MEDICINSKI GLASNIK

220
Medicinski Glasnik, Volumen 6, Number 2, August 2009
of providing reliable estimates for six regions and
taking into account anticipated non-response. For
the Western region, that included three Counties
(Primorsko-goranska, Ličko-senjska and Istarska)
with 565,000 inhabitants, the required sample size
was 1,645 units. In cooperation with the Croatian
Central Bureau of Statistics, the 2003 CAHS
sample of household was selected from the 2001
Census of Households according to multistage
stratified cluster design. For the 2003 CAHS, one
person aged 18 and over per household was randomly
selected using a simple random sampling
approach. A structured questionnaire was administrated
face-to-face to respondents by trained
public health nurses from the Counties Institutes
of Public Health in Croatia. The content modules
of the survey questionnaire were: 1)“household”,
2) “socio-economic characteristics”, 3) “physical
measurements, 4) SF-36 (general health, activity
limitation, mental and physical problems) , 5)
access to use of health care services, 6) chronic
conditions, medication, preventive examinations,
7) smoking (daily smoking, attempts to stop, second
hand smoking), 8) eating habits, 9) alcohol
consumption (consumption, binge drinking), and
10) physical activity (time spent at work and leisure).
At the end of the interview, anthropometric
measures such as height, weight, pulse and blood
pressure were collected from all the respondents.
The total study sample of 10,766 households
was selected, and for the Western region the total
sample was 1,562 households participating in the
2003 CAHS. The overall response rate was 84-3%
(9,070 resp. individuals) and for the Western region
it was 85-6% (1,323 resp. individuals).
Selected behavioural risk factors
Behavioural risk factors were observed in relation
to smoking, high alcohol consumption, inadequate
nutrition, physical inactivity, elevated blood
pressure and obesity. For the analysis of data on health
behaviour, except for smoking, high blood pressure
and obesity, complex indicators were derived.
The smoking status of participants was assessed
on the basis of current daily smoking habit
and the past habit having existed more than 10
years ago.
The prevalence of smoking at the present time
was recorded. Unhealthy behaviour related to alcohol
consumption was defined using the WHO
International Guide for Monitoring Alcohol
Consumption and Related Harm Recommendations
(9). The prevalence of heavy drinking was
defined as drinking 6 or more glasses (regular
restaurant portions) of alcohol at a single occasion
at least once a week and he/she was advised
by somebody (a doctor or health care personnel
or family member or others) to drink less or
drinking strong drinks every day whereas somebody
(a doctor or health care personnel or family
member or others) advised him/her to drink less.
Unhealthy nutrition-related behaviour was
defined as participants satisfying at least three of
the following five criteria: preparing food using
animal fat; drinking milk or other dairy products
with more than 3.2% fat; eating fruit occasionally
or not at all; eating smoked meat, sausage-meat,
ham, bacon or similar products every day or almost
as frequent; add salt to meals almost always
before even tasting the food.
Physical inactivity was defined by the respondent
satisfying at least three of the following
4 criteria: a respondent goes to work by car, public
transportation or similar; does not work at all
or works at home; physically light work (mainly
walking); doing physical exercise during leisure
time for at least 30 minutes which makes him/
her at least mildly short of breath or perspires not
more than once a week; doctor or other health
care personnel or family have had advised him/
her to increase physical activity during the last
year (12 months).
High blood pressure is a category that included
people with systolic blood pressure higher
than 140 mmHg and diastolic blood pressure
higher than 90 mmHg, and people with diagnosed
hypertension that is currently under control.
Obesity is category that included people with
waist larger than 101 cm for men and larger than
87 cm for women (10).