This study assesses the interior air quality and infective factors in a hospital in Turkey to provide data about air quality to protect hospital workers. This study measured indoor air quality in eight different locations in a hospital, including particulate matter (PM2.5 and PM1), carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, temperature, humidity and microbiological matter. The highest PM2.5 and PM1 concentrations were in emergency service, and the highest CO2 was measured in the paediatric clinic. The poor interior air quality results are the most important cross-sectional data. For all participants, the prevalence of eye, upper respiratory tract, lower respiratory tract, skin and non-specific sick building syndrome symptoms were 23.0%, 40.7%, 22.5%, 36.3% and 63.7%, respectively. When sick building syndrome symptoms and environmental factors were investigated, skin symptoms increased 1.82 times in areas with stagnant air flow (p = 0.046; OR = 1.823; 95% CI: 1.010–3.290). Non-specific symptoms increased 2.17 times in locations with dry indoor air (p = 0.039; OR = 2.176; 95% CI: 1.041–4.549). Hospital workers are exposed to conditions that may increase the risk of a variety of sick building syndrome symptoms. Although the air quality measurements were not above the recommended limits in the hospital, long-term exposures should be considered for those experiencing sick building syndrome-related symptoms.

Background: Hand hygiene is a cheap, simple, and an effective method that is necessarily implemented in crowded areas such as schools where infectious diseases can spread easily. Objective: To improve hand hygiene of students from grade 6 to 8 in a primary school from Canakkale, Turkey. Materials and Methods: This research was conducted in the educational year of 2012-2013 in a primary school, Kepez, Canakkale, Turkey. The subjects consisted of 185 primary school students from grade 6 to 8. Of these, 161 (participation rate = 87%) students participated. It was an educational study devoted to improve skills about hand hygiene. This study was carried out in three steps. First, a self-answered questionnaire and a standard checklist were used before hand hygiene training. Second, after 1 week from this first step, students were trained for improving hand-washing skills. Immediately afterward the training course, researchers observed each student for the assessment of their hand-washing habits and then filled the skill checklist. The last evaluation was made in the third step after 3 months from the training course. Students' hand-washing skill scores before and after the training were compared. Statistical analyses were performed using the SPSS software, version 19.0. A p-value of less than 0.05 was considered to be statistically significant. Results: Of 161 participants, 50.1% were boys and 49.0% were girls with the mean age of 12.6 ± 0.9 (min 11; max 14) years. Of these participants, 32.3% were from grade 6, 32.3% from grade 7, and 35.4% from grade 8; 98.1% students were living in Kepez and 1.9% were living in village. A statistically significant difference was detected between the first practice, which was made before training, and the second and third practices, which were made after training, in terms of handwashing skill development (p o 0.001). After the training, hand-washing skill scores showed a significant increase than before-training skill scores in both female and male students (p o 0.001). Conclusion: In this study, hand-washing skill training was found to be effective. In addition, students were found to be successful on implementing hand-washing skills in the last practice that was done after 3 months from the training course. However, it should be considered that newly acquired behaviors must be followed once in 6 months or in a year with continuity for these behaviors to be permanent and long standing.

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ÖzetGünümüzde iş sağlığını olumsuz yönde etkileyen düşük iş doyumu ve yüksek tükenmişlik düzeyleri, farklı mesleklerden çok sayıda çalışanı tehdit etmektedir. Bu çalışmada İstanbul'da çalışan veteriner hekimlerin iş doyumu ve tükenmişlik düzeylerini ve bununla ilişkili faktörleri belirlemek amaçlandı. Kesitsel tipteki bu çalışmaya 145 kişi katıldı. Verilerin toplanmasında web tabanlı anket formu kullanıldı. Anket formunun ilk bölümünde sosyo-demografik özellikleri inceleyen sorular, ikinci bölümünde Minnesota iş doyumu ile Maslach tükenmişlik düzeyini ölçen sorular yer aldı. Elde edilen verilerin istatistiksel analizinde bağımsız gruplar arasında t testi, Tukey testi ve tek yönlü varyans analizi uygulandı. Katılımcıların yaş ortalaması 36.8 idi (min:24-maks:57). Katılımcıların %73.8'i (n:107) erkek, %73.1'i (n:106) evli, %57.2'sinin (n:83) çocuğu vardı. Cinsiyet ve "mesleğini kendi isteği ile seçenler" ile iş doyumu ve tükenmişlik puanları arasında anlamlı bir ilişki saptanmadı. Düşük iş doyumu ve tükenmişlik gözlenen bireylerde, medeni durum, yaş grubu, "şimdi olsa yine aynı mesleği seçerim" ve "şu anda çalıştığım yerden ayrılmayı düşünüyorum" ifadeleri ile ölçek puanları arasında istatistiksel anlamlı bir fark vardı. Çalışma grubunda veteriner hekimler arasında iş doyumu orta düzeyde, tükenmişlik ise alt düzeyde saptandı. İşe bağlı risk faktörlerinin de inceleneceği çalışmaların aydınlatıcı olacağı düşüncesindeyiz. Anahtar sözcükler: İş doyumu, İş sağlığı, Tükenmişlik, Veteriner hekim Job Satisfaction and Burnout Level of Veterinarian Working at Istanbul SummaryLow job satisfaction and high levels of job burnout which is a threat to occupational health is affecting a large number of professions. In the present study, it was aimed to identify factors associated with job satisfaction and burnout levels. 145 people participated in this cross-sectional study. Data was obtained using a web based questionnaire including questions about socio-demographic variables, Minnesota satisfaction questionnaire and the Maslach burnout inventory. The mean age of the participants was 36.8 (min: 24 -max: 57). 73.8% (n=107) were male, 73.1% (n=106) were married and 57.2% (n=83) had children. Choosing the profession with his own request and gender showed no relation with job satisfaction and burnout. Marital status and age group significantly contributed to the answers of the survey questions: "I would choose the same profession again if I had another chance" and "I think to resign from my current workplace" in terms of job satisfaction and burnout. In the present study, moderate levels of job satisfaction and lower levels of burnout among veterinarians was found. We believe that further studies evaluating work-related risk factors can be useful.

Objective: Analyzing mortality rates and the reasons for these in Turkey's urban allocations using geographic information systems (GISs) is a new research area. While planning health services, knowing the mortality rates and reasons according to age and residential area are a big source of information for health planners and people who provide health services. The aim of this research is to analyze the deaths of children under the age of 5 years in big cities depending on a socioeconomic range using GIS. Further, this should make it possible to determine geographically risky places. Materials and Methods:The deaths of children under the age of 5 years that occurred between 2005 and 2009 were analyzed. Date from the Turkish Statistical Institute (Turk Stat) concerning population and age-specified deaths, İstanbul Metropolitan Municipality (IMM) cemetery directorate death records, and the Ministry of Finance land unit prices (to determine the socioeconomic level of the districts) were used as data resources. The Z value of each year's death rate, depending on the districts age ranges and average of all years' Z values, was calculated and is shown on the map.

Protecting and promoting of mental health is one of the major application areas of public health. In particular, Toxoplasma gondii, which is a protozoal zoonosis common in Turkey, it is closely related to veterinary public health. In recent years, T.gondii can induce behavioral changes, may play a role in schizophrenia as an etiologic factor. Results of the recently performed studies shows that T.gondii may be a potential factor for some neuropathological changes in brain and suicide attemption. The purpose of this review is to present the data on recent epidemiology of T.gondii, mental health effects (changes in behavior, suicide, etc.), the relationship between T.gondii and schizophrenia and offer some recommendations for protecting of public health. [TAF Prev Med Bull 2013; 12(2.000): 199-208

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