A Single-Center Study of the Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on the Organization of Healthcare Service Delivery to Patients with Head and Neck Cancer.

The aim of this study was to identify and assess the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the diagnosis and treatment of head and neck cancer (HNC) patients of the Department of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery of the 4th Military Teaching Hospital in Wroclaw for whom oncological treatment was planned by a cancer case board between March 2018 and February 2022. We analysed the medical records of 625 patients. In order to verify whether the relationships between the analysed features were statistically significant, the chi-square test of independence and the Student's t-test for independent samples were used (p < 0.05). Our analysis showed that the impact of the pandemic on the organization of health service delivery to HNC patients was not uniform. The largest difference in the number of formulated treatment plans was observed at the beginning of the pandemic (22.1% reduction compared with the year before the pandemic). During the pandemic, the proportion of patients admitted on the basis of a DILO (diagnosis and oncological treatment) card issued by a primary care physician, instead of a regular referral to hospital, issued also by a primary care physician, was significantly higher compared with the that during the pre-pandemic period. The majority of cancer patients with a oncological treatment planned during the pandemic lived in urban areas. During the pandemic, the number of patients with more-advanced-stage cancer, assessed on the basis of the type of planned treatment (radical vs. palliative), did not increase compared with that during the pre-pandemic period. However, our follow-up period was quite short. It is necessary to intensify activities aimed at promoting health and increasing health awareness in people living in rural areas and setting long-term priorities and objectives for health policies at the national, regional and local levels, with particular focus on this group of people.

Effect of an anti-tobacco programme of health education on changes in health behaviours among junior high school adolescents in Bialystok, Poland.

INTRODUCTION: School health education programmes are among the instruments for the prevention of tobacco smoking among children and adolescents. Knowledge obtained in evaluation studies of these programmes indicates the degree of their effectiveness and serves to improve their quality. OBJECTIVE: Recognition and evaluation of the effect of two-year anti-tobacco programme of health education on the changes in the level of knowledge, attitudes and behaviours of adolescents. MATERIALS AND METHOD: An intervention study was originated in May 2007, and covered 859 first-year schoolchildren from eight public junior high schools in Bialystok in Poland, from among 3,318 schoolchildren attending 33 schools. The sample was selected by means of two-stage stratified sampling with consideration of two groups: an intervention group covered with educational actions (417 schoolchildren), and a control group (442 schoolchildren), where anti-tobacco education was not carried out. Before the educational programme and after its completion an evaluation of knowledge, attitudes and behaviours of junior high school adolescents was performed with respect to nicotinism, based on a survey. The educational part consisted in conducting within 2 years, 4 educational classes and 2 competitions concerning tobacco-related problems. RESULTS: After two years, in the group of adolescents covered by the educational programme a significant increase was observed - by 11.6% - in the percentage of schoolchildren who were familiar with the negative effects of tobacco smoking, and an increase by 4.4% of those who were convinced that smoking is harmful. With respect to adolescents' attitudes, the effect of the programme was noted in only one of six components analyzed. After completion of the two-year educational programme, both in the group covered by this programme and the control group, the percentage of smokers significantly increased (by 12.8% and 12.7%, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: It is necessary to evaluate the health education programme from the aspect of both the actual hard effects of the anti-nicotine programme (changes in behaviour), and indirect effects - soft (knowledge, skills) which are a basis for the potential verification of the programme in order to increase its effectiveness.

Differences in the effects of anti-tobacco health education programme in the areas of knowledge, attitude and behaviour, with respect to nicotinism among boys and girls.

INTRODUCTION: Health education used for increasing the effectiveness of intervention actions should cover a number of factors which exert an effect on learning. OBJECTIVE: Recognition of the extent to which gender may determine the effects of an anti-tobacco health education programme. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The intervention study was undertaken in May 2007, and covered 859 first-year schoolchildren in Bialystok. The sample was selected by means of two-stage stratified sampling with consideration of two groups: an intervention group and a control group. RESULTS: In the group of girls, the 2-year educational programme resulted in an increase in knowledge concerning the negative effects of cigarette smoking by 21%, and being familiar with anti-tobacco actions and campaigns carried out in Poland by 24.5%. Among boys, an increase was observed only with respect to the knowledge of anti-tobacco actions and campaigns - by 10.7%. Considering the attitudes of girls after the completion of the programme, changes were noted with respect to three from among the six elements analyzed. However, among boys, after completion of the project, no changes were noted in any of the analyzed elements of attitude. In girls who participated in the anti-nicotine programme, the percentage of smokers did not increase, while an increase in this percentage was observed among girls of the control group and boys in both groups. CONCLUSIONS: Different effects of the 2-year anti-tobacco programme obtained in the area of knowledge, attitude and behaviour should constitute a premise for the modification of educational programmes from the aspect of the variety of methods, techniques and instruments which would be adequate for adolescents' predispositions resulting also from their gender.