Fifteen Years of Health-and-Environment Research in Slovenia

The environment in which we are born, live, work, and age is an important determinant of human health. This review summarises key epidemiological studies conducted over the past 15 years at the Department of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ljubljana, in collaboration with experts in public health, clinical medicine, and other health and environmental disciplines. Methodological approaches for linking health and environmental data, including advanced spatial epidemiological methods to assess the impact of ambient air pollutants on respiratory diseases and diabetes, were highlighted. Considering the observed health outcomes among children and adolescents, new tools were developed and validated to estimate the prevalence of asthma and sleep-related problems among youths. In adults, the review examines the lifetime prevalence of first and recurrent systemic allergic reactions to bee venom among beekeepers, emphasising the need for effective risk-management strategies. Overall, the studies demonstrated the value of integrating health and environmental data to better understand and address public health challenges in Slovenia. The findings underscore the importance of interdisciplinary collaboration in developing evidence-based public health policies to mitigate environmental health risks and promote a high quality of life for present and future generations.