Births In Turkey Research Articles

Prevalence and Associated Factors of Mental Health Problems Among Peripartum Women During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Objective: This study aimed to determine the prevalence and associated factors of probable depression and probable anxiety in early postpartum women during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted with early postpartum women who applied to a maternity hospital to give birth in Turkey between March-June 2021. Women aged 19-45 years, with 23–42 weeks of gestation, with a singleton pregnancy, and negative for the SARSCoV-2 polymerase chain reaction test were included in the study. The Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) was used to assess the presence of probable depression (HADS depression score >7) and probable anxiety (HADS anxiety score >10). The associations between women’s sociodemographic and obstetric characteristics and depression and anxiety were evaluated using univariate and multivariate analyses. Results: A total of 450 women were included in the study. Of these, 50.2% (n=226) had probable depression, and 28% (n=126) had probable anxiety. Multivariate analysis revealed that while perceived poor income level increased the odds for the presence of probable depression, unintended pregnancy, anemia, and SARS-CoV2 infection during pregnancy were associated with probable anxiety. Conclusion: The presence of probable depression and probable anxiety were considerably high among women who had given birth during the pandemic. This study identified the most vulnerable groups in terms of mental health problems among women who were in the early postpartum period during the pandemic. It is essential to develop strategies to prevent and control the mental health problems of these risk groups for future emergency health crises.

Covid-19 Pandemisinin Doğum ve Annelik Üzerine Etkisi: Karma Yöntem Çalışması

In this study the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on women's maternity experiences as childbirth, newborn nutrition and care was examined. In the first stage, an online survey was applied to 203 people who gave birth in Türkiye during the pandemic. The birth plan of 39 participants (19.2%) was determined to have changed due to the pandemic. 17.8% of the mothers stated that nobody from the parents could come to help them after the birth due to the pandemic. The majority of the mothers (71.4%) were found not to accept newborn visits during the postnatal period due to the pandemic. The second stage included semi-structured interviews, and detailed interviews were conducted with 10 mothers. Two main themes were identified for birth and motherhood experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic: (i) disruption of the birth experience and (ii) changing motherhood process. It was determined that some restrictions and reduced social interactions due to the pandemic caused the birth expectation and postpartum period to deteriorate. During this period, the continuous support of midwives and nurses was of great importance for mothers who could not benefit from spouse or family support for any reason.

Investigation of the Relationship Between Life Span in Successful Athletes and Life Expectancy at Birth

Humanity's quest for immortality has necessitated the struggle for longevity. The way to live better and longer is health. At this point, sports emerge as a tool for a healthy and long life. The aim of this study is to reveal the relationship between life expectancy at birth and the life span of successful athletes. The sample of the study consisted of all athletes who received medals on behalf of Turkey in the Olympics and died until 2021. The expected life span of the athletes at the date of birth was estimated with the help of the exponential equations created in Excel. In the light of these obtained data, graphs were created comparing the ages of death of the athletes with the life expectancy at birth in Turkey, Europe, Asia, Eurasia and the World. As a result, we can say that life expectancy at birth in Turkey, where the sample group is located, is generally low when compared to Europe, Asia, Eurasia and the World, of which Turkey is a part. However, life expectancy at birth of athletes was found to be above the life expectancy in Turkey, Europe, Asia, Eurasia and the World, considering the age of death. This result indicates that sports can be used as a tool that makes a positive contribution to life expectancy.

Birth Experience in Syrian Refugee Women in Turkey: A Descriptive Phenomenological Qualitative Study

ABSTRACT A negative birth experience affects the woman’s subsequent pregnancy, and delivery processes negatively, decreases patient satisfaction, and the high anxiety/stress experienced during pregnancy/delivery is transferred to the next generations by epigenetic transmission. In this study, women’s birth experiences of Syrian refugees in Turkey aimed to describe in-depth. It was designed as a descriptive phenomenological qualitative study. Fifteen refugee women included in the sample gave birth in Turkey, living in Turkey’s southern city. In-depth interviews were conducted with women. Six themes were formed in the results: “quantitatively enough but unsatisfactory service,” “not providing autonomy,” “think that she was neglected,” “no respect to privacy,” “feeling loneliness/fear in the delivery room,” and “prejudice.” The factors that negatively affect the pregnancy and birth experiences of Syrian refugee women are language/communication barriers, the provision of care services that are incompatible with their religious and cultural values, and their prejudice regarding discrimination.

Socio demographic characteristics of women who leave their babies to social services after giving birth in Turkey

Context: It has been known that parents leave their newborn babies under government protection due to various social, cultural, and economic reasons, unwanted pregnancies being one of the most important reasons.Aims: The aim of the study was to examine the sociodemographic and life characteristics of mothers who had to leave their newborn babies to social services after giving birth.Settings and Design: Using a qualitative research approach, this research was conducted in the qualitative document analysis design.Materials and Methods: The data were obtained from the social review reports (electronic) of 66 mothers who gave birth and left their newborn babies to social services between 2010 and 2019 in a hospital in the city center of Izmir, Turkey.Statistical Analysis Used: The electronic data (number: 1–66) in these reports were analyzed by descriptive and content analysis methods.Results: Most of the mothers were had 2 years of education (n = 17), were not officially married (n = 31), and worked in an environment open to abuse (n = 6). Six themes were obtained from the data analysis including family status and living with the spouse/partner, pre- and post-pregnancy residence, the process of abandoning the infant, pregnancy process and health problems, sharing pregnancy news and safety, and the conception of pregnancy and the legal process.Conclusions: This study revealed that mothers who leave their infant to social services have several high-risk sociodemographic and life characteristics, predominantly related to lifestyle, residence, pregnancy experience, and sexual violence. Midwives and other healthcare professionals can help improve mother/infant health by considering these risk groups, while providing the prepregnancy, pregnancy, delivery, and postpartum care services and by providing support to mothers who want to leave their infant to social services.

Hospital practices and family support in maternity wards.

This study aims to determine the hospital practices implemented before, during, and after birth in Turkey, and to identify the support to families during this process. Purposive sampling was used in the study to identify the hospitals to be surveyed. Ankara, İstanbul, and İzmir, the provinces with the highest number of hospitals in Turkey, were selected for the collection of data. There were 178 eligible private hospitals in these provinces. The questionnaire form of the Canadian Hospitals Maternity Policies and Practices Survey was used to collect data and the necessary permissions were obtained. There are many restrictions and variations in maternity-related hospital practices in Turkey. 71.4% of the responding private hospitals identified themselves as baby-friendly. 57.1% had a policy facilitating families being together immediately after birth, 39.5% encouraged the presence of the father in the delivery room. 44.9% did not have any policy for assessing women who were going home to potentially violent situations. Eighty-five percent reported that they did not have a written policy or guidelines about procedures regarding labor, birth, or postpartum periods. This study recommended that private hospitals should review their maternal practices and routines in an evidence-based way that helps parents, culturally sensitive standards for mothers should be developed and supervised by related health authorities, and structures should be created to effectively deal with patients’ complaints.

Motherhood in the shade of migration: A qualitative study of the experience of Syrian refugee mothers living in Turkey.

Turkey receives the largest number of Syrian refugees in the world. Some of these refugee women become mothers in Turkey. This paper reports on a qualitative, descriptive study that investigated the experience of seven Syrian women migrants who gave birth in Turkey, and explores their experiences of transition to motherhood in a foreign country. The research identified that aspects of transition can be clustered under five main themes: difficulties during the pregnancy period, giving birth in a foreign country, problems of refugee mothers, milestones in life of refugee mothers, and influence of cultural beliefs of refugee mothers on baby care. Key findings revealed that the women in the study had negative experiences related to being pregnant and having a baby in a foreign country. In addition to identifying challenges associated with migration, such as language barriers, racism, discrimination, poverty, and separation from their culture and family, the study highlighted the fears and difficulties experienced by refugee mothers, the cultural beliefs of refugee women about caring for their babies, and turning points in the life of refugee mothers.

Evaluating the content and quality of intrapartum care in vaginal births: An example of a state hospital.

Objective:The purpose of the research was to assess the content and quality of the intrapartum care offered in vaginal births in Turkey, based on the example of a state hospital.Materials and Methods:This cross-sectional study was conducted between January 1st, 2013 and December 31st, 2014 at Aydın Maternity and Children’s Hospital. The study sample consisted of 303 women giving vaginal birth, who were recruited into the study using the method of convenience sampling. Research data were collected with a questionnaire created by the researchers and assessed using the Bologna score. Numbers and percentages were assessed in the data analysis.Results:The mean age of the women was 25.14±5.37 years and 40.5% had given one live birth. Of the women, 45.2% were admitted to hospital in the latent phase, 76.6% were administered an enema, 3.3% had epidural anesthesia, 2.6% delivered using vacuum extraction, and 54.1% underwent an episiotomy. Some 23.8% of the women experienced spontaneous laceration that needed sutures. The babies of two women exhibited an Apgar score below 7 in the fifth minute. When the quality of the intrapartum care given to the women was assessed with the Bologna score, it was found that 92.7% went into labor spontaneously, 100% of the births were supervised by midwives and doctors, 97.7% of the women had no supporting companion, and the nonsupine position was only used in 0.3% of the women. A partogram was used to follow up on the birth process in 72.6% of the women, and 82.5% achieved contact with their babies within the first hour after birth. Induction was applied in 76.6% of the women and fundal pressure in 27.4%.Conclusion:The study revealed that the quality of intrapartum care in vaginal births was inadequate. Reformulating the guidelines regarding intrapartum care in accordance with World Health Organization recommendations and evidence-based practices may contribute to improving mother and infant health.

Intracranial hemorrhage in infants as a serious, and preventable consequence of late form of vitamin K deficiency: a selfie picture of Turkey, strategies for tomorrow.

Vitamin K deficiency bleeding is one of the most common causes of acquired hemostatic disorder in early infancy. Although vitamin K is practiced routinely after every birth in Turkey, children with type of vitamin K deficiency bleedings (L-VKDB) can be encountered. We aimed to evaluate the clinical features of the children with L-VKDB reported from Turkey. Between 1995 and 2013, 48 studies reporting 534 children with L-VKDB were evaluated in this study. Of the 534 reported children (178 girls, 356 boys), 486 (91 %) were extremely breastfed. The most common bleeding sites were intracranial hemorrhage, gastrointestinal, and umbilical in 414 (77.4 %), 33 (6.2 %), and 33 (6.2 %) children, respectively, and 35 (6.6 %) children had been diagnosed incidentally without any bleeding. The etiology of 399 (74.7 %) children were classified as idiopathic, whereas 135 (25.3 %) were secondary. Intramuscular vitamin K was administered in 248 (46.4 %), not administered in 228 (42.7 %), and the administration of vitamin K were not determined in 58 (10.9 %) children. The outcomes of Turkish cohort showed that 111 (20.8) children died, 257 (48.1 %) cases developed neurologic deficit (mainly epilepsy and psychomotor retardation), and only 166 (31.1 %) patients recovered without squeal. The compliance of prophylactic measures in Turkey does not seem to be satisfactory. As a further measure of tomorrow, we vigorously emphasize that a national surveillance program may be initiated. An additional intramuscular dose or oral supplementation of vitamin K especially for exclusively breast-fed infants may reduce this catastrophic problem in our country.

Registries of cases with neural tube defects in Denizli, Turkey, 2004-2010.

Neural tube defects (NTD) are among the most common congenital abnormalities, with an incidence of 3 per 1000 live births in Turkey. In a study of major congenital abnormalities in the city of Denizli, Turkey, abnormalities of the central nervous system are particularly common (31.1%). The objective of this study was to develop a registry of cases with NTDs in Denizli. Cases that had been diagnosed with NTD between January 2004 and September 2010 in State Hospitals of Central Denizli were retrospectively examined. The diagnoses were established based on the ICD-10 criteria. A total of 250 subjects with NTD were identified, including 123 (49.2%) females and 127 (50.8%) males with a mean age of 13.72 ± 15.62 years (age range 1-81 years). Interestingly, spina bifida constituted a significant percentage of the cases (149 cases; 59.6%). In addition, 10 (4.0%) cases had hydrocephalus plus spina bifida. The second most common diagnosis was microcephaly, which included 70 cases (28.0%). Encephalocele was observed in only 2 cases (0.8%). Development of NTD is influenced by nutrition, socioeconomic factors, and the use of folic acid during the peri-conceptional period. Studies examining the effect of these factors on NTD in Turkey and a review of primary prevention measures are necessary.

Effectiveness of Prefabricated House Industry’s Marketing Activities and Turkish Consumers’ Buying Intentions towards Prefabricated Houses

Prefabricated house industry might be considered as being at the stage of birth in Turkey and the consumer demand for this product category seems sluggish owing to some reasons. This empirical study explores some possible reasons of the low demand rates for prefabricated houses and data was gathered via an online survey in Turkey and some statistical analyses were conducted using SPSS statistical program. This paper also provides a cognitive framework to understand the consumer buying dimensions of prefabricated houses. The results reveal that marketing communication tools are not being used sufficiently, and thus marketing communications are not being held effectively by prefabricated houses manufacturers. As a result, consumers lack some significant information related with the attributes of the product, in this case prefabricated houses, they held misinformation about the product, and so they do not develop desired buying intentions about this product category.

The Effects of Compulsory-Schooling Laws on Teenage Marriage and Births in Turkey

This paper estimates the impact of the extension of compulsory schooling in Turkey from 5 to 8 years on the marriage and fertility behavior of teenage women in Turkey using the 2008 Turkish Demographic and Health Survey. We find that the new education policy reduces the probability of marriage and giving birth for teenage women substantially: the probability of marriage by age 16 is reduced by 44 percent and the probability of giving birth by age 17 falls by 36 percent. The effects of the education policy on the time until marriage and first-birth persist beyond the completion of compulsory schooling. In addition, we find that the delay in the time until first-birth is driven by the delay in the time until marriage. After a woman is married, the rise in compulsory schooling years does not have an effect on the duration until her first-birth. Finally, we find that the education policy was more effective in reducing early marriage than a change in the Civil Code aimed for this purpose.

The Effect of Compulsory Schooling Laws on Teenage Marriage and Births in Turkey

This paper estimates the impact of the extension of compulsory schooling in Turkey from 5 to 8 years on the marriage and fertility behavior of teenage women in Turkey using the 2008 Turkish Demographic and Health Survey. We find that the new education policy reduces the probability of marriage and giving birth for teenage women substantially: the probability of marriage by age 16 is reduced by 44 percent and the probability of giving birth by age 17 falls by 36 percent. The effects of the education policy on the time until marriage and first-birth persist beyond the completion of compulsory schooling. In addition, we find that the delay in the time until first-birth is driven by the delay in the time until marriage. After a woman is married, the rise in compulsory schooling years does not have an effect on the duration until her first-birth. Finally, we find that the education policy was more effective in reducing early marriage than a change in the Civil Code aimed for this purpose.

Whose “modernity” is it anyway? Translation in the web-based natural-birth movement in Turkey

This article presents a case study of text production at the intersection of maternity care services and medical ethics. It examines the role of translation in web-based material promoting non-medicalized, natural birth in Turkey, and has three main objectives: to demonstrate the variety of the media and mediators through which new ideas travel; to investigate what “modernity” might entail in diverse, often contentious contexts; and to highlight the fuzzy boundaries of translation as used in cyberactivism. The study picks up certain themes, such as the foreign, power, choice and time, to explicate the context and translational decisions underlying the text production on a website promoting natural birth. It also points out some incongruities and anachronisms in relation to “modernity” and birth within Turkey in order to locate the text production at hand within its real-life context.

Hexachlorobenzene exposure and the proportion of male births in Turkey 1935–1990

Hexachlorobenzene (C 6Cl 6, HCB) is a chemical that has been associated with significant immediate and long term adverse health effects in humans. It has been associated with both porphyria cutanea tarda and spontaneous abortions among survivors of widespread exposure in the 1950s in southeastern Turkey. HCB binds to the Ah receptor, albeit with lower affinity than dioxin. Dioxin exposure has been reported to lower human secondary sex ratio, putatively through a male mediated effect. We therefore wished to evaluate the impact of the HCB environmental event on the sex ratio of the progeny of the survivors. We undertook an assessment of 1) the effects of HCB exposure on the proportion of male births of individual subjects who had survived, 2) variables that significantly predicted the proportion of males among these individuals, and 3) the trend of the population sex ratio born in Turkey from 1935 to 1990. Women known to have been exposed to HCB in the 1950s did not have offspring with a significantly different sex ratio when compared to control populations. However, subjects reporting exposure at the peak of the episode (1955–57) had a significantly lower lifetime proportion of males than those exposed at a later date. The lifetime reported spontaneous abortion rate of these women also significantly predicted the percent males per subject. The available national data demonstrated a significant reduction in the calculated proportion of males from 1935 to 1970 that stabilized from 1970 to 1990. These data indicate that HCB exposure that was sufficient to induce clinical porphyria cutanea tarda may also have reduced the proportion of males in subjects over their reproductive life-span. The HCB episode does not explain the pattern of the national trend from a population perspective.

Health Effects of Hexachlorobenzene and the TEF Approach

LetterOpen AccessHealth effects of hexachlorobenzene and the TEF approach. J G Vos J G Vos Search for more papers by this author Published:1 February 2000https://doi.org/10.1289/ehp.108-a58aCited by:5AboutSectionsPDF ToolsDownload CitationsTrack Citations ShareShare onFacebookTwitterLinked InRedditEmail "Health effects of hexachlorobenzene and the TEF approach.." Environmental Health Perspectives, 108(2), p. A58FiguresReferencesRelatedDetailsCited By Mundy L, Crump D, Jones S, Konstantinov A, Utley F, Potter D and Kennedy S (2012) Induction of cytochrome P4501A by highly purified hexachlorobenzene in primary cultures of ring-necked pheasant and Japanese quail embryo hepatocytes, Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology Part C: Toxicology & Pharmacology, 10.1016/j.cbpc.2011.12.006, 155:3, (498-505), Online publication date: 1-Apr-2012. Mundy L, Jones S, Crump D, Hervé J, Konstantinov A, Utley F, Potter D and Kennedy S (2010) Highly purified hexachlorobenzene induces cytochrome P4501A in primary cultures of chicken embryo hepatocytes, Toxicology and Applied Pharmacology, 10.1016/j.taap.2010.07.022, 248:3, (185-193), Online publication date: 1-Nov-2010. Van den Berg M, Birnbaum L, Denison M, De Vito M, Farland W, Feeley M, Fiedler H, Hakansson H, Hanberg A, Haws L, Rose M, Safe S, Schrenk D, Tohyama C, Tritscher A, Tuomisto J, Tysklind M, Walker N and Peterson R (2006) The 2005 World Health Organization Reevaluation of Human and Mammalian Toxic Equivalency Factors for Dioxins and Dioxin-Like Compounds, Toxicological Sciences, 10.1093/toxsci/kfl055, 93:2, (223-241), Online publication date: 1-Oct-2006. Ezendam J, Staedtler F, Pennings J, Vandebriel R, Pieters R, Boffetta P, Harleman J and Vos J (2018) Toxicogenomics of subchronic hexachlorobenzene exposure in Brown Norway rats., Environmental Health Perspectives, 112:7, (782-791), Online publication date: 1-May-2004. Jarrell J, Gocmen A, Akyol D and Brant R (2002) Hexachlorobenzene exposure and the proportion of male births in Turkey 1935–1990, Reproductive Toxicology, 10.1016/S0890-6238(01)00196-4, 16:1, (65-70), Online publication date: 1-Jan-2002. Vol. 108, No. 2 February 2000Metrics About Article Metrics Publication History Originally published1 February 2000Published in print1 February 2000 Financial disclosures License information EHP is an open-access journal published with support from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, National Institutes of Health. All content is public domain unless otherwise noted. Note to readers with disabilities EHP strives to ensure that all journal content is accessible to all readers. However, some figures and Supplemental Material published in EHP articles may not conform to 508 standards due to the complexity of the information being presented. If you need assistance accessing journal content, please contact [email protected]. Our staff will work with you to assess and meet your accessibility needs within 3 working days.

PRENATAL DIAGNOSIS OF β-THALASSAEMIA AND SICKLE CELL ANAEMIA IN TURKEY

This paper reports our experience of molecular analysis and diagnosis of beta-thalassaemia and sickle cell anaemia (HbS) in 70 prospective parents of Turkish descent and their fetuses. Molecular screening was carried out by allele-specific oligonucleotide (ASO) hybridization of amplified DNA to the 12 most common mutations in the Turkish population. By using this approach, we were able to define the mutation in 95 per cent of chromosomes investigated. Genomic sequencing led to the additional detection of three rare mutations: Cd 44 (-C), IVS-I-5 (G-C), and IVS-I-116 (T-G). All diagnoses were successfully accomplished and no misdiagnosis occurred. Consanguineous marriage appears to contribute significantly to the frequency of affected births in Turkey. Out of the 14 homozygous fetuses, six were the result of close consanguinity. This study indicates that fetal diagnosis of beta-thalassaemia and HbS may be obtained in practically all cases, even in a heterogeneous population like the Turkish population, when early methods of fetal sampling are combined with polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based techniques. Until gene therapy becomes a reality, the only approaches to the control of haemoglobinopathies are prevention and avoidance. The most relevant and common aspects of the programmes, which have been very effective in reducing the birth rate of beta-thalassaemia major in several at-risk areas of the Mediterranean basin, are the continuous educational campaigns directed at the population at large, the voluntary basis, and non-directive counselling. The most important challenge for the eradication of the haemoglobinopathies in Turkey is the organization of a nation-wide and comprehensive genetic preventive programme based on DNA technology.