Objective: In this study, we evaluated the knowledge and perception and mitigation of hazards involved in radiological examinations, focusing on healthcare personnel who are not in radiation-related occupations, but who use ionising radiation as a part of their work. Methods: A questionnaire was applied to physicians, nurses, technicians and other staff working in different clinics that use radiation in their work, in order to evaluate their knowledge levels about ionizing radiation and their awareness about radiation doses resulting from radiological examinations. The statistical comparisons between the groups were analyzed with the Kruskal Wallis test using the SPSS program. Results: Ninety two participants took part in the study. Their level of knowledge about ionizing radiation and doses in radiological examinations were found to be very weak. The number of correct answers of physicians, nurses, medical technicians and other personnel groups were 15.7±3.7, 13.0±4.0, 10.1±2.9 and 11.8±4.0, respectively. In the statistical comparison between the groups, the level of knowledge of physicians was found to be significantly higher than the level of the other groups (p=0.005). Conclusion: The present study demonstrated that general knowledge in relation to radiation, radiation protection, health risks and doses used for radiological applications are insufficient among health professions using with ionizing radiation in their work.

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These results suggest that the menarche occurs earlier in the daughters than their mothers. The correlation between the menarcheal age of the girls and their mothers persists under all circumstances except in obesity. The mother's menarcheal age is a good predictor of the daughter's menarcheal age in non-obese girls and the BMI is an important factor.

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This is one of the first studies about sexual risk-taking behaviors among high school students in Turkey. Differences found between gender groups regarding attitudes and behaviors reflect the social structure in Turkey. These findings may be helpful in producing effective solutions for improving education and preventive health care.

The objective was to determine the level of knowledge on diabetes in an adult population in Turkey. In this cross-sectional study, 524 people aged over 30 were selected from the population of Narlidere Health District, Izmir, Turkey. A questionnaire was performed to determine sociodemographic characteristics and knowledge of diabetes. Each item on the questionnaire was given a score with a possible final total of 100 points. Knowledge level was evaluated in the whole group, DM-positive and -negative groups. "DM-positive" group refers to respondents who either have diabetes themselves or whose relatives have it. "DM-negative" group refers to respondents who do not have diabetes themselves and whose relatives do not. In total, 479 people were included in the study (response rate=87.6%). The mean age of the study group was 50.2+/-12.8 and 61% of them were women. Mean diabetes knowledge scores were 62.9+/-17.9 for the study group, 68.3+/-16.1 for the "DM-positive" group and 60.6+/-18.2 for the "DM-negative" group. The "DM-negative" group had a significantly lower mean score than the other two groups. Overall, diabetes knowledge was higher in participants with diabetes or who had a relative with diabetes, who were educated for more than 5 years and who had health insurance. The diabetes knowledge of the study group was not satisfactory. Diabetics and people who have relatives with diabetes had a higher knowledge level than the population without diabetes. Detailed information regarding diabetes should be provided to not only diabetics, but also the population as a whole.

The project is unique for being the first community-based cohort on CVD risk factors in a Turkish setting. This project will have a valuable contribution on not only determining CVD risks, but also incorporating interventions for prevention.

Objective: Cardiovascular diseases (CVD) are the largest cause of morbidity and mortality in Turkey and in the World. Heart of Balçova Project is a community-based health promotion project that aims to reduce CVD incidence and prevalence through risk factor modification in the individual and population level. This paper presents results of the baseline survey that aimed to define CVD risk factors and risk of developing coronary heart disease (CHD) in the Balçova population. Methods: The study population included 36,187 people over 30 years of age residing in Balçova in 2007. Individuals were interviewed at their homes. Anthropometrics and blood pressure were measured and in total 12914 fasting blood samples were collected for lipid and glucose analyses. CHD risk was estimated using Framingham risk equation. Student's t test, Chi-square for trend test and ANOVA were used to compare mean levels and percentages of risk factors between age groups and gender. Results: In total 5552 men and 10528 women participated in the study. Smoking prevalence was 38.6% in men and 26.8% in women. The prevalence of obesity was 29.4% among men and 44.2% among women and obesity prevalence increased until the age group 75 years old. While 14.6% of men and 12.6% of women had diabetes, 39.8% of men and 41.8% of women had hypertension. The prevalence of high total cholesterol was 56.0% in men and 50.6% in women. Men had a higher risk of developing CHD compared to women in the following 10 years (13.4% vs 2.5%). Conclusion: The prevalence of preventable risk factors for CHD is very high in Balçova population. Community-based interventions should be planned and implemented targeting both the high-risk individuals and whole population. (Anadolu Kardiyol Derg 2013; 13: 9-17) Key words: Diabetes mellitus, obesity, smoking, Framingham risk score, coronary heart disease, prevalence