Health state of the citizens of Nothern Kosovska Mitrovica

Abstract

For health assessment, beside the data of routine health statistics, it is necessary to include and data obtained by a health survey of the citizens. The aim of this study was to establish how northern Kosovska Mitrovica adults assess their health and which diseases are most common among the population, as well as to investigate differences in relation to demographic and socioeconomic characteristics, the characteristics of social interaction and health behaviour and habits. The research was conducted as a cross-sectional study conducted on the representative sample of adult citizens in northern Kosovska Mitrovica in 2006. Two hundred-eighteen respondents were included in the survey. In the research we used a questionnaire identical to the Health Survey conducted in Serbia in 2006. The significance of differences in responses about self-rated health and chronic diseases in relation to the characteristics of respondents' responses were determined by chi2-test with the significance level of 0.05. Over half of the respondents (54.7%) assessed their health condition as good or very good. There was a significant difference in self-rated health in relation to the respondents' age (chi2 = 202.036; p = 0.000), education (chi2 = 72.412; p = 0.000), social support (chi2 = 12.416; p = 0.015), smoking (chi2 = 11.675; p = 0.020) and physical activity (chi2 = 61.842; p = 0.000). The leading health problems among the respondents were high blood pressure, rheumatologic diseases of joints, ulcer of the duodenal or gastric ulcer, gall bladder disease and high blood fat. Adult residents of northern Kosovska Mitrovica assessed their health as better than the residents of Serbia without Kosovo and Metohia. The diseases in which stress plays the major role among etiological factors are in the leading position. The obtained data on the population level of specific areas represent the basis in the planning of health education and health promotion activities.