Iveta Nagyova

University of Pavol Jozef Šafárik · Faculty of Medine

Background Dementia presents a public health priority due to its high global prevalence, mortality, economic cost, and caregiver burden (CB). Dementia care can be stressful and may negatively influence the health of informal caregivers. This cross-sectional study aimed to identify psychological and social factors associated with subjective CB in in...

Background Multiple sclerosis (MS) is characterized by demyelination and variable symptomatology, and typically appears during young adulthood, making it a condition of considerable public health concern. Given its chronic nature, understanding of the illness perception plays a crucial role in long-term disease management. Our research aims to exam...

Background Overweight/obesity is associated with negative health outcomes that may be caused by experience and internalization of weight stigma. Weight stigma seems to diminish weight control efforts and may be associated with unhealthy eating behaviours. Moreover, lack is known about the protective factors against stigmatization. We aimed to asses...

Background We aimed to assess the role of the COVID‐19 pandemic in the association of clinical, physical, and psychological factors with pain in Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) patients. Methods We included 103 RA patients (81.6% females; mean age 56.1 ± 13.8 years). Patients filled out the VAS‐pain, GAD‐7, PHQ‐9, MFI‐20, and B‐IPQ. Paired sample t ‐tes...

Introduction Increasing overweight and obesity rates represent one of the global public health challenges. COM-B is a theoretical model used to identify areas to target to achieve behavior change. It identifies three factors that are needed for any behavior to occur: capability, opportunity, and motivation. We aimed to assess the potential facilita...

Objetivo: La participación social es un aspecto importante asociado con los resultados relacionados con la salud en las enfermedades crónicas. Sin embargo, se sabe poco sobre los factores que pueden afectar la participación en pacientes con Artritis Reumatoide (RA, por sus siglas en inglés). Nuestro objetivo fue examinar si el dolor, la fatiga, la...

Issue/problem Effective communication between academics and policy makers can be challenging due to differences in language, priorities, and deadlines. Policy makers are often pressed for time and require concise and actionable information to inform their decisions. Description of the problem Policy briefs are a useful tool for bridging the gap be...

The complexity of health issues, ranging from infectious diseases to chronic illnesses, calls for effective public health policies to improve health outcomes. Almost all public health strategies involve encouraging behaviour change. However, policy development and adoption often fail to consider the behaviour change principles that influence indivi...

Background Suicidal ideation (SI) is more prevalent in people with coronary heart disease (CHD) when compared to the general population. However, studies on protective factors against SI in people with cardiovascular diseases are still lacking. Moreover, there is less known about risk factors, such as ethnicity or lifestyle factors in SI and suicid...

Background Although depression is a common comorbidity of rheumatoid arthritis (RA), little is known about a potential treatment strategy. Current studies of dietary improvement for depression have recently emerged in the general population, but have hardly any coverage in RA. Also, less exercise increases the number of people experiencing depressi...

Issue/Problem Obesity has grown into a global epidemic and represents a major challenge for public health, with rates of related comorbidities, healthcare, and societal costs continuing to rise. Current approaches to obesity prevention and management have had limited success, highlighting the need for new innovative strategies. Description The nar...

The COVID-19 pandemic put enormous pressure on our health systems, revealing how we were unprepared for such a global threat. We have gained many insights and learned valuable lessons about what went wrong and how we should prepare for the next pandemic. These lessons are set out in a series on national and international reports. Building Back Bett...

Purpose: Despite efficient biological disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (bDMARDs) Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) patients still suffer from high fatigue. This study aims to further our knowledge by assessing severity levels of the various fatigue dimensions and their associations with pain, sleep quality, and psychological well-being in bDMARDs tre...

Introduction Dementia is currently one of the major causes of disability and dependency among older adults worldwide. Cognitive dysfunction, neuropsychiatric symptoms, somatic complaints, and functional impairment fundamentally affect not only a person living with dementia (PLwD), but also his/her informal caregiver(s), often resulting in a high ca...

COVID-19 research has relied heavily on convenience-based samples, which—though often necessary—are susceptible to important sampling biases. We begin with a theoretical overview and introduction to the dynamics that underlie sampling bias. We then empirically examine sampling bias in online COVID-19 surveys and evaluate the degree to which common...

Background Increasing overweight and obesity rates represent one of the global health challenges in the 21st century. Obesity is a gateway to many non-communicable diseases and shorter life expectancy. Understanding individual capability, opportunity, and motivation for health behavior change (COM-B) may help to develop effective public health inte...

Introduction Professionals caring for persons with dementia (PwD) have to meet demands from various sides. Considering today's high standards put on institutional care with respect to “person centred care” and the skills related to specific needs of PwD, caring for care staff is one of the major challenges. Objectives The aim of this study was to...

The obesity rates in Europe are constantly growing with a substantial input from the market towards unhealthy food products, a general carelessness or lack of knowledge of the general population, and a major drive of modern societies towards an obesogenic environment. With about half of European people having weight problems, strengthening the reso...

This year, we are celebrating 30 years of the European Public Health Association. But celebrating this after over two years of COVID-19 and the Russian reinvasion of Ukraine, invites us all to reflect on the use, misuse and non-use of public health. Over the years, our approach to public health has evolved. At the start of the 20th century, public...

The creation of a European Health Data Space (EHDS) is one of the key components of a strong European Health Union. The objectives of the EHDS are: i) Empower individuals through better digital access to their personal health data; support free movement by ensuring that health data follow people; ii) Unleash the data economy by fostering a genuine...

Although public health and medical care advancements have enabled an increased lifespan among many populations around the world, there is an ongoing need to enhance the health span of adults and older adults. Due to the increasingly substantial prevalence of multiple chronic conditions, also known as multimorbidity, this scoping review aims to iden...

Over the last decades, unhealthy nutrition has gained visibility as a major driver of the burden of non-communicable chronic diseases (NCDs). The spread of unhealthy foods, characterized by energy-dense, nutrient-poor features, has been called out as mostly responsible for the rise in global and European obesity rates, greatly affecting the younger...

In the context of a highly contagious virus and a global pandemic, the key to slowing the spread of COVID-19 and successfully transitioning through the phases of the pandemic and into ‘life after COVID', is public adherence to the unprecedented and rapidly evolving behaviour-based government policies. From social distancing and mask wearing to grea...

Background : Optimal self-management seem to be protective factor of health-related quality of life and psychological well-being in many chronic conditions. However, the results in people with multiple sclerosis (MS) are still inconclusive. Thus, the aim of this study is to assess the associations between self-management, self-esteem and psychologi...

Background: Illness perception and self-esteem were found to improve adjustment to disease in many chronic conditions. However, so far, little is known about the role of illness-appraisal and self-appraisal factors in psychological well-being in people with multiple sclerosis (MS). Thus, we aimed to assess the association between illness perceptio...

Background Posttraumatic growth (PTG) represents a positive personal change after adverse events, such as natural disasters, including earthquake. However, the association between exposure to earthquake and level of PTG is still unknown. Thus, the aim of this systematic review and meta-analyses (MA) is to assess the level of PTG in people exposed t...

OBJECTIVES: The aim is to reveal the current research findings on effective psychosocial interventions reducing the burden of informal home carers of people with dementia related to Alzheimer’s disease (DAD). THEORETICAL BASE: Caring for a family member with DAD may leave insufficient space for the carers’ attention to the burden factors limiting t...

Background The rising burden of chronic diseases poses a challenge for the whole public health system, and to deal with this we need to address the socioeconomic, cultural, and behavioural aspects of health and its determinants. While a change in individual 'lifestyle' factors, such as diet, exercise, smoking, and alcohol are often the target of in...

Many of today's most pressing public health challenges have a strong behavioural component. Behavioural, psychosocial, and environmental factors play a major role in the development and progression of chronic diseases. Eliminating those risks would make it possible to prevent at least 80% of cardiovascular diseases, 75% of diabetes, and 40% of canc...

The burden of non-communicable chronic diseases (NCDs) represents a public health issue of gigantic proportion at global level. Among others, diet has been demonstrated to be a key element to maintain health and prevent NCDs. Today's world is facing the so-called “double burden of malnutrition”, characterized by the coexistence of undernutrition al...

Background: Cardiometabolic effects of physical exercise depend on its intensity, duration, and type. Conventional cardiovascular rehabilitation (CCVR) programmes have significant advantages, but non-conventional activities such as Nordic walking (NW) may offer additional health benefits. Aim: The aim of this study was to determine the feasibili...

Purpose: To examine whether Obstructive Sleep Apnoea severity, sleep-related problems, and anxiety are associated with work functioning in Obstructive Sleep Apnoea patients, when controlled for age, gender and type of occupation. To investigate whether anxiety moderates the associations between sleep-related problems and work functioning. Materials...

We aimed to assess the prevalence of suicidal ideation and to examine the relationships between obstructive sleep apnoea severity, sleep-related problems, social support and suicidal ideation in obstructive sleep apnoea patients. We included 149 patients (68% male; mean age, 48.99 ± 9.57 years) with diagnosed obstructive sleep apnoea (Apnoea–Hypopn...

Patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) engage in various coping behaviours in order to manage their disease. The aim of this study is to find out if the self-esteem of patients is associated with coping strategies – problem-focused (e.g. making a plan of action when confronted with a problem); emotion focused (e.g. get emotional support from communi...

Ageing is associated with the deterioration of all cognitive functions, including attention, memory and psychomotor speed. It has not yet been clearly confirmed whether the effects of cognitive and physical interventions can improve activities of daily living (ADL). This study compared the effectiveness of cognitive and physical training on cogniti...

Background: Self-rated health is a valid and reliable subjective indicator of general health. We aimed to assess the associations between self-rated health, mental health problems, physical activity, sedentary behaviour and BMI among Slovak urban adolescents. Data were collected within the EU-FP7: EURO-URHIS 2 (The European Health Indicator System...

The aim of this study is to explore whether different coping strategies are able to mediate the association between Type D personality and quality of life. We collected information from 156 consecutive patients (response rate: 72.9%; 75.0% women; median age: 40 ± 3 years). Patients completed the Type D Scale-14, the Coping Self-Efficacy Scale and t...

Social participation has been recognized as one of the key variables to be addressed in disability research yet few studies addressed the association between restriction in participation and quality of life in the context of rheumatoid arthritis. The aim of this study was to explore the associations between restrictions in social participation and...

The aim of this study is to explore whether self-esteem and social participation are associated with the physical and mental quality of life (Physical Component Summary, Mental Component Summary) and whether self-esteem can mediate the association between these variables. We collected information from 118 consecutive multiple sclerosis patients. Ag...

Purpose: The aim of the study was to examine whether rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients with different levels of restriction in social participation differ in disease related as well as psychosocial variables and whether a similar pattern can be found among early and established RA patients. Method: Two samples of RA patients with early (n = 97;...

Little is known about factors associated with mental health problems (MHP) of the elderly in socioeconomically deprived neighbourhoods, and comparisons between Central European and Western European countries on this topic are lacking. We examined whether MHP occurred more frequently in deprived neighbourhoods and among deprived people. Next, we exa...

Background: Health-risk behaviours (HRB) increase the risk of disability and chronic diseases at an older age. This study aimed to compare Slovakia and the Netherlands regarding differences in the prevalence of HRB by neighbourhood and individual deprivation and to determine whether area differences could be explained by the socio-economic positio...

Fatigue, as one of the most frequent symptoms in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS), has various adverse effects on the physical and mental health-related quality of life (PCS, MCS) of patients. The aim of this study was to explore whether coping mediates the relationship between fatigue and PCS and MCS. We collected data from 154 consecutive MS...

Ethnicity is associated with differences in clinical course and outcomes of cardiac disease, often in association with a poorer socioeconomic position. The aim of this study was to compare the mortality after coronary angiography (CAG) of Roma and non-Roma patients matched for education and adjusted for gender and age. In total, 816 patients were i...

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the first cause of mortality and morbidity worldwide. It is responsible for 30 % of all deaths, so that more people die annually from CVD than from any other cause, and 10 % of global burden disease. Currently, the vast majority of deaths and disabilities due to CVD take place in low- and middle-income countries. CVD...

Background: Ethnicity is associated with differences in clinical course and outcomes of cardiac disease, often in association with a poorer socioeconomic position. The aim of this study was to compare the mortality after coronary angiography (CAG) of Roma and non-Roma patients matched for education and adjusted for gender and age. Methods: In total...

Objectives Fatigue and apathy are two of the most common and most disabling non-motor symptoms of Parkinson's disease (PD). They have a high coincidence and can often be confused; moreover, their relationship is not fully understood. The aim of our study was to describe the coincidence of apathy with different fatigue domains in the presence/absenc...

In the time of financial crisis, an ageing population and a growing burden of chronic disease healthcare systems are under great pressure. In recent years much political attention has been given to chronic diseases, resulting in initiatives such as the Political Declaration of the 2011 UN High Level Meeting on the Prevention and Control of Non-Comm...

Background: Social participation is considered to be an objective parameter for evaluating the success of transplantation. This study explores the association between posttransplant factors (kidney function, perceived side effects of immunosuppressive treatment, comorbidity, physical and mental health-related quality of life [HRQoL]) and social pa...

The study aimed to explore associations between coping self-efficacy and psychological distress in early and established rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients. Two samples differing in disease duration were collected at outpatient rheumatology clinics in Eastern Slovakia. The first sample consisted of 146 established patients with disease duration of...

AimsTo explore the predictive value of adherence to their immunosuppressive medication in kidney transplant recipients in the first year after kidney transplantation as a determinant of graft loss and mortality up to 12 years (prospective analysis) and its association with sociodemographic and medical factors and social support (cross-sectional ana...

Purpose: To explore how social support is associated with anxiety and depression in Parkinson's disease (PD) patients controlling for gender, disease duration and disease severity. Methods: The sample consisted of 124 patients (52.4% male; mean age 68.1 ± 8.4 years; mean disease duration 6.3 ± 5.5 years). Anxiety and depression were measured wit...

This study explores the association between kidney function, side effects of immunosuppressive treatment, coping self-efficacy, and physical and mental HRQoL at 3 months (baseline) after kidney transplantation (KT) and their impact on patient and graft survival for up to 10 years (follow-up). A group of 151 patients provided at baseline their socio...

International comparisons of the associations of area-level socioeconomic position (SEP) and health-risk behaviours (HRBs) are for the most part lacking. The aims of this study were to compare Slovakia and the Netherlands regarding differences in the prevalence of HRBs by neighbourhood and individual deprivation, and to determine whether area diffe...

To explore whether self-rated health acts as a potential mediator in the association between functional status and health-related quality of life in Parkinson's disease. Older persons (as most patients with Parkinson's disease are) who reported poor self-rated health compared with those with excellent self-rated health were two-and-a-half times mor...

Objective: To examine associations of depressive feelings with disease-related variables and explore the moderating effect of social support on depressive feelings in individuals with early rheumatoid arthritis (RA) prospectively over 4 years. Method: Data were collected annually over 4 years. The sample consisted of 124 individuals with diagnos...

Fatigue, as one of the most frequent symptoms in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS), has various adverse effects on the physical and mental health-related quality of life (PCS, MCS) of patients. The aim of this study was to explore whether coping mediates the relationship between fatigue and PCS and MCS. We collected data from 154 consecutive MS...

Objective: Morbidity and mortality among Roma due to coronary heart disease (CHD) is high, but evidence on potential psychosocial pathways is lacking. This study aimed to assess the differences in the severity of anxiety symptoms and in the sense of coherence (SOC) between Roma and non-Roma CHD patients, crude and adjusted for age, sex, functional...

Purpose: Fatigue is a frequent non-motor complaint of patients with Parkinson's disease (PD). Despite increasing knowledge on fatigue, the factors leading to its development are still not recognised. The aim of this investigation was to test, using structural equation modelling, the hypothesis that the influence of disease severity on fatigue is m...

Objectives: To describe the prevalence and clinical determinants of apathy in elderly nondemented patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) and their relationship to quality of life (QoL). Methods: A total of 106 nondemented elderly patients with PD were examined using the Movement Disorder Society-Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (MDS-UPDR...

Background Social participation is an integral part of everyday life in society; however, evidence about its association with Health-Related Quality of Life (HRQoL) in people with multiple sclerosis (MS) is lacking. Objective The aim of this study is to explore whether social participation is associated with the Physical Component Summary of HRQoL...

The aim of this study was to assess differences in health-related quality of life (HRQoL) between Roma and non-Roma coronary heart disease (CHD) patients, and whether differences in hostility contribute to this association. We examined 570 CHD patients (mean age 57.8, 28.1 % female) scheduled for coronary angiography, 88 (15.4 %) of whom were Roma....

Purpose: The aim of this study was to analyse whether problem-focused coping, coping focused on getting support and coping focused on stopping unpleasant emotions and thoughts are associated with different levels of physical and mental quality of life (PCS, MCS), controlling for gender, age and disease severity among MS patients. Method: The sam...

Aims A high sense of coherence (SOC) has been found to be associated with favourable health-related behaviours. However, evidence is for the most part lacking on the influence of SOC on health-related behaviours among coronary heart disease patients. The aim of this study was to explore the association between SOC at baseline and smoking status, nu...

Objectives: Coronary heart disease (CHD) is the most common cause of mortality and morbidity world-wide. Evidence on ethnic differences between the Roma and non-Roma regarding medical risk factors is scarce. The aim of this study was to assess differences in medical risk factors and the severity of CHD in Roma compared with non-Roma CHD patients,...

Clinical and psychosocial factors associated separately with primary and secondary fatigue in Parkinson's disease (PD) patients have not been thoroughly studied before. The aim of our study was to assess factors associated with different fatigue domains in groups with primary and secondary fatigue in PD separately. We divided 165 non-demented PD pa...