Depression, Anxiety, and Perceived Social Support among Adults with Beta-Thalassemia Major: Cross-Sectional Study / 가정의학회지

BACKGROUND: Considering the high prevalence of depression and anxiety among thalassemia patients and the role of social support in preventing mental disorders, this study aimed to determine prevalence of depression, anxiety, and perceived social support (PSS) among adults with beta-thalassemia major. METHODS: This cross-sectional study was performed with 389 adults with beta-thalassemia major. Data were collected via a questionnaire consisting of three parts: demographic and medical information, the Persian version of the hospital anxiety and depression scale, and the Persian version of the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support. Data were analyzed using IBM SPSS ver. 23.0 (IBM Corp., Armonk, NY, USA) through analytical statistics (independent-samples t-test, one-way analysis of variance, Pearson correlation coefficient, and multilevel linear regression), and the results less than 0.05 were considered to be significant. RESULTS: The mean scores of depression, anxiety, and PSS of patients were 7.42±3.17, 7.47±4.35, and 41.8±8.64, respectively. Of 389 patients, 19.8% had depression and 23.7% had an anxiety disorder. Relationships of depression and anxiety with age, the level of education, job, and family income were statistically significant, as were those of PSS with age, thalassemia center, family income, job, and the level of education. PSS from family, friends, and significant others were the significant predictive factors of depression and anxiety among adult patients with beta-thalassemia major. CONCLUSION: Considering the PSS as a factor influencing the reduction in depression and anxiety in thalassemia patients, social support from the social networks (spouse, family members, friends, and healthcare workers) should be integrated with interventions that are designed to improve the mental and physical health of thalassemia patients.

Associations between a health-promoting lifestyle and quality of life among adults with beta-thalassemia major / 한국역학회지

OBJECTIVES: A health-promoting lifestyle (HPL) is a factor that affects the quality of life (QoL) in patients with beta-thalassemia (β-thalassemia). Due to the lack of studies of this issue, this study aimed to determine the association between HPL and QoL among adults with β-thalassemia. METHODS: This cross-sectional (descriptive-analytic) study was conducted among 389 adult patients with β-thalassemia in Tehran, Iran. The research instrument included a questionnaire consisting of three parts: demographic items, the Short-Form Health Survey and the Health-Promoting Lifestyle Profile. The data were analyzed using SPSS version 23.0. The results were considered significant at the conventional p<0.05 level. RESULTS: The mean age of the participants was 30.2±8.3 years. The mean score of the HPL dimensions was 127.28±21.53, and the mean score of the QoL domains was 61.44±23.38. The highest and the lowest mean scores of the HPL dimensions were found for spiritual growth (23.96±5.74) and physical activity (11.32±3.95), respectively. The QoL scores in all three domains (total, physical component summary score, and mental component summary score) were moderate. Health responsibility, physical activity, spiritual growth, and interpersonal relations were significant predictive factors of QoL in adults with β-thalassemia; these four dimensions explained 37.9% of the variance in QoL. CONCLUSIONS: QoL and HPL were not at acceptable levels among patients with thalassemia. Therefore, educational interventions emphasizing spiritual growth, physical activity, and interpersonal relations are necessary for patients with thalassemia.

[Effectiveness of nutrition education based on health belief model during pregnancy on knowledge and attitude of Women Referred to Health Centers of Gonbad Kavoos City]

Introduction and Aims: pregnancy is a good time for changing the feeding behaviors. Nutritional education plays an important role in maternal and child health promotion. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of nutrition education based on Health Belief Model during pregnancy on knowledge and attitude of women

Materials and Methods: this quasi-experimental study was conducted among pregnant women referred to health centers of Gonbad Kavoos city in 2013. Cluster sampling was used for selection of 80 subjects in each study groups, and data were collected using an unstructured questionnaire. Validity and reliability of questionnaire were evaluated by panel of experts, test-retest and reported as Cronbach's alpha. Classified information of two groups were compared before and 2 months after intervention. Data were analyzed by SPSS v.16

Results: after educational intervention, the mean score of knowledge and Health Belief Model constructs, were significantly increased in intervention group than the control. But the mean of case to action of the experiment group, was not significantly different compared to the control

Conclusion: education based on Health Belief Model was effective on knowledge and attitude of pregnant women about nutrition and educational interventions in this field are recommended