Health behaviors in high school students in Izmir, Turkey.

AIM: The aim of this cross-sectional study was to determine the prevalence of the self reported health behaviors and differences in these behaviors by gender and grades in high school adolescents in Izmir, Turkey. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A stratified cluster sampling procedure was used for this cross-sectional study. The study sample included 2 296 students attending 22 high schools in Izmir. As a data collection instrument, some questions from the Health Behavior in School-aged Children Study 2009/2010 questionnnaire and questions which were developed by the researchers to understand behaviors of internet use in adolescents were used. Chi-square tests and Cramer's V statistics were used for statistical analyses. RESULTS: Among the high school students, 33.8% experimented smoking, 26.3% smoked cigarette during the 30 days before the survey, 14.9% smoked cigarette regularly during the 30 days before the survey, 54.1% experimented drinking alcohol, 38.4% drunk alcohol during the 30 days before the survey, 31.6% got drunk, 10.9% were adequately physically active, 59.9% watched TV for a long period of time, 72.8% used internet for a long period of time, 48.1% ate breakfast regularly, 36.2% ate adequate amount of fruit, 14.1% ate adequate amount of vegetable, 31.3% ate candies and chocolate very often, 18% drunk soft drink very often, 30.3% were bullied, 29.9% bullied others and 41% involved in a physical fight. CONCLUSIONS: These results showed that "Adolescent friendly health services" should be generalized all over Turkey, physicians should evaluate each adolescent for his/her health behaviors in each visit and implementation of prevention programs which adopt a health promotion perspective is necessary begining from the elementary school.

Parental attitude, depression, anxiety in mothers, family functioning and breath-holding spells: A case control study.

AIM: This study aimed to identify differences in the antenatal stressful life events, parenting style, family functioning, depression and anxiety of mothers who have children with breath-holding spells (BHS) compared with controls. METHODS: This case control study divided 66 children into a group of children with BHS and a control group, with the children's ages ranging between 6 months and 5 years of age. This study explored underlying anxiety and depression in mothers as well as functioning of their families. Socio-demographical data and stressful life events that the mother experienced during pregnancy were analysed. In order to evaluate the effects of family structure, depression and anxiety in mothers on BHS in children, the Family Assessment Device, and both the Parental Attitude Research Instrument and the Beck Depression Inventory as well as the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory were used to assess both groups. RESULTS: Exposure to stressful life events during pregnancy (P < 0.001), depressive traits (P < 0.001), state-trait anxiety (P < 0.001), overprotective maternal characteristics (P = 0.027) and most of the family functioning subscales were found to be significantly different between BHS and control groups. CONCLUSIONS: The association of anxiety, depression, prenatal stressful events and poor family functioning in mothers who have children with BHS is significantly higher than controls. An evaluation of these problems may be beneficial in the management of BHS.

Impaired global and segmental myocardial deformation assessed by two-dimensional speckle tracking echocardiography in patients with vitamin B12 deficiency.

BACKGROUND: Contrary effects of vitamin B12 deficiency have been shown on the cardiovascular system. Aim of our study was to analyze left ventricular (LV) myocardial deformation, by using the two dimensional (2D) speckle tracking echocardiography (STE) in patients with vitamin B12 deficiency and normal LV ejection fraction. METHODS: Twenty-five patients with vitamin B12 deficiency (B12 levels < 200 pg/mL; mean age: 29.6 ± 8.2 years, 15 female), and 27 healthy controls (B12 levels > 200 pg/mL; mean age: 30.1 ± 6.9 years, 13 female) were included in the study. 2D echocardiography images were transferred to a workstation for further offline analysis. Longitudinal peak systolic (LPSS) and global strain (LGS) was obtained from 4 chamber and apical long axis (APLAX) views. RESULTS: Standard echocardiographic parameters and tissue Doppler imaging (TDI) velocities were compared between the groups. All LPSS values in the patient group except for apical 4C septal wall longitudinal strain were significantly decreased than those in the control group. There was a positive correlation between B12 levels and strain values except apical 4C septal wall strain values. CONCLUSIONS: We found that in patients with vitamin B12 deficiency, global and segmental myocardial deformation was impaired and this impairment was correlated with the levels of vitamin B12.