Person: TOPUZOĞLU, AHMET
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TOPUZOĞLU
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AHMET
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Publication Metadata only Do perceived health risks outweigh the benefits of modern contraceptives? A qualitative study in a suburban population in Istanbul, Turkey(TAYLOR & FRANCIS LTD, 2007) TOPUZOĞLU, AHMET; Ay, P.; Hidiroglu, S.; Topuzoglu, A.; Ucar, M. Solakoglu; Kose, O. O.; Save, D.Objectives To evaluate the health concerns and the perceived non-contraceptive benefits of modern contraceptive methods through utilizing qualitative methods. Methods Six focus group discussions were carried out with a total of 53 married women in a socio-economically disadvantaged community in Istanbul, Turkey. Results Women had a vague knowledge of the mechanism of menstruation. Some women believed that the uterus was filled with blood-termed 'dirty blood'-which should be eliminated during menstruation in order to stay healthy. For this reason, amenorrhoea was recognized as the important disadvantage of the progestin-only injectable contraceptives. While the participants mentioned fallacious and exaggerated side effects related to modern methods they did not recognize their non-contraceptive benefits. Most women gained the information concerning side effects through their social networks. Sometimes the information acquired was based on rumours that biased women against the modern contraceptives. Conclusions Women outweighed the risks, some of which were fallacious and exaggerated, against the benefits of modern contraceptives. It is crucial to address health concerns of women and what they 'heard' from their peers during counselling sessions. Also the non-contraceptive health benefits of modern methods should be well emphasized. Since informal sources are prevalent, the effectiveness of peer education should be studied in this community.Publication Metadata only Assessment of sociodemographic factors and socio-economic status affecting the coverage of compulsory and private immunization services in Istanbul, Turkey(W B SAUNDERS CO LTD, 2005) TOPUZOĞLU, AHMET; Topuzoglu, A; Ozaydin, GAN; Cali, S; Cebeci, D; Kalaca, S; Harmanci, HObjectives: The primary objective of this study was to determine the coverage of the Expanded Programme of Immunization (EPI) of the Ministry of Health and the coverage of private vaccines in the Umraniye Health District in order to establish approaches for improving vaccination services. Other objectives were to define the areas that present higher risks for non-vaccination and to determine the factors that influence vaccination coverage. Methods: A '30X7' cluster sampling design was adopted as the sampling method. Thirty streets were selected at random from each healthcare region. Sociodemographic and socio-economic characteristics of the population, utilization of vaccination services and vaccination status of children under the age of 5 years were determined by face-to-face interviews. Odds ratios for the sociodemographic and socio-economic characteristics, health centre region and inner country immigration were assessed as possible related factors with the vaccination coverage rates for children under 5 years and under 1 year using the backward elimination method in logistic regression. Results: Vaccination coverage was as follows: hepatitis B third dose, 84.6%; Bacitle Calmette-Guerin, 94.8%; diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis (DPT) third dose, 90.1%; oral polio virus (OPV) third dose, 90.0%; measles, 88.7%; DPT booster dose, 79.1%; OPV booster dose, 79.0%; measles, mumps, rubella (MMR), 13.3%; haemophilus influenza type b (Hib), 9.3%; and Varicella vaccine, 3.3%. The full vaccination rates for children under 5 years and under 1 year were 68.3 and 79.5%, respectively. Higher socioeconomic status was associated with a higher rate of full vaccination and private vaccination for children under 5 years of age. Conclusions: Full vaccination rates for children aged less than 1 year and less than 5 years were higher in our district than in Istanbul. However, we did not meet the EPI aims for any of the vaccines, and differences were observed in vaccination coverage rates between different socio-economic groups in the district. Therefore, an intervention programme should be considered to achieve the EPI's goals, particularly in socio-economically disadvantaged groups. Also, the coverage of private vaccination (MMR, Hib, Varicella) is tow and more children from higher socioeconomic groups receive these vaccines. (c) 2005 The Royal Institute of Public Health. Published by Elsevier Ltd. ALL rights reserved.Publication Metadata only The influence of gender roles on health seeking behaviour during pregnancy in Turkey(TAYLOR & FRANCIS LTD, 2009) TOPUZOĞLU, AHMET; Ay, Pinar; Hayran, Osman; Topuzoglu, Ahmet; Hidiroglu, Seyhan; Coskun, Anahit; Save, Dilsad; Nalbant, Hacer; Ozdemir, Erhan; Eker, LeventObjectives To explore the impact of gender roles in relation to health seeking behaviour during pregnancy and childbirth. Methods The study was conducted in neighbourhoods with low antenatal care rates in three provinces of Turkey. The study population consisted of pregnant women who never got or discontinued antenatal care and their peers, families and community leaders. Sixteen focus group discussions and 125 in-depth interviews were conducted with a total of 239 participants. Results Pregnancy and childbirth are interwoven strongly with gender roles. Since the patriarchal system acknowledges women through the means of childbirth, women are expected to have many children. Hence women experience pregnancy as a burden and are not motivated to seek antenatal care. During pregnancy, only 'serious' conditions are considered as legitimate reasons for accessing care. However, the decision regarding whether a pregnant woman is seriously sick or not belongs to the responsibilities of elder women, which delays service use. Conclusions Providing information regarding the value of antenatal care also to elder women is essential in increasing the demand to the services. Incorporating gender perspectives into daily health practice and maintaining access to high quality reproductive care services are vital in reducing the gender based barriers to care.