Our data indicate that duration of work exposure in the pesticide processing industry may be associated with the development of acute and chronic respiratory symptoms and lung function changes. These effects appear to be aggravated by smoking.

Our data suggest that workers employed in the pharmaceutical industry may develop respiratory symptoms accompanied by ventilatory impairment.

Health interview surveys are important source of health information. All previous adult population-based health interview surveys in Croatia until CroHort, were one-off projects with very limited possibility of data comparison. CroHort enabled repeated survey of CAHS 2003 respondents with almost identical questionnaire, thus providing comparable data on trends of different risk factors as well as their relation to the specific outcomes. Next follow-up survey of the CroHort cohort is foreseen for 2013. Health interview survey according to Eurostat methodology (EHIS) on the new representative sample of adult Croatian population is planned for 2014. As the data from health interview surveys are valuable in health policy, efforts should be made to increase their use by policymakers in Croatia.

The aim of this study was to analyse the association of poor self-perceived health with demographic, socioeconomic and lifestyle factors using data from the European Health Interview Survey. When applying the multiple logistic regression model, two demographic (male sex, older age), all four socioeconomic (low education level, unemployed and retired, living in households with lowest income, poor social support) and only one lifestyle factor (no alcohol consumption) were revealed as associated with poor self-perceived health. The association of socioeconomic factors with self-perceived health among the adult population in Croatia is direct and not mediated exclusively through lifestyle factors.