ABSTRACT
Aging and elderly population growth has been increased in Iran. Quality of life of older persons is important as a consideration in medical decisions and as a clinical outcome measure. Health related quality of life [HRQoL] is not well understood in this group therefore we designed this study to determine the quality of life among elderly populations of Tehran, Iran. This cross-sectional study was conducted on a random sample of elderly people selected from the elderly centers in Tehran. The Iranian version of short-form Health survey [SF-36] and perceived social support questionnaires were employed as standard tools. Overall, 400 elderly people with the mean age of 64.07 [SD =4.49] took part in this study. Of all participants, 298 individuals were women. The mean score of PCS [Physical Component summery] and MCS [Mental Component Summery] were 64.62 [SD= 1 2.68] and 63.35 [SD=4/7] respectively. The results of this study revealed that women compared to men had significantly higher scores in different dimensions of health related quality of life as physical function, social function, body pain and general health. Additionally, participants with lower body mass indexes, higher education level, married elderly, healthy aged participants and richer ones had higher scores of health related quality of life. According to this study, there was correlation between mean PCS and social support as well as MCS and social support. Quality of life in female, individuals with higher education and socioeconomic status were higher than male, persons with lower education and socioeconomic status
ABSTRACT
This study aimed at revaluating the psychosocial disabilities in schizophrenic patients. In an analytic-descriptive setting, schizophrenic patients were evaluated in Razi University Hospital during a one-year period [2009-10]. The study group consisted of male and female patients aged 18-65 years, with the onset of disease for a minimum of 2 years and at least one psychological hospitalization in their medical record. The demographic data, as well as the results of the SANS, SAPS, GARF and SOFAS questionnaires were determined in each patient. Two hundred and eight patients, 53 females, and 155 males with the mean age of 36.96 +/- 11.55 [18-65] years were enrolled. Vocational, educational, social, familial, and self-hygiene related disabilities were seen in 63.5%, 21.2%, 93.8%, 13.9%, and 48.1% of the patients, respectively. Totally, psychosocial disabilities were reported in 98.1% of these patients. The mean age of the patients with educational or social disabilities was lower. Vocational problems were more common in male patients. Familial and social disabilities were positively related to the severity of positive and negative symptoms, with the predominance of the latter. Positive and negative symptoms were more frequent in patients with social and self-care related disabilities, respectively. The duration of the disease was significantly correlated with the positive symptoms and familial-social disabilities. The current study described the high prevalence of psychosocial disabilities in patients with schizophrenia and may have implications for public health interventions
ABSTRACT
The high rate of anemia in pregnancy is associated with complications of pregnancy and delivery; therefore, to assess the level of hemoglobin [Hb] in women who are at risk can prevent these complications. In this descriptive study, 108 pregnant women referred to a medical and educational center in Shiraz in 2006. They were enrolled in three different occasions: first trimester [10-14 weeks], second trimester [25-30 weeks], and third trimester [37-40 weeks]. The correlation of blood hemoglobin concentration with the risk of severe nausea, vomiting, and iron supplementation in pregnant women was estimated. Statistical analysis was done with SPSS 11.5 and Pearson correlation. The mean age of the participants is 25.74 +/- 5.66. In the first trimester of pregnancy 71.9% had normal hemoglobin level and 28.1% higher than normal with no case being anemic. In the second and third trimester of pregnancy, 29.2% of the subjects were anemic. The level of hemoglobin had positive correlation with the total amount of iron intake in the second trimester [p= 0.001 and r= 0.44], also in the third trimester [p< 0.001 and r= 0.46] and the whole pregnancy [p< 0.001 and r= 0.38]. This study indicated that despite regular intake of iron,%29.2 of the subjects had anemia. These findings emphasize the importance of treating these groups of patients and measuring levels of hemoglobin in each trimester together with reviewing other risk factors which are effective on anemia