Excess mortality and disease burden due to conflict in Gaza: focus on the 0-14 age group

Background. The ongoing conflict in Gaza continues to take an unbearable toll, with particularly severe impacts on children. Measuring the burden of conflict-related disease in Gaza in terms of disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) is important in terms of showing this effect. The aim of this study was to calculate the conflict-related DALY in Gaza among children aged 0-14 years, following the October 7 events and compare these values with global and expected values. Methods. We estimated the age and gender distribution of individuals killed or injured in Gaza, and calculated the DALYs, including Years of Life Lost (YLL) and Years Lived with Disability (YLD), attributable to the conflict. These estimates were then compared to the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation data for Palestine and global averages. The study also evaluated the DALY/YLD ratio and excess mortality rate. Results. The DALY per 100,000 population was 160,745.01 (156,986.01-164,503.99) for males, 175,784.51 (170,812.52-180,756.50) for females, and 168,111.39 (164,009.17-172,213.62) overall. The daily DALY burden experienced by Gaza due to conflict indicates an increase of 181.05% compared to Palestinian estimates. The increase was calculated as 115.39% for YLL and 4,268.25% for YLD. Compared to global data for conflict and terrorism, the increases in daily DALY, YLL, and YLD values in Gaza were 1,918.08%, 1,316.32%, and 8,537.50%, respectively. The data calculated in our study indicate that the daily DALY/YLD ratio for the 0-14 age group in Gaza was 333.21 with a p-score of 6,952.0%. Conclusion. To reduce the devastating effects of violence, such as conflict and terrorism, on children’s health, more effective measures should be taken at the international level and preventive strategies should be developed

Cost of Healthcare-associated Infections Developing After Endourologic Surgery and the Efficacy of Control Measures in a Turkish University Hospital

Objective:The study aimed to determine additional costs of healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) in patients undergoing endourologic surgery. It also aimed to evaluate the effect of infection control measures on costs of HAIs.Materials and Methods:This interventional study carried out in patients admitted to the Department of Urology at Osmangazi University Hospital between January 2014 and October 2015. All surgeries were examined in the pre-intervention period for six months and then, a prevention package and education period, which intended to reduce hospital infections, were implemented. In the post-intervention period, all endourological operations were examined for 2 months.Results:The prevalence of HAIs in the pre-intervention and post-intervention periods was 10.1% and 4.9%, respectively. Patients who had healthcare-related infections before or after the intervention had higher costs compared to those who did not get infections. It was found that HAIs decreased by 51% after the intervention (relative risk: 0.49, 95% confidence interval: 0.28-0.86). Thus, an additional cost of 146.332.8±139.29 TL was saved.Conclusion:It is concluded that monitoring and reporting of HAIs regularly by using a simple but effective and evidence-based infection control practices and education programs could decrease the frequency of infection, high additional costs and length of hospital stay

An Evaluation of the Factors Related to Internet Gaming Disorder in Young Adults

Background: Game addiction is a growing problem all over the world. The present study aimed to evaluate the prevalence and psychological, social, and behavioral effects of internet gaming disorder (IGD) on young adults.  Methods: A preliminary study was conducted and the game types most commonly played on the internet were determined. Then, approximately 60 gaming site managers were contacted. After obtaining consent, the questionnaires were sent to gaming site members and they were asked to complete the questionnaires. Data were collected through a sociodemographic form, Internet Gaming Disorder Scale–Short Form (IGDS9-SF), Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ), and State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI). Findings: The study was conducted with 613 participants. The age of the participants ranged from 15 to 30 years, with a mean age of 20.80±4.63 years. The prevalence of IGD was 10% (n=67). Those with low-income families and low academic performance were identified as more likely to develop IGD. Moreover, IGD was revealed to be more likely in individuals with fewer close friends, playing games from an early age, and those with a habit of devoting extensive time to watching online game videos on Twitch or YouTube. In addition, the risk of gaming disorder was approximately two times higher in individuals who preferred First Person Shooter (FPS) games and Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Games (MMORPG).  Conclusion: The results of this study could be useful for estimating the level of IGD and carrying out more comprehensive studies to possibly be able to control IGD

Evaluation of Vaccination Level and Vaccine Literacy in Vocational Health School Students

Purpose: As of 2022, the pandemic COVID-19 has entered a phase of decline thanks to vaccination efforts. In this sense, it is important to determine the vaccination status of young people studying in departments involved in providing health services to the community and to know their thoughts about vaccination. In this study, we aimed to investigate the COVID-19 immunization status and immunization literacy of students at Ankara Yıldırım Beyazıt University-Vocational Health School (AYBU-VHS). Methods: The sample size of the study was calculated with a confidence interval of 95%, α=0.05, d=5%, and an unknown frequency of 50%, and the sample size was set as a minimum of 384. A questionnaire consisting of 4 parts [sociodemographic variables, information about COVID-19 (vaccination status, presence of chronic diseases, etc), COVID-19 knowledge level with 10 questions, and COVID-19 vaccine literacy scale] was used as the data source for the study. Study groups were determined by the dependent variable of having at least one vaccination or being fully vaccinated. Results: 77.8% of the students (N:450) were female (n:350), the mean age was 20.37±3.64 years, 3.1% (n:14) were not vaccinated, and 14.0% (n:63) were not fully vaccinated. When analyzing the group's information about the vaccine COVID-19, unvaccinated individuals agreed at a higher rate that the vaccine COVID-19 could not be effective (p &amp;lt; 0.001), but agreed at a lower rate that the vaccine COVID-19 could also protect against other diseases such as influenza (p=0.002). It was found that individuals with at least one vaccination and fully vaccinated had higher vaccination literacy than unvaccinated and fully unvaccinated individuals (p=0.011; p=0.004). Conclusion: Nearly 20% of students are still not fully vaccinated and there are deficits in attitudes toward vaccination. In addition, the vaccination competency of the fully vaccinated is higher. These findings are crucial to determine the knowledge, attitudes and behaviors of young people regarding vaccination and to take the necessary precautions.</jats:p