Turkey Health Literacy Journal

PERCEPTIONS OF UNIVERSITY STUDENTS REGARDING THE EFFECTS OF ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES ON HEALTH

sümeyye nur budak — 2024-05-07

Purpose: In this study, the aim is to better understand university students' perceptions of the potential impacts of environmental issues on health and to examine how this may influence future environmental policies and individual behavioral patterns.

Method: The research is a descriptive type of survey study. The study included 232 university students. The data were analyzed using, SPSS 23 software. Significance level of p<0.05 was considered.

Results: 84.1% of the participants believe that there are environmental issues in their living environment. 0.9% of the participants never, 6.5% rarely, 43.1% sometimes, 29.7% often, and 19.8% always perceive that environmental problems can harm health. Individuals with chronic diseases more often perceive that environmental issues can harm health compared to those without such diseases. Those who believe in environmental pollution problems in their living environment are also more likely to perceive that these issues frequently or always affect health compared to non-believers.

Conclusion: Our study shows high environmental awareness among participants, yet reveals gaps in understanding the impact of environmental conditions on health. Recognizing the link between environmental issues and health is vital for sustainability and community well-being. Thus, promoting environmental health literacy is crucial to raise awareness and consciousness about environmental matters.

DIABETES AND HYPERTENSION: AN EXAMPLE OF COMMUNITY AWARENESS IN THE CAPITAL

Zeynep şenlik — 2024-05-07

Noncommunicable diseases affect people of all walks of life, all over the world, of all ages, with devastating health consequences for individuals and communities. Hypertension and diabetes are among the most common causes of death and disease all over the world, which are among the leading noncommunicable diseases that are rapidly increasing in incidence and especially affecting low and middle-income societies in the world. The prevalence of hypertension in adults in Turkey is reported as 31.8%.

This cross-sectional-descriptive study was conducted to determine the hypertension and diabetes risk factors of individuals who participated in community-based studies carried out to increase awareness of hypertension and diabetes in all districts of Ankara. Data of 2460 people aged 18 and over who participated in the study were examined. The research data were statistically analyzed with the IBM Statistics22.0 SPSS package program.

The mean age of the participants in the study was 47.6±14.6. While blood pressure was found to be normal in 60.8% of the blood pressure arterial measurements, instant blood glucose measurements were found in 6.7% of them.

Blood sugar and blood pressure were found to be significantly higher in obese individuals. This situation reveals once again that obesity is a significant risk for high blood sugar and high blood pressure.

As a result, blood pressure and blood glucose measurements provided at the stands can be an important step for early diagnosis and treatment and can help individuals become conscious about their own health conditions. Considering the importance and impact of community-based studies in the fight against hypertension and diabetes, it is important to conduct more comprehensive and targeted studies.

Malatya’da Yaşayan 18-55 Yaş Arası Bireylerin Sağlık Okuryazarlığı Düzeylerinin İncelenmesi

Berkay Ceylan — 2024-05-07

The purpose of this study is to determine the health literacy level of individuals aged 18-55 living in Malatya, Turkey. This descriptive and cross-sectional study was conducted in Malatya province of Turkey between December 2023 and January 2024. A total of 60 individuals aged between 18 and 55, who were able to communicate sufficiently and agreed to participate in the research, were included in the study. The Turkish Health Literacy Scale was used to collect research data. The data were collected via online survey method using the Google Forms application. In the study, it was found that 21.7% of the participants had sufficient to excellent health literacy levels. There were no significant differences in health literacy levels among age groups, gender, marital status, smoking status, and having health insurance. Additionally, the health literacy level was found to be significantly higher among those engaging in physical activity. As a result, this study has shown that the health literacy levels of individuals are quite low and it is crucial to raise them for the improvement of public health. Campaigns aimed at informing the public about how to access accurate health information, especially campaigns led by family physicians who are responsible for the population, and collaborative efforts involving input from the public to make written and verbal health information more understandable can be implemented to increase health literacy in the community.