Prevalence of Daytime Urinary Incontinence and Related Risk Factors in Primary School Children in Turkey

PURPOSE: Urinary incontinence is one of the major urinary symptoms in children and adolescents and can lead to major distress for the affected children and their parents. In accordance with the definitions of the Standardization Committee of the International Children's Continence Society, daytime urinary incontinence (DUI) is uncontrollable leakage of urine during the day. The aim of this cross-sectional study was to investigate the prevalence and associated risk factors of DUI in Turkish primary school children. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The questionnaire, which covered sociodemographic variables and the voiding habits of the children, was completed by the parents of 2,353 children who were attending primary school in Denizli, a developing city of Turkey. The children's voiding habits were evaluated by use of the Dysfunctional Voiding and Incontinence Symptoms Score, which is a validated questionnaire. Children with a history of neurological or urological diseases were excluded. RESULTS: The participation rate was 91.9% (2,164 people). The overall prevalence of DUI was 8.0%. The incidence of DUI tended to decrease with increasing age and was not significantly different between genders (boys, 8.8%; girls, 7.3%; p=0.062). Age, maternal education level, family history of daytime wetting, settlement (urban/rural), history of constipation, urinary tract infection, and urgency were independent risk factors of DUI. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings showed that DUI is a common health problem in primary school children. In an effort to increase awareness of children's voiding problems and the risk factors for urinary dysfunction in the population, educational programs and larger school-based screening should be carried out, especially in regions with low socioeconomic status.

Upper extremities and spinal musculoskeletal disorders and risk factors in students using computers

To examine the effects of computer usage on the musculoskeletal system discomforts [MSD] of Turkish university students, the possible risk factors and study implications [SI]. The study comprised a total of 871 students. Demographic information was recorded and the Student Specific Cornell Musculoskeletal Discomfort Questionnaire [SsCMDQ] was used to evaluate musculoskeletal system discomforts. The neck, lower back and upper back areas were determined to be the most affected areas and percentages for SI were 21.6%, 19.3% and 16.3% respectively. Significant differences were found to be daily computer usage time for the lower back, total usage time for the neck, being female and below the age of 21 years [p<0.05] had an increased risk. The neck, lower back and upper back areas were found to be the most affected areas due to computer usage in university students. Risk factors for MSD were seen to be daily and total computer usage time, female gender and age below 21 years and these were deemed to cause study interference

Adolescent pregnancy in West Turkey. Cross sectional surgery of married adolescents

The purpose of this research was to determine both the fertility characteristics of married adolescent women in Denizli province center and the adolescent pregnancy rate and also some factors that could occur with adolescent pregnancy. This cross-sectional study was conducted in the Denizli province center in the year 2001. According to the Turkish Demographic Health Survey 1998 statistics, the percentage of married adolescents between 15-19 years of age who have begun to give birth is 9.3-10.2%. The sample size of 3471 was determined using Epi Info software. To reach this sample size, 5 of the 25 health clinics in Denizli province center were chosen by simple random sampling method. Approximately 6.4% of the adolescents were married, 4.9% had been pregnant as an adolescent, 4.8% had delivered a baby, 23.3% of the married adolescents had never been pregnant, 23.3% were pregnant with their first child, and 51.2% were mothers; 76.7% had been pregnant one or more times. The majority of the married adolescent women in the research group [57.2%] do not use any method of family planning, followed by 15.7% who use an intrauterine device. Age, lower degree of education [less than 8 years] and unemployment were identified as risk factors for adolescent pregnancy. The results of this study suggest that although the frequency of adolescent pregnancy in the region is lower than the mean value in Turkey, it is higher compared with other countries. Age, education <8 years and unemployment are risk factors for adolescent pregnancy