Browsing by Author "Eser E."
Now showing 1 - 20 of 69
Results Per Page
Sort Options
Item Cardiovascular disease risk factors in post-menopausal women in West Anatolia: A rural region prevalence study(2004) Sekuri C.; Eser E.; Akpinar G.; Cakir H.; Sitti I.; Gulomur O.; Ozcan C.Cardiovascular risk factors are important causes of morbidity and mortality in post-menopausal women. The aim of this cross-sectional study was to evaluate the cardiovascular risk factors in 207 postmenopausal Turkish women over 45 years old in a rural district of West Anatolia, Manisa Muradiye district. A questionnaire on socioeconomic and sociodemographic characteristics was conducted in the women followed by the measurement of blood pressure, fasting blood glucose, cholesterol levels, and waist-hip ratio along with an electrocardiogram (ECG). The European Cardiology Society risk index was used for cardiovascular risk evaluation. The results showed that 86% percent of the women will be carrying more than a 5% probability of developing a cardiovascular risk in the next 10 years. Moreover, the results proved 7% of the women are at high risk for a cardiovascular condition. Hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, and impaired glucose tolerance, were observed in 62%, 35.3%, and 13.5% of the women, respectively. Seven percent had smoked for at least six months. Fourteen cases had complained of exercise angina and pathologic ECG signs were diagnosed in one-third of these 14 cases. The waist-hip ratio measured 0.8 or more in 66.2% of the cases, with a range of 68-147 cm (mean; 95.6 ± 11.55). The results indicate that the risk of a cardiovascular condition developing is extremely high in postmenopausal West Anatolian women and increases with age. Morever, the prevalance of hypertension increased with age and was very closely related with low socioeconomic levels. These hazardous cardiovascular disease risk factors should be considered as high priority health problems in rural and low socioeconomic areas of developing communities. Intervention to modify the cardiovascular risk factors should be included in routine primary health care programs. Copyright © 2004 by the Japanese Heart Journal.Item The effect of tirofiban on ST segment resolution in patients with non-ST elevated myocardial infarction(2004) Bayturan Ö.; Bilge A.R.; Seküri C.; Ütük O.; Tikiz H.; Eser E.; Tezcan U.K.ST segment resolution in ST elevated myocardial infarction has independent predictive value for congestive heart failure and death at 30 days. ST segment depression in unstable angina pectoris (UAP) and non-ST elevated myocardial infarction (NSTEMI) predicts high risk of MI and death and may discriminate patients likely to have greater benefit from aggressive antithrombotic and interventional therapy. This study assessed the effect of tirofiban added to conventional treatment on ST segment resolution in NSTEMI patients. Sixty-four patients were randomized to one of the two groups: 32 patients received conventional treatment while tirofiban was added in the second group of 32 patients. In the first group, 6 patients refused to participate further after giving initial informed consent while 1 patient in the tirofiban group dropped out. We had 26 patients (mean age, 59 years) in the conventional treatment group and 31 patients (mean age, 59 years) received also tirofiban. Tirofiban was administered by intravenous infusion over a 72 hour period. More than 50% regression of depression was considered to be ST segment resolution. The characteristics of the two groups were comparable (Table I). The ST segment resolution evolution did not differ at the 4th and 24th hours between the two groups. Significant differences occurred in the 72nd hour ECG (Table III). ST resolution was present in 67.9% of the tirofiban patients and in 32.1% of the conventional treatment group (P < 0.05). Tirofiban treatment was not associated with an increase in major bleeding even though there was a trend toward an increase in minor bleeding cases and did not influence the occurrence of refractory angina pectoris.Item Renin-angiotensin system gene polymorphisms and premature coronary heart disease(JRAAS Limited, 2005) Sekuri C.; Cam F.S.; Ercan E.; Tengiz I.; Sagcan A.; Eser E.; Berdeli A.; Akin M.Introduction: Experimental and clinical studies demonstrated that the renin-angiotensin system (RAS) affects the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis and prognosis of coronary heart disease (CHD). The aim of this study was to investigate the genotype distribution and the allele frequencies of three RAS genes polymorphisms and their effects on premature CHD in a Turkish population. Materials and methods: One-hundred and fifteen Turkish patients with premature CHD and 128 controls were included into the study. Angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE), angiotensin II type 1 (AT1) receptor and angiotensinogen (AGT) gene polymorphisms were analysed by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP). Results: The patients group showed an increased frequency of the ACE D allele compared with controls (65% vs. 35%, p-0.0001). There was a significant association between the DD genotype and premature CHD (ACE DD vs. ID and II; odds ratio [OR]=2.82 [CI 95% 1.33-2.91, P=0.002]). Also, we observed increased premature CHD risk associated with higher frequencies of the AGT MM genotype in patients when compared with controls (AGT MM vs. TT and MT, OR=1.92 [CI 95% 1.11-3-33, p=0.018]). We found a significant association between AT1-receptor AA genotype and decreased risk of premature CHD (AT1R AA vs. AC and CC, OR=0.57[CI 95% 0.34-0.95, p=0.03]). Conclusions: We demonstrated that increased premature CHD risk is associated with higher frequencies of the ACE DD and AGT MM genotypes. These findings indicate a synergistic contribution of ACE DD and AGT MM polymorphisms to the development of premature CHD. Also, our results suggest that family history, smoking, diabetes, hypertension, obesity and ACE DD genotype were independent risk factors for premature CHD.Item Association between the eNOS (Glu298Asp) and the RAS genes polymorphisms and premature coronary artery disease in a Turkish population(2005) Berdeli A.; Sekuri C.; Sirri Cam F.; Ercan E.; Sagcan A.; Tengiz I.; Eser E.; Akin M.The renin-angiotensin system (RAS) and endothelial nitric oxide (NO) affect the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis and prognosis of coronary artery disease (CAD). Previous epidemiologic data suggested that genetic factors are more likely to affect young rather than old people. Our objective was to investigate the association between the polymorphisms of eNOS (Glu298Asp) and the RAS genes and premature CAD in a Turkish population. A total of 115 Turkish patients with premature CAD and 83 controls were included in the study. ACE I/D, AT1R A/C, AGT T/M and eNOS Glu298Asp gene polymorphisms were analysed by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP). It was found that increased premature CAD risk is associated with higher frequencies of the ACE DD [OR: 2.600 (CI 95% 1.395-4.847, p=0.002)], AGT MM [OR=2.407 (CI 95% 1.267-4.573, p=0.007)] and eNOS 894TT [OR=17.000 (CI 95% 3.952-73.125, p<0.001)] genotypes. Carriers of ACE DD+eNOS 894TT (p=0.002), AGT MM+eNOS 894TT (p=0.001), AT1R AA+eNOS 894TT and AT1R non-AA+eNOS 894TT (p=0.002) genotypes were significantly associated with the risk of premature CAD. This study indicates a synergistic contribution of RAS genes (ACE I/D, AGT T/M, AT1R T/C) and eNOS Glu298Asp polymorphisms to the development of the premature CAD. © 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.Item In vivo study to evaluate the protective effects of amifostine on radiation-induced damage of testis tissue(2005) Andrieu M.N.; Kurtman C.; Hicsonmez A.; Ozbilgin K.; Eser E.; Erdemli E.Objective: To investigate the early protective effects of amifostine against radiation-induced damage on rat testis tissue. Methods: Eighty adult male Wistar rats were randomized to 4 groups: Saline solution was given to group A for control, 200 mg/kg amifostine (WR-2721) to group B, a single fraction of 6 Gy local irradiation to testes in group C and 200 mg/kg amifostine 15-30 min before 6 Gy testicular irradiation to group D. Animals were sacrificed 3 weeks after treatment and their testes were removed for macroscopic, microscopic and ultrastructural histopathological examination. Results: The weights, widths and lengths of testes in the lasts groups had decreased significantly when compared with the control group, but the decrease in widths after irradiation was found to be significantly less only in the amifostine plus radiation group. There was a significant reduction of testis weights in relation to the individual body weights in the irradiated testes compared with the other groups (p < 0.005), while there was no significant change of testis weight/total body weight ratio in amifostine plus irradiation group. Spermatogonium A and primary spermatocyte counts were also less in the treatment groups, and primary spermatocyte numbers were significantly higher in amifostine plus radiation group when compared with radiation alone group (p < 0.005). Pretreatment with amifostine reduced the decrease of primary spermatocyte counts by a factor of 1.28. Electron microscopic analysis did not show any cytotoxic effect of amifostine alone, and furthermore, ultrastructural findings were normal with the addition of amifostine prior to irradiation, though there was damage in the radiation exposure group. Conclusion: Amifostine when given alone by itself appears to cause adverse alterations in testis tissue; however, it has a radioprotective effect on spermiogenetic cells when used prior to radiation. Copyright © 2005 S. Karger AG.Item Contrasting children and women's health and the determinants of health in a small-sized city(2005) Eser E.; Dinç G.; Oral A.M.; Özcan C.Contrasts that exist in urban infrastructure and accessibility of public health and social services between suburban and urban districts of mega-cities have been well defined. There has been less research in small-sized cities (population under 500,000). This cross-sectional study was done on 1,728 ever-married reproductive-aged women living in Manisa, Turkey, in the year 2000. The probability proportion to size cluster sampling approach was used in the sample selection. Data were collected for women and 7,016 inhabitants of the interviewed households. The data were collected from the women by face to face interviews. Suburban areas (illegally occupied public land called "Gecekondu" dwellings) in Manisa differ from other urban regions (legal settlements of the city) on socioeconomic factors including household occupancy, adult literacy, social class, rates of religious marriages, unemployment, health insurance coverage, migration, cultural segregation, and social status of women. Some traditional practices were also highly prevalent in gecekondu families, where poverty is more common. Although gross fertility rate (GFR), total fertility rate (TFR), and percent decrease of the TFR were higher for gecekondu women than urban women, total wanted fertility rate (TWFR) was lower. In urban neighborhoods, prevalence of contraceptive use was higher, and the infant and child mortality rates were lower; however, when rates were adjusted for mother's age, education and number of births, the differences turned out to be nonsignificant. Women living in urban areas receive better antenatal care, child immunization services, and professional health delivery assistance and services in a health facility; these services are very scarce in gecekondu districts. Health status of gecekondu populations can be improved by social and economic support and by making health services more available and accessible, especially maternity and child health services. © The Author 2005. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the New York Academy of Medicine. All rights reserved.Item Population standards of prostate specific antigen values in men over 40: Community based study in Turkey(2005) Müezzinoǧlu T.; Lekili M.; Eser E.; Uyanik B.S.; Büyüksu C.Objective: To determine the prostate specific antigen (PSA) population standards of a cluster of Turkish men with no clinical evidence of prostate cancer. Patients and methods: We evaluated PSA values of the men who were living in a well-defined, rural district of Western Anatolia. Two hundred fifty-seven men agreed to participate in this population-based study. They underwent clinical examination, transrectal ultrasonography and serum PSA measurement. The association between serum PSA and age, prostate volume and age, PSA and prostate volume, and PSA density (PSAD) and age were assessed. Distributions of serum PSA levels, prostate volumes (PV), and PSAD values as a function of age were generated. Results: The upper limit of normal PSA concentration were 4.51 ng/ml for men aged 40-49 years, 4.36 ng/ml for 50-59 years, 6.17 ng/ml for 60-69 years, and 10.18 ng/ml for over 70 years. The upper limit of normal (95th percentile) for the serum PSA concentration increased with age. Across the entire age range, no correlation was found between the serum PSA concentrations and age while significant correlation was found between serum PSA concentration and prostate volume. Conclusion: In this present study, the PSA values in different age intervals showed higher than those observed in previous studies. The PSA values are mainly affected by prostate volume rather than age. © Springer 2005.Item Cross-validation of the Turkish version of the 25-item National Eye Institute Visual Functioning Questionnaire (NEI-VFQ 25)(2005) Toprak A.B.; Eser E.; Guler C.; Baser F.E.; Mayali H.Purpose: To test the validity and reliability of the Turkish version of the self-administered form of the National Eye Institute Visual Functioning Questionnaire (NEI-VFQ 25). Methods: Patients with no limitations to respond to a health status interview and affected by a chronic eye disease were enrolled. The Turkish versions of the abbreviated form of World Health Organization Quality of Life (WHOQOL-BREF) and the NEI-VFQ 25 instruments were administered to all participants. Results: The mean (SD) age of the participants was 60.9 (14.5) years. There were 61 patients with one of the following conditions: Cataract (57.4%), diabetic retinopathy (13.2%), age related macular degeneration (ARMD) (11.4%), glaucoma (9.8%) and degenerative myopia (8.2%). The Cronbach alpha of the overall scale was 0.97; the Cronbach alpha ranged from 0.94 to 0.78 for the subscales. The physical, psychological, environmental and social domains of the WHOQOL-BREF had fair to good correlations with the NEI-VFO 25 (r = 0.68 to r = 0.26), which indicated a sufficient convergent validity. Patients with lower visual acuity (VA) had lower index scores than those with higher VA (p = 0.001), which showed a sufficient responsiveness. Conclusion: Statistical analysis showed that Turkish version of the NEI-VFQ is a valid and reliable instrument to measure vision-related quality of life in patients with chronic eye diseases. Copyright © Taylor & Francis Inc.Item Cross validation of the Turkish version of dermatology life quality index(2006) Öztürkcan S.; Ermertcan A.T.; Eser E.; Turhan Şahin M.Background: The aim of this study was to test the linguistic validation of the Turkish version of the Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI) for Turkish speaking dermatology patients. Methods: The DLQI is a 10-item dermatology specific index developed originally in English. The methodology of this study consists of four consecutive sections: Translation, cognitive debriefing, field testing and statistical analysis. Translation steps: (a) Two forward independent translations into Turkish, (b) reconciliation of these translations by a dermatologist, (c) backward translation of the consensus Turkish version by a bilingual person into its original language (English), (d) and comparing the original questionnaire with the backward translated one. Cognitive debriefing: Sessions were performed on five patients from each of the seven different dermatological diagnosis groups. Field testing: The final Turkish version on which the face validity was approved by specialists on a total of 79 inpatients/outpatients with various dermatological diagnoses treated at Celal Bayar University Hospital. Statistical analysis: Internal consistency (using Cronbach a) and item-total score correlations (Pearson correlation) were used for reliability analysis. Validity analysis was carried out by construct testing (principal components factor analysis), convergent (Pearson correlation) and (discriminate Student's t-test and Mann-Whitney U-test) validity, and SF-36 was used in parallel with DLQI in order to test convergent validity. The data were analyzed by the SPSS version 10.0 (SPSS Inc., Chicago, IL, USA) statistical package. Results: The mean age of the patients in the study was 30.77 ± 15.91 years; the mean score of DLQI was 7.61 ± 6.12. The median of item-total correlation coefficient was found to be 0.66, within a range of 0.48-0.81. The internal consistency of the index was found to be highly sufficient (α = 0.85). The DLQI was found to be highly related to the physical domain of SF-36. Life quality score was found to be significantly low for the inpatients compared with outpatients (differential validity). Conclusion: It was found that the Turkish version of the DLQI was an acceptable index for dermatologists and dermatology patients and, moreover, to be valid and reliable in a cross-sectional level. The responsiveness of the Turkish version of the DLQI needs to be tested further on a variety of dermatological conditions with different severities. © 2006 The International Society of Dermatology.Item Assessment of quality of life with the WHOQOL-BREF in a group of Turkish psychiatric patients compared with diabetic and healthy subjects(2006) Akvardar Y.; Akdede B.B.; Özerdem A.; Eser E.; Topkaya Ş.; Alptekin K.Decreased quality of life is often an important cause or consequence of psychiatric illness, and needs to be included in a comprehensive treatment plan. The authors aimed to identify how psychiatric patients characterize the quality of their lives compared to others who are suffering from a chronic physical illness (diabetes) and healthy individuals. A total of 100 psychiatric patients were recruited from Dokuz Eylül University Psychiatry Department outpatient clinic. Of these, 34 had 4th edition Diagnostic and Statistical Manual diagnosis of alcohol dependence, 38 had schizophrenia, and 28 had bipolar disorder. A total of 35 patients with diabetes and 49 healthy individuals were also included in the study. The World Health Organization's Quality of Life Questionnaire was used to measure the quality of life. Patients with alcohol dependence, bipolar disorder, and schizophrenia scored lower than healthy subjects on the physical aspects of quality of life. Patients with schizophrenia had lower scores in the psychological domain compared to patients with bipolar disorder, patients with diabetes, and healthy subjects. In the social relationship domain, patients with schizophrenia and alcohol dependence scored lower compared to healthy subjects. Patients with schizophrenia were worse with respect to social relationships than bipolar patients and diabetics. World Health Organization's Quality of Life Questionnaire is useful for evaluating the needs and targets for interventions in psychiatric patients. © 2006 The Authors.Item The relationship between obesity and health related quality of life of women in a Turkish city with a high prevalence of obesity(2006) Dinç G.; Eser E.; Saatli G.; Cihan Ü.A.; Oral A.; Baydur H.; Özcan C.The purpose of this study was to demonstrate the relationship between body weight and HRQOL in a representative sample of nonpregnant women in reproductive age period. The data of this cross-sectional study was extracted from a survey: Manisa Demographic and Health Survey (MDHS) conducted in Manisa city in 2000. The study population of MDHS is a representative sample of 1602 reproductive (15-49) age women. World Health Organization Quality of Life Questionnaire abbreviated version (WHOQOL-BREF), which was composed of four domain factors (physical, psychological, social relations and the environment), was used to assess HRQOL. Each of four domains had a possible score ranged between 0 (poor HRQOL) and 20 (excellent HRQOL). The mean age of the women was 35.29 ± 8.19 years. Among them, 35.8 % had normal weight (BMI 18.5 to 24.9), 32.3 % were overweight (BMI 25.0 to 29.9) while 31.9% were moderate and 3.4% were morbidly obese. After adjusting for age, level of education and co-morbid illnesses, subjects with a BMI higher than normal value, had significantly lower HRQOL scores, compared to normal-weight individuals on each of the domains, except for the environmental domain. Our results suggested that the body weight alone could negatively affect HRQOL. In other words, obesity not only increased the risk of morbidity and mortality, but also affected the perceived health and life quality negatively. In conclusion, in addition to age, socioeconomic status and co-morbid illnesses, body weight should also be controlled in studies examining HRQOL.Item The validity and reliability of the Turkish version of Alzheimer's Disease Assessment Scale-Cognitive Subscale (ADAS-Cog) in patients with mild and moderate Alzheimer's disease and normal subjects(2006) Mavioglu H.; Gedizlioglu M.; Akyel S.; Aslaner T.; Eser E.Objectives: The cognitive subscale of the Alzheimer's Disease Assesment Scale (ADAS-Cog) is the most widely used test clinical trials dealing with Alzheimer's disease (AD). The aim of this study was to investigate the validity and reliability of the Turkish version of ADAS-Cog. Methods: Twenty-nine patients with AD, fullfilling NINCDS-ADRDA criteria of probable AD, who were in stage 3-5 according to the Global Deterioration Scale (GDS), and 27 non-demented control subjects with similar age, gender and educational status were recruited for the study. The Turkish version of ADAS-Cog, Standardized Mini Mental Status Examination (MMSE) and Short Orientation-Memory-Concentration Test (SOMCT) were applied to both of the groups. Interrater reliability, internal consistency, test-retest reliability; face validity, differential validity and convergent validity were statistically analyzed. Results: Both MMSE and ADAS-Cog have significantly differentiated patients with AD and control subjects (p < 0.001). A significant correlation was established between MMSE and ADAS-Cog scores in AD group (r: -0.739). ADAS-Cog was also highly significantly correlated with GDS (r: 0.720) and SOMCT (r: 0.738). For the group with AD, control and whole cohort coefficients of internal consistency, Cronbach's α: 0.800, 0.515, 0.873 were found respectively. Inter-rater reliability for total ADAS-Cog score was found as ICC: 0.99 and 0.98 and test-retest reliability was found as ICC: 0.91 and 0.95 for demented and nondemented subjects, respectively. Conclusion: The Turkish version of ADAS-Cog has been found to be highly reliable and valid in differentiating patients with mild and moderate AD from nondemented subjects. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.Item The evaluation of influencing factors of "quality of life" in the elderly in Muradiye District, Manisa; [Manisa Muradiye bölgesi̇ndeki̇yaşlilarin yaşam kali̇tesi̇ni̇etki̇leyen faktörleri̇n deǧerlenḋiṙilmeṡi](2007) Cengiz Özyurt B.; Eser E.; Çoban G.; Akdemir S.N.; Karaca I.; Karakoç Ö.Introduction: The aim of this study was to determine the components of quality of life and the variables which influence these components in the people 65 and ovef, living in Muradiye district, Manisa. Materials and Method: A representative sample of 200 older adults among the total population of 613 inhabitants over 65 were studied in Muradiye district, Manisa: The quality of life was evaluated by using World Health Organization Quality of Life Questionnaire (WHOQOL-OLD) that has six domain structure. Student's t test and logistic regression analysis were performed in data analysis. Results. The mean age of the respondents were 71.21±5.01, 63.5% Were Married, 43.7% were illiterate, 70.0% reported any chronic illness, 84.0% were living under support of family and 16.6% have no health insurance. The mean values of the domain scores of the WHOQOL-OLD were as follows: Sensory-Abilities 11.15±2.32; Autonomy 12.72±2.51; Past-Present-and-Future-Activities 12.39±2.33; Social-Pardcipation 11.52±2.59; Death-and-Dying 10.84±3.33 and Ifitimacy 14.37±2.00. The mean values for the total module score were 3.04±0.32. Conclusion: Multivariate analysis showed that the most effective variables on quality of life of elderly were education level and need of support during daily activities.Item Fertility preferences, contraceptive behaviors and unmet needs: A gap between urban and suburban parts of a city(2007) Dinç G.; Eser E.; Cihan U.A.; Ay S.; Pala T.; Ergör G.; Özcan C.Objectives: To explore the differences in unwanted fertility in different parts of a city. Methods: Data were obtained from the 1999 Manisa Demographic and Health Survey (MDHS) in Turkey. We collected information from a representative sample of 1728 ever-married women aged 15-49 years on fertility, fertility preferences, unmet need for family planning, contraceptive discontinuation, and abortion. Data were analyzed using SPSS 10.0 for Windows®. Results: Of the persons studied, 1238 (71.6%) were living in urban settlements and 490 (28.4%) in suburban (gecekondu) settlements. The total fertility rate is higher among gecekondu women (2.42) than among urban women (2.14) although gecekondu women have a lower wanted fertility rate (1.54) than urban women (1.77). Married women in the urban area were currently using a contraceptive method more frequently (75.6%) than those living in the gecekondu area (61.7%) (OR 2.5; 95% CI 1.9-3.2; p < 0.001). The unmet need percentage in gecekondu women (17.7%) is higher than in urban women (8.3%; p < 0.001). The induced abortion rate is higher in urban women (14.8 per 1000 pregnancies) than in gecekondu women (7.1 per 1000 pregnancies; OR 2.1; 95% CI 1.4-3.1; p < 0.001). Conclusions: There are inequalities in the achievement of fertility preferences and in accessibility to family planning services between urban and suburban parts of the city. © 2007 European Society of Contraception.Item An evaluation of quality of life of mothers of children with enuresis nocturna(2008) Egemen A.; Akil I.; Canda E.; Ozyurt B.C.; Eser E.The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of enuresis nocturna on quality of life of the mothers. Mothers who have a child with monosymptomatic nocturnal enuresis (n=28) and mothers who have a child without any health problems (n=38) were enrolled in the study. Groups were in balance for background variables (child's age, gender, and number of siblings; mother's age, marital status, highest year of education completed, and occupation; presence of health insurance; and type of residence). Short-Form Health Survey (SF-36) Questionnaire, the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), and Spielberg's State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) were applied to all mothers. The mothers of children with enuresis had significantly lower quality-of-life scores in the SF-36 for the bodily pain (p=0.015) and role emotional (p=0.014) subscales. We observed significant difference between groups according to BDI; mean score was higher in mothers who have a child with enuresis nocturna (p=0.017). There was no significant difference between groups according to the STAI. Significant differences according to bodily pain and role emotional subscales of SF-36, and the BDI scores, show that the mothers were negatively affected by having a child with monosymptomatic nocturnal enuresis. © IPNA 2007.Item Quality of life of workers aged 14-16 years in the Manisa apprentice training center(2008) Dündar P.E.; Baydur H.; Eser E.; Bilge B.; Nesanir N.; Pala T.; Ergör A.; Oral A.Objective: The literature related to child labor, discusses the causes and socioeconomic factors contributing to child labor but very few studies examine the quality of life among child workers. The purpose of this cross-sectional study was to investigate the quality of life (QoL), socioeconomic and labor related factors in young people aged 14-16 in the city of Manisa . Methods: The study population consisted of 266 students who were attending the Apprentice Training Center in Manisa. The QoL of the subjects was measured by the adolescent version of KINDL-R (Kiddo-Kindl). Odds ratios (95% Confidence Interval) were used in the assessment. Logistic regression analysis was performed in multivariate analysis. Results: Of the 253 adolescent workers, 77.9% were male, with a mean age of 15.6(0.5). According to logistic regression analysis; being female (OR=2.9), lack of family health insurance (OR=2.3), being exposed to family violence (OR=3.7) and absenteeism (OR=2.4) were associated with total Qol. Lack of family health insurance, insufficiency in family income, using alcohol, being exposed to family violence, job dissatisfaction and father illiteracy were associated with poorer QoL of six domains of KINDL-R. Conclusion: The findings of this study concludes that, socioeconomic, family and job related variables are factors associated with QoL in adolescent workers.Item Validity and reliability of the Turkish translation of the Pediatric Asthma Quality of Life Questionnaire(2009) Yüksel H.; Yilmaz O.; Kirmaz C.; Eser E.The aim of this study was to adapt the Pediatric Asthma Quality of Life Questionnaire (PAQLQ) into Turkish and to demonstrate its psychometric performance. After Turkish adaptation of the PAQLQ, this study was conducted on 122 children with asthma aged between 7 and 16 years. A sociodemographic form and PAQLQ and KINDL (a generic health-related quality of life instrument developed for children) questionnaires were applied. Reliability analysis consisted of internal consistency and item-total score correlations, while validity was tested by construct validity. Cronbach α scores for Activity (0.80), Symptoms (0.90), and Emotional (0.86) domains were satisfactory. Item versus subscale and total score correlations were significant. Correlations of total PAQLQ score with KINDL total and Physical and Psychological Well-Being domains were significant (r=0.33, 0.45 and 0.31 respectively, p<0.05 for all). Exploratory factor analysis revealed that 78.3% of the items were replaced in their original domain. This Turkish version of PAQLQ is a valid and reliable disease-specific health-related quality of life questionnaire.Item Validation and reliability study of the Turkish version of the Pediatric Rhinitis Quality of Life Questionnaire(2009) Yüksel H.; Yilmaz Ö.; Söǧüt A.; Eser E.The aim of this study was to develop a Turkish version of the Turkish Pediatric Rhinitis Quality of Life Questionnaire (PRQLQ) that is conceptually equivalent to the original and to evaluate its validity and reliability. The study included 102 children with allergic rhinitis (AR) aged 5 to 16 years. Demographic information, family history of allergy, and duration of AR were recorded. All patients completed the T4SS symptom score and PRQLQ. Reliability including internal consistency and item-total score correlations and validity analysis including Known Group method were performed. Activity limitations, emotional function and symptoms domains had successful Cronbach alpha scores of 0.62, 0.69 and 0.78, respectively. All items were significantly correlated with their own domain. Correlations of all the domain scores with the total score and the other domains were significant. Linear multiple regression reduced models revealed that both domain and total scores showed statistically significant sensitivity to T4SS. The Turkish PRQLQ is a valid and reliable measure for use in Turkish children with AR.Item The reliability and validity of the turkish version of the world health organizat on quality of life instrument-older adults module (WHOQOL-Old)(Turkish Association of Nervous and Mental Health, 2010) Eser S.; Saatli G.; Eser E.; Baydur H.; Fidaner C.Purpose: To determine the psychometric properties of the Turkish version of the World Health Organization Quality of Life Instrument-Older Adults Module (WHOQOL-Old). Methods: The Turkish version of the WHOQOL-OLD was administered to 527 older (> 65 years) adults living in urban, suburban, and rural areas of Manisa Province, Turkey. The WHOQOL-OLD module consists of 24 items assigned to 6 facets (sen sory abilities, autonomy, past, present and future activities, so cial participation, death and dying, and intimacy) and is a supplementary module of WHOQOL-BREF. The WHOQOL-BREF and GDS-30 were also administered to the participants. A confirmatory approach was used during reliability and validity analysis. SPSS v.10.0 and LISREL v.8.54 were used for analysis. Results: Mean age of the participants was 71.06 ± 5.20 years and the overall WHOQOL-OLD score was 56.02 ± 11.86. In all, 54.5% of the participants were female and 60.5% reported to be in poor health. Both ceiling and floor effects of the WHOQOL-OLD were satisfactory (< 0.05%). Alpha values for the facets and overall scale (range: 0.68-0.88) (> 0.70), and item total correlations and overall scale success were satisfactory. As a measure of the construct validity of the scale, confirmatory factor analysis showed very high CFI values (range: 0.936-0.999) for each of the domains. Convergence of WHOQOL-OLD facet scores on WHOQOL-BREF domains and WHOQOL-OLD were very fine in general. Conclusions: The psychometric properties of the Turkish version of the WHOQOL-OLD were acceptable, indicating that the scale is reliable and valid for use with older Turkish adults (> 65 years).Item Self and proxy rating of quality of life in adults with intellectual disabilities: Results from the DISQOL study(2010) Schmidt S.; Power M.; Green A.; Lucas-Carrasco R.; Eser E.; Dragomirecka E.; Fleck M.The aim of this study was to analyze the agreement between self and proxy reports of quality of life (QoL) in people with intellectual disabilities and to examine the factors which contribute to these differences. The study was conducted across six international centres in a sample of 614 adults with intellectual disabilities as well as two different samples of proxies (N=874) including both professional carers and relatives. QoL was assessed with the disability version of the WHOQOL-BREF.In both proxy samples results show a significant moderate association between the persons' QoL-assessment and the assessment of their proxies in all of the five QoL domains. There were significant mean differences in most items which varied in their direction. In general, people with disabilities rated their QoL higher than their proxies except for two items from the physical domain. The factors which most significantly contributed to these differences were proxy knowledge of the person as well as the WHODAS-disability score. Cross-cultural differences in the magnitude of concordance were observed.As a conclusion, the study shows a good agreement between the person-proxy QoL-assessments, and that the factors associated with disagreement are limited in this study. Future studies should elaborate the stability of concordance over time. © 2010 Elsevier Ltd.