Cardiovascular and behavioral risk factors in relation to self-assessed health status

Scientific paper - Original scientific paper

• Title (croatian): Kardiovaskularni rizici i rizična ponašanja u odnosu na samoprocijenjeno zdravstveno stanje
• Author: Gorka Vuletić Mavrinac
• Author: Darja Maslić Seršić
• Author: Aida Mujkić
• Author's institution: University of Zagreb; School of Medicine
• Scientific / art field, discipline and subdiscipline: BIOMEDICINE AND HEALTHCARE; Public Health and Health Care

Abstract (english)

The purpose of this study was to explore biomedical and behavioral risk factors in relation to self-assessed physical, mental and general health status in an open adult Croatian population sample. Subjective experience of health status was assessed with the Short Form 36 Health Survey questionnaire (SF-36). Out of 9070 respondents, we defined two groups with respect to cardiovascular (CV) risk factors: (1) a healthy group of individuals who did not state the presence of any covered chronic disease or disorder (N = 1,817), and (2) a group with CV risk which included individuals who reported having high blood pressure or high blood cholesterol or high blood sugar diagnosed (N = 360). When adjusted for socio-demographic characteristics, these two groups differed in self-assessed health status. The group with CV risk factors showed an average lower level of subjective health status than the healthy group. At the level of specific health dimensions, the group with CV risks reported significantly lower general and mental health, but they reported healthier behaviors at the present time. We analyzed the measured health behaviors in predicting individual differences in the physical, mental and general health of the healthy group. Physical activity was revealed as a significant predictor of all three aspects of subjective health. Socio-economic variables of age, gender and self-assessed economic status contributed significantly to the explanation of all three aspects of subjective health. Our findings emphasize that psychological, physical, and social factors are inextricably linked in maintaining cardiovascular health, thus showing the importance of targeting health-related behaviors, especially physical activity, in preventive strategies and programs.

Abstract (croatian)

Svrha ovog istraživanja bila je istražiti biomedicinske rizične faktore i zdravstveno rizično ponašanje u odnosu na samoprocijenjeno fizičko, mentalno i opće zdravlje na uzorku odrasle populacije u Hrvatskoj. Subjektivni doživljaj zdravlja i zdravstveni status mjeren je upitnikom SF-36. Odgovori su dobiveni od 9070 ispitanika koji su podijeljeni u dvije skupine u odnosu na kardiovaskularne rizike: 1) zdrava skupina koja je uključivala ispitanike koji nisu naveli postojanje niti jedne kronične bolesti ili poremećaja (N= 1817) i 2) skupina ispitanika s postojećim kardiovaskularnim rizikom (visoki krvni tlak, masnoće i/ili šećer u krvi) (N=360). Navedene dvije skupine razlikuju se u zdravstvenom profilu subjektivnog doživljaja zdravlja. Skupina s rizicima navodi statistički značajno lošije stanje na dimenziji mentalnog zdravlja i općeg zdravlja, ali im je sadašnje zdravstveno ponašanja zdravije. U zdravoj skupini, analizirali smo koliko mjere rizičnog ponašanja mogu objasniti sumarnu mjeru fizičkog, mentalnog i općeg zdravlja. Fizička aktivnost se pokazala značajnim prediktorom sve tri mjere zdravlja. Socio-ekonomske karakteristike (spol, dob i samoprocijenjeno ekonomski status) imale su značajan doprinos u objašnjenju sva tri aspekta zdravstvenog statusa. Rezultati ovog istraživanja ukazuju na povezanost psihičkih, fizičkih i socijalnih faktora i njihovu važnost u održavanju dobrog zdravlja. Naglašava se važnost ponašanja vezanog za zdravlje a posebice fizičke aktivnosti kao važnog dijela preventivnih strategije i programa.

• Keywords (english): Adolescent; Adult; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Cardiovascular Diseases/prevention & control; Croatia/epidemiology; Female; Health Behavior; Health Status; Health Surveys; Humans; Life Style; Male; Mental Health; Middle Aged; Multivariate Analysis; Socioeconomic Factors
• Language: english
• Publication type: Scientific paper - Original scientific paper
• Publication status: Published
• Peer review: Peer review
• Publication version: Published version
• Journal title: Collegium Antropologicum
• Numbering: vol. 33, no. S. 1, pp. 99-106
• p-ISSN: 0350-6134
• URN:NBN: urn:nbn:hr:105:491447
• Publication: 2009-04
• Document URL: https://hrcak.srce.hr/39735
• Type of resource: Text
• Access conditions: Open access
• Created on: 2024-03-28 11:16:54