Assessment of overweight and obesity in Iranian adolescents: optimal cut-off values of anthropometric indices

Background: Various indices have been used to estimate overweight and obesity; all have limitations and strengths. The prevalence of overweight and obesity may differ by ethnicity.

Aims: This study evaluated waist circumference [WC], waist-to-hip ratio [WHpR], waist-to-height ratio [WHtR] and neck circumference [NC] as reliable alternatives to body mass index for screening for overweight and obesity, and determined their optimum cut-off values in different ethnic groups.

Methods: The study was conducted from November 2015 to February 2016 among adolescents aged 12–14 years from five ethnicities in the Islamic Republic of Iran: Arab, Kurdish, Sistani and Baluchi, Turkish and Turkman. Stratified multistage sampling was used to select 2444 students. Receiver operating characteristic curves were constructed to evaluate WC, WHpR, WHtR and NC as screening indices for overweight and obesity as categorized by body mass index centiles.

Results: The prevalence of overweight and obesity in the total sample were 15.3% and 9.2% respectively, with higher rates in students of Arab, Kurdish and Turkish ethnicity. The areas under curve ranged from 0.8 to 0.9 for WC, WHtR and NC. The mean optimum values with the highest sensitivity and specificity to identify overweight were: 72.3 cm [sensitivity 0.80, specificity 0.75] for WC, 0.46 [0.85, 0.70] for WHtR and 31 cm [0.76, 0.76] for NC. For obesity mean optimum values were: 77 cm [0.84, 0.81] for WC, 0.50 [0.84, 0.84] for WHtR and 31.5 cm [0.88, 0.71] for NC.

Conclusions: WC, WHtR and NC may be useful tools to screen for adiposity using their optimum values for sex and ethnicity

[Factors predicting mood changes in oral contraceptive pill users]

Objective [s]: over 100 million women worldwide are using oral contraceptives pills [OCP] and mood changes were being as the primary reason for OCP discontinuation. The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence and predisposing factors to mood change in oral contraceptive pills users

Methods: This was a cross-sectional study of 500 women aged 15-49 years old using low dose [LD] pills attending family planning centers in Ahwaz, Iran in year 2012. Data were collected via face-to-face interviews using an structured questionnaire including items on demographic, self-efficacy and mood change. Both univarate and multiple logistic regression analyses were performed to assess the relationship between OCP use and the independent variables

Results: In all 31% of women [n =153] reported mood change due to OCs use. The results of logistic regression revealed that education [OR =1.80, 95% CI=1.15-2.80, P =0.009], place of living [OR =2.57, 95% CI=1.06-6.20, P =0.03], and self-efficacy [OR =0.87, 95% CI=0.80-0.94, P =0.001] were significant predictors of mood change

Conclusion: The findings indicated that the prevalence of mood changes due to OCP use was relatively high among Iranian women. In addition the findings showed that education on side effects and self-efficacy was important predicting factors for mood changes. Indeed implementing educational programs and increasing self-efficacy among women are recommended

[ rate of general and managerial educations among managers and chief experts in iran universities of medical sciences/ vice chancellors for health]

Background and Objective: Education and improvement of human resources is a kind of investment in organizations and have a key role in improving their performance and productivity. This study was conducted to determine the rate of managerial trainings among managers and chief experts in health deputies of Iran Medical Sciences Universities and its relation to demographic and institutional factors

Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted in spring 2011. Sample population was managers and experts of Health Deputies of Medical Sciences Universities in Iran. Thirteen universities were selected by random systematic and stratified sampling and their managers and chief experts were interviewed by using a questionnaire consisted of demographic and organizational variables as well as 40 management-related topics

Results: A total of 293 managers and chief experts were studied. Among 40 studied management topics, only in 8 topics over than 40% had been trained and in 32 remained topics the rate of trained individuals varied from 1% to 40%. The rate of education showed significant relationship with the grade of university and subjects' sex, age , work experience, educational level and field, taking MPH courses and current work location and position [p<0.05]. The grade of university [77.5%] and work experience [12.5%] had respectively the highest and lowest relationships with the rate of education

Conclusion: Low rate of managerial and general trainings among managers and chief experts requires designing and implementing more educational programs?