (AL), and frailty. AL assesses lifelong stress responses using commonly assessed and clinically meaningful aspects of physiology; our frailty index assesses current somatic well-being using 5 aspects of functioning. Both correlate with clinical morbidity, self-reported health, life style, health history, and well-being. Our research site includes 9 villages located in the isolated Selska valley. Given their relative isolation, residents of this region provide a natural experimental setting for assessing stress, frailty, morbidity, and senescence in a local isolate. This isolated alpine setting provides numerous advantages for continuing research on health, disease and senescence. Our fieldwork protocols include detailed health demographic and SES interviews, measurement of blood pressure, anthropometry, walking speed, strength/endurance, and collection of blood and saliva samples for determinations of hormones, plasma proteins, and lipids. In this paper, we present one segment of data for 41 participants on self-report health and use of prescription medications during our 2008-2010 survey. In general, most participants rate themselves as being in good to excellent health (34/41 = 85%). However, over 66% are taking medications for a chronic condition, with about 25% taking 4 or more medications.
COBISS.SI-ID: 2710501