Negative social attitudes towards people with disabilities are a serious barrier to their social, professional, and cultural functioning. Due to negative perception, disabled individuals are often homebound. The present study was an attempt to compare declared attitudes with the results of other studies using the Polish version of an international assessment tool. The aim was to verify the MAS-PL tool and to analyse the attitudes of students of social sciences and humanities towards people with physical disabilities. An additional aim was to compare declared attitudes with the results of other studies using the Polish version of an international assessment tool for students of medicine and health sciences. In total, 540 students were surveyed using the Polish adaptation of the Multidimensional Attitudes Scale towards Persons with Disabilities (MAS-PL). The study confirmed the high reliability of the MAS-PL Scale. The mean global score of the scale was 82.79. There were no significant differences in the global MAS-PL score depending on respondents’ sex; however, an effect of this variable on the subscales was found. The surveyed females exhibited more positive attitudes in terms of the cognitive and behavioural components, whereas the males showed more positive attitudes in the affective subscale. There was no significant impact of the place of residence, age, and majors. Along with the year of studies, the intensity of the global and affective scale slightly increased. The surveyed students of social sciences and humanities exhibited similar attitudes towards people with physical disabilities to those declared by Polish students of medical and health sciences surveyed by Radlińska et al. The authors recommend implementation of didactic classes, projects, and activities at the stage of planning and creation of student education programs to promote tolerance towards disabled people.

In this article, we present and assess the labor productivity changes that have occurred in Poland’s rural sectors since the country became a member of the European Union. The study is linked with the concept of convergence, which is one of the key goals of European integration. Convergence is when two or more things, ideas, or processes become similar. In an economic sense, convergence is the reduction of development disparities between countries, regions, or economic sectors. The aim of the work was to study the convergence of labor productivity in Poland’s rural economic sectors between 2003 and 2019. Since 2004, when Poland became a member of the European Union, the country has benefited from funds distributed via EU regional policies, aimed at economic and social cohesion, and attaining regional convergence of economic effects in the economies of rural areas. The theoretical background and research methodology of this article are based on the topic’s literature. Two forms of convergence (sigma convergence and beta convergence) were analyzed. Sigma convergence means a decrease in the dispersion and differentiation of labor productivity over time, and the essence of beta convergence is the faster development of less-developed regions, which results in catching up with the better-developed regions. The economic results of convergence processes, measured by the gross value added of agriculture, forestry, hunting, and fisheries, as well as the number of employed persons in these sectors, were obtained from the Local Data Bank. The distribution dynamics (of the gross value added per person working in a Polish rural sector) were assessed for 2003–2019 as well as for selected years and sub-periods. Statistical methods describing the state of differentiation of regions and the function of regression were used for analysis. The results are presented in figures and maps. The flows between the productivity groups of regions in five sub-periods were evidenced. The research confirmed the partial occurrence of labor productivity convergence in Poland’s rural sectors between 2003 and 2014—the period of a sizable flow of European Funds offered to rural areas in Poland, during the first two European Union financial perspectives. In the following years, the convergence process diminished due to different natural and socioeconomic reasons.

Introduction and objective: Legionella bacteria are commonly found in natural aquatic environments such as rivers, lakes, ponds and hot springs. Legionella infection occurs through the inhalation of water-air aerosol generated, for example, by showers or hot tubs. The most common species...

In Poland—especially in the less developed eastern regions—the level of health-enhancing physical activity (HEPA) remains below the WHO recommendations, and its determinants are not yet fully understood. The study was conducted as part of the international EUPASMOS PLUS project on a sample of 173 adult individuals living in eastern Poland. Physical activity was measured using accelerometers worn continuously for seven days (24/7). The duration of moderate and vigorous physical activity as well as episodes of physical activity lasting at least 10 min were analyzed. The median daily MVPA time was 50 min, and the median VPA time only 10 s, both below WHO recommendations of 150 min/week of MVPA or 75 min/week of VPA. Overall, more than 70% of participants did not meet the recommended levels. The level of HEPA was found to be below WHO recommendations, especially among men, individuals over 50 years old, and those who were professionally inactive. Higher physical activity levels were recorded among women and younger participants. Significant correlations were found between HEPA level and self-rated health status (ρ = 0.28–0.38, p < 0.001), as well as body mass index and waist circumference (ρ ≈ −0.20 to −0.30, p < 0.01). Although statistically significant, the effect sizes were small to moderate, indicating limited explanatory power. Unemployment negatively affected MVPA and VPA levels, while household size positively correlated with physical activity. Interventions promoting HEPA should consider demographic and regional diversity, with particular focus on less active groups such as older adults and the unemployed. It is also necessary to develop new screening tools aimed at easy and quick diagnosis of social groups that should be targeted by HEPA promotion strategies.

Introduction: Leisure time is an integral part of people’s lifestyles. Recreation and proactive attitude during free time have an impact on physical development of a person with physical disability, moreover, foster building self-esteem. Research aim: The aim of this article is to identify the forms, dimensions and determinants of leisure behaviour in selected groups of respondents in correlation with the level of satisfaction with your own life. Method: The research was carried out in the Lublin Province. Two groups of people aged 30–50 took part in it: A – with disability and B – control (a total of 262 respondents of both sexes). The survey research used a questionnaire by Bergier and Tomczyszyn modified with the authors’consent and the Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS) adapted by Juczyński. Results: In their preferred leisure activities, the majority of respondents of both groups indicated primarily physically passive forms of leisure. Interviewees with a disability participated significantly less frequently in physical recreation and their physical activity was characterised by a shorter average duration compared to able-bodied respondents. Among the respondents of both groups an increase in the level of life satisfaction was noted, as well as the increase in time spent practising various sports and recreational activities. Conclusion: Despite growing public awareness, people with disabilities still prefer passive leisure activities. Free time spent in an active manner had a positive influence on the sense of life satisfaction for able-bodied people, as well as people with disabilities.