Iran's status of NCDs prevention and management services during COVID-19 pandemic at PHC level

Background and Aim: Evidence shows that COVID-19 pandemic affects non-communicable diseases (NCDs), significantly. This study aimed to analyze the status of prevention and management services of NCDs at the level of primary health care (PHC) system during the COVID-19 pandemic. Materials and Methods: In this situation analysis study, first the circulars communicated at the level of PHC system from beginning of the pandemic to the end of September 2020 were manually and electronically retrieved, and those which included a decision or action in terms of governance and coordination mechanisms to provide NCDs in crisis and reopening stages, were analyzed. Then, the plans of major NCDs services in low-risk, intermediate, and high-risk conditions were developed and finalized based on the circulars. Finally, situation analysis was performed using SWOT analysis, and proposed strategies were extracted.

The effect of COVID-19 pandemic on non-communicable disease prevention and management services in the primary health care system of Iran

Background and Aim: Covid-19 pandemic has caused significant disruptions in the provision of non-communicable disease prevention and management services in many countries and there is a concern that this disorder will lead to long-term complications of these diseases;This study aimed to quantitatively analyze the status of some prevention and management services of non-communicable diseases in the primary health care system of Iran during the Covid-19 pandemic. Materials and Methods: In this study, the routine data of 8 services related to the prevention and management of non-communicable diseases in the integrated electronic health record system (SIB) within 10 months after the outbreak of Covid-19 were compared to the same period last year.

Obesity, overweight, pandemics, COVID-19, noncommunicable diseases

Background and Aim: Overweight and obesity disrupt people's quality of life and increase the risk of cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, hypertension, gastrointestinal diseases and cancer. It also reduces the immunity of people against epidemic diseases. Materials and Methods: In this article, extensive search of electronic databases, review of national upstream documents as well as review of documents and reports of the Ministry of Health were conducted to comprehensively review the prevalence of obesity and its associated factors, measures taken to control this risk factor, and challenge of a syndemic of obesity and Covid-19 in Iran.

Obesity and Healthy Lifestyle during the Covid-19 Pandemic

Background and Aim: Overweight and obesity disrupt people's quality of life and increase the risk of cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, hypertension, gastrointestinal diseases and cancer. It also reduces the immunity of people against epidemic diseases. Materials and Methods: In this article, extensive search of electronic databases, review of national upstream documents as well as review of documents and reports of the Ministry of Health were conducted to comprehensively review the prevalence of obesity and its associated factors, measures taken to control this risk factor, and challenge of a syndemic of obesity and Covid-19 in Iran. Results: Based on the results of the national non-communicable diseases risk factors study (STEPS) in Iran, the prevalence of overweight and obesity was estimated to be 59.3% in people aged 18 years and older. Moreover, overweight and obesity were not homogeneously distributed in the country and the mean body mass index (BMI) changed from the lowest in the Southeastern to the highest in the Northwestern provinces. Covid-19 pandemic has made the situation even worse as the social distancing measures along with mental problems have made tremendous changes in people's lifestyles including physical activity and eating behaviors and this resulted in higher prevalence of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) risk factors especially overweight and obesity. Moreover, obesity increased the risk of hospitalization, admission to the intensive care units, the need for mechanical ventilation, and even mortality in patients with Covid-19. Meanwhile, anti-obesity services faced problems during the epidemics and posed a serious challenge to the world. Conclusion: This study highlighted the need for targeted national policies to simultaneously control the obesity and Covid-19 pandemics. © 2018 the Author (s). Published by Kurdistan University of Medical Sciences.

Nationwide population-based surveys of Iranian COVID-19 Serological Surveillance (ICS) program: The surveys protocol

Background: Serological surveillance of COVID-19 through conducting repetitive population-based surveys can be useful in estimating and monitoring changes in the prevalence of infection across the country. This paper presents the protocol of nationwide population-based surveys of the Iranian COVID-19 Serological Surveillance (ICS) program. Methods: The target population of the surveys is all individuals ≥6 years in Iran. Stratified random sampling will be used to select participants from those registered in the primary health care electronic record systems in Iran. The strata are the 31 provinces of the country, in which sampling will be done through simple random sampling. The sample size is estimated 858 individuals for each province (except for Tehran province, which is 2574) at the first survey. It will be recalculated for the next surveys based on the findings of the first survey. The participants will be invited by the community health workers to the safe blood sampling centers at the district level. After obtaining written informed consent, 10 mL of venous blood will be taken from the participants. The blood samples will be transferred to selected reference laboratories in order to test IgG and IgM antibodies against COVID-19 using an Iranian SARS-CoV-2 ELISA Kit (Pishtaz Teb). A serologically positive test is defined as a positive IgG, IgM, or both. After adjusting for the measurement error of the laboratory test, nonresponse bias, and sampling design, the prevalence of COVID-19 will be estimated at the provincial and national levels. Also, the approximate incidence rate of infection will be calculated based on the data of both consecutive surveys. Conclusion: The implementation of these surveys will provide a comprehensive and clear picture of the magnitude of COVID-19 infection and its trend over time for health policymakers at the national and subnational levels. © Iran University of Medical Sciences