Amaç: İşyerlerinde sağlığın geliştirilmesi önemli çalışma alanlarından birini oluşturmaktadır. Bu... more Amaç: İşyerlerinde sağlığın geliştirilmesi önemli çalışma alanlarından birini oluşturmaktadır. Bu proje kapsamında bir devlet kuruluşu ile bir üniversite arasında yapılan protokol çerçevesinde büro çalışanlarına yönelik sağlığın geliştirilmesi müdahale modeli geliştirilmesi amaçlanmıştır. Yöntem: Proje çalışmalarının başında durum saptama çalışması yapılmıştır. Müdahaleler sırasında konferans, poster ve broşürler, bilgisayar üzerinden kısa mesajlar ve etkinlikler düzenlenmiştir. Müdahale sonrasında tekrar bir araştırma ile katılanların davranış değişiklikleri ve proje hakkındaki görüşleri öğrenilmiştir. Bulgular: Projenin birinci ve ikinci aşama çalışmalarına katılan 441 kişinin müdahaleler hakkındaki görüşleri ve beyan ettikleri davranış değişiklikleri değerlendirilmiştir. Katılımcıların %78.1’i proje çerçeevsinde yapılan müdahaleleri çok etkili ve etkili olarak değerlendirmişlerdir. Çalışmaya katılanların %70,7’si son bir yıl içinde daha sağlıklı olmaya özen gösterdiklerini belirt...
Örgütü (DSÖ)'nün 2003 yılındaki Genel Kurulu toplantısında üye ülkelerin oy birliği ile kabul edi... more Örgütü (DSÖ)'nün 2003 yılındaki Genel Kurulu toplantısında üye ülkelerin oy birliği ile kabul edilmiştir. DSÖ'nün ilk ve tek Sözleşme metni olan bu düzenleme DSÖ'nün tütün kontrolü konusuna verdiği öneme işaret etmektedir. Çerçeve Sözleşme tütün kullanımını azaltmaya yönelik düzenlemeleri esas olarak iki ana başlık halinde ifade etmektedir. Bunlardan birincisi tütüne olan talebin azaltılmasına yönelik önlemler, ikincisi de tütün arzının azaltılmasına yönelik önlemlerdir. Tütüne olan talebin azaltılmasına yönelik önlemler arasında halkın tütün kullanmanın zararları konusunda eğitilmesi ve bilinçlendirilmesi, sigara içenlere bırakmaları konusunda destek sağlanması, sigara dumanından pasif etkilenimin önlenmesi, tütün ürünlerinin içeriğinin topluma anlatılması, tütün ürünlerinin reklam ve tanıtımının yasaklanması gibi önlemler yer almaktadır. Tütün arzının azaltılmasına yönelik önlemler arasında da tütün ürünlerinin kaçakçılığının önlenmesi, çocuklara sigara ve tütün ürünlerinin satışının yasaklanması, tütüne alternatif tarım politikalarının geliştirilmesi gibi önlemler vardır. Türkiye bu Sözleşmenin kabulünden önce 1996 yılında çıkardığı Tütün Kontrolü Kanunu ile bu önlemlerin çoğunu benimsemiştir. Bu yasanın 2008 yılında kapsamının genişletilmesi ile de Çerçeve Sözleşmede yer alan bütün kurallar Kanun kapsamında ifade edilmiştir. Tütün Kontrolü Çerçeve Sözleşmesi 2004 yılında TBMM tarafından onaylanarak Türkiye'nin iç mevzuatı haline gelmiştir. Çerçeve Sözleşmenin kabul edilmesinden beş yıl sonra DSÖ tarafından bu konuda ülkelere yol gösterici rehber niteliğinde MPOWER paketi yayınlanmıştır. Türkiye hem Çerçeve Sözleşme hükümlerini hem de MPOWER stratejilerini eksiksiz şekilde uygulayarak dünyada tütün kontrolü konusunda örnek bir ülke haline gelmiş ve Türkiye'nin bu başarısı DSÖ tarafından da takdir edilmiştir.
Objective: This study was conducted in order to evaluate ideas of some cafe and restaurants' clie... more Objective: This study was conducted in order to evaluate ideas of some cafe and restaurants' clients and workers about the tobacco control law three years after entering into force in a central district in Ankara in 2008. Methods: In the descriptive study;105 management, 113 worker and 386 client was visited, face to face interviews were done using two different questionnaire form and another form for managements' evaluation. SPSS 15.0 statistical package program, Chi-square and t-tests were used. Administrative leave was taken. Results: Mean age of workers was 30.1±8.32 years; 82.3% were men, 54.0% smoker; with clients the values are 27.7±8.61 years; 53.6% women and 39.4% were smokers. There's a difference between smokers and non-smokers' ideas about the hazards; death due to secondhand smoking (p=0.024; p<0.01). 80.3% of smokers and 74.3% of non-smokers knew the law in restaurants serving alcoholic beverages. Acceptance of the idea of the law could help to quit smoking was significantly different between smoker/non smoker workers and smoker/non smoker clients (p=0.004;p<0.001). According to observations, 7.6% of the managements didn't have law related plaque, 94.1% had smoking free areas, 57.1% had show window, 22.7% had smoking individuals and 12.6% had ashtray. Conclusion: Tobacco use is an individualistic reality but also a public health issue. Publicly acceptance of 45 law and implementations are needed besides individual perceptions. Implementations must be inspected and Smokers' observance of the rules must be supplied in order to decrease tobacco use and related health complications.
Objective: Prevention remains the most cost-effective long term strategy for cancer control. This... more Objective: Prevention remains the most cost-effective long term strategy for cancer control. This study assessed health services delivered by the "Cancer Early Diagnosis, Screening and Education Centers" (CEDSECs), with a special focus on health promotion. Methods: The study group included 332 women, aged 30-70 years, who had attended any of the three centers in Ankara and had volunteered to participate in the study with a follow-up. A mixed methods design (before and after surveys, medical records and focus groups) was used for data collection. Descriptive statistics, the chi-square test, Fisher's exact test, McNemar's chi-square test, Bowker's test for symmetry and the paired samples t test were used for quantitative data analysis, whereas, manifest content analysis was used for qualitative data. Results: Of the participants surveyed after they had used the services of the centers (n=319), 97.5% were satisfied with the centers' services. After service delivery, participants' knowledge on cancer preventive measures was significantly higher (p<0.001). Despite an increase in knowledge, educational activities in the centers were not associated with any improvement in health behaviors (p>0.05), except for an increase in breast self-examination (p<0.001). Conclusion: Most women were satisfied with the CEDSEC services and did not encounter problems with cancer screening; however current services seem only to increase cancer awareness without any significant effect on health behaviors. Within the scope of health promotion services, a multidimensional approach is needed including evidence-based educational and behavioral interventions with follow-ups.
Electronic cigarette (e-cigarette) is spreading like an epidemic that threatens the public health... more Electronic cigarette (e-cigarette) is spreading like an epidemic that threatens the public health. Last one year, e-cigarette use increased by 2 times in both adults and children, and just as the cigarette ads of 1950s and 1960s, e-cigarette ads are taking place in the television, radio, internet, magazines and in the all kinds of advertising media. E-sigara should be recognized as a serious health threat, and should be fought against it. The aim of this review is to show the effects of e-cigarette on health by the scientific evidences.
Objective: In this descriptive study, it was aimed to assess attitudes and behaviours of some tax... more Objective: In this descriptive study, it was aimed to assess attitudes and behaviours of some taxi-drivers in Ankara on the smoking ban in cabs under the Law of Preventing the Harmful effects of Tobacco Products. Material and Methods: Face to face interviews were done with 277 taxi-drivers by visiting taxi stations in Altındag and Çankaya districts. Additionally, breath carbon monoxide levels were measured in some drivers after obtaining their informed consent. As a part of this study, the actual smoking status of the drivers and/or clients were recorded by observing the travelling taxies on the junctions of the main streets of the two districts of Ankara. Results: Sixty-four percent of taxi drivers (177 of 277) were current smokers. The majority of these current smokers (108 of 177; 61.0%) reported that they also smoked in the cabs. While more than half of the respondents (55.2%) supported the smoking ban in the cabs, one third (33.2%) of the drivers strongly disagreed with this legislation. Among the taxi drivers, there was an agreement on supporting the smoking bans in certain public places like court halls and the town bus stations (80.2% and 73.6% respectively), but on the other hand, they s were less supportive of the bans in cafes and restaurants, particularly serving alcoholic drink (41.5% and 32.9% respectively). Non-smoker drivers supported the smoking ban legislations more. Conclusion: Findings showed that compliance with the items of the Law which ban smoking in the cabs, were not sufficient. In daily life many traffic policemen are responsible for the regulation of the traffic. It will be efficacious in the eradication of smoke from the cabs, if these traffic police are informed about their authorization and duty on the tobacco control, including fining the taxi drivers who ignore the smoking ban legislation.
Tobacco use is accepted as a major public health problem, killing 6 million people every year glo... more Tobacco use is accepted as a major public health problem, killing 6 million people every year globally. However, millions of lives can be saved by implementing the effective tobacco control measures recommended by WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC), the first international treaty on tobacco control which was accepted in 56th World Health Assembly in 2003. In line with WHO FCTC six effective tobacco control strategies were defined in MPOWER Package in 2008. In Turkey, the first law controlling tobacco came into force in 1996, banning smoking in most indoor public places. By amendment of the law in 2008, Turkey became a completely smoke free country. Turkey achieved major advances on tobacco control during the past 15-20 years; tobacco use was reduced considerably (from 63% to 41% among males, and from 24% to 13% among females), indoor air quality improved (up to 90% reduction of PM2.5 values), health complaints, such as stuffy nose, watering eyes or coughs, of workers at restaurants, hospitality venues were reduced), and acute health effects of smoking such as cardiovascular and respiratory conditions were reduced. Turkey is the only country implementing all six measures of the MPOWER package successfully and was used as a model for other countries by WHO. Nevertheless, there is still much to do in Turkey as there is a high smoking prevalence and still some violations of smoking bans in indoor places.
BACKGROUND: Comprehensive tobacco control law in Turkey bans advertisement, promotion of tobacco ... more BACKGROUND: Comprehensive tobacco control law in Turkey bans advertisement, promotion of tobacco products and sponsorship by the tobacco industry. Advertisement of tobacco products was banned on television, billboards and press media, but not on movie films. METHODS: To evaluate the frequency and duration of smoking in the movies, 60 most watched Turkish films which were on the vision during the second half of 2016 were determined for this descriptive study. Two young males having a university degree were trained on the aim and methodology of the study. Then the two observers viewed the films independently and recorded smoking scenes or direct appearance of tobacco products on a standard form. RESULTS: There were tobacco products or smoking views in 36 (60%) out of total 60 movies. In these movies there were 4.75 times tobacco occurrences as an average (median 3). Average duration of smoking occurrences was almost 3.5 min (198 s). Smokers were mostly main characters and smoking occurrences were mostly in exciting or romantic atmosphere, which are attractive for young people. DISCUSSION: In the light of Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (Article 13), smoking scenes in movies are considered as kind of tobacco advertisement and promotion, which influences smoking behavior particularly the young people. Therefore, control and prevention of smoking occurrences in movies are important for the protection of children and young people to start smoking. Some health warnings and anti-tobacco messages may be placed in the movies, to reduce tobacco views in the movies.
This descriptive study was conducted on totally 460 students from the departments of nutrition an... more This descriptive study was conducted on totally 460 students from the departments of nutrition and dietetic (n=143) and nursing (n=317) of a health college located in Akşehir County of Konya City in the period of December 1st-31st, 2015. Within the scope of the study, age, gender, department and grade characteristics of students, their individual and family member’s status in terms of consuming tobacco products, and their opinions regarding pictorial warnings to be printed on cigarettes packs, regulated by the European Union published on 17.12.2014.As a result of the study, it was determined that students’ opinions regarding efficiency of written and pictorial warnings on cigarettes packs were differing with respect to students’ gender and sigarettes usage status; and that illustrations on cigarettes packs were found more effective by female students and non-cigarettes user.Especially activities such as training programs, seminars/congress/conferences for male students and cigarette...
Raising the price of tobacco products has been shown to reduce tobacco consumption in the United ... more Raising the price of tobacco products has been shown to reduce tobacco consumption in the United States and other high-income countries, and evidence of this impact has been growing for low- and middle-income countries as well. Turkey is a middle-income country surveyed by the Global Adult Tobacco Survey (GATS) twice in a 4-year period, in 2008 and 2012. During this time, the country introduced a policy raising its Special Consumption Tax on Tobacco and implemented a comprehensive tobacco control program banning smoking in public places, banning advertising, and introducing graphic health warnings. The higher tobacco tax took effect in early 2010, allowing sufficient time for subsequent changes in prices and smoking to be observed by the time of the 2012 GATS. This report uses data from GATS Turkey to examine how cigarette prices changed after the 2010 tax increase, describe the temporally associated changes in smoking prevalence, and learn whether this smoking prevalence changed mo...
After putting forward the health, social, environmental, economic and other consequences of tobac... more After putting forward the health, social, environmental, economic and other consequences of tobacco use, beginning with developed countries over the last half a century, a number of studies to control tobacco use have been initiated. For this purpose, intervention techniques for tobacco-dependent individuals are being successfully used. However, tobacco control studies should not be just for those people using tobacco. Therefore, apart from the individual approaches enabling people to quit smoking, some social studies should be performed as well. Some of these studies may include the use of medical methods, while others will necessitate legal regulations. With regard to the introduction and implementation of individual and social programs and regulations, social marketing methods should be taken into consideration. In this review, together with information given on individual implementation in the form of the diagnosis and treatment of tobacco dependence to decrease the use of tobac...
The study was conducted with the aim of evaluating applied occupational health teaching for final... more The study was conducted with the aim of evaluating applied occupational health teaching for final-year medical students at Hacettepe University, Faculty of Medicine. The study included all sixth grade medical students (n=293) during one academic year. Pre- and post-training tests were used to assess the magnitude of change in knowledge and attitude of students on occupational health, whereas the opinion of students on several aspects of the quality of teaching sessions were assessed by using post-training questionnaires. Post-training tests revealed that the level of knowledge on all aspects of occupational health increased among medical students. An evaluation of the teaching sessions showed favorable results for the overall quality of the sessions: 81.3% of the students stated that the sessions were well organized, 81.7% remarked the workplace/factory visit was a valuable experience, and 91.0% stated feeling more competent on occupational health issues. There was a greater increas...
Data from high-income countries suggest that cell phone-based smoking cessation programs have the... more Data from high-income countries suggest that cell phone-based smoking cessation programs have the potential to affect cessation rates. There is a paucity of research, however, about the feasibility of cell phone-based smoking cessation programs in lower income countries that have higher smoking prevalence rates. A one-arm feasibility and acceptability pilot study of SMS Turkey, a text messaging-based smoking cessation program, was conducted in Ankara, the capital of Turkey. The authors recruited 75 daily smokers who were seriously thinking about quitting in the subsequent 30 days into the 6-week SMS Turkey program. Recruitment was completed in 4 months. Participant retention was high: Almost all (96%) completed the program, and 84% provided 12-week follow-up data. Most (89%) of the respondents who completed the 4-week follow-up measures (n = 38, 51%) said that the text messages were easy to understand and referred to what they were experiencing and feeling during the quitting process (78%). On the basis of intention to treat, 13% of participants (n = 10) reported, at 12-week follow-up, continuous abstinence since their quit date, confirmed by carbon monoxide readings. The cell phone text messaging-based smoking cessation intervention appears feasible and acceptable in Ankara, Turkey.
Amaç: İşyerlerinde sağlığın geliştirilmesi önemli çalışma alanlarından birini oluşturmaktadır. Bu... more Amaç: İşyerlerinde sağlığın geliştirilmesi önemli çalışma alanlarından birini oluşturmaktadır. Bu proje kapsamında bir devlet kuruluşu ile bir üniversite arasında yapılan protokol çerçevesinde büro çalışanlarına yönelik sağlığın geliştirilmesi müdahale modeli geliştirilmesi amaçlanmıştır. Yöntem: Proje çalışmalarının başında durum saptama çalışması yapılmıştır. Müdahaleler sırasında konferans, poster ve broşürler, bilgisayar üzerinden kısa mesajlar ve etkinlikler düzenlenmiştir. Müdahale sonrasında tekrar bir araştırma ile katılanların davranış değişiklikleri ve proje hakkındaki görüşleri öğrenilmiştir. Bulgular: Projenin birinci ve ikinci aşama çalışmalarına katılan 441 kişinin müdahaleler hakkındaki görüşleri ve beyan ettikleri davranış değişiklikleri değerlendirilmiştir. Katılımcıların %78.1’i proje çerçeevsinde yapılan müdahaleleri çok etkili ve etkili olarak değerlendirmişlerdir. Çalışmaya katılanların %70,7’si son bir yıl içinde daha sağlıklı olmaya özen gösterdiklerini belirt...
Örgütü (DSÖ)'nün 2003 yılındaki Genel Kurulu toplantısında üye ülkelerin oy birliği ile kabul edi... more Örgütü (DSÖ)'nün 2003 yılındaki Genel Kurulu toplantısında üye ülkelerin oy birliği ile kabul edilmiştir. DSÖ'nün ilk ve tek Sözleşme metni olan bu düzenleme DSÖ'nün tütün kontrolü konusuna verdiği öneme işaret etmektedir. Çerçeve Sözleşme tütün kullanımını azaltmaya yönelik düzenlemeleri esas olarak iki ana başlık halinde ifade etmektedir. Bunlardan birincisi tütüne olan talebin azaltılmasına yönelik önlemler, ikincisi de tütün arzının azaltılmasına yönelik önlemlerdir. Tütüne olan talebin azaltılmasına yönelik önlemler arasında halkın tütün kullanmanın zararları konusunda eğitilmesi ve bilinçlendirilmesi, sigara içenlere bırakmaları konusunda destek sağlanması, sigara dumanından pasif etkilenimin önlenmesi, tütün ürünlerinin içeriğinin topluma anlatılması, tütün ürünlerinin reklam ve tanıtımının yasaklanması gibi önlemler yer almaktadır. Tütün arzının azaltılmasına yönelik önlemler arasında da tütün ürünlerinin kaçakçılığının önlenmesi, çocuklara sigara ve tütün ürünlerinin satışının yasaklanması, tütüne alternatif tarım politikalarının geliştirilmesi gibi önlemler vardır. Türkiye bu Sözleşmenin kabulünden önce 1996 yılında çıkardığı Tütün Kontrolü Kanunu ile bu önlemlerin çoğunu benimsemiştir. Bu yasanın 2008 yılında kapsamının genişletilmesi ile de Çerçeve Sözleşmede yer alan bütün kurallar Kanun kapsamında ifade edilmiştir. Tütün Kontrolü Çerçeve Sözleşmesi 2004 yılında TBMM tarafından onaylanarak Türkiye'nin iç mevzuatı haline gelmiştir. Çerçeve Sözleşmenin kabul edilmesinden beş yıl sonra DSÖ tarafından bu konuda ülkelere yol gösterici rehber niteliğinde MPOWER paketi yayınlanmıştır. Türkiye hem Çerçeve Sözleşme hükümlerini hem de MPOWER stratejilerini eksiksiz şekilde uygulayarak dünyada tütün kontrolü konusunda örnek bir ülke haline gelmiş ve Türkiye'nin bu başarısı DSÖ tarafından da takdir edilmiştir.
Objective: This study was conducted in order to evaluate ideas of some cafe and restaurants' clie... more Objective: This study was conducted in order to evaluate ideas of some cafe and restaurants' clients and workers about the tobacco control law three years after entering into force in a central district in Ankara in 2008. Methods: In the descriptive study;105 management, 113 worker and 386 client was visited, face to face interviews were done using two different questionnaire form and another form for managements' evaluation. SPSS 15.0 statistical package program, Chi-square and t-tests were used. Administrative leave was taken. Results: Mean age of workers was 30.1±8.32 years; 82.3% were men, 54.0% smoker; with clients the values are 27.7±8.61 years; 53.6% women and 39.4% were smokers. There's a difference between smokers and non-smokers' ideas about the hazards; death due to secondhand smoking (p=0.024; p<0.01). 80.3% of smokers and 74.3% of non-smokers knew the law in restaurants serving alcoholic beverages. Acceptance of the idea of the law could help to quit smoking was significantly different between smoker/non smoker workers and smoker/non smoker clients (p=0.004;p<0.001). According to observations, 7.6% of the managements didn't have law related plaque, 94.1% had smoking free areas, 57.1% had show window, 22.7% had smoking individuals and 12.6% had ashtray. Conclusion: Tobacco use is an individualistic reality but also a public health issue. Publicly acceptance of 45 law and implementations are needed besides individual perceptions. Implementations must be inspected and Smokers' observance of the rules must be supplied in order to decrease tobacco use and related health complications.
Objective: Prevention remains the most cost-effective long term strategy for cancer control. This... more Objective: Prevention remains the most cost-effective long term strategy for cancer control. This study assessed health services delivered by the "Cancer Early Diagnosis, Screening and Education Centers" (CEDSECs), with a special focus on health promotion. Methods: The study group included 332 women, aged 30-70 years, who had attended any of the three centers in Ankara and had volunteered to participate in the study with a follow-up. A mixed methods design (before and after surveys, medical records and focus groups) was used for data collection. Descriptive statistics, the chi-square test, Fisher's exact test, McNemar's chi-square test, Bowker's test for symmetry and the paired samples t test were used for quantitative data analysis, whereas, manifest content analysis was used for qualitative data. Results: Of the participants surveyed after they had used the services of the centers (n=319), 97.5% were satisfied with the centers' services. After service delivery, participants' knowledge on cancer preventive measures was significantly higher (p<0.001). Despite an increase in knowledge, educational activities in the centers were not associated with any improvement in health behaviors (p>0.05), except for an increase in breast self-examination (p<0.001). Conclusion: Most women were satisfied with the CEDSEC services and did not encounter problems with cancer screening; however current services seem only to increase cancer awareness without any significant effect on health behaviors. Within the scope of health promotion services, a multidimensional approach is needed including evidence-based educational and behavioral interventions with follow-ups.
Electronic cigarette (e-cigarette) is spreading like an epidemic that threatens the public health... more Electronic cigarette (e-cigarette) is spreading like an epidemic that threatens the public health. Last one year, e-cigarette use increased by 2 times in both adults and children, and just as the cigarette ads of 1950s and 1960s, e-cigarette ads are taking place in the television, radio, internet, magazines and in the all kinds of advertising media. E-sigara should be recognized as a serious health threat, and should be fought against it. The aim of this review is to show the effects of e-cigarette on health by the scientific evidences.
Objective: In this descriptive study, it was aimed to assess attitudes and behaviours of some tax... more Objective: In this descriptive study, it was aimed to assess attitudes and behaviours of some taxi-drivers in Ankara on the smoking ban in cabs under the Law of Preventing the Harmful effects of Tobacco Products. Material and Methods: Face to face interviews were done with 277 taxi-drivers by visiting taxi stations in Altındag and Çankaya districts. Additionally, breath carbon monoxide levels were measured in some drivers after obtaining their informed consent. As a part of this study, the actual smoking status of the drivers and/or clients were recorded by observing the travelling taxies on the junctions of the main streets of the two districts of Ankara. Results: Sixty-four percent of taxi drivers (177 of 277) were current smokers. The majority of these current smokers (108 of 177; 61.0%) reported that they also smoked in the cabs. While more than half of the respondents (55.2%) supported the smoking ban in the cabs, one third (33.2%) of the drivers strongly disagreed with this legislation. Among the taxi drivers, there was an agreement on supporting the smoking bans in certain public places like court halls and the town bus stations (80.2% and 73.6% respectively), but on the other hand, they s were less supportive of the bans in cafes and restaurants, particularly serving alcoholic drink (41.5% and 32.9% respectively). Non-smoker drivers supported the smoking ban legislations more. Conclusion: Findings showed that compliance with the items of the Law which ban smoking in the cabs, were not sufficient. In daily life many traffic policemen are responsible for the regulation of the traffic. It will be efficacious in the eradication of smoke from the cabs, if these traffic police are informed about their authorization and duty on the tobacco control, including fining the taxi drivers who ignore the smoking ban legislation.
Tobacco use is accepted as a major public health problem, killing 6 million people every year glo... more Tobacco use is accepted as a major public health problem, killing 6 million people every year globally. However, millions of lives can be saved by implementing the effective tobacco control measures recommended by WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC), the first international treaty on tobacco control which was accepted in 56th World Health Assembly in 2003. In line with WHO FCTC six effective tobacco control strategies were defined in MPOWER Package in 2008. In Turkey, the first law controlling tobacco came into force in 1996, banning smoking in most indoor public places. By amendment of the law in 2008, Turkey became a completely smoke free country. Turkey achieved major advances on tobacco control during the past 15-20 years; tobacco use was reduced considerably (from 63% to 41% among males, and from 24% to 13% among females), indoor air quality improved (up to 90% reduction of PM2.5 values), health complaints, such as stuffy nose, watering eyes or coughs, of workers at restaurants, hospitality venues were reduced), and acute health effects of smoking such as cardiovascular and respiratory conditions were reduced. Turkey is the only country implementing all six measures of the MPOWER package successfully and was used as a model for other countries by WHO. Nevertheless, there is still much to do in Turkey as there is a high smoking prevalence and still some violations of smoking bans in indoor places.
BACKGROUND: Comprehensive tobacco control law in Turkey bans advertisement, promotion of tobacco ... more BACKGROUND: Comprehensive tobacco control law in Turkey bans advertisement, promotion of tobacco products and sponsorship by the tobacco industry. Advertisement of tobacco products was banned on television, billboards and press media, but not on movie films. METHODS: To evaluate the frequency and duration of smoking in the movies, 60 most watched Turkish films which were on the vision during the second half of 2016 were determined for this descriptive study. Two young males having a university degree were trained on the aim and methodology of the study. Then the two observers viewed the films independently and recorded smoking scenes or direct appearance of tobacco products on a standard form. RESULTS: There were tobacco products or smoking views in 36 (60%) out of total 60 movies. In these movies there were 4.75 times tobacco occurrences as an average (median 3). Average duration of smoking occurrences was almost 3.5 min (198 s). Smokers were mostly main characters and smoking occurrences were mostly in exciting or romantic atmosphere, which are attractive for young people. DISCUSSION: In the light of Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (Article 13), smoking scenes in movies are considered as kind of tobacco advertisement and promotion, which influences smoking behavior particularly the young people. Therefore, control and prevention of smoking occurrences in movies are important for the protection of children and young people to start smoking. Some health warnings and anti-tobacco messages may be placed in the movies, to reduce tobacco views in the movies.
This descriptive study was conducted on totally 460 students from the departments of nutrition an... more This descriptive study was conducted on totally 460 students from the departments of nutrition and dietetic (n=143) and nursing (n=317) of a health college located in Akşehir County of Konya City in the period of December 1st-31st, 2015. Within the scope of the study, age, gender, department and grade characteristics of students, their individual and family member’s status in terms of consuming tobacco products, and their opinions regarding pictorial warnings to be printed on cigarettes packs, regulated by the European Union published on 17.12.2014.As a result of the study, it was determined that students’ opinions regarding efficiency of written and pictorial warnings on cigarettes packs were differing with respect to students’ gender and sigarettes usage status; and that illustrations on cigarettes packs were found more effective by female students and non-cigarettes user.Especially activities such as training programs, seminars/congress/conferences for male students and cigarette...
Raising the price of tobacco products has been shown to reduce tobacco consumption in the United ... more Raising the price of tobacco products has been shown to reduce tobacco consumption in the United States and other high-income countries, and evidence of this impact has been growing for low- and middle-income countries as well. Turkey is a middle-income country surveyed by the Global Adult Tobacco Survey (GATS) twice in a 4-year period, in 2008 and 2012. During this time, the country introduced a policy raising its Special Consumption Tax on Tobacco and implemented a comprehensive tobacco control program banning smoking in public places, banning advertising, and introducing graphic health warnings. The higher tobacco tax took effect in early 2010, allowing sufficient time for subsequent changes in prices and smoking to be observed by the time of the 2012 GATS. This report uses data from GATS Turkey to examine how cigarette prices changed after the 2010 tax increase, describe the temporally associated changes in smoking prevalence, and learn whether this smoking prevalence changed mo...
After putting forward the health, social, environmental, economic and other consequences of tobac... more After putting forward the health, social, environmental, economic and other consequences of tobacco use, beginning with developed countries over the last half a century, a number of studies to control tobacco use have been initiated. For this purpose, intervention techniques for tobacco-dependent individuals are being successfully used. However, tobacco control studies should not be just for those people using tobacco. Therefore, apart from the individual approaches enabling people to quit smoking, some social studies should be performed as well. Some of these studies may include the use of medical methods, while others will necessitate legal regulations. With regard to the introduction and implementation of individual and social programs and regulations, social marketing methods should be taken into consideration. In this review, together with information given on individual implementation in the form of the diagnosis and treatment of tobacco dependence to decrease the use of tobac...
The study was conducted with the aim of evaluating applied occupational health teaching for final... more The study was conducted with the aim of evaluating applied occupational health teaching for final-year medical students at Hacettepe University, Faculty of Medicine. The study included all sixth grade medical students (n=293) during one academic year. Pre- and post-training tests were used to assess the magnitude of change in knowledge and attitude of students on occupational health, whereas the opinion of students on several aspects of the quality of teaching sessions were assessed by using post-training questionnaires. Post-training tests revealed that the level of knowledge on all aspects of occupational health increased among medical students. An evaluation of the teaching sessions showed favorable results for the overall quality of the sessions: 81.3% of the students stated that the sessions were well organized, 81.7% remarked the workplace/factory visit was a valuable experience, and 91.0% stated feeling more competent on occupational health issues. There was a greater increas...
Data from high-income countries suggest that cell phone-based smoking cessation programs have the... more Data from high-income countries suggest that cell phone-based smoking cessation programs have the potential to affect cessation rates. There is a paucity of research, however, about the feasibility of cell phone-based smoking cessation programs in lower income countries that have higher smoking prevalence rates. A one-arm feasibility and acceptability pilot study of SMS Turkey, a text messaging-based smoking cessation program, was conducted in Ankara, the capital of Turkey. The authors recruited 75 daily smokers who were seriously thinking about quitting in the subsequent 30 days into the 6-week SMS Turkey program. Recruitment was completed in 4 months. Participant retention was high: Almost all (96%) completed the program, and 84% provided 12-week follow-up data. Most (89%) of the respondents who completed the 4-week follow-up measures (n = 38, 51%) said that the text messages were easy to understand and referred to what they were experiencing and feeling during the quitting process (78%). On the basis of intention to treat, 13% of participants (n = 10) reported, at 12-week follow-up, continuous abstinence since their quit date, confirmed by carbon monoxide readings. The cell phone text messaging-based smoking cessation intervention appears feasible and acceptable in Ankara, Turkey.
Uploads
Papers by Nazmi Bilir