Effectiveness of behavioural change interventions on physical activity, diet and body mass index of public primary healthcare users in Kosovo: the KOSCO cohort.

Background: Prevalent physical inactivity and poor nutrition contribute to high non-communicable disease (NCD) morbidity and mortality in Kosovo. To improve health services for patients with NCD the Accessible Quality Healthcare project developed behaviour change interventions following the principles of the WHO Package of Essential NCD (PEN) protocol. They were implemented into the public primary healthcare (PHC) system of five early-stage implementation municipalities (ESIM, 2018) and seven late-stage implementation municipalities (2020).

Prospective association between depressive symptoms and blood-pressure related outcomes in Kosovo.

Kosovo has the lowest life expectancy in the Western Balkans, where cardiovascular disease (CVD) accounts for over half of all deaths. Depression also contributes to disability in the country, with a prevalence of moderate to severe symptoms reported as high as 42% in the general population. Although the mechanisms are not yet well understood, evidence suggests that depression is an independent risk factor for CVD.

Perceived barriers to physical activity behaviour among patients with diabetes and hypertension in Kosovo: a qualitative study.

Background: In a cohort of primary health care users across Kosovo (KOSCO cohort), high rates and poor control  of diabetes and hypertension were observed. These conditions can be prevented and better controlled by adapting to a healthy lifestyle. Physical activity is an important target, as inactivity and related obesity were very prevalent in the KOSCO cohort.

Non-communicable disease prevention in Kosovo: quantitative and qualitative assessment of uptake and barriers of an intervention for healthier lifestyles in primary healthcare.

Background: Smoking, physical inactivity, low fruit and vegetable consumption, and obesity are common in Kosovo. Their prevention is a priority to relieve the health system of from costly non-communicable disease treatments. The Accessible Quality Healthcare project is implementing a primary healthcare intervention that entails nurse-guided motivational counselling to facilitate change in the domains of smoking, diet, alcohol consumption and physical inactivity for at-risk patients.

Strengthening Primary Healthcare in Kosovo Requires Tailoring Primary, Secondary and Tertiary Prevention Interventions and Consideration of Mental Health.

Objectives: Kosovo has the lowest life expectancy in the Balkans. Primary healthcare (PHC) plays an essential role in non-communicable disease (NCD) prevention. We described primary, secondary and tertiary prevention indicators in Kosovo and assessed their association with depressive symptoms.

Study protocol: a prospective cohort on non-communicable diseases among primary healthcare users living in Kosovo (KOSCO).

Introduction: With the lowest life expectancy in the Balkans, underlying causes of morbidity in Kosovo remain unclear due to limited epidemiological evidence. The goal of this cohort is to contribute epidemiological evidence for the prevention and control of non-communicable diseases such as depression, hypertension, diabetes and chronic respiratory disease in Kosovo as the basis for policy and decision-making, with a spotlight on the relationships between non-experimental primary healthcare (PHC) interventions and lifestyle changes as well as between depression and the course of blood pressure.

Methods And Analysis: PHC users aged 40 years and above were recruited consecutively between March and October 2019 from 12 main family medicine centres across Kosovo.