Vedran Đido

This article examines the impact of the EU Directive on the recognition of professional qualifications (2005/36/EC) on the development and strengthening of midwifery in countries that joined the European Union in recent decades, with a particular focus on Central and Eastern Europe. Focusing on experiences from Croatia, Poland, Slovenia, Bulgaria, and the Czech Republic, the paper explores how alignment with the Directive influenced education reform, professional recognition, and scope of practice. Drawing on the experiences presented, we argue that the Directive has functioned as more than a technical requirement for EU accession. By establishing minimum educational standards, it supported the transition from vocational to university-level education, facilitated pathways for the existing workforce to align with new qualification requirements, and contributed to the recognition of midwifery as a distinct regulated profession. It also provided a clear framework for defining midwives’ competencies and scope of practice within health systems, acting both as a protective mechanism, by safeguarding professional standards, autonomy, and professional identity, and as an enabling framework by supporting workforce development, educational reform, and the integration of midwives into health systems during periods of institutional transition. The lessons drawn from these national experiences can inform the ongoing update of the Directive, led by the EU Commission, by illustrating how legislative alignment can strengthen midwifery education and professional recognition, while also supporting countries undergoing or preparing for EU accession.

Proper nutrition plays an important role in shaping our thinking and behaviour, and influences how food intake affects our emotions. The aim of the work was to assess the dietary habits and mental health of students. The study is a quantitative, cross-sectional research with observational-analytical methods. Students were selected using the convenience sampling method. Out of the total number of participants who participated in the study N=805. More frequent consumption of cakes/biscuits, fresh fruits, salad/raw vegetables, lemonade/soft drinks, meat/sausages and fish/seafood positively correlates with positive mental health. The development of the participants’ sense of coherence directly positively correlates with more frequent consumption of fresh fruit, lemonade/soft drinks and meat/sausages. Participants who consume fresh fruit, salad/raw vegetable, and lemonade/soft drinks less frequently perceive higher levels of stress. Frequent consumption of lemonade/soft drinks is negatively associated with anxiety, and along with meat/sausages, with depressive symptoms. Mental health correlates with the food categories cakes/biscuits, fresh fruit, salad/raw vegetable, lemonade/soft drinks, meat/sausages, fish/seafood, and fast/canned food.

Introduction: Breast cancer represents a global public health challenge, often diagnosed at advanced stages due to a lack of awareness and insufficient practice of breast self-examination (BSE). This study aims to assess and compare the knowledge, attitudes, and practices of female students regarding BSE in the context of breast cancer prevention and early detection. Methods: The cross-sectional study was conducted from March to April 2023 and included 151 female students from the Faculty of Health Studies and the Faculty of Economics and Business University of Sarajevo. The research instrument was a modified questionnaire based on an existing questionnaire from previous research and adapted to the objectives of this study. Results: The results showed that almost all participants were familiar with BSE, with no significant differences between faculties. Students from the Faculty of Health Studies were more likely to report knowing the right time for BSE (45.1%), while students from the Faculty of Economics and Business were more uncertain and relied more on information from the internet. The main reason for not performing the BSE was a lack of knowledge about the correct technique, which was most frequently stated by economics students. Nevertheless, the majority of participants (91.4%) recognized BSE as an important method for early detection of breast tumors, highlighting the need for further education to strengthen practical skills. Conclusion: The study found that although most students are aware of the importance of BSE, regular practice is low, mainly due to uncertainty about the correct technique. The results of this study show that there is a need to integrate targeted educational programs into university curricula and health promotion campaigns to reinforce preventive behaviors.

Background/Objectives: Numerous studies have examined nursing students’ academic dishonesty; however, there is still a gap in understanding the predictors of such behavior. This study aimed to identify personal (intrapersonal and interpersonal) and contextual factors predicting nursing students’ dishonesty during clinical training. Methods: A two-phase, prospective, predictive study was conducted at a nursing faculty in Croatia. The validated “Mentor Support Evaluation Questionnaire” was used in the first phase to assess students’ evaluations of the quality of mentor support during clinical training. The validated instruments “Optimism/Pessimism Scale” and “Nursing Student Perceptions of Dishonesty Scale” were used in the second phase to examine self-reported dishonesty and its contributing factors. The second phase also investigated the students’ knowledge of the university’s ethical and disciplinary regulations. Results: Of 398 participants, 195 (48.9%) reported engaging in clinical dishonesty. Hierarchical regression analysis identified critical predictors of frequent clinical dishonesty: lack of fear of consequences (β = −0.072), positive attitudes toward dishonesty (β= −0.081), higher incidence of academic dishonesty in the classroom (β = 0.221), lack of knowledge of the university’s regulations (β = −0.349), and low quality of mentor support (β = −0.430). The final model explained 60.7% of the variance in participants’ clinical dishonesty (p < 0.001). Conclusions: The identified predictors indicate that interpersonal factors, i.e., the quality of mentor support, influence students’ clinical dishonesty more than intrapersonal factors (e.g., attitudes or knowledge). Contextual factors (healthcare employment and study overload) were unrelated to clinical dishonesty. This finding can help develop strategies to reduce nursing students’ dishonesty and improve patient safety.

Introduction: As a result of research conducted globally, experts continue to extensively study the long-term consequences that SARS-CoV-2 infection can have on patients, as well as the factors contributing to severe outcomes. The aim of this study was to investigate the values of basic biochemical and hematological parameters in patients with fatal outcomes of SARS-CoV-2 infection, as well as to determine the combination of hematological and biochemical parameters that contribute to the progression of SARS-CoV-2 infection. The examined parameters were correlated with age and gender distribution of patients with fatal outcomes of SARS-CoV-2 infection. Methods: The study represents a retrospective study of patients hospitalized at the Cantonal Hospital Zenica from February to April 2021, focusing on the biochemical and hematological parameters of subjects with confirmed presence of SARS-CoV-2 virus using the RT-PCR method, who were hospitalized at the Cantonal Hospital Zenica. Results: Of the 250 deceased subjects in the sample, females comprised the relative majority with 53.6%. Among the examined parameters, hemoglobin, MCH, and MCH were significantly lower in females compared to males, while males had significantly higher values of urea, creatinine, and troponin. The average age of the patients was 74 years, and with aging, the values of erythrocytes, hemoglobin, and troponin increased. Troponin showed a statistically significant positive correlation with age, as well as with urea and creatinine. Conclusion: We can conclude that hemoglobin, urea, creatinine, and troponin are parameters that can be considered to contribute to the progression of SARS-CoV-2 infection. These parameters can be useful for assessing disease severity and prognosis in patients infected with SARS-CoV-2 virus.

Vedran Đido*1, Marijan Marjanović 2,3 1Univerzitet u Sarajevu – Fakultet zdravstvenih studija, Bosna i Hercegovina 2Parlament Federacije Bosne i Hercegovine, Zastupnički dom, Bosna i Hercegovina 3Sveučilište u Mostaru, Fakultet zdravstvenih studija, Bosna i Hercegovina *Dopisni autor: Vedran Đido, Univerzitet u Sarajevu – Fakultet zdravstvenih studija, Sarajevo, Bosna i Hercegovina, email: vedran.djido@fzas.unsa.ba Uvod: Primaljstvo/babičarstvo u Bosni i Hercegovini je na

The psychophysical preparation program for pregnant women includes physical exercises and theoretical lectures aimed at preparing the pregnant woman for childbirth and that the benefits far outweigh the risks. Exercise is an essential element of pregnancy, and OB-GYNs and other obstetric care providers should encourage their patients to continue or begin exercise. The aim of this work is to understand the impact of psychophysical preparation of pregnant women on health during and after pregnancy, birth outcomes and postpartum recovery. Twenty scientific research papers/articles including 5517 respondents were reviewed, based on databases: Web of Science, EBSCO, Scopus, Medline, PubMed, ScienceDirect, Google Scholar, and others. Works published from 2017-2022 were reviewed. The results of this study show that pregnant women who attended the program of psychophysical preparation for childbirth had a chance to experience childbirth in a more beautiful light, to be prepared, so that they would go to the maternity hospital with less fear, how to use breathing techniques during childbirth, and how to have the easiest and most beautiful childbirth without the use of drugs and interventions. Pregnant women had significantly more positive outcomes of childbirth as well as postpartum recovery and mental health. Psychological support and education have positive outcomes on the mental health of pregnant women because they reduce fear of the unknown and reduce the risk of postpartum depression. Higher rates of intact perineum, reduction of episiotomy and less damage of perineal tears are recorded. The preparation itself significantly affects the outcome of the test subjects’ births, where vaginal births are much more common, and the rate of instrumental methods of birth and caesarean section is reduced. A positive outcome was recorded during postpartum recovery.

Introduction: The aim of the study was to determine the nitrites and nitrates content in fresh cow’s milk samples from milking machines, and to determine whether their amount is affected by the season of sampling (summer/winter). Methods: The methodology used was analytical transversal method at 2-time points. All milk samples were sampled at milk machines from the City of Zagreb and Zagreb County, during the summer and winter months in 2020. A total of 40 milk samples were sampled, with 20 samples in each monitored period (summer/winter). A high-performance liquid chromatography with a diode array detector was used to identify and quantify concentrations of the nitrate and the nitrite content. The results were processed using descriptive statistics and the statistics of differences. Results: The analysis determined the range of nitrate content from 1.28 mg/kg to 19.71 mg/kg and the range of nitrite content was from 0.49 mg/kg to 3.42 mg/kg in milk samples. The mean result of nitrates in fresh cow’s milk samples in the summer period was 9.12 mg/kg and in the winter period of 3.88 mg/kg. The mean value of nitrite in the summer was 1.23 mg/kg, while the mean value of nitrite in the winter period was 1.48 mg/kg. Conclusion: The research has shown that the nitrate and the nitrite levels in local fresh cow’s milk sampled in milk machines do not exceed the maximum allowable intake. The obtained results confirmed that the amounts of nitrates and nitrites in the milk samples differ significantly during the winter and summer periods and differences are depending on the location of the milk machine.

Background: The goal of this paper is to explore clinical characteristics and lifestyle habits in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus and their association with poor glycemic control. Material and Methods: Total of 541 subjects of over 40 years of age with type 2 diabetes mellitus of both genders were included in the study. Anthropometric measurement, glucose level in plasma, HbA1c, triglycerides, AST, ALT, creatinine and eGFR were collected at the time of study entry and patients were asked to fill out the questionnaire on lifestyle habits. Results: Patients with elevated triglyceride and LDL cholesterol levels, alcohol consumers and smokers were more likely to have poorly controlled glycaemia. Conclusions: Our study showed a significant impact of patient characteristics to poor glycemic control. Physician activities to reduce cholesterol, triglyceride levels and improve lifestyle habits in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus will result in better glycemic control.

Introduction: Insufficient physical activity is one of the leading public health problems in the world, but also in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Modern civilization is characterized by a significant decrease in physical activity, and the number of people whose lifestyle can be called sedentary has never been higher, which is especially emphasised among children and adolescents. Aim of the study is to examine public health significance of physical activity on the occurrence and the degree of obesity in children and adolescents in primary and secondary schools and to determine the applicability of the Fels questionnaire on physical activity of children in rural areas of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Methods: We used a transversal research method of a cross-sectional study at a one-time point, and for obtaining results we used the Fels physical activity questionnaire for children and measurement protocol. Results: 276 primary and secondary school students in two cities participated in this survey. Respondents in Busovača are more physically active than their peers in Sarajevo. One-third of the total number of respondents is overweight and obese, and respondents in Sarajevo are significantly more nourished than their peers in Busovača. The Fels questionnaire is conditionally applicable, especially in rural areas. Conclusion: This study confirmed that the Fels questionnaire for assessing the level of physical activity for children and young people, which is the general instrument for research of physical activity in children, is too generalized because it is based on a homogeneous urban population.