Editorial

Multisectoral studies in the field of Public Health in Ukraine
Tatiana Andreeva

The second issue of the TCPHEE contains materials presented at the conference ‘Economics, sociology, theory and practice of public health’ conducted in Kiev on April 12-15, 2011. Conference participants were the faculty, doctoral and master students of the School of Public Health (SPH) at the National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy (NaUKMA). Reports were first discussed during the conference and then submitted as conference abstracts for the editorial review. The revised versions were then peer-reviewed and were subject to editorial approval again.

These materials show the range of the studies conducted at the SPH NaUKMA and to a certain extent the range of problems related to Public Health in Ukraine. It is instrumental to consider problems and solutions in public health from the perspective of five-level indicators widely used by the Global Fund to fight HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria. These indicators include Inputs (all kind of resources), Processes (activities needed to develop programs and build capacities based on the available resources), Outputs (including products, programs and policies which are to be used as interventions able to make difference), Outcomes (related to population behaviors and knowledge), and Impact indicators (related to biological results including diseases and deaths).

Input level studies are represented in this issue by two papers which cover financing aspects of health system functioning [8; 10].

Output level related to services, policies, and interventions is covered by a study [28] dedicated to blood donor motivation and another one related to prevention services for youth [15]. Policies are also considered in the studies related to tobacco control issues [5; 6; 24]. Services-related conclusions can be found in several studies [3; 4; 9; 13; 14; 16; 25; 28].

Impact level health outcomes are discussed in several studies related to infectious diseases, mostly HIV [17; 21-23], and tuberculosis [13]. These studies explore behavioral and social risk factors of acquiring infectious diseases [13; 22], ways to measure prevalence [17; 23], and interventions to prevent spread of infection [21].

Outcomes related to the risk of non-communicable chronic diseases included risk of being overweight [7]. Regular use of vegetable oil and dairy products was shown to be typical for healthier individuals as measured by the number of diagnosed chronic diseases [18]. A more integrative indicator –life expectancy at birth – was considered as well [20].

Another group of studies is related to reproductive health outcomes: miscarriages [12] and induced abortions [3; 4]. The studies shows that public perceptions of health problems may significantly differ from a real situation: while young girls are traditionally considered the main risk group for termination of pregnancy, married women who already have children are the neglected risk group which needs to be supported with contraceptives [4].

Behavioral questions are widely asked in health-related population surveys conducted in Ukraine with funding from different international sources. This provides fruitful material for analysis and informing decision-making. Examples of such studies include 17 papers presented in this issue [3-7; 9; 11-14; 16-19; 24; 26; 27]. Both empirical studies and some theorizing [1; 2] are presented. Authors aimed to explore potential predictors and employed a wide range of regression models from logistic to generalized linear models.

Several types of health behaviors are considered in more detail: alcohol, tobacco, drugs use, and condom use.
Studies based on the ESPAD surveys [11; 19] reveal social and familial factors of alcohol use among adolescents.
Tobacco-related studies based on the data of surveys conducted in Ukraine consider factors associated with quitting smoking [5; 6; 24].

Drug use studies cover factors related to opiate overdose [25], additional risks typical for female injection drug users [21], and development of injection drug use epidemic in Ukraine [26].
Three studies approach factors which may determine the probability to use condoms [9; 14; 27]. A wider research question of using contraceptives in general by women of reproductive age is considered as well [16].

Health behavior studies presented here are related to general population [3-7; 12; 16; 22; 24], young people [11; 19; 27], and certain high-risk groups including injection drug users [13; 21; 23; 25; 26], female sex workers [17], and men who have sex with men [9; 14].

Several papers presented here show that belonging to a certain social group is more important than knowledge [9], or access to services [14], so the behavioral or health outcomes of the routine public health interventions could be negligible.

The authors expect that the presented studies will be used for development of evidence-based public health policies in Ukraine and are willing to conduct more sophisticated well-designed studies which would measure effectiveness and efficiency of health interventions and inform related program and policy decisions. This as well as cross-country comparative studies could be the future for the researchers participating in this issue and for this journal.

The two start-up issues of the journal were based on materials of two conferences. However, after this we are open for wide range of papers. Our journal expects to become a forum which might contribute to the development of modern public health in the part of the world called Eastern Europe.

References

1. Andreeva T. Health behavior as a key construct for social epidemiology, sociology of health, and public health / T. Andreeva // Tobacco Control and Public Health in Eastern Europe. – 2011. – 1. – №2. – P. 86.

2. Andreeva T. Health behavior disparities: a universal trend or a peculiarity for the developed countries? / T. Andreeva // Tobacco Control and Public Health in Eastern Europe. – 2011. – 1. – №2. – P. 86.

3. Baranovska A. The determinants of induced abortion among women in Ukraine, results of 2007 survey / A. Baranovska, J. Barska // Tobacco Control and Public Health in Eastern Europe. – 2011. – 1. – №2. – P. 103.

4. Barska J. Determinants of accepting unintended pregnancies by Ukrainian women: Results of a 2007 survey / J. Barska // Tobacco Control and Public Health in Eastern Europe. – 2011. – 1. – №2. – P. 101.

5. Belyi A. Impact of home and workplace restriction on quitting smoking among adult population in Ukraine in 2005 / A. Belyi, T. Andreeva // Tobacco Control and Public Health in Eastern Europe. – 2011. – 1. – №2. – P. 93.

6. Bondarenko K. Possible causes of quitting smoking among women in Ukraine / K. Bondarenko, T. Andreeva // Tobacco Control and Public Health in Eastern Europe. – 2011. – 1. – №2. – P. 91.

7. Chagarna N. Characteristics associated with being overweight among the population of Ukraine, results of 2000 survey / N. Chagarna, T. Andreeva // Tobacco Control and Public Health in Eastern Europe. – 2011. – 1. – №2. – P. 87-88.

8. Danyliv A. Willingness to pay for physician services at a primary contact in Ukraine: Results of a contingent valuation study / A. Danyliv, M. Pavlova, I. Gryga, W. Groot // Tobacco Control and Public Health in Eastern Europe. – 2011. – 1. – №2. – P. 77.

9. Fomenko T. Is condom use by men who have sex with men associated with awareness about HIV? / T. Fomenko // Tobacco Control and Public Health in Eastern Europe. – 2011. – 1. – №2. – P. 98.

10. Hural A. Alternative mechanisms of state public health institutions financing in Ukraine / A. Hural, I. Gryga // Tobacco Control and Public Health in Eastern Europe. – 2011. – 1. – №2. – P. 78.

11. Iakunchykova O. Early initiation of alcohol consumption by adolescents in reconstructed families may be explained by parenting style / O. Iakunchykova // Tobacco Control and Public Health in Eastern Europe. – 2011. – 1. – №2. – P. 89.

12. Khomych L. Factors associated with miscarriages: results of the 1999 Ukraine Reproductive Health Survey / L. Khomych, T. Andreeva // Tobacco Control and Public Health in Eastern Europe. – 2011. – 1. – №2. – P. 100.

13. Khryshchuk O. Factors associated with tuberculosis among injection drug users in Ukraine based on the results of 2004 behavioral survey / O. Khryshchuk, T. Andreeva // Tobacco Control and Public Health in Eastern Europe. – 2011. – 1. – №2. – P. 85.

14. Klymenko N. Risky behavior and access to information about HIV among men who have sex with men as determinants of condom use with occasional partners in Ukraine / N. Klymenko // Tobacco Control and Public Health in Eastern Europe. – 2011. – 1. – №2. – P. 97.

15. Liashchuk I. Policy to shape healthy lifestyles among youth in Ukraine: organizational aspects / I. Liashchuk, T. Semygina // Tobacco Control and Public Health in Eastern Europe. – 2011. – 1. – №2. – P. 79-80.

16. Matsera O. Determinants of contraceptive use by women of reproductive age in Ukraine, results of 1999 survey / O. Matsera, J. Barska // Tobacco Control and Public Health in Eastern Europe. – 2011. – 1. – №2. – P. 102.

17. Melnyk V. Is the estimated HIV prevalence under impact of respondents’ motivation (exemplar of female sex workers) / V. Melnyk, T. Salyuk // Tobacco Control and Public Health in Eastern Europe. – 2011. – 1. – №2. – P. 84.

18. Mustehsan H. Life style factors and number of chronic diseases / H. Mustehsan, T. Andreeva // Tobacco Control and Public Health in Eastern Europe. – 2011. – 1. – №2. – P. 88.

19. Prosol V. Families with increased risk of alcohol and tobacco use by adolescents / V. Prosol, O. Iakunchykova, J. Kozlova, T. Andreeva // Tobacco Control and Public Health in Eastern Europe. – 2011. – 1. – №2. – P. 90.

20. Shmyglyk B. Public health system indicators associated with average life expectancy differentiation in Ukrainian regions / B. Shmyglyk // Tobacco Control and Public Health in Eastern Europe. – 2011. – 1. – №2. – P. 81.

21. Shulga L. HIV prevention among female injecting drug users via couples’ counseling / L. Shulga // Tobacco Control and Public Health in Eastern Europe. – 2011. – 1. – №2. – P. 96.

22. Slobodianyk L. Social risk factors that influence the spread of HIV among pregnant women in Ukraine / L. Slobodianyk, T. Andreeva // Tobacco Control and Public Health in Eastern Europe. – 2011. – 1. – №2. – P. 83.

23. Smyrnov P. Modified respondent driven sampling as a practical method for sampling of hidden “risk” networks / P. Smyrnov // Tobacco Control and Public Health in Eastern Europe. – 2011. – 1. – №2. – P. 82.

24. Tigova O. The determinants of quitting or reducing smoking due to the tobacco tax increase / O. Tigova // Tobacco Control and Public Health in Eastern Europe. – 2011. – 1. – №2. – P. 92.

25. Tokar A. Factors of opiate overdose among injection drug users / A. Tokar // Tobacco Control and Public Health in Eastern Europe. – 2011. – 1. – №2. – P. 95.

26. Vasylyeva T. Distribution of injection drug use epidemics in Ukraine / T. Vasylyeva, T. Andreeva // Tobacco Control and Public Health in Eastern Europe. – 2011. – 1. – №2. – P. 94.
27. Yavorska V. Was HIV knowledge associated with condom use at first sex among Ukrainian teenagers in 2007? / V. Yavorska // Tobacco Control and Public Health in Eastern Europe. – 2011. – 1. – №2. – P. 99.

28. Zaharchenko M. Blood donor motivation / M. Zaharchenko // Tobacco Control and Public Health in Eastern Europe. – 2011. – 1. – №2. – P. 80.  

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