Browsing by Author "Selen, Halime"

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Associations of Dietary Omega-3 and Omega-6 Fatty Acids, Obesity, and Psychological Stress With Fatigue in Patients With Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease: A Cross-Sectional Study
(MDPI, 2026) Selen, Halime; Atabek, Beste; Gegez, Berfin; Sag, Aysenur; Gulbahar, Burcu Nur; Dogdu, Ibrahim Ethem; Akgun, Metin
Background/Aim: Fatigue is a common symptom in individuals with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and is associated with reduced quality of life. The aim of this study was to evaluate the relationships between dietary omega-3 (n-3) and omega-6 (n-6) fatty acid intake, obesity, and stress with fatigue in patients with COPD. Materials and Methods: This descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted between 1 February and 31 July 2025, in the pulmonary outpatient clinics of A & gbreve;r & imath; Training and Research Hospital in A & gbreve;r & imath; and Atat & uuml;rk University Research Hospital in Erzurum, T & uuml;rkiye. Study data were collected using a General Information Questionnaire, the COPD and Asthma Fatigue Scale (CAFS), the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS), and an Adult Semi-Quantitative Food Frequency Questionnaire. Higher CAFS scores indicate greater fatigue severity, while higher PSS scores reflect higher perceived stress. Results: CAFS scores correlated strongly with perceived stress (r = 0.718, p < 0.001) and moderately with COPD exacerbation frequency (r = 0.426, p < 0.001). Although higher n-3 intake was inversely associated with fatigue in univariate analyses, this association weakened after adjustment, suggesting that fatty acid composition was not an independent determinant of fatigue. The n-6/n-3 ratio showed a weak positive correlation with fatigue (r = 0.184, p = 0.024). Female reported higher fatigue levels than male (mean [SD], 60.2 [19.3] vs. 51.9 [19.8]; p = 0.042), and patients with comorbid conditions had higher fatigue scores than those without comorbidities (58.1 [18.3] vs. 46.8 [19.4]; p = 0.001). Smoking status was not significantly associated with fatigue (p = 0.788). In backward multiple linear regression analysis, perceived stress emerged as the strongest independent predictor of fatigue (beta = 0.519, p < 0.001). Comorbidity presence (beta = 0.206, p = 0.030) and smoking status (beta = 0.178, p = 0.026) were also significant, while exacerbation frequency (p = 0.062) and female (p = 0.053) showed borderline associations. Conclusions: These findings indicate that fatigue in COPD is primarily influenced by psychosocial stress and multimorbidity, highlighting the importance of integrative management approaches that address mental health burden and comorbid conditions alongside respiratory treatment.
The Effect of Intermittent Fasting on Hedonic Hunger: A Pilot Prospective Cohort Study Based on Ramadan Intermittent Fasting
(Frontiers Media SA, 2025) Selen, Halime
Objective: This study aims to evaluate the changes in hedonic hunger (HH) during Ramadan intermittent fasting (RIF) and to investigate the role of HH as a factor influencing adherence to intermittent fasting (IF) regimens. Methods: This prospective cohort study was conducted between February 24 and March 29, 2025, with 122 participants aged between 20 and 25. The study data were collected through face-to-face interviews using a questionnaire that included sociodemographic information and the power of food scale (PFS), administered 1 week before the beginning of Ramadan, and during the first, middle period and final weeks of the month. The PFS comprises three subscales: food available, food present, and food tasted. In general, mean scores of the PFS and its subdimensions exceeding 2.5 are interpreted as indicating a high tendency toward HH. Results: During the first week of Ramadan, participants' scores for food available (p = 0.016), food tasted (p = 0.002), and the PFS mean score (p = 0.048) were found to be significantly higher compared to the pre-Ramadan scores. However, no statistically significant differences were observed in the PFS mean and subscale scores between the pre-Ramadan period and the final week of RIF. Compared to the pre-Ramadan period, participants exhibited a mean reduction of 0.6 +/- 1.51 kg in body weight (p < 0.001) and 0.3 +/- 1.20 kg/m(2) in BMI (p = 0.003) following RIF. A statistically significant but weak negative correlation was observed between changes in participants' body weight and the scores of food available (r = -0.203, p = 0.025), food present (r = -0.340, p = p < 0.001), food tasted (r = -0.319, p < 0.001), and the PFS mean score (r = -0.323, p = p < 0.001). A statistically significant and weak negative correlation was found between changes in BMI and the scores of food present (r = -0.181, p = 0.046), food tasted (r = -0.216, p = 0.017), and the PFS mean score (r = -0.208, p = 0.021). Conclusion: This study suggests that higher levels of HH may be experienced at the onset of RIF practices; however, over time, individuals appear to adapt, returning to their pre-fasting levels of HH. Within the limited observation period of this study, the influence of RIF-a form of IF-on HH appears to be transient, suggesting that longer-term studies with larger sample sizes are needed to clarify its persistence.