Fadime Yüksel

Aim: This study aimed to evaluate maternal behaviors regarding vitamin D supplementation during pregnancy and infancy, and to identify the factors influencing these behaviors. Methods: This cross-sectional study included mothers of healthy children under 24 months attending a tertiary healthcare center in Türkiye. Data were collected through face-to-face interviews using a structured questionnaire. Sociodemographic characteristics, patterns of vitamin D use, factors affecting product preferences, and awareness regarding paraben content were assessed. Results: A total of 393 mothers participated. Among them, 74.8% reported using vitamin D supplements during pregnancy, while 94.4% reported administering supplementation to their infants. The regular supplementation rate for infants was found to be 81.2%. Mothers who used vitamin D regularly during pregnancy were more likely to provide it regularly to their infants as well. Higher maternal education and better economic status were associated with increased supplementation during pregnancy but showed no significant correlation with regular use. Awareness of paraben content was associated with more careful product choices among mothers. Conclusion: Vitamin D supplementation rates among mothers and infants were high, but regular use remained suboptimal. Initiating educational interventions during pregnancy and strengthening follow-up practices in primary care settings are crucial to improve regular supplementation. Additionally, addressing parental concerns regarding the safety and content of supplements is necessary to enhance adherence and ensure the effectiveness of national supplementation programs.

Background: Evidence is scarce on the mechanisms involved in the relationship between dietary inflammatory index and mental health in adolescents. This study aimed to assess the association between children-DII (C-DII) and depressive and anxiety disorder symptoms in adolescents and to explore whether inflammation and cardiometabolic risk factors mediate this association. Methods: The study was conducted at the Ankara City Hospital Pediatrics Polyclinic and 304 adolescents. In cross-sectional study, adolescents were asked general information questions. Anthropometric measurements were performed and some biochemical parameters and inflammation (C-reactive protein (CRP)) were obtained. The C-DII score was calculated from 24-h dietary recalls. Depression and anxiety levels of the participants were assessed by self-report. Structural equation modelling analyzed how cardiometabolic risk factors and inflammation mediate the relationship between mental health and dietary inflammation. Results: C-DII scores were positively associated with depression and anxiety score (β [95% confidence interval (CI)] = 0.224 [0.08–0.25] for depression; 0.923 [0.04–1.67] for anxiety). Except for dietary inflammation with anxiety in girls, these relationships remained statistically significant in all subgroups by sex. It was determined that CRP partially mediated the relationship between dietary inflammation and depression and anxiety. It was determined that body mass index (BMI)-z score and waist circumference (WC) mediated the relationship between dietary inflammation and depression scores. Conclusions: Our findings indicate that the higher pro-inflammatory potential of diet is associated with a higher risk of depression and anxiety, and this association may be mediated by CRP for depression and anxiety, WC, and BMI-z score for only depression. Further research is required to verify our findings and clarify the latent mechanism in larger populations.

Marriages under the age of 18 are considered early marriage cases. This situation is one of the many problems faced by women all over the world. This study aims to determine the individual and familial characteristics of children who are married at an early age. In this study, the forensic files in the Child Advocacy Center, a forensic unit for abused children are refer to, were retrospectively analyzed. After the screening, 440 cases who came to the center due to early marriage were detected. Then, the data were analyzed using descriptive statistical methods and chi-square tests In this study, the female gender, the dropout from school, the low socioeconomic level of the family and the presence of economic problems in the family, the education levels of the parents at primary and lower levels, parental marriage at an early age, the mother not having a job, and the fragmented family presence were the most prominent risk factors. In this context, preventive and rehabilitative studies could be conducted for individual and familial risk factors.

Objective: It was aimed to examine the knowledge levels and attitudes of the parents about childhood vaccinations and the vaccination status of their children, to determine the factors that may affect the vaccination rates, and to investigate the reasons for vaccine hesitancy. Material and Methods: The study was performed by a questionnaire with parents who applied to Ankara City Hospital Children’s Hospital Well Child Clinic in August-September 2020. A total of 150 families were offered a questionnaire. Among these, 17 families did not accept the survey proposal due to reasons such as not having time and not wanting to participate. The questionnaires were filled in by face-to-face interview method after giving information about the study and obtaining consent from the participants. SPSS-25 package program was used for the statistical analysis of the study, and a value of p <0.05 was considered significant. Results: 97.7% of the parents participating in the study stated that vaccination is a necessary practice. It was observed that 93.9% of the parents had complete vaccination for their babies, 47.7% had information about non-routine vaccines, but 17.4% had non-routine vaccines. It was seen that the most known non-routine vaccines was the rota virus vaccine. It has been observed that there is a positive correlation between the mother’s education level and occupation and having non-routine vaccinations of her children (p <0.001). Conclusion: Raising the awareness of families about vaccination, educating healthcare professionals, eliminating the concerns of families and including non-routine vaccines in the vaccination calendar may increase vaccine acceptance.