Asuman Okur

Objective: Family planning is the prevention of unintended pregnancies and the avoidance of excessive fertility. Arranging the interval between pregnancies is one of the basic requirements for a healthy pregnancy and postpartum period. The family medicine practice, implemented in Türkiye since the early 2000s, addresses this fundamental need. Our study was conducted to determine the prevalence of family planning methods, sociodemographic characteristics, and the relationship between pregnancy history and family planning method use among women aged 18-49 living in the central district of Rize. Methods: Our descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted between 2022 and 2023 and included 413 women aged 18-49 who were registered at four Family Health Centers in the central district of Rize. Data were collected retrospectively from the Family Medicine Information System (FMIS) by the researchers involved in the study. In univariate analyses, Mann-Whitney U, Kruskal-Wallis, and Chi-square tests were used. To identify the primary factors associated with modern method use, age over 35, and the number of pregnancies were included in the analysis. Odds ratios (OR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) were calculated. Results: In our study, 86.9% of individuals (n = 359) used family planning methods. Among those who used a method, 57.7% (n=207) used only modern methods, 25.9% (n=93) used only traditional methods, and 16.4% (n=59) used both modern and traditional methods. When assessing the relationships among educational status, employment status, smoking, and method use, only modern method use was significantly higher than the others (p=0.001). When evaluating the relationship between gravidity and the number of pregnancies by method-use status, the mean gravidity among users of modern methods or both modern and traditional methods was significantly higher than among those using only traditional methods (p=0.049). The primary variables associated with method use were identified as being a non-smoker, not having a child younger than two years of age, having no history of abortion, and the number of pregnancies. Conclusion: The study reveals a high rate of family planning method use in the central district of Rize province; however, adoption of modern methods remains an area requiring further development.

Objective: This study investigates the relationship between levels of internet and social media addiction and nicotine dependence among tobacco users, along with the influencing factors. Material and Method: Data were collected through an online questionnaire using tools such as the Fagerström Test for Nicotine Dependence (FTND) the Young Internet Addiction Test Short Form (YIAT-SF), and the Bergen Social Media Addiction Scale (BSMAS). Sociodemographic details, tobacco use patterns, and addiction indicators were also assessed. Results: The study included 255 participants (average age: 33.6 years), predominantly male, with an average smoking duration of 13.5 years. Cigarettes were the most commonly used tobacco product. The mean FTND score was 4.0±2.7, with no significant gender differences. However, FTND scores were significantly higher in participants who consumed more tobacco while on social media (5.4±2.5, p=0.001). The primary variables associated with FTND score were found to be the YIAT-SF score, increased consuming tobacco products more while spending time on social media and age.Conclusion: Our study has shown that increased cigarette consumption during social media use is associated with nicotine dependence.

Objective: In recent years, injectable glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonists have gained widespread attention due to their effectiveness in obesity management. However, these agents are frequently presented in media using simplified and misleading terminology such as “weight loss injections,” which may create unrealistic expectations and encourage inappropriate or off-label use. This study aimed to evaluate the content and characteristics of online information about weight-loss injections from a public health and ethical health communication perspective.Methods: This descriptive study employed qualitative content analysis of publicly accessible Turkish-language web pages. Data were collected between October and November 2025 using a Google search. Web pages published by private hospitals, private clinics, blogs, and news websites that provided informational or promotional content were included. Textual content was analyzed for the presence of medical indications, contraindications, complications, and side effects, prescription warnings, scientific references, emphasis on medical supervision, and recommendations for lifestyle modification. Visual content was assessed in terms of gender representation, depicted body type, and the use of symbolic elements such as pen needles. Quantitative findings were summarized descriptively, and inductive qualitative analysis was conducted to identify prominent themes.Results: A total of 44 web pages were analyzed. Scientific references and warnings that the product should be obtained by prescription were frequently absent. Although most pages emphasized medical supervision and lifestyle changes, information on indications and contraindications was often incomplete. Visual analysis showed a predominance of female and normal-weight body representations, potentially reinforcing narrow body ideals. Qualitative analysis identified themes including medical legitimacy, social media influence, psychological risks, and concerns regarding unauthorized access.Conclusion: Online content related to “weight loss injections” demonstrates significant scientific, ethical, and communicative shortcomings. Improving the quality of digital health communication and reframing these agents as medical treatments rather than cosmetic solutions is

Background: Tuberculosis (TB) remains a major global health concern, particularly in developing countries. Transmission primarily occurs through airborne aerosolized droplet nuclei. Aim: The aim of this outbreak investigation was to describe the detection, contact screening process, follow-up, and public health response to a tuberculosis outbreak in a long-term care facility for individuals with disabilities. Methods: The retrospective descriptive outbreak investigation was conducted on 92 participants, including 55 care recipients and 37 staff members. Data were collected from the Public Health Management System’s TB Module and field records. Age, sex, BCG scar status, TST results, comorbidities, and preventive treatment uptake were recorded. All individuals underwent monthly symptom monitoring, and presumptive cases were referred for hospital evaluation. Results: A total of four active TB cases were identified among care recipients, including one diagnosed posthumously (culture sample was collected ante-mortem). Twenty-one individuals received preventive treatment, with no subsequent TB cases in this group. One individual who did not receive preventive treatment developed TB five months later. The mean age of diagnosed cases was 34.3 years, all had comorbidities. Conclusion: Early diagnosis, continuous monitoring, and preventive treatment were integral components of outbreak control in this setting. During follow-up, no additional TB cases were detected among contacts who received preventive treatment. These findings may inform outbreak management strategies in similar high-risk congregate settings. Continuous education for care facility staff and primary healthcare providers is essential to ensure the sustainability of TB control.

Background: Sleep plays a crucial role in maintaining both physical and cognitive functions, directly influencing academic performance among university students. This study aimed to determine the level of sleep quality and its associated personal and academic variables among students enrolled in the Faculties of Medicine, Dentistry, and Health Sciences at Giresun University. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted between May and June 2025 among 315 students selected through stratified sampling from a population of 850. Data were collected via an online questionnaire including sociodemographic, academic, and sleep-related variables, as well as the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). The sample size was calculated assuming a 50% prevalence, a 95% confidence level, a 5% margin of error, and an additional 15% to compensate for nonresponse. Statistical analyses included correlation tests and logistic regression. Results: Among participants, 56.8% strongly agreed and 31.4% agreed that their sleep pattern affects academic performance. According to the PSQI cut-off (> 5), 255 participants (80.9%) had poor sleep quality, while 60 (19.1%) had good sleep quality. A weak positive correlation was found between sleep duration on the exam day and most recent exam grade ( r = 0.122, p = 0.030). GPA showed a weak positive correlation with sleep duration on the exam day ( r = 0.166, p = 0.003), though not with total PSQI score. Dentistry students had significantly higher odds of poor sleep quality compared with both midwifery/nursing and medical students in multivariable analysis. Each additional hour of study on the exam day increased the odds of PSQI based poor sleep quality by 10% (OR = 1.10, p = 0.045). Conclusions: Poor sleep quality was prevalent among health-related faculty students and was significantly associated with study habits. Interventions that promote effective study planning, adequate rest, and awareness of sleep hygiene are essential to improve academic performance and overall well-being, as well as to prepare students for future professional demands involving shift work and on-call duties.

Objective: Rational drug use (RDU) refers to administering medications that are appropriate to patients’ clinical needs, in doses that meet their individual needs for a sufficient duration, and at the lowest possible cost. Despite the clinical importance of RDU, irrational drug use remains prevalent, particularly in pulmonology patients. In this context, the objective of this study is to evaluate RDU knowledge and identify associated sociodemographic and clinical factors in pulmonology outpatients. Methods: The sample of this cross-sectional, single-center study consisted of 317 outpatients aged 18 years or older who presented to a secondary chest diseases hospital between February and May 2023. The patients were assessed using a structured questionnaire containing items on their sociodemographic and general health characteristics and the validated 21-item Rational Drug Use Scale (RDUS). The collected data were analyzed using parametric and chi-square tests, as well as correlation and logistic regression analyses. Results: The mean age of the study sample, 59.6% of which were females, was 50.0 ± 13.0 years. Of the 317 patients, 78.9% had chronic diseases, and 38.8% were taking ≥5 medications (polypharmacy). The mean RDUS score of the sample was 29.78±4.77, indicating insufficient knowledge. The mean RDUS score of the patients aged ≤45 years was significantly higher than that of those aged >45 years (p=0.007). The mean RDUS score of the patients living in urban areas was significantly higher than that of those living in rural areas (p=0.031). A strong correlation was found between patients’ education level and RDUS score. Accordingly, the mean RDUS score of patients with higher education was significantly higher than that of patients with other education levels (p=0.001). Multivariate analysis revealed higher education levels ([Odds Ratio (OR)=3.45, p=0.005], living in urban areas [OR=2.46, p=0.031], and young age [

Amaç: Nüfus olarak büyük, yürüttükleri görevler açısından farklılık gösteren üniversite çalışanlarının fiziksel aktivite düzeylerine ilişkin bilgi yetersizdir. Bu araştırmanın amacı üniversite çalışanlarında fiziksel hareketsizlik düzeyini ve ilişkili faktörleri saptamaktır. Yöntem: Kesitsel tipteki araştırmada,Rize’de tabakalı rastgele örnekleme yöntemiyle seçilen 348 üniversite çalışanına “Uluslararası Fiziksel Aktivite Ölçeği” uygulanarak metabolik eşdeğer ve oturma süresi hesaplanmıştır. Fiziksel aktivite düzeyi “inaktif, orta düzeyde aktif ve aktif” olarak sınıflandırılmıştır. Çalışanların boy uzunlukları ve vücut ağırlıkları ölçülmüştür. Gerekli etik ve idari izinler alınmıştır. İstatistiksel analizlerde Ki-kare ve Lojistik Regresyon testleri kullanılmıştır. Bulgular: Katılımcıların %63.5’i erkek, %85.9’u akademik personel, %30.7’si sağlık çalışanıdır. Yaş ortalaması 35.6±0.4 yıldır. Çalışanların %38.5’i inaktif, %48.3’ü orta düzeyde aktif, %13.2’si aktif saptanmıştır. İnaktiviteyle ilişkili primer bağımsız değişkenler 35 yaş üstünde olma (OR=2.78), obez olma (OR=2.37), sağlık çalışanı olma (OR=2.63), düzenli egzersiz yapmama (OR=2.35), evde egzersiz aleti kullanmama olarak belirlenmiştir (OR=2.30). Ortalama oturma süresi 6 saat/gündür. Fiziksel aktivite yapma açısından en çok belirtilen engeller zaman bulamama (%50.6) ve enerji kalmamasıdır (%22.4). Çalışanların %53.7’si, fiziksel aktivite açısından kurumu hiç destekleyici bulmamaktadırlar. Sonuç: Üniversite çalışanlarında fiziksel hareketsizliğin yaygın olduğu, hareketsizliğin kişisel özellikler ve yapılan iş ile ilişkili olduğu saptanmıştır. Üniversite çalışanlarının hareketsizlik yönünden yüksek riskli olarak değerlendirilmesi, engellerin azaltılması, olanak sağlayıcı kaynakların artırılması önerilmiştir.

Amaç: Çalışmada, kadın hastalıkları ve doğum polikliniğinde takipli gebelerde hepatit B yüzey antijeni (HBsAg), anti-HCV seroprevalansı ve Hepatit B Virus’e karşı bağışıklık durumunun değerlendirilmesi amaçlanmıştır. Materyal ve Metot: Tanımlayıcı tipteki bu çalışmada kadın hastalıkları ve doğum polikliniğinde Kasım 2018 - Kasım 2019 tarihleri arasında muayene olan gebelerin serum örneklerinde HBsAg, anti-HBs ve anti-HCV tetkik sonuçları değerlendirildi. Örnekler HBsAg, anti-HBs ve anti-HCV elektrokemiluminesans immünoassay (ECLIA) yöntemi (Cobas e 601, Roche Diagnostics, Mannheim, Germany) kullanılarak çalışıldı. Bulgular: Kadın hastalıkları ve doğum polikliniğine başvuran 1361 gebe değerlendirilmeye alındı. Gebeler 17-49 yaş aralığına sahipti. Yaş ortalaması 27.7±4.8 yıl olarak tespit edildi. Gebelerin 21’inde (%1.5) HBsAg, 2’sinde (%0.15) anti- HCV, 708’inde (%52) anti-HBs pozitif olarak değerlendirildi. HBsAg ve anti-HCV seropozitifliği oranları ile yaş grupları arasında anlamlı bir farklılık bulunmadı (p>0,05). Anti-HBs seropozitifliği oranı yaş grupları arasında farklı dağılmıştır (p=0,001). Yirmi yaş ve altındaki gebelerin anti-HBs seropozitifliği oranları ile 20 yaş üstü gebeler anti-HBs seropozitifliği oranları arasındaki fark istatistiksel olarak anlamlı bulundu (p=0,015). Sonuç: Anti-HCV seropozitifliği ülkemizde son yıllarda yapılan çalışma sonuçlarına göre daha düşük ve HBsAg seropozitifliği ise benzer bulunmuştur. Bu çalışmanın yapıldığı popülasyonun yarıdan fazlası anti-HBs seropozitifliğine sahipti. Çalışmada 20 yaş ve altında olan gebelerde HBsAg seropozitifliği görülmemesinin ve anti-HBs seropozitiflik oranın diğer yaş gruplarına göre yüksek olmasının ulusal aşılama programının etkinliğinden kaynaklandığı düşüncesindeyiz.