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Obesity is an important public health problem because it is highly correlated to atherosclerosis and coronary heart disease and effects the quality of life. In this study, the prevalence of obesity is determined in a study group of 420 adults (210 women, 210 men) over 20 years of age, selected by 30 cluster sampling process between February 15-March 20 1999 in Samsun province. A questionnaire was applied to the study group and height, body weight and blood pressure measurements were taken from all participants. Body mass index (BMI) is used to evaluate obesity. Participants with body mass index of equal or more than 25 kg/m2 are defined as obese and less than that as normal. The prevalence of obesity was 69.8% (73.3% in women, 66.2% in men) in Samsun province. The mean BMI in women and men were 29.8 ± 0.3 kg/m2 and 26.8 ± 0.3 kg/m2 respectively, and the difference was statistically significant (p < 0.001). The mean age of obese and normal participants were 53.1 ± 0.9 and 39.7 ± 1.5 years respectively and there was a statistically significant difference between them. There was also a positive correlation between BMI and age (r = 0.31, p < 0.001). Mean systolic and diastolic pressures were higher in women than in men (p < 0.01) and obese than in normals (p < 0.001). 43.7% of the obese group were hypertensive and 86.3% of hypertensives were obese. There was a positive correlation between obesity and systolic (r = 0.45, p < 0.001) and diastolic (r = 0.44, p < 0.001) blood pressures. In conclusion, obesity was associated with sex, age, systolic and diastolic blood pressures. In prevention of atherosclerosis and coronary heart diseases obesity and blood pressures should be evaluated together.

Fever, as being a first sign of many diseases, is an important problem in childhood for its results. In this study we aimed to determine the level of maternal knowledge about fever and their behavioral features when their children were in fever. We gave a questionnaire including 18 questions to 151 of the mothers of children who applied to the clinic of child health and diseases from 1 to 30 of June 1996 in our hospital. The average age of mothers was 29.85 ± 0.49, the educational state of 72 (47.7%) of mothers was primary school and 109 (72.3%) of them were housewives, Only 23 (15.2%) of mothers could define fever truly. Ninety-one (60.2%) of mothers had a thermometer at their home but 81 (53.6%) of them were using the thermometer only. Seventy-two (47.7%) of mothers were measuring the body temperature by putting the thermometer to armpit. Although a temperature of 38 degrees C was considered as fever by 53 (35.1%) of mothers, 18 (11.9%) of mothers considered a temperature of 37 degrees C as fever. One hundred (66.2%) of mothers were taking the child's clothes off and compressing with a wet cloth and 93 (61.6%) of them were consulting with a physician firstly. One hundred and thirty (86.0%) of mothers reported that they had an any kind of antipyretic agents at their home. Under the light of these findings, educating mothers about fever and training them to gain correct behavioral features should be useful for child health.

On the earth, only 3% of water supplies can be used as drinking water. In Samsun province, like many regions in our country, despite more surface and ground water supplies the amount of safely usable water is lessening day by day because of pollutants sourced from human settlements and agricultural and industrial areas. In this study, the kind, adequacy and disinfection status of drinking water supplies in urban and rural areas in Samsun province were investigated and also it was investigated whether environmental or chemical pollution was present nearby these supplies. 1480 samples, collected from 738 different points, were analysed at Public Health Institute of Samsun province. In this study, it was determined that 28.1% of the population of Samsun province had inadequate water, 40.8% had some pollutants nearby the water supplies and 35.0% were using drinking water without any disinfection process. House-connected water was used more frequently in urban areas whereas spring and well water was used in rural areas. In result, drinking-water used in rural areas was containing more chemical pollutants than used in urban areas. The mean hardness of drinking-water was 26.3 ± 0.3 and the proportion of polluted water by chemicals was found 22.6% in Samsun province.