The Effect of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Counseling on Blood Glucose and Perceived Stress in Women with Gestational Diabetes / O efeito do aconselhamento para redução do estresse baseado na atenção plena sobre a glicose no sangue e o estresse percebido em mulheres com diabetes gestacional

Abstract Objective Gestational diabetes can cause maternal and neonatal morbidity. Psychological factors, especially stress, play a meaningful role in diabetes management. Therefore, the present study aimed to investigate the effect of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction counseling on blood sugar and perceived stress in women with gestational diabetes. Methods The present quasi-experimental interventional study was performed on 78 women with gestational diabetes. In the intervention group, a Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction counseling program was conducted by the researcher in 8 sessions of 90 minutes twice a week. The Cohen stress questionnaire was filled in both groups. Also, fasting blood sugar and 2-hour blood sugar levels were measured in both groups. Statistical analysis was performed using the independent T-Test, the paired T-Test, the Mann-Whitney and Wilcoxon Tests using IBM SPSS Statistics for Windows version 20 version (IBM Corp., Armonk, NY, USA). Results The mean age of pregnant women in the intervention group was 28.84 ± 6.20 years old and 29.03 ± 5.42 years old in the control group. There was a significant mean difference between the fasting blood sugar score (p= 0.02; - 6.01; and - 11.46) and the 2-hour fasting blood sugar score (p< 0.001;12.35; and - 5.3) and the perceived stress score (p< 0.001; 35.57; and - 49.19) existed between the intervention and control groups after the intervention. Conclusion The results of the present study showed that mindfulness-based stress reduction counseling is effective in reducing blood sugar levels and reducing perceived stress in women with gestational diabetes treated with diet.

relationship between mental workload and general health among welders of Tehran Heavy Structure Metal Company

Mental workload is one of the factors that influence individuals' performance in the work environment as well as their efficiency and productivity. The present study aimed at examining the association between mental workload and general health among welders of Tehran Heavy Structuress Metal Company.This cross-sectional study was conducted in 2016. The sample included 100 welders who were working in Tehran Heavy Structures Metal Company. Sampling was done through conducting a census. A demographic questionnaire, General Health Questionnaire-28 [GHQ-28], and National Aeronautics and Space Administration Task Load Index [NASA-TLX] mental workload questionnaire were used to collect data. The obtained data were fed into SPSS [version 22] and analyzed through Chi-square, one-way ANOVA, Kruscal Wallis Test, Pearson product moment correlation, and Mann-Whitney U Test.The results showed that the participating welders had an average age of 36.16 +/- 7.81, an average work experience of 9.65 +/- 5.83, and a BMI of 25.95 +/- 3.39 kg/m2. The mean and standard deviation of the overall score of welders' mental workload were 65.88 +/- 21.15. The cut-off scores for the total mental workload questionnaire and the subscales were respectively set at 23 and 6. The results demonstrated that 26% of the welders were suspected of mental disorder. Furthermore, the results of Pearson correlation indicated that there was no significant relationship between the overall score of NASA mental workload and that of general health [p-value>0.05].Welders' mental workload is relatively high. Therefore, further research should be conducted in order to identify main risk factors that lead to mental and health disorder. Future studies should also be performed to present some solutions for te purpose of decreasing or preventing these side effects among welders as much as possible

General health in the elderly and younger adults of rural areas in Fars province, Iran

There are critical gaps in assessment and research on health among the elderly living in rural communities. The state of aging and health in rural areas provides a snapshot of our older adults's need to necessary public health measures .The aim of this study was to determine the self-rated general health of adults residing in rural areas and compare the general health of the elderly with younger adults. In this population based study using multistage random sampling, 2259 adults aged [>/= 15 years old] were selected from rural areas of Shiraz, southern Iran. The participants were divided into three age groups: young adults [15-39 years old n=1574], middle aged adults [40-59 years old, n=530], and the elderly [>/= 60 years of age, n=155]. Data were gathered using a translated version of the general health questionnaire [GHQ-28] and analyzed using Chi-square, one-way ANOVA, Kruskal-Wallis tests and ANCOVA analysis. SPSS software, version 16, was used for analysis. 34.8%, 31.6%, 52.3% and 7.7% of the elderly had a probable mental disorder in the somatization, anxiety, social dysfunction and depression categories, respectively. Moreover, 9.7, 7.1, 3.9 and 4.5% of the elderly had a severe mental disorder in the four mentioned subscales, respectively. Compared with younger adults, the elderly showed a significantly higher disorder in all subscales except for anxiety. Our findings showed that chronic disease had a great effect on general health. Screening programs and prevention of chronic disease by the newly established family physician in rural districts can improve the overall community health