The Gap between the Knowledge and Current Practices--A Case of Tobacco Control Programs in Croatia.

Despite the availability of numerous evidence-based smoking prevention and cessation programs, many countries are still not implementing these research-proven programs. The primary aim of this paper is to summarize the extent to which evidence-based smoking control programs have been implemented in Croatia over the last two decades. Data from the systematic reviews of the Cochrane Tobacco Addiction Group, which are readily available worldwide, were used as criteria to evaluate whether effective, evidence-based programs have been implemented in Croatia.

Predictors of the desire/decision to quit smoking in a cohort of Croatian adult smokers followed for five years: the crohort study.

This study provides an overview of the incidence of smoking, the socio-demographic characteristics of Croatian smokers during a five-year period and an assessment of predictors of the desire/decision to quit smoking. Analyses were performed separately for 2003 and 2008. A total of 3,229 subjects were included in the survey.

Improving comprehension of informed consent.

Objective: To explore the way the doctor-patient communication process may be improved by adopting the patients' conversational style in the development of written materials for surgical patients.

Methods: Written information prepared by doctors, specialists in abdominal surgery, was tested for comprehension on patients undergoing cholecystectomy, using the standard Cloze test procedure. At the same time, the patients were asked to describe in their own words all they knew about their illness and the treatment.

Why choose Lent for a "smoke out day?" Changing smoking behavior in Croatia.

Aim: To evaluate the impact on smokers' behavior of public health activity related to a religious event such as Lent in a predominantly Roman Catholic country.

Methods: "Smoke out day" was organized on the first day of Lent, a period of self-denial for Roman Catholics, combining cultural and religious significance for Croatian people. The day was covered by a massive media campaign.

First toll free helpline for smoking cessation--analysis of results after one year of operation.

The aim of the study was to prove that there is a strong need among the smoking population for the antismoking telephone helpline, and to describe the structure and dynamics of calls to the Call-center. Basic data on socio-demographic characteristics, smoking habits, and reasons for calling the Center were collected during telephone conversations with smokers. The data were entered into previously prepared tables.

Youth and AIDS--a study of attitudes, knowledge, behavior and risks in the post-war Croatia.

According to the latest reports, the Eastern Europe currently exhibits the greatest relative increase in the number of newly registered HIV infections in the world. At the same time, Central Europe remains relatively spared from the epidemic, with reported rates significantly lower than those in both Eastern and Western Europe. Croatia geographically affiliates to Central Europe, but it has two specific potential risk factors in comparison to neighboring countries: recent War events and a summer season when immigration of large number of tourists from Central and Eastern Europe is expected.

Health-care resource use by asthmatics in Croatia.

We report a survey of the impact of asthma on daily life and on health-care resource use by adult asthma patients in four counties in Croatia. Over a 1-year period beginning November 1998, 185 general practitioners recruited 504 asthma patients, who completed a questionnaire about their drug therapy, health-care resource use, symptoms, limitations in daily activities, and work loss due to asthma. Over a 2-week period, inhaled corticosteroids were used by 51.