Effect of an educational intervention on nutrition literacy in teachers: a short communication

@#Introduction: Teachers, by creating a culture of health within their classrooms, are agents of change and have an important role during students’ formative years. This study aimed to investigate the effect of an educational intervention on the nutrition literacy of primary school teachers in Yasuj. Methods: In this quasiexperimental study, 110 primary school teachers in Yasuj, who were randomly selected from two areas of the city (intervention and comparison groups), were included in the study. Nutrition literacy was measured by using a validated tool for the Iranian society. After analysing the data, the educational content and structure were developed to improve nutrition literacy. The intervention consisted of two training sessions, provision of educational pamphlets and sending of two SMS messages. Data were analysed before and three months after the intervention by using SPSS16 software. Results: Before the intervention, the mean ± standard deviation of nutrition literacy in the comparison and intervention groups were 27.04±3.15 and 27.25±3.27, respectively. According to repeated measures ANOVA, nutrition literacy score improved significantly three months after the intervention (p time = 0.001). Besides, there was a significant difference between the two groups (p group = 0.03). The interaction between time and group was also significant (p time × group = 0.001). Conclusion: The educational intervention led to an improvement in the nutrition literacy of primary school teachers in Yasuj.

[Taxi drivers' views about risky driving behaviors in Tehran: a qualitative study]

Road traffic crashes are the second highest cause of mortality in Iran and risky driving behaviors among Iranian drivers are evident. In this study, the views of taxi drivers about risky driving behaviors were extracted in order to recommend the effective interventions for modifying these behaviors. This was a qualitative study carried out in Tehran, Iran. Forty-Two taxi drivers were invited to participate in four focus group discussions. Discutions on risky driving behaviors were tape recorded and were analyzed using a thematic approach. Data analysis showed five main themes: the role of taxi drivers in current driving situation in Tehran, drivers' reasons for committing risky driving behaviors, actions for modifying risky driving behaviors, suitable places for implementing the recommended interventions and the best channels for communicating and persuading taxi drivers. The participants believed that developing and communicating well-developed persuasive messages for increasing their concentration during driving and reminding the message content by taxi drivers' opinion leaders can affect their driving behaviors. According to findings, a consumer-oriented planning model such as social marketing was recommended to modify the risky driving behaviors among taxi drivers in Tehran

[Attitudes, self-reported and observational behaviors related to risky driving behaviors among taxi drivers in Tehran, Iran]

To assess attitudes, self-reported and observational behaviors among taxi drivers, a large group of professional drivers, in Tehran, the capital of Iran. In this cross-sectional study, we selected two municipality district of Tehran which had the highest rate of traffic accidents among taxicabs. By using a questionnaire, we asked them about their attitudes and reports of their behaviors during driving and a checklist was used for observing their risky driving behaviors. Then, data were analysed in a descriptive fashion. We found that taxi drivers in Tehran had had desired attitudes toward not driving risky and had reported their driving behavior well and non- risky.There was a significant direct relationship between their attitudes and driving history. However, we found a reverse significant relationship between self-reported behaviors and literacy level. Risky driving behavior wrer different based on the time of observation. Using cell phone, tailgaiting and not moving between lines were three most common observed risky driving behaviors among taxi drivers. Taxi drivers, as professional drivers have not desired behaviors regardless of their positive attitudes and self reports. Thus, we should design and implement the interventios based on their driving history, literacy level, common behaviors and even the time of driving

[Social marketing: application and advantage in continuous medical education]

The aim of continuous medical education is to improve physicians' performance. Unfortunately, most of the efforts which have been done in recent years for achieving this goal have been ineffective. Using ineffective educational methods and techniques are probably the major cause of this deficiency. Consumer-based models such as social marketing model can be used efficiently in the field of medical education. Social marketing is "the use of commercial marketing concepts and tools in programs designed to influence individual's behavior to improve their well being and that of the society". In this paper the main concepts and principles of social marketing model have been explained. Consumer analysis, market analysis, and channel analysis are the main concepts of social marketing that can be used in the field of continuous medical education. Although planning educational programs based on the mentioned principles seems to impose more expenses, it increases the probability of success and can affect physicians' behavior more than other applied programs