The mediating role of loneliness in the effect of physical activity barriers on quality of life.

BACKGROUND: This study aims to examine the mediating role of loneliness in the effect of physical activity barriers on quality of life. METHODS: The sample of the study consisted of 374 people over the age of 65 who applied to a hospital. The data collection tools used in the study are 'Personal Information Form', 'Physical Activity Barriers Questionnaire' 'World Health Organization Quality of Life Instrument-Older Adults Module' and 'Loneliness Scale for the Elderly'. The mediating effect analysis was conducted through the 'Process Macro' developed by Hayes. RESULTS: According to the obtained results, loneliness mediates the relationship between physical activity barriers and quality of life. Individuals with high levels of loneliness and physical activity barriers have lower levels of quality of life. When the results of the regression analysis indicating the mediating effect were analyzed, it was determined that the effect of physical activity barriers on quality of life were negative and significant. As the level of physical activity barriers increases, the level of quality of life decreases. CONCLUSION: In conclusion, it was determined that loneliness plays a mediating role in the relationship between physical activity barriers and the level of quality of life. The study results suggest that adopting a physically active lifestyle is important to reduce adverse health outcomes in the elderly.

Investigation of factors associated with pressure ulcer in patients receiving home care services via path analysis.

BACKGROUND: Recent trends indicate a rise in the number of elderly and bedridden patients enrolled in home care programs, leading to an increased occurrence of complications such as pressure ulcers within the home health care setting. OBJECTIVE: The primary objective of this research was to ascertain the prevalence of pressure ulcers and identify the associated factors in adults who were recipients of home health care services. METHOD: This study, adopting a cross-sectional design, encompassed a sample of 566 patients who sought services from the Home Health Care Unit in a specific province in Turkey. The timeframe for data collection spanned from August to November 2022, during which two primary instruments were employed: the "Demographic Characteristics Form" and two specific scales - the "Braden Pressure Ulcer Risk Assessment Scale" and the "ITAKI Falls Risk Scale." FINDINGS: In this study, the average age of patients receiving home health care services was identified as 75.9 years, with a standard deviation of 15.1 years. Furthermore, 73.7 % of these patients were classified as being at risk for developing pressure ulcers. The study identified a direct correlation between the risk of BRADEN pressure ulcers and the escalation in scores across several parameters. These parameters included "Addiction Status," delineated as a spectrum from addicted to non-addicted, the "Number of Medical Diagnoses," quantified on a scale, the "State of Consciousness," categorized from clear to confused, and the scores derived from the "ITAKI" scale. CONCLUSION: The findings of this study highlight the significance of pressure ulcers as a critical health issue among patients receiving home care services. It underscores the necessity for home care nurses to be acutely aware of the risk factors associated with pressure ulcers among high-risk patients.

Experiences and Practices of Nurses Providing Palliative and End-of-Life Care to Oncology Patients: A Phenomenological Study.

AIM: The objective of this study was to describe the experiences and practices of nurses who provide palliative and end-of-life care to oncology patients, to determine the difficulties they encounter in this regard, and to determine how they cope with it. METHOD: Data were collected between December 10 and 27, 2022, at a hospital's palliative care clinic. The descriptive phenomenological approach, which is a qualitative research method, was used in this study. The sample of the study consisted of 12 nurses who provided palliative and end-of-life care to oncology patients in a city hospital. The research data were collected with the nurse descriptive form and a semi-structured interview form. Descriptive statistics and the thematic content analysis method were used in the analysis of the data. RESULTS: The themes that emerged as a result of the interviews with nurses who provided palliative and end-of-life care to oncology patients in palliative units were "various learning experiences," "responsibilities in caregiving," "nursing care practices," "personal motivation sources for nurses," "difficulties," and "experience in coping with difficulties." CONCLUSION: In this study, it was determined that nurses who provide palliative and end-of-life care to oncology patients are exposed to some difficulties as a result of their professional experience, that, in addition, they had various learning experiences, and that their coping skills were team cohesion and training. In line with the results of the study, it is recommended to structure palliative in-service training after graduation, to arrange for palliative care centers, and to consider the problems experienced in determining the needs.

Childhood vaccine hesitancy in two regions with different socioeconomic backgrounds in Turkey.

Aim: This study investigated childhood vaccine hesitancy in two regions with different socioeconomic backgrounds in Kayseri, Turkey. Subject and methods: The study population consisted of all people over 18 years of age admitted to two family health centers (No 65 and 103) in a city center for any reason. Results: Participants living in the high socioeconomic status (SES) region had a significantly lower mean rating on the CVHQ (Childhood Vaccine Hesitancy Questionnaire - see below) than those living in the low SES region. Conclusion: Vaccine hesitancy is the main reason for vaccine refusal. Therefore, authorities should provide adequate and accurate information about the significance of vaccines to raise public awareness.

Information, attitudes and behavior of Turkish people concerning COVID-19.

INTRODUCTION: This study aims to evaluate the knowledge, attitudes and behavior of people towards COVID-19 and to evaluate compliance with practices such as social isolation, curfews, mask use and hand hygiene. METHODOLOGY: A month after the COVID-19 infection was observed in Turkey, a standard questionnaire link was sent to participants via the online questionnaire platform to determine the knowledge, attitude, and behavior of the public. The survey results of 503 people were evaluated. RESULTS: During the COVID-19 pandemic 81.2% of the participants stayed at home, 79.1% of the participants wore a mask, 74% of the participants expressed to be following social distancing rules, 54.1% confirmed the use of hand sanitizers and 43.9% confirmed the use of gloves (43.9%), which are considered to be personal protective measures. The knowledge of terms such as 'quarantine' and 'isolation' was 94% and 97.4% respectively and 37.2% of the participants were of the opinion that the COVID-19 virus was produced in a laboratory environment. Within the research group, a rate of 65.6% of the participants found their own knowledge of COVID-19 to be sufficient. The participants found the announcements of official institutions more reliable than the announcements on television programs, the internet and social media. CONCLUSIONS: The public information on COVID-19 was found to be sufficient. In order to prevent the spreading of the pandemic, participants were partially compliant to rules such as staying at home, using masks, maintaining hand hygiene and social isolation. Compared to men, women's use of protective equipment was higher.