Effect of anti-smoking advertisements on Turkish adolescents.

The aim of the present study was to determine the perception of 10 anti-smoking advertisements in 1434 Turkish adolescents. We used the Effectiveness of the Anti-smoking Advertisements Scale, which included 6 items for each advertisement; each item was assessed on a 5-point Likert-type scale. Multiple logistic regression analysis was used to determine the factors associated with the impact of the advertisements. All the advertisements were more effective for adolescents who had never smoked compared to ex-smokers and current smokers. We also noted that, regardless of age, smoking status decreased the effectiveness of all the advertisements. Previous studies have shown that smokers have a negative attitude towards anti-smoking messages. In the present study, the most effective advertisements among adolescents were those with "Sponge and tar", "Smoking harms in every breath" and "Children want to grow". In conclusion, although anti-smoking campaigns are targeted towards adults, they also have a strong influence on adolescents. The main target population for advertisements should be individuals aged < 15 years who have not yet started smoking.

Acne: prevalence and relationship with dietary habits in Eskisehir, Turkey.

BACKGROUND: Acne vulgaris is a common disease affecting adolescents. There is not comprehensive data on acne prevalence in the Central Anatolia Region in particular. Etiology of acne is not clarified yet. Acne might be related to environmental factors. There is increasing evidence supporting acne and diet relationship. OBJECTIVES: The aim of the study was to determine the acne prevalence in adolescents in the city of Eskisehir, located in the Central Anatolia, Turkey in addition to evaluate factors affecting acne and its relationship with dietary habits. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted on 2300 participants aged 13-18 years. The participants were asked to complete a questionnaire form consisting information about acne and a questionnaire form consisting information about dietary habits (The Adolescent Food Habits Checklist). In addition an objective evaluation of acne was determined. RESULTS: The mean age of students with acne was 15.10±1.53. The current acne prevalence was 60.7%. Although 21% of the participants had severe acne (grade 3-4) and 25% developed sequelaes, only 11.5% of all participants consulted a doctor. The participants without acne had healthier dietary habits than participants with acne (P<0.05). Frequent fat intake (OR=1.39, 95% CI: 1.06-1.82), frequent sugar intake (OR=1.30, 95% CI: 1.05-1.60), frequent eating sausages, burgers (OR=1.24, 95% CI: 1.03-1.48), frequent eating pastries, cakes (OR=1.20, 95% CI: 1.01-1.43) were associated with increased risk for acne. CONCLUSIONS: Acne prevalence is high among adolescents in Eskisehir but the rate of consulting doctor is low. Increasing public awareness is critical for convincing adolescents to seek medical help earlier. Acne was related with dietary habits. Fat, sugar and fast food consumption is found to be positively correlated with acne prevalence.

Frequency of hydatidiform mole in the rural part of Eskisehir: the first community-based epidemiological study in Turkey.

This epidemiological study was performed in order to determine the frequency of hydatidiform mole (HM) in the rural part of Eskisehir, Turkey. Four mole cases and 6,274 pregnancies were determined in 2,032, women aged 15-49 which was 85% of the target population. Mean age, mean marriage age and mean marriage duration of the interviewed women were 34.7, 19.1 and 15.6 years, respectively. The frequency of HM per 1,000 live births and per 1,000 pregnancies was 0.83 and 0.64, respectively. The frequency of HM was lower than the frequencies reported by most of the hospital-based studies. We concluded that there appears to be a need to conduct properly designed community-based studies with well-established case registry systems to find the real incidence of HM in Turkey.

Effects of chromium exposure from a cement factory.

The aim of the study was to determine the chromium concentrations of soil and plant specimens taken from a rural area exposed to cement factory emissions and also to determine the blood concentrations and sensitivity conditions observed in humans residing in this rural area. The study was carried out in Cukurhisar, a town in Eskisehir-Turkey, between May 2000 and March 2001. Besides the 108 soil (36 for control) and plant specimens, which were taken from eight different directions from the cement factory, blood samples of the individuals residing in this area were taken from 258 subjects (258 for control) following a physical examination, and patch tests were also applied. The chromium concentrations of the soil and plant specimens taken from different places in different directions of the factory were higher than in the control areas. The physical examination of subjects did not reveal results different from those of the control group except for the diagnosis of contact dermatitis. The analyses of venous blood samples showed that chromium concentrations were found to be within the reference values given for both groups, but higher in the subjects (P<0.001). According to the results of patch tests, sensitivity to chromium was found to be more frequent for the subject group than the control group (P<0.05). According to these results, clinical tools revealed no toxic effects for the subjects, except contact dermatitis. However, sensitivity to patch tests showed that this subject group has been affected compared to the control group and that this effect increased with age.

Decay of maternally derived measles antibody in central Turkey.

The aim of this cross-sectional study was to investigate maternal antibodies in sera of infants below vaccination age and their relation to the immunity status of the mothers. The study group consisted of 184 mothers and their babies aged 0-9 months. Mothers were interviewed to obtain demographic information. Samples of sera were taken from mothers and their babies and tested for measles IgG antibodies. In our study, 174 mothers (94.6%) were immune to measles. Only 78.4% of the 0 month-old infants of seropositive mothers and 26.0% of the 4-9 month-old infants were seropositive. When correlation analysis for antibody titres was made between the seropositive mothers and their seropositive infants, positive correlation was found. It was found that the time for which infants were protected was related to maternal IgG antibody titre. It will be proper to determine the vaccination strategies considering the changing epidemiological characteristics.

Coronary risk factors in Turkish schoolchildren: randomized cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: There is a strong association between the extent of atherosclerotic lesions in aorta and coronary arteries and antemortem risk factors in children and young adults. Cardiovascular diseases are the most common cause of death in adults in Turkey. However, the data about the extent of coronary risk factors in Turkish children is very limited. The aim of this cross-sectional study was to investigate the prevalence of coronary risk factors in Turkish schoolchildren living in Eskisehir, Turkey. METHODS: A randomly selected population of 4026 schoolchildren, aged between 7 and 18 years, residing in urban and rural parts of Eskisehir were evaluated for coronary risk factors, using previously predicted risk threshold values. RESULTS: Hypertension was found in 4.8% of the girls and 3.8% of the boys, 14.9% of the girls and 10.8% of the boys had abnormal lipid values, 18.2% of the girls and 26.4% of the boys had elevated total body fat percentages, 20.7% of the girls and 14.5% of the boys had physical inactivity and 3.8% of the girls and 11.4% of the boys were regular smokers. Urban children had higher rates of hypercholesterolemia; however, rural children had higher rates of physical inactivity. When the modifiable risk factors were considered, excluding family history, 47.7% of the children had at least one risk factor and 11.7% of them exhibited two or more risk factors. CONCLUSIONS: Turkish schoolchildren living in Eskisehir had considerably high levels of coronary risk factors. The interventional measures established in childhood, during which the lifestyle and habits responsible for coronary heart diseases are acquired, will be very effective for preventing and modifying the risk factors predisposing children to coronary heart disease.

Smoking patterns of university students in Eskisehir, Turkey.

Over the last decade, there has been a major decline in the prevalence of smoking among Western populations whilst in most developing countries there is a serious health problem of increasing smoking prevalence, especially among young age groups. The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence of smoking among university students in Eskisehir in Turkey and to study the effects of some socio-demographic factors on the habit of smoking. Self-administered questionnaires were distributed to 1474 students (591 female and 883 male). This survey instrument contained a section soliciting socio-demographic information which was followed by questions relating to the students' smoking behaviour and the presence of a significant individual who has an effect on the smoking and drinking behaviour of the student. Multiple logistic regression was used to calculate odds ratios for the independent effects of the socio-demographic factors. The prevalence of smoking among university students was 42.5% (being highest among the students of the Faculty of Arts and lowest among the students of the medical faculty (60.9% vs 33.9%). The results of the analysis indicated that: being male, studying arts or education as opposed to medicine, being a final year student, being resident with friends, having a father with a lower education level and have a family member(s) who smokes were independently associated with smoking. The prevalence of smoking was greatest among those who drank alcohol (OR = 5.20). When comparing our results with reports from other countries, we conclude that the habit of cigarette smoking is one of the most important public health problems in Turkey.

A serological survey of measles vaccine in a rural region of Eskisehir in Turkey.

We designed this longitudinal study as a response to measles outbreaks which occur occasionally in Eskisehir in Turkey to investigate the incidence of primary and secondary vaccine failure. The investigation was conducted over two periods (December 1993 to October 1994 and April 1995 to October 1995). Two study groups were involved, infants aged 9-11 months and children aged 18 months to 9 y. During December 1993 to October 1994 prevaccination sera was collected from 35 infants aged 9-11 months and tested to determine if maternally derived antibodies were present. The infants were vaccinated and subsequently the 31 infants who could be traced were retested 30-40 d later to determine their response to vaccination. The following was done to determine whether seropositivity rates alter over time. The second group, a randomised sample of 117 children aged between 18 months to 9 y was chosen; all of whom had been previously vaccinated and who had no history of measles. Sera was taken and tested during December 1993 to October 1994 in order to determine whether seropositivity rates varied with time. During April 1995 to October 1995 out of all the children in both groups 123 children were retested. All sera samples were studied by an enzyme-lined immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Out of the 35 infants in group 1 only four (11.4%) had maternal antibody against measles on initial testing. Out of 31 infants followed up 30-40 d after vaccination (61.3%) were found to be seropositive for measles. In the second group, of the 117 previously vaccinated children ninety-three (71.5%) had measles IgG antibody. Seropositivity rates did not show significant difference with time after vaccination. There was no association between first and second screening seropositivity rates. We conclude that the presence of maternal antibody reduces the success of vaccination. These results suggest the vaccination policy in Turkey should be re-examined with a view to revision.

[Distribution and typing in salmonellosis in children 1978-1983]. / 1978-1983 yillari arasinda cocuklarda görülen salmonellozislerin dagilimi ve tiplendirilmesi.

329 infants with salmonellosis were evaluated in Pediatric and Microbiology Department of Anadolu University Teaching and Training Hospital. It was established 127 (38.6%) S. typhimurium, 42 (12.8%) S. typhosa and 6 (1.8%) S. paratyphi A and B in our series. Besides these serotypes, 154 (46.8%) patients could not be typed. S. typhimurium was importantly noticed than other types (p less than 0.001) and this feature makes the distribution of typing of salmonellosis in children as characteristic. This infection was encountered especially between December (8.5%), it made peak in January (20.3%) and April (9.73%) period. Then, between April-December, this infections was established quite lower (p less than 0.001). This distribution is specific for Eskisehir district, and it was gradually decreased year by year (p less than 0.05).