Background/Objectives: Health literacy represents the ability to access, understand, appraise, and apply health information for making appropriate health decisions. It is closely linked to education, income, employment, and overall health outcomes. Limited health literacy is associated with poor self-care, inadequate treatment adherence, and increased healthcare utilization. This study aimed to assess the level of health and medication adherence behaviors among primary health care users in Montenegro and examine its association with key demographic and socioeconomic factors. Methods: A cross-sectional, multicenter study was conducted among 202 primary health care users at the Primary Healthcare Center Danilovgrad, Plav and Ulcinj, Montenegro. Data were collected using a demographic questionnaire, the standardized European Health Literacy Questionnaire (HLS-EU-Q-47), and the Attitudes towards Medication Adherence Self-Reported Questionnaire (ADHERE-7). Statistical analyses included descriptive statistics, χ² tests, and univariate and multivariate regression. Results: The mean HLS-EU-Q Index was 33.55 ± 8.05. Significant differences in literacy levels were observed by age (p = 0.022), material status (p = 0.043), and self-rated health (p = 0.020). In multivariate ordinal regression analysis, lower income (<400 €) was associated with lower odds of belonging to a higher health literacy category (OR = 0.22, 95% CI: 0.02–0.92, p = 0.039), while no statistically significant associations were observed for gender, education level, or employment status after adjustment. The mean ADHERE-7 score of the study population was 21.78 ± 5.19. When analyzed in relation to the level of health literacy, the highest mean ADHERE-7 score was observed among participants with excellent health literacy (24.28 ± 4.90). Lower levels of health literacy were associated with lower odds of belonging to higher health literacy categories among participants reporting selected non-adherence behaviors, including missing therapy 3–4 times per week (OR = 0.30), frequently skipping prescribed medication when feeling well (OR = 0.03), and reducing or omitting therapy due to perceived lack of benefit or high costs (OR range: 0.10–0.31). Conclusions: Health literacy among primary care users in Montenegro is moderate, with a substantial proportion exhibiting limited literacy. Low income is a key determinant of limited literacy, and limited health literacy was associated with poorer medication adherence. Targeted educational and policy interventions are needed to improve health literacy and reduce health inequalities.

Background and Objectives: Prehypertension and hypertension are the most common cardiovascular disorders worldwide and are increasingly considered one of the most serious public health problems, particularly in developing countries. The objective of this study was to determine the frequency and demographic and socioeconomic predictors of prehypertension and hypertension in the adults in Serbia, and to examine the relationship between prehypertension and hypertension and health behavior determinants (smoking, alcohol use, physical activity) and individual aspects of health (a health self-assessment, multimorbidity, BMI, depressive symptoms). Materials and Methods: The research is part of the fourth National Population Health Survey conducted in 2019, which was conducted by the Republic Institute of Statistics, in cooperation with the Institute of Public Health of Serbia and the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Serbia. As a research instrument, questionnaires were used in accordance with the methodology of the European Health Survey. For the purposes of this research, data on the adult population aged 20 and over were used. Results: Women are at a reduced risk for both prehypertension (OR = 0.328) and hypertension (OR = 0.349) by nearly 70%. Similarly, those aged below 60 years have a lower risk for prehypertension and those younger than 40 years have a lower risk for hypertension (OR = 0.995), whereas people with a lower education have a 4.3 times higher risk of prehypertension (OR = 4.323) and a 1.6 times higher risk of hypertension (OR = 1.614). The poor have a 1.4 times higher risk of prehypertension (OR = 1.413) and a 1 times higher risk of hypertension (OR = 1.035). People with multimorbidity have a 1.2 times higher risk of both prehypertension (OR = 1.218) and a 4.8 times higher risk of hypertension (OR = 4.867). Conclusions: Male gender, lower education, poverty, age and the presence of multimorbidity are significant predictors of prehypertension and hypertension in the Serbian adult population, so preventive strategies should be aimed at these sensitive population groups.

Background and Objectives: Diabetes is one of the most common chronic non-communicable diseases and represents a major public health problem. At the global level, the epidemic character of diabetes mellitus can be attributed to an extended life expectancy but also to lifestyle. The aim of this study was to examine the sociodemographic, health, and lifestyle characteristics of adults with type 2 diabetes mellitus in Serbia. Materials and Methods: The research is part of the Serbian Population Health Survey conducted in the period from October to December 2019 by the Republic Statistical Office, in cooperation with the Institute of Public Health of Serbia “Dr Milan Jovanović Batut” and the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Serbia. The research instrument was standardized questionnaires constructed in accordance with the European Health Interview Survey (EHIS—European Health Interview Survey, wave 3) questionnaire, which were adapted to the specifics of our area. The research was conducted as a cross-sectional study on a representative sample of the adult population of Serbia. Results: Among 1138 adults with type 2 diabetes in Serbia (52.8% female; mean age 66.0 ± 11.9 years), overweight and obesity were highly prevalent (40.1% and 34.4%, respectively), with Obesity I predominating. Significant gender differences were observed: female more often reported obesity, multimorbidity, and depressive symptoms, whereas men were more physically active and more frequently overweight. Most participants were physically inactive, consumed breakfast and bread daily, and had low engagement in cycling and sports. Alcohol consumption was significantly higher in men, while dietary habits differed by gender for bread intake. These findings highlight substantial gender- and lifestyle-related disparities among adults with type 2 diabetes in Serbia. Conclusions: Targeted interventions promoting healthy lifestyle, physical activity, psychosocial support, and chronic disease management are urgently needed to address gender- and lifestyle-related disparities in adults with type 2 diabetes in Serbia.

Population aging is defined as one of the most current phenomena and challenges facing world. The WHO defines population aging as one of greatest successes of human society, resulting from reduction of mortality among elderly and their longer life expectancy in the protection of population, pharmacology, public health and promotion of healthy lifestyles. The certainty of the continuity of population aging in future continues to capture attention of the general public and initiates a whole series of open questions that will require very specific and concrete answers from each country. The aim of this paper is to review available literature to indicate the specific determinants of the elderly population, identify the challenges faced by the elderly population and indicate implications of the phenomenon of population aging. The unstoppable process of population ageing has profound consequences for health, social and economic spheres of society due to specific and very different needs of elderly population. The role of demographics, social factors, health needs and barriers as economic resources and differences in use of health services among elderly need to be systematically addressed and monitored. A well-organized health and social care system is important for improving the health of older people. Public health policy should address the diversity of health and functional conditions experienced by older people and maximize number of people who promote a positive journey of ageing. The creation and implementation of innovative strategies to improve health and quality of life of older people would enable well-being in old age.

Background and Objectives: This study examined changes in hearing handicap and quality of life following hearing amplification in older adults and associations of hearing aid outcomes and healthcare communication satisfaction with post-amplification quality of life. Materials and Methods: This prospective, multicenter study included 117 adults aged over 60 years with bilateral severe sensorineural hearing loss and no previous hearing aid use. Hearing handicap, quality of life, hearing aid outcomes, and healthcare communication satisfaction were assessed using the Hearing Handicap Inventory for the Elderly (HHIE), WHOQOL-BREF, International Outcome Inventory for Hearing Aids (IOI-HA), and a 12-item communication satisfaction measure, respectively. Results: Hearing amplification was associated with significantly reduced hearing handicap and improved quality of life across all WHOQOL-BREF domains (p < 0.01). Healthcare communication satisfaction also improved significantly (p < 0.001). Better hearing aid outcomes were associated with higher post-amplification quality of life across all domains, remaining independently associated after adjustment for baseline quality of life and participant characteristics. Greater healthcare communication satisfaction was positively associated with all quality-of-life domains but remained independently associated only with social relationships after adjustment. Conclusions: Hearing amplification was associated with reduced hearing handicap, improved quality of life, and greater healthcare communication satisfaction. Better hearing aid outcomes were independently associated with higher quality of life across all domains, whereas communication satisfaction was independently associated only with social relationships. This finding warrants caution given the lower internal consistency of that domain.

Background/Objectives: One of the raising public health problems in the adolescent population is obesity, which has reached epidemic proportions worldwide. The aim of this work is to determine the prevalence of obesity in the population of children of secondary school, age 15 to 19 years in Serbia and the determinate connection with demographic and socio-economic characteristics of the respondents and their eating habits and physical activity. Methods: The research is part of the fourth National Population Health Survey conducted in 2019, which was conducted by the Republic Institute of Statistics, in cooperation with the Institute of Public Health of Serbia and the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Serbia. As a research instrument, questionnaires were used in accordance with the methodology of the European Health Survey. For the purposes of this research, data on the adult population aged 15–19 and over were used. Results: The association of overweight with demographic and socioeconomic characteristics was examined using binary regression. In the univariate model, male gender (OR = 1.95), younger age (OR = 1.57) and Region of Vojvodina (OR = 2.47) stood out as significant predictors of overweight, which was confirmed by the multivariate model. Conclusions: The results of our study emphasize that the prevalence of obesity in the population of high school youth is at a significant level and that a lot more needs to be done to promote healthy lifestyles and raise awareness of their benefits on health status.