Someone to rely on: the impact of social support on self-perceived health in Slovene elderly.

INTRODUCTION: Aiming at highlighting the importance of social networking for health of elderly, the association between social support and self-perceived health (SPH) was assessed in Slovenia. METHODS: Data from three consecutive cross-sectional surveys on health behaviour in Slovenia (2008, 2012 and 2016), for 4599 elderly, aged 65-75 years, were pooled. Association between poor SPH (PSPH) and social support (taking into account also existence of extended personal social network (EPSN)), adjusted for confounders, was analysed by multiple logistic regression. RESULTS: The PSPH odds were statistically significantly higher in single/divorced/living in extramarital partnership/widowed, all without EPSN (OR = 2.99; p = 0.005), and single/divorced with EPSN (OR = 1.49; p = 0.053) in comparison to married with EPSN. CONCLUSION: Irrespective of gender, socio-economic status or health-related factors, elderly with low level of social support were more likely to perceive their health as poor/very poor. Public health measures to reduce isolation of elderly should be included in the action plan in the frame of the Longevity strategy.

Determinants of self-rated health in elderly populations in urban areas in Slovenia, Lithuania and UK: findings of the EURO-URHIS 2 survey.

Background: Ageing imposes extra financial burdens on social and health services in developed countries. Self-rated health (SRH) is considered to be both a reliable measurement of overall health status including morbidity and mortality and an important predictor of hospitalization, functional impairment and greater demand for health-care services in the elderly. Our aim was to identify factors associated with poor SRH in elderly populations and investigate possible differences between urban areas in Slovenia, Lithuania and UK. Data were obtained from population-based surveys from the European Urban Health Indicator System Part 2 project. The stratified representative sample (41% men and 59% women) consisted of a total of 2547 respondents aged ≥65 from the urban areas in the three countries. The prevalence of poor SRH was highest in Lithuanian urban areas. The strongest factors associated with poor SRH were low education [OR (odds ratio) 4.3, 95% CI (confidence interval) 2.5-7.3, P < 0.001], restriction of activities attributable to a chronic disease (OR 2.6, 95% CI 2.2-3.0, P < 0.001), inadequate physical activity (OR 1.7, 95% CI 1.2-2.5, P = 0.007) and poor mental health (OR 1.1, 95% CI 1.1-1.2, P < 0.001). The main factors associated with poor SRH by country included the following: living alone (Slovenia) (OR 2.0, 95% CI 1.1-3.7, P = 0,023), female sex (Lithuania) (OR 2.0, 95% CI 1.0-4.2, P = 0.058) and inadequate physical activity (UK) (OR 2.2, 95% CI 1.3-3.6, P = 0,003). Despite different levels of poor SRH, the factors associated with poor SRH were similar for the urban areas of the three countries. Factors associated with poor SRH in the urban areas could also reflect either cultural differences or specific situations for elderly in that country, which need further research.

Physical Activity, Sedentary Behavior and Substance Use among Adolescents in Slovenian Urban Area.

BACKGROUND: Studies of the relationship between leisure time physical activity, sedentary behaviour and substance use among adolescents report contradictory results. The aim of our study was to examine the association between self-reported leisure time physical activity, sedentary behaviour and alcohol, tobacco and cannabis use among adolescents in Slovenia. METHODS: Subjects consisted of 822 school children aged from 14 to 16 years, living in urban area of Ljubljana and Maribor. The data was collected using the EURO URHIS 2 survey. Logistic regressions were conducted to assess the correlation between the independent variables of physical activity; time spent watching television and using the computer, and each of the five substance use dependent variables. RESULTS: Frequency of daily smoking was significantly associated with leisure time physical activity, while alcohol and cannabis use were not. Watching TV ≥ 2 hours per day was associated with heavy episodic drinking in the past month, no associations were found for smoking and cannabis use. Using the computer ≥ 2 hours per day was positively associated with daily smoking, drinking alcohol in the past month, heavy episodic drinking in the past month and ever being intoxicated, while cannabis use was not. CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that leisure time physical activity is associated with daily cigarette smoking, and leisure time sedentary behaviour is associated with alcohol and tobacco use among adolescents. The results of our study show the need for the formation of suitable preventive measures concerning reduced sitting time as well as leisure time physical activity targeted to adolescents.