What are the predictors of self-assessed health in Lithuanian health professionals?

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Scientific evidence indicates that patient safety and access to health care is linked to the well-being of health professionals. The self-assessed health status has been widely used as a health measure in different surveys. The aim of this study was to examine and determine the factors related to the self-assessed health status of health professionals. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The cross-sectional questionnaire surveys of nurses and physicians were carried out in randomly selected hospitals. A total of 1025 health professionals (739 nurses and 286 physicians) from 3 hospitals of different size located in 1 geographical region of Lithuania participated in the survey. The response rate among the nurses and the physicians was 89.2% and 52.5%, respectively. The overall response rate was 74.7%. The data on self-assessed health, demographic factors, anthropometric data, blood pressure, cholesterol level in blood, personal history of diseases, smoking, and alcohol consumption were gathered with the help of the questionnaire. RESULTS: About two-thirds (64.1%) of the health professionals reported good or quite good health, and only 1.5% of the respondents reported quite poor or poor health. Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that the SAH status of health professionals was dependent on age (odds ratio [OR], 1.03; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.02-1.05 [Model 1]; OR, 1.04; 95% CI, 1.02-1.06 [Model 2]), diseases (OR, 7.32; 95%, 5.18-10.35), heart diseases (OR, 12.09; 95% CI, 2.9-50.35), hypertension (OR, 2.53; 95% CI, 1.55-4.14), cancer (OR, 6.19; 95% CI, 1.27-30.13), gastrointestinal (OR, 3.54; 95% CI, 1.59-7.86) and musculoskeletal diseases (OR, 3.21; 95% CI, 1.71-6.02), smoking (OR, 2.1; 95% CI, 1.28-3.45 [Model 1]; OR, 2.00; 95% CI, 1.26-3.16 [Model 2]), and occupation (OR, 1.47; 95% CI, 1.04-2.07 [ Model 1]; OR, 1.54; 95% CI, 1.11-2.16 [Model 2]). CONCLUSIONS: Diseases are the main predictors of self-assessed health in health professionals. Advancing age and smoking also contribute to poorer self-assessed health.

The psychosocial factors at work related to depression among female white-collar workers in Vilnius (Lithuania).

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study is to establish which psychosocial factors at work are related to depression among female white-collar workers in Vilnius. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The data was collected in a case-control study in 2002-2004. The cases were selected from patients treated at Vilnius mental health centers. The controls were randomly selected from employed Vilnius residents. A descriptive statistic and logistic regression was applied. RESULTS: 3 psychosocial factors and possible confounders within the evaluated model were statistically reliable (model χ(2): 44.47, p < 0.05 ). The adjusted odds ratio for uneven work distribution was 2.17 (95% CI: 1.38-3.51, p < 0.005), the odds ratio for possibility to control was 10.81 (95% CI: 2.13-54.71, p < 0.005), and the odds ratio for family esteem was 2.13 (95% CI: 1.01-4.59, p < 0.005). CONCLUSION: This study suggests that work distribution, possibility to control and family esteem, together with stressful life events and mental health disorders in the family, are related to depression among female white-collar workers.