Habits and Implementation of Preventive Practices among Women Health Workers

Original article

Ana Adamović, Mile Despotović, Ljiljana Antić, Ana Aničić, Svetlana Čapaković, Milena Zlatanović

99–104

https://doi.org/10.5937/medrec2304099A

Abstract

The health of health workers is viewed from the aspect of the health of the general population, and not as a special group at risk for contracting specific diseases associated with workplace risk factors. The leading diseases in the general population are chronic non-communicable diseases (hypertension, diabetes mellitus, obesity, diseases of the locomotor system…) and they affect the quality of life and professional engagement of this population.

The aim of the research is to examine the health-related habits of female health workers and the presence of chronic diseases in the observed population.

The cross-sectional study included 68 respondents from the population of female health workers, employed in the Ćuprija Health Center. The obtained data were processed in the SPSS 24 program for data processing, using the methods of descriptive and analytical statistics. The Chi square test was used to determine statistical differences, and the usual value of p < 0.05 was taken as the level of statistical significance of differences.

Chronic diseases are present in 52.9% of respondents; of all respondents who have a chronic disease, almost half (48.52%) report hypertension. Of the recommended preventive examinations, once a year, they most often undergo a Pap test (63.20%), breast ultrasound (52%) and clinical breast examination (48%). The average rating of satisfaction with one’s own health on a scale from 0 to 10 is 6.93. The most common reasons for insufficient commitment to health are lack of motivation (41%) and lack of time (34%). For the ratio of the average health rating in relation to the behavior of the respondents, a statistically significant difference was found only in relation to age (χ2 = 15.673; p= 0.044).

This research shows that a significant percentage of female health workers do not pay enough attention to their own health. Female healthcare workers over 45 years of age evaluate their own health with significantly lower scores compared to women under 45 years of age.

Key words: health of women health workers, habits, screening, preventive examinations

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