Ideal cardiovascular health (CVH) has been defined by the American Heart Association as the lack of cardiovascular disease and the presence of seven key factors and health behaviors. In this study, we aimed to estimate the prevalence of ideal and poor CVH among the Polish adult population based on the example of the inhabitants of Janów district in Lubelskie Voivodship, taking the chosen socio-demographic factors into consideration. This is a cross-sectional study conducted among 3901 adults without cardiovascular diseases, aged between 35 and 64 years. Participants completed a questionnaire, and they had anthropometric and physiological measurements taken. Blood samples were analyzed for fasting glucose and cholesterol levels. Ideal CVH was found in 5.4% of the participants, with the advantage of being toward city dwellers over those living in the rural areas (6.3% vs. 5.0%) p = 0.02. In the case of the residents of rural areas, their likelihood of having an ideal body mass index (BMI) was found to be 22% lower (odds ratio (OR) = 0.78; 95% CI: 0.66–0.92), their likelihood of having an ideal diet was found to be 27% lower (OR = 0.71; 95% CI: 0.54–0.94), their likelihood of having perfect blood pressure was found to be 29% lower (OR = 0.71; 95% CI: 0.56–0.89), and their likelihood of having the perfect glucose levels was found to be 28% lower (OR = 0.72; 95% CI: 0.63–0.84), than the residents of urban areas. The prevalence of ideal cardiovascular behaviors and factors is lower in the rural community compared with people living in the city. Results indicate that more effort should be dedicated toward the country’s health policy, specifically concerning primary prevention. Preventive actions in the field of cardiovascular disease should be addressed to the residents of rural areas to a larger extent.

Introduction. Depressive disorders are one of the most common psychiatric disorders. Recognition of signs of mental health disorders is not always easy, hence the availability of simple and accurate tools for assessing them is very important in the practice of primary care. Objective. The aim of the study is to assess the theoretical accuracy and reliability of the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) in Polish conditions, when applied to general population studies for adults aged between 35-64. Materials and method. The study comprised a population of 4,040 people. Women constituted 59% of the research population and people living in the countryside 65%. The average age of participants was 53.45 ± 7.05 years. According to PHQ-9, 727 people (18.0%) had moderate, moderate to severe or severe depression. PHQ-9 showed a significant positive internal cohesion (Cronbach's alpha = 0.77), and factor charges oscillated between 0.43-0.63, and the R 2 coefficients of determination were in the range of 0.21-0.40. Conclusions. The Polish version of PHQ-9 is a valid tool for diagnosing depression in the general population aged 35-64. Good psychometric properties and compactness make the PHQ-9 a useful clinical and research tool.

Wstęp. Wśród kobiet rak piersi jest jednym ze schorzeń onkologicznych najczęściej występujących w Polsce i stanowi poważny problemem zarówno zdrowotny, jak i społeczny. Wiedza o metodach wczesnego wykrywania raka, czynnikach ryzyka i metodach zapobiegania jest kluczową kwestią w walce z nowotworami piersi u kobiet. Cel pracy. Ocena poziomu wiedzy na temat czynników ryzyka i profilaktyki raka piersi wśród kobiet w zależności od wybranych cech socjo-demograficznych: wiek, wykształcenie, charakter wykonywanej pracy, rodzinne występowanie nowotworu piersi. Materiał i metoda. Badania przeprowadzono w marcu i kwietniu 2014 roku. Materiał obejmował grupę 144 kobiet. Metodą badawczą wykorzystaną w pracy był sondaż diagnostyczny. Jako narzędzie badawcze posłużył autorski kwestionariusz ankiety składający się z testu wiedzy na temat czynników ryzyka i profilaktyki raka piersi oraz metryczka. Wyniki. Najczęściej wskazywanym przez kobiety czynnikiem ryzyka raka piersi było: obciążenie genetyczne (88,9%; n=128), przebyty w rodzinie nowotwór piersi (66%; n=95), wiek (54,5%; n=78), długotrwałe stosowanie antykoncepcji doustnej (49,3%; n=71) i przebyty rak trzonu macicy lub jajnika (45,1%; n=65). Większość respondentek nie wie (65%; n=93), jakie składniki żywieniowe mogą zwiększać ryzyko raka piersi. Jakkolwiek aż 64,6% (n=93) respondentek słusznie uważa, że niektóre pokarmy mogą zwiększyć ryzyko zachorowania. Niemal wszystkie respondentki (93,1%; n=134) wiedzą, że spacery, pływanie i jogging to te formy aktywności fizycznej, które są najbardziej zalecane w prowadzeniu prozdrowotnego stylu życia. Zdecydowana większość badanych (82,6%; n=120) wie, że wykonywanie samobadania piersi powinno się rozpocząć od 20 roku życia, z częstością raz w miesiącu (72,2%; n=104) w 2-3 dniu po ustąpieniu krwawienia (62,5; n=90). Wnioski. Ponad połowa badanych kobiet posiada dostateczną wiedzę na temat raka piersi i jego profilaktyki. Prawie 39% ankietowanych prezentuje niedostateczny stopień, a niespełna 11% badanych wyróżnia się dobrą znajomością tego tematu. Wiedza żadnej respondentki nie została oceniona na poziomie bardzo dobrym. Kobiety z wyższym poziomem wykształcenia (p<0,05) i wykonujące pracę umysłową (p<0,001) wykazują istotnie statystycznie wyższy poziom wiedzy na temat czynników ryzyka i profilaktyki raka piersi. Knowledge of women concerning breast cancer prevention in selected socio-demographic conditions Abstract Introduction. Breast cancer is one of the most common, among women, oncological diseases and constitutes a serious health and social problem in Poland. Knowledge of methods concerning its early detection, risk factors and prevention methods are key issues in the fight against breast cancer in women. Aim. Evaluation of the level of knowledge regarding risk factors and prevention of breast cancer in women according to selected socio-demographic characteristics: age, education, nature of work, family history of breast cancer. Material and methods. The study was conducted in March and April 2014. The material included a group o...

Perfect cardiovascular health (CVH) has been defined by the American Heart Association as the lack of cardiovascular disease and the presence of seven key factors and health behaviors. In this study, we aimed to estimate the prevalence of ideal and poor CVH among the Polish adult population, taking the chosen socio-demographic factors into consideration. This is a cross-sectional study conducted among 3,901 adults without cardiovascular diseases, aged between 35 and 64 years. Participants completed a questionnaire, and they had anthropometric and physiological measurements taken. Blood samples were analyzed for fasting glucose and cholesterol levels. Ideal CVH was found in 5.4% of the participants, with the advantage of being toward city dwellers over those living in the rural areas (6.3% vs. 5.0%) p = 0.02. In case of the residents of rural areas, their likelihood of having an ideal body mass index (BMI) was found to be 22% lower (odds ratio (OR) = 0.78; 95% CI: 0.66&ndash;0.92), their likelihood of having an ideal diet was found to be 27% lower (OR = 0.71; 95% CI: 0.54&ndash;0.94), their likelihood of having perfect blood pressure was found to be 29% lower (OR = 0.71; 95% CI: 0.56&ndash;0.89), and their likelihood of having the perfect glucose levels were found to be 28% lower (OR = 0.72; 95% CI: 0.63&ndash;0.84), than the residents of urban areas. The prevalence of ideal cardiovascular behaviors and factors is lower in the rural community compared with people living in the city. Results indicate that more effort should be dedicated toward the country&rsquo;s health policy, specifically concerning primary prevention. Preventive actions in the field of cardiovascular disease should be addressed to the residents of rural areas to a larger extent.

Introduction. Breast cancer is the most common malignant cancer in women in Poland. Health behaviors concerning lifestyle and breast self-examination (BSE) constitute a significant element of early prevention.Aim. To determine the level of the women’s health behaviors and selected determinants in breast cancer prevention.Material and methods. The study was carried out among 144 female residents of Radom County from March to April, 2014. The diagnostic survey method was applied with an author’s questionnaire compiled for this purpose.Results. The average level of health behavior was presented by 64.6 % of the women while the low level by 32.6 %. The evaluation of awareness of risk factors and breast cancer prevention revealed that 54.9% of the respondents obtained the maximum score. The lowest result equals 19.3 % whereas the highest one is 88.6%. The total of 53.5 % of the females declared embarrassment on clinical breast examination (CBE).Conclusions. A higher level of health behaviors is found in the women with higher education and greater knowledge of breast cancer risk factors. The respondents who experience greater embarrassment during clinical breast examination present a lower level of health behaviors