Melis Naçar

Married men’s opinions and involvement regarding family planning in rural areas

As men play a prominent role in reproduction, it is therefore extremely useful to assess and encourage them to be involved in contraception, particularly in developing countries, where contraceptive goals have not been reached. This study was carried out in Kayseri, Turkey, in order to determine the attitudes and behavior of married men concerning family planning. A questionnaire was presented to 123 married men. In our study, 91.9% of men approved of family planning, but only 54.4% actually used any contraceptive methods; 66.7% of the men said that the decision should be a joint one, 66.4% wanted to limit their family size. Approximately one fourth of the men had never heard of voluntary sterilization. No one in the study group was aware of the mini-pill, diaphragm or Norplant. In the study group, 26.8% of the men did not want their wives to use intrauterine devices and 31.7% of them did not agree with women using the contraceptive pills. Among those unwilling to use a condom (46.3%), 70.1% stated that it might interrupt intercourse. If a contraceptive pill for males could be used, 25.2% of members of the group would be prepared to use it. Only 17.5% men in the study group had contacted a doctor or a health foundation to obtain information. The main sources of family planning information were TV/radio, followed by friends and newspapers/magazines. In order to encourage mens involvement in family planning, the use of mass media and continual training programs, to try to reach both men and women, could be very useful.

Knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors of officials of religion about organ donation in Kahramanmaras, an eastern Mediterranean city of Turkey.

OBJECTIVE To establish the knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors of the officials of religion, a group with potentially powerful influence on the society, in particular regarding organ donation. METHODS This study, performed in Kahramanmaras Province, Turkey, included 416 of 641 officials of religion (64.9%): 295 of 492 imams (59.9%) and 121 of 149 Koran course educators (81.2%). RESULTS The mean (SD) age of the study group was 37.2 (8.2) years. Only 1.4% had stated that carried organ donation cards. Of participants who had not donated organs asked whether they thought of donation, 14.1% answered yes, 17.1% answered no, and 68.8% were undecided. Of the study group, 88.2% considered organ donation appropriate according to their religion. The imams compared with Koran course educators, and men compared with women demonstrated higher rates of considering organ donation appropriate according to their religion (P < .05). Among participants who stated they had knowledge about organ donation, the 3 leading information sources were television, newspapers or journals, and in-service training by the Directorate of Religious Affairs. The 3 primary organs the study group stated they were aware of being transplanted were kidneys, liver, and heart. CONCLUSION Although 88.2% of religious officials in the present study stated that organ donation was appropriate according to their religion, only 1.4% agreed to donate organs. Officials of religion hold an important place in society, and should be well informed and educated about organ donation via in-service training courses, and encourage organ donation by members of society.

Health promoting lifestyle behaviour in medical students: a multicentre study from Turkey.

BACKGROUND The aim of this study was to determine the predictors of health promoting lifestyle behaviour among medical students attending seven of the medical schools in Turkey. MATERIALS AND METHODS This cross- sectional descriptive study was performed during the second semester of the first and last (sixth) years of study from March to May 2011. A questionnaire with two sections was specifically designed. The first section contained questions on demographic characteristics; the second consisted of the Health Promoting Lifestyle Profile II (HPLP) Scale. From a total of 2,309 medical students, 2,118 (response rate 91.7%) completed the questionnaire. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, t, Anova, Tukey test and binary logistic regression analysis. The research was approved by the Ethics Committee of Erciyes University. RESULTS The mean age was 20.7±2.9 years and it was found that 55.1% were men, 62.3% were in the first year. The overall prevalence of smoking was 19.1%, and for drinking alcohol was 19.4%. HPLP point averages of the first year students were 129.2±17.7, and for last year 125.5±19.0. The overall mean score for the HPLP II was 2.5±0.4. They scored highest on the spiritual growth subscale (2.9±0.5), interpersonal relations (2.8±0.5), health responsibility subscale (2.3±0.5), nutrition subscale (2.3±0.5), stress management subscale (2.3±0.4), and the lowest subscale physical activity (2.0±0.5). It is established that students grade, educational level of parents, economic status of family, marital status, smoking and general health perception of the students resulted in a significant difference in HPLP Scale total score average and the mean score of majority of subscales.There was no statistically significant difference between the total HPLP when evaluated for gender, chronic disease, alcohol drinking status and BMI. CONCLUSIONS Based on these results, particularly in the curriculum of medical students in order to increase positive health behaviours including physical activity, health promotion issues, and giving more space to aim at behaviour change in these matters is recommended.

Healthy Life-Style Promoting Behaviour in Turkish Women Aged 18-64

AIM In this study we aimed to investigate the healthy life-style behaviour of Turkish women and establish influencing features. METHODS This descriptive study performed by a questionnaire method was conducted in a primary health care centre, in an urban region in Kayseri, Turkey. Every midwife region belonging to the health care centre was accepted as a cluster, and a sample of 450 women between ages 18-64, was gathered from 9 midwife regions. The Health Promotion Life-style Profile (HPLP) was applied to evaluated the healthy life- style behaviour of 421 women that could be reached. T test, Tukey HSD with ANOVA, and chi square tests were used for analysis. RESULTS The mean total HPLP was 126.8 ± 19.2 (interpersonal support subscale, 74.3 ± 14.1; nutrition subscale, 73.6 ± 12.6; self-actualisation subscale, 70.6 ± 11.9; stress management subscale, 63.4 ± 13.0; health responsibility subscale, 61.2 ± 13.2; and exercise subscale, 47.1 ± 15.0). There was no statistically significant variation when evaluated for age, marital state, family type, economic status, and perception of self-health, smoking, and BMI. HPLP was high in people with an education of primary school and lower in university graduates, in people who lived mostly in the city centre and in individuals with chronic diseases. In conclusion, it was established that the health promoting behaviour in Turkish women is, in general, at a medium level, and women should be enlightened in order to develop and increase the habit of health preservation and promotion.

Modern and traditional practices of Turkish infertile couples

Objective This investigation was carried out to determine modern and traditional practices of infertile couples in Kayseri, Turkey. Methods Two hundred and fifty-two infertile couples were selected from the study area. Modern and traditional practices of the infertile women and their husbands were investigated through a questionnaire. The effects of some factors on the utilization of traditional methods were analysed through the logistic regression method. Results It was found out that 92.5% of the infertile women and 71.8% of their husbands had consulted a physician for infertility and 92.1% of the women and 32.6% of their husbands had applied for medical or surgical intervention. However, only 11.1% of the couples had attempted in vitro fertilization. In contrast, 61.5% of the infertile couples admitted to carrying out traditional practices. All traditional practices were more prevalent among the women than the men. Conclusion It was concluded that traditional practices were more prevalent in the rural areas and among the older couples.

Physician exposure to violence: a study performed in Turkey

Recently, in Turkey, there has been an increase in the number of violent acts against healthcare workers, towards doctors in particular. This study aimed to investigate the extent of violence, the causes of violence and to evaluate proposed solutions to violence. Out of 597 physicians, 86.4% indicated that they were exposed to at least one type of violence (physical, verbal, sexual) throughout their careers. Among the physicians participating in the study, 27.5% suffered physical threats and 68.6% suffered verbal violence in the past year. Only 40.4% reported the physical violence to their institution. Physicians indicated that the top three causes of violent behavior were excessive demands of patients, the expectation that the issue will be solved immediately and blaming physicians for their problems. To stop violence against themselves, physicians need to raise their voices, along with those of their personal or professional organizations, and should report and follow up incidents.

Hazardous Health Behaviour among Medical Students: a Study from Turkey.

BACKGROUND Hazardous health behaviour in young people is an important factor that affects the individual risk for non-communicable diseases and other disorders later in life. This study aimed to determine the hazardous health behaviour of first and last class medical students of Erciyes University. MATERIALS AND METHODS This descriptive study was carried out with 240 medical students from the first and 130 students from the last (sixth) class. Data were obtained by questionnaire between March-April 2012. In total, 339 students were included with a response rate of 91.6%. Socio-demographic characteristics, school success, self-reported economic difficulties, health perceptions, hazardous health behaviour related to chronic disease, tobacco, alcohol, substance use, body weight, height, traffic, violence and nutrition were assessed in line with the literature. RESULTS Of the participants; 64.0% were from first and 36.0% were from the last class. Mean ages for the first and last classes were 19.4 ± 1.5 and 24.0 ± 1.5 years, respectively. In the current study, males exhibited more hazardous behaviour than females. Sime 19.8% of the students in the study group used alcohol, 35.4% used a waterpipe, and 24.8% used tobacco at least once. These rates increased in both genders in the last class and the increase in males was significant. Some 3.8% of the students in the current study used pleasure-inducing illegal substances at least once. All the students participating in the current study were single, the number of males reported not using condoms (8.6%) was 4.56 times higher compared to females. Some 64.0% of the students did not perform physical activity lasting at least 30 minutes for five times a week, 13.0% did not sleep for mean 7-8 hours daily, males having a 2.9 times higher risk. More than 1/3 of the students did not consume cooked vegetable dishes and 1/4 did not consume fresh fruits and salads, the rates were higher among males. CONCLUSIONS In the current study, hazardous health behaviour was prevalent among medical students, with higher risks among males and last class students. According to these results, medical curriculum may be focused on decreasing hazardous health behaviour. In addition, in order to prevent unhealthy behaviour, the number of youth-friendly health facilities should be increased.

Tıp fakültesi öğrencilerinin sigara kullanımı ve tütün kanununa ilişkin görüşleri

Objective: The aim of this study was to determine smoking prevalence among first year students attending Erci yes University Medical School and to evaluate their ideas about the law “Prevention and Control of Hazards of Tobacco Products”. Methods: This was a descriptive study conducted in May 2013. The participation rate was 72.5%. A questionnaire including 18 questions was administered to the participants. Socio demographic features, smoking status, addiction perception of smokers and their ideas about the law were asked in the questionnaire. Ethical approval was obtained for the study. Chi square test was used. Results: Out of 200 students 49.0% had tried smoking and 23. 0% has been smoking. 40,6 % of the male and 6.7% of the female students was smoking. There was statistically significant difference between them (fisher exact test, p<0.001). Smoking among students, whose family members also smokers, were higher. The mean starting age to smoking was 16.7±2.0 and stress was the first rea son. 84.3 % of the students evaluated smoking as an addiction. 79.0% of the students were considering that the law was partially applied. 60.5% said that tobacco use had decreased with the law and 28.3% said that their usage had also been decreased. Only 38.0% believes that this law interfere personal rights. Conclusion: Half of the students had tried smoking at early ages. Parents were important role models. The majority of the students thought that restrictive laws limit smoking.

TIP EĞİTİMİNDE ÖRTÜK MÜFREDAT ÖĞRENCİLERİN EMPATİ DÜZEYLERİNİ ETKİLEMEKTE MİDİR? LONGİTUDİNAL BİR ÇALIŞMA

Bu calismanin amaci ortuk mufredatin tipta profesyonellik becerilerinden biri olan empati uzerindeki etkisini belirlemektir. Calisma 2009-2010 Egitim-Ogretim yilinda egitime baslayan ogrencilerle yurutulmustur. Ogrencilerin empati duzeyleri Jefferson Doktor Empati Olcegi ile birinci, ucuncu ve altinci sinifta degerlendirilmistir. Calisma 296 ogrenci ile baslamis 151 ogrenci ile bitirilmistir. Yillara gore skorlar sirasiyla 102.0±14.2, 103.2±12.7 ve 102.1±12.0’dir. Skorlarda birinci ve ucuncu yil; birinci ve altinci yil ile ucuncu ve altinci yil arasinda fark bulunmamistir. Yilara gore kiz ve erkek ogrencilerin skorlari arasinda da fark yoktur. Calismamizin sonucu empatik becerilerin beklendigi gibi ortuk mufredatla artmadigini gostermistir.

The Perspective of Women Regarding Induced Abortion in an Islamic Country (Turkey): A Descriptive Study

Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the perception regarding induced abortion. Method: This descriptive study was conducted in 1-15 October 2011. A questionnaire was applied to 419 married women by educated midwives/nurses. Results: The mean age of the women was 34.0 ± 7.7 years. 45.3% of them stated that the ideal number of children for a family as three. 80.7% believe that induced abortion is a sin and 74.9% had stated that it was a kind of murder, therefore was forbidden by religion. Also the irreversible modern methods of contraception, such as tubal ligation (24.1% of the women, and 17.2% of the spouses), and vasectomy (25.5% of the women, and 17.4% of the spouses) were perceived as a sin. 31.3% thought “induced abortion was not a sin in the case of a handicapped fetus”, 53.5% thought “it wasn’t a sin if the pregnancy was endangering maternal health” and 41.8% thought “it wasn’t a sin if the pregnancy was the result of rape”. Out of 419 women 58 (12.7%) had an induced abortion. Conclusion: One woman out of four thinks that irreversible contraceptive methods are a sin.