Background: Croatia has closed all educational institutions after 32 cases of SARS-CoV-2 infection were confirmed and switched to exclusive e-learning. Health sciences university students may have been particularly affected with this change due to a lack of practical education. It is not known how health sciences students and schools have adjusted to exclusive e-learning. This study aimed to explore attitudes and concerns of health sciences students in Croatia regarding the complete switch to e-learning during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: Eligible participants were students from 9 institutions offering university-level health sciences education in Croatia enrolled in the academic year 2019/2010, and participating in e-learning. Data were collected with a questionnaire distributed via email during April/May 2020. Results: A total of 2520 students (aged 25.7 ± 7.7 years) responded to the questionnaire (70.3% response rate). General satisfaction with exclusive e-learning was rated with average grade of 3.7 out of 5. Compared with previous education, exclusive e-learning was rated with average grade of 3.2 out of 5. Compared to classroom learning, equal or higher motivation to attend exclusive e-learning was reported by 64.4% of participants. With a longer duration of exclusive e-learning, equal or higher motivation was reported by 65.5% of participants. Less than half of the students indicated they felt deprived or concerned due to the lack of practical lessons. Most participants indicated that in the future, they would prefer to combine classic classroom and e-learning (N = 1403; 55.7%). Conclusions: Most health sciences students were satisfied with the exclusive e-learning, as well as their personal and institutional adjustment to it. Students’ feedback can help institutions to improve the exclusive e-learning experience for students in the time of the pandemic.

Background: Lack of knowledge of systematic reviews (SRs) could prevent individual health care professionals from using SRs as a source of information in their clinical practice or discourage them from participating in such research. Objective: In this randomized controlled trial, we evaluated the effect of a short web-based educational intervention on short-term knowledge of SRs. Methods: Eligible participants were 871 Master’s students of university health sciences studies in Croatia; 589 (67.6%) students who agreed to participate in the trial were randomized using a computer program into 2 groups. Intervention group A (294/589, 49.9%) received a short web-based educational intervention about SR methodology, and intervention group B (295/589, 50.1%) was presented with the PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) checklist. The participants’ knowledge of SRs was assessed before and after the intervention. The participants could not be blinded because of the nature of the intervention. The primary outcome was the difference in the percentage of correct answers about SR methodology per participant between the groups after the intervention, expressed as relative risk and 95% CI. Results: Results from 162 and 165 participants in the educational intervention and PRISMA checklist groups, respectively, were available for analysis. Most of them (educational intervention group: 130/162, 80.2%; PRISMA checklist group: 131/165, 79.4%) were employed as health care professionals in addition to being health sciences students. After the intervention, the educational intervention group had 23% (relative risk percentage) more correct answers in the postintervention questionnaire than the PRISMA checklist group (relative risk=1.23, 95% CI 1.17-1.29). Conclusions: A short web-based educational intervention about SRs is an effective tool for short-term improvement of knowledge of SRs among health care studies students, most of whom were also employed as health care professionals. Further studies are needed to explore the long-term effects of the tested education. Trial Registration: OSF Registries 10.17605/OSF.IO/RYMVC; https://osf.io/rymvc

Background: Boredom is a common but insufficiently explored experience in adolescence, which has been increasingly linked to the development of risky behaviours. This study explores the extent to which boredom predicts engagement in various risky behaviours among adolescents aged 15 to 17. Methods: A cross-sectional study on a sample of 281 high-school students in Croatia was performed in 2024. The participants completed a structured online questionnaire, including validated scales measuring their proneness to boredom, substance use, disordered eating, theft, and cyberbullying. Data were analysed using non-parametric tests, correlation coefficients, and linear regression. Results: Boredom showed a significant association with all forms of risky behaviour, with the strongest association found for disordered eating. Moderate predictive ability was observed for alcohol, marijuana, and drug use, while weaker but significant associations with cyberbullying and theft were also found. Male adolescents reported higher involvement in certain risky behaviours, although no significant gender differences were observed in boredom levels. Conclusions: Boredom is a developmental risk factor, notably when leisure time lacks structure and meaning. While the cross-sectional design of this study limits causal conclusions, the findings highlight the importance of taking boredom into consideration regarding pedagogical prevention efforts. Pedagogical activities targeting quality leisure time, especially within schools and families, may reduce adolescents’ susceptibility to harmful behaviours.

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