Anthropological Researches and Studies

16-23

Authors: Cătălina Croitoru, Elena Ciobanu, Angela Cazacu-Stratu

Objectives. The aim of the study was the evaluation of the air quality in the process of food preparation in rural households of the Republic of Moldova. Material and methods. The study was conducted in three areas of the Republic of Moldova (northern, central and southern areas). We evaluated the temperature, the relative humidity of the air, as well as the carbon dioxide and the carbon monoxide in the air. The measurements were carried out during summertime, with Air Quality Monitor 500 in 4 stages: before the cooking process, one hour after the beginning of the cooking process, at the end of the cooking process and one hour after the end of the cooking process. Results. The air temperature and the relative humidity rose the most in the process of food preparation in the room designed for living. In ¾ of the households, the concentration of the carbon dioxide in the room designed for living surpassed the limit of the norms maximum to 0.3 mg/l. The concentration of carbon monoxide was detected in few cases, especially during food preparation in rooms designed for living and summer kitchens when the fuel sources were biomass and cereal crops residues. Conclusions. Air quality worsens towards the end of the cooking process and in most cases it is maintained over an hour after the end of the preparation process, representing a source of indoor pollution to the whole family.

36-43

Authors: Rada Rakić, Verica Božić-Krstić, Tatjana Pavlica, Branislava Belić, Lidia I. Tegako

Objectives. Anthropological traits of a population offer an insight into nutritional and socio-economic conditions of the region. The aim of the study was to compare anthropometric traits and body mass index in children from Vojvodina and Belarus. Material and methods. The study is a part of a research project entitled “Variability of morpho-functional indicators in the population of Belarus and Vojvodina - The Republic of Serbia. The study was conducted in Vojvodina from 2001 to 2004 and in various areas of Belarus from 2005 to 2007. The total number of subjects in Vojvodina was 5874 (2879 boys and 2968 girls) and in Belarus 4406 (2268 boys and 2138 girls). All subjects were between 7 and 14 years of age. The survey included height, weight, chest circumference, and the body mass index (BMI kg/m2) in relation to the age and sex. Results. The results demonstrate that children from Vojvodina have significantly higher height, weight and chest circumference in relation to Belarus children, with an exception of the height values of 12-year-old girls. The average BMI is significantly higher in both boys and girls from Vojvodina, except for 11-year-old girls. The most noticeable differences in the means of weight, chest circumference, and BMI are recorded in 13-year-old subjects of both sexes. As for the height, the greatest variations are observed in 14-year-old boys and 10-year-old girls. Conclusions. The study points to differences in morphological characteristics, however, the study is cross-sectional and implies that the establishment of individual criteria for assessing the growth is necessary for future.

51-63

Authors: Alina Ferdohleb

Objectives. We performed the analytical study of occupational health services system implementation’s specificity and highlighted the particularities of different occupational health services in European countries caused by decentralization, short-term hiring, high mobility of human resources, implementation of new technologies and work processes. Organization and performance of the system of occupational health services have become a difficult assignment because of the decentralized national economy, short-term employment contracts, the high mobility of human resources, implementation of new technologies and new working methods. Material and methods. This work is the result of organized research and meta-analysis of 31 systematic reviews provided with the logistical support of the World Health Organization, the International Labour Organization, Council of Europe, Institute of Occupational Health in Finland and other international organizations; it is important to mention that none of them explicitly defined the management problem and Occupational Health Services model for the Eastern Europe & post-Soviet regions, between 1998 and 2014. Results. The basic occupational health services’ system (BOHS) is essential in protecting people's health at their workplaces, their wealth, and work capacity, as well as in preventing work accidents. BOHS should be approachable for any employee fair, efficient, cost-effective, and guaranteed by the public authorities. ILO/WHO started to shape Global Public health policy by launching the “Health for All” strategy in 1977. This strategy spelled out the key target for a global health policy for the rest of the 20th century as follows: “by the year 2000 all people in all countries should have a level of health that will permit them to lead a socially and economically productive life”. In 2003-2005, the Committee on Occupational Safety and Health of ILO called for the development of Occupational Health Services as part of the National Program for Occupational Safety and Health, emphasizing that the development of occupational health services is a component of the National Occupational Safety and Health System. Likewise, the BOHS was recognized as a step towards implementing ILO Conventions no 161 (1985) and the new ILO Global Strategy on Safety and Health at Work, which were adopted by the 92nd ILO conference in 2004. Conclusions. Training human resources in the field, producing professionals, is the fundamental condition for ensuring quality and performance of this service. In addition, WHO/ILO have developed different occupational health services models depending on the health systems.

71-79

Authors: Urszula Idziak-Smoczynska

Objectives. This paper explores the anthropological difference through the analysis of bringing rescue. To bring rescue to the other should be founded on the recognition of his suffering. But in many cases, this recognition is faulty and is based on a misunderstanding of animal/insect world. Material and methods. Through a case study of two famous literary texts in which a human-beetle relationship appears (authored by F. Kafka and W. Gombrowicz), at the crossing of philosophy and poetry, the author of the article tries to approach as close as possible the experience of a trans-humanist rescue attempt. Results and Conclusions. The metamorphosis effectuates a true displacement in the relationship between man and animal but what Kafka describes is not the transfiguration of man into a beetle but rather the metamorphosis that affects the family.

88-104

Authors: Victoria Russeva

Objectives. This study examines the anthropometric characteristics of the cranial series from the necropolis around the “40 Holy Martyrs” that dates back in the second half of the 13th -14th c. AD, revealing new data about the population of the capital of the second Bulgarian Kingdom. Material and methods. Determination of the morphological characteristics of the studied population was based on craniofacial anthropometry. The measurements were performed using the standard spreading caliper with scale. The analysis is concentrated on the male series. Results and conclusion. Cranial index (mean value – 78.25) describes the series as mesocranial, a result supported by the distribution of its values. Brachycranial and hyperbrachycranial skulls represent 23.1 % of the studied population, while dolichocranial ones – 15.4 %. The length-height index (M = 73.1, orthocranial) presents a distribution of values with most cases included in the orthocranial rubric (76.9 %). Distribution of high breadth index and correlations with the height, from the porion show high variability. Facial profile is orthognathous (one strongly divergent skull). Faces are relatively broad, considering the mean value of the facial index (84.4, euryprosopic), but its distribution has 44.4 % euryprosopic faces, while in 22.2 % of the cases the length prevails (determining leptoprosopic faces). The use of the Virchow’s method increases the proportion of faces for which the height is predominant. The latter results are confronted with those obtained for the upper face height. Orbital index describes the series as mesoconch, nasal index divides it equally between the chamaerrhine (broad nose) and leptorrhine (narrow nose) categories. Scarce data existing for the females point to a rather homogenous structure of the series.

111-121

Authors: Cornelia Rada

Objectives. This study aims to determine the variability of the preferred way of spending leisure time (LT), classification according to Body mass index (BMI) and the interest in the control of body weight (BW), in relation to age, gender, place of residence and education within a Romanian sample. Material and methods. Questionnaire data were obtained during 2011 and 2012 from 497 respondents aged 35-74. The sample was stratified to produce a well-balanced representation of place of residence, gender, age, and education level. The Pearson chi-square test was performed using the SPSS-18 statistical program. Results. In the whole sample, most people spend “often” LT watching TV, watching rented movies, listening to tapes, CDs (38.8%). Less than 8% practice “often” a sport, go to theater, cinema, concerts, exhibitions. BMI classification indicates 43.3% normal weight, 39.2% overweight, 16.9% obese, and 0.6% underweight. It has been identified that: with age the proportion of people controlling BW decreases, women and urban subjects control their BW more frequently (p <0.05), spending LT watching TV prevails, the older people spend more LT this way in comparison to young people and men are more likely than women to participate in sports, exercise. The higher percentage of obesity in 50-59 age group and of overweight beginning with the age of 60 suggests that weight gain rises with age and at the same time that the prevalence of obesity increases with age to peak at about 60 years. Conclusions. The most important variable in promoting public health programs is age. These low percentages of leisure-time physical activity require urgent actions.