Quality of life and social exclusion in rural Southern, Central and Eastern Europe and the CIS

2014 ◽  
Vol 26 (2) ◽  
pp. 201-219 ◽  
Author(s):  
Max Spoor ◽  
Luca Tasciotti ◽  
Mihail Peleah
2018 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement 2) ◽  
pp. 84s-84s
Author(s):  
M. Cedzyńska ◽  
M. Marta ◽  
P. Koczkodaj ◽  
I. Przepiorka

Background: Despite the fact that smoking has been linked not only to the development of cancer, but also to prognosis upon diagnosis and risk of death during treatment, many cancer patients continue to smoke. Quitting smoking can be beneficial also after cancer diagnosis, regardless of stage and prognosis. Those benefits are: improved survival outcomes, reduced risk of recurrence and second primary formation, increase treatment response to chemo and radiotherapy, reduced treatment-related complications, better self-reported quality of life related to disease and treatment than among smokers and less pain. The evidence is strong enough to incorporate tobacco dependence treatment into routine cancer care, but in majority of countries in central and eastern Europe (CEE) there are no actions taken to help cancer patients to quit smoking. Aim: To identify main barriers in providing smoking cessation to cancer patients in central and eastern Europe. Methods: Data were collected from participants of Workshop on Tobacco Control and Cessation organized by Cancer Center and Institute of Oncology, Poland and the National Cancer Institute, US. Following countries provided detailed data: Armenia, Georgia, Hungary, Kazakhstan, Kirgizstan, Lithuania, Poland, Macedonia, Serbia. The areas that were investigated: guidelines on smoking cessation dedicated to cancer patients, quit smoking programs for cancer patients, existing literature on barriers for delivery smoking cessation advice and personal opinion of tobacco control experts regarding those barriers. Results: I. Guidelines for smoking cessation among cancer patients have been published only in one country (Serbia) out of nine analyzed countries of the region. II. Programs on smoking cessation dedicated to cancer patients were implemented only in two countries: 1: Poland. Pilot program within National Health Program in 2015 (3 months in cancer centers in two cities). 2: Hungary. In 2012 pilot project. In 2017 National Institute for Pulmonology run 3 workshops on smoking cessation for cancer nurses. III. There is no literature on barriers in incorporating smoking cessation into cancer care in the CEE region. IV. Experts opinions are consistent with worldwide literature findings-the main barriers are lack of knowledge, lack of training, overloading with work focused on diagnosis and cancer treatment, difficulties in implementing systemic changes. Conclusion: There is a strong need to take action in central and eastern Europe to engage oncologists and other cancer healthcare providers into smoking cessation. It is crucial to increase the knowledge on benefits of quitting smoking for cancer patients' health and results of cancer treatment. Sustainable change can be achieved by publishing guidelines and implementing training programs that address the attitudes and beliefs. Implementing systemic changes within cancer centers might be required to improve survival and quality of life of cancer patients in central and eastern European region.


2010 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
pp. 44-59 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michal Goetz ◽  
Chin-Bin Yeh ◽  
Igor Ondrejka ◽  
Aynur Akay ◽  
Ilona Herczeg ◽  
...  

Objectives: This prospective, observational, non-randomized study aimed to describe the relationship between treatment regimen prescribed and the quality of life (QoL) of ADHD patients in countries of Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) and Eastern Asia over 12 months. Methods: 977 Male and female patients aged 6-17 years seeking treatment for symptoms of ADHD were assessed using the Child and Adolescent Symptom Inventory-4 Parent Checklists, and the Clinical Global Impressions-ADHD-Severity scale. QoL was assessed using the Child Health and Illness Profile-Child Edition parent report form. Patients were grouped according to whether they were prescribed psycho- and/or pharmacotherapy (treatment) or not (no/‘other’ treatment). Results: No statistically significant differences were observed between cohorts (treatment vs. no/‘other’ treatment) in terms of change in QoL, although there was improvement over 12 months, with a greater improvement experienced by patients in the treatment cohort in both study regions (CEE and Eastern Asia). Psychoeducation/counselling and methylphenidate were the predominant ADHD treatments prescribed. Conclusions: Although both treatment and no/‘other’ treatment cohorts showed improvements in mean QoL over 12 months, the difference was small and not statistically significant. A major limitation was the higher than anticipated number of patients switching treatments, predominantly from the no/‘other’ treatment cohort.


Author(s):  
Demi Patsios

This chapter focuses on several key areas of poverty and social exclusion experienced by older people and pensioners using B-SEM. Analyses by pensioner household type (n=2,296) show differences in older adults’: access to material, economic and social resources; participation in common social activities and civic and political participation; and quality of life. Younger pensioners (particularly couples) are least likely to report lower resources and exclusion from participation, and more likely to report higher quality of life. In contrast, older and single (particularly female) pensioners are most likely to report lower levels of economic and social resources and lower scores on participation and quality of life sub-domains. Although the general position of pensioners has improved over the past decade, the findings conclude that this has not been the case for all pensioners. The policy situation explaining some of these disparities and the implications for further policy action are discussed.


2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 32-50 ◽  
Author(s):  
Valeriy Heyets

Nearly 30 years of transformation of the sociopolitical and legal, socioeconomical and financial, sociocultural and welfare, and socioenvironmental dimensions in both Central and Eastern Europe, including Ukraine, has led to a change of the social quality of daily circumstances. On the one hand, the interconnection and reciprocity of these four relevant dimensions of societal life is the underlying cause of such changes, and on the other, the state as main actor of the sociopolitical and legal dimension is the initiator of those changes. Applying the social quality approach, I will reflect in this article on the consequences of these changes, especially in Ukraine. In comparison, the dominant Western interpretation of the “welfare state” will also be discussed.


2020 ◽  
Vol 34 (4) ◽  
pp. 879-892
Author(s):  
Tsveta Petrova ◽  
Tomasz Inglot

This article belongs to the special cluster, “Politics and Current Demographic Challenges in Central and Eastern Europe,” guest-edited by Tsveta Petrova and Tomasz Inglot. In this article, we introduce a multidisciplinary and multimethod, special section on the intersection of politics, policy, and the current challenges of demography in Hungary and Poland. We argue that aging, declining fertility, and migration as well as their politicization all deserve urgent attention as some of the most pressing concerns for most of Central and Eastern Europe today. Accordingly, we first use European Commission data to paint a comparative picture of the demographic challenges that the region faces. We then introduce the article contributions in the special section that examine aging, declining fertility, and migration. Next we turn to the question of the politicization of these demographic challenges. We discuss how the proposed special section speaks to two important but previously rarely linked debates taking place within the social sciences today: (1) the voluminous literature on the demographic changes and policies in Central and Eastern Europe, including their ethnic and cultural dimensions, and (2) the expanding scholarship on the rise of nationalist populism and decline in the quality of liberal democracy in the region. Lastly, we summarize the arguments of the contributing authors, who pay closer attention to policy responses to and the politicization of the demographic challenges faced by Central and Eastern Europe.


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