Aim: It is known that increasing health literacy can increase people's quality of life, enable them to benefit from health services more effectively and contribute to reducing health care costs. Inadequate health literacy has been reported to lead to insufficient health information, high risk of ill health, low level of understanding of treatment methods and increase in health care costs. Today, increasing number of chronic diseases, increasing the elderly population and increasing the budget allocated to health services have also increased the importance of health literacy levels. In this context, it is aimed to investigate health literacy levels and factors affecting our country. Methods: Our cross-sectional study was conducted in voluntary patients who applied to the family medicine outpatient clinic of a university. In our study, sociodemographic questionnaire form and Turkish Health Literacy Scale were used for data collection. Chi-square test was used for statistical analysis and p Results: 225 volunteers were included in our study. 62,1% of them were women. The mean score of the health literacy scale was 25.5±10.2. 50.6% of the participants were inadequate, and 25.1% of them had problematic health literacy level. The level of health literacy was found to be significantly lower in women, who had low education level, who were married and had children and who had vision problems. Conclusion: The data obtained from our study showed that our health literacy levels are low. We need to develop policies that increase our levels

Individuals' knowledge and attitudes about hypertension are important in controlling blood pressure (BP) and reducing hypertension‐related mortality and morbidity. The current study aimed to investigate the effect of hypertension knowledge level on treatment adherence, BP control, and physical activity of hypertensive individuals. This prospective and cross‐sectional study was conducted in the Family Medicine clinic of a tertiary healthcare institution between October 2023 and April 2024. The study included 218 patients with essential hypertension. The BP of all patients was measured with a calibrated mercury sphygmomanometer, and the patients were divided into two groups: uncontrolled BP and controlled BP. The Hypertension Knowledge Level Scale (HK‐LS), General Practice Physical Activity Questionnaire (GPPAQ), and Modified Morisky Medication Adherence Scale (MMMAS‐6) were administered to all participants. Although 40.8% (n = 89) of the patients had their BP under control, 59.2% (n = 129) did not. The median weight of the participants whose BP was not under control was higher than those whose BP was under control (p < 0.05). A significant positive correlation was found between the hypertension knowledge score and the Morisky total score, Morisky motivation, and Morisky knowledge scores. There was a significant negative correlation between the GPPAQ score and both systolic and diastolic BP, as well as a significant positive correlation with hypertension knowledge levels. Assessing the knowledge level of hypertensive patients about their disease, recognizing their lifestyles, and questioning their habits is crucial for recommending individualized health interventions tailored to the needs and characteristics of this population.

Aim: Maternal knowledge is known to influence breastfeeding attitudes, duration, and child development. However, further research is needed to clarify these associations in different populations. This study aimed to examine the relationship between mothers’ breastfeeding knowledge, their attitudes, children’s anthropometric measurements, and breastfeeding duration. Methods: One hundred forty mothers with children aged between 24 and 36 months were enrolled in this study. Participants completed a Sociodemographic Data Form, the Iowa Infant Feeding Attitude Scale, and the Breastfeeding Attitudes Evaluation Scale. Sample size was calculated based on the expected correlation between Iowa Infant Feeding Attitude Scale scores and infant weight gain, yielding a minimum requirement of 140 participants. Results: The mean Iowa Infant Feeding Attitude Scale score of participants was 63.60±6.47. Employed mothers exhibited significantly higher Iowa Infant Feeding Attitude Scale scores compared to non-employed mothers. Mothers who perceived their breastfeeding knowledge as sufficient had significantly higher scores on both the Iowa Infant Feeding Attitude Scale and the Breastfeeding Attitudes Evaluation Scale. There was a significant positive correlation between the total Iowa Infant Feeding Attitude Scale scores and Breastfeeding Attitudes Evaluation Scale scores of participants. Conversely, a significant negative correlation was identified between total Iowa Infant Feeding Attitude Scale scores and the infants' percentage weight change at 0–6 months and 0–12 months. Conclusion: Maternal knowledge and family structure were positively associated with favorable breastfeeding attitudes and longer breastfeeding duration. Family-centered counseling by healthcare professionals, workplace accommodations for employed mothers, and community-based programs should be integrated into public health strategies to promote optimal breastfeeding practices and healthier infant development. Keywords: attitude, breastfeeding, knowledge, mothers

Objective: Refusal of insulin therapy is an important barrier in the treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). The current study aimed to investigate the effect of psychosocial status of diabetic patients on insulin treatment acceptance and refusal. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted with age and gender matched 80 diabetic patients who accepted insulin therapy and 80 diabetic patients who refused insulin therapy. Participants were interviewed face-to-face using a questionnaire consisting of five sections: socio-demographic, depression, anxiety, fear of self-injection and adherence to diabetes treatment. Results: There was no significant difference between the two groups in terms of age and gender. The beck depression scale score (p=0.002) and beck anxiety scale score (p<0.001) of the participants who refused insulin treatment were statistically significantly higher than the group who accepted the treatment. The injection fear scale score of the group who refused insulin treatment was statistically significantly higher than those who accepted insulin treatment (p<0.001). There was a significant negative correlation between injection fear score and treatment adherence scale score in both participants who accepted (r:-0.224; p:0.045) and refused insulin treatment (r:-0.309; p:0.005). Conclusion: The current study showed that depressive and anxiety moods of the individuals caused insulin therapy refusal. In addition, fear of injection was another factor causing insulin treatment refusal. Depression and fear of injection were also found to negatively affect adherence to treatment.

Background: This study aimed to determine the psychosocial risk factors for orthorexia nervosa (ON) in university students and to evaluate the relationship between eating attitudes and behaviors and obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD). Methods: A cross‐sectional study was conducted with 882 university students in an eastern Turkish province from October to December 2023. Data for the study were collected using a sociodemographic survey form, the Orthorexia Nervosa Test (ORTO‐15), the Eating Attitude Test (EAT‐40), and the Obsessive–Compulsive Inventory‐Revised (OCI‐R) assessments. Additionally, an online survey was administered to the participants using Google Forms. The collected data were analyzed using the SPSS 22.0 statistical software program. Results: The participants had a mean age of 20.9 ± 3.0 years (range: 17–45), and 73.1% ( n = 645) were female. Orthorexic tendencies were observed in 14.7% of the participants, impaired eating behavior in 15.6%, and a risk of OCD in 58.7%. The mean ORTO‐15 score for the participants was 37.3 ± 3.6, the mean EAT‐40 score was 20.0 ± 15.5, and the mean OCI‐R score was 25.9 ± 15.0. ORTO‐15 scores were significantly higher among participants in their sixth year of study and those enrolled in evening education programs ( p < 0.05). EAT‐40 scores were significantly higher in students aged 20–22, those with poor socioeconomic status, and smokers ( p < 0.05). OCI‐R scores were notably higher in participants who lived in dormitories during their studies and those who had quit smoking ( p < 0.05). While ORTO‐15 scores were negatively correlated with EAT‐40 scores ( p < 0.05), a weak positive correlation was observed between OCI‐R and EAT‐40 scores ( p < 0.05). Conclusion: Although ON, OCD, and eating disorders seem to be different disorders, they both have similar characteristics. Further studies are needed to investigate possible risk factors of comorbidity.

Objective: To examine the relationship between quality of life and sleep, as well as the sociodemographic and biochemical parameters affecting them. It has been observed that such an exhaustive research has not been done before. Methods: Sociodemographic details were gathered using a specific survey form. To assess the quality of life of the participants, the Quality of Life Scale (SF-36). The Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) was used to evaluate participants' sleep quality. The gathered data were analyzed using the SPSS-22 statistical software. Results: There were no significant differences in SF-36 and PSQI scores according to gender. However, PSQI and SF-36 scores varied significantly based on marital status, educational status, employment status, family type, chronic disease status, as well as smoking status and vitamin D levels. A negative correlation was found between PSQI and SF-36 scores, indicating that quality of life and sleep quality are positively correlated; as the score on the sleep quality scale increases, sleep quality decreases. Furthermore, it was determined that quality of life and sleep quality improve with higher levels of calcium, glucose, and vitamin D. Conclusion: To enhance individuals' quality of life and sleep, it is important to consider their sociodemographic characteristics and blood biochemistry.