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Czy środowisko może mieć wpływ na jakość życia pacjentów z astmą oskrzelową?

Bartosz Balcerzak

Public Health and Governance, Volume 10, Issue 1, 2012, pp. 25 - 30

https://doi.org/10.4467/20842627OZ.12.004.0891

Health related quality of life assessment is an topic in public health, especially in socially meaningful chronic diseases. Chronic diseases such as asthma reduce the patient’s quality of life significant. The influence of environmental factors on health has been interested researchers for many years also in the public health area. Nowadays, we know that the clinical symptoms of the disease is a result of genotype-environment interaction. Despite our reach data of environmental threats, studying their influence on health or chronic diseases course seems insufficient. Thus, the analysis of relations and environmental factors influence on the quality of life assessment of patients with asthma may supplement the knowledge of environment influence on a human being. Previous research show that changing dust in the air and pollution causes increase or decrease of allergic symptoms, whereas the relations of life quality assessment of patients with asthma with the environment influence is not unequivocal.

Artykuł napisano w ramach projektu sfinansowanego ze środków Narodowego Centrum Nauki DEC-2011/03/BNZ7/00644.

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Ocena prewencji urazów i promocji bezpieczeństwa dzieci i nastolatków w Polsce

Bartosz Balcerzak

Public Health and Governance, Volume 10, Issue 2, 2012, pp. 80 - 94

https://doi.org/10.4467/20842627OZ.12.011.0898

Injury is the leading cause of death and disability in children and adolescents in Poland. In 2009, 1220 children age 0-19 years died as a result of injury. If the rate of injury deaths in Poland could be reduced to the level of the Netherlands, it is estimated that 703 (58%) of these lives could have been saved.
The aim of this study was to assess child and adolescent unintentional injury prevention in Poland through national law and policy.
The study was based on an examination of law and policies existing and implemented or enforced in Poland which support child safety, including specific injury areas such as road safety, water safety, fall prevention, poisoning prevention, burn and scalds prevention, choking and strangulation prevention. The review of law and policy documents, as well as interviews by phone or e-mail with representatives of government departments was conducted. The questionnaire developed in the frame of the European Project TACTICS (Tools to Address Childhood Trauma, Injury and Children’s Safety) was applied. Each policy and law as a marker for specific injury areas was assessed on 3-points scale.
The following scores were obtained for each of the areas of child and adolescent injury prevention in Poland (out of possible 100%): 89% in moped and motor scooter safety, 86% in poisoning prevention, 75% in pedestrian safety, 75% in cycling safety, 75% in water safety and drowning prevention, 64% in burn and scalds prevention, 59% in passenger and driver safety, 59% in choking and strangulation prevention, 50% in fall safety.
Child home safety related to prevention of falls, burns and scalds, choking and strangulation has not received the adequate attention. The greatest gains in injury prevention have been made in road safety and poisoning prevention. It is important to both continue these efforts and give equal attention to injuries occurring in and around the home, sport and leisure environments. There is a need to support and fund good practices injury prevention measures based on community level targeting families with low socio-economic status.

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Ocena prewencji przemocy wobec dziecka w Polsce z perspektywy zdrowia publicznego

Bartosz Balcerzak

Public Health and Governance, Volume 12, Issue 1, 2014, pp. 3 - 16

https://doi.org/10.4467/20842627OZ.14.001.2893

This article assesses Poland’s performance with respect to the level of child violence prevention applying public health approach, based on an examination of current national policies to support the prevention of violence toward children (0–18 years) in July 2013. The analysis included the child violence surveillance, leadership and capacity, law and its’ enforcement, children’s rights protection, national policies, programmes and strategies, national media campaigns and education that support the child maltreatment, neglect and abuse prevention.

The review of law and policy documents, interviews by phone or e-mail with representatives of government departments was conducted. The questionnaire developed in the frame of the European Project TACTICS (Tools to Address Childhood Trauma, Injury and Children’s Safety) was applied. Each policy was assessed on 3-points scale.

The following scores were obtained for each of the overarching policies of child violence prevention in Poland (out of possible 100%): 80% in child violence surveillance system and leadership,75% in children’s rights protection, 63% in capacity related to support to the child-victim, and 71% in child maltreatment, neglect, and abuse prevention.

Poland is doing a good job at the national level in addressing violence against children in all areas examined. However, the violence area scores indicate that further action is required in most areas, particularly in overarching polices addressing violence against children in the area of capacity related to support to the child-victim, and specific policies for the prevention of child maltreatment, neglect and abuse.

Poland has undertaken a number of actions in the area of leadership and infrastructure including an national strategy in child domestic violence prevention. However, the level of child violence control and prevention in other settings is poor and not sufficient.

Policies of children’s right protection need further efforts to ensure full implementation. There is a need for Poland to fund and support the implementation and monitoring of existing evidence-based good practices, paying particular attention to vulnerable groups such as children with disabilities, migrant children, children from minority groups (i.e. Romani children) and those in care institutions.

There are some good programmes and services available in Poland to develop capacity both for children themselves and their families. However follow-up and monitoring to ensure implementation, particularly for those aimed at kindergartens and schools is needed. The monitoring of implementation of all available resources for school-aged children are required, which result also in decrease of socio-economic inequalities.

The government approved the National Program of Domestic Violence Prevention, which does not include other areas of child maltreatment or abuse occurring outside of the domestic setting (e.g., sexual abuse occurring outside the home) and this leaves a gap that should be addressed. The development of national guidance and policy regarding assessment in situations of potential, suspected child maltreatment, neglect or abuse would strengthen existing services. The addition of home visits for new parents that include education on prevention of child violence would not only increase capacity, but would also provide another opportunity to screen for the risk of child violence.

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Percepcja jakości powietrza oraz jej skutków zdrowotnych jako przedmiot badań w obszarze zdrowia publicznego

Bartosz Balcerzak

Public Health and Governance, Volume 10, Issue 1, 2012, pp. 13 - 24

https://doi.org/10.4467/20842627OZ.12.003.0890

Perceived air quality is an important measure for evaluating the health impact and quality of life in studies that have been carried out in the area of public health for years. The aim of this paper is to review and sum up the multidisciplinary knowledge regarding this topic, as well as to outline some main insights presented in the field of risk perception research. The literature on the perception of air pollution risks is structured around the five topics, proposed by the authors. Particular attention is focused on research that explores such issues as: factors influencing the air quality perception, the association between the subjective assessment of air pollutants and their objectively measured levels, the influence that perception of air quality has on human attitudes and activities.
The paper concludes by evaluating the relevance of the reviewed knowledge for the future research and the field of public health practice.

Publikacja powstała w ramach badań statutowych: K/ZDS/003633.

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Bartosz Balcerzak

Collegium Medicum Jagiellonian University, Kraków, Poland

Collegium Medicum Jagiellonian University, Kraków, Poland