[Climate variations--risk factor of commiting suicide].

INTRODUCTION: Recently there have been more and more attempts at getting into connection the frequency of suicide with climate factors, humidity changes, atmospheric pressure. A large number of authors agree that suicide has meteorological character and that weather can be a provoking factor in suicidal persons. Suicides happen most frequently when the weather is warm, stable, and sunny; then, when it is rainy, cloudy and with high humidity, and least frequently when the atmospheric pressure and temperature are decreased accompanied with wind. CLIMATE VARIATIONS AND SUICIDE: Men who commit suicide show a significant, positive connection with indicators of temperature and exposure to sun, and a significant, negative connection with indicators of humidity and rainfall. Women who commit suicide show a less significant connection with climate variations--indicators. VIOLENT AND NON-VIOLENT SUICIDE: Regarding violent and nonviolent suicide, it has been proved that violent suicide is affected by environmental temperature, sunny intervals, raise in temperature in the previous few weeks. Higher environmental temperature and increase in air temperature in the previous few weeks are the most significant climate factors influencing the violent suicide rate. In addition, each degree exceeding 18 degrees C increases the violent suicide rate by 3.8-5%. CONCLUSION: The result of many investigations of the influence of climate factors on committing suicide is that the suicide incidence reaches its peak during early summer. Also, the sun radiation the day before suicidal event is significantlly connected with the increased suicidal risk. There is a difference between sexes. If the sun were a trigger, men would have to be exposed to it for a longer time than women.

[Attitudes and behaviour of students related to reproductive health].

UNLABELLED: INTRODUCTION One of the features of modern societies is the increase of sexual activity among young people. Sexual activity creates new health problems, or to be more exact, it can result in an unplanned pregnancy and disease induced by sexual contact. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The data for the study were obtained from the questionnaires filled in by students of the Faculty of Medicine and Faculty of Economics in Kragujevac in 2008. Out of 615 students of both sexes included in this questionnaire, 222 students were from the Faculty of Medicine and 393 students from the Faculty of Economics. The questionnaire was designed at the Institute for Public Health "Dr Milan Jovanovic Batut" in 2000 for the project "Health condition, health needs and using of health protection by population in Serbia". RESULTS: The research showed that 41.6% of the students included in the questionnaire had sexual relations; 69.1% of female and 30.9% of male students had sexual experience, i.e. one third and two thirds of the interviewed students attending the Faculty of Economics and of Medicine, respectively. The reason for having the first sexual intercourse was love in 50.4%. Almost 80% of the interviewees used a condom during the first sexual contact. According to the answers, 71.9% of the study sample had one sexual partner. More than half (51.6%) of the students having sexual relations did not use contraceptives. Contraceptives were used more frequently by the students of Medical Faculty (54.3%) than those from the Faculty of Economics (45.7%). CONCLUSION: In order to prevent multiple consequences of ignorance and risky behaviour, it is necessary to inform and educate young people about the reproductive health.

[General characteristics of psychoactive substances consumption and abuse among high school population].

INTRODUCTION: Consumption of psychoactive substances among the youth is suggestive of a trend indicating an accelerated and continual growth of the tendency in question. This research was aimed at investigating the frequency of psychoactive substance consumption among high school students on the territory of the town of Kragujevac so that the adequate measures on prevention could be taken. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Data from the questionnaire answered by high school student attending the 1st and 4th grade of the medical, technical and economic high schools in Kragujevac were thereby used. The survey included the overall number of 1280 students: there were 793 (62%) male participants and 487 (38%) female. The research was conducted from October 2007 until January 2008. The questionnaire from the project "Health Status, Health Needs and Utilization of Health Care of the Population of Serbia" conducted by the Institute of Public Health of Serbia "Dr Milan Jovanovic Batut" in 2000 was used in the survey. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION: According to the answers, alcohol was used by 45.5%, cigarettes by 20% and drugs by 3.1% of the examined subjects. Following the use of alcohol and cigarettes, the most often used psychoactive substance was cannabis, which was consumed by 7.8% of the examined subjects out of who 9.8% were boys and 4.8% were girls. Since the risky behaviour seems not to be isolated and individual but rather as a combination of several forms of it, school programmes should treat young people before certain forms of behaviour are established. Family, school, health service and society should work on an organized basis as well as methodically on prevention and on fighting against these inadequate habits.

[Seasonal variations--risk factor of committing suicide].

INTRODUCTION: Suicide is a conscious and deliberate extermination of one's own life. Suicidal motives can be exogenous and endogenous. Exogenous factors are those from social and economic sphere, moral and political ones. There are numerous elements: demographic, socio-pathological, clinical-psychopathological and, in recent time, seasonal variations and meteorological characteristics are considered to be significant. AIM: On the basis of the analyzed literature the aim of this paper was to show the connection among seasonal variations, frequency and suicidal features. METHODS: Numerous epidemiological analyses of suicide have found a connection between suicide and seasonal variations. The connection between seasonal variations and suicide regarding the way of committing it (violent and nonviolent one) has been checked. Seasons, particularly spring and summer, have influence on suicide, which confirms the fact that suicide rate in time corresponds with seasonal variations. RESULTS: Suicides in younger age groups of both sexes show smaller asymmetry in seasonal distribution than in older groups. Seasonal influence on suicide rate has been proved to be bigger in men than in women. As for the connection between seasonal characteristics and suicide regarding the way of committing it (violent and nonviolent suicide) most studies show that suicide, but only the violent one, is in direct connection with seasons. Annual trend shows the peak from March to May (from early to late spring) for violent suicide. CONCLUSION: To have knowledge about the influence of seasonal variations on committing suicide is very important for taking adequate preventive measures, especially in those countries which have high rate of suicide.

[Scoliosis in school children aged from 7 to 8 and conditions in primaryand secondary schools in Kragujevac].

INTRODUCTION: Scoliosis, a lateral curvature of the spine, is the most frequent deformity of the spinal column. It is additionally aggravated by the inadequate environmental conditions in schools, such as unadjusted furniture, teaching aids and most of all, school bag and bad lighting. MATERIAL AND METHODS: This investigation was carried out during the years 2005 and 2006 on the territory of the city of Kragujevac and included school children attending 22 primary and 8 secondary schools, whose medical records were obtained from school children health centres, the counseling centre for scoliosis at the Orthopedic Department of the Hospital in Kragujevac and the Institute of Public Health in Kragujevac. RESULTS: The statistical analysis of these data showed that a significantly higher number of children with scoliosis was detected in 2005, being -chi2 = 11.6, p < 0.01 for primary schools. Scoliosis was more frequent in girls than in boys: in 2005 it was -chi2 = 10.54, p < 0.01 and in 2006 -chi2 = 10.72, p < 0.01 in primary schools, whereas no difference was found in secondary schools in 2005 -chi2 = 4.14, p > 0.05, but in 2006 scoliosis was more frequent in girls -chi2 = 49.51, p < 0.01. CONCLUSION: Scoliosis is extremely important in both primary and secondary schools and therefore, it is necessary to intensify preventive systematic examinations of school children.