Health-related quality of life in patients with coronary artery disease

Background and Research Objectives: In recent years, health-related quality of life (HRQoL) has been increasingly used as an indicator of health outcome. The aims of the study were to compare the HRQoL of patients with coronary artery disease (CAD) to patients without CAD and also to determine the HRQoL of patients with CAD and the factors affecting their quality of life. Subjects and Methods: Patients with CAD who attend the outpatients' clinic in the Cardiology Department at Trakya University's Medicine Faculty Hospital agreed to be interviewed. One hundred patients with CAD and 100 people serving as patients without CAD were included in this cross-sectional study. Patients with CAD and patients without CAD were matched by age, sex, marital status, and income. Health-related quality of life was measured with the generic HRQoL instrument. Results and Conclusions: CAD patients' HRQoL scores differed significantly from patients without CAD. Compared to patients without CAD, the HRQoL of patients with CAD was lower in the dimensions of mobility (P < .001), hearing (P = .022), breathing (P < .001), elimination (P = .035), usual activities (P < .001), mental function (P = .004), discomfort and symptoms (P = .018), vitality (P = .006), sexual activity (P < .001), and total score (P < .001). Patients with CAD had lower HFQoL scores than patients without CAD. In patients with CAD, age and sex independently affected the HRQoL. Older patients and women had worse HRQoL. Coronary artery disease negatively affects HRQoL. It is thought that interventions to increase patients' quality of life may improve their HRQoL

Knowledge of and attitudes toward tuberculosis of Turkish nursing and midwifery students

WOS: 000297783200010PubMed ID: 21288610Aim: The aim of the study was to describe the level of knowledge and the attitudes of Turkish nursing and midwifery students toward tuberculosis in an attempt to understand and determine whether there is a need for improvement in nursing and midwifery education regarding tuberculosis. Method: The research is a descriptive study conducted at four nursing or midwifery schools in Turkey. The sample was composed 01615 students who were first-, second-, third-, or fourth-year nursing and midwifery students. Data were collected using the Knowledge and Attitudes toward Treatment and Control of Tuberculosis Questionnaire. Results: The level of tuberculosis knowledge was poor [7.22 +/- 1.92 (range: 2-9)]. The attitudes of nursing and midwifery students toward tuberculosis were generally negative. Only 5.9% of the sample would prefer to care for patients with tuberculosis. Students who received tuberculosis lectures/education had higher levels of knowledge and more positive attitudes toward tuberculosis than their peers who did not receive such education. Conclusion: In order to fight effectively against tuberculosis, positive attitudes toward tuberculosis must be developed among health care teams, and awareness of tuberculosis via theoretical and practical education, starting from the initial semesters of the professional education, must be increased. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved

Comparison of the health-promoting lifestyles of nursing and non-nursing students in Istanbul, Turkey

WOS: 000260672100008PubMed ID: 19128303Undertaking a health-related course at university can facilitate an awareness of health-promoting lifestyles. We carried out a descriptive and cross-sectional study with 1616 university students in Istanbul, Turkey. Students from the nursing schools were compared to those from the schools of social sciences using a Turkish version of the Health-promoting Lifestyle Profile (HPLP) II after a validation study. The nursing students had more positive health-promoting lifestyles than those of the non-nursing students. Furthermore, fourth-year nursing students had higher scores in most of the subscales of the HPLP II than did the students from the lower years; conversely, the fourth-year non-nursing students had lower scores. The sociodemographic variables, self-perceived health status, relations with family and friends, and self-perceived academic performance were associated with the HPLP. The implications are discussed for the curricula and on-campus facilities that focus on health promotion activities