The assessment of the knowledge and awareness about glaucoma in glaucoma patients and general population: a sample from Turkey

Background: The study aimed to evaluate the level of knowledge and awareness of glaucoma and their possible determinants in a group of people diagnosed with glaucoma and in a population based group without glaucoma.Methods: The study included people with an age range of 40 to 80years; 410 patients without glaucoma who admitted to primary health care service and 113 patients who admitted to hospitals with diagnosis of glaucoma. In addition to Glaucoma Knowledge Level Questionnaire (GKLQ), participants were asked about their socio-demographic characteristics, level of awareness and resources of the information about glaucoma. Multivariate logistic regression and multiple linear regression analyses were used to assess the variants which have impact on the level of the awareness about glaucoma and to evaluate the factors effective on the score of GKLQ, respectively.Results: The ratio of awareness about glaucoma was found to be 64.1% in people without glaucoma. The knowledge and awareness about glaucoma were found to be higher in glaucoma patients compared to healthy people but not at a desired level. The education level was the only factor effecting both awareness and knowledge about glaucoma.Conclusions: As awareness about glaucoma can lead to early detection, the assessment of the knowledge and awareness about glaucoma is very important in terms of disease prevention. Health education and preventive health care services should be programmed including for both glaucoma patients and healthy people based on the level of their education

Validity and Reliability of the Glaucoma Knowledge Level Questionnaire

Objectives: The present study was conducted to develop an instrument for measuring adults’ glaucoma knowledge levels and to establish the instrument’s validity and reliability. Materials and Methods: The study group consisted of 811 persons aged 40-80 years who presented to primary health care institutions and did not have a glaucoma diagnosis. A 27-item questionnaire measuring level of glaucoma knowledge was created by the study team. Following expert consultation, it was structurally evaluated. The difficulty index and discrimination index were calculated for each item. Factor analysis was used to determine construct validity, Cronbach’s alpha internal consistency coefficient and item-total correlations were calculated to determine reliability. Confirmatory factor analysis was used to assess the extent to which the factor structure of the scale fit. We analysed correlation with the National Eye Health Education Program (NEHEP) Eye-Q scale in order to evaluate the validity of the scale. Results: The final glaucoma knowledge level questionnaire comprised 10 items in one dimension. The discrimination index and difficulty index ranged between 0.28 to 0.65 and 33 to 61%, respectively. According to factor analysis, the Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin score was 0.760 and Bartlett’s test indicated p<0.001. Confirmatory factor analysis showed acceptable scale fit and fit indices. Validity assessment revealed a positive correlation between the total score of the items of the NEHEP scale and glaucoma knowledge level questionnaire score (r=0.522; p<0.001). Scores were higher in participants who were aged 40-64, living in the city, had education level of high school or above and had previous eye examination or intraocular pressure measurement. Conclusion: The glaucoma knowledge level questionnaire has the distinction of being the first valid and reliable scale for assessing level of glaucoma knowledge in Turkey

The assessment of the knowledge and awareness about glaucoma in glaucoma patients and general population: a sample from Turkey

Background: The study aimed to evaluate the level of knowledge and awareness of glaucoma and their possible determinants in a group of people diagnosed with glaucoma and in a population based group without glaucoma.Methods: The study included people with an age range of 40 to 80years; 410 patients without glaucoma who admitted to primary health care service and 113 patients who admitted to hospitals with diagnosis of glaucoma. In addition to Glaucoma Knowledge Level Questionnaire (GKLQ), participants were asked about their socio-demographic characteristics, level of awareness and resources of the information about glaucoma. Multivariate logistic regression and multiple linear regression analyses were used to assess the variants which have impact on the level of the awareness about glaucoma and to evaluate the factors effective on the score of GKLQ, respectively.Results: The ratio of awareness about glaucoma was found to be 64.1% in people without glaucoma. The knowledge and awareness about glaucoma were found to be higher in glaucoma patients compared to healthy people but not at a desired level. The education level was the only factor effecting both awareness and knowledge about glaucoma.Conclusions: As awareness about glaucoma can lead to early detection, the assessment of the knowledge and awareness about glaucoma is very important in terms of disease prevention. Health education and preventive health care services should be programmed including for both glaucoma patients and healthy people based on the level of their education

Prevalence of depressive symptoms in elderly cancer patients receiving chemotherapy and influencing factors

BackgroundDepression is one of the most prevalent causes of distress in the geriatric population. The purpose of this study was to examine the prevalence of depressive symptoms in elderly cancer patients and to determine the possible associated factors