Ayşe Ferdane Oğuzöncül

Bio: Ayşe Ferdane Oğuzöncül is an academic researcher from Fırat University. The author has contributed to research in topics: Population & Medicine. The author has an hindex of 5, co-authored 17 publications receiving 60 citations.

Knowledge, attitudes and behaviours of women regarding breast and cervical cancer in Malatya, Turkey

Abstract: The aim of this study is to gather information about the knowledge, attitudes and behaviours of women regarding breast and cervical cancer, to increase the knowledge level of the relevant age group and to begin including the relevant age group in screening programs. This cross-sectional study is composed of 6910 women aged 30-69 years in Malatya, Turkey. The study aimed to reach 1782 women with a survey, and all of them were reached. The questionnaire form was completed with face-to-face interview. For statistical analysis, data were evaluated as number and percentage distributions. The average age of the women was 45.6±11.4. Nearly half of the women (46.4%) did not know that scans for early detection of breast and cervical cancers were free. Only 22.2% of women knew that breast cancer could be diagnosed early by mammography. 72.7% had never received a mammogram. One third (31.6%) of women did not know it was possible to recognize cervical cancer early, and two thirds (64.5%) of women had not received a Pap smear test. It has been determined that Turkish women do not have adequate knowledge about cancer diagnosis, early cancer diagnosis, and screening.

Knowledge and attitude of married Turkish men regarding family planning

Abstract: Objectives Men play an essential role in reproduction. They should be encouraged to involve themselves in birth control, particularly in developing countries, where contraceptive goals have not been reached. This study, carried out in Mus¸, Turkey, was aimed at determining the attitudes and behaviour of married men with regard to family planning (FP). Methods The study included 317 married men aged 20-56 who worked in an institution. Questionnaires were distributed to the participants at their workplace and collected after 30- 40 minutes. Results The use of FP was approved by 78.9% of the men, but a contraceptive method was actually applied by only 65.6%. Whereas 27.6% of the high school and university graduates had five or more children, as many as 67.4% of the men with a lesser educational level had such a large offspring. Nearly 60% of the men had been given information about FP by healthcare professionals. Conclusion Education has a great impact on knowledge and attitudes about FP.

Levels of anxiety and depression related to covid-19 among physicians: An online cross-sectional study from turkey

Abstract: Aim: In this study, we aimed to determine anxiety and depression levels related to COVID-19 infection of assistant physicians who were taking medical specialty training in a medical faculty hospital. Material and Methods: We performed this cross-sectional study in a medical faculty hospital located in Turkey’s Eastern Anatolia region. The universe of the survey was composed of all assistant physicians (342 persons) who were taking medical specialty training in this hospital. We aimed to reach the entire universe without selecting a sample. Of the physicians, 264 have been accessed (responsiveness rate 77.2%). In combination with sociodemographic questions, State-Trait Anxiety Inventory Test (STAI) and the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) were used. STAI measured state anxiety value, whereas BDI depression findings. Results: Women accounted for 51.9% of the study participants and the mean age of those was 29.7 ± 3.5. Of the physicians, 81.1% thought that the COVID-19 infection influenced themselves spiritually and 84.1% of participants were afraid of getting an infection because of being a healthcare worker, while 98.5% of transmitting the infection to their relatives or environment. The anxiety and depression scores of women were determined to be significantly higher than the scores of men. We found a significant difference between anxiety and depression and regret about choosing a medical profession, thoughts of leaving the assistantship. Discussion: Anxiety and depression levels of female physicians were significantly higher than male physicians. In our study, a large proportion of physicians (84.1%) were found to be afraid of getting infected with COVID-19 and transmitting the infection to any of their relatives (98.5%). In this study, no significant relationship was established between marital status and anxiety and depression levels.

Prevalence of obesity in elementary schools in mardin, South-eastern of Turkey: a preliminary study.

Abstract: Objective: This research determines the frequency of obesity among primary school-aged children and evaluates the relationship between obesity and family and environmental factors. Material and Methods: Three thousand four hundred sixty students, aged 6-15 years in three primary schools in Mardin city center were taken into the study. Information about eating habits and family-environmental factors were obtained by questionnaire. For each student we calculated the body mass index (BMI) and the g97 percentile was defined as obese, and between 85-97th percentile as overweight. These values were calculated with the SPSS statistical program. Chi-square and t-tests were used for analysis. pl0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: 48.2% of the students were female. In the assessment of body mass index (BMI) the overweight rate for children was 15.78%, the obese rate was 10.57%. The prevalence of obesity according to gender was 9.05% for girls and 11.97% for boys (pl0.01). The mean BMI of the girls in the age group 13-15 is higher than in males of the same age. Those in the higher socio-economic group had a higher prevalence of obesity (pl0.01). Paternal obesity affected child obesity (pl0.01). Children who eat irregular meals (p=0.05), watch more than 2 hours per day TV (p=0.03), were breastfed for less than 6 months (pl0.05) and the mothers' obesity (pl0.05) were found to have a significantly higher prevalence of obesity. Conclusion: Obesity is increasing throughout the world as a health problem. Being obese in childhood and having obese parent(s) are two of the risk factors of being obese in adulthood. Persistence of obesity into adulthood is the most serious aspect of the problem. The therapeutic success rate in obesity is unfortunately not high. Therefore, a preventive strategy involving early identification of those at risk by incorporating body mass assessments to routine childhood growth assessment appears to be the most prudent strategy. Turkish Baslik: Mardin Ili Ilkogretim Ogrencileri Arasindaki Obezite Prevelansi Amac: Bu arastirmada, Mardin ilindeki ilkogretim cagi cocuklari arasinda obezite sikligi, obezite ile aile ve cevre faktorleri arasindaki iliski degerlendirildi. Materyal ve Metot: Calismada Mardin il merkezindeki, uc ilkogretim okulunda 6-15 yas grubundaki, 3460 cocugun boy ve agirlik olcumleri yapildi. Beslenme aliskanliklari ve aile-cevre faktorlerine ait bilgiler anket yolu ile elde edildi. Her ogrenci icin vucut kitle indeksi (BMI) hesaplandi. Dunya Saglik Orgutu (WHO) tarafindan cocuk ve adolesanlarda fazla kilolu olma ve obezitenin siniflandirilmasinda kullanilmasi onerilen ve 2007 yilinda yayinlanan 5-19 yas grubu cocuklar ve adolesanlar icin buyume referans degerleri baz alinarak hesaplandi. Soz konusu referans degerlerine gore vucut kitle indeksi (BMI)degeri 97. persentil uzerinde olan cocuklar obez; BMI degeri 85-97. persentil arasinda olanlarda fazla kilolu olarak tanimlandi. Veriler bilgisayarda SPSS istatistik programi ile degerlendirildi. Analizler icin ki-kare ve t-testleri kullanildi. Pl0.05 istatistiksel olarak anlamli kabul edildi. Bulgular: Ogrencilerin % 48.2'si kiz idi. Fazla agirligi (overweight) olan cocuk %15.78, obez olan cocuk orani %10.57 idi. Cinsiyete gore obezite sikligi kiz cocuklar icin %9.05 ve erkek cocuklar icin %11.97 idi. Erkeklerde obezite sikligi anlamli derecede daha yuksekti (pl0.01). 13 -15 yas grubundaki kizlarin BMI ortalamalari, ayni yas grubundaki erkeklere gore anlamli derecede yuksekti. Sosyoekonomik duzeyi yuksek olanlarda (pl0.01), duzensiz ogun yiyenlerde (p=0.05) , gunde 2 saatten fazla TV seyredenlerde (p=0.03), 6 aydan az anne sutu alanlarda (pl0,05), annesi (pl0.05) veya babasi (pl0.01) obez olanlarda obezite sikligi anlamli derecede daha yuksek bulundu. Sonuc: Obezite bir saglik sorunu olarak dunya capinda artmaktadir. Cocukluk caginda obez olmak ve obez ebeveyn/(ebeveynlere) sahip olmak, eriskinlikte obez olmanin risk faktorlerinden ikisidir. Yetiskinlikte, obezitenin kaliciligi, sorunun en ciddi yonudur. Obezitede tedavi basari orani, ne yazik ki yuksek degildir. Bu nedenle, rutin cocukluk cagi buyume degerlendirilmesi icin, vucut kitle indeksinin eklenerek, risk altinda olanlarin erken tespiti ile ilgili bir onleyici strateji en akilci yol olarak gorunmektedir.

Age at the onset of menopause and its influencing factors in Turkish women in a rural area

Abstract: This study was performed to identify menopausal age and its determining factors in women over 40 residing in the Dogubeyazit district of Agri, located in Eastern Turkey. This cross-sectional study was performed on a sample of 1,068 women, selected by simple random sampling among all district health center records of women aged 40 and greater, who were each attributed a random serial number. While 35.6% of the subjects had not yet reached menopause, 60.5% had entered it spontaneously and 3.9% surgically. Average age at spontaneous menopause was 47.4 ± 3.7 years and that of surgical menopause 45.1 ± 5.0. Age at marriage, age of last pregnancy, and the age of the subject’s mother at menopause affected menopausal status. Identifying menopausal age and its determining factors may modify the menopausal status of women and their management of the perimenopausal period.

Systematic review of sedentary behaviour and health indicators in school-aged children and youth: an update.

Abstract: Accumulating evidence suggests that, independent of physical activity levels, sedentary behaviours are associated with increased risk of cardio-metabolic disease, all-cause mortality, and a variety of physiological and psychological problems. Therefore, the purpose of this systematic review is to determine the relationship between sedentary behaviour and health indicators in school-aged children and youth aged 5-17 years. Online databases (MEDLINE, EMBASE and PsycINFO), personal libraries and government documents were searched for relevant studies examining time spent engaging in sedentary behaviours and six specific health indicators (body composition, fitness, metabolic syndrome and cardiovascular disease, self-esteem, pro-social behaviour and academic achievement). 232 studies including 983,840 participants met inclusion criteria and were included in the review. Television (TV) watching was the most common measure of sedentary behaviour and body composition was the most common outcome measure. Qualitative analysis of all studies revealed a dose-response relation between increased sedentary behaviour and unfavourable health outcomes. Watching TV for more than 2 hours per day was associated with unfavourable body composition, decreased fitness, lowered scores for self-esteem and pro-social behaviour and decreased academic achievement. Meta-analysis was completed for randomized controlled studies that aimed to reduce sedentary time and reported change in body mass index (BMI) as their primary outcome. In this regard, a metaanalysis revealed an overall significant effect of -0.81 (95% CI of -1.44 to -0.17, p = 0.01) indicating an overall decrease in mean BMI associated with the interventions. There is a large body of evidence from all study designs which suggests that decreasing any type of sedentary time is associated with lower health risk in youth aged 5-17 years. In particular, the evidence suggests that daily TV viewing in excess of 2 hours is associated with reduced physical and psychosocial health, and that lowering sedentary time leads to reductions in BMI.

Clinical characteristics and intrauterine vertical transmission potential of COVID-19 infection in nine pregnant women: a retrospective review of medical records

Abstract: Summary Background Previous studies on the pneumonia outbreak caused by the 2019 novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) were based on information from the general population. Limited data are available for pregnant women with COVID-19 pneumonia. This study aimed to evaluate the clinical characteristics of COVID-19 in pregnancy and the intrauterine vertical transmission potential of COVID-19 infection. Methods Clinical records, laboratory results, and chest CT scans were retrospectively reviewed for nine pregnant women with laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 pneumonia (ie, with maternal throat swab samples that were positive for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 [SARS-CoV-2]) who were admitted to Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan, China, from Jan 20 to Jan 31, 2020. Evidence of intrauterine vertical transmission was assessed by testing for the presence of SARS-CoV-2 in amniotic fluid, cord blood, and neonatal throat swab samples. Breastmilk samples were also collected and tested from patients after the first lactation. Findings All nine patients had a caesarean section in their third trimester. Seven patients presented with a fever. Other symptoms, including cough (in four of nine patients), myalgia (in three), sore throat (in two), and malaise (in two), were also observed. Fetal distress was monitored in two cases. Five of nine patients had lymphopenia ( Interpretation The clinical characteristics of COVID-19 pneumonia in pregnant women were similar to those reported for non-pregnant adult patients who developed COVID-19 pneumonia. Findings from this small group of cases suggest that there is currently no evidence for intrauterine infection caused by vertical transmission in women who develop COVID-19 pneumonia in late pregnancy. Funding Hubei Science and Technology Plan, Wuhan University Medical Development Plan.

The global prevalence of primary ovarian insufficiency and early menopause: a meta-analysis.

Abstract: Objective: The aim of this study was to estimate the global prevalence of primary ovarian insufficiency (POI) and early menopause (EM). Methods: A comprehensive literature search was performed in several databases to retrieve relevant English articles published between 1980 and 2017. To assess the methodological quality of the studies, the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale was used. The heterogeneity of results across the studies was assessed using Cochran's Q test and quantified by the I2 statistic. Prevalence estimates of all studies were pooled using a random-effects meta-analysis model at a confidence level of 95%. Results: A total of 8937 potentially relevant articles were identified from the initial searches. Thirty-one studies met the inclusion criteria and were included in this meta-analysis. The pooled prevalence of POI and EM was calculated as 3.7% (95% confidence interval: 3.1, 4.3) and 12.2% (95% confidence interval: 10.5, 14), respectively. The prevalence of POI was higher in medium and low Human Development Index countries. The prevalence trend did not change over time. Conclusion: The prevalence of POI and EM in women is considerable. The results of this study could contribute to consciousness-raising of health policy-makers toward the necessity of prioritizing, planning, and allocating health resources as preventive and treatment interventions for these women.

Health literacy among adults: a study from Turkey

Abstract: Patients' health literacy is increasingly recognized as a critical factor affecting health communication and outcomes. We performed this study to assess the levels of health literacy by using Rapid Estimate of Adult Literacy in Medicine (REALM) and Newest Vital Sign (NVS) instruments. Patients (n = 456) at a family medicine clinic completed in-person interviews, REALM and NVS tests which were translated into the Turkish language by translation-back translation process. Additional questions regarding demographic characteristics were also collected. The mean scores (mean + or - standard error) for REALM and NVS were 60.29 + or - 0.32 and 2.60 + or - 0.08, respectively. The REALM test scores showed that 2.7% had inadequate (less than or equal to 6th grade), 38.6% marginal (7th to 8th grade) and 58.7% (greater than or equal to 9th grade) adequate health literacy. The NVS test score revealed a proportion of 28.1% had adequate health literacy. Educational attainment was the most important demographic characteristic found to be related to the health literacy. Reading and vocabulary skills were better than numerical capabilities. Female, primary school educated and poor economic condition participants and those who were older had the lowest scores in both the tests.