Anxiety During the COVID-19 Pandemic in Turkey: Relationship to Protective Behaviors and Complementary and Alternative Medicine Approaches.

Context: Today, almost all countries have implemented programs to fight COVID-19, which has spread rapidly to every location around the world. In addition, the negative effects of COVID-19 on psychological health have also captured attention. Objective: The study aimed to determine the anxiety levels of individuals who used primary healthcare services during the COVID-19 pandemic and to analyze the relationship of anxiety levels to participants' demographic characteristics, protective behaviors, and complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) approaches. Design: The research team conducted a cross-sectional and correlational survey. Setting: This study took place in the Family Health Center in a province in western Turkey. Participants: Participants were 483 individuals who visited a Family Health Center in a province in western Turkey between October 1, 2020 and February 28, 2021, for reasons such as health services and vaccinations and who hadn't had a COVID-19 infection before visiting the center. Outcome Measures: The study research team collected data using an individual identification form that addressed participants' sociodemographic characteristics and their personal data about COVID-19 infections, protective behaviors, and CAM approaches during the pandemic. Participants also completed the Coronavirus Anxiety Scale (CAS). Results: Of the 12.2% of participants who had high-level anxiety, females had 2.4 times that of males and individuals with chronic diseases had a 2.3 times higher level of anxiety than people who didn't. Being female and having a chronic disease were significantly associated with COVID-19 anxiety (P < .05). Conclusions: Because the pandemic likely will continue in upcoming days, healthcare practitioners should develop protective and supportive psychosocial services for individuals facing COVID-19, providing them with information about evidence-based methods.

The Effect of a Training Program on Oral Health and Behavior Change in Asthma Patients.

BACKGROUND: Asthma is a chronic disease which is prevalent throughout the world. Physical problems such as deterioration in oral health, which may occur due to the triggering factors of asthma as well as the ineffective use of asthma medicine, seem to affect the daily lives of asthma patients. Therefore, it is important to protect oral health and promote positive behavior changes in asthma patients in order to achieve effective treatment and asthma control. AIMS: The present study aimed to determine the effects of a training program provided for asthma patients on oral health, inhaler use skills, and behavior change. STUDY DESIGN: Controlled experimental study. METHODS: A total of 124 asthma patients were included in the study. Of the patients, 62 were assigned to the experimental group and the other 62 were assigned to the control group. Data were collected using the patient identification form, the oral assessment guide, the inhaler use skill form, and the evaluation form for behavior change over time. The experimental group received training provided by the researchers on the first meeting and one month later. Written and visual training material were used. Both groups were subject to a final evaluation which was conducted 4 months after their first meeting. RESULTS: It was determined that the oral assessment guide scores (p<0.01) and inhaler use skills of the experimental group improved significantly after the training compared to the control group (p<0.01). In addition, it was observed that the number of patients in the experimental group who quit smoking (p<0.05), used their medicine (p<0.01) and brushed their teeth on a regular basis (p<0.01), and washed their mouth after inhaler use significantly increased in the experimental group after training compared to the control group (p<0.01). CONCLUSION: The study demonstrated that the training provided for asthma patients improved oral health and promoted inhaler use skills and was partially effective in promoting positive asthma-related behavior change.