Prevalence of anemia and related factors among women in Turkey.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the prevalence of anemia and related factors among women in Turkey. METHODS: This descriptive study was conducted at the outpatient clinics of the Department of Internal Medicine, Ege University Medical School. Randomly selected women were given questionnaires regarding their socio-demographic and obstetric characteristics. The data were coded and analyzed using SPSS version 17.0 software. Statistical analyses with 95% confidence intervals were considered to be significant if p<0.05. RESULTS: The study results showed an anemia prevalence of 27.8% in the study sample. Among all anemia diagnoses among the participants, 56.0% were determined to have iron deficiency, 37.1% iron-deficiency anemia, and 6.9% severe anemia. It was observed that anemia was detected among women who were 15-49 years of age (p<0.05), menstruating (p<0.05), had a history of Cesarean section (p<0.05), and had not entered menopause (p<0.05). Based on forward-stepwise-logistic regression analysis, the most important parameter was concluded to be age group, which was followed by menopausal status. CONCLUSIONS: The study results suggest that the anemia prevalence rate is specifically higher among women of reproductive age. To prevent anemia at a low cost, it is recommended to provide women with relevant information and well-planned interactive educational programs.

Research activities and perceptions of barriers to research utilization among Turkish nurses.

BACKGROUND: This study assessed the barriers to the use of research in nursing practice among Turkish registered nurses. METHODS: A descriptive cross-sectional study of 718 nurses in three hospitals was conducted. The data collection instrument used for the study consisted of the Barriers to Research Utilization Scale and a self-administered questionnaire that included demographic data, educational background, and nurses' involvement in research activities. RESULTS: Almost half of the participants (48.5%) responded that they had attended academic conferences in the past 2 years. Most of the participants had not published a research article (90.5%), and 23.4% reported that they had never read research articles. Seven items within the top 10 barriers were found on the setting subscale. CONCLUSION: The results describe the research activities and perceptions of the barriers to the use of research among nurses in Turkey. Creating an organizational climate that values research use and supports nurses in participating in research activities is crucial.

Determination of knowledge of Turkish midwifery students about human papilloma virus infection and its vaccines.

Human papilloma virus (HPV) is one of the most common sexually transmitted agents and its infection is the most established cause of cervical cancer. Midwives play a key position in the implementation of cervical cancer. This descriptive study aimed to determine the level of knowledge concerning HPV and HPV vaccination among 268 midwifery students. Data were collected between November 15 and 30, 2011, through a self-reported questionnaire. The mean age of participants was 20.75 ± 1.60. Among all students, 44.4% had heard of HPV, while 40.4% had heard of HPV vaccinatiob. The relationship between the midwifery student knowledge on HPV and HPV vaccine and their current educational year was significant (p=0.001). In conclusion midwifery students have moderate level of knowledge about HPV and its vaccine and relevant information should be included in their teaching curriculum.

Cigarette dependence among males and females aged 50+ living in Izmir, Turkey.

BACKGROUND: Smoking, the most important preventable cause of death overall, is also the leading cause of cancer-related mortality. Tobacco consumption has a direct or indirect relationship with most types of cancer. In Turkey, the second leading cause of death is cancer, with lung cancer the most prevalent. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to determine the level of cigarette dependence among men and women aged 50+, living in Izmir. METHODS: This research is a descriptive and cross-sectional field study, carried out with the participation of a total of 2,497 subjects. RESULTS: It was found that 48.8% of the participants used to be smokers, and 95.5% of the smoking participants had been smoking for at least 11 years at the time of study. 36.1% of the participants were being exposed to secondhand smoke at home, and almost one third of the smokers (29%) had a moderate level of dependence. CONCLUSIONS: Continuing education may help high-risk groups develop good habits for a healthier lifestyle such as smoking less and quitting smoking, thereby reducing the level of morbidity and mortality of most common types of cancer.

Physical restraint use in Turkish intensive care units.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to determine intensive care nurses' reasons for the application and removal of physical restraint and physical restraint patterns used in Turkey intensive care units. DESIGN: This research was conducted using descriptive and cross-sectional research design. SETTING: Data were collected in intensive care units of the 2 university hospitals and the 5 state hospitals in Izmir, West Turkey. Nurses were given the self-administered questionnaire with open-ended questions. PARTICIPANTS: The study participants were 190 nurses working in intensive care units of 7 hospitals. FINDINGS: Most of the nurses (86.8%) reported that maintenance of the placement of medical devices was the main reason for physical restraint applications. The nurses (68.9%) reported improved mental status as the most important reason for removal of restraint from the patient. A total of 84.7% of nurses reported that wrist and ankle ties were the most common forms of physical restraint device; 84.7% used physical restraint without any verbal or written physician order. CONCLUSIONS: Identifying the reasons for application and removal of physical restraints can help clinical nurse specialist tailor education, impact policy, and serve as role models to reduce the use of restraints in hospitals.

Effects of peer education, social support and self esteem on breast self examination performance and knowledge level.

OBJECTIVE: To estimate associations among peer education, social support and self-esteem and their influences on performance of breast self-examination (BSE). METHOD: Seven volunteer peer educators were given the BSE training programme and in turn educated 65 women students in the university. BSE knowledge evaluation forms developed by Maurer were applied for evaluation. Other data were collected with questionnaires for the Coopersmith Self-Esteem Inventory and Scale of Perceived Social Support over three months. RESULTS: Knowledge level points of students and the BSE practice ratio were increased by peer support. There was a positive relationship between average BSE knowledge points and social support and self-esteem. CONCLUSION: The results showed positive relationships among BSE knowledge, social support and self-esteem, these affecting the BSE performance level.