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Objective This study aimed to determine the prevalence of falls, fear of falling (FOF) and related factors in individuals aged 80 and over living in the Balçova district of Izmir. Methods One thousand and seventy‐five individuals aged 80 years or older participated. The dependent variables were falls and fear of falling. The independent variables were socio‐demographic and socio‐economic characteristics, health‐related characteristics and 'safety status of home' features. Results The participants’ mean age was 84.1 ± 3.7 (range, 80‐101) years, and 60.8% were female (n = 582). The prevalence of falls was 35.4% in the last year, and fear of falling was 86.6%. The risk factors for falls were number of chronic diseases, moderate and high fall risk, sleep disturbance and slippery bathroom floors, whilst for fear of falling they were number of chronic diseases, female gender, living alone and moderate or high fall risk. Conclusion A monitoring program is indicated to address high fall and fear of falling prevalence among people aged 80 and over.

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Özet Amaç: Manisa'da 2007-2011 yılları arasındaki özkıyım girişiminde bulunan olguların özelliklerinin cinsiyete göre incelenmesidir. Yöntem: Tanımlayıcı tipteki araştırma, Manisa Halk Sağlığı Müdürlüğü'nün intihar girişimleri kayıt formlarının incelemesiyle yapılmıştır. Bulgular: Toplam 6827 olgunun 5311'i (%77.8) kadındır. Özkıyım girişiminde bulunan olguların %57.3'ü 15-24 yaş grubunda, %51.6'sı bekar, %62.2'si ilköğretim mezunudur. Olguların %95.8'inin özkıyım girişimi yöntemi zehirleyici maddedir. En yaygın özkıyım nedeni genel toplamda ve kadınlarda aile geçimsizliği-evlilik-çocuklarken, erkeklerde ruhsal hastalıktır. Özkıyım nedeni en sık, 15 yaş altında ve 15-24 yaş grubunda ebeveyn çatışmaları, 25-64 yaş grubunda aile geçimsizliği-evlilik-çocuklar, 65 yaş ve üzerinde ruhsal ve bedensel hastalıktır. Sonuç: Özkıyım girişiminde bulunan olguların çoğunluğu kadın, ergen/genç yaş grubu, ilköğretim mezunu olanlar, çalışmayanlardır. Başlıca özkıyım girişimi yöntemi ilaç ve zehirleyici madde kullanımıdır. Nedenler de yaş grubu ve cinsiyete göre değişmektedir.Anahtar Kelimeler: Özkıyım, özkıyım girişimi, epidemiyoloji, risk etmeni Retrospective evaluation of attempted suicides based on a register in the province of Manisa: Age and gender based variations of methods and reasons Abstract Objective: The study determined, by gender and age group, the characteristics of individuals who had attempted suicide in Manisa between the years 2007-2011. Method:This was a descriptive study conducted by retrospective research of "suicide attempt entry forms". Results: A total of 6827 suicides were evaluated. 5311 (77.8%) were women, 57.3% were aged 15-24 years, 51.6% were single, 62.2% had graduated from primary schools. In 95.8% of the suicides the method of suicide was self-poisoning with drugs. The most common reasons for the suicide attempts in total and among women were family problems, marriage and children; mental illness among men. The most frequent reasons for the suicide attempts among those who were 15-24 years of age were conflicts with parents; among the age group of 25-64 the reasons were family problems, marriage or children, and among those who were 65 years and over the reasons were mental or physical illnesses. Conclusion:The main determinants of suicide attempts were female gender, adolescents and/or young adults, primary school as an educational level, unemployed individuals. The most frequent suicide method was self-poisoning. Reasons of attempts displayed variation based on age group and gender.

Objectives: This study aims to investigate the prevalence of sarcopenia risk and associated factors in a community-dwelling elderly population in a district of Izmir province of Turkey. Patients and methods: This cross-sectional study used a cluster sampling method to define sarcopenia risk and associated factors in population aged 65-79 years in Balcova district and a total of 254 participants (114 males, 140 females; mean age 70.0 years; range 65 to 79 years) were included between October 2014 and December 2014. The dependent variables were low gait speed (LGS), low grip strength (LGrS), having both LGS and LGrS, sarcopenia risk according to the European Group on Sarcopenia for Older People (EWGSOP) algorithm. The independent variables were socio-demographic and socioeconomic variables, health-related behavioral factors, and health status variables. The gait speed was measured on a four-meter length with a stopwatch. The grip strength was measured using a hand-held dynamometer. The logistic regression models were used to identify associated risk factors for sarcopenia. Results: The prevalence of LGS was found to be 45.0%, LGrS to be 49.8%, having both LGS and LGrS to be 30.1%, and sarcopenia risk according to EWGSOP to be 64.8%. The main associated factors of having any sarcopenia risk were increasing age and having a sedentary lifestyle or being underactive. Conclusion: Our study results show that sarcopenia risk is high in a community-dwelling elderly population living in Balcova district of Izmir province of Turkey. Physical activity levels of elderly should be increased to decrease this high burden.