What competencies do environmental health graduates need to manage social determinants of health?

BACKGROUND@#Graduates of environmental health engineering should be able to manage Social Determinants of Health (SDH) and acquire the essential competencies during their studies at university. This study was performed to determine the expected competencies of environmental health graduates in a way to be able to manage environmental and Social Determinants of Health according to their job description.@*METHODS@#This descriptive cross-sectional study was performed using Delphi technique. First, the literature review was done and the Delphi technique was performed in three rounds. The purposeful sampling was used and 50 people were selected among the specialists in the field of environmental health engineering and SDH. Participants answered an open-ended question, for the first round. Then, a questionnaire with 8 areas was designed based on the results of the first round and distributed for the second round. Data analysis was performed using descriptive statistics. The third round was done to reach the agreement on final items.@*RESULTS@#The agreement on the items of the third round of Delphi was more than 70%. The final results showed eight competency areas under which 29 competencies were defined. Competency areas included expert knowledge, reasoning and planning, advocacy, system-based practice, professionalism, instructional expertise, social and personal skills and, research and self-development. The first three priorities of the required competency areas were expert knowledge (4.46 ± 0.55), professionalism (4.42 ± 0.64), and advocacy (4.32 ± 0.77).@*CONCLUSIONS@#It is necessary that environmental health engineers achieve necessary competencies regarding managing SDH, upon their graduation. It is suggested to integrate these competencies into the curriculum of environmental and health engineering in Iran universities.

[Reproductive health and educational needs among pre-marriage couples]

To investigate pre-marriage educational needs of couples to plan support services. In a cross-sectional study, a self administered questionnaire was used to collect data from 2117 participants in pre-marriage consulling sessions in Isfahan city. The questionnaire included educational needs in different subjects of reproductive health field, spousal relationships and Islamic rules and rights. The educational priorities in different fields are as follows: women cancers and safe sex in reproductive health, communication techniques and ways to solve problems with the spouse in the spousal relationships and legal rights related to sex and the advices of Islam about spousal relationships in the field of Islamic rules and rights respectively. The average age of women and men were 22.8 +/- 4.2 years, 26.2 +/- 4.3, respectively. Significant association was observed in the field of reproductive health between the educational needs and women's job [P=0.022], men's job [P=0.009], women's age [P=0.033] and the level of education [P=0.001], in the field of spousal relationships between the educational needs and women's job [P<0.001], men's job [P=0.043], age of both women and men [P=0.001], and in the Islamic rules and rights field, between the educational needs and women's job [P<0.001], age of both women and men [P=0.44] and the level of education [P=0.007]. In men with higher educational level, demands for learning increase however in women it reduce. By increasing the age, needs for education in both sexes reduce. Employed women had lower needs for education compared to other groups and employed men had more needs. There was no significant difference between rural and urban residents