SF-36 has been both translated into different languages and adapted to different cultures to obtain comparable data on health status internationally. However there have been only a limited number of studies focused on the discriminative ability of SF-36 regarding social and disease status in developing countries. The aim of this study was to obtain population norms of the short form 36 (SF-36) health survey and the association of SF-36 domains with demographic and socioeconomic variables in an urban population in Turkey. A cross-sectional study. Face to face interviews were carried out with a sample of households. The sample was systematically selected from two urban Health Districts in Izmir, Turkey. The study group consisted of 1,279 people selected from a study population of 46,290 people aged 18 and over. Internal consistencies of the scales were high, with the exception of mental health and vitality. Physical health scales were associated with both age and gender. On the other hand, mental health scales were less strongly associated with age and gender. Women reported poorer health compared to men in general. Social risk factors (employment status, lower education and economic strain) were associated with worse health profiles. The SF-36 was found to be capable of discriminating disease status. Our findings, cautiously generalisable to urban population, suggest that the SF-36 can be a valuable tool for studies on health outcomes in Turkish population. SF-36 may also be a promising measure for research on health inequalities in Turkey and other developing countries.

Background: Turkey passed a law banning smoking in all indoor public places in 2008. In response to the indoor smoking restriction, many smokers may have relocated to outdoor areas of venues. The aim of this study was to evaluate air pollution related to SHS exposure in indoor and outdoor areas of hospitality venues in 12 cities in Turkey. Method: In this cross-sectional study, we evaluated hospitality venues in 12 cities in Turkey. In each visited venue, we evaluated a pre-specified number of study locations such as the outdoor area of the main entrance, indoor areas, and patios or other outdoor dining areas, completely or partially covered with window walls. We measured particulate matter 2.5 (PM2.5) in those areas. Results: The fieldworkers visited 72 randomly selected hospitality venues and measured PM2.5 concentrations in 165 different locations (indoor, outdoor, and patios) of those venues. Overall, 2573 people were observed, 909 of them smoking. The median (IQR) PM2.5 concentrations were 95 (39–229) μg/m³ indoors, 25 (13–48) μg/m³ outdoors, and 31 μg/m³ (16–62) in the patios (p < 0.001). After adjustment, each additional smoker was associated with a 2% increase in PM2.5 concentrations in patio air (GMR (95% CI): 1.02 (1.00, 1.05), and a 4% increase in indoor air (GMR (95% CI): 1.04 (1.02, 1.05). Conclusions: There were unhealthy levels of smoking-caused PM2.5 concentrations, not only indoors, but also in the patios of hospitality venues. Legislative efforts to expand the smoke-free legislation to outdoor areas adjacent to indoor public places and an action plan to increase compliance with the smoke-free policy are urgently needed in Turkey.

BACKGROUND: If nurses and midwives undergo cervical cancer screening regularly, they can become role models for other women regarding this screening. OBJECTIVES: The aims here were (i) to determine factors associated with undergoing cervical cancer screening; and (ii) to examine the association of cervical cancer screening periodicity with cervical cancer risk levels among nurses and midwives. DESIGN AND SETTING: Cross-sectional study in a public hospital. METHODS: 466 nurses and midwives participated in this study. The relationships between undergoing Pap smear screening and sociodemographic characteristics, cervical cancer risk factors, perception of cervical cancer risk and calculated cervical cancer risk levels were examined. Cervical cancer risk levels were determined using the "Your Disease Risk"assessment tool (Washington University). RESULTS: 35% of the nurses and midwives had undergone Pap smear testing at least once in their lifetimes. The odds of having undergone Pap smear testing were higher among smokers (odds ratio, OR: 2.08; 95% confidence interval, CI: 1.24-348) and among those who perceived their risk of cervical cancer to be high (OR: 3.60; 95% CI: 136-951).The frequency of undergoing Pap smear testing at least once in a lifetime was higher among primiparae (OR: 17.99; 95% CI: 636-50.84) and secundiparae (OR: 4153; 95% CI: 15.01-114.91) than among nulliparae. No relationship was found between Pap smear test periodicity and calculated risk level. CONCLUSION: There is a need to assess motivational barriers that might lead to low levels of Pap smear screening among nurses and midwives who are role models for women regarding cervical cancer prevention.

Bu yazı pandeminin erken döneminde, 16. Mart 2020'de kaleme alınmıştır. Bu yazıyı yazmayı düşünmeye başladığım günden bugüne, son 4 gün içinde bile dünyada ve ülkemizde o kadar yeni gelişme yaşandı ki, bir yandan yeni bilgileri değerlendirmek, yazılanları okumak, açıklamaları anlamlandırmak, insanın düşüncelerinin sürekli bir noktadan başka bir mecraya yol almasına neden oluyor. Anladım ki konuyu tümüyle kapsayan ve sistematik bir yazı hazırlamak olası değil. Aklımdaki mesajları ve saptamaları bir liste yaparak başladım ve sizinle paylaşıyorum. Yaşanan pandemi bizim çalışma yaşamımızda ilk değil, en yakını 2009-2010 sezonundaki H1N1 pandemisi idi. Ülkemizde, pandemik influenza virüsüne bağlı, konfirme toplam 13591 vaka ve 656 ölüm görülmüştür. Hastaneye yatış hızı %1.4; yoğun bakıma yatış hızı %13.6 ve yoğun bakım hastalarında mortalite hızı %19.6 olmuştur.

Background: Making the right decisions in the field of public health depends on the reliable recording of statistical data such as death and birth. There have been radical changes and innovations in the death registration since 2009 in Turkey to improve reporting. Aims: To examine the distribution and the trend of causes of death between the years 2009 and 2017 in Turkey. Study Design: Descriptive study. Methods: In this study, the causes of death were evaluated in three groups used in the Global Burden of Disease study. Group I included infectious, maternal, perinatal, and nutritional conditions; group II included noncommunicable diseases; and group III included injuries. Age-standardized mortality rates were calculated per 100,000 according to age, sex, and cause of death. Joinpoint regression was used to evaluate the trend in mortality rates. In addition, the leading causes of death were also determined. Results: In total, age-standardized mortality rates increased significantly on average annually (1.5% per year). When the trends of causes of death were examined according to gender, there was a significant increase in deaths from group I in both genders and a significant increase in deaths from group III in males, whereas there was no statistically significant change in deaths from group II between 2009 and 2017. Conclusion: A significant quantitative improvement in death registration was seen in Turkey between the years 2009 and 2017. This is due to the increase in the number of reported deaths. The change in the distribution of causes of death is noteworthy. This research can provide the basis for further researches that will examine the change in causes of death.