Karolina Kósa
Biographic Data
| ID | 6083944 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Karolina Kósa |
| GIVEN NAMES | Karolina |
| FAMILY NAME | Kósa |
| SIGNATURE | KÓSA K |
| AFFILIATIONS | University of Debrecen |
| ORCID | 0000-0001-7867-2403 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 25 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 18 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 25 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2007 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2025 |
| H-INDEX | 2 |
Breast cancer screening coverage is severely reduced among women who reside in segregated areas
Background: This study investigated disparities in breast cancer screening participation between living in residential segregations (SAs, segregated areas defined by clustering of low levels of income and education) and in non-segregated, complementary areas (CAs) of Hungary. Methods: In a nationwide cross-sectional study, data from 2019 were obtained from the National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF). In accordance with the Hungarian recommendation,…
Covid-19’s effect on healthcare disparities
Introduction: Spatially segregated, socio-economically deprived communities often face significant health disparities. This paper evaluates the impact of COVID-19 on healthcare delivery and reimbursement disparities in Hungary, particularly focusing on segregated populations. Aims: To examine healthcare utilization and reimbursement patterns among patients in segregated areas (SA) and non-segregated or complementary areas (CA) during the first ye…
Cross-sectional comparison of health care delivery and reimbursement between segregated and nonsegregated communities in Hungary
Introduction: Spatially segregated, socio-economically deprived communities in Europe are at risk of being neglected in terms of health care. In Hungary, poor monitoring systems and poor knowledge on the health status of people in these segregated areas prevent the development of well-informed effective interventions for these vulnerable communities. Aims: We used data available from National Health Insurance Fund Management to better describe he…
Residence in segregated settlements (colonies) rather than Roma identity increases the risk of unfavourable mental health in Hungarian adults
Background: Roma are the largest and most disadvantaged minority in Europe, but there is few research on how mental health and social support of Roma people living in segregated settlements compares to the majority population. Our aim was to compare the subjective well-being, life satisfaction, mental status, and social support of representative samples of adults living in segregated settlements (colonies) and identifying as Roma with those of th…
Daily Optional Physical Education Does Not Counteract Increasing Inactivity by Age among Adolescents
Background: This paper describes the outcomes of an integrated health promotion programme implemented in a Hungarian high school offering health education in the curriculum, daily optional physical education, teacher training in applying a person-centered approach in teaching, and parental involvement in school activities. Methods: The evaluation used mixed methods of which results of the before-6-months-after quantitative survey among pupils is …
The Pendulum Swings Both Ways
Short sleep duration is a known risk to health, but less certain is the impact of longer sleep duration on various measures of health. We investigated the relationship between sleep duration and mental health outcomes in a cross-sectional survey conducted on a homogenous sample of healthy governmental employees (N = 1212). Data on sleep duration, subjective health, psychological stress, sense of coherence, life satisfaction and work ability along…
Identifying academic motivation profiles and their association with mental health in medical school
Our results provide means to position medical students on the SDT continuum based on 'Low', 'Moderate', or 'High' levels of self-determination toward their studies. These AM profiles predict the mental health of medical freshmen, which supports the validity of the outcomes and highlight the risks of amotivation for psychological morbidity. The limitations and implications are discussed
Bad for Girls and Boys
Objectives: Physical activity (PA) has a positive effect on life satisfaction (LS) among adolescents, but the moderating effect of gender and level of PA intensity have been equivocal. Our aim was to examine the pattern of physical activity by grade in high school students, and the role of gender and grade on the association between physical activity and life satisfaction. Methods: = 3,450). Health status and behavior was assessed by the Hungaria…
Self-Esteem Is Independent Factor and Moderator of School-Related Psychosocial Determinants of Life Satisfaction in Adolescents
Our aim was to investigate the impact of the school psychosocial environment, including students' general attitude towards the school, perception of support from teachers and classmates as well as individual psychosocial factors including self-esteem and loneliness on life satisfaction (LS). Four repeated cross-sectional online questionnaire surveys were carried out between 2011 and 2014, inviting all students in one Hungarian high school. Health…
Barriers to Seeking Mental Help and Interventions to Remove Them in Medical School during the Covid-19 Pandemic
Medical students are at increased risk for psychological morbidity but the majority of those with mental health problems do not seek professional care. We aimed to uncover the viewpoints of medical students regarding barriers and facilitators to using university mental health services and their attitudes and preferences towards online counselling. Four semi-structured focus groups were conducted ( n = 26, mean age = 21.8, ±1.88, 73% males). After…
Transfer of Mental Health Services for Medical Students to Cyberspace during the Covid-19 Pandemic
The high risk of mental health problems among medical students has been compounded by the COVID-19 pandemic, which greatly reduced social contact. The mental health support service of the medical school of one Hungarian university was transferred to the online learning management system and was expanded by self-help materials in three domains: Improving study skills, stress management techniques, and reducing stress related to the COVID-19 pandem…
Recursive Path Model for Health Literacy
Background: The public health relevance of health literacy is highlighted by the fact that its higher levels can improve health outcomes and reduce health inequities. In order to design effective interventions for improving health literacy, the relationship between health literacy and other factors such as sociodemographic variables, subjective health and social support must be understood. Objective: Our aim was to test a socioecological model of…
Readability and Comprehension of Printed Patient Education Materials
Background: Health literacy, a recently determined construct plays an important role in how individuals are able to manage their health. A useful approach for the assessment of health literacy is to measure the comprehension of available patient education materials (PEMs). Objective: We aimed at assessing the usefulness of PEMS available in Hungarian by testing comprehension of selected PEMs in different groups of users. Methods: Comprehension of…
Modelling Health in University Students
The biopsychosocial model of health in a limited life course perspective was tested among students in higher education using data from a nationwide cross-sectional survey of students on track to become teachers in Hungary. Health determinants were grouped into categories of biological, psychological, and social determinants and arranged in a temporal manner from childhood to the present. The model was tested by canonical correlation analysis foll…
Prevalence of Insulin Resistance in the Hungarian General and Roma Populations as Defined by Using Data Generated in a Complex Health (Interview and Examination) Survey
Data mainly from one-off surveys clearly show that the health of Roma, the largest ethnic minority of Europe, is much worse than that of the general population. However, results from comprehensive exploratory studies are missing. The aim of our study was to create a complex database for comparative and association studies to better understand the background of the very unfavourable health of Roma, especially the high burden of cardiometabolic dis…
A Simple Method for Assessing the Mental Health Status of Students in Higher Education
Mental health problems are common among students in higher education all over the world, so identifying those who are at higher risk would allow the targeted provision of help. Our goal was to develop an assessment tool to identify students at risk for vulnerable mental health status. This tool was created from the 12-item General Health Questionnaire and Antonovsky's abbreviated sense of coherence scale and was tested to distinguish between thos…
Measuring the Prevalence of Adverse Childhood Experiences by Survey Research Methods
Background : Child maltreatment has been firmly established as a fundamental risk factor for adult health. However, its quantification poses many questions methodologically, psychologically, and culturally alike. We carried out the first nationally representative survey research in Hungary and in Central−Eastern Europe to assess the prevalence of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) among adults. Methods : Data were collected by an opinion resear…
Social cognitive intervention reduces stress in Hungarian university students
A social cognitive intervention was developed and delivered as a credit course to improve mental distress of university students, based on findings in a previous health survey showing notable mental distress among future teachers in Hungary in 2007. The intervention included increasing information on psychoactive substances used for stress reduction; skills development in stress reduction methods; improving skills in communication and problem-sol…
The impact of redistributing power to disadvantaged families in Hungary
The Commission on Social Determinants of Health (CSDH) formulated recommendations along which health inequalities can be successfully tackled anywhere in the world. The situation of the Roma minority in Europe provides countless opportunities for the translation of these guidelines into action that should be guided by coherent and evidence-based strategies integrating lessons learned in smaller-scale field projects. Our paper describes the long-t…
Health impact assessment of Roma housing policies in Central and Eastern Europe
Marginalised Roma communities in European countries live in substandard housing conditions the improvement of which has been one of the major issues of the Decade of Roma Inclusion, the ongoing intergovernmental European Roma programme. The paper presents EU-funded health impact assessments of national Roma housing policies and programmes in 3 Central and Eastern European countries in light of the evaluation of a completed local project in a four…
Mental health and behaviour of students of public health and their correlation with social support
Future public health professionals are especially important among students partly because their credibility in light of their professional messages and activities will be tested daily by their clients; and partly because health professionals' own lifestyle habits influence their attitudes and professional activities. A better understanding of public health students' health and its determinants is necessary for improving counselling services and t…
Health impact assessment and evaluation of a Roma housing project in Hungary
Does socioeconomic status fully mediate the effect of ethnicity on the health of Roma people in Hungary
BACKGROUND: Several models have been proposed to explain the association between ethnicity and health. It was investigated whether the association between Roma ethnicity and health is fully mediated by socioeconomic status in Hungary. METHODS: Comparative health interview surveys were performed in 2003-04 on representative samples of the Hungarian population and inhabitants of Roma settlements. Logistic regression models were applied to study whe…
Rapid health impact appraisal of eviction versus a housing project in a colony-dwelling Roma community
BACKGROUND: During implementation of a community development project involving a severely disadvantaged Roma community, the community was threatened with eviction. Two scenarios, eviction with placement on the waiting list for social housing versus a replacement housing development, were identified and specified. A health impact assessment (HIA) was carried out to inform subsequent negotiations. AIMS: To assess the health effects of eviction in c…
A Comparative Health Survey of the Inhabitants of Roma Settlements in Hungary
Objectives. We compared the health of people living in Roma settlements with that of the general population in Hungary. Methods. We performed comparative health interview surveys in 2003 to 2004 in representative samples of the Hungarian population and inhabitants of Roma settlements. Results. In persons older than 44 years, 10% more of those living in Roma settlements reported their health as bad or very bad than did those in the lowest income q…
A Comparative Health Survey of the Inhabitants of Roma Settlements in Hungary
Objectives. We compared the health of people living in Roma settlements with that of the general population in Hungary. Methods. We performed comparative health interview surveys in 2003 to 2004 in representative samples of the Hungarian population and inhabitants of Roma settlements. Results. In persons older than 44 years, 10% more of those living in Roma settlements reported their health as bad or very bad than did those in the lowest income q…
Does socioeconomic status fully mediate the effect of ethnicity on the health of Roma people in Hungary
BACKGROUND: Several models have been proposed to explain the association between ethnicity and health. It was investigated whether the association between Roma ethnicity and health is fully mediated by socioeconomic status in Hungary. METHODS: Comparative health interview surveys were performed in 2003-04 on representative samples of the Hungarian population and inhabitants of Roma settlements. Logistic regression models were applied to study whe…
Health impact assessment and evaluation of a Roma housing project in Hungary
Rapid health impact appraisal of eviction versus a housing project in a colony-dwelling Roma community
BACKGROUND: During implementation of a community development project involving a severely disadvantaged Roma community, the community was threatened with eviction. Two scenarios, eviction with placement on the waiting list for social housing versus a replacement housing development, were identified and specified. A health impact assessment (HIA) was carried out to inform subsequent negotiations. AIMS: To assess the health effects of eviction in c…
Rapid health impact appraisal of eviction versus a housing project in a colony-dwelling Roma community
BACKGROUND: During implementation of a community development project involving a severely disadvantaged Roma community, the community was threatened with eviction. Two scenarios, eviction with placement on the waiting list for social housing versus a replacement housing development, were identified and specified. A health impact assessment (HIA) was carried out to inform subsequent negotiations. AIMS: To assess the health effects of eviction in c…
A Comparative Health Survey of the Inhabitants of Roma Settlements in Hungary
Objectives. We compared the health of people living in Roma settlements with that of the general population in Hungary. Methods. We performed comparative health interview surveys in 2003 to 2004 in representative samples of the Hungarian population and inhabitants of Roma settlements. Results. In persons older than 44 years, 10% more of those living in Roma settlements reported their health as bad or very bad than did those in the lowest income q…
Does socioeconomic status fully mediate the effect of ethnicity on the health of Roma people in Hungary
BACKGROUND: Several models have been proposed to explain the association between ethnicity and health. It was investigated whether the association between Roma ethnicity and health is fully mediated by socioeconomic status in Hungary. METHODS: Comparative health interview surveys were performed in 2003-04 on representative samples of the Hungarian population and inhabitants of Roma settlements. Logistic regression models were applied to study whe…
Health impact assessment and evaluation of a Roma housing project in Hungary
Mental health and behaviour of students of public health and their correlation with social support
Future public health professionals are especially important among students partly because their credibility in light of their professional messages and activities will be tested daily by their clients; and partly because health professionals' own lifestyle habits influence their attitudes and professional activities. A better understanding of public health students' health and its determinants is necessary for improving counselling services and t…
Health impact assessment of Roma housing policies in Central and Eastern Europe
Marginalised Roma communities in European countries live in substandard housing conditions the improvement of which has been one of the major issues of the Decade of Roma Inclusion, the ongoing intergovernmental European Roma programme. The paper presents EU-funded health impact assessments of national Roma housing policies and programmes in 3 Central and Eastern European countries in light of the evaluation of a completed local project in a four…
Social cognitive intervention reduces stress in Hungarian university students
A social cognitive intervention was developed and delivered as a credit course to improve mental distress of university students, based on findings in a previous health survey showing notable mental distress among future teachers in Hungary in 2007. The intervention included increasing information on psychoactive substances used for stress reduction; skills development in stress reduction methods; improving skills in communication and problem-sol…
The impact of redistributing power to disadvantaged families in Hungary
The Commission on Social Determinants of Health (CSDH) formulated recommendations along which health inequalities can be successfully tackled anywhere in the world. The situation of the Roma minority in Europe provides countless opportunities for the translation of these guidelines into action that should be guided by coherent and evidence-based strategies integrating lessons learned in smaller-scale field projects. Our paper describes the long-t…
A Simple Method for Assessing the Mental Health Status of Students in Higher Education
Mental health problems are common among students in higher education all over the world, so identifying those who are at higher risk would allow the targeted provision of help. Our goal was to develop an assessment tool to identify students at risk for vulnerable mental health status. This tool was created from the 12-item General Health Questionnaire and Antonovsky's abbreviated sense of coherence scale and was tested to distinguish between thos…
Measuring the Prevalence of Adverse Childhood Experiences by Survey Research Methods
Background : Child maltreatment has been firmly established as a fundamental risk factor for adult health. However, its quantification poses many questions methodologically, psychologically, and culturally alike. We carried out the first nationally representative survey research in Hungary and in Central−Eastern Europe to assess the prevalence of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) among adults. Methods : Data were collected by an opinion resear…
Prevalence of Insulin Resistance in the Hungarian General and Roma Populations as Defined by Using Data Generated in a Complex Health (Interview and Examination) Survey
Data mainly from one-off surveys clearly show that the health of Roma, the largest ethnic minority of Europe, is much worse than that of the general population. However, results from comprehensive exploratory studies are missing. The aim of our study was to create a complex database for comparative and association studies to better understand the background of the very unfavourable health of Roma, especially the high burden of cardiometabolic dis…
Recursive Path Model for Health Literacy
Background: The public health relevance of health literacy is highlighted by the fact that its higher levels can improve health outcomes and reduce health inequities. In order to design effective interventions for improving health literacy, the relationship between health literacy and other factors such as sociodemographic variables, subjective health and social support must be understood. Objective: Our aim was to test a socioecological model of…
Readability and Comprehension of Printed Patient Education Materials
Background: Health literacy, a recently determined construct plays an important role in how individuals are able to manage their health. A useful approach for the assessment of health literacy is to measure the comprehension of available patient education materials (PEMs). Objective: We aimed at assessing the usefulness of PEMS available in Hungarian by testing comprehension of selected PEMs in different groups of users. Methods: Comprehension of…
Modelling Health in University Students
The biopsychosocial model of health in a limited life course perspective was tested among students in higher education using data from a nationwide cross-sectional survey of students on track to become teachers in Hungary. Health determinants were grouped into categories of biological, psychological, and social determinants and arranged in a temporal manner from childhood to the present. The model was tested by canonical correlation analysis foll…
Bad for Girls and Boys
Objectives: Physical activity (PA) has a positive effect on life satisfaction (LS) among adolescents, but the moderating effect of gender and level of PA intensity have been equivocal. Our aim was to examine the pattern of physical activity by grade in high school students, and the role of gender and grade on the association between physical activity and life satisfaction. Methods: = 3,450). Health status and behavior was assessed by the Hungaria…
Self-Esteem Is Independent Factor and Moderator of School-Related Psychosocial Determinants of Life Satisfaction in Adolescents
Our aim was to investigate the impact of the school psychosocial environment, including students' general attitude towards the school, perception of support from teachers and classmates as well as individual psychosocial factors including self-esteem and loneliness on life satisfaction (LS). Four repeated cross-sectional online questionnaire surveys were carried out between 2011 and 2014, inviting all students in one Hungarian high school. Health…
Barriers to Seeking Mental Help and Interventions to Remove Them in Medical School during the Covid-19 Pandemic
Medical students are at increased risk for psychological morbidity but the majority of those with mental health problems do not seek professional care. We aimed to uncover the viewpoints of medical students regarding barriers and facilitators to using university mental health services and their attitudes and preferences towards online counselling. Four semi-structured focus groups were conducted ( n = 26, mean age = 21.8, ±1.88, 73% males). After…
Transfer of Mental Health Services for Medical Students to Cyberspace during the Covid-19 Pandemic
The high risk of mental health problems among medical students has been compounded by the COVID-19 pandemic, which greatly reduced social contact. The mental health support service of the medical school of one Hungarian university was transferred to the online learning management system and was expanded by self-help materials in three domains: Improving study skills, stress management techniques, and reducing stress related to the COVID-19 pandem…
Residence in segregated settlements (colonies) rather than Roma identity increases the risk of unfavourable mental health in Hungarian adults
Background: Roma are the largest and most disadvantaged minority in Europe, but there is few research on how mental health and social support of Roma people living in segregated settlements compares to the majority population. Our aim was to compare the subjective well-being, life satisfaction, mental status, and social support of representative samples of adults living in segregated settlements (colonies) and identifying as Roma with those of th…
Daily Optional Physical Education Does Not Counteract Increasing Inactivity by Age among Adolescents
Background: This paper describes the outcomes of an integrated health promotion programme implemented in a Hungarian high school offering health education in the curriculum, daily optional physical education, teacher training in applying a person-centered approach in teaching, and parental involvement in school activities. Methods: The evaluation used mixed methods of which results of the before-6-months-after quantitative survey among pupils is …
The Pendulum Swings Both Ways
Short sleep duration is a known risk to health, but less certain is the impact of longer sleep duration on various measures of health. We investigated the relationship between sleep duration and mental health outcomes in a cross-sectional survey conducted on a homogenous sample of healthy governmental employees (N = 1212). Data on sleep duration, subjective health, psychological stress, sense of coherence, life satisfaction and work ability along…
Identifying academic motivation profiles and their association with mental health in medical school
Our results provide means to position medical students on the SDT continuum based on 'Low', 'Moderate', or 'High' levels of self-determination toward their studies. These AM profiles predict the mental health of medical freshmen, which supports the validity of the outcomes and highlight the risks of amotivation for psychological morbidity. The limitations and implications are discussed
Cross-sectional comparison of health care delivery and reimbursement between segregated and nonsegregated communities in Hungary
Introduction: Spatially segregated, socio-economically deprived communities in Europe are at risk of being neglected in terms of health care. In Hungary, poor monitoring systems and poor knowledge on the health status of people in these segregated areas prevent the development of well-informed effective interventions for these vulnerable communities. Aims: We used data available from National Health Insurance Fund Management to better describe he…
Breast cancer screening coverage is severely reduced among women who reside in segregated areas
Background: This study investigated disparities in breast cancer screening participation between living in residential segregations (SAs, segregated areas defined by clustering of low levels of income and education) and in non-segregated, complementary areas (CAs) of Hungary. Methods: In a nationwide cross-sectional study, data from 2019 were obtained from the National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF). In accordance with the Hungarian recommendation,…
Covid-19’s effect on healthcare disparities
Introduction: Spatially segregated, socio-economically deprived communities often face significant health disparities. This paper evaluates the impact of COVID-19 on healthcare delivery and reimbursement disparities in Hungary, particularly focusing on segregated populations. Aims: To examine healthcare utilization and reimbursement patterns among patients in segregated areas (SA) and non-segregated or complementary areas (CA) during the first ye…
Medicine (23 works) · Psychology (16 works) · Environmental health (11 works) · Psychiatry (10 works) · Mental health (9 works) · Romani and Gypsy Studies (9 works) · Clinical Psychology (8 works) · Gerontology (8 works) · Social Psychology (8 works) · Demography (7 works)