Social well-being and related factors in students of school of nursing and midwifery

Background: According to the World Health Organization viewpoint, social well-being is an important dimension of health along with physical and mental aspects. Evaluation of social wellbeing is necessary in students, especially in medical sciences students due to future responsibility as health care professionals. The present study attempted to investigate the level of social well-being, five domains of it [like actualization, integration, contribution], and some related factors in the school of nursing and midwifery students

Methods: This cross-sectional study was carried out between Julys to December 2015 and comprised 346 students in the school of nursing and midwifery in Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran. Social well-being, socio-demographic status and physical activity were measured by valid questionnaires. Univariate linear regression analysis, multiple imputation method, ANOVA and independent sample t-test were used as different statistical methods. The P values less than 0.05 were considered as statistically significant

Results: The mean score of social well-being was 50. The minimum and maximum scores of social well-being were 20 to 100. Married students had higher social well-being than single students in univariate linear regression [Beta: 2.111, 95% CI: [0.387 to 3.738], P=0.017]. Also, social integration had higher scores in married students [P=0.015]. Social actualization was higher in male students [P=0.015]; on the other hand, social contribution was higher in female students [P=0.026]

Conclusion: The results of our study showed that social well-being status of students in this research was not satisfactory. Designing and conducting programs for promotion of social well-being, for example preparing facilities for marriage of students, can be helpful. Evaluation of social well-being in students of other schools with multicenter studies seems to be useful

Six-fold difference in the stomach cancer mortality rate between northern and southern Iran

Stomach cancer is the most common cancer in Iran. A multi-ethnic population and wide variation in the environmental risk factors may lead to variations in cancer risk within this country. We have designed an ecological study and evaluated geographical variation regarding mortality from stomach cancer and its established risk factors in Iran. We used the Iranian National Causes of Death Registry and estimated the age-standardized mortality rates [ASMR] of stomach cancer in 29 Iranian provinces, stratified by sex and area of residence [rural/urban]. The average ASMR of stomach cancer among Iranian males was 15 per 100, 000 and females it was 8.1 per 100, 000. The highest and lowest mortality rates were observed in Kurdistan with an ASMR of 29.1 per 100, 000 in northwestern Iran and Hormozgan that had and ASMR of 5.0 per 100, 000 in southern Iran. Males had approximately a two-fold higher ASMR compared to females, as did rural residents when compared with urban residents. The prevalence of H.pylori infection was about 90% in the province of Ardabil [a high-risk area] and 27% in the province of Sistan-Baluchistan [a low-risk area]. The wide geographical variation and high mortality rate of stomach cancer in Iran is likely due to differences in the exposure to the environmental risk factors among people living in the high-and low-risk areas, particularly H. pylori infection, a well-established risk factor of stomach cancer