Analysis of the Nutrition, Self-Care Skills, and Health Professional Support in Schools of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder.

AIM: This study aimed to determine the nutrition, self-care skills, and health professional support of children with autism spectrum disorder. METHOD: This is a descriptive and cross-sectional study. The parents of 82 children with autism spectrum disorder agreed to participate as part of a study group in 8 special education schools in 3 districts. The schools were selected on the basis of their levels of sociodemographic development. The data were collected and analysed between September 2016 and July 2017 using a two-section questionnaire developed after a literature review. RESULTS: The majority of the parents (63.4%) had sufficient knowledge with regard to autism spectrum disorder, but the issues that were most lacking in terms of education were care, nutrition, and skills related to daily living (36.2%). The parents wanted to be educated on "nutrition problems," and "activities of daily living." The majority of the children lacked self-care skills (82.9%). CONCLUSION: The most frequently observed nutrition problem in children with autism spectrum disorder was selective eating. In line with the literature, the majority of the children in this study were found to be unable to care for themselves. School nurses can provide support in terms of nutrition and self-care skills in these schools. School health education programmes for parents can be developed to allow for the more rapid and effective resolution of nutrition and self-care problems.

COVID-19 fear and compliance in preventive measures precautions in workers during the COVID-19 pandemic.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of the study is to identify the relationship between the fear of COVID-19 and the preventive measures of healthcare workers and service sector employees during the covid-19 pandemic. METHODS: The present study is a descriptive type of research. The study's sample group consisted of 735 people and included healthcare workers (n = 426) and service sector employees (n = 309). In this study, sociodemographic characteristics, employment in the healthcare or service sector, having a relative with COVID-19, losing any relative due to COVID-19 and taking preventive measures were taken as independent variables. The dependent variable was the score from the Fear of COVID-19 Scale (FCV-19S). RESULTS: The FCV-19S median value was 14 for the service sector and 17 for the healthcare sector. While no difference was found between occupational groups and the FCV-19S score in the service sector, there was a significant correlation between occupational groups and the FCV-19S score in the healthcare sector. The FCV-19S median value of midwives was 21, and it was higher than those of other occupational groups were. The mean FCV-19S scores of those who thought they had COVID-19 symptoms due to stress or panic were higher among the healthcare workers. CONCLUSION: The healthcare workers need more support in fear management than those engaged in service sector employees, and it is recommended that raising the awareness of service sector employees in terms of compliance with preventive measures should be prioritized.

Mental health status of health sector and community services employees during the COVID-19 pandemic.

PURPOSE: This study was conducted to evaluate the depression, anxiety and stress status of health sector and community service workers who were actively working during the pandemic period. METHODS: This is a descriptive study. A total of 735 people consisting of 426 health sector employees and 309 service sector employees, constituted the study sample. In this study, the data were collected using the personal information form and the Depression Anxiety Stress Scales-21 (DASS-21). A regression model was established to test the effect of socio-demographic characteristics on depression, anxiety, and stress levels during the COVID-19 pandemic. RESULTS: While there was no difference in working a second job across different sectors (p = 0.450), the household income (p < 0.001) and the increase in expenditures during the COVID-19 pandemic (p < 0.001) were different across the sectors. The scores of the overall scale and its sub-dimensions were significantly different across the sectors (p < 0.001). The DASS-21 scores were higher in the participants, who started to smoke more and who had their sleep duration decreased (p < 0.001). There is a statistically significant difference between social media use and the DASS-21 score (p < 0.001). There is a significant difference across all DASS-21 subgroups by the daily working hours in the health sector (p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: Our study provides significant findings regarding the mental health of individuals who continued working during the pandemic. To implement effective mental health interventions to risk groups and affected people in the COVID-19 pandemic, the recommendations of leading organizations, including WHO and ILO, should be implemented effectively concerning occupational health.

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.

Eating disorders and needs of disabled children at primary school.

AIM: The aim of this study was to provide current information on the eating disorders, needs and confronted problems of children with disabilities during their school hours at primary schools. BACKGROUND: Eating disorders and needs of disabled children are important in their participation in school life, cognition, and academic achievement. RESULTS: In this study, It was aimed to reach all children with disabilities attending at 72 primary schools located in low, medium and high socio-economic districts in Ankara, capital of Turkey; 404 parents voluntarly accepted to participate in the study. This study has revealed that students with disabilities experienced eating disorders such as forget to eat foods at feeding time, cannot go to canteen to buy food, have sucking and/or chewing problems, lack of self-care skills and need support while eating at schools. The percentage of children who had breakfast at school was 18.1%. The percentage of those who indicated that their child had lunch at school was 59.0%. The children from low socio-economic district had the highest percentage of adequate nutrition at schools in the last week. Families whose children having lack of self-care skills (50.0%), were picky eaters (38.5%), having lack of appetite (42.1%), experienced from constipation frequently (50.0%), have reflux problem (29.0%) considered that their children needed feeding supports at school. CONCLUSION: Families whose children having eating disorders at schools considered that their children needed feeding supports. Fulfilling the needs of children with disability and providing them support as positive discrimination would ensure healthy development and participation in school life and generate positive effects on their academic achievement. The school health policies have to encompass nutritional needs of vulnerable children to benefit from right to education in an adequate and effective manner.

Information Requirements and Sources of Families of Mainstreaming Students Elementary Education Model in Respect of Socioeconomic Development Levels.

AIM: This research was conducted to reveal the current situation on information requirements of the families of the mainstreaming students and sources they obtained information. METHOD: The research is a cross-sectional study and the population consisted of parents whose children need special education and who are in schools located in Altindag, Yenimahalle, and Çankaya districts of Ankara, which are at low, middle, and high levels, respectively, according to the socioeconomic development. Sample selection was not made. A survey was distributed to 1,151 families of the mainstreaming students in 72 elementary schools in the selected districts, and 404 questionnaires that had been returned were evaluated. A questionnaire developed by the researchers was used as the data collection form. RESULTS: A total of 75.1% of families are mothers and 24.9% are fathers. In total, 26.5% of families stated that they did not have sufficient information about the diagnosis of their child, 64.2% of the families stated that they want to be informed about adaptation to school life, 25.1% about daily life activities, nutrition, and care skills, and 48.2% of families stated that they are not in cooperation with health care professionals, whereas 57.8% of the families who have sufficient information about the diagnosis of the child are in cooperation with health care professionals; this rate was found to be 31.4% in those who do not have information. Among the health care professionals, where families receive information about the diagnosis of the child, physicians are the most frequently received occupational group, with 82.3%. The rate of receiving information from nurses was found to be 3.4%. CONCLUSION: Families of mainstreaming students have need for information regarding the diagnosis of the child. The nurse group has a very low rate among the sources they get information from. It can be said that families do not cooperate adequately with health care professionals.

Are the health needs of children with disabilities being met at primary schools?

The aim of this study was to provide current information about the health profile and needs of mainstreamed primary school children with disabilities and special educational needs during their school hours. The Study population is composed of students with special educational needs and disabilities attending mainstream primary schools located in three selected Turkish districts with low, moderate, and high socioeconomic status and literacy rates separately. Parents of 404 students from 72 primary schools constituted the research sample. The study showed that 13.4% of the students with disabilities had chronic illnesses and 8.9% had health problems requiring access to emergency medical care when the condition recurs (such as epileptic seizures, fainting, or falling). Of the students with disabilities, 39.9% usually or sometimes needed medical care during school hours in the previous week. Health needs of nearly half of the students with disabilities were met at school. Special health needs and risks of children with disabilities also continue at school along with other possible health concerns.