Developing an attitude scale towards physics laboratory: A study on validity and reliability

Bu çalışmanın amacı, fen bilgisi öğretmenliği bölümünde öğrenim gören 1. sınıf öğre tmen adaylarının fizik laboratuarına yönelik tutumlarını değerlendirmek için geliştirilen tutum ölçeğinin geçerlik ve güvenirlik sonuçlarının ortaya konulmasıdır. Çalışmanın ilk aşamasında, Fizik Laboratuarı I dersine katılmış olan öğretmen adaylarının fizik laboratu arı hakkındaki görüşleri alınmıştır. Öğretmen adaylarının bu görüşleri doğrultusunda ölçeğin ilk tutum maddeleri oluşturulmuş tur. Araştırmanın çalışma grubunu, Kırıkkale Üniversitesi Eğitim Fakültesi İlköğretim Bölümünde okuyan toplam 118 öğretmen adayı oluşturmaktadır. Güvenirlik ve geçerlik çalışması sonucunda 21 i olumlu, 6 sı olumsuz olmak üzere toplam 27 tutum maddesi oluşturulmuştur. Elde edilen 27 maddelik tutum ölçeğine Fizik Laboratuarına Yönelik Tutum Ölçeği (FLYTÖ) adı verilmiştir. FLYTÖ ölçeğinin yapılan faktör analizi sonucunda toplam 6 faktörden oluştuğu görülmüştür. Bu 6 faktör, Derste Uygulanan Yöntem ve Teknikler, Derse Karşı Öğretmenin Tutumu, Laboratuardaki Teknik İmkanlar, Dersi Günlük Hayatla İlişkilendirme, Derse Karşı Öğrencinin Kişisel Tutumları, Alan Bilgisi boyutlarında olmuştur. Oluşturulan tutum ölçeğinin tamamının açıkladığı varyans % 59,143 olup Cronbach - Alfa iç tutarlık katsayısı ise ? 0,90 olarak bulunmuştur. Elde edilen sonuçlara göre, ölçeğin geçerli ve güvenirli bir ölçek olduğu söylenebilir. 5li likert türünde olan ölçek ile fen bilgisi öğretmen adaylarının fizik laboratu arına yönelik tutumlarının belirlenebileceği ifade edilebilir.The aim of the study is to reveal the results of a validity and reliability study for the attitude scale which is developed to assess the attitudes of first -year undergraduates in Teacher Training in Sciences department towards physic s laboratories. At the first step of the study, students who attended Physics Laboratory -I course were asked for their views about physics laboratories. The first items of the scale on attitude were created in parallel to the teacher candidates views. The experimental group of the study consists of 118 primary school teacher candidate students at Faculty of Education in Kırıkkale University. As a result of the study on validity and reliability 27 attitude scale items were created 21 of which were positive and 6 of which were negative. This resulting attitude scale with 27 items was called "Attitude Scale Towards Physics Laboratories" (ASCTPL). Having made the factor analysis it was seen that the ASCTPL had 6 factors at total. The dimensions of these 6 facto rs were "Methods and Techniques Applied during the Course", "Teacher's Attitude towards the Course", "Technical Opportunities in the Laboratories", "Associating the Course with Daily Life", "Students' Personal Attitudes towards the Course" and "Field Knowledge". The variant that the whole of the scale expressed was 59,143%, and Cornbach -Alpha coefficient of internal consistency was estimated α 0,90. Considering the results, it can be concluded that the scale is both valid and reliable. Also, this five point Likert-type scale can be used to determine the attitudes of students at Teacher Training in Sciences department towards the physics laboratories

An investigaton of the effect of the 7e learning model centered laboratory applications on students? learning outcomes in science and technology teaching

YÖK Tez ID: 455964Bu çalışmada yapılandırmacı yaklaşımının bir öğretim modeli olan 7E öğrenme model merkezli laboratuvar uygulamalarının öğrencilerin bilimsel süreç becerilerinin gelişimine, akademik başarısına ve tutum düzeylerine olan etkisinin tespit edilmesi amaçlanmıştır. Araştırmada yarı deneysel ve betimsel araştırma yöntemi kullanılmıştır. Çalışmanın ilk bölümünü yarı deneysel araştırma yöntemi oluşturmaktadır. Yarı deneysel araştırmanın örneklemini Kırıkkale Üniversitesinde öğrenim gören fen bilgisi öğretmenliği 1. sınıf ?122? öğrenci oluşturmaktadır. Çalışmada deney ve kontrol grubu olmak üzere random yöntemi ile iki grup belirlenmiştir. Normal öğretimdeki öğrenciler deney grubunu, II. öğretimdeki öğrenciler ise kontrol grubunu oluşturmaktadır. Deney grubuna 7E öğrenme model merkezli laboratuvar yaklaşımına dayalı uygulamalar yapılırken, kontrol grubuna ise Doğrulama/Tümdengelim laboratuvar yaklaşımına dayalı uygulamalar yapılmıştır. Çalışmanın başlangıcında her iki gruba da ön test olarak Bilimsel Süreç Beceri Testi (BSBT), Fizik Başarı Testi (FBT) ve Fizik Laboratuvarına Yönelik Tutum Ölçeği (FLYTÖ) uygulanmıştır. Çalışmanın sonunda ise son test olarak yine aynı testler uygulanmıştır.Çalışmada kullanılan testlere ilişkin geçerlilik ve güvenirlik analizleri yapılmıştır. Bilimsel Süreç Becerileri Testinin madde analiz sonuçlarına göre maddelerin ayırt etme gücü (D) 0.08 ve üzeri, madde güçlük dereceleri ise (P) 0.1-0.93 arasındadır. Testin ortalama güçlüğü (Port ), 0,52 bulunmuş olup, test puanları arasındaki içtutarlılığı güvenirlik katsayısı (Kuder Richardson-20) 0,60 olarak belirlenmiştir.Fizik Başarı Testi maddelerinin ayırt etme gücü (D) 0.12 ve üzeri, madde güçlük dereceleri ise (P) 0.06-0.88 arasındadır. Testin ortalama güçlüğü (Port ), 0.40 bulunmuş olup, test puanları arasındaki içtutarlılığı güvenirlik katsayısı (Kuder Richardson-20) güvenirlik katsayısı 0.80 olarak belirlenmiştir.Fizik Laboratuvarına Yönelik Tutum Ölçeğin (FLYTÖ)'de 5'li likert tipi ölçekleme kullanılmıştır. FLYTÖ'nün Kaiser-Mayer-Olkin (KMO) değeri 0.820, Barlett değeri ise 1247.642 olarak bulunmuştur. Sonuçlar incelendiğinde maddeler arasında korelasyonun olduğu ayrıca faktör analizinin yapılabilirliği saptanmıştır. FLYTÖ'de yer alan maddelerin %27'lik üst ve alt gruplar arasında görüş bakımından farklı olanları ayırt etme durumlarını incelemek için t-testi yapılmış, her bir madde için t değerinin anlamlı olduğu saptanmıştır. Buna göre maddelerin düşük puana sahip öğrencilerle, yüksek puana sahip öğrencileri ayırt etmede etkililiğe sahip olduğu sonucuna ulaşılmaktadır. Madde analiz sonuçları incelendiğinde tüm maddeler için madde-toplam korelasyonları 0.11 - 0.61 arasında değişmektedir ve ayrıca t değerlerinin anlamlı olduğu saptanmıştır. Ölçeğin öğrencilerin fizik laboratuvarına karşı olan tutum düzeylerini ayırt etme özelliğine sahip olduğu saptanmıştır. FLYTÖ'nün maddeleri için açıklanan toplam varyans değeri % 59,143'tür. Buna göre, analizde önemli faktör olarak ortaya çıkan altı faktörün birlikte, maddelerdeki toplam varyansın ve ölçeğe ilişkin varyansın çoğunluğunu açıkladıkları görülmektedir. FLYTÖ'nün maddelerinin ortak faktör varyans değerleri incelendiğinde maddelerle ilgili olarak tanımlanan altı faktörün ortak varyanslarının, 0.421 ile 0.712 arasında değiştiği belirlenmiştir. Geçerlilik çalışması olan madde ve faktör analizinden sonra güvenirliğine ilişkin çalışmada Cronbach- Alfa iç tutarlık katsayısı ise ? = 0, 90 olarak bulunmuştur.Elde edilen verilerin analizi için SPSS 18 paket programı kullanılmıştır. Yapılan istatistiksel analizlerde; bağımlı gruplar için t-testi, bağımsız gruplar için t-testi ve ANOVA teknikleri kullanılmıştır. Analizlere göre fen ve teknoloji öğretiminde 7E öğretim model merkezli Fizik Laboratuvarı I uygulamalarının Doğrulama/Tümdengelim laboratuvar yaklaşımına dayalı uygulamalara göre öğrencilerin bilimsel süreç becerilerine, akademik başarılarına ve tutum düzeylerine anlamlı katkıda bulunduğu saptanmıştır.Tezin diğer aşaması olan betimsel araştırma kısmının örneklemi ise Türkiye'nin yedi bölgesinden rastgele seçilen üniversitelerde 2010-2011 eğitim-öğretim yılında öğrenim gören Fen Bilgisi Öğretmenliği bölümü fizik I laboratuvar dersini alan ?556? 1. Sınıf öğrencileri oluşturmaktadır. Çalışmada öğrencilere Burns, Okey & Wise (1985) tarafından geliştirilen Bilimsel Süreç Beceri Testi'nin Türkçe'ye çevirisi, Geban, Aşkar ve Özkan (1992) tarafından yapılmış olan test uygulanmıştır. Öğrencilerden sahip olmaları beklenen beceriler; değişkenleri tanımlayabilme, işlemsel açıklamalar getirebilme, grafik çizme ve verileri yorumlayabilme, hipotez kurma ve tanımlama ile araştırmayı tasarlama olarak belirlenmiştir.Elde edilen verilerin analiz sonucuna göre, öğrencilerin değişkenleri tanımlayabilme düzeylerinin uygulanan üniversiteler bakımından anlamlı bir fark olmadığı saptanmıştır. Öğrencilerin işlemsel açıklamalar getirebilme düzeyleri bakımından sadece Ahi Evran ile Kocaeli Üniversitesi ve Ahi Evran ile Karadeniz Teknik Üniversitesi arasında anlamlı bir fark olduğu saptanmıştır. Öğrencilerin grafik çizme ve verileri yorumlayabilme düzeyleri bakımından sadece Kocaeli ile Karadeniz Teknik Üniversitesi, Kocaeli ile Adıyaman Üniversitesi ve Atatürk ile Adıyaman Üniversitesi arasında anlamlı bir fark olduğu saptanmıştır. Öğrencilerin hipotez kurma ve tanımlama düzeyleri bakımından sadece Akdeniz ile Ahi Evran Üniversitesi, Ahi Evran ile Kocaeli Üniversitesi, Ahi Evran ile Adıyaman Üniversitesi ve Ahi Evran ile Ege Üniversitesi arasında anlamlı bir fark olduğu saptanmıştır. Öğrencilerin araştırmayı tasarlama düzeylerinin uygulanan üniversiteler bakımından anlamlı bir fark olmadığı saptanmıştır. Öğrencilerin genel düzeyleri bakımından sadece Ahi Evran ile Kocaeli Üniversitesi ve Ahi Evran ile Ege Üniversitesi arasında anlamlı bir fark olduğu saptanmıştır. Ayrıca yedi farklı üniversitenin test puanlarının ortalamalarının 20.26 olduğunu göstermektedir. Bu sonuç ise öğrencilerin testin soru sayısının %50'den daha fazla soruyu doğru bir şekilde cevapladıklarını göstermektedir. Çalışmanın sonuçlarından yola çıkarak etkili bir fizik laboratuvarı geliştirmek için gerekli önerilerde bulunulmuştur.Anahtar Kelimeler: Fen Eğitimi ve Öğretimi, Yapılandırmacı Yaklaşım, Öğrenme Modeli, 7E Öğrenme Modeli, Laboratuvar YaklaşımlarıThis study aimed to investigate the effect of the 7E learning model centered laboratory applications, a teaching model based on the constructive approach, on the students? science process skills, academic achievement and the levels of attitudes. A quasi-experimental and descriptive research models were applied in the study. The first part of the study was based on quasi-experimental method and included 122 freshmen at the department of Science teaching in Kırıkkale University. To implement the study, two groups were formed randomly: control and experimental groups. The experimental group was comprised of the students in the day classes, and the control groups included the ones in the evening classes. The experimental group was exposed to the 7E learning model centered laboratory applications, while the control group practiced the applications based on the Verification/Deductive laboratory approach. At the beginning of the study, Science Process Skills Test (SPST), Physics Achievement Test (FAT) and the Attitudes Scale towards Physics Laboratory (ASTFL) were used as pre-tests in both groups. At the end of the study, the same tests were used as post-tests.The tests used were statistically analyzed in terms of their reliability and validity. Based on the item analysis of the Science Process Skills test, the power of the item discrimination (D) is 0.08, and the item difficulty indexes were between (P) is between 0.1-0.93. The average difficulty index (Port) was found to be 0.52, and the criterion related validity coefficient (Kuder Richardson-20) was determined as 0.60.The power of the item discrimination (D) in the Physics Achievement Test was 0.12 and over. The item difficulty indexes (P) were between 0.06-0.88. The average difficulty index (Port) was found to be 0.40, and the criterion related validity coefficient (Kuder Richardson-20) was determined as 0.80.The Attitudes Scale towards Physics Laboratory (ASTFL) included 5-item Likert scale. Its Kaiser-Mayer-Olkin (KMO) value was 0.820, and Barlett value was determined as 1247.642. When the findings were analyzed, correlation was found among the items. Moreover, it was found out that factor analysis could be conducted. In order to determine the ASTFL items different in terms of opinion between the top 27% and the lowest 27% groups, a t-test analysis was conducted, and the t value of each item was found meaningful, which indicated that the items were efficient in discriminating between the students with low scores and the ones with high scores. When the results of the item analysis were investigated, it was observed that for all items, item-total correlations were between 0.11 and 0.61, and the t values were meaningful. Moreover, the scale was found to be efficient in discriminating the students? levels of attitudes towards physics laboratory. The total variance of ASTFL was 59.143%. As such, it was observed that the six factors emerging as the important factors in the analysis explained for the total variance in all the items and the most of the variance related to the scale. When the common factor variance of the items in ASTFL was analyzed, the sub common factor variance defined related to the items was found to be between 0.421 and 0.712. Following the validity of item and factor analysis, in the reliability analysis Cronbach?s alpha coefficient (?) was determined as 0.90.SPSS 18 was used to analyze the data, and for analysis, dependent-samples t-test, independent-samples t-test, and ANOVA were conducted. The findings indicated that compared to the applications based on the Verification/Deductive laboratory approach, the applications based on the 7E learning model centered laboratory have significantly contributed to the students? science process skills, academic success and the levels of their attitudes.The sample of the descriptive section of the thesis included 556 freshmen students enrolled in Physics I in the department of science education at different universities randomly selected from seven regions in Turkey during the 2010-2011 academic year. The students were given the Turkish version of The Science Process Skills Test, which was developed by Burns, Okey & Wise (1985) and translated by Geban, Askar and Özkan (1992). The determined skills expected from the students were to determine the variables, provide procedural explanations, draw graphics and interpret the data, form and define a hypothesis and design a study. .The analysis of the data indicated that there were not any meaningful differences in students? defining variables among the universities. Considering the students? levels of providing procedural explanations, it was observed that there was a meaningful difference only between Ahi Evran University and Kocaeli University, and between Ahi Evran University and Karadeniz Technical University. As for the students? levels of drawing graphics and interpreting data, there was a meaningful difference only between Kocaeli University and Karadeniz Technical University, between Kocaeli University and Adıyaman University, and between Atatürk University and Adıyaman University. Considering the students? level of forming and defining hypotheses, there was a meaningful difference only between Akdeniz University and Ahi Evran University, between Ahi Evran University and Kocaeli University, between Ahi Evran and Adıyaman University, and between Ahi Evran and Ege University. There was not any meaningful difference in the students? designing a study between the universities. As for the students? general levels, there was a meaningful difference only between Ahi Evran University and Kocaeli University, and between Ahi Evran University and Ege University. Moreover, in these seven different universities, the students? average test score was 20.26. This finding illustrated that the students responded correctly to more than 50 per cent of the questions on the test. Taking the findings of the study into consideration, suggestions have been put forward to develop an efficient Physics lab.Keywords: Science Learning and Teaching, Constructivist Approach, Learning Model, 7E Learning Model, Laboratory Application

Fen ve teknoloji öğretiminde 7E öğrenme model merkezli fizik laboratuvar uygulamalarının öğrencilerin öğrenme ürünlerine etkisinin incelenmesi

Tez (Yüksek Lisans) -- Kırıkkale Üniversitesi87290

Postmenopausal osteoporosis

Throughout their life, women pass through various stages such as adolescence, reproduction, climacteric states and ageing; each of these periods has its specific physiological, psychological and social problems. Postmenopausal osteoporosis which is one of the health problems of climacteric period is the most important health problem. Osteoporosis is a skeletal system disease that increases the propensity to bone fractures related to the decrease in bone mass. According to the WHO criteria, osteoporosis is defined as a BMD that lies 2.5 standard deviations or more below the average value for young healthy women (a T-score of <−2.5 SD). The World Health Organization states that throughout the world, over 200 million people experience bone mineral density loss and approximately 40% of the affected people are women at the age of 50 or over. In the WHO Study Group meeting on Assessment of fracture risk and its application to screening for postmenopausal osteoporosis, osteoporosis has been recognized as an established and well-defined disease that affects more than 75 million people in the United States, Europe and Japan. Osteoporosis causes more than 8.9 million fractures annually worldwide, of which more than 4.5 million occur in the Americas and Europe. Osteoporosis is not only a major cause of fractures, it also ranks high among diseases that cause people to become bedridden with serious complications. These complicationsmay be life threatening in elderly people. As a result, the purposes should involve preventing fractures in postmenopausal osteoporosis with medical therapy approaches, improving symptoms related to the disease, and increasing bone mineral density and quality of life. In addition to the physiological problems of the women with postmenopausal osteoporosis, it is important to keep in mind that the women should be evaluated as a whole with their psychosocial problems

Quality of life assessment in cancer patients on chemotherapy

Quality of life is defined as an individual’s perception of his or her position in life in the context of the culture and value systems in which they live and in relation to their goals, expectations, standards and concerns. The purpose of this study is to assess the quality of life of cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy in the Oncology Department. Target population of the study which is descriptive in nature was all cancer patients (n = 50) who had treatment in the oncology department of a university hospital located in Adana/Turkey. The data were collected through Personal Information Form with a view to identifying the socio-demographic features of the participants and a Short Form SF-36 questionnaire with a view to assessing the quality of life. Average age of the participants was found 51.60±12.79. Of all the participants, 52% were men, 90% were married, 38% graduated from primary school, 42% were housewives, 88% had children, 48% lived in the city centre, 98% had social security, 62% had middle income, and 82% could not fulfill their responsibilities at home and work because of receiving chemotherapy. In addition, 98% were aware of their disease, 62% received training on chemotherapy and they received this training mostly from the nurses. According to the SF-36 scale scores of the participants, physical functioning was 43.7%, social functioning was 57.8%, mental health was 59.3%, vitality was 47.5%, general health was 21.1%, pain was 34.6%, emotion was 33.3%, and physical role functioning was 21.5%. A significant relationship was found between the age groups and mental health and social functioning (p < 0.05). Although mental health scores of the participants who work were found to be significant (p < 0.05), no significant relationships were found between SF-36 scale scores and marital status and income level (p > 0.05). The present study indicates that chemotherapy affects cancer patients’ quality of life negatively

Postmenopausal osteoporosis

Throughout their life, women pass through various stages such as adolescence, reproduction, climacteric states and ageing; each of these periods has its specific physiological, psychological and social problems. Postmenopausal osteoporosis which is one of the health problems of climacteric period is the most important health problem. Osteoporosis is a skeletal system disease that increases the propensity to bone fractures related to the decrease in bone mass. According to the WHO criteria, osteoporosis is defined as a BMD that lies 2.5 standard deviations or more below the average value for young healthy women (a T-score of <−2.5 SD). The World Health Organization states that throughout the world, over 200 million people experience bone mineral density loss and approximately 40% of the affected people are women at the age of 50 or over. In the WHO Study Group meeting on Assessment of fracture risk and its application to screening for postmenopausal osteoporosis, osteoporosis has been recognized as an established and well-defined disease that affects more than 75 million people in the United States, Europe and Japan. Osteoporosis causes more than 8.9 million fractures annually worldwide, of which more than 4.5 million occur in the Americas and Europe. Osteoporosis is not only a major cause of fractures, it also ranks high among diseases that cause people to become bedridden with serious complications. These complicationsmay be life threatening in elderly people. As a result, the purposes should involve preventing fractures in postmenopausal osteoporosis with medical therapy approaches, improving symptoms related to the disease, and increasing bone mineral density and quality of life. In addition to the physiological problems of the women with postmenopausal osteoporosis, it is important to keep in mind that the women should be evaluated as a whole with their psychosocial problems

Postmenopausal osteoporosis

Throughout their life, women pass through various stages such as adolescence, reproduction, climacteric states and ageing; each of these periods has its specific physiological, psychological and social problems. Postmenopausal osteoporosis which is one of the health problems of climacteric period is the most important health problem. Osteoporosis is a skeletal system disease that increases the propensity to bone fractures related to the decrease in bone mass. According to the WHO criteria, osteoporosis is defined as a BMD that lies 2.5 standard deviations or more below the average value for young healthy women (a T-score of <−2.5 SD). The World Health Organization states that throughout the world, over 200 million people experience bone mineral density loss and approximately 40% of the affected people are women at the age of 50 or over. In the WHO Study Group meeting on Assessment of fracture risk and its application to screening for postmenopausal osteoporosis, osteoporosis has been recognized as an established and well-defined disease that affects more than 75 million people in the United States, Europe and Japan. Osteoporosis causes more than 8.9 million fractures annually worldwide, of which more than 4.5 million occur in the Americas and Europe. Osteoporosis is not only a major cause of fractures, it also ranks high among diseases that cause people to become bedridden with serious complications. These complicationsmay be life threatening in elderly people. As a result, the purposes should involve preventing fractures in postmenopausal osteoporosis with medical therapy approaches, improving symptoms related to the disease, and increasing bone mineral density and quality of life. In addition to the physiological problems of the women with postmenopausal osteoporosis, it is important to keep in mind that the women should be evaluated as a whole with their psychosocial problems

The Perspective of Jehovah’s Witnesses to the Blood Transfusion and Organ Transplantation

Yehova Şahitleri, inanışları gereği kan naklini reddetmektedir. Şahitlerin bu tür bir inanışa sahip olmalarını ve karşı olum tutumu geliştirmelerini “Kutsal Kitabın” Tekvin 9:3; Levililer 17:10-11 ve Elçilerin İşleri 15:22-29 ayetlerinden çıkardıkları yorumlar desteklemektedir. Yehova Şahitlerine göre bu ayetler, kanın bir kutsallık içerdiğini ve hayatın özünü oluşturduğunu bildirmektedir. Kan nakline hangi koşullarda olursa olsun karşı çıkan Yehova Şahitleri, bu uygulamayı yapan üyelerine de “müşareketten kesme” adı verilen cemaatten çıkarma yaptırımını uygulamaktadır. Şahitler bu tutum ve davranışlarını, “kan istemiyorum” ifadesinin yer aldığı özel bir belge ile yazılı hale getirip, “hastane irtibat heyetleri” ile işbirliği içerisinde bulunarak tedavi süreçlerini kendi inanışları doğrultusunda etkilemek ve yönlendirmek amacındadır. Yehova şahitleri, hastane irtibat heyetlerinin önerileri doğrultusunda kan nakline alternatif tıbbi çözümler ile tedavi olmayı kabul etmektedir. Bunun yanı sıra, inanışlarına aykırı olduğu gerekçesiyle başlangıçta organ nakline karşı olumsuz bir tavır sergilerken daha sonraki süreçte organ nakli uygulamasını kişisel kararlara bırakmışlardır. Bazı ülkelerde olduğu gibi Türkiye’de de organ nakli gerçekleştirilen Yehova Şahitleri olduğu bilinmektedir. Bu çalışma Yehova Şahitlerinin, kan ve organ nakline karşı oluşlarını ve bunu hangi ayetlere dayandırdıklarını ortaya koymak amacıyla yapılmıştır

Postmenopausal osteoporosis

Throughout their life, women pass through various stages such as adolescence, reproduction, climacteric states and ageing; each of these periods has its specific physiological, psychological and social problems. Postmenopausal osteoporosis which is one of the health problems of climacteric period is the most important health problem. Osteoporosis is a skeletal system disease that increases the propensity to bone fractures related to the decrease in bone mass. According to the WHO criteria, osteoporosis is defined as a BMD that lies 2.5 standard deviations or more below the average value for young healthy women (a T-score of <−2.5 SD). The World Health Organization states that throughout the world, over 200 million people experience bone mineral density loss and approximately 40% of the affected people are women at the age of 50 or over. In the WHO Study Group meeting on Assessment of fracture risk and its application to screening for postmenopausal osteoporosis, osteoporosis has been recognized as an established and well-defined disease that affects more than 75 million people in the United States, Europe and Japan. Osteoporosis causes more than 8.9 million fractures annually worldwide, of which more than 4.5 million occur in the Americas and Europe. Osteoporosis is not only a major cause of fractures, it also ranks high among diseases that cause people to become bedridden with serious complications. These complicationsmaybe life threatening in elderly people. As a result, the purposes should involve preventing fractures in postmenopausal osteoporosis with medical therapy approaches, improving symptoms related to the disease, and increasing bone mineral density and quality of life. In addition to the physiological problems of the women with postmenopausal osteoporosis, it is important to keep in mind that the women should be evaluated as a whole with their psychosocial problems

Emotional status of breast cancer patients: a qualitative study.

Breast cancer is the most frequent female cancer worldwide. People who have breast cancer may find the physical, emotional, and social effects of the disease stressful. The purpose of this study is to identify the emotional status of patients with breast cancer after prognosis. Target population of the study which is descriptive in nature was all breast cancer patients (n = 15) who had treatment in the oncology clinics of various hospitals located in Adana/Turkey. Average age of the 15 women with breast CA participating in the study was 47.67±2.36. Of all the patients, 12 of them were married and average number of children was 2.46±0.49. Besides, 8 participants (53.3%) graduated from primary school, 100% knew their diagnosis, 80% learned the diagnosis from their doctors, and all of them had both surgery and chemotherapy. Most of the participants stated that they were shocked and tried to deny the diagnosis at first, they were angry with themselves, some of them isolated themselves from the people around and made promises to themselves to be conducted upon getting better. They also stated that they regretted for not having treated themselves better in the past, they did not quit treatment and they did not have the feelings of social exclusion. Seven participants stated that having breast cancer did not change their strong beliefs, four participants began to have stronger beliefs, and three participants first revolted but then returned to normal. One patient said her beliefs became weaker and she revolted against the disease. Three patients indicated that they fought against the disease all by themselves while the others expressed that the strongest support they had came from their husbands and children. Average age of the participants was found 47.67±2.36. Social support can be an important source in decreasing the negative psychological reactions of patients with breast cancer who have had surgical operation and who are undergoing chemotherapy and radiotherapy