Context: Since the beginning of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization intervention in Kosovo in June , few objective data have been available on relevant health indicators for the Serbian ethnic minority in Kosovo.
Objective: To determine the prevalence of undernutrition among Serbian adults aged 60 years or older and psychiatric morbidity among the adult Serbian population in Kosovo. Design, setting, and participants: A systematic random sample survey of households was conducted between September 27 and October 2, , in Pristina, the capital city, and in 10 towns in the rural municipality of Gnjilane in Kosovo.
Of the households surveyed, adults aged 15 years or older completed the General Health Questionnaire GHQ and anthropometric measurements were taken for 98 adults aged 60 years or older and for a comparison group of 51 adults aged 18 to 59 years. Main outcome measures: Body mass index of less than Results: Undernutrition was found in In a comparison of the GHQ scores of the Serbian adults with the Kosovar Albanian adults data from a recent survey , the mean SE score adjusted for age and sex was The GHQ scores were also higher for the Serbians in the subcategories of social dysfunction 2.
Serbian women and persons living alone or in small family units were more prone to psychiatric morbidity. Of the respondents reporting the need for health care services, 83 The majority of prewar income came from government jobs compared with farming and humanitarian aid for postwar income. Conclusions: The undernutrition of older Serbian adults in Kosovo should be monitored. The high prevalence of symptoms of social dysfunction and severe depression suggest the need for implementation of mental health programs in the Serbian community.
Abstract Context: Since the beginning of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization intervention in Kosovo in June , few objective data have been available on relevant health indicators for the Serbian ethnic minority in Kosovo. Publication types Research Support, Non-U.
