Alexandra Pajak
Biographic Data
| ID | 314854 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Alexandra Pajak |
| GIVEN NAMES | Alexandra |
| FAMILY NAME | Pajak |
| SIGNATURE | PAJAK A |
| AFFILIATIONS | Jagiellonian University |
| ORCID | 0000-0002-5641-0805 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 32 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 65 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 32 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 1996 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2025 |
| H-INDEX | 5 |
Frailty index is an independent predictor of all-cause and cardiovascular mortality in Eastern Europe: A multicentre cohort study
BACKGROUND: This study investigates the association between frailty and mortality in Eastern European populations, which remains largely unexplored compared with Western Europe. The aim is to assess the risk of all-cause and cardiovascular mortality associated with varying levels of frailty. METHODS: A prospective multicentre cohort study was conducted, involving random population samples from the Czech Republic, Poland and Lithuania. The baselin…
Critical Race Theory: Origins, Principles, Applications, and Evidence
Critical Race Theory (CRT) is a unique analytic lens through which to examine and ultimately dismantle racism within United States society. CRT has been applied to a variety of contexts including education, therapy, and law. Little is known about the application of CRT to the field of social work. This paper aims to investigate the ways in which CRT has been applied to the field of social work. Utilizing major academic databases, the researcher i…
ATHLOS Healthy Aging Scale score as the predictor of all-cause mortality in Poland and Czechia
Background: The ATHLOS consortium (Aging Trajectories of Health-Longitudinal Opportunities and Synergies) used data from several aging cohorts to develop a novel scale measuring healthy aging comprehensively and globally (ATHLOS Healthy Aging Scale). In the present study, we assessed the predictive performance of the ATHLOS Healthy Aging Scale for all-cause mortality in middle-aged and older adults. Methods: Data from the Polish and Czech HAPIEE …
Trajectories in physical functioning at older age in relation to childhood and adulthood SES and social mobility: A population-based cohort study
Introduction: Older age is associated with the deterioration of physical functioning (PF), and low PF is strongly related to poor quality of life among older people. We conducted a study to examine the trajectories of PF between middle and old age, considering sex differences as well as the association between socioeconomic status (SES) at different life stages and changes in PF. Methods: We analyzed data from the Polish arm of the HAPIEE (Health…
Is area-level socioeconomic deprivation associated with mortality due to circulatory system diseases in Poland
Significant differences in mortality changes due to CSD in Poland could be observed in relation to socioeconomic deprivation, resulting in reduced health inequalities. To reduce CSD mortality, more comprehensive preventive measures, including approaches addressing the socioeconomic factors, mainly poverty, education and employment, are needed, particularly in less urbanized areas
Socioeconomic position over the life course and impaired lung function of older adults in Central and Eastern Europe: The Hapiee study
BACKGROUND: Social differences in lung functioning have been reported, but the role of socioeconomic position (SEP) at different stages of life is less well understood, particularly in Central and Eastern Europe. This study addressed this question. METHODS: The analysis included 10 160 individuals aged 45-70 years from the Czech Republic, Poland and Lithuania. Lung function was either normal if values of forced expiratory volume in the first seco…
Work stress, overcommitment personality and alcohol consumption based on the Effort–Reward Imbalance model: A population–based cohort study
Work stress has been extensively supported to predict health outcomes like health behaviors. Evidence has linked work stress and personality independently to health, but the interrelationships between work stress and personality and their joint effects on health might deserve more attention in research. This study attempts to integrate recent developments in psychological research (diverse roles of personality in stress processes) into the well-e…
Recollection of Physician Information about Risk Factor and Lifestyle Changes in Chronic Coronary Syndrome Patients
A patient's compliance to a physician's lifestyle information is essential in chronic coronary syndrome (CCS) patients. We assessed potential characteristics associated with a patient's recollection of physician information and lifestyle changes. This study recruited and interviewed patients (aged ≤ 80 years) 6-18 months after hospitalization due to acute coronary syndrome or elective myocardial revascularization. A physician's information on ris…
Changes in Socioeconomic Status as Predictors of Cardiovascular Disease Incidence and Mortality: A 10-Year Follow-Up of a Polish-Population-Based Hapiee Cohort
Although the inverse association between socioeconomic status (SES) and cardiovascular disease (CVD) is well established, research on the effect of changes in the SES throughout life on CVD risk in populations with different social backgrounds remains scarce. This study aimed to assess the relationship between childhood SES, adulthood SES, and changes in SES over time, and CVD incidence and mortality in a Polish urban population. In addition, the…
Prevalence, awareness, treatment and control of hypertension, diabetes and hypercholesterolemia, and associated risk factors in the Czech Republic, Russia, Poland and Lithuania: A cross-sectional stud…
Patterns of awareness, treatment and control rates of hypertension, diabetes and hypercholesterolemia differed by country. Efforts should be made in all four countries to control these conditions, including implementation of international guidelines in everyday practice to improve detection and effective management of these conditions
Health Care Resources and 24,910 Deaths Due to Traffic Accidents: An Ecological Mortality Study in Poland
Poor HCR is an important factor that explains the territorial differentiation of mortality due to traffic accidents in Poland. The high percentage of out-of-hospital deaths indicates the importance of preventive measures and the need for improvement in access to health care to reduce mortality due to traffic accidents
Associations between Pharmacotherapy for Cardiovascular Diseases and Periodontitis
PD was found in 74% of participants. The range of cardioprotective drug use among participants was 7% (ARBs) to 32% (beta-blockers). After adjusting for age, sex, number of teeth, smoking, and education, ASA's use was related to a lower prevalence of PD in all dentate participants (odds ratio (OR) = 0.63, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.40-0.99). The use of ARBs and statins was found to be associated with a higher prevalence of PD in persons havi…
Area-Based Socio-Economic Inequalities in Mortality from Lung Cancer and Respiratory Diseases
Background : After political transformation in 1989/1990, Poland experienced a general improvement in living conditions and quality of life, but the benefits did not extend evenly across all segments of the society. We hypothesized that the regional differences in mortality due to diseases of the respiratory system are related to socioeconomic status (SES) and its changes over time. Materials and methods : An ecological study was carried out in 6…
The prospective relationship between social cohesion and depressive symptoms among older adults from Central and Eastern Europe
BACKGROUND: Social cohesion has a potential protective effect against depression, but evidence for Central and Eastern Europe is lacking. We investigated the prospective association between social cohesion and elevated depressive symptoms in the Czech Republic, Russia and Poland, and assessed whether alcohol drinking and smoking mediated this association. METHODS: Cohort data from 15 438 older urban participants from the Health, Alcohol and Psych…
Congruent relations between perceived neighbourhood social cohesion and depressive symptoms among older European adults: An East-West analysis
Prospective associations between low social cohesion and increased depressive symptoms were largely congruent among older adults from England and three Central and Eastern European countries. These associations operated via a psychological, but not a health behavioural, pathway among ageing adults living in diverse parts of Europe
Metabolic syndrome and its components in Polish women of childbearing age: A nationwide study
Overweight and obesity, especially of abdominal type, and the related metabolic abnormalities are common in Polish women of childbearing age. Their prevalence tends to increase with age. Underweight is relatively common in the youngest age group
Coffee consumption and mortality in three Eastern European countries: Results from the Hapiee (Health, Alcohol and Psychosocial factors In Eastern Europe) study
Objective To test the association between coffee consumption and risk of all-cause, CVD and cancer death in a European cohort. Design Prospective cohort study. Cox proportional hazards models with adjustment for potential confounders to estimate multivariable hazard ratios (HR) and 95 % CI were used. Setting Czech Republic, Russia and Poland. Subjects A total of 28561 individuals followed for 6·1 years. Results A total of 2121 deaths (43·1 % CVD …
Impact of perceived control on all-cause and cardiovascular disease mortality in three urban populations of Central and Eastern Europe: The Hapiee study
BACKGROUND: Inverse associations between perceived control and cardiovascular disease (CVD) have been reported in studies from Western Europe and the USA. To assess this relationship across different populations, we investigated the association between perceived control and all-cause and CVD mortality in three population-based cohorts of Eastern European countries. METHODS: We analysed data from a prospective cohort study in random population sam…
Determinants of social inequalities in stroke incidence across Europe: A collaborative analysis of 126 635 individuals from 48 cohort studies
BACKGROUND: Knowledge on the origins of the social gradient in stroke incidence in different populations is limited. This study aims to estimate the burden of educational class inequalities in stroke incidence and to assess the contribution of risk factors in determining these inequalities across Europe. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The MORGAM (MOnica Risk, Genetics, Archiving and Monograph) Study comprises 48 cohorts recruited mostly in the 1980s and …
Education, material condition and physical functioning trajectories in middle-aged and older adults in Central and Eastern Europe: A cross-country comparison
BACKGROUND: Two competing hypotheses, cumulative advantage/disadvantage and age-as-leveller, have been proposed to explain the contradictory findings on socioeconomic differences in health over the lifespan. To test these hypotheses, this investigation examined the influence of educational attainment and material condition on individual trajectories of physical functioning (PF) in unexplored ageing populations in Central and Eastern Europe. METHO…
Inclusion of hazardous drinking does not improve the SCORE performance in men from Central and Eastern Europe: The findings from the Hapiee cohorts
The SCORE (Systematic COronary Risk Evaluation) scale uses conventional risk factors for the prediction of the 10-year risk of fatal atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (CVD). The high-risk version of SCORE is recommended by the European Society of Cardiology for use in the populations of Central and Eastern Europe and former Soviet Union (CEE/FSU). Given the role of hazardous alcohol consumption as an important determinant of CVD mortality in…
Socioeconomic inequalities in all-cause mortality in the Czech Republic, Russia, Poland and Lithuania in the 2000s: Findings from the Hapiee Study
BACKGROUND: Relatively large socioeconomic inequalities in health and mortality have been observed in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) and the former Soviet Union (FSU). Yet comparative data are sparse and virtually all studies include only education. The aim of this study is to quantify and compare socioeconomic inequalities in all-cause mortality during the 2000s in urban population samples from four CEE/FSU countries, by three different measur…
Socio-economic circumstances and food habits in Eastern, Central and Western European populations
Objective To assess the relationship between several socio-economic indicators and frequency of consumption of seven predefined healthy foods (consumption of fruit, vegetables, wholegrain bread, vegetable-fat spread, vegetable cooking fat, low-fat milk and low-fat cheese) in populations from Eastern, Central and Western Europe. Design Analysis of baseline data collected in two cross-sectional cohort studies between 2000 and 2005: the Health, Alco…
Job insecurity and health: A study of 16 European countries
Although the number of insecure jobs has increased considerably over the recent decades, relatively little is known about the health consequences of job insecurity, their international pattern, and factors that may modify them. In this paper, we investigated the association between job insecurity and self-rated health, and whether the relationship differs by country or individual-level characteristics. Cross-sectional data from 3 population-based…
Dietary habits in three Central and Eastern European countries: The Hapiee study
This first large scale study of individual-based dietary intakes in the general population in Eastern Europe implies that intakes of saturated fat, sugar and complex carbohydrates are a cause for concern. The development of country-specific nutritional tools must be encouraged and nutritional campaigns must undergo continuing development
Psychosocial work characteristics and self rated health in four post-communist countries
STUDY OBJECTIVES: To examine whether psychosocial factors at work are related to self rated health in post-communist countries. DESIGN AND SETTINGS: Random samples of men and women in five communities in four countries were sent a postal questionnaire (Poland, Czech Republic and Lithuania) or were invited to an interview (Hungary). Working subjects (n=3941) reported their self rated health in the past 12 months (5 point scale), their socioeconomi…
Psychosocial factors at work and depression in three countries of Central and Eastern Europe
Congruent relations between perceived neighbourhood social cohesion and depressive symptoms among older European adults: An East-West analysis
Prospective associations between low social cohesion and increased depressive symptoms were largely congruent among older adults from England and three Central and Eastern European countries. These associations operated via a psychological, but not a health behavioural, pathway among ageing adults living in diverse parts of Europe
Childhood socioeconomic circumstances and adult height and leg length in central and eastern Europe
BACKGROUND: Adult height and leg length have been shown to be positively associated with childhood socioeconomic circumstances in several studies in western populations. This study will determine whether similar associations are observable in settings with different social histories, and will assess whether adult leg length is more strongly associated than adult height. METHODS: Random samples of men and women aged 45-69 years were taken from pop…
Socioeconomic inequalities in all-cause mortality in the Czech Republic, Russia, Poland and Lithuania in the 2000s: Findings from the Hapiee Study
BACKGROUND: Relatively large socioeconomic inequalities in health and mortality have been observed in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) and the former Soviet Union (FSU). Yet comparative data are sparse and virtually all studies include only education. The aim of this study is to quantify and compare socioeconomic inequalities in all-cause mortality during the 2000s in urban population samples from four CEE/FSU countries, by three different measur…
The prospective relationship between social cohesion and depressive symptoms among older adults from Central and Eastern Europe
BACKGROUND: Social cohesion has a potential protective effect against depression, but evidence for Central and Eastern Europe is lacking. We investigated the prospective association between social cohesion and elevated depressive symptoms in the Czech Republic, Russia and Poland, and assessed whether alcohol drinking and smoking mediated this association. METHODS: Cohort data from 15 438 older urban participants from the Health, Alcohol and Psych…
Determinants of social inequalities in stroke incidence across Europe: A collaborative analysis of 126 635 individuals from 48 cohort studies
BACKGROUND: Knowledge on the origins of the social gradient in stroke incidence in different populations is limited. This study aims to estimate the burden of educational class inequalities in stroke incidence and to assess the contribution of risk factors in determining these inequalities across Europe. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The MORGAM (MOnica Risk, Genetics, Archiving and Monograph) Study comprises 48 cohorts recruited mostly in the 1980s and …
Education, material condition and physical functioning trajectories in middle-aged and older adults in Central and Eastern Europe: A cross-country comparison
BACKGROUND: Two competing hypotheses, cumulative advantage/disadvantage and age-as-leveller, have been proposed to explain the contradictory findings on socioeconomic differences in health over the lifespan. To test these hypotheses, this investigation examined the influence of educational attainment and material condition on individual trajectories of physical functioning (PF) in unexplored ageing populations in Central and Eastern Europe. METHO…
Contribution of Smoking
Psychosocial work characteristics and self rated health in four post-communist countries
STUDY OBJECTIVES: To examine whether psychosocial factors at work are related to self rated health in post-communist countries. DESIGN AND SETTINGS: Random samples of men and women in five communities in four countries were sent a postal questionnaire (Poland, Czech Republic and Lithuania) or were invited to an interview (Hungary). Working subjects (n=3941) reported their self rated health in the past 12 months (5 point scale), their socioeconomi…
Psychosocial factors at work and depression in three countries of Central and Eastern Europe
Body mass, depressive symptoms and menopausal status: An examination of the “Jolly Fat” hypothesis
Determinants of cardiovascular disease and other non-communicable diseases in Central and Eastern Europe: Rationale and design of the Hapiee study
The HAPIEE study will provide important new insights into social, behavioural and biological factors influencing mortality and cardiovascular risk in the region
Estimation of secular trends in adult height, and childhood socioeconomic circumstances in three Eastern European populations
Childhood socioeconomic circumstances and adult height and leg length in central and eastern Europe
BACKGROUND: Adult height and leg length have been shown to be positively associated with childhood socioeconomic circumstances in several studies in western populations. This study will determine whether similar associations are observable in settings with different social histories, and will assess whether adult leg length is more strongly associated than adult height. METHODS: Random samples of men and women aged 45-69 years were taken from pop…
Dietary habits in three Central and Eastern European countries: The Hapiee study
This first large scale study of individual-based dietary intakes in the general population in Eastern Europe implies that intakes of saturated fat, sugar and complex carbohydrates are a cause for concern. The development of country-specific nutritional tools must be encouraged and nutritional campaigns must undergo continuing development
Job insecurity and health: A study of 16 European countries
Although the number of insecure jobs has increased considerably over the recent decades, relatively little is known about the health consequences of job insecurity, their international pattern, and factors that may modify them. In this paper, we investigated the association between job insecurity and self-rated health, and whether the relationship differs by country or individual-level characteristics. Cross-sectional data from 3 population-based…
Socio-economic circumstances and food habits in Eastern, Central and Western European populations
Objective To assess the relationship between several socio-economic indicators and frequency of consumption of seven predefined healthy foods (consumption of fruit, vegetables, wholegrain bread, vegetable-fat spread, vegetable cooking fat, low-fat milk and low-fat cheese) in populations from Eastern, Central and Western Europe. Design Analysis of baseline data collected in two cross-sectional cohort studies between 2000 and 2005: the Health, Alco…
Inclusion of hazardous drinking does not improve the SCORE performance in men from Central and Eastern Europe: The findings from the Hapiee cohorts
The SCORE (Systematic COronary Risk Evaluation) scale uses conventional risk factors for the prediction of the 10-year risk of fatal atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (CVD). The high-risk version of SCORE is recommended by the European Society of Cardiology for use in the populations of Central and Eastern Europe and former Soviet Union (CEE/FSU). Given the role of hazardous alcohol consumption as an important determinant of CVD mortality in…
Socioeconomic inequalities in all-cause mortality in the Czech Republic, Russia, Poland and Lithuania in the 2000s: Findings from the Hapiee Study
BACKGROUND: Relatively large socioeconomic inequalities in health and mortality have been observed in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) and the former Soviet Union (FSU). Yet comparative data are sparse and virtually all studies include only education. The aim of this study is to quantify and compare socioeconomic inequalities in all-cause mortality during the 2000s in urban population samples from four CEE/FSU countries, by three different measur…
Education, material condition and physical functioning trajectories in middle-aged and older adults in Central and Eastern Europe: A cross-country comparison
BACKGROUND: Two competing hypotheses, cumulative advantage/disadvantage and age-as-leveller, have been proposed to explain the contradictory findings on socioeconomic differences in health over the lifespan. To test these hypotheses, this investigation examined the influence of educational attainment and material condition on individual trajectories of physical functioning (PF) in unexplored ageing populations in Central and Eastern Europe. METHO…
Metabolic syndrome and its components in Polish women of childbearing age: A nationwide study
Overweight and obesity, especially of abdominal type, and the related metabolic abnormalities are common in Polish women of childbearing age. Their prevalence tends to increase with age. Underweight is relatively common in the youngest age group
Coffee consumption and mortality in three Eastern European countries: Results from the Hapiee (Health, Alcohol and Psychosocial factors In Eastern Europe) study
Objective To test the association between coffee consumption and risk of all-cause, CVD and cancer death in a European cohort. Design Prospective cohort study. Cox proportional hazards models with adjustment for potential confounders to estimate multivariable hazard ratios (HR) and 95 % CI were used. Setting Czech Republic, Russia and Poland. Subjects A total of 28561 individuals followed for 6·1 years. Results A total of 2121 deaths (43·1 % CVD …
Impact of perceived control on all-cause and cardiovascular disease mortality in three urban populations of Central and Eastern Europe: The Hapiee study
BACKGROUND: Inverse associations between perceived control and cardiovascular disease (CVD) have been reported in studies from Western Europe and the USA. To assess this relationship across different populations, we investigated the association between perceived control and all-cause and CVD mortality in three population-based cohorts of Eastern European countries. METHODS: We analysed data from a prospective cohort study in random population sam…
Determinants of social inequalities in stroke incidence across Europe: A collaborative analysis of 126 635 individuals from 48 cohort studies
BACKGROUND: Knowledge on the origins of the social gradient in stroke incidence in different populations is limited. This study aims to estimate the burden of educational class inequalities in stroke incidence and to assess the contribution of risk factors in determining these inequalities across Europe. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The MORGAM (MOnica Risk, Genetics, Archiving and Monograph) Study comprises 48 cohorts recruited mostly in the 1980s and …
Area-Based Socio-Economic Inequalities in Mortality from Lung Cancer and Respiratory Diseases
Background : After political transformation in 1989/1990, Poland experienced a general improvement in living conditions and quality of life, but the benefits did not extend evenly across all segments of the society. We hypothesized that the regional differences in mortality due to diseases of the respiratory system are related to socioeconomic status (SES) and its changes over time. Materials and methods : An ecological study was carried out in 6…
The prospective relationship between social cohesion and depressive symptoms among older adults from Central and Eastern Europe
BACKGROUND: Social cohesion has a potential protective effect against depression, but evidence for Central and Eastern Europe is lacking. We investigated the prospective association between social cohesion and elevated depressive symptoms in the Czech Republic, Russia and Poland, and assessed whether alcohol drinking and smoking mediated this association. METHODS: Cohort data from 15 438 older urban participants from the Health, Alcohol and Psych…
Congruent relations between perceived neighbourhood social cohesion and depressive symptoms among older European adults: An East-West analysis
Prospective associations between low social cohesion and increased depressive symptoms were largely congruent among older adults from England and three Central and Eastern European countries. These associations operated via a psychological, but not a health behavioural, pathway among ageing adults living in diverse parts of Europe
Health Care Resources and 24,910 Deaths Due to Traffic Accidents: An Ecological Mortality Study in Poland
Poor HCR is an important factor that explains the territorial differentiation of mortality due to traffic accidents in Poland. The high percentage of out-of-hospital deaths indicates the importance of preventive measures and the need for improvement in access to health care to reduce mortality due to traffic accidents
Associations between Pharmacotherapy for Cardiovascular Diseases and Periodontitis
PD was found in 74% of participants. The range of cardioprotective drug use among participants was 7% (ARBs) to 32% (beta-blockers). After adjusting for age, sex, number of teeth, smoking, and education, ASA's use was related to a lower prevalence of PD in all dentate participants (odds ratio (OR) = 0.63, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.40-0.99). The use of ARBs and statins was found to be associated with a higher prevalence of PD in persons havi…
Work stress, overcommitment personality and alcohol consumption based on the Effort–Reward Imbalance model: A population–based cohort study
Work stress has been extensively supported to predict health outcomes like health behaviors. Evidence has linked work stress and personality independently to health, but the interrelationships between work stress and personality and their joint effects on health might deserve more attention in research. This study attempts to integrate recent developments in psychological research (diverse roles of personality in stress processes) into the well-e…
Recollection of Physician Information about Risk Factor and Lifestyle Changes in Chronic Coronary Syndrome Patients
A patient's compliance to a physician's lifestyle information is essential in chronic coronary syndrome (CCS) patients. We assessed potential characteristics associated with a patient's recollection of physician information and lifestyle changes. This study recruited and interviewed patients (aged ≤ 80 years) 6-18 months after hospitalization due to acute coronary syndrome or elective myocardial revascularization. A physician's information on ris…
Changes in Socioeconomic Status as Predictors of Cardiovascular Disease Incidence and Mortality: A 10-Year Follow-Up of a Polish-Population-Based Hapiee Cohort
Although the inverse association between socioeconomic status (SES) and cardiovascular disease (CVD) is well established, research on the effect of changes in the SES throughout life on CVD risk in populations with different social backgrounds remains scarce. This study aimed to assess the relationship between childhood SES, adulthood SES, and changes in SES over time, and CVD incidence and mortality in a Polish urban population. In addition, the…
Medicine (28 works) · Demography (22 works) · Population (19 works) · Environmental health (18 works) · Internal Medicine (17 works) · Health disparities and outcomes (16 works) · Gerontology (13 works) · Socioeconomic status (12 works) · Demography (11 works) · Czech (9 works)