Sena Kaplan

The prevalence of consanguineous marriages and affecting factors in Turkey: a national survey.

This study was carried out by the Turkish Republic Ministry of Health to determine the prevalence of consanguineous marriage and its correlates with socio-demographic and obstetric risk factors in women in Turkey. The cross-sectional, national-level study was carried out from October to December 2013. The study population was composed of women between the ages of 15 and 65 years living in Turkey. The sample size was calculated as 9290 houses within Turkeys 81 provinces so as to improve the Turkish rural-urban expectations by means of systematic stack sampling according to the Turkish Statistical Institutes address-based vital statistics system. The target sample size was 6364, but only eligible 4913 women, who had been married, were included in the study. The consanguineous marriage frequency in the sample was found to be 18.5%, and of these 57.8% were first cousin marriages. Women living in an extended family and whose education level and first marriage ages were low, and whose perceived economic status was poor, had higher frequencies of consanguineous marriage (p<0.001). Consanguineous marriage frequencies were higher (p<0.001) for women who had spontaneous abortions and stillbirths or who had given birth to infants with a congenital abnormality. In this context, it is important to develop national policies and strategies to prevent consanguineous marriages in Turkey.

Evaluation of effectiveness of health services training given with different methods in combating of intimate partner violence against women: a pilot study

The study was conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of health services training provided with different methods in combating of intimate partner violence (IPV) against women. The intervention group of the study consisted of 132 healthcare workers (HCW) and 249 HCWs in the control group. According to the result of study, training given to the intervention group was more effective in increasing the knowledge level, compared to the control group. Furthermore, comparison of the HCWs in the intervention group with the control group revealed that the attitudes towards emotional, psychological and sexual violence and justifying myths changed positively. In this scope, it can be said that intervention training was effective in terms of improving knowledge and attitude on IPV. However, it is determined that the training given to both groups was inefficient in terms of turning into behaviour.

How Nurses Views Themselves in Turkey: A Qualitative SWOT Analysis

Purpose: The study was carried out to analyze the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats that define the current situation of nursing in Turkey and to develop suggestions. Method: This study is a qualitative research. SWOT analysis was performed among key informants in the study.A purposive sampling technique targeted key informants involved in 12 students attending Nursing Doctorate Program. The data in the study were collected by instruments include self-reporting tools which Personal Information Form and Semi-Constructed Interview Form.Using a semi-structured group interview in this study. The thematic analysis method was used for data evaluation. The points compiled were grouped by theme for each of the 4 categories which the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats to the nursing profession in Turkey. Results: The average age of the participants in the study was 32.5 ± 0.6 and theprofession year average was 12.5 ± 6.6. In the study, nursing education, the numerical majority of nurses,and their legal rights, presence of occupational associations, increasing number of scientific researches were indicated as strengths of the nursing profession; unfavorable work conditions, an inadequacy of professional awareness and organizing, inequalites in educational levels and insufficient foreign language knowledge were indicated as the weaknesses of the nursing profession. Also, job finding opportunities, career chance, wide research area, gaining problem solution and practical thinking ability and spiritual satisfaction were expressed as the opportunities in the nursing profession; negative workers’ health, high anxiety of malpractice and making mistakes, increasing rate of work load, nurse aides and male nurses having administrative duties were expressed as threats against the nursing profession. Conclusion: According to the obtained data, it was determined that there are new opportunities in the nursing profession in the face of rapidly changing conditions and at the same time, structuring was needed to be directed to this.

The prevalence and risk factors for osteoporosis among 18- to 49-year-old Turkish women

ABSTRACT The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of osteoporosis and associated risk factors in Turkish women aged 18–49 years. A population-based, cross-sectional study was conducted between January and April 2014. The sample (n = 1,792) was comprised of women aged 18–49 years, who resided in Cubuk, Ankara, Turkey, and were selected by simple random sampling. The data were collected in face-to-face interviews using an Individual Information Form and an Osteoporosis Risk Estimation Scale. Bone mineral density was assessed using standard dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry. Multiple logistic regression and chi-square analyses were used for analyses. Most participants (80.1%) were at low risk of developing osteoporosis, while 6.9% were at medium to high risk of developing the disease. From bone mineral density levels, 33.3% were osteopenic; 4.0% were osteoporotic; 33.3% were osteopenic at the femoral neck; and 6.7% were osteoporotic at the lumbar vertebra L1−L4. Further, results of multiple logistic regression analyses showed that osteoporosis risk was significantly associated with smoking, having light skin, multiparity, and having a family history of osteoporosis (p < .05). These results indicated that public health screening strategies for protecting women’s bone health at earlier ages than previously thought might be beneficial.