[Effect of referral of cancer patients to medical centers outside Golestan province on the coverage and quality of population-based cancer registry data]

Background and Objective: Considering the importance of coverage and quality of data in Golestan population-based Cancer Registry [GPCR], northern Iran. This study was conducted to determine the effect of the referral of cancer patients to medical centers outside Golestan province on the coverage of the population-based cancer registry program

Methods: This descriptive-analytic study was performed on all cancer patients registered in the diagnostic centers of Golestan province, northern Iran during 2008-10. Data of patients referred to the centers of the province from the bank of the Golestan province cancer registry program and data of patients referred to the centers outside the province were received from the Ministry of Health Department of Cancer. Data were analyzed using the record linkage method

Results: A total of 6083 new cases of cancer were registered in Golestan province. According to the cancer data, 678 [11%] of them were referred to outside of Golestan province centers. 343 of these 678 patients [50.6%] were found as duplicate records between the two datasets. The most frequent cases were gastric cancers [70.4%], breast [63.5%] and esophagus [62.5%]

Conclusion: This study suggested that referrals of cancer patients to centers outside the Golestan province may result in an underestimation of about 5% in GPCR. This level of underestimation seems to have no considerable effects on completeness and quality of data in the GPCR

[Obesity and its socio-demographic related factors: an epidemiological study]

Objective[s]: To assess the obesity among 15-65 years old, some related factors and its comparison among the 11 districts during five years leading to 2010 in Golestan province

Methods: This is a descriptive-analytical study that established on the 6489 cases that were chosen by cluster and random sampling. Sample size estimated based on 0.05 accuracy and 95% confidential interval. Data collected by questionnaire and anthropometric measurements were made for all samples. Obesity defined based on BMI classification. Spss.16 soft-war was used for statistical analysis

Results: Prevalence of overweight and obesity in Golestan province were in men 32.4% and 14.1% and in women 30.5% and 31.8%, respectively. Statistical differences were significant between gender[P=0.001].The prevalence of overweight and obesity in urban areas were 33.7% and 25.5% and in rural area were 29.9% and 21.2%, respectively. Statistical differences were significant between location area [P=0.001].Totally, 54.5% of adult people in Golestan province suffer from overweight or obesity and they were prevalent in Ramian [45.2%] and in Bandar Gaz [61.3%] as the lowest and highest among Golestan districts, respectively. The odds ratio for obesity estimate was 1.28 [95% CI: 1.14-1.44] for urban area compared to rural area; 2.83 [95% CI:2.50-3.20] for women compared to men; 1.45 [95% CI: 1.21-1.74] in good economic group compared to poor economic group and 2.23 [95% CI:1.53-3.25] in illiterate people compared to college educated people. P=0.001 obtained for all of groups

Conclusion: In Golestan province, 31 and 23 cases from every hundred people suffer from overweight and obesity, respectively. Bandar Gaz and Rummian districts were suffering from obesity more than and less than other regions, respectively. Illiteracy and improving economic are the risk factors for the obesity and overweight in this area