Arteriovenous fistula self-care behaviors in patients receiving hemodialysis treatment: Association with health literacy and self-care agency.

BACKGROUND: Arteriovenous fistula-related self-care behaviors, self-care agency and health literacy are important for vascular access patency, which is vital in the continuation of hemodialysis treatment. The purpose of this study was to determine the arteriovenous fistula-related self-care behaviors of patients receiving chronic hemodialysis treatment and the relationship between these behaviors and their health literacy and self-care agency levels. METHODS: In this descriptive correlational study, the data were collected from 216 chronic hemodialysis patients. RESULTS: The rate of the patients who had good self-care behaviors levels was 83.96%. The sociodemographic variables that were significantly related to AVF-related self-care behaviors were education, employment status and age. It was found that the patients who had had AVF for a longer time had better self-care behaviors regarding their management of symptoms and findings (p < 0.05). As the self-care agency of the patients (r = 0.612, p < 0.001) and their health literacy (r = 0.421, p < 0.001) increased, their AVF-related self-care behaviors also increased. CONCLUSION: Age, education status, health literacy and self-care agency were identified to affect AVF-related self-care behaviors.

Evaluation of Childhood Obesity, Prevalence, and Related Factors in Istanbul.

AIM: Childhood obesity has become a global public health crisis. This study aims to determine the prevalence of obesity and related factors in primary school students in Istanbul. METHODS: This research was conducted between May 2015 and January 2018. A school was selected from each of the districts of Istanbul and research was conducted in 39 primary schools. The study was conducted with a total of 5620 students aged 8-12. The students' descriptive characteristics, eating habits, and activity levels were questioned using the Student Information Form. Subsequently, anthropometric measurements (height-weight) were performed for body mass index assessment. RESULTS: The prevalence of childhood obesity was found to be 15.7%. This rate was 14.1% for female students and 17.3% for male students. Body mass index of students was related to durations of time spent on watching TV (r = .064, p < .05) and computer (r = .037, p < .05). In addition, the body mass index was differentiated by gender (p = .004); male students had a higher body mass index compared to female students, and body mass index was higher in those who skipped main meals (p = .001) and those who did not eat regular breakfast (p = .001). CONCLUSION: The prevalence of obesity in children was found to be quite high. It may easily be stated that obesity prevalence is rapidly increasing in Turkey; therefore, it should be done through regular screening programs, and preventive interventions should be planned.

Burnout levels and care behaviours in intensive care nurses: A cross-sectional, multicentre study.

OBJECTIVE: To examine the relation between burnout levels and caring behaviours in intensive care nurses in Turkey, and the affecting factors. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY/DESIGN: The research was conducted as a descriptive, cross-sectional and multi-centred study. SETTING: In this study, an online questionnaire was applied in April and May 2021, using Google Form. A total of 460 intensive vare nurses responded to the questionnaire. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Burnout was assessed with the Maslach Burnout Inventory, and care behaviours with the Caring Behaviours Inventory-24. RESULTS: The nurses reported a high level of emotional exhaustion (73.9%) and depersonalization (52.2%), and a medium level of personal accomplishment (40%). The nurses' levels of perception of care quality were high (5.4 ± 0.6). It was found that their highest score on the subdimensions was on knowledge and skills (5.6 ± 0.5), and the lowest was on connectedness (5.2 ± 0.7). There was a very weak, respectively weak correlation, between nurses' emotional exhaustion (r = -0.1), respectively depersonalization (r = -0.2), and poor care behaviours. There was a strong correlation between low personal accomplishment scores and poor care behaviours (r = 0.8). It was found that the mean scores of the nurses' exhaustion and care behaviours varied according to many descriptive characteristics, such as education, age, professional experience, the unit where they worked, communication difficulties, living conditions and whether they had chosen nursing willingly. CONCLUSIONS: It appears that the level of personal accomplishment, is the only subscale reflecting risk of burnout, that strongly correlates with care behaviour.