A systematic review of barriers and motivators to physical activity in elderly adults in Iran and worldwide / 한국역학회지

OBJECTIVES: This study was conducted to identify and characterize the barriers and motivations to physical activity (PA) for elderly adults in Iran and other countries.METHODS: We searched 6 databases (PubMed, Embase, Scopus, Web of Science, Magiran, and the Scientific Information Database) from 2000 to the November 2017, using “aged 60 and over,” “physical activity” or “exercise,” and “motivator” and “barrier” as keywords. Two reviewers independently performed the search, screening, and quality assessment of the studies.RESULTS: In total, 34 papers were finally included in the study. The most important barriers, based on the frequency of factors, included physical problems, having no companions, and physical barriers to walking. The motivators included improving one's physical condition, being social, and suitability of the physical environment.CONCLUSIONS: Important motivators and barriers to PA were more closely related to intrapersonal factors than to the interpersonal and environmental domains. The barriers and motivators to PA in the elderly were not markedly different between Iran and other countries. Therefore, a general strategy could be designed to improve PA in the elderly.

A systematic review of barriers and motivators to physical activity in elderly adults in Iran and worldwide / 한국역학회지

OBJECTIVES@#This study was conducted to identify and characterize the barriers and motivations to physical activity (PA) for elderly adults in Iran and other countries.@*METHODS@#We searched 6 databases (PubMed, Embase, Scopus, Web of Science, Magiran, and the Scientific Information Database) from 2000 to the November 2017, using “aged 60 and over,”“physical activity” or “exercise,” and “motivator” and “barrier” as keywords. Two reviewers independently performed the search, screening, and quality assessment of the studies.@*RESULTS@#In total, 34 papers were finally included in the study. The most important barriers, based on the frequency of factors, included physical problems, having no companions, and physical barriers to walking. The motivators included improving one's physical condition, being social, and suitability of the physical environment.@*CONCLUSIONS@#Important motivators and barriers to PA were more closely related to intrapersonal factors than to the interpersonal and environmental domains. The barriers and motivators to PA in the elderly were not markedly different between Iran and other countries. Therefore, a general strategy could be designed to improve PA in the elderly.

Assessment of safety in drinking water supply system of Birjand city using World Health Organization's water safety plan

Background: The conventional method for managing drinking water quality is not a suitable preventive strategy for protecting public health. A water safety plan [WSP] presents a systematic approach to ensuring the health and quality of drinking water. This study assessed the drinking water supply system safety of Birjand city using the WHO's WSP

Methods: This investigation employed the WSP-QA Tool and the WSP manual of the WHO and the AWI. For this purpose, software checklists were prepared and, after confirmation of content and face validity, completed based on Birjand's water and wastewater company records and interview with company's experts.Data was analyzed using WSP-QA Tool

Results: From total possible 440 points for full use of the program and 328 points of the studied phases, a score of 190 was acquired, indicating a 43.18% coordinated implementation with WSP. System description and management procedures showed the maximum and minimum percentages of congruency with the WSP of 87.5% and 25%, respectively. Among the components of the water supply system, water resource had the most attention

Conclusion: As regards the percentage of overall WSP-phase implementation and the low attention given to some key parameters of the water supply system, such as risk assessment and management procedures, the system currently enjoys a relatively medium level of safety. However, the high points of some phases such as system description, operational monitoring and verification enhance the system's flexibility for changing the current approach of qualitative management to the WSP

Economic burden of thalassemia major in Iran, 2015

Background: Major Thalassemia is an autosomal recessive disease with complications, mortality and serious pathology. Today, the life expectancy of patients with major thalassemia has increased along with therapeutic advances. Therefore, they need lifelong care, and caring for them would incur many costs. Being aware of the patients' costs can be effective for controlling and managing the costs and providing efficient treatments for the care of patients. Hence, this study was conducted to estimate the economic burden of the patients with major thalassemia

Methods: Totally, 198 patients with major thalassemia were randomly selected from among the patients with major thalassemia in Tehran, Iran in 2015. The economic burden of the patients was estimated from a social perspective and through a bottom-up, prevalence-based approach

Results: The average annual cost per patient was estimated $ 8321.8 regardless of the cost of lost welfare. Of this amount, $ 7286.8 was related to direct medical costs, $ 461.4 to direct non-medical costs, and $ 573.5 to indirect costs. In addition, the annual cost per patient was estimated $ 1360.5 due to the distress caused by the disease

Conclusions: Considering the high costs of the treatment of patients with major thalassemia, adopting new policies to reduce the costs that patients have to pay seems necessary. In addition, making new decisions regarding thalassemia screening, even with higher costs than the usual screening costs, can be useful since the costs of treatment are high

Tuberculosis-related awareness among people living in rural areas of Gorgan District: a cross sectional study

Tuberculosis is an infectious disease that caused by Mycobacterium Tuberculosis [TB]. Despite the implementation of free treatment, detection rate of TB remains low. Lake of awareness is a main reason for not expressing symptoms in patients. The study aimed to determine the level ofawareness about TB among rural areas of Gorgan. This study was cross-sectional research which was conducted in 2014-2015 in Gorgan villagers [age>/= 15 non-TB]. These individuals were selected by two-staged cluster sampling. The total sample size was 672. The data collection instrument was a researcher-made questionnaire. Face and content validity and also test-retest method were used for validity and reliability, respectively. Participation of individuals in this study was voluntary and with informed consent. The collected data was analyzed using SPSS 16 software. Findings analysis by independent Sample T-Test and Anova test. The mean age of respondents was 33 +/- 1.17. The mean score of villagers' awareness was 30.95+/-6.16. The awareness level of 330 participants [49.1%] was high. There was a significant difference between awareness and some variables such as literacy level and age [p<0.05]. There wasn't a significant difference between awareness and gender, family size, history of morbidity, and ethnicity. According to results of this study, Level of villagers'awareness about TB was high, but they lacked awareness on some aspects like the ways of transmission and virulence of disease. It seems that increasing awareness and surveying of influent factors on awareness in people who have TB symptoms is necessary

investigation on the effect of Health Belief Model-based education on refusal skills in high risk situations among female students

Various studies show an association between lack of social skills in adolescents and the future incidence of behavioral disorders. If girls, as future mothers, lack adequate health, awareness, self confidence and social skills, they may act as a source of many social problems. Therefore, the present study has tried to educate this group on one of the most essential social skills, refusal skill in high risk situation. This is a field quasi experimental study conducted on 145 female students in middle schools in Arak, Iran in 2010-2011. The schools were randomly selected. The subjects were selected through systematic random sampling from the schools' log book. The data were collected by questionnaires containing personal and familial characteristics, three health belief model structures, and behavioral intention in high risk situations. The data were analyzed by descriptive statistical tests [frequency distribution, mean, SD] and inferential tests of repetitive variance analysis and T-test through SPSS. In the present study, repetitive variance analysis showed that education by use of a health belief model had a positive effect on refusal skills in high risk situations as well as perceived barriers [p = 0.007], self-efficacy[p = 0.015], behavioral intention [p = 0.048] after educational intervention in the study group, but not on perceived benefits [p = 0.180]. The results showed that education significantly increased refusal skills in high risk situations in the study group through the health belief model. With regard to the results, it is essential to equip the students with preventive behaviors to guarantee their physical, emotional and social health.

[Social cognitive correlates of fruit and vegetables consumption among students: a cross-sectional research]

The purpose of the present study was to identify factors affecting fruit and vegetables consumption in elementary school students, based on social cognitive theory, to guide us about interventions that can increase their intake. In this cross-sectional study, 158 male students in elementary schools [grade 4] of Isfahan city were participated. Data collecting tool was a self-designed questionnaire based on constructs of Bandura's social cognitive theory and food record questionnaire. The validity and reliability of the questionnaire was provided by using content validity, face validity and internal reliability [alpha=0.86]. After collecting data, data were analyzed using Spearman correlation and multivariate regression tests. Findings showed significant correlation between mean daily servings of fruits and vegetables with behavioral capability [p<0.001], self-efficacy in difficult situations [p<0.001, p=0.01, respectively], self-efficacy in selecting fruit and vegetables [p<0.001, p=0.003, respectively] and access to fruit and vegetables [p=0.003, p=0.005, respectively]. Observational learning showed significant correlation only with daily servings of fruits [p=0.004]. In the multivariate analyses, mean daily servings of fruits and vegetables correlated directly with self-efficacy in difficult situations, self-efficacy in selecting fruit and vegetables and access to fruit and vegetables. The most important factors affecting fruit and vegetables consumption in elementary school students are self-efficacy in difficult situations, self-efficacy in selecting fruit and vegetables, and access to fruit and vegetables

[Effect of educational intervention on promoting HIV/AIDS preventive behaviors among addicts]

Objective [s]: To determine the effect of education on HIV/AIDS preventive behaviors of addict persons in Zarandieh

Methods: In this quasi-experimental study, 48 male addicted, were selected. A questionnaire was developed and it was used after taking reliability and validity. The educational needs were recognized, and then the educational intervention was designed and performed. After 2 month, KAP of samples were determined [post-test] and then compared with pretest information

Results: %34 of addicted had tattooed, %32 of them had sexual intercourse extra family and %45 of had drugs injection, Heroin and Krak with %46 and %44 were common drugs. The mean score of knowledge, attitude and practice after educational intervention compared to before intervention [before intervention: 6.75, 6.89, 3. after intervention: 11.24, 11.53, 4.78] .There was significant difference between KAP scores of samples before and after intervention [P<0.0001]

Conclusion: the results of this survey indicated that designed educational intervention was effective on increasing of HIV/AIDS preventive KAP