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ALBANIAN MEDICAL JOURNAL SUPPLEMENTDemographic and socioeconomic factorsassociated with inadequate functional health literacyamong primary health care users in KosovoHaxhi Kamberi 1 , Ervin Toçi 2 , Afrim Pirraçi 3 , Naim Jerliu 4 , Herion Muja 21Regional Hospital Isa Grezda , Gjakovë, Kosovo;2Institute of Public Health, Tirana, Albania;3University Hospital Center Mother Teresa , Tirana, Albania;4Institute of Public Health, Pristine, Kosovo.Aim: Functional health literacy (FHL), whichencompasses comprehensive reading and numericalskills, is a prerequisite for taking sound healthdecisions. Thus, inadequate FHL may pose a seriousbarrier towards achieving optimal health. Our aimwas to determine the factors associated withinadequate FHL among adult primary care patientsin Kosovo.Methods: During November 2012 February2013, 1035 primary health care patients aged e 18years old were interviewed in the premises of thePrincipal Family Medicine Centers of Pristine,Gjakova and Prizren municipalities in Kosovo(response rate: 86.3%). FHL was assessed using thevalidated Albanian version of the TOFHLA testwhich measures reading comprehension andnumerical skills. TOFHLA scores range between 0-100 with higher scores implying better functionalhealth literacy. Chi-square test was used to determinethe factors associated with inadequate FHL in thisstudy sample.Results: Mean age of participants was 44.3 years± 17.3 years. Almost two thirds (60.2%) ofparticipants were females. Inadequate FHL wassignificantly higher among individuals aged >50 yearsold compared to their youngest counterparts (64.9%vs. 20.2%, respectively), those with low educationcompared to highly educated participants (79.7% vs.8.1%, respectively), rural compared to urbanresidents (48.2% vs. 40.4%, respectively) and amongindividuals with poor economic status compared tothose with high economic status (72.9% vs. 37.3%,respectively).Conclusion: Inadequate FHL varies significantlyaccording to selected demographic and socioeconomicfactors of Kosovo primary health careusers. Interventions targeting high-risk groups couldhelp strengthen FHL and subsequently improveindividual health decision making.Keywords: functional health literacy, Kosovo, primarycareusers, socioeconomicstatus.96 ALBANIAN MEDICAL JOURNAL SUPPLEMENT
INTERNATIONAL PUBLIC HEALTH CONFERENCE IN TIRANA, ALBANIAMenopause and quality of life in womenMiranda Hajdini 11Institute of Public Health, Tirana, Albania.The importance of female sexual fulfillment isincreasingly recognized in todays society. Womenssexual lives continue well into the menopausal yearsand beyond; however, the impact of menopause onthe quality of the sexual life has not been comprehensivelystudied in the medical literature. Thisreview attempts to clarify the impact of thephysiological, psychological and psychosocialchanges occurring at midlife that may affectwomens quality of sexual life. Pharmaceutical andpsychological interventions that may assist inimproving the quality of sexual life of menopausalwomen are discussed.Female sexuality is complex and not fully understoodand, consequently, controversy frequentlyarises in the discussion of female sexual problemsand their treatment. A future perspective on howthe impact of menopause on the quality of sexuallife may be more cohesively investigated.Menopause is defined as the permanent cessation ofmenstruation resultingfromlossof ovarian follicularactivity .In the majority of women, menopause is a naturalevent occurring, on average, at the age of 51.3years. An earlier menopause may be inducedsurgically by oophrectomy, often accompanied withhysterectomy, or as a consequence of prematureovarian failure. The time at which natural menopauseis said to have occurred for an individual is aretrospective clinical diagnosis based on 12 monthsof amenorrhea from the woman s last menstrualperiod. Natural menopause is not a singular eventbut a transition lasting on average 3.8 years. Thetransition begins with the peri-menopause and thisperiod, often referred to as the climacteric,commences at a mean age of 47.5 years. Themenopause transition can be divided into earlytransition and late transition (also known as early andlate peri-menopause); early postmenopause and latepostmenopause, with each stage marked by changesin hormonal status producing patterns ofmenopausal symptoms.Keywords: menopause, peri-menopause, postmenopause.ALBANIAN MEDICAL JOURNAL SUPPLEMENT97
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