Risk perception of cardiovascular disease among Turkish adults: a cross-sectional study.

AIM: The aim of the study was to determine in adults the risk perception for cardiovascular disease (CVD) and the associated factors. BACKGROUND: CVDs are the leading cause of death globally. In adults, perceptions related to the risk for CVDs have a considerable effect on decision-making processes related to one's own health. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted with 453 adult people from April to June 2019 in Izmir, Turkey. Data were collected with a sociodemographic characteristics questionnaire, perception of risk of heart disease scale (PRHDS), and health perception. FINDINGS: The mean PRHDS score of adults was 48.88 ± 8.12. The risk perception for CVD was influenced by variables that were age, gender, education, marital status, employment status, health perception, familial cardiovascular disease history, chronic disease status, smoking status, and body mass index. Although CVDs are the most prominent cause of disease-related death in the world, risk perception for CVD was found to be low among the individuals included in this study. This finding indicates the importance of informing individuals about CVD risk factors, raising awareness, and training.

Psychometric Properties of the Turkish Version of the Dietary Sodium Restriction Questionnaire.

BACKGROUND: Sodium restriction is the primary nonpharmacological treatment in heart failure (HF) to prevent rehospitalization and reduce HF symptom burden. Despite the importance of restricting sodium in the diet, the prevalence of nonadherence to a low-sodium diet has been known to be high. To reduce the high prevalence of nonadherence, we have to know the facilitating and challenging factors. The planned behavior theory shows those factors, including attitudes, social norms, and perceived behavioral control. The Dietary Sodium Restriction Questionnaire (DSRQ) was developed based on the planned behavior theory. However, in Turkey, the psychometric properties of this instrument have not been studied yet. Therefore, the aim of this study was to conduct a psychometric testing of the Turkish version of the DSRQ among patients with HF. METHODS: Data were collected from 300 patients who were recommended a sodium-restricted diet because of a diagnosis of HF. Validity was tested using content validity index, Kendall W, and exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses. Reliability was tested using item-total and interitem correlations, Cronbach's α coefficient of reliability, independent-sample t test, and test-retest analysis. RESULTS: The exploratory factor analysis revealed that 3 factors accounted for 78.2% of the explained variance. The factor loads ranged between 0.67 and 0.96. The results of the confirmatory factor analysis showed goodness-of-fit indices greater than 0.90, with a root-mean-square error of approximation less than 0.10 and a root-mean-square residual of 0.05. The Cronbach's α coefficient for DSRQ was 0.92 and for each subscale was as follows: attitude and subjective norm, 0.97; perceived external behavior control, 0.89; and perceived internal behavior control, 0.83. CONCLUSIONS: The DSRQ is a valid and reliable instrument in assessing the attitudes, beliefs, and perceived behavioral control related to following a low-sodium diet of patients with HF in the Turkish population.

The level of recognition of the symptoms of violence against women by senior year nursing and midwifery students.

Background: Violence against women maintains its importance. Nursing and midwifery students should be able to identify symptoms of violence against women. Healthcare providers have received insufficient education, either before or after graduation, for identifying violence cases and for dealing with interfamilial violence against women. Aims: This study is conducted to identify nursing and midwifery students' ability to recognise symptoms of violence against women. Methods: This cross-sectional study included nursing and midwifery students attending the Ege University, School of Nursing, the Celal Bayar University, Health School of Higher Education and Health School of Izmir Atatürk (N = 557). The convenience sampling method was used. There were 114 students who declined to participate in this study as they did not want to answer questions about violence (n = 443). Results: It was determined that 94.6% of the students were knowledgeable about violence against women. The scores obtained by students from the physical symptom sub-dimension were 8.35 ± 1.65 and from the emotional symptom sub-dimension were 11.97 ± 2.19. The total scores obtained from the scale were 20.32 ± 3.14. A statistically significant difference was found between students' age, gender, nursing or midwifery section, being subjected to violence, receiving violence awareness training and reporting violence in the sub-dimensions and total scores of the scale (p < 0.05). Impact Statement: Having knowledge and self-confidence increased students' awareness in identifying the symptoms of violence. Conclusion: The participant's limited ability to identify symptoms of violence is thought to result from inadequate emphasis on violence issues in the curricula. Greater emphasis should be placed on violence issues in curricula to guide students as future health care professionals.

Problem-solving skills of University nursing students and factors affecting them: A Cross-sectional study.

The aim of this study was to determine problem-solving skills of nursing students and the factors affecting them. This cross-sectional study comprised 233 senior students studying professional nursing at the university level in Turkey in 2018. The research sample comprised 176 students who participated voluntarily and the data was collected from them by using a "Personal Information Form" and "Problem-Solving Inventory." Descriptive statistics and regression analysis were utilised for data assessment. The mean scores of students from the "Problem-Solving Inventory" were 84.47±21.21. The mean scores of the subscales were as follows: 24.03±8.77 for the "Problem-Solving Reliability"; 45.54±13.88 for "way of approaching-avoiding" and 17.07±4.04 for "personal control." The factors found to be affecting the participants in the study were mainly students' gender, income levels and self-evaluation of their own problem-solving skills. These factors linearly increased their total scores and subscale scores. When the relationship of linearity was evaluated, it was highly significant statistically (p<0.001). In conclusion, the problem-solving skills of senior-year students were at a medium-level.

The prevalence of hypertension and obesity and effective factors: A cross-sectional bazaar study.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the prevalence of hypertension/obesity and the effecting factors. Method: This cross-sectional study was done on segments of population that were shopping in 4 bazaars of Bornova, a district of Izmir province in western part of Turkey. In this research sample selection was not used. Between 12 April and 1 June, 2016 individuals who voluntarily had their blood pressure checked were included in the scope of the research (n=1023). Blood pressure was classified according to JNC-8 and during evaluation, borderline values of SBP <140 and SBP >140 were obtained. Also during evaluation borderline values of body mass index (BMI kg/m2) were determined as BMI <30 and BMI 30. SPSS 21 was used for statistical data analysis and p<0.05 was found to be statistically significant. Results: The proportion of those with SBP 140 was 244 (23.9%) and the proportion of those with BMI 30 was 312 (30.5%). The average SBP of individuals with hypertension was 0.22 times (%95 CI: 1.16-0.31) higher than the individuals without hypertension diagnosis, and the obesity rate was 0.49 times (%95 CI: 0.36-0.66) higher. CONCLUSIONS: HT and obesity rates were found high in the people investigated and obesity was determined as an important risk factor for HT. In order to prevent HT and obesity, diagnosis at an early stage is necessary to bring HT under control. Awareness about HT and the health risks it causes should be raised among people and they should be encouraged to make the necessary lifestyle behavior changes.

The opinions of private and public school teachers regarding school nurses.

OBJECTIVE: To compare the opinions of teachers in private and public schools about school nurses. METHODS: This descriptive study was conducted at 10 randomly selected private and public schools in Izmir in western Turkey during April-May 2016, and comprised teachers who consented to participate. A questionnaire was used to collect the data about socio-demographic information of the subjects (six questions), problems frequently encountered in school and the teachers' opinions about school health nurses (seven questions). Two open-ended questions on the roles of school nurses and the most important health education topics were asked. SPSS 22 was used to analyse data. RESULTS: Of the 720 subjects, 517(72%) were females and 203(18%) were men. There were 360(50%) teachers from private schools and an equal number were from the public schools. The mean ages of the teachers from the private and public schools were 36.22±8.69 and 43.12±7.78 years, respectively. Besides, 337(93.6%) teachers of the private schools and 338(93.9%) teachers of the public school believed that school nurses were needed, while 19(5.3%) private school teachers and 162(45%) public school teachers said they had "no idea" about the roles of the school nurse. The most important role of the school nurse was promoting good health habits according to the public school teachers and health education according to the private school teachers. CONCLUSIONS: Half of the public school teachers said they had no idea about the role of a school nurse.

Effects of Creating Awareness Through Photographs and Posters on Skin Self-Examination in Nursing Students.

Nurses can have an influence on primary and secondary prevention of skin cancer. Therefore, it is important to help them acquire knowledge and skills necessary to modify behavior in relation to skin cancers. The aim of this study was to examine effects of creating awareness through photographs and posters on knowledge and skills of skin self-examination in nursing students. The study had a quasi-experimental design with a pretest and a posttest in a single group. The study population included 249 last-year nursing students in Turkey. Non-probability sampling was used to reach the population. The study sample was composed of 201 students volunteering to participate in the study, and the response rate was 81 %. Of the students, 85.1 % (n = 171) were female and the mean age of the students was 22.18 ± 0.78 years. Of the students, 94.5 % did not know the asymmetry, border, color, diameter, evolution (ABCDE) criteria on the pretest, but this rate decreased to 20.9 % on the posttest. The mean score for knowledge of symptoms of skin cancer was 10.95 ± 1.37 on the pretest and 11.48 ± 0.90 on the posttest. There was a significant linear increase in the scores for knowledge of the symptoms (F = 7.874, p < 0.001) after the intervention with photographs and posters. The students were observed to learn the ABCDE criteria and had increased knowledge of skin cancer symptoms after the intervention using photographs and posters. Photographs and posters are effective tools which can be used to increase awareness of skin self-examination.

Analyzing musculoskeletal system discomforts and risk factors in computer-using office workers.

OBJECTIVE: This study analyzed the prevalence of work-related computer-user musculoskeletal discomforts, personal and computer-related risk factors. METHODS: A cross-sectional survey on 395 office workers was made between July-September 2015. Musculoskeletal symptoms and risk factors were evaluated for participants' demographics and job attributes on the 21-item questionnaire and the Turkish-Cornell Musculoskeletal Discomfort Questionnaire. RESULTS: Participants reported musculoskeletal symptoms in the neck (67.85%), back (66.33%), lower back (59.49%), right shoulder (45.32%) and left shoulder (43.54%) during the past week and work interference was 33.6%, 28.5%, 30.6%, 31.3% and 31.9%, respectively. Musculoskeletal discomfort risks were being male, increasing daily computer usage, feeling computer-usage discomfort, hours working at desk and having knowledge about ergonomic exercises. CONCLUSION: Musculoskeletal symptoms are common in Turkish office workers and indicated the need for more attention to musculoskeletal disorders and designing effective preventive interventions.

Health Beliefs of Nursing Faculty Students about Breast Cancer and Self Breast Examination.

BACKGROUND: Breast cancer usually shows a slow development rate and when it is recognized in early stages very successful treatment results can be achieved. This research was planned to research the health beliefs of nursing faculty students about breast cancer and breast self-examination (BSE). MATERIALS AND METHODS: The first class students of nursing faculty formed the basis for this descriptive research (N=347). Sample selection was not made and all female students who wanted to participate voluntarily in the research during March-May of 2014 were included (n=331). RESULTS: It was determined that 85.5% of students had knowledge about cancer, 79.5 % knew of breast cancer, and 65.3% were aware of how BSE is performed. According to the responses of students to the scale of the health belief model that is used to determine the health beliefs of students, item-point averages of trust and obstacle sub-dimensions were high. CONCLUSIONS: It is determined that more than half of students had knowledge about breast cancer and breast self-examination. Their health beliefs were affected by trust and obstacle perceptions, knowledge level about cancer, and awareness about how BSE is done. These factors should be considered in planning trainings that will be given to students. Social responsibility projects should have designed to create the awareness that cancer is a treatable disease.

Visual inspection with acetic acid in cervical cancer screening.

BACKGROUND: Visual inspection with acetic acid (VIA) is an attractive screening method for early-phase cervical cancer in underdeveloped countries. OBJECTIVE: This study addressed the validity of VIA in cervical cancer screening by comparing results with colposcopy findings. METHODS: Of 350 women screened at the Ege University clinic using the Papanicolaou test, colposcopy and VIA were used additionally to screen 50 of these women. Colposcopy, VIA, and Papanicolaou test results were compared. A sociodemographic data questionnaire and a VIA questionnaire were used. RESULTS: When VIA findings were compared with Papanicolaou test findings, the sensitivity of VIA was 82.14%, specificity was 50.00%, positive predictive value (PPV) was 67.64%, and negative predictive value (NPV) was 68.75%. When the method of VIA was compared with colposcopy, VIA had a sensitivity of 85.29%, specificity of 68.75%, PPV of 85.29%, and NPV of 68.75%. CONCLUSIONS: In the screening of cervical cancer, the sensitivity of VIA was high, whereas the corresponding specificity was only at an acceptable level. The PPV and NPV of VIA were found to be high. In other words, the validity of VIA during early-phase screening is high in terms of sensitivity and acceptable for specificity and predictive values. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: Visual inspection with acetic acid is an acceptable screening method for cervical cancer and seems to be an efficient and cost-effective method to detect high-level dysplasia.

Barriers to research utilisation among nurses in Turkey.

AIM AND OBJECTIVE: This study was conducted to identify barriers to research utilisation in practice among nurses in Turkey. BACKGROUND: It is clear from the nursing literature that there are several factors that can impede the use of research in practice. It is important that these are identified and addressed. DESIGN: Survey. METHOD: This descriptive study was carried out with 216 nurses from government and private hospitals in Izmir between January-April 2007. The data collection instrument used for the study consisted of the Barriers to Research Utilization Scale and a self-administered questionnaire form that contained demographic data, educational background and nurses' involvement in research activities. RESULTS: More than half of the nurses did not receive research education before graduation, and 85.2% did not receive an in-service education. Only 58.3% of nurses give great importance to research, and 24.5% are interested in research. Involvement in research activities is inadequate. Five out of the top 10 barriers were related to 'setting', three to 'nurse' and two to 'presentation'. Educational level, undergraduate research education and involvement in research activities were predictor factors of perceived barriers to research utilisation. CONCLUSIONS: Identifying the barriers to research utilisation is the first step in overcoming the barriers. It is hoped that research capability in the health care field in Turkey can be enhanced. Creating an organisational climate that values research use and supports nurses to participate in such activities is crucial. RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE: The study findings provide key factors and the top barriers to research utilisation to nurse administrators in developing strategies to increase the utilisation of research findings in clinical practices.

Beliefs of Turkish female teaching staff regarding mammography scanning.

BACKGROUND: To our knowledge, there has hitherto been no research to determine the beliefs of female teaching staff, who are highly educated and form a special risk group regarding breast cancer, towards mammography scanning in Turkey. Definitive research was planned to determine the beliefs of the female teaching staff working in a university. METHODS: Data were collected by researchers via face-to-face interview using a sociodemographic questionnaire and " Health Belief Model ". RESULTS: The point average of the teaching staff in the mammography benefits sub-scale is 19.6 ± 3.87, their average item score is 3.91. The point average of the teaching staff in the mammography obstacles sub-scale is 21.17 ± 6.87, their average item score is 1.92. CONCLUSIONS: They agree on the benefits of the mammography, but they do not agree on the obstacles to mammography.

Barriers to Research Utilization Scale: psychometric properties of the Turkish version.

AIM: This paper is report of a study designed to assess the psychometric properties of the Turkish version of the Barriers to Research Utilization Scale. BACKGROUND: The original Barriers to Research Utilization Scale was developed by Funk et al. in the United States of America. Many researchers in various countries have used this scale to identify barriers to research utilization. METHODS: A methodological study was carried out at four hospitals. The sample consisted of 300 nurses. Data were collected in 2005 using a socio-demographic form (12 questions) and the Turkish version of the Barriers to Research Utilization Scale. A Likert-type scale composed of four sub-factors and 29 items was used. Means and standard deviations were calculated for interval level data. A P value of <0.05 was considered statistically significant. FINDINGS: Language equivalence and content validity were assessed by eight experts. Confirmatory factor analysis revealed that the Turkish version was made up of four subscales. Internal consistency reliability coefficient was 0.92 for the total scale and ranged from 0.73 to 0.80 for the subscales. Total-item correlation coefficients ranged from 0.37 to 0.60. CONCLUSION: The Turkish version of the scale is similar in structure to the original English language scale.

Professional collaboration in students of Medicine Faculty and School of Nursing.

This descriptive study has been planned to analyze the professional collaboration among the students of Ege University, Faculty of Medicine and School of Nursing. The study group consisted of 137 5th and 6th grade students from the Faculty of Medicine and 142 3rd and 4th grade students from the School of Nursing. The participation rate is 94%. For data collection, a questionnaire form (30 questions) which was specially developed for the purpose of the study and the Jefferson Scale of Attitudes toward Physician-Nurse Collaboration (15 questions) were used. Permission was granted for the research by Ege University School of Nursing Ethical Committee and the Office of the Dean of the Faculty of Medicine. The professional collaboration mean score of the students from the Faculty of Medicine who participated in the study was 30.40+/-5.82 and the professional collaboration mean score of the students from the School of Nursing was 26.11+/-5.27. The difference between the mean scores of professional collaboration was found to be significant in terms of their profession (p<0.01). Physicians expressed more positive attitudes toward collaboration than nurses while female physicians expressed more positive attitudes toward collaboration than male physicians.

Comparison of quality of life of Turkish cancer patients and their family caregivers.

AIM: The purpose of this study was to compare the quality of life (QoL) of cancer patients and their family caregivers and determine associations. METHODS: A total of 93 paired patients and caregivers from an outpatient chemotherapy unit of the oncology units were recruited at a large university hospital in Izmir, all completing the Quality of Life Scale (QoLS). RESULTS: The mean age of patients was 45.2 years, and of their family caregivers was 40.5. The results indicated that the patients perceived a poorer quality of life than their family caregivers. There was a middle and positive correlation between the social participation and work performance dimensions of patients' QoL and social participation and work performance dimension of family caregivers' QoL (r =0.273, p< 0.01). The study revealed that the gender, education level, employment and marital status were not statistically significant factors affecting the patients' quality of life (p> 0.05). Caregivers' employment status was found to have an affect on their quality of life (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Cancer affects not only the patients but also their family caregivers. Both should be taught communication skills, financial planning and distress management skills and be given spiritual support to decrease effects of cancer on their quality of life.

Perceived family support of women with breast cancer and affecting factors in Turkey.

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to examine the percieved family support of the women with breast cancer and the affecting factors. METHODS: The subjects were breast cancer cases undergoing treatment (n=240). The sample for this study was formed by women who accepted participation, were in the facility between the dates and hours when the study was applied, and who were selected with a nonprobability sampling technique (n=120). RESULTS: Two thirds of the women with breast cancer were in the 40-59 age group. The lowest score women with breast cancer for perceived family support scale was 0.00 and the highest was 40.0, with a mean of 30.1±8.85. CONCLUSION: In this study, it was determined that perceived family support of Turkish women with breast cancer was reasonable.

Research on knowledge sources used in nursing practices.

This paper reports a questionnaire-based investigation into the knowledge sources used by nurses in two Turkish university hospitals, and whether these knowledge sources were related to sociodemographic variables. 78.5% of the nurses said that practice should be based on evidence and 75.9% stated that this evidence should come from research. 80.7% stated that evidence-based practice was useful. However, evidence that was not based on research constituted the first three most frequently used sources of knowledge. Sources of evidence-based on research were detected as being in the 4th, 5th, 6th, 8th, and 10th positions regarding the frequency of use. The nurses expressed a belief that nursing practices should be based on evidence, but did not reflect this belief in their behavior.

Reliability and validity of the colorectal cancer screening belief scale in Turkey.

Colorectal cancer is the third leading cause of cancer death in Turkey. The emphasis of the healthcare services in Turkey is on curative rather than preventive and rehabilitative approaches. Although the Ministry of Health provides many healthcare services for prevention and early detection, their availability and accessibility are very low. The purpose of this study was to test the reliability and validity of the Turkish language version of Champion's Health Belief Model Scales in measuring Turkish women's and men's beliefs about colorectal cancer. This study was carried out in Izmir, the third most populous city in Turkey. The Champion's Health Belief Model Scales was translated using a back-translation technique. A convenience sample of 470 individuals was recruited from January 2004 through March 2004. Descriptive statistics were computed for the demographic characteristics. Reliability was assessed by interpreting the item-total subscale score correlation, test-retest reliability, and Cronbach alpha coefficients. For testing the relationship between item performance and scale performance, corrected item-total correlations ranged from 0.41 to 0.79 for all 5 subscales. Cronbach alpha coefficients for the 5 subscales ranged between .54 and .88, and test-retest reliability coefficients ranged from 0.72 to 0.91. The study showed that the Turkish version of the Champion's Health Belief Model Scales has good structural characteristics and is a reliable and valid instrument that can be used for measuring beliefs related to colorectal cancer.