Opinions of taxi drivers regarding occupational risks and prevention strategies: A cross- sectional study in Turkey.

BACKGROUND: Taxi drivers are prone to musculoskeletal problems and can suffer from cardiovascular disease, respiratory disease, and psychosocial problems. For occupational health and safety it is crucial to know the risk factors and initiatives to be taken for protection. OBJECTIVES: This study was carried out to evaluate the opinions of taxi drivers regarding occupational risks and prevention strategies. METHODS: This was a descriptive and cross-sectional study including 524 taxi drivers. A questionnaire was developed to determine the opinions of taxi drivers regarding occupational risks and intervention strategies. For the analysis of data, Mann-Whitney U (Z-table value), descriptive statistics (number, percentage) and Chi-square (χ2) test between dependent and independent variables were used. RESULTS: Among the taxi drivers, the occupation was reported to be risky for musculoskeletal system disorders by 67%, for cardiovascular diseases by 68.3%, for respiratory diseases by 46.9% and for psychosocial problems by 63.3%. When the opinions of taxi drivers regarding prevention from these risks were examined, 30.2% of them stated prevention from musculoskeletal system disorders, 34.0% from cardiovascular diseases, 31.3% from respiratory diseases and 40.1% from psychosocial problems. It was a prominent finding to see a decrease in the number of drivers who stated to show prevention behavior towards these risks compared to their states of recognizing them. CONCLUSIONS: Drivers were insufficient both in recognizing health risks of their jobs and implementing intervention strategies. Education concerning health risks of their jobs and prevention from these risks is required.

The effect of rational-emotive education on irrational thinking, subjective wellbeing and self-efficacy of typically developing students and social acceptance of disabled students.

AIM: This study aimed to assess the effects of rational-emotive education on the rational thinking, subjective well-being and self-efficacy of typical students and their levels of social acceptance of disabled students in mainstream classrooms. BACKGROUND: Rational-emotive education exercises can be important for eliminating typical students' problem behaviours, such as poor acceptance of disabled classmates, in mainstream classrooms. METHOD: The study was conducted between 25 October 2017 and 17 January 2018 at two middle schools located in Ankara, Turkey. A quasi-experimental design and nonequivalent control group were used. The research sample consisted of 212 typical students and 16 disabled students from the middle schools. A socio-demographic questionnaire and the Irrational Beliefs Scale for Adolescents, Adolescent Subjective Well-being Scale, General Self-Efficacy Scale and Social Acceptance Scale were used to collect data. Students in the intervention group participated in a 12-week rational-emotive education programme. RESULTS: The results showed that, for the students who took part in the rational emotive-education programme, there was a significant increase in subjective well-being, self-efficacy and social acceptance of peers with special needs, and a significant reduction in irrational beliefs, compared to those in the control group (p < 0.001). Social Validity Questionnaire, which was completed by the parents of the students with special needs to assess the social validity and the effects of the intervention, indicated that the rational-emotive education programme provided a positive classroom atmosphere, which positively affected the disabled students. CONCLUSIONS: The study results supported previous findings on rational-emotive education, which has been adopted in Turkey and in the world as a humanistic approach. Rational-emotive education can be used in mental and school health nursing to increase social acceptance of the disabled students, and to eliminate their social-emotional problems, and to create a positive classroom atmosphere for all students.

The Effect of Motivational Interviewing with Mothers on Media Interaction and Aggression Behaviours of Preschool-Aged Children.

This study evaluates the effect of motivational interviewing with mothers on media interaction and aggression of preschool-aged children. This study was conducted as a quasi-experimental/pre-experimental research in order to evaluate the effect of motivational interviewing with mothers on media interaction and aggression of preschool-aged children. The motivational interviews conducted with the mothers focused on the stages of change and were performed as two face-to-face sessions and two telephone call sessions. While the pre and post-intervention prosocial behavior sub-dimension scores of the children were shown to increase, the overt physical aggression and relational aggression sub-dimension scores were found to decrease. Motivational interviewing technique can be effective for mothers who need to increase control of their children and set limits on media interaction. Nurses in this field can apply the MI technique and help parents to develop behavioral changes.

Health status, health behaviours and healthcare access of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender populations in Turkey.

BACKGROUND: Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) individuals experience many barriers to healthcare access and health disparities because of societal stigma, discrimination and homophobia by the community and healthcare providers. Therefore, this sexual minority group poses a risk for poor health status. AIMS: To determine the health status, health behaviours and healthcare access among LGBT individuals in Turkey. METHODS: The study was conducted on 140 self-identified LGBT individuals in Turkey between 11 April and 15 July 2016 as a descriptive, electronical survey design. Data were collected by questionnaire form, developed based on the researchers' review of the literature. RESULTS: The results of this study revealed that 65% of LGBT participants self-reported that their mental health status was 'poor/fair' while 69% of participants reported that their physical health was 'good/excellent'. Most of them had smoking (60%), using alcohol (76.3%) and did unprotected sex (55.3%) and reported disclosing their LGBT status to the healthcare provider (90.6%); 48.6% of participants thought that disclosing their LGBT status would affect their treatment. Barriers to healthcare access included disclosing LGBT status, societal stigma, negative attitude of healthcare provider, dissatisfaction with healthcare, and lack of health insurance and financial resources. CONCLUSIONS: These results can assist healthcare providers, especially nurses as critical members of this group, to serve LGBT individuals satisfactorily. Besides, it is expected that these results will shed light on new research.

Turkish nurse educators knowledge regarding LGBT health and their level of homophobia: A descriptive-cross sectional study.

BACKGROUND: Attitudes toward LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transsexual) individuals displayed by nurse educators, who aim to educate students with a philosophy of providing equal and high-quality care to all individuals, the necessity of knowledge regarding LGBT individuals, and the inclusion of the issues related to LGBT individuals into the nursing curriculum are gaining importance nowadays. OBJECTIVES: 1. What levels of homophobia do the nurse educators have? 2. What are the knowledge requirements for nurse educators regarding the health issues encountered by LGBT individuals? 3. Are the topics related to LGBT individuals incorporated into the curriculum by the nurse educators, and what are the barriers encountered while including such topics in the education? METHODS: In the present descriptive study - cross sectional, all the nurse educators teaching undergraduate nursing programs in 96 universities in Turkey, who were accessed using their e-mail addresses, constituted the study population (N = 996). The nurse educators who agreed to participate in the study (n = 61) comprised the study sample. Data were collected online, using questionnaire developed by researchers and the Homophobia Scale. RESULTS: The present study revealed that a significant proportion of participants (59%, n = 36) require knowledge regarding the health requirements of the LGBT individuals, and a great majority of the participants (77%, n = 47) did not find content related to the healthcare issues of LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transsexual) individuals in the education they delivered. Assessment of the homophobia scale demonstrated that high levels of homophobia existed among half of the nurse educators and that the homophobia levels did not vary with age, tenure, or title (p > 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The results of the present study demonstrated that there is a lack of knowledge regarding the health issues of the LGBT individuals among the nurse educators in Turkey, and little efforts are put to acquire this knowledge. The high levels of homophobia reported among half of the nurse educators surveyed demonstrated the necessity of reviewing the nursing curriculum in a country such as Turkey, where sensitivity is required to be displayed to the marginal groups.

The preliminary effects of laughter therapy on loneliness and death anxiety among older adults living in nursing homes: A nonrandomised pilot study.

OBJECTIVES: This study evaluated the preliminary effect of laughter therapy on the level of loneliness and death anxiety of older adults. METHODS: This was a quasi-experimental study with a nonequivalent control group pretest-posttest design. The study participants were older adults living in two nursing homes set up by foundations located in the capital of Turkey. A total of 50 older adults formed the intervention group (n = 20) and control group (n = 30). The intervention group received laughter therapy twice a week for 5 weeks. The control group received no intervention. Data were collected using a socio-demographic form, the De Jong Gierveld Loneliness Scale (DJGLS) and the Turkish Death Anxiety Scale (TDAS). RESULTS: After laughter therapy, the DJGLS total and subscale (emotional and social loneliness) scores decreased among older adults in the intervention group (p < 0.005). While there were no significant differences for overall TDAS, death uncertainty and pain subscales scores between the intervention and control group after laughter therapy, there was a significant decrease in TDAS exposure subscale scores of the intervention group (p < 0.005). DISCUSSION: The results suggest that laughter therapy can be used to decrease levels of loneliness and death anxiety among older adults living in nursing homes. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: Anxiety regarding death and loneliness are important issues that affect quality of life in older adults. This first pilot study demonstrates the beneficial effects of laughter therapy on loneliness and death anxiety in nursing home residents. Nurses can incorporate laughter therapy into routine programmes in nursing homes.

The Impact of Comprehensive School Nursing Services on Students' Academic Performance.

Introduction: School nursing services should be evaluated through health and academic outcomes of students; however, it is observed that the number of studies in this field is limited. The aim of this study is to evaluate the impact of comprehensive school nursing services provided to 4th grade primary school students on academic performance of students. Methods: The quasi-experimental study was conducted with 31 students attending a randomly selected school in economic disadvantaged area in Turky. Correlation analysis, repeated measures analyses of variance, multiple regression analysis were used to analyze the data with SPSS software. Results: At the end of school nursing practices, an increase was occurred in students' academic achievement grades whereas a decrease was occurred in absenteeism and academic procrastination behaviors. Whilst it was determined that nursing interventions including treatment/ procedure and surveillance was associated to the decrease of absenteeism, it also was discovered that the change in the health status of the student after nursing interventions was related to the increase of the academic achievement grade and the decrease of the academic procrastination behavior score. Conclusion: In this study, the conclusion that comprehensive school nursing services contributed positively to the academic performance of students has been reached. In addition, it can be suggested that effective school nursing services should include services such as acute-chronic disease treatment, first aid, health screening, health improvement-protection, health education, guidance and counseling and case management.

Impact of nursing care services on self-efficacy perceptions and healthy lifestyle behaviors of nursing home residents.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the impact of tailored individualized nursing care services on the self-efficacy perceptions and healthy lifestyle behaviors of older adults living in a nursing home in Turkey. This outcomes evaluation research used a quasi-experimental study design in which outcomes evaluations were repeated within time intervals in a single group. The study sample included 30 older adults. Nursing diagnoses and interventions were identified using the Omaha System. The impact of implemented nursing care services was evaluated using the Self-Efficacy Scale and Healthy Life-Style Behaviours Scale II. A total of 3,024 nursing interventions were performed, and self-efficacy perceptions and healthy lifestyle behaviors of older nursing home residents were significantly increased in a positive manner (p < 0.05). The results suggest that nurses should assess self-efficacy perceptions and healthy lifestyle behaviors of older adults and that nursing care services directed at health promotion of older adults should be maintained.

Evaluation of the applicability of the Clinical Care Classification System to the care of elderly nursing home residents.

The purpose of this study was to translate the Clinical Care Classification System into Turkish and evaluate its applicability to the care of elderly nursing home residents. This study uses a quasi-experimental design in which interventions and evaluations are repeated at specified time intervals in a single group and in which the Clinical Care Classification System is evaluated in a descriptive manner through the use of documents obtained from the system to test the applicability of the system for the care of elderly nursing home residents. Twenty-eight elderly people participated in the study. The health conditions of elderly people were evaluated using an elderly assessment form based on data obtained after nursing diagnoses and nursing interventions were determined using the Clinical Care Classification System. The change in nursing diagnoses as a result of the applied nursing interventions was evaluated. A total of 297 diagnoses were specified in 18 care components directed to the elderly, and 310 interventions were performed. Upon evaluation of the consequences of the interventions, changes in 208 nursing diagnoses were observed. The findings indicate that the Clinical Care Classification System is useful for determining the requirements of the elderly, providing suitable nursing care and enabling the evaluation of the process.

Effect of motivational interviewing on smoking cessation in pregnant women.

AIM: This paper is a report of an evaluation of the effects of a motivational interviewing smoking cessation programme on smoking rates of pregnant women. BACKGROUND: Cigarette smoking during pregnancy is an important public health problem. Smoking cessation programmes provide women with an opportunity to learn how to protect their own health and that of their developing babies. METHOD: An intervention study was conducted between December 2007 and June 2008. Thirty-eight pregnant and literate women who were smoking at least one cigarette each day and had not reached their 16th week of pregnancy applied to participate in the research at the prenatal unit of a public hospital. A total of eight home visits was made for each woman with 12- to 13-day intervals between visits; five visits were for intervention, with three follow-up visits at 1-month intervals. The intervention content was based on the transtheoretical model. The data were collected using an evaluation form, carbon monoxide level in expired air, cotinine measurements and a Self-efficacy Scale. FINDINGS: A total of 39.5% of pregnant smokers gave up smoking; a further 44.7% reduced their smoking by 60% from their starting rate. The rate of passive smoking before the intervention (86.8%) decreased to 55.3%. The mean (sd) pre-intervention self-efficacy score was 61.36 (12.61), and it increased to 93.34 (27.04) after the intervention. CONCLUSION: The success of this programme shows the need for further development and application of similar programmes by nurses and midwives working in primary health care and antenatal settings.

The effects of home monitoring by public health nurse on individuals' diabetes control.

Diabetes is an important health problem that changes the lifestyle of individuals. The ability of individuals to control their disease is directly related to their adaptation to the disease and self-care. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of home monitoring of individuals with diabetes for the purpose of developing their self-care and their adaptation to diabetes. The research used a quasi-experimental (time series) design study. A convenient sample of 34 patients receiving outpatient diabetes care at Hacettepe University Adult Hospital Endocrinology Clinic participated in the study on a voluntary basis. After being seen for the first time in the clinic, they were followed up for a 6-month period in their homes. At the end of the home monitoring period, these patients with diabetes had a statistically significant decrease in HbA(1c) (glycated hemoglobin; p = .000), fasting blood glucose (p = .001), postmeal blood glucose (p = .000), and systolic blood pressure (p = .007) measurements. Diabetes is a quite frequently seen chronic and progressive disease. Nursing monitoring is important to develop an individual's skills in self-care and to support compliance to diabetes. This study supports the finding that the home monitoring of individuals with diabetes by community health nurse improves diabetic control. It is recommended that individuals with diabetes be monitored not only in the hospital but also in their homes for a comprehensive evaluation.