Serap Unsar

Comparison of the health-promoting lifestyles of nursing and non-nursing students in Istanbul, Turkey.

Undertaking a health-related course at university can facilitate an awareness of health-promoting lifestyles. We carried out a descriptive and cross-sectional study with 1616 university students in Istanbul, Turkey. Students from the nursing schools were compared to those from the schools of social sciences using a Turkish version of the Health-promoting Lifestyle Profile (HPLP) II after a validation study. The nursing students had more positive health-promoting lifestyles than those of the non-nursing students. Furthermore, fourth-year nursing students had higher scores in most of the subscales of the HPLP II than did the students from the lower years; conversely, the fourth-year non-nursing students had lower scores. The sociodemographic variables, self-perceived health status, relations with family and friends, and self-perceived academic performance were associated with the HPLP. The implications are discussed for the curricula and on-campus facilities that focus on health promotion activities.

Knowledge of and attitudes toward tuberculosis of Turkish nursing and midwifery students

AIM The aim of the study was to describe the level of knowledge and the attitudes of Turkish nursing and midwifery students toward tuberculosis in an attempt to understand and determine whether there is a need for improvement in nursing and midwifery education regarding tuberculosis. METHOD The research is a descriptive study conducted at four nursing or midwifery schools in Turkey. The sample was composed of 615 students who were first-, second-, third-, or fourth-year nursing and midwifery students. Data were collected using the Knowledge and Attitudes toward Treatment and Control of Tuberculosis Questionnaire. RESULTS The level of tuberculosis knowledge was poor [7.22±1.92 (range: 2-9)]. The attitudes of nursing and midwifery students toward tuberculosis were generally negative. Only 5.9% of the sample would prefer to care for patients with tuberculosis. Students who received tuberculosis lectures/education had higher levels of knowledge and more positive attitudes toward tuberculosis than their peers who did not receive such education. CONCLUSION In order to fight effectively against tuberculosis, positive attitudes toward tuberculosis must be developed among health care teams, and awareness of tuberculosis via theoretical and practical education, starting from the initial semesters of the professional education, must be increased.

Assessment of symptom control in patients with cancer in Northwestern Turkey

AIM The main purpose of this cross-sectional study was to compare symptoms occurring before and after chemotherapy treatment and to investigate the factors affecting those symptoms. The secondary purpose was to determine the most commonly occurring symptoms experienced by the patients with cancer after chemotherapy. METHODS Fifty inpatients and outpatients receiving chemotherapy for the first time with various cancer diagnoses and hospitalized in the oncology unit of Trakya University Medical Faculty Hospital between July 2006 and April 2007 were attended to the study. Data were collected using the Edmonton Symptom Assessment Scale (ESAS). RESULTS It was discovered that symptoms of fatigue, nausea, loss of appetite, impaired sense of well-being, changes in skin and nails, stomatitis and numbness in hands among chemotherapy patients increased by a statistically significant margin after treatment (p<0.05). Post-chemotherapy symptoms increased markedly (p<0.05) among patients within groups determined by age, gender, marital status, stage of cancer and date of diagnosis. Cross-group comparisons of post-chemotherapy participants analyzed in terms of marital status, clinical stage of disease, and date of diagnosis revealed that fewer symptoms (drowsiness and shortness of breath) increased compared to other symptoms measured along with treatment (p<0.05). CONCLUSION We conclude that by considering personal characteristic (i.e. age, gender, etc.) as well as disease-related characteristics (i.e. clinical stage of the disease, etc.), individual nursing care might significantly contribute to the alleviation and management of symptoms.