AUAysun Kara Uzun

Aysun Kara Uzun

*This is an algorithmically generated author record based on publicly available information.

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Aysun Kara Uzun has a total of 67 co-authors. Here are the top co-authors by number of shared publications:


Latest Publications

  • Parental Vaccine Refusal in Children With Developmental Risks or Difficulties

    by Funda Akpinar, Begum Yilmaz, Gamze Hayran Turmus, Dilan Yesiloglu, Gulsum Ozturk Emiral, Aysun Kara, Pelin Celik

  • Evaluation of sleep quality, social-emotional development, and parental stress levels of children with atopic dermatitis

    by Deniz Yılmaz, Pelin Çelik, Aysun Kara Uzun, Emine Dibek Mısırlıoğlu

    Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a common inflammatory skin disease in early childhood that may affect sleep and emotional well-being. This study aimed to assess sleep quality, parental stress, and social-emotional development in infants and toddlers with AD compared to healthy controls. In this case-control study, 109 children aged 3 months to 2 years with AD and 65 age- and sex-matched healthy controls were assessed using validated parent-report questionnaires: the Expanded Brief Infant Sleep Questionnaire(BISQ), the Parenting Stress Index-Short Form(PSI-SF), and the Ages & Stages Questionnaire-Social Emotional(ASQ: SE). Children with AD showed significantly poorer sleep quality(p = 0.006), increased night awakenings(p = 0.013), and shorter sleep durations(p = 0.010) than controls. Mothers of children with AD reported significantly higher stress levels(p < 0.001). Social-emotional developmental delays were more common among children with AD(p = 0.037) and were especially prevalent in those with poor sleep(p = 0.002). Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that a diagnosis of AD(OR = 2.12, 95% CI: 1.05-4.29, p = 0.035) and lower paternal education(OR = 4.60, 95% CI: 1.01-20.77, p = 0.047) were independently associated with poor sleep. Among children with AD, poor sleep was associated with a more than 13-fold increased risk of socio-emotional delay(OR: 13.23, 95% CI: 1.69-103.45, p = 0.014). Infants and toddlers with AD are at elevated risk for poor sleep, parental stress, and social-emotional challenges. These findings highlight the need for early multidisciplinary interventions targeting both dermatological and developmental aspects of AD. Not applicable. • Children with atopic dermatitis (AD) often experience impaired sleep and increased parental stress; however, evidence on how these factors affect early social-emotional development in infants and toddlers remains limited. • Infants and toddlers with AD and poor sleep were found to be more than 13 times more likely to have social-emotional delays, highlighting the need for early recognition and integrated interventions in this vulnerable population.


  • Open Access

    An overview of the etiology of vaccine hesitancy and refusal

    by İrem Altınışık, Eda Özaydın, Aysun Kara Uzun

    Vaccination is among the most cost-effective interventions for protecting populations against infectious diseases. Individuals exhibiting vaccine hesitancy may eventually accept some or all vaccines, may delay them, or may reject specific ones. In contrast, vaccine refusal denotes the complete voluntary rejection of all vaccines in the current immunization program. Vaccine refusal represents a significant public health concern, threatening both individual and community health. Opposition to vaccines has existed since their inception and continues to grow, particularly with the influence of the internet and social media. Some of the reasons for vaccine refusal include concerns about the vaccine components, distrust in vaccines, religious beliefs, reservations about the pharmaceutical industry, and fear of adverse effects. This review aims to explore the etiology of vaccine refusal based on current literature.

  • Open Access

    The Association Between Maternal and Child Nutritional Status: Evidence From a Social Pediatrics Outpatient Clinic

    by Aylin Bayındır Gümüş, Seda Nur Köktürk, Hülya Yardımcı, Aysun Kara Uzun, Nevra Koç

    Amaç: Bu çalışmada, çocukların erken yaşlardaki beslenmesinin önemi göz önünde bulundurularak, annelerin ve çocukların beslenme durumları arasındaki ilişkinin incelenmesi amaçlanmıştır.Gereç ve Yöntemler: Araştırmaya bir sosyal pediatri polikliniğine başvuran anne-çocuk çiftleri katılmıştır. Verilerin toplanmasında genel bilgiler, anne sütü, tamamlayıcı beslenme ile ilgili sorular ile beslenme kayıtlarını içeren soru formu kullanılmıştır. Besin tüketimini değerlendirme yöntemi olarak 24 saatlik hatırlatma yöntemi kullanılmıştır. Boy uzunluğu ve vücut ağırlığı tekniğine uygun olarak araştırmacılar tarafından alınmıştır. Veriler annelerden elde edilmiş ve çocukların antropometrik ölçümlerinin alınmasında anneler yardımcı olmuştur. Elde edilen veriler, hem çocuğun hem de annenin günlük enerji ve besin ögesi gereksinimlerini karşılama yüzdesini hesaplamak amacı ile kullanılmıştır.İlişki katsayılarını belirlemek için SPSS istatistik paket programında Pearson korelasyon testi uygulanmıştır.Bulgular: Araştırmaya 104 anne-çocuk çifti dahil edilmiştir. Anne ve çocukların yaş ortalamaları sırasıyla 30.7±5.7 yıl ve 41.7±17.3 aydı. Annelerin %13.5’i obezken çocukların %16.3’ü obezdir. Anne ve çocukların günlük ana ve ara öğün sayıları arasında anlamlı bir ilişki bulunmuştur. Anne sütü ile beslenme ve tamamlayıcı beslenme durumuna göre anne-çocuk çiftlerinin enerji ve protein gereksinimini karşılama yüzdeleri farklılık göstermemiştir. Analiz sonuçları, anne-çocuk çiftlerinin enerji ve magnezyum hariç diğer makro ve mikro besin ögesi gereksinimi karşılama yüzdeleri arasında anlamlı ilişkiler olduğunu göstermiştir.Sonuç: Bu çalışma, anneler ve çocuklarının beslenme durumları arasında ilişki olduğuna dair önemli bulgular sunmaktadır. Hem annelerin hem de çocukların beslenme durumlarını araştıran ve aile içinde beslenmenin birbiri ile ilişkisini vurgulayan daha fazla araştırmaya ihtiyaç vardır.


  • Open Access

    Vaccination Following Leukemia Treatment: Viral Vaccine Responses in Survivors of Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia

    by Elif Kilic Konte, Ayca Koca Yozgat, Aysun Kara Uzun, Bahar Cuhaci Cakir, Nese Yarali

    Background: Emerging treatment strategies have enhanced life expectancy for cancer patients, but late complications, including vaccine-preventable infections from diminished antibody titers, are common. This study evaluates viral vaccine immunity in children post-leukemia treatment and examines the need for additional vaccine doses and their effectiveness. Methods: Our cohort included 62 children diagnosed with acute leukemia. We recorded patients’ sex, age at diagnosis, type of leukemia, risk groups, vaccination status prior to chemotherapy, and serology results for hepatitis A, hepatitis B, varicella, measles, rubella, and mumps (MMR) both at the end of chemotherapy and after vaccination following chemotherapy. Results: Post-treatment, patients exhibited a loss of protective antibody responses: hepatitis A (44.4%), hepatitis B (67.7%), varicella (62.5%), measles (46.9%), rubella (43.5%), and mumps (50%). Notably, high-risk acute lymphoblastic leukemia (HRG ALL) patients had marked decrease in protective antibodies for hepatitis B, measles, rubella, and mumps compared to standard- and intermediate-risk (SRG/IRG ALL) patients (p<0.05). Among the seronegative patients, following vaccination, five (15.2%) remained seronegative for varicella, one (2.2%) for hepatitis A, one (3.5%) for measles, one (3.8%) for rubella, and two (6.5%) for mumps. Conclusion: Our study highlights a significant loss of vaccine-protective antibody responses after acute leukemia treatment, particularly among HRG. The increased vulnerability to vaccine-preventable infections, particularly hepatitis B, measles, rubella, mumps, and varicella, in HRG ALL patients highlights the importance of ongoing monitoring of immunization status and potential revaccination strategies to ensure adequate protection against infectious diseases.

  • Relationships Between Maternal Feeding Attitudes and Child Nutritional Problems

    by Aylin Bayindir‐Gümüş, Hülya Yardimci, Nevra Koç, Ece Sezer, Aysun Kara‐Uzun

    Childhood nutrition is critical for development however maternal feeding attitudes may influence feeding practices and subsequent outcomes. This study aimed to evaluate mothers' attitudes toward their children's feeding process and its relationship with characteristics and children's nutritional problems. One hundred thirty‐five mother–child couples who attended the Social Pediatrics Outpatient Clinic of a hospital participated in the study. Researchers administered a survey form during face‐to‐face interviews. The form included demographic details about mother–child couples and two surveys. The first survey asked about child nutritional problems, and the second one comprised the Mother's Attitudes Towards the Feeding Process Scale (MATFPS). MATFPS provides five factors that including negative affect during meal, attitudes about insufficient/unbalanced feeding, negative feeding strategies, forced feeding, and reaction to the viewpoints of others. There was a negative correlation between mothers' “negative affect during meal” factor score and children's BMI (p < 0.05). The mean MATFPS scores of the mothers whose children had nutritional problems were statistically higher than others (p < 0.05). In conclusion, to ensure healthy nutrition for children, mothers may benefit from education to develop positive attitudes and proper feeding practices.


  • Behavioral feeding problems and parenting stress in toddlers with food protein–induced allergic proctocolitis

    by Pelin Celik, Deniz Yilmaz, Fadime Yuksel, Funda Akpinar, Kezban Karabag, Aysun Kara Uzun, Emine Dibek Misirlioglu


  • Open Access

    The Role of Professional Support in Toilet Training

    by Hamdullah Cem Kaçmaz, Aysun Kara Uzun, Sevilay Yıldız Akkuş, Bahar Çuhacı Çakır, Eda Özaydın

    Objective: Toilet training is an important step in the development of children. It was aimed to examine the factors affecting the toilet training of children aged 18-36 months and the effect of professional support on training process. Material and Methods: In the study, data was collected through a questionnaire. Quantitative method was used as the research method in the questionnaire. 214 children were divided into 2 groups (study group: 90, control group: 124) and included in the study. Toilet training in the study group was provided with professional support. In the control group, training was given by the families. Results: The age of training onset was 25.60 months in the study group and 24.19 months in the control group. The duration of bladder, bowel control and toilet training completion in the study group was spread over time, and it was frequently between 1-30 days in the control group (p=0.001). Conclusion: Our study showed that it would be appropriate to start training around 24 months and the process would be completed within 2 months. Especially in families that received professional support, the training processes of children were more positive.

  • Open Access

    The Association of Parents Feeding Practices and Eating Behaviors of Children Between 2 to 6 Ages in Türkiye

    by Cihan İnAn, Alkım Öden Akman, Bahar Çuhacı Çakır, Aysun Kara Uzun

    Objective: To evaluate the relationship between the feeding practices of parents of preschool children and the eating behaviors of children. Material and Methods: The parents who had 2 to 6 years of age children without chronic disease and had completed the transition to supplementary foods were included (n=315). Family demographic, socioeconomic information and children’s anthropometric measurements were recorded. The parents completed the “Child Feeding Questionnaire (CFQ)”, and “Children’s Eating Behavior Questionnaire (CEBQ)”. Results: The mean age of the children participating were 46±14.63 months and 46.7% (147/315) of the children were girls. As parents’ perceived responsibility for feeding increased, the children’s food responsiveness tended to decrease. In parents who had concerns about their child’s weight, their children’s eating behavior was associated with higher food responsiveness and enjoyment of food and lower satiety responsiveness, slowness in eating, and emotional undereating. Conclusion: Parents’ healthy eating attitudes can be part of a process that encourages children to model healthy eating behaviors. ‘Satiety responsiveness’, ‘slowness in eating’, and ‘emotional under-eating behaviors were observed more frequently with the attitude of restriction and pressure for eating.


  • Stressful experiences and coping strategies of parents of young children with Down syndrome: A qualitative study

    by Pelin Celik, Aysun Kara Uzun

    Background: Previous studies have focused mostly on the negative experiences of parents of children with Down syndrome. We aimed to explore both the stressful experiences and coping strategies of parents from a non‐Western country.Methods: Twenty‐six parents of children aged 8–48 months with Down syndrome were included. Semi‐structured interviews were conducted, and the data were analysed using thematic analysis.Results: The main themes of the stressful experiences were emotional burdens, caregiving burdens, struggle against stigma and discrimination, concerns about the future, challenges related to health, education, and financial issues. Parents used a variety of coping strategies to overcome the challenges by seeking support and help, searching for information, accepting and adapting, and adopting optimistic attitudes.Conclusion: Although being a parent of a child with Down syndrome has many challenges, most parents effectively used coping strategies and adapted their lives to their new parental roles in their child's early years.