ABSTRACT
Cardiovascular diseases are the main cause of death and disabilities in the world. The purpose of the present study is to determine the perceived barriers and benefits of adopting health-promoting behaviors among individuals at risk of cardiovascular diseases referring to TUMS Teaching Hospitals in 2011. This is a cross-sectional study in which 325 patients at risk of cardiovascular diseases were randomly selected. The data were collected using a self-made questionnaire having three parts: 14 items for demographic and health-related variables, 12 items for perceived barriers, and another 12 items for benefits. For data analysis, SPSS 18 was used. The mean age of patients was 53.56 +/- 11.27; about 47.7% of patients[n=155] were female and 52.3% [n=170] were male. There was a meaningful relationship between the mean of perceived benefits on the one hand and occupation, physical activity, type and frequency of physical activity, smoking and awareness of cardiovascular diseases on the other[p<0.001]. Moreover, the mean of perceived barriers showed a meaningful relationship with occupation, smoking and awareness of cardiovascular diseases[p<0.05]. The findings of the present study revealed that demographic and health-related variables could affect the perception of barriers and benefits of adopting certain behaviors for the prevention of cardiovascular diseases. Therefore, using interventional and educational approaches appropriate for target group features can help us take effective steps towards health promotion
ABSTRACT
Increase in life expectancy is associated with noncommunicable diseases. This study is aimed to survey the effect of chronic diseases on the quality of life among the elderly people in elderly care centers in the East of Tehran in 2011. This is an analytical study in which 424 people were randomly selected. They were members of elderly care centers and were 60 years of age or higher. The data collection instruments were a standard quality-of-life questionnaire[SF36] and a chronic diseases record checklist. The data were collected in an interview. For data analysis purposes, Independent T-Test, ANOVA, and Pearson correlation coefficient were used. The mean age of participants was 67.34 +/- 7.16. Some 92.2% of patients were suffering from at least one chronic disease, and there was a significant statistical difference between the mean points of all aspects of quality of life of those suffering from chronic diseases and those without a history of chronic diseases[P<0.001]. Moreover, there was a significant relationship between the quality of life on the one hand and gender, marital status, economic status, and education on the other[P<0.05]. The findings show that an increase in the number of chronic diseases leads to a decrease in the quality of life, and that the application of appropriate educational and interventional approaches can help take effective steps to enhance the old people's health
ABSTRACT
Diabetes control should be considered as a chronic illness in many fields. Perceived social support is one of the most important social factors in diabetes control. In this study, we aimed to determine the relation between perceived social support and relevant factors with HbAlC in type 1 diabetic patients. This study was a cross sectional which assessed relation between perceived social support and HbAlC of 113 diabetic patients affiliated to hospitals of Tehran University of Medical Sciences during 6 months in 2011. The instrument for data collection was a multidimensional scale including socio demographic and health status data, perceived social support scale by family members [20 items], perceived social support scale by friends [20 items]. Collected data was analyzed by SPSS software version 11.5 with using nonparametric tests such as Mann-Witney and kruskal-Wallistests., None of variables has statistical association with perceived social support by friends [p> 0.05]. Perceived social support by family members had significant relation with HbAlC among men [p-0.05] and patients with BMI in 26-29.9 ranges [p=0.01. It seems that perceived social support from family members is more important than perceived social support from friends. This finding is highlighted among men and patients with borderline BMI. Other variables such as disease duration, marital status, occupation, and education level had no statistical relation with HbAlC
ABSTRACT
Background: Escalating economic costs due to prevalence of diabetes, particularly in epidemiologic transition era, makes assessing of socio-economic status of diabetic patients as a necessity. Materials and Methods: A cross sectional study was conducted on type 2 diabetic patients with complications in four major teaching hospitals affiliated with TUMS during July 2009 to March 2010. Based on a randomized sampling, 530 patients were interviewed through a questionnaire with 85% response rate [450 patients]. The applied questionnaire composed of 42 questions based on "Yes" or "No", and likert questions. Internal validity of applied tools in this study was 0.89. Data analyzed by SPSS version 11.5. Results: The majority of patients had experienced one or more complications. Findings revealed that [50%] of the patients suffered from one complication, [33.6%] had two complications, and [16.4%] had three complications of type 2 diabetes. Patients with one complication [22.2%] had cardiovascular, participants with two complications [12.7%] had both cardiovascular and eye outcomes, and patients with [cardiovascular, eye and foot ulcer] outcomes were [14%]. Number of complications had significant association with sex, age, education level, type of occupation, duration of diabetes at [p < 0.001], and social class [p=0.002]. Conclusion: It seems that patients with low socio-economic status have more challenges in their social environment with less psychological support. Health care systems are responsible to empower diabetic patients to control the complications of their illness and help them to feel a better life to alive