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The aim of this study is to investigate the physical and psychosocial problems and the clinical and sociodemographic factors affecting sexual life in patients with nonspecific chronic low back pain (CLBP), thus drawing attention to sexual disability and patients’ concerns in the conservative management of the disease. A total of 140 patients were included in the study. The assessment of disease characteristics, information about sexual life and related factors were evaluated by a self-constructed questionnaire. The Oswestry Disability Index (ODI), Pain Catastrophizing Scale (PCS), International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ), Tampa Scale of Kinesiophobia (TSK) and Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) were used to assess functional disability, pain-related anxiety, physical activity level, fear of movement and depression severity, respectively. Hierarchical cluster analysis was used to discover relationships among variables. Based on the dendrogram, the intensity of CLBP, the impact of CLBP on sexual life, decrease in libido, sexual satisfaction, frequency of intercourse, painful sexual behavior and questionnaire results (BDI, TSK, ODI, PCS) were in the same cluster. Consistent with this, positive correlations were found between BDI and PCS (p < 0.001, r = 0.481), BDI and TSK (p < 0.001, r = 0.319), and BDI and ODI (p < 0.001, r = 0.408). The other main clusters included demographic and clinical characteristics, ODI and IPAQ scores. The sexual lives of patients with CLBP are affected physically and psychosocially. In clinical practice, it is important to counsel sexual disability patients because of their concerns and hesitations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: As healthcare has become increasingly patient-centered, outcomes such as disease-specific quality of life (QoL) have become increasingly important. This study aimed to determine the factors affecting the QoL of postpartum women and which factors make a difference and affect the QoL. Patients and Methods: A total of 175 postpartum mothers participated in this study. The Euro QoL 5 Dimension 5 Level (EQ 5D-5L) scale was used to measure the health-related QoL of postpartum women. Results: The QoL of women differed in age, delivery type, venous thromboembolism risk factors, parity, gravida, number of live births, and use of anticoagulant medication. According to multiple regression analyses, the "age" variable had a significant effect on the QoL. However, the variables of education, social security, employment status, and monthly income of the family were not significant determinants of QoL. Also, the "number of live births" variable did not significantly affect the QoL, other obstetric and clinical variables had a significant effect on the QoL. The gravida increased the QoL but the number of miscarriages and the venous thromboembolism risk score decreased the QoL. Conclusions: This study shows that, the QoL of women varies according to obstetric, socio-demographic, and clinical factors, and "age, gravida, the number of abortions and the venous thromboembolism risk score" variables have a significant effect on the QoL. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study is to investigate the individual-, household- and community-level factors that affect women's use of maternal health care services in Turkey. The data used for the study come from the 1993 Turkey Demographic and Health Survey (TDHS), a nationally representative survey of ever married women 15 to 49 years of age. In order to assess the impact of socio-economic factors on maternal health care utilization, we use logistical regression techniques to estimate models of the prenatal care use and birth delivery assistance among women who have had at least one birth in the three years prior to the survey. Separate models are also estimated for urban and rural women. The results indicate that educational attainment, parity level, health insurance coverage, ethnicity, household wealth and geographic region are statistically significant factors that affect the use of health care services thought essential to reduce infant and child mortality rates. The results of the model are used to provide insights for both micro- and macro-level planning of maternal health service delivery.