Multiple causes for delay in arrival at hospital in acute stroke patients in Aydin, Turkey.

This descriptive, hospital-based study, performed in western Turkey, was designed to assess the level of pre-hospital delay and reasons for such delay in acute stroke patients, taking into consideration certain factors such as socioeconomic status, availability of transport options at onset of symptoms. Data were collected from hospital records, and a questionnaire was administered that included questions about socio-demographics, self-reported risk factors and questions related to hospital arrival. The rate of patients arriving at the hospital more than 3 hours after symptom onset was found to be 31.6% for this study. Approximately 1/3 of patients delayed going to the hospital because they were waiting for symptoms to go away while 1/3 of patients were not aware of the importance of seeking immediate medical help. There was a significant relationship between the use of ambulance transportation and length of time before arrival at the hospitals, though there was no statistically significantly relationship between the existence of stroke risk factors and hospital arrival delay. These results will likely be helpful to health care decision makers as they develop a model for stroke health care and community based training.

Home accidents in the elderly in Turkey.

Houses may accommodate environmental barriers that pose a risk for older people. This study aimed to identify the main characteristics of the dwellings of the elderly, and to assess the impact of those on home accidents. In that cross-sectional study, 3,277 people over 60 years of age living in Aydin province of Turkey were evaluated in December 2004, using a questionnaire and a home safety check list. The results indicated that 38.6% of the elderly have had any type of home accident within the last 12 months, and the most common type of accident was falls (31.9% of all accidents). Possible causes of accidents were analyzed and the houses were graded based on two different types of safety point scales (SP): SP1 for "house characteristics" and SP2 for "personal opinions." According to SP1, 22.7% of the houses were defined as in poor condition while this percentage was 20.1% according to SP2. Poor housing conditions, being female, living alone, having a chronic illness, physical and hearing disability, wearing eyeglasses, inactivity, use of assistive devices and more than four drugs were found to be associated with having a home accident. The environmental hazards and factors contributing to accidents or injuries were well-known. However, the information about home accidents in the elderly and the impact of dwelling characteristics was limited. This study was considered to be helpful to provide a new perspective on this subject. More studies are needed using the home safety check lists to collect additional quantitative data.

Determination of formaldehyde levels in 100 furniture workshops in Ankara.

One of the airborne pollutants in wood products industry is formaldehyde, which may pose some health effects. Therefore this study is conducted to determine formaldehyde levels in 100 furniture-manufacturing workshops in Ankara and also to determine the symptoms, which may be related with formaldehyde exposure among the workers. Indoor formaldehyde levels ranged from 0.02 ppm to 2.22 ppm with a mean of 0.6 +/- 0.3 ppm. Outdoor formaldehyde levels also ranged from 0.0 ppm to 0.08 ppm with a mean of 0.03 +/- 0.03 ppm. Formaldehyde levels were higher in workplaces located at basement than in workplaces located at or above ground level (p < 0.01). An association was found between indoor formaldehyde levels and the types of fuel used (p < 0.05). The levels were higher in workplaces where only sawdust was used for heating, than in workplaces where wood, coal, and sawdust are used (p = 0.02). An association was found between runny nose and indoor formaldehyde levels (p = 0.03). Formaldehyde levels were lower in workplaces where employees had no symptoms than in those where employees had 4 or more symptoms (p = 0.02). Of 229 employees 57 subjects (24.9%) work under the formaldehyde levels of 0.75 ppm and above. Thus, approximately one fourth of the employees in workplaces are working in environments with formaldehyde levels exceeding those permitted by Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). The employees working in small-scale furniture workshops are at risk of formaldehyde exposure. Measures, such as improved ventilation, have to be taken in these workplaces, in order to decrease the formaldehyde levels.