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BackgroundDespite positive changes in the health of the population of Poland, compared to the EU average, the average life expectancy in 2011 was 5 years shorter for males and 2.2 years shorter for females. The immediate cause is the great number of premature deaths, which results in years of life lost in the population. The aim of the study was to identify the major causes of years of life lost in Poland.MethodsThe analysis was based on a database of the Central Statistical Office of Poland, containing information gathered from 375,501 death certificates of inhabitants of Poland who died in 2011. The SEYLLp (Standard Expected Years of Life Lost per living person) and the SEYLLd (SEYLL per death) measures were calculated to determine years of life lost.ResultsIn 2011, the total number of years of life lost by in Polish residents due to premature mortality was 2,249,213 (1,415,672 for males and 833,541 for females). The greatest number of years of life lost in males were due to ischemic heart disease (7.8 per 1,000), lung cancer (6.0), suicides (6.6), cerebrovascular disease (4.6) and road traffic accidents (5.4). In females, the factors contributing to the greatest number of deaths were cerebrovascular disease (3.8 per 1,000), ischemic heart disease (3.7), heart failure (2.7), lung cancer (2.5) and breast cancer (2.3). Regarding the individual scores per person in both males and females, the greatest death factors were road traffic accidents (20.2 years in males and 17.1 in females), suicides (17.4 years in males and 15.4 in females) and liver cirrhosis (12.1 years in males and 11.3 in females).ConclusionsIt would be most beneficial to further reduce the number of deaths due to cardiovascular diseases, because they contribute to the greatest number of years of life lost. Moreover, from the economic point of view, the most effective preventative activities are those which target causes which result in a large number of years of life lost at productive age for each death due to a particular reason, i.e. road traffic accidents, suicides and liver cirrhosis.

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IntroductionThe aim of the study was to estimate ten-year changes in physical activity (PA) patterns and sociodemographic determinants among adult residents of Poland.MethodsThe study comprised two independent samples of randomly selected adults aged 20–74 years participating in the National Multicentre Health Survey WOBASZ (2003–2005; n = 14572) and WOBASZ II (2013–2014; n = 5694). In both surveys the measurements were performed by six academic centers in all 16 voivodships of Poland (108 measurement points in each survey). Sociodemographic data were collected by an interviewer-administered questionnaire in both surveys. Physical activity was assessed in three domains: leisure-time, occupational and commuting physical activity.ResultsLeisure-time PA changed substantially between the surveys (p<0.001). The prevalence of subjects being active on most days of week fell in both genders in the years 2003–2014 (37.4% vs 27.3% in men); 32.7% vs 28.3% in women. None or occasional activity increased from 49.6% to 56.8% in men, while remained stable in women (55.2% vs 54.9%). In both WOBASZ surveys the likelihood of physical inactivity was higher in less educated individuals, smokers and those living in large agglomerations (p<0.01). No significant changes were observed in occupational activity in men between the surveys, while in women percentage of sedentary work increased from 43.4% to % 49.4% (p<0.01). Commuting PA decreased significantly in both genders (p<0.001). About 79.3% of men and 71.3% of women reported no active commuting in the WOBASZ II survey.ConclusionsThe observed unfavourable changes in PA emphasize the need for novel intervention concepts in order to reverse this direction. Further detailed monitoring of PA patterns in Poland is of particular importance.

Except for HDL-C level, not smoking is associated with an unfavorable metabolic profile in women, regardless of menopause status. High level of physical activity may reduce the prevalence of MetS among never and past smokers after the menopausal transition.