Urban adolescents and sexual risk taking.

The paper analyzes socio-cultural and psychosocial factors affecting sexual activities and related risk-taking behaviors in Croatian high-school students. It attempts to determine the correlates of sexual activity, early sexual initiation, the number of sexual partners, and the use of contraceptives and condoms. Due to the gender-specific trajectories of sexual socialization and initiation, all the analyses were carried out separately for female and male students. The results point out gender-specific structure of adolescent sexual risk-taking, clustering of risk-taking activities, and the habitual character of sexual risk-taking. These findings should be instrumental for the development of a comprehensive school-based sex education curriculum that Croatia lacks.

[Eleven years of registration of congenital anomalies in Croatia associated with the EUROCAT international project]. / Jedanaestogodisnje registriranje kongenitalnih anomalija u Hrvatskoj u sklopu medunarodnog projekta EUROCAT.

Results of the eleven-year registration of congenital anomalies in Croatia are presented. Zagreb Registry as a part of international EUROCAT (European Registration of Congenital Anomalies) project covers four regional centers (Varazdin Rijeka, Pula and Koprivnica). The ascertainment, calculation of prevalence rates and statistical methods are based on EUROCAT method of investigation. Mean prevalence rate of 18.86/1000 births (1228 children with congenital anomalies per 65,100 births) was registered in the 1983-1993 period. The most frequently registered anomalies were congenital heart diseases, a heterogenous group of limb defects, oral clefts, central nervous system anomalies and chromosomal aberrations. The most frequent structural anomalies expressed as rates per 1000 births are ventricular septal defect (1.8), cleft lip +/- palate (1.1), atrial septal defect (0.8) polydactyly (0.8) and limb reduction defects (0.5). Statistical analysis shows a fluctuation of Down's syndrome prevalence rates during the monitored period. Statistically significant differences (p < 0.01) in prevalence rates among four regions of Croatia were established. The prevalence rates of marker anomalies (Down's syndrome, polydactyly, oral clefts) are tenfold higher compared to routine statistical data of Republic of Croatia. Acquired experience, collaboration and results obtained in this project represent a good basis for more rational planning of medical care and further investigation of this significant medical and public health problem.

[Health care of preschool-age children]. / Zdravstvena zastita predskolskog djeteta.

The past period since 1953 is characterized with decreasing of the number of children in the Republic of Croatia with a trend of mortality decrease in this age group. For the further improvement of health in this children population, it is necessary to direct attention to priority problems: decreasing of respiratory diseases, injuries, improving the psycho-social development of the children, better health care in preschool institutions, and early prevention of diseases and creating the adequate habits of a healthy life.