Validity and Reliability of the COVID-19 Knowledge, Attitude and Behavior Scale.

BACKGROUND: The aim of this research is to develop a scale that will evaluate the knowledge, attitudes and behaviors of employees about COVID-19 and to test its validity and reliability. METHODOLOGY: The methodological type of research was used between August-November 2020, under observation in organized industrial zones. Information was collected from a total of 543 employees. Confirmatory factor analysis and correlation analysis were performed for the value, item-total correlations and construct validity. SPSS 25.0 (IBM Inc., Armonk, NY, USA), Jasp 0.14 (University of Amsterdam) and Lisrel 9.1(Scientific Software International, Inc., Chapel Hill, NC, USA) programs were used in the analysis. RESULTS: 83.1% of the participants in the study are male, the average age is 37.4 ± 8.0, 76.1% are married, and 49.4% are high school graduates. The Cronbach alpha value of the COVID-19 information part is 0.86 in total, the contamination information dimension is 0.71 and the protection information dimension is 0.84. The COVID-19 attitude section consists of four sub-dimensions and 13 items classified within the framework of the health belief model. In summary, the goodness of fit values for the knowledge, attitude and behavior sections, respectively, are: RMSEA values 0.05, 0.03 and 0.04; CFI values 0.98, 0.98 and 0.99; GFI values 0.97, 0.97 and 0.99. CONCLUSIONS: It has been determined that the internal consistency of the COVID-19 knowledge, attitude and behavior scale conducted on employees is high and compatible, and its validity findings are sufficient. The scale is recommended as an applicable tool to measure COVID-19 knowledge, attitudes and behaviors.

Expectations, requirements, and problems of family health care workers providing home services in Turkey.

Life expectancy is increasing globally with the increase of aging populations. Care-dependent elderly and those with chronic illnesses and disabilities are increasing in numbers. Hospitalization to manage these problems lead to a heavy economic burden. Thus, the demand for home health care is rising causing a heavy workload for home workers. This study was aimed to assess problems of personnel engaged in providing home care. Data was colllected from 120 family physicians and nurses/midwives from 25 clinics. The results showed that most visits were provided for postnatal controls (69%), with only 13% provided for the elderly and disabled people despite high demands (for the elderly 73%; for those with disabilities 66%). Additionally, factors affecting workers emotionally in visits were evaluated. Difficulties and suggestions of home care workers should be considered that the quality of health care depends on the satisfaction of the care professionals as well as that of patients.

Prevalence of hypertension and its association with obesity among school children aged 6-15 living in Sakarya Province in Turkey.

BACKGROUND/AIM: Childhood hypertension and its association with obesity are becoming important issues worldwide. The prevalence of hypertension and obesity are growing in both developed and developing countries. This paper aimed to determine the prevalence of hypertension among school-aged children in Sakarya (western part of Turkey) and to determine whether or not obesity is associated with hypertension. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Twelve schools were randomly selected from an area in the center of the Sakarya. A total of 2166 students participated in the study. The students were visited at school, and their weights, heights, and blood pressures were measured. The World Health Organization references were used to determine the prevalence of overweightness, obesity, and hypertension. RESULTS: The prevalences of hypertension and obesity were 15.1% (n = 326) and 18.0% (n = 390), respectively. Overweightness, obesity included, was found to be present in 26.3% of the children. Sex and obesity were found to be associated with hypertension; nevertheless, a positive family history of hypertension was not associated with hypertension in children. CONCLUSION: The prevalence of obesity and hypertension are high among school children of 6-15 years of age in Sakarya. Obesity is associated with hypertension. Blood pressure measurements should be part of routine clinical examination, especially in obese children.