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Background & aim: Mentally retarded children need more care on quality of life, therefore the family plays an important role, but the results indicate low levels of quality of life for these children and their families. The present study aimed to measure the quality of life in mothers of educable mentally retarded daughter motivated provide a model to measure quality of life and understanding of issues affecting the design. An attempt to investigate and describe the factors affecting the quality of family life with a disability and the relationship between these indicators and how to measure them families with children with mental retardation.

 

Methods: The research method was descriptive-analytic. The sample consisted of 75 mothers with a mentally retarded daughter who were participated in this study through census sampling. By studying literature, the related texts criteria of quality of life were extracted. All study information of participants was obtained by standard questionnaires. Using correlation analysis techniques, univariate regression, logistic regression analysis were analyzed through structural equations.

 

Results: The results indicated that the performance of family (family interactions, parenting, mental health and physical) capabilities mother (resilience and aggression), personal beliefs and quality of life of families with disabled children influenced it. Personal beliefs are an important determinant of quality of life.

 

Conclusion: The results of structural equation modeling and corresponding indexes indicated that the proposed model based on experimental data fitting was good and desirable product was in compliance with the conceptual model.

 

 

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Abstract

 

Background & aim: Cardiovascular disease is a non-communicable disease that is caused by several factors. Today, cardiovascular disease is the main cause of inability and mortality in many countries, so that prevention is one of the issues discussed by the World Health Organization. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of educational intervention based on health belief model on prevention of cardiovascular diseases in women aged 30-30 years old in the city of sisakht.

Methods: This clinical trial was conducted on 137 women aged 30-45 years who attended the Sisakht Health Center. The participants were selected through systematic random sampling. Women population was identified and divided into 6 blocks. Subjects were randomly selected according to the population of each block. Information collected was conducted by inventory and registration of health food three days before and two months after the training. Educational methods included lectures, questions and answers, counseling, and educational tools such as pamphlets, posters, instructional manuals, and film was used. Based on the analysis, the educational content was prepared. The intervention program included 6 educational sessions based on the health belief model which was held weekly by a meeting. Data were analyzed using independent t-test, paired t-test, correlation and ANOVA.

Results: Based on the results, educational intervention significantly increased the knowledge scores and health belief model structures, except barriers structure (p <0.05) were perceived. Mean consumption of calories, carbohydrates, lipid, fatty acids, salt and bread and cereal groups decreased, and milk and dairy and vegetable groups was increased (P <0.05).

 

Conclusion: Regarding the effective role of educational intervention in increasing awareness and improving the beliefs of women aged 30-45 years, it can be concluded that education in these women is very effective in promoting cardiovascular disease prevention.

 

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Background & Aim: Nutritional literacy is the capacity of people to gain, understand and evaluate nutritional information for proper nutrition decision making. This research has been designed and implemented to measure the nutritional literacy of primary school teachers in Yasuj

 

Methods: This cross-sectional study was performed on two parts of the nationalization of the Nutrition Literacy Instrument developed in Turkey, as well as nutritional literacy assessment in elementary school teachers in Yasuj. The selected instrument was localized using translate translation method and receiving and applying opinions of nutritionists specialist on the structure and content of the questionnaire, and then ensuring its reliability for use in Iranian society. Nutritional literacy data were collected from a group of 110 elementary teachers in Yasouj who were selected by multi-stage cluster sampling through a self-administered questionnaire and then analyzed by descriptive and analytical statistics.

 

Results: The localized nutritional literacy tool had 35 items and the Cronbach's alpha coefficient was 0.73. Mean and standard deviation of teacher's score from the nutritional literacy tool was 27.14 ± 3.2, which indicated that 22.7% of teachers had inadequate nutritional literacy. Teachers with fewer years of work and higher education had a higher level of nutritional literacy. The lowest percentages of responses were related to the skill of determining food units, doing calculations and reading food labels.

 

Conclusions: Majority of the teachers studied had sufficient nutritional literacy, but defect in three parts of the skill of determining food units, doing calculations and reading food labels indicates the need to pay attention to these components in the design and implementation of nutrition improvement programs.

 

 

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Abstract

Background and Aim: Overuse of salt is one of the most important risk factors for cardiovascular disease and is the first cause of mortality worldwide. The aim of the present study was to extract the views and opinions of the people of Yasuj about salt intake in order to use its findings in designing and implementing a behavioral intervention to reduce salt intake.

Methods: In the present qualitative study, which was done by content analysis approach, the data were collected through six sessions of centralized discussion with presence of 66 residents of Yasuj, Iran. The data collecting tool was grouped in semi-structured questions. The comments presented were fully recorded, implemented and analyzed with the help of the content analysis method manually. Finally, five main themes and 31 sub-themes were identified and after several readings, the main themes were grouped together with similar meanings.

Results: Five main themes were self-assessment of the level of salt consumption (with 5 subfields), side effects of too much salt (with three subfields), low barriers salt intake (11 subfields), strategies to reduce salt intake (8 subfields), communication channels were identified for communicating with individuals and encouraging them to reduce salt intake (with four sub-topics). Most participants in the study were aware of their salt intake, knew the side effects of too much salt in hypertension, educational programs at home and with minimal time and for all members of the family, and offer alternatives healthy for salt offered, Physicians and health care providers in the service centers considered the most influential people to modify their behavior.

Conclusion: To improve risk behaviors such as high salt intake in the community, it is important to know their views and opinions so that effective audience-based interventions can be designed and implemented

 

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Abstract
Background & aim: The students’ physical health and the proper formation of their musculoskeletal system is a basic requirement for children’s overall health. Most of the musculoskeletal chronic pain can be controlled and reduced by early childhood education and training. The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence of postural deformities in overweight and obese girls in elementary schools of Yasuj
Methods: the present cross-sectional study was carried out in the school year of 2017-2018 using multistage cluster sampling. At the first stage, 1215 students in grades four to six from six schools in Yasuj, Iran, were examined and finally, with following the inclusion criteria, 236 students were enrolled. The data were collected using a chessboard, Vernier caliper and the New York Test. The height and weight of the participants were measured to calculate the BMI according to WHO guidelines. BMI was categorized according to age and gender by using the CDC’s determination software of body mass index for individuals under the age of 18.
Results: The prevalence of musculoskeletal abnormalities in overweight and obese students and prevalence of overweight and obesity in 1215 students in the primary sample was 12.8% and 6.6%, respectively. The waist circumference is almost 60% higher and the knee bracelet has the lowest prevalence rates of approximately 11% with abnormalities. Also, more than 58% of these students had 3 abnormalities and more. More
Conclusion: The high prevalence of musculoskeletal deformity among obese and overweight students represents a real treat to their health status, and emphasizes on the necessity of planning the preventive and controlling interventions as the priorities in the health programs.
 

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Background & aim: Smoking, especially Hookah, is one of the major behavioral problems in the field of health which has become more widespread among young people and adolescents in recent years. Despite the implementation of various programs to reduce this behavior in Iran, it seems that little attention has been paid to the use of behavioral patterns to design effective interventions in this area. The aim of this study was to determine the effective components of adolescents and young people's tendency to use hookah: an application of the theory of planned behavior in Yasuj.
 
Methods: This study was a cross-sectional study that was implemented in the first months of 2019 to assess the factors affecting the intention to quit Hookah in young people living in Yasuj. 157 people aged 15 to 30 years old hung out at coffee houses and amusement gardens in the tourist area of Yasuj waterfall were selected by available sampling method and a questionnaire measuring the structures of the theory of planned behavior was completed for them. In the present study, descriptive statistics in the form of frequency percentage, mean and standard deviation as well as analytical statistics in the form of multiple linear regression were used. SPSS software version 25 was used for data analysis.
 
Results: The highest frequency of study participants were men with a mean age of 20± 2 years, higher education, and living in urban areas. In more than 70% of the participants, the history of Hookah use was mentioned among family members (brother and father, respectively, with the highest frequency). More than 96% of the participants had friends who smoked Hookah and their average first age of hookah use was 16.88±2.77 years. More than 63% of the participants mentioned coffee and coffee shops as the usual places for Hookah use. Among the constructs of the theory of planned behavior, the predictive power of the perceived behavioral control construct for the intention to quit Hookah use was higher than other constructs. Based on this finding, an intervention was designed including the production and installation of posters and labels containing the message of reinforcing perceived behavioral control (p< 0.001).
 
 
Conclusion:  Due to the small role of patterns and theories of behavioral change in reducing Hookah use in Iran, it seems that interventions based on structures with more predictive power such as perceived behavioral control structures in the present study, can have different effects, comparing to routine schedules.
 

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Background & aim: Sedentariness and lack of physical activity is one of the complications of old age in the present time. Considering the special requirements of old age, it is very important to pay attention to behaviors that promote health and quality of life in the elderly. The purpose of the present study was to determine and investigate the effect of instructional intervention on the level of physical activity of elderly women based on the behavioral intention model.

Methods: The present semi-experimental study applied a pre-test-post-test method with a control group, which was conducted in 2021 on elderly women over 60 years of age in Sanandaj, Iran. The participants were randomly divided into two intervention (30 people) and control (30 people) groups. The researcher-made questionnaire data collection tool included two sections of demographic information and planned behavior theory constructs, as well as an international physical activity questionnaire. The method of training in the intervention group includes; It was a face-to-face and question-and-answer training that was held during four 45-minute sessions. Collected data were analyzed using Golmogorov Smironov, chi-square and Mann-Whitney statistical tests.
 
Results: The average age of the participants in the intervention group was 70.6 ± 0.7 and the control group was 73.9 ± 8.2. The findings showed that comparing the average scores; Attitude constructs, abstract soft, perceived behavioral control and behavioral intention in the intervention and control groups after the educational intervention, a statistically significant difference was observed (p=0.0001). Moreover, the amount of engaging in physical activity among the elderly in the intervention group significantly increased after the educational intervention (p=0.0001).

Conclusion: The educational program based on the theory of planned behavior has increased physical activity in elderly women by affecting the dimensions of control, attitude, behavioral intention, norm mentality and awareness of the elderly.

 

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Background & aim:  Evaluation is an integral part of educational programs and undoubtedly, for conducting appropriate evaluation Students should be evaluated in simulated conditions of the future workplace. The purpose of the present study was to design, implement and evaluate an objective structured practical test to assess the practical capabilities of environmental health engineering students at Yasuj Health Faculty in 2020-2021.

Methods: In the present descriptive study, 18 senior students of Environmental Health Engineering of Yasuj School of Health and Nutrition Sciences in 2021 were studied. The study instruments were checklists from eleven different stations, which were prepared based on the training program of the relevant course and Its content validity was examined by a panel of experts. Students' skills were evaluated in each station by the evaluator using a checklist. At the end, students completed the Survey form. After collecting the data, it was entered into SPSS20 software and t-test, Mann-Whitney and correlation tests were used to analyze the data.

Results: The results indicated that the average score of stations was more than 50% (63.54). Students in nine stations had a score above 50%, which indicated that the selected stations could be a suitable criterion for evaluating practical skills and OSFE exam was a suitable alternative to written and oral tests at the end of the semester. The score of two stations was less than 50%. This was due to the virtual nature of universities during the COVID-19 epidemic and it was not possible for the students to perform the necessary skills sufficiently during the study period. Stations with an average score of more than 70% indicate the mastery of students in the skills they have learned in laboratories and health-treatment centers. The level of students' satisfaction with the test was also 77.94%.

Conclusion: According to the level of student satisfaction (77.94), it can be said that this exam is a suitable and student-friendly method for assessment and its use is suitable for different courses. Given the average scores that are above average, it seems necessary to review the evaluation methods in the practical sections.

 

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Background & aim: Due to their close connection with humans, flies are able to mechanically transmit many pathogenic agents and thus cause various diseases. Knowing and determining the species of flies is necessary to know the current situation and plan for their control. Therefore, the purpose of the present study was to determine and investigate the species diversity and relative abundance of medically important flies in Fouladshahr, Isfahan province.

Methods: The present study was of a descriptive-analytical type. Sampling was done from April to March 2018 for one year and twice a month in selected stations in Fouladshahr, Iran. The collection of adult flies was done using insect nets and using inverted cone plastic bottles traps. In order to try to obtain the maximum diversity of species, sampling was done in four seasons and six times in each season, twice a month and once in each region. The sampling location was selected based on the proximity to the places where flies grow and develop, such as around the hospital, garbage collection, health and treatment centers, and animal places with the possibility of flies. Daily average temperature, humidity and wind speed were recorded. After catching the flies, they were transported to the laboratory and mounted. A that point they were identified using a valid identification key. The collected data were analyzed using Spearman's correlation and GEE regression statistical tests.

Results: In the present study, 6030 flies from three species, Musidae, Calliphoridae and Sarcophagidae, were caught. The highest number of flies belonged to the species Musca domestica (72%) and Sarcophaga aegypti (0.08%) had the lowest frequency. The highest abundance of flies was in the month of July and the lowest amount was respectively in the months of January and February in Fouladshahr. Correlation results indicated that with the decrease in humidity, the population of flies increased (P˂0.004) and with the increase in temperature, the abundance of flies increased (P˂0.0001).

Conclusion: Considering the abundance of flies and their health importance in the study area, it seems necessary to adopt appropriate methods to manage resources and use existing capacities to control the population of flies in the study area.

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Background & aim: HIV/AIDS is a major health concern globally. Promoting HIV AIDS literacy for everyone is one of the appropriate and required measures in this regard. The present research aimed to improve HIV/AIDS literacy among male teachers in high schools of Ahvaz.

Methods: The present field-trial study was conducted on 200 male teachers of the first and second high schools of Ahvaz. The study population was randomly divided into intervention (n=100) and control (n=100) groups. The Iranian HIV/AIDS Literacy Questionnaire was used to collect data. According to easy-to-read texts and alternative communication tools strategies, HIV/AIDS Literacy intervention was developed. The intervention included developing an educational pamphlet and sending SMS to the intervention group. One month after the intervention, the questionnaire was completed again and analyzed by SPSS software using logistic regression and t-test.

Results: The age mean and standard deviation of the participants was 41.60 ± 7.80. At the baseline, the mean and standard deviation of HIV/AIDS literacy was 11.1 ± 3.46 in the intervention group and 9.63 ± 2.54 in the comparison group. After the intervention, the score of HIV/AIDS literacy significantly improved in the intervention group (P<0.001). Only marital status was the significant predictor for HIV/AIDS literacy. Analysis of the Pearson correlation coefficients showed that understanding and search skills have the strongest correlation with HIV/AIDS literacy.

Conclusion: Based on the study findings, it was concluded that promoting HIV/AIDS literacy through   the use of easily understandable texts and alternative communication tools can prove to be effective. Considering the role of teachers in transferring knowledge and skills to prevent HIV and its transmission, it is suggested to hold regular and continuous training courses for all teachers.

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Background & aim: Hospital wastes contain a wide range of microorganisms and require special management due to their dangerous properties, and their improper disposal is considered a serious threat to the environment and public health. Therefore, the purpose of the present study was to determine and influence the educational intervention based on the theory of planned behavior on the behaviors of employees in the waste management of Hafez Hospital of Shiraz, Iran.

Methods: The present interval study was conducted in 2018 on all healthcare personnel (170 people) and service workers (32 people) of Hafez hospital of Shiraz, Iran. The statistical population of the present study was completed by enumeration. The measurement tool in the present study was a questionnaire based on the theory of planned behavior and knowledge assessment which its validity and reliability were estimated and used by experts. Other tools included a waste management evaluation checklist which included management infrastructure, separation, collection, transportation, temporary storage, disposal, and weighing form of hospital wastes. The present study was conducted in two stages before and after the educational intervention. In the first stage, before the educational intervention, information was collected through questionnaires, a waste management evaluation checklist, and waste weighing continuously for a week. Then the educational content was designed. Two months after the educational intervention, in the second stage, the health care and service workers completed the questionnaires once more. Moreover, the checklist was completed and the waste was weighed over again. Obtained data were analyzed using SPSS software version 22 and parametric (paired t-test) and non-parametric (Wilcoxon) tests.

Results: The findings indicated a significant difference in the mean score of knowledge, attitude, subjective norms, perceived behavioral control, and behavioral intention among both group health care workers and service workers after the intervention (P<0.001). After educational interventions, a significant difference in normal waste per capita was found (P<0.05). No significant difference was observed in infectious waste, sharp waste, and pharmaceutical chemical waste per capita(P≥0.005). There was a significant difference in waste management in terms of separation, collection, transportation, and disposal (P<0.001). The infrastructure management and temporary maintenance were the same before and after the educational intervention.

Conclusion: The findings of the present study indicated that educational interventions based on the theory of planned behavior are effective in raising the awareness of health care and service workers and improving hospital waste management. Furthermore, the use of educational strategies and appropriate educational content can increase the quality of educational interventions.

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Background & aim: High blood pressure is one of the most important causes of premature death worldwide. One of the ways to control high blood pressure is lifestyle modification, especially paying attention to nutritional behaviors, such as reducing the consumption of salt-containing foods, therefore the purpose of the present study was to investigate the application of social cognitive theory in adherence to a low-salt diet in patients with high blood pressure.

Methods: The present descriptive-cross-sectional study was conducted in 2021 on 100 patients with high blood pressure covered by comprehensive health centers in the city of Charam, located in the Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad province. Data collection tools included a questionnaire on adherence to a low-sodium diet, based on a modified version of the self-care activities level adjustment questionnaire in hypertension, and a researcher-made questionnaire consisting of components from the Bandura Social Cognitive Theory, including self-efficacy, social support, and self-regulation. Patients meeting the inclusion criteria were randomly selected, and with the assistance of a disease specialist, questionnaires were completed. The collected data were analyzed using Pearson correlation and linear regression statistical tests.

Results: The participants' age ranged from 40 to 69 years, with a mean of 57.26 ± 29.7. 61% were female and 39% were male. 34 participants (34%) were illiterate, while 20 participants (20%) had university education. 27% had a family history of hypertension. The mean systolic blood pressure was 136.95 ± 10.22, and the mean diastolic blood pressure was 85.56 ± 5.44. The adherence rate to a low-salt diet among the studied patients was 32% (34% for females and 33% for males). Linear regression analysis revealed that the social cognitive theory predicts for 20% of the variance in adherence to a low-salt diet

Conclusion: The findings indicated a low level of adherence to a low- salt diet among the studied patients. This can serve as a warning sign for both these patients and the healthcare system. Implementing interventional treatment programs and utilizing educational strategies, particularly in the areas of family social support and self-regulation, can play a significant role in increasing adherence to a low-sodium diet and controlling hypertension for these individuals.


 

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Background & aim: Health literacy expresses the capacity of a person to obtain, interpret and understand the necessary information for needed services and appropriate decisions in the field of health. In Iran, there is conflicting information about the health literacy status of people, especially medical and dental students, as well as the opinion that these students will enter the medical community later and it is necessary to check their literacy level; Therefore, in the present research, the level of health literacy of dental and medical students of Yasuj University of Medical Sciences was evaluated.

Methods: The present descriptive-cross-sectional study was conducted on 171 students of dentistry and medicine at Yasuj University of Medical Sciences in 2022. The sample size was selected by systematic random method and using Cochran's formula. The Health Literacy Questionnaire of Montazeri and colleagues (HELIA) was used to collect information. The data was analyzed using SPSS ver. 25 software and a significance level of 0.05.

Results: Out of 171 students participating in the present study, 83 were male and 88 were female. Thirty-three of the participants were studying dentistry and 138 were studying medicine. 75.4% of students had sufficient health literacy and 6.4% had excellent health literacy. Based on the results, there was no statistically significant difference between the health literacy of dental and medical students of Yasuj University of Medical Sciences in terms of gender, being married or single, economic status and place of residence. According to the, entry year and age, there was a statistically significant difference (P<0.05).

Conclusion: Considering the active role of students, especially those in the fields of medicine and dentistry, in their own health and that of society, there is a need for a high level of health literacy among this segment of the population. The results of this study suggest that addressing this issue can be effective for officials and policymakers in creating conditions for necessary interventions to increase the health literacy level of students.

 

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Background & aim: Hookah use not only affects the physical and mental health of the individual, but also the health of other members of society. Studies indicate that hookah use has increased across age and gender groups. The aim of the present study was to determine the prevalence of hookah use and its associated factors in individuals aged 35 to 70 years.

Methods: The present prospective descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted on residents of Dena County, Iran, from 2016 to 2019. In the first phase of the study, 3630 people participated, and the data collected through experiments, questionnaires, and interviews were used in the registration phase of the Dena Cohort Study. This study is a population-based study and part of a prospective study that is being conducted in 18 regions of Iran. The collected data were analyzed using chi-square and logistic regression statistical tests.

Results: The study findings revealed that the prevalence rate of hookah use was 24% in total, which accounted for 28.30% and 18.3% in women and men, respectively (p<0.001). Over 24% of the study population similarly used to smoke cigarettes. The frequency of cigarette smoking in the male participants was 54.40%, which was higher than that in females(1.60%) (p<0.001). The logistic regression outcomes further indicated that the major sociodemographic risk factors contributing to hookah use in this region were the age range under 35, being divorced, unemployment, low educational attainment, low income, as well as chronic diseases like diabetes and depression.

Conclusion: The prevalence rate of hookah smoking in the study population was found to be high. The present study correspondingly demonstrated that unemployment and low educational attainment were the most significant risk factors affecting hookah use. Additionally, the prevalence rate of hookah smoking was higher in low-income families. As a result, implementing interventions and preventive measures to deal with this complicated social problem was of utmost importance.