Daniela Pelclová, Tomáš Navrátil, Eva Kieslichová, Jaroslav Klán, Peter Ondra, Šárka Daňková, Tomáš Májek, Ľubica Bihary
{"title":"Trends in Amanita phalloides intoxications in the Czech Republic: how many antidotes are needed?","authors":"Daniela Pelclová, Tomáš Navrátil, Eva Kieslichová, Jaroslav Klán, Peter Ondra, Šárka Daňková, Tomáš Májek, Ľubica Bihary","doi":"10.21101/cejph.a8787","DOIUrl":"10.21101/cejph.a8787","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objectives: </strong>In Central Europe, mushroom poisoning is a public health problem as the Czech Republic belongs to the countries with the highest proportion of mushroom pickers. The trends in A. phalloides intoxications, their treatment and outcome were investigated in verified cases, as several antidotes are recommended and their effect is still under discussion.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Mushroom intoxications in 2010-2024 were searched in the database of the Czech Toxicological Information Centre (TIC) and the Institute of Health Information and Statistics. Intoxications with amatoxins in 2019-2024 were analysed.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Mushroom-related consultations of TIC reached an average of 490 calls/year (SD = 130), and 190 subjects/year (SD = 36) were hospitalized. A total of 1,248 mycological identifications and laboratory analyses were performed in 2019-2024; in 45 proven intoxications with amatoxins, lethality was 4.4%. The amount of ingested mushrooms (0.3-8 pieces) was negatively correlated (r = -0.358, p = 0.041) with the latency to symptoms (10.4 ± 1.3 hours), and positively with the duration of hospital stay (7.8 ± 2.3 days, r = 0.356, p = 0.042), peak international normalized ratio (r = 0.445, p = 0.010), and use of elimination methods (r = 0.451, p = 0.008). Later admission correlated with alanine aminotransferase activity (r = 0.318, p = 0.033) and creatinine level (r = 0.447, p = 0.002). Patients with simultaneous amatoxin positivity of blood and urine had a longer hospital stay than those with only one positive sample (14.0 ± 6.6 vs. 7.4 ± 2.1 days, p = 0.018). Of 45 patients, 32 patients were treated with 2 or 3 antidotes; two patients died; an additional critical factor for lethal intoxications was preceding liver or psychic disorders. Eight patients received one antidote and recovered; there was no difference between N-acetylcysteine and silibinin (p > 0.05). Five patients with early admission were treated without antidotes and did not develop hepatotoxicity.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Deaths from unintentional poisoning with amatoxins can be averted. Amount of mushrooms ingested, early treatment with N-acetylcysteine or silibinin, and evidence of amatoxins in blood and urine are key factors. Timely mycological consultations and information for safe mushroom collection, including for immigrants, are crucial.</p>","PeriodicalId":9823,"journal":{"name":"Central European journal of public health","volume":"34 1","pages":"40-46"},"PeriodicalIF":0.9,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147670632","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Railway accident with benzene release into the environment in 2025: estimation of health risks from available data.","authors":"Milan Tuček","doi":"10.21101/cejph.a8918","DOIUrl":"10.21101/cejph.a8918","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objectives: </strong>The aim of the study was to assess potential health risks associated with a large-scale environmental release of benzene following a railway accident in Moravia, Czech Republic, in 2025, with emphasis on differences between population and occupational exposure.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>An assessment of potential health risks associated with exposure was performed using available environmental monitoring data. Conservative exposure scenarios were defined for the general population and for remediation workers. Non-carcinogenic risk was expressed as the hazard quotient (HQ), and carcinogenic risk as excess lifetime cancer risk (ELCR).</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Short-term peaks in ambient air benzene concentrations were observed in the period immediately following the accident and during remediation activities, with occasional hourly values reaching the order of tens of µg.m<sup>-3</sup>. During the accident and its immediate aftermath, benzene concentrations at the accident site ranged from < LOQ-32.3 mg.m<sup>-3</sup> (LOQ - limit of quantification) in soil gas (March-April 2025), 0.0004-2.43 g.l<sup>-1</sup> in groundwater (March-May 2025), < LOQ-19.9 µg.l<sup>-1</sup> in surface water (March-June 2025), and < LOQ-849.7 mg.kg<sup>-1</sup> in soils (March-April 2025). Extreme values were confined to the immediate accident zone and represented the dominant exposure for workers rather than residents. For the general population, HQ values remained below 1 and ELCR ranged from 10<sup>-6</sup> to 10<sup>-5</sup>. In contrast, remediation workers exhibited substantially higher risks, with HQ values reaching 10<sup>4</sup>-10<sup>5</sup> and ELCR up to 10<sup>-3</sup>, particularly for inhalation exposure.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>While population exposure remained within acceptable limits, occupational exposure during remediation represented the dominant health risk. Two workers involved in remediation activities were excluded from further work based on the results of biological monitoring of benzene exposure. The results highlight the need for strict exposure control and health surveillance of exposed workers.</p>","PeriodicalId":9823,"journal":{"name":"Central European journal of public health","volume":"34 1","pages":"28-32"},"PeriodicalIF":0.9,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147670015","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Degree of fatigue in individual parts of the body of professional tree climbers after the performance of their work - a survey.","authors":"Luboš Staněk","doi":"10.21101/cejph.a8381","DOIUrl":"10.21101/cejph.a8381","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objectives: </strong>Work of an arborist - tree climbing - is a dangerous activity associated with great physical effort, influenced by incorrect body posture and significantly stressed individual parts of the body. This research was initiated with the objective to draw attention to this hitherto little explored issue connected with ergonomics of the work of tree climbers. The goal of the research was to gather information about the fatigue of individual parts of the human body in professional tree climbers who access trees using so-called rope techniques (ascent to the tree crown, movement in the tree crown, descent from the tree crown) by means of a questionnaire.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>The assessment included 12 body parts (8 in the upper body, 4 in the lower body), with each part being divided into right and left parts. The research was conducted in the Czech Republic, 98 respondents were professional tree climbers. The questionnaire contained two sections of questions. Questions from the questionnaire were analysed, evaluated and plotted into clear graphs which were then statistically quantitatively described. Furthermore, the linear relationship between the duration of work performance and the occurrence of fatigue in individual parts of the body was assessed (Pearson's correlation coefficients).</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Results indicated that the most stressed part of the body of tree climbers who access trees using rope techniques is the area of wrist and hands. On the other hand, the least stressed part of their body is lower leg. Furthermore, the results of Pearson's correlation analysis show that the relationship between the number of hours and the occurrence of musculoskeletal problems is weak, unstable, and nonlinear in most body segments.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>The research has shown that arborists who care for trees using rope techniques are exposed to varying degrees of fatigue in different parts of the body.</p>","PeriodicalId":9823,"journal":{"name":"Central European journal of public health","volume":"34 1","pages":"59-66"},"PeriodicalIF":0.9,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147670941","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Ignacio Ruiz-Salcedo, Álvaro Serrano-Ortiz, Rafael Ruiz-Montero, Juan José López-Moyano, Mohamed Farouk Allam, Estefania López-Cabrera, Inmaculada Salcedo-Leal
{"title":"Incidence and risk factors of COVID-19 infection in healthcare workers at a tertiary referral centre: from the first to the sixth wave of the pandemic.","authors":"Ignacio Ruiz-Salcedo, Álvaro Serrano-Ortiz, Rafael Ruiz-Montero, Juan José López-Moyano, Mohamed Farouk Allam, Estefania López-Cabrera, Inmaculada Salcedo-Leal","doi":"10.21101/cejph.a8447","DOIUrl":"10.21101/cejph.a8447","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objectives: </strong>The aim of the study was to determine the incidence of COVID-19 infection among healthcare workers (HCWs) at Reina Sofia University Hospital (RSUH) in Cordoba, Spain, from the first to the sixth wave of the pandemic. Additionally, we analysed the characteristics of infections across different age groups, genders, professional categories, hospital services, and COVID-19 vaccination status.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>An observational, longitudinal, analytical, and retrospective study was conducted, considering characteristics of person, time, HCWs category, and diagnostic test. The results of the tests of RSUH HCWs between March 2020 and March 2022 were analysed. Socio-demographic and clinical data were collected from the Alert Network of the Epidemiological Surveillance System of Andalusia.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The study included 6,794 HCWs, of whom 1,513 (22.3%) tested positive for COVID-19. The distribution of COVID-19 cases among HCWs across the six waves was as follows: first wave - 150 cases (9.9%), second wave - 597 cases (39.4%), third wave - 225 cases (14.9%), fourth wave - 24 cases (1.6%), fifth wave - 121 cases (8%), and sixth wave - 396 cases (26.2%). The mean age of confirmed cases was 46.32 years (SD = 11.53), with a lower infection risk among HCWs aged 61-70 years. Only 16.9% of cases had received two vaccine doses at the time of infection. Nursing was the most affected professional category (30%).</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>COVID-19 infection risk varies by age and HCWs category, decreasing in older HCWs but increasing among residents and certain specialties. During the Omicron variant's dominance, vaccines seemed less effective in reducing transmission. Health education programmes for both patients and HCWs are necessary to limit the spread of the disease.</p>","PeriodicalId":9823,"journal":{"name":"Central European journal of public health","volume":"34 1","pages":"3-8"},"PeriodicalIF":0.9,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147670888","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Trends in alcohol use among Czech adolescents: findings from the HBSC study 2014-2022.","authors":"Ladislav Csémy, Petr Baďura, Ladislav Kážmér","doi":"10.21101/cejph.a8822","DOIUrl":"10.21101/cejph.a8822","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objectives: </strong>The present study aims to examine trends in adolescent alcohol use over the period from 2014 to 2022.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Data from the last three Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC) surveys conducted in 2014, 2018 and 2022 were used for this study. Three measures of adolescent alcohol use have been chosen for analyses: lifetime alcohol use, last 30 days alcohol use, and repeated lifetime drunkenness. The analyses comprised calculation of period-specific prevalence estimates and testing of the significance of between-period changes using survey-adjusted logistic regression models.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Comparing prevalence rates between the periods, consistent decrease in adolescent alcohol use becomes apparent, particularly for drop of rates in 2018 compared to those in 2014. The corresponding data on the prevalence of lifetime alcohol use among 13-year-old boys was 59.7% in 2014 and 44.2% in 2018; and among 15-year-old boys 80.4% in 2014 and 74.9% in 2018. For 13-year-old girls, the estimated prevalence was 46.9% in 2014 and 41.1% in 2018; and for 15-year-old girls 83.7% in 2014 and 75.9% in 2018. This is the case for repeated lifetime drunkenness, and the decrease is consistent across boys and girls, as well as the respective age groups. In survey waves 2018 and 2022, we do not see a statistically significant decline, but rather a stabilisation of assessed prevalence at a level from the previous wave of the study.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>The decline in alcohol use among Czech adolescents is part of a global trend of reducing alcohol drinking among young people, on the background of social mechanisms including the change of cultural status of alcohol and changes in young people's leisure preferences.</p>","PeriodicalId":9823,"journal":{"name":"Central European journal of public health","volume":"33 4","pages":"247-252"},"PeriodicalIF":0.9,"publicationDate":"2025-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145997315","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Anna Ševčíková, Vít Suchý, Peter Kolarčik, Lukas Blinka
{"title":"Trends in sexual initiation and contraception use among Czech adolescents between 2002-2022.","authors":"Anna Ševčíková, Vít Suchý, Peter Kolarčik, Lukas Blinka","doi":"10.21101/cejph.a8664","DOIUrl":"10.21101/cejph.a8664","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objectives: </strong>This study examined trends in sexual behaviour and the timing of sexual initiation among 15-year-old adolescents in Czechia between 2002 and 2022, with a focus on the age of sexual debut (15 and older; early at 14; very early at 13 or younger). It also investigated trends in condom and hormonal contraceptive use at most recent intercourse.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Data were drawn from six nationally representative waves of the Czech Health Behaviour in School-aged Children study, which was conducted between 2002 and 2022. Only 15-year-olds were included (N = 19,384). Descriptive trend analyses were conducted using survey weights, with subgroup comparisons by gender and age at sexual initiation.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The findings indicate a shift toward later sexual initiation, particularly among girls, with increasing proportions initiating at age 15 or older and declining initiation at age 14. A significant gender gap emerged in 2022, with fewer girls (13.9%) than boys (18.7%) reporting a sexual experience. The prevalence of very early initiation (age 13 or younger) remained stable over time, yet this group - especially boys - consistently accounted for a substantial minority of sexually active adolescents. Condom use declined from 81.2% to 69.9% across all initiation groups between 2014 and 2022, with the most persistent decline among very early initiators.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>The findings suggest a modest postponement of sexual debut among Czech adolescents and highlight a growing gender disparity in sexual activity by age 15. Persistent early initiation and declining condom use highlight the need for differentiated sexual health education strategies, particularly for younger initiators.</p>","PeriodicalId":9823,"journal":{"name":"Central European journal of public health","volume":"33 4","pages":"253-259"},"PeriodicalIF":0.9,"publicationDate":"2025-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145997291","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Ladislav Kážmér, Ondřej Šíba, Michal Kalman, Ladislav Csémy
{"title":"Trends in adolescent cigarette smoking in Czechia: findings from the HBSC study 2014-2022.","authors":"Ladislav Kážmér, Ondřej Šíba, Michal Kalman, Ladislav Csémy","doi":"10.21101/cejph.a8831","DOIUrl":"10.21101/cejph.a8831","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objectives: </strong>Regular monitoring of health-related behaviours among vulnerable populations is of public health importance. This study examines recent trends in adolescent cigarette smoking in Czechia following the marked changes reported in the mid-2010s.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Data from three recent rounds of the Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC) study conducted in Czechia in 2014, 2018 and 2022 were analysed. Temporal trends were assessed for two indicators of adolescent cigarette use: lifetime cigarette use and cigarette use in the last 30 days. Survey-adjusted binary logistic regression models were used to test changes between survey periods. In 2022, the prevalence of electronic cigarette use was additionally estimated using the same indicators.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>A continued decline in adolescent cigarette use was observed for both indicators, extending the downward trends reported in the mid-2010s into the 2020s. The decline was most pronounced between 2014 and 2018, with smaller but persistent decreases thereafter, particularly among older adolescents. However, the findings also highlight the substantial prevalence of electronic cigarette use. In 2022, more than one-third of 15-year-olds in Czechia reported lifetime electronic cigarette use (35.1% among boys and 36.6% among girls), and approximately one in five reported use in the last 30 days (19.6% among boys and 23.0% among girls).</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>While conventional cigarette use among adolescents continues to decline, electronic cigarette use represents an important component of contemporary adolescent smoking-related behaviour. In the long term, the phenomenon of electronic cigarettes may counteract intended trends in nicotine-related harms. These findings underscore the need for continued surveillance and prevention efforts in Czechia that address both conventional and emerging smoking-related products.</p>","PeriodicalId":9823,"journal":{"name":"Central European journal of public health","volume":"33 4","pages":"238-246"},"PeriodicalIF":0.9,"publicationDate":"2025-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145997370","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Erik Sigmund, Dagmar Sigmundová, Jaroslava Voráčová, Jana Fürstová, Michal Kalman, Inese Gobiņa, Petr Baďura
{"title":"Trends in sleep patterns among Czech adolescents and their current correlates of late bedtimes and social jet lag: HBSC study 2014-2022.","authors":"Erik Sigmund, Dagmar Sigmundová, Jaroslava Voráčová, Jana Fürstová, Michal Kalman, Inese Gobiņa, Petr Baďura","doi":"10.21101/cejph.a8749","DOIUrl":"10.21101/cejph.a8749","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objectives: </strong>Sleep is vital for maintaining the health and wellbeing of people of all ages. However, for adolescents, sufficient sleep of adequate duration and quality is critical for profound mental, physical, social, and emotional development. This study aimed to describe trends in sleep duration and late bedtime during school and non-school days in representative cohorts of 11-, 13-, and 15-year-old adolescents from Czechia from 2014 to 2022, and to examine the current associations between late bedtimes/social jet lag and wellbeing indicators among adolescents in 2022.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>The analysed sample of 42,101 adolescents aged 10.5-16.5 years was drawn from three nationally representative cohorts of Czech schoolchildren from the last three cycles of the Health Behaviour in School-aged Children study, conducted between 2014 and 2022.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Mean sleep duration (hours:minutes) on school and non-school days significantly (p < 0.05) decreased for both boys (schooldays: 8:192014→7:592022; non-school days: 9:362018→9:232022) and girls (schooldays: 8:202014→7:552022; non-school days: 9:582018→9:412022) between 2014/2018 and 2022, while the prevalence of insufficient sleep significantly (p < 0.001) increased over the same period (boys schooldays: 35.4%2014→49.2%2022, boys non-school days: 14.9%2018→18.0%2022; girls schooldays: 35.1%2014→51.7%2022, girls non-school days: 9.8%2018→13.3%2022). Adolescents with late bedtimes or social jet lag (> 2 hours) had significantly higher odds (p < 0.001) of skipping breakfast daily, drinking energy drinks daily, being drunk at least twice in their lifetime, experiencing reduced psychological wellbeing and low life satisfaction, reporting irritability, and problematic social media use and internet gaming than those with earlier bedtimes or without social jet lag.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>It is highly desirable that families, in close cooperation with schools and professional representatives, make efforts to ensure adherence to the recommended length and quality of sleep, as the trend results indicate worsening sleep patterns, deepening social jet lag, and a disturbing increase in adolescent risk behaviours and health complaints related to insufficient sleep.</p>","PeriodicalId":9823,"journal":{"name":"Central European journal of public health","volume":"33 4","pages":"273-278"},"PeriodicalIF":0.9,"publicationDate":"2025-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145997344","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Trends in medically attended injuries among Czech adolescents between 2002 and 2022.","authors":"Peter Bakalár, Dagmar Sigmundová, Erik Sigmund","doi":"10.21101/cejph.a8699","DOIUrl":"10.21101/cejph.a8699","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objectives: </strong>Adolescence is widely recognized as a critical developmental period marked by increased independence and risk-taking behaviours, which often result in medically attended injuries. The aim of the study is to present the trends analyses of self-reported HBSC data on medically attended injuries in Czech adolescents between the years 2002 and 2022 and complement other sources of injuries data in Czech adolescents. Additional objective is to outline the possible use of the above-mentioned data for research purposes by public health professionals and researchers so they can be used for injury prevention purposes.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>The overall sample of 44,817 adolescents aged 11, 13 and 15 years (50.3% girls) from the last six cycles of the Health Behaviour in School-aged Children study data collections between 2002 and 2022 was analysed.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>An adjusted residual analysis of nationally representative data from 2002 to 2022 revealed a significant shift in the pattern of medically attended injuries among Czech adolescents. Across both sexes and all surveyed age groups, there was a notable increase in the prevalence of multiple (2 or more) injuries. Simultaneously, the proportion of adolescents reporting no injuries decreased significantly, particularly among girls, whose injury-free rate dropped from 61.2% in 2002 to 48.2% in 2022. While the rate of single injuries remained relatively stable - without significant change in many groups - the overall injury burden has shifted toward more frequent and potentially severe injury experiences. Logistic regression analysis revealed that the likelihood of reporting at least one injury was highest in 2022, after controlling for gender, age, and family affluence. Boys, 13-year-olds, and children from higher-income families were at increased risk.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Medically attended injuries have increased in both frequency and complexity over the last two decades among Czech adolescents. The shifting patterns underscore the urgent need for context-sensitive, age-appropriate, and equity-focused prevention strategies.</p>","PeriodicalId":9823,"journal":{"name":"Central European journal of public health","volume":"33 4","pages":"292-297"},"PeriodicalIF":0.9,"publicationDate":"2025-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145997355","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Jan Sandora, Petr Baďura, Irene García-Moya, Robert Brnka, Peter Tavel, Zdeněk Meier, Michal Kalman, Gabriel Gulis
{"title":"Trends in the perception of school climate in the Czech Republic: HBSC study 1994-2022.","authors":"Jan Sandora, Petr Baďura, Irene García-Moya, Robert Brnka, Peter Tavel, Zdeněk Meier, Michal Kalman, Gabriel Gulis","doi":"10.21101/cejph.a8692","DOIUrl":"10.21101/cejph.a8692","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objective: </strong>This study aimed to examine long-term trends in Czech adolescents' perceptions of school climate between 1994 and 2022, focusing on school satisfaction, perceived school pressure, and perceived social support from classmates and teachers.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Data were drawn from eight cycles of the Czech Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC) study, encompassing responses from 63,252 students aged 11, 13 and 15 years. Binary logistic regression analyses were conducted to assess temporal trends and associations between school climate indicators and demographic variables, including gender, age, and family affluence.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Compared to 2022, students were significantly more likely to report liking school a lot in 2010 (OR = 2.14, 95% CI: 1.94-2.36) and 2014 (OR = 1.64, 95% CI: 1.52-1.76). Reports of school dissatisfaction were lowest in 2010 (OR = 0.53, 95% CI: 0.49-0.57) and 2014 (OR = 0.60, 95% CI: 0.57-0.63) relative to 2022. Perceived school pressure was highest in 2022, while in 2002 the odds of feeling pressure were less than half as likely (OR = 0.44, 95% CI: 0.41-0.47). Classmate support peaked in 2010 (OR = 2.04, 95% CI: 1.90-2.18) vs. 2022, and teacher support was highest in 2018 (OR = 1.32, 95% CI: 1.26-1.39). Girls and older students consistently reported greater school pressure and lower levels of support, while those from more affluent families reported more favourable perceptions of school climate.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Czech adolescents' school climate perceptions have deteriorated over the past three decades, marked by rising demands and weakening support at school. These trends may contribute to reduced school engagement and heightened psychological distress, emphasizing the need for systemic interventions that ensure that high school expectations are coupled with relational and emotional support in schools.</p>","PeriodicalId":9823,"journal":{"name":"Central European journal of public health","volume":"33 4","pages":"285-291"},"PeriodicalIF":0.9,"publicationDate":"2025-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145997386","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}