Factors predicting the stretching exercise behaviors of office employees working in the shahid beheshti university of medical sciences in tehran, Iran

Abstract Background Office employees of all ages are at risk for non-communicable diseases such as musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) due to physical inactivity. Stretching exercise (SE) behavior could help office employees prevent MSDs. This research aimed to study the predictors of SE among office employees working in Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences (SBUMS) of Iran through a health promotion model (HPM). Methods In the present study, 430 eligible office employees were randomly selected. To assess the predictors of SE, all the HPM constructs were examined as risk factors to determine whether they influence the probability of SE behavior occurrence and were interpreted through odds ratio (OR). SPSS version 19 was used to analyze the data. Results A total of 420 office employees with mean age of 37.1±8.03 years took part in the study. This study showed that perceived barriers to action could prevent participants from engaging in SE (OR [95%CI]: 0.875 [0.815-0.939], p < 0.001). However, perceived self-efficacy (OR [95%CI]: 1.248 [1.137-1.370], p < 0.001), commitment to a plan of action (OR [95%CI]: 1.189 [1.033-1.367], p = 0.016), and interpersonal influences (OR [95%CI]: 1.104 [1.041-1.217], p = 0.003) were significant predictors for SE behavior. Conclusions This study showed that the office employees who were more confident and committed to a plan of action, and perceived fewer barriers, were more likely to engage in SE behavior.

Assessing Awareness Level about Warning Signs of Cancer and its Determinants in an Iranian General Population.

The present study was aimed at investigating the awareness level about warning signs of cancer and its determinants in an Iranian general population. This cross-sectional interview-based survey investigated 2,500 people aged 18 years and over, as a representative sample of Tehran population. Latent class regression was applied for analyzing data. A small (18.8%) proportion of the respondents had high level of knowledge, and 54.5% had moderate awareness, and 26.7% had low level of awareness. Most effective predictors for awareness were educational attainment, sex, and marital status. The findings suggest that the overall level of knowledge about warning signs of cancer among the public is low, particularly about some specific signs. Accordingly, educational and intervention programmes, with special attention placed on particular at-risk populations, to increase awareness about the disease leading to its early diagnosis are needed.