[Lifestyle of patients with high blood pressure in rural areas of Jahrom, Iran]

Introduction: Choosing the wrong lifestyle could underlie the occurrence of serious diseases including hypertension which is a crucial threat to health. This study examined the lifestyle of patients with hypertension in rural health centers of Jahrom, Iran

Methods: This descriptive cross-sectional study was performed on 78 patients with hypertension who were over 30 years old, in Jahrom in 2013. Data was collected using questionnaires and interviews. The questionnaire consisted of two parts of demographic characteristics and behavioral questionnaires reflecting the lifestyle of the study population. Data analysis was performed using the statistical software SPSS19

Results: The mean age of participants was 63.02 +/- 14.23 ranging from 30 to 70 years. 30.8% were male and 69.2% female. Average years of living with hypertension was 8.4 +/- 5.8. Mean systolic and diastolic blood pressure in patients were 128.39 +/- 14.01 and 80.96 +/- 10.44, respectively. The mean BMI of patients was 24.8 +/- 4.6. Blood Pressure of 53.75% of patients was above the defined threshold equal to or greater than patients were smokers and 20.5% of them used hookah. 14.1% of the patients had regular physical activity. The most frequent behaviors were following the physician›s instructions [61.5%] and taking the medicines regularly [70.5%] and the least frequent behaviors were having regular physical activity [14.1%] and avoiding the stress [17.9%]

Conclusion: The results of this study indicated poor lifestyle and behaviors particularly avoiding stress and physical activity. Therefore, education and training is necessary for the studied subjects to adopt healthy lifestyle

[Relationship of exercise benefits/barriers and self efficacy with stages of change for physical activity in Abu Musa Island employees, Iran]

Introduction: Regular physical activity is an important aspect of a healthy lifestyle. The aim of this study was to determine the relationship between pros, cons and self-efficacy with stages of change for exercise behavior in employees of Abu Musa Island

Methods: In this cross-sectional study, through cluster sampling,119 employees in of fices on Abu Musa Island were selected. Data of pros, cons and self-efficacy were collected using Physical activity staging, Exercise Benefits/Barriers scale and Exercise self-efficacy scale and were analyzed using the SPSS16

Results: According to the results, 16.8% of employees were in the pre-contemplation stage,10% in the contemplation stage, 31.1% in preparation stage, 13.4% in action stage and 28.7% in the maintenance stage. There was a significant association between pros and cons and regular physical activity [p<0.01]

Conclusion: In order to change physicala ctivity behavior and achieve the stages of action and maintenance; designing and implementation of appropriate training programs about the benefits of exercise and eliminating the barriers is recommended

[Health locus of control and its relation with health-promoting behaviors among people over 15 in Bandar Abbas, Iran]

Introduction: Health locus of control is defined as the extent of one's belief that his/her health is controlled by internal or external factors. The aim of this study was determining the health locus of control and its relation with the health-promoting behaviors among people over 15 in Bandar Abbas, Iran

Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted in 2012. To collect data, Form A of Wallston questionnaire and health-promoting lifestyle profile II [HPLP II] were used. Out of 830 questionnaires, 687 were completed. Multiple regression analysis was used to predict health promoting behaviors through health locus of control dimensions

Results: The mean age of participants was 34.3 [SD=12.1] and 49.8% of them were male. There was a significant difference between internal health locus of control, chance, and powerful others [p<0.001]. The Least and the most mean scores belonged to chance [21.35] and both powerful others [30.31] and internal health locus of control [30.32], respectively. Based on regression analysis, internal locus of control [beta =0.23, p<0.001] and powerful others [beta =0.29, p<0.001] significantly predict health-promoting behaviors

Conclusion: The findings suggest that to improve health behaviors of the individuals, internal control and significant others should be focused in educational intervention programs

Improving breast self-examination: an educational intervention based on health belief model

This study evaluated the effect of an educational program on breast self-examination [BSE] among women living in Bandar Abbas, Iran. This trial studied 240 eligible women attending at eight health centers of Bandar Abbas who were randomly divided into intervention [n = 120] or control [n=120] group. Data regarding belief on breast self examination were collected through the Champion's Health Belief Model Scale [CHBMS]. At the initial of the study, there were no differences between two groups in terms of socio demographic data, the mean scores of Champion's Health Belief Model [CHBM] sub-scales and breast self-examination rate. At follow up time the intervention group compared to control group has obtained significant higher mean score of CHBM in terms of all sub-scales except for the subscale of BSE benefit. This study indicated that the designed program could improve Breast Self Examination among studied women

[Constructs of the health belief model as predicting factors in breast self-examination]

Early diagnosis of breast lumps through breast selfexamination [BSE] is important for early detection of breast cancer. The aim of this study was to evaluate factors predict the BSE behavior using Health Belief Model constructs in women referred to health centers in Bandar abbas, Iran. In this cross-sectional study, 240 eligible women were randomly selected from eight health centers. Data were collected using a self-administered questionnaire including demographic characteristics and Champion's Health Belief Model Scale [CHBMS]. The CHBMS measures the HBM concepts of susceptibility [3 items], seriousness [6 items], benefits [4 items], barriers [8 items] and self-efficacy [10 items]. All items were ranged in a Likert scale ranging from "strongly disagree [score: one]" to "strongly agree [score: five]". A total of 240 women took part in the study. The mean age of participants was 37.2 [SD=6.1]. Of all, 32.5% had high school education; and 95.8% were married. The results showed that 31.7% of the women had performed the BSE; however, only 7.1% had performed it regularly. Perceived BSE benefits, perceived BSE barriers and perceived BSE selfefficacy of the participants who performed the BSE were significantly higher than those who did not [P<0.03]. The results from regression analysis indicated that the perceived BSE self-efficacy and perceived BSE barriers predicted breast self-examination behavior [P<0.001]. The findings of this study indicated that perceived BSE barriers and perceived BSE self-efficacy were influencing factors in predicting the BSE behavior. Therefore, in order to improve self-efficacy and decrease the barriers, BSE training programs are strongly recommended

Determinant of health related quality of life on people living in Bandar Abbas, Iran

The relationship between socio demographic status and Health Related Quality of Life [HRQOL] in general population living in Bandar Abbas. This cross sectional study was conducted among general population living in Bandar Abass, Iran from Jun to Jul. 2007. Using a multistage sampling method, a random sample of individuals aged 15 years and over were interviewed through SF-36 questionnaire. Multiple logistic regression analysis were used to predict determinant factors on health related quality of life. Overall, 1675 Iranian adults were interviewed. The majority of the participants were female [50.4%], married [70.9%] and employed [36.8%]. The range of education years of most participants [56.7%] were from 6 to 12 years. Female participated in this study had significantly poorer HRQOL than male in all aspects of SF-36 except for Role Emotional [P<0.001]. Furthermore there were significant differences between different age groups in all individually scales and two summaries [P< 0.001]. after adjusting for the impacts of other socio demographic factors, variable such as older age, female gender and lower educational level could independently decrease both mental and physical aspect of HRQOL [P<0.01]. Female, older and less educated people are at higher risk of poorer health quality of life in both mental and physical aspects and should be considered as high risk groups in priority health programs

[Clinical education problems: the viewpoints of nursing and midwifery students in Hormozgan University of Medical Sciences]

Clinical education is a complicated process which may be affected by different factors and variables. Therefore, recognizing the current situation and problems is the first step to minimize these factors. The aim of this study was to determine the viewpoints of nursing and midwifery students in Hormozgan University of Medical Sciences about problems that they have encountered in clinical education. In this cross-sectional study, 59 bachelor nursing and midwifery students who were in their last semester were involved. The data were collected using a questionnaire with three parts: dempgraphic data; clinical education problems [measured by Likert scale]; and one open question related to clinical education problems. The collected data were analyzed by SPSS [ver.13] software. The most important problems in clinical education were lack of welfare facilities [71.2%], lack of proper clinical environments [39%], lack of educational aids [37.3%], lack of facilities in clinical environments [35.6%] and lack of skilled clinical trainers [35.6%]. According to our findings, it is recommended to provide enough facilities and equipment for students in clinical environments and also to employ expert clinical trainers to improve quality of education

IUD continuation rate and the reasons for discontinuation in women referring to Bandar Abbas health centers, Iran

Electroconvulsive therapy [ECT] is an effective treatment for many psychological disorders, mainly major depression and schizophrenia which is often associated with some complications such as hypertension, tachycardia arrhythmia and even myocardial infarction. Various methods have been used for prevention or control of these cardiovascular side effects. The aim of this study was evaluating the effect of oral clonidine as premedication on hemodynamic response after ECT. This double-blind clinical trial was performed on 100 patients aged 15-50 years with ASA I and II who were candidates for ECT. Prior to ECT, patients were randomly divided to 2 equal groups. The first group [N=50] received oral clonidine and the second group [N=50] received placebo as premedication. After baseline measurement of heart rate, systolic and diastolic blood pressures, similar induction of anesthesia was done in both groups. Then ECT was induced. The patients heart rate, systolic and diastolic blood pressure were measured again 2 minutes after termination of convulsion. Data was analyzed by t-test p<0.05 was considered statistically significant. Regarding age, sex and baseline hemodynamic parameters, the patients were similar in both groups. Mean systolic and diastolic blood pressures after ECT were significantly lower in clonidine group [p<0.05], but there was no significant difference between heart rate after ECT in the two groups. According to these results, we recommend usage of clonidine as premedication before ECT

[Quality gap in primary healthcare services in Bandar Abbas: women's perspective]

The Service quality gap is the gap between customer expectations and the perceived quality of the service delivered. The basic step in eliminating this gap is recognizing customers' perceptions and expectations of service quality and determining the quality gap. The aim of this study was to determine the quality gap in primary healthcare services in the health centers of Bandar Abbas. This was a cross-sectional study and the target population consisted of women attending the health care centers of Bandar Abbas. We selected a total of 400 women according to the order of their attendance. The SERVQUAL measurement instrument was used to determine the gap in service quality. The instrument comprises five dimensions: tangibles, reliability, responsiveness, assurance and empathy. Data were analyzed by the SPSS software. There were quality gaps in all the five dimensions of service quality. The smallest gap [-0.76] was in the assurance and the greatest gap was observed for the empathy [-0.98]. There were significant differences between the mean of service quality gap in all dimensions [P<0.0001]. The negative gap in service quality indicates that client expectations are higher than their perceptions. Thus, there is a need for improvement across all the five dimensions

[Physical activity and the stages of change: application of the Trans Theoretical Model]

The Trans theoretical Model is a behavior change model that incorporates the stages of change in physical activity behavior. The aim of this study was to determine these stages in adults living in Bandar Abbas, Iran. This was a cross sectional study. Using cluster random sampling, 1600 subjects, aged 15 years and over, were studied from April to May 2007 in Bandar Abbas, Iran. To describe different levels of behavior change, we used The Physical Activity Staging questionnaire and collected data on five stages of physical activity change, including pre-contemplation, contemplation, preparation, readiness and maintenance. In all, 1600 individuals with a mean age of 40.1 +/- 15.2 were studied. Among these, 724 [49.4] were men. A total of 959 individuals [59.9%] were at pre-contemplation stage and 1.3%, 3.2%, 0.5% and 35.1% were at stages of contemplation, readiness, action, and maintenance respectively. There were statistically significant differences between stages of change with regard to gender, age, and education [P < 0.001]. This study revealed the majority of participants were in pre-contemplation and contemplation stages. These findings should be considered in future studies

IUD survival and its determinants; a historical cohort study

IUD is one of the safest and most widely used reversible methods of contraception. The purpose of this study was to determine IUD survival and reasons for early discontinuation in Bandar Abbas, south of Iran. Probability of IUD continuation rate and factors associated with discontinuation were assessed in a historical cohort study of 400 women records from March 2002 to February 2004. Data were collected from documents in health centers and interview with subjects. Life tables, Kaplan-Meier, log-rank test and cox regression model were used for data analysis. The continuation rate of using IUD at 6, 12, 18, 24, 30, 36, 42 and 48 month were 92%, 87%, 81%, 75%, 69%, 62%, 56% and 50%, respectively. Counseling and desire to becoming pregnant were associated with continuation rate [P < 0.03]. Furthermore the most important reasons for IUD discontinuation were side effects of IUD followed by pregnancy tendency, health concerns, expulsion, and unsatisfied with the method. Conclusion: This study suggested that women should be fully informed about side effects of IUD before inserting it as well as during its using

Quality gap of educational services in viewpoints of students in Hormozgan University of medical sciences

Higher education is growing fast and every day it becomes more and more exposed to globalization processes. The aim of this study was to determine the quality gap of educational services by using a modified SERVQUAL instrument among students in Hormozgan University of Medical Sciences. In this cross-sectional study, a total of 300 students were randomly selected from all students of Hormozgan University of Medical Science and were asked to fill a questionnaire that was designed according to SERVQUAL method. This questionnaire measures students' perceptions and expectations in five dimensions of service that consists of assurance, responsiveness, empathy, reliability and tangibles. The quality gap of educational services was determined based on differences between students' perceptions and expectations. The results demonstrated that in all of the five SERVQUAL dimensions, there was a negative quality gap. The least and the most negative quality gap mean were in reliability [-0.71] and rasponsiveness [-1.14] respectively. Also there were significant differences between perceptions and expectations of students in all of the five SERVQUAL dimensions [p<0.001]. Negative quality gap means students' expectations are more than their perceptions. So improvements are needed across all of the five dimensions