Cent Eur J Public Health 2024, 32(1):63-67 | DOI: 10.21101/cejph.a7804

Health status in selected post-communist European countries: a comparative study between Poland and Albania

Wojciech Czabanowski¹, Iris Mone², Genc Burazeri^{2, 3}

¹ Department of Health Policy Management, Institute of Public Health, Jagellonian University, Krakow, Poland

² Faculty of Medicine, University of Medicine, Tirana, Albania

³ Department of International Health, Care and Public Health Research Institute (CAPHRI), Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands

Objectives: The aim of this analysis was to compare selected health status indicators of the Albanian and Polish populations, pertinent to two former communist countries in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE).

Methods: This analysis was based on the estimates related to the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) 2019 study, reported by the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME). For Poland, IHME uses data mainly from the Central Statistical Office of Poland, whereas for Albania the information is based on the reports from the National Institute of Statistics.

Results: In 2019, life expectancy at birth was slightly higher in Albania compared to Poland (78.5 years vs. 78.1 years, respectively). Mortality rate from noncommunicable diseases was similar in both countries (about 520 deaths per 100,000 population). In 2019, the main risk factor for the overall mortality in both countries was the high systolic blood pressure. In Albania, high systolic blood pressure accounted for almost 32% of deaths from all causes, whereas in Poland it accounted for only 21% of all deaths. The second main risk factor in Albania concerned the dietary factors which were responsible for almost one in four deaths. In Poland, the second main risk factor for all-cause mortality concerned tobacco which was responsible for one in five deaths. The third leading risk factor in Albania was tobacco (responsible for one in five deaths), whereas in Poland it concerned the dietary risks (responsible for about 19% of the all-cause mortality).

Conclusions: This analysis provides useful information about the current health status of two populations pertinent to the former Communist Bloc in CEE. While health indicators can provide important information about the differences in health status between populations, it is important to interpret these indicators in the context of the specific challenges and limitations facing each country.

Keywords: Albania, burden of disease, comparative analysis, mortality, Poland, post-communist countries

Received: March 25, 2023; Revised: February 25, 2024; Accepted: February 25, 2024; Published: March 31, 2024  Show citation