How did we protect children against COVID-19 in Iran? Prevalence of COVID-19 and vaccination in the socio-economic context of COVID-19 epidemic.

INTRODUCTION: The COVID-19 pandemic posed significant risks to children worldwide. This study aimed to assess the COVID-19 protection status of children and explored the relationship between household socio-economic status and COVID-19 morbidity and preventive measures, including vaccination and mask-wearing, in two cities in Iran. METHOD: A population-based cross-sectional study was conducted from July to October 2022 among 7 to 18-year-old children and their families in Tehran and Karaj. A total of 3,022 samples were selected using stratified multistage cluster sampling. Data were collected through interviews with children and adults, using questionnaires and was analyzed with Stata software version 14. RESULTS: The analysis focused on 2,878 children with a median age of 12. Over half (54%) reported that the pandemic negatively affected their family's financial status, with 45% describing its impact on children's needs as negative or very negative. Just under 50% of respondents consistently wore masks during the study period, and around 54% had received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. Reasons for not getting vaccinated included concerns about side effects, ineligibility for the target age group, and overcrowding at vaccination sites. The odds of not getting vaccinated were significantly lower for children aged 15-18, with boys more likely to refuse vaccination than girls. CONCLUSION: The financial impact of the pandemic in Iran affected families' ability to meet their children's needs. Moreover, low vaccination acceptance rates increased children's vulnerability to health problems and contributed to COVID-19 infections. Efforts should be made to increase vaccination acceptance, particularly among immigrant populations.

Predictor factors affecting emotional and behavioral problems in school-aged (6-12 years) children during the COVID-19 pandemic: a cross-sectional study.

OBJECTIVES: The prolonged outbreak of COVID-19 has caused psychological problems in the community, especially in children. Given that limited studies have been conducted on this vulnerable group in Iran, we conducted this study to determine the predictor factors affecting emotional and behavioral problems in school-aged (6-12 years) children during the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS: We conducted a cross-sectional study on 322 mothers of elementary school-aged children (6-12 years) from April 21 to June 21, 2021, in Karaj, Alborz, Iran. Sociodemographic checklist, socioeconomic status scale (SES), Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale (DASS-21), Corona Disease Anxiety Scale (CDAS), and the Rutter Children's Behavior Questionnaire (RCBQ) were used to evaluate the children's behavioral symptoms, the mental health of their mothers, and sociodemographic factors. RESULTS: In total, 17.7% of children (male = 27.0%, female = 11.7%) had behavioral problems. Results showed income (p-value = 0.007, 95%CI (-3.85- -0.607)), and physical activity of the child (p-value = 0.026, 95%CI (-1.03- -0.067)), were indirectly associated with children's behavioral symptoms. Having underlying disease (p-value = 0.00, 95%CI (1.712-5.949)), breastfeeding (p-value = 0.027, 95%CI (0.335-5.61)), corona-related anxiety (p-value = 0.00, 95%CI (0.158-0.318)), and DASS score (p-value = 0.00, 95%CI (0.149-0.334)) in the mothers, as well as male gender (p-value = 0.003, 95%CI (0.724-3.471)) were directly associated with children's behavioral symptoms. The most factors involved in the behavioral symptom score of children were corona-related anxiety (ß = .298), DASS (ß = 0.273), underlying disease of mothers (ß = 0.163), income (ß = -0.154), child's gender (ß = 0.142) and physical activity (ß = -0.101), and breastfeeding (ß = 0.099) respectively. CONCLUSION: Study findings showed that some factors affect the emotional and behavioral problems of school-aged (6-12 years) children during the COVID-19 pandemic. These data may help future researchers and policymakers with early intervention.

Clinical and Socio-Demographic Variables Associated With Long COVID-19: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Considering the importance of long COVID-19 (LC), this study aimed to investigate the relationship between clinical/sociodemographic factors and LC symptoms (LCS). This online cross-sectional study was conducted on 308 people infected with COVID-19 in Alborz, Iran, from April 1 to June 1, 2022. Multivariable logistic regression models were applied to measure the association between the LCS with other variables. Overall, 76.6% of participants had at least one LCS. Results from the multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that females (crude odds ratio [OR] [95% confidence interval (CI)]: 2.725 [1.42, 5.22]), educated persons (3.747 [1.58, 8.84]), people with a higher number of COVID-19 reinfection (2.280 [1.30, 3.97]), having an underlying disease (1.996 [1.01, 3.93]), and COVID-19 severity (3.321 [1.037, 10.635]) had higher odds of LC than others (all p < .05). Study findings provide additional clinical/sociodemographic data on risk for LC. These data may inform future research and clinical practice for potential risk identification and early intervention.

Street Children in Iran: What Are Their Living and Working Conditions? Findings from a Survey in Six Major Cities.

Street children are among the most marginalized children, globally, who experience severe violations of their rights and face multiple deprivations. This study aimed to describe street children's characteristics and working conditions in Iran. METHOD: This cross-sectional rapid survey was conducted from March to May 2017 in six major cities in Iran. The sample group consisted of Iranian and non-Iranian girls and boys, aged 10 to 18, who worked on the streets for at least one month prior to the survey. Time-location based sampling was used. A total of 856 Children were randomly selected from 464 venues, including corners of streets, parks, metro gates, bus stations, shopping malls, and shopping centers frequented by street children. RESULTS: Findings showed that 90% of participants were boys, 60% were between 10 and 14 years old, almost 50% attended school, 12% were illiterate, and 32% had quit school. Children of Afghan nationality comprised 54% of the study participants, and the rest were Iranian. Of all participants, 85% resided with family or relatives. Most children (75.5%) worked more than 5 h daily, and vending (71.2%) and waste picking (16.1%) were common activities. Street children suffered, mainly, from harsh weather (22.7%), insults and beatings of everyday people (21%), starvation (20.7%), and police repression (15.4%). More than half of the study participants were not involved in intervention programs, and just 7% of them had attended any health education programs. CONCLUSION: Street children reported little to no service use, which may contribute to poor health. Street children require immediate attention to improve their wellbeing. Decision-makers and academicians should collaborate on intervention development research to design appropriate health and social interventions targeted at street children.

The effect of social determinants of health on quality of life among Afghan refugees in Iran during the COVID-19 pandemic: a path analysis.

BACKGROUND: The COVID-19 pandemic has created significant challenges in 2020 in the world and Iran. To help vulnerable groups such as refugees during the response and recovery phases of the COVID-19 pandemic, identifying the quality of life (QOL) and its associated factors is helpful. Considering that research in this field is limited, this study evaluated the effect of social determinants of health on the quality of life among Afghan refugees in Iran during the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS: We conducted a cross-sectional study on 300 Afghan refugees and migrants in Alborz province, Iran, from February to May 2022 using Convenience sampling. Data were completed using the socioeconomic status scale (SES), World Health Organization's quality of life -BREF (WHOQOL), Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale-21 Items (DASS-21), and COVID-19 Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Checklist (COVID-PTSD). In addition, path analysis was applied to evaluate the relationships among the research variables with quality of life. RESULTS: 64.3% of the study participants were male, with a mean of 29.29 ± 9.64 years. The path analysis showed that SES had the most positive relationship (B = .266), and the number of COVID-19 cases had the most negative relationship (B = -.169) with the quality of life from both paths. The self-rated health had the most positive relationship (B = .25), and the DASS score had the most negative relationship (B = -.2) with the quality of life through only one path. Access to medical services was the only variable that indirectly had a positive causal relationship with QOL (B = .044). CONCLUSION: We provided an empirical model that illustrates the relationships between quality of life and social determinants of health among Afghan refugees and migrants during the Covid19 pandemic. The negative emotional states of Depression, Anxiety, and Stress (DAS) as a mediator play an essential role in the quality of life and other variables.

Lifetime alcohol-use prevalence and correlated factors among street children in Iran.

BACKGROUND: Several studies on street children in Iran reported a high prevalence of alcohol consumption among this group. This study assessed the prevalence of lifetime alcohol use and correlated factors among street children in Iran. METHODS: We conducted a cross-sectional survey among 856 street children from six provinces of Iran. Behavioral data were collected by trained interviewers using a structured questionnaire. Our target outcome was lifetime alcohol use. We examined associations between individual variables and lifetime alcohol use using the chi-square. A multiple logistic regression model included variables with a p-value < .2. Lastly, we reported the adjusted odds ratio (an OR) point estimate and 95% confidence interval (95% CI) as the effect measure. RESULTS: Mean age and standard deviation (SD) of alcohol drinkers were 14.94 ± 2.16. Overall, 16.6% (CI95%: 14.38%, 19.55%) of participants reported lifetime alcohol use, and almost 60% of children reported alcohol use over three past months. In the final model, factors that were independently associated with alcohol use included the 15-18 age range (AOR 2.35, 95% CI 1.48-3.73), Iranian nationality (AOR 3.36, 95% CI 2.07-5.45), working longer than 5 years in the streets (AOR 2.90, 95% CI 1.72-4.88), father's drug use (AOR 1.93, 95% CI 1.22-3.01), and illiteracy (AOR 1.65, 95% CI 1.03-2.66). CONCLUSIONS: The results of the present study demonstrated that preventive plans for alcohol use among street children must be addressed using the services provided by governmental and nongovernmental organizations.

Climate Change and Respiratory Diseases: Relationship between SARS and Climatic Parameters and Impact of Climate Change on the Geographical Distribution of SARS in Iran.

Climate change affects human health, and severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) incidence is one of the health impacts of climate change. This study is a retrospective cohort study. Data have been collected from the Iranian Ministry of Health and Medical Education between 17 February 2016 and17 February 2018. The Neural Network Model has been used to predict SARS infection. Based on the results of the multivariate Poisson regression and the analysis of the coexistence of the variables, the minimum daily temperature was positively associated with the risk of SARS in men and women. The risk of SARS has increased in women and men with increasing daily rainfall. According to the result, by changes in bioclimatic parameters, the number of SARS patients will be increased in cities of Iran. Our study has shown a significant relationship between SARS and the climatic variables by the type of climate and gender. The estimates suggest that hospital admissions for climate-related respiratory diseases in Iran will increase by 36% from 2020 to 2050. This study demonstrates one of the health impacts of climate change. Policymakers can control the risks of climate change by mitigation and adaptation strategists.

The Barriers to Achieve Financial Protection in Iranian Health System: A Qualitative Study in a Developing Country.

BACKGROUND: The move to universal health coverage and consequently health promotion is influenced by political, socio-economic and other contextual factors in a country. Iran, as a developing country with an upper-middle national income, has developed policies to achieve universal health coverage through financial protection. This study aims to investigate barriers to develop financial protection as a requirement to achieve universal health coverage. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This qualitative study was conducted using 20 in-depth interviews with experts in social welfare, health insurance and financing. The framework analysis method was used to analyze the data. RESULTS: The results have been categorized in three major themes that were extracted from ten sub-themes. The major themes included the political, social and economic context of the country, the context and structure of healthcare system and dimensions of UHC. CONCLUSION: Achieving financial protection as a long-term objective should be considered as a priority among Iranian policy makers that requires an inter-sectoral collaboration with a defined in-charge body. Health policy makers in Iran should develop a more comprehensive benefits package for diseases and health conditions with catastrophic consequences. They also should develop a plan to cover the poor people.