Prevalence of domestic violence during pregnancy in a Turkish community.

This study was carried out to determine the prevalence and risk factors for domestic violence victimization of women during pregnancy by intimate partner throughout marriage in a Turkish community. Pregnant women living in the servicing area of selected health centers in Elazig were considered for the study and data were obtained through a questionnaire. A total of 249 pregnant women, mean age 26.8 +/- 5.2 years and the mean gravidity 2.6 +/- 1.7, were involved. Of the 249 women, 28.9% were exposed to at least one case of physical violence throughout matrimony, 12.4% being abused during the previous year and 4.8% during the current pregnancy, 30.5% were exposed to verbal insult and 4.4% exposed to sexual abuse during the current pregnancy. In addition, 25.7% were exposed to one or more types of domestic violence during previous pregnancies. There was a significant correlation between the rate of violent victimization and number of children, and the partner's alcohol habits and socioeconomical status of the families (p < 0.05). Results from the self-report of the receiving end of violent behaviors indicate that the rates of any type of intimate partner violence were very high among pregnant women in this studied Turkish population. Efforts to reduce the incidence of this women's rights and public health problem should be given high priority.

Effectiveness of a diabetes education and intervention program on blood glucose control for patients with type 2 diabetes in a Turkish community.

This study was undertaken to determine the effects of patient education and other interventions (regular exercise and diet), combined with existing oral antidiabetic therapy, on blood glucose control in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM). Two out of 16 primary health care centers present in Elazig, an eastern Turkish city, were randomly selected for this study; the patients had type 2 DM, lived in the service area of these health centers. Of a total of 100 participants, 33 were instructed to follow the standard diet for type 2 DM patients, 28 performed exercise in addition to the standard diet, and 39 did not participate in either exercise or follow the diabetic diet; they served as the control group. The percentage of glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA(1C)) was measured before and after the 8-week program and comparisons between the groups were made. At the beginning of the program, the HbA(1C) percentage in the diet-plus-exercise group (9.9 +/- 2.6%) was higher than in the diet (7.8 +/- 2.2%) and control groups (7.5 +/- 2.1%). After the intervention program, the HbA(1C) value of the control group had not changed significantly, while the most dramatic change in this value was obtained in the diet + exercise group, which was significantly reduced to 7.9 +/- 1.5%. The results of this 8-week intervention program indicate that a diabetes education and intervention program involving the combination of exercise and diet enhanced the effectiveness oral therapy on blood glucose control in patients with type 2 DM.

Prevalence of asthma, asthma-like and allergic symptoms in the urban and rural adult population in Eastern Turkey.

There is no study assessing the prevalence rates for asthma, asthma-like symptoms, and allergic symptoms in Eastern Turkey. In this study, we investigated these rates in the urban and rural adult population of Elazig Region in Eastern Turkey. A questionnaire was prepared based on the standard inquiry form of the European Community Respiratory Health Survey. The survey included 3,591 consented adults who were randomly selected. Each questionnaire was interviewed face-to-face by a physician. It was found that the cumulative prevalence rates of asthma and asthma-like symptoms of the rural and the urban respondent groups were 29.6% and 25.8%, respectively. The periodic prevalence rates of the same symptoms were 27.3% and 19.3%, respectively. The percentages of the patients living in rural and urban areas diagnosed as asthma by a physician were 5.5% and 3.1%, respectively. The proportions of patients with a history of at least one allergic disorder were 36.4% and 23.7% in the rural and urban groups, respectively. Asthma and asthma-like symptoms in patients with allergic rhinoconjunctivitis were significantly higher than those without (p < 0.01). The cumulative rates of a previous diagnosis of asthma among respondents with a history of asthma-like symptoms were 18.4% in the rural and 11.2% in the urban groups (p < 0.05). Among those who had had periodic asthma-like symptoms, the rural and urban rates of previous asthma diagnosis were 18.6% and 14.3%, respectively (p < 0.01). Unexpectedly, the prevalence rates for asthma, asthma-like and allergic symptoms in adults living in the rural areas of Elazig Region in Eastern Turkey were significantly higher than the rates in the urban population.