Effectiveness of a social-emotional learning program on developmental assets and subjective well-being.

The present study was done to evaluate the effectiveness of a Social Emotional Learning (SEL) intervention designed based on social marketing on developmental assets and the well-being of female adolescents in Yazd, Iran. This mixed-method quasi-experimental study was conducted in 2018-2019. A total of 190 female students were selected by multi-stage sampling from the female middle and high schools in Yazd, Iran. A SEL intervention designed based on social marketing principles was implemented among the parents and students of the intervention group. The control group did not receive any intervention. Quantitative data were collected in three stages: pre-test, post-test after two months, and follow-up after six months via Developmental Assets Profile and EPOCH measure of wellbeing. A qualitative evaluation was also performed after the intervention. Results of the Repeated-Measures test indicated that the intervention significantly influenced social competence (p-value = .02). However results did not show improvement in the positive identity development of the participant girls. Qualitative findings suggested the effectiveness of the intervention on social competencies and positive identity. Based on the results of the present study, the SEL program might have a significant but small positive effect on the social competencies of the participating adolescents.

Development and validation of a questionnaire based on the protection motivation theory to predict cigarette smoking preventive behavior in the Iranian university students.

BACKGROUND: Prevention of smoking is very important at a young age and during the student period. Because of the lack of a questionnaire based on the prevention of smoking behavior, this study was conducted to design and standardize a tool according to the protection motivation theory (PMT). MATERIALS AND METHODS: This was an analytical cross-sectional study where information and opinions of experts and then designing tools and assessing the face validity in the first phase and content validity, construct validity, test-retest reliability, and internal consistency of questions in the second phase were examined. The initial themes and structures were determined based on the literature Review and the opinion of experts. Three hundred students of Yazd Universities were selected by cluster sampling and included in the study. All analyses were performed in SPSS and AMOS software version 24 with a significance level of less than 5%. RESULTS: The final version of the scale had 39 questions in eight dimensions. The overall Cronbach's alpha value was 0.89, and for each dimension, it was more than 0.7. The content validity ratio and content validity index for the whole tool were 0.87 and 0.94, respectively. The results of confirmatory factor analysis showed that the latent construct model had good fit (X2/df = 4.31; RMSEA = 0.07; CFI = 0.94; NFI = 0.92; TLI = 0.91, P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: In this study, a valid and reliable tool based on PMT to predict smoking behavior in students was introduced. This tool can be used in interventional and etiological studies. It also has questions related to the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid 19) virus and can be used in the coronavirus pandemic.

The Effect of Training Male Smokers About the Effects of Secondhand Smoke in Pregnant Wives on Their Self-Efficacy.

Objective: Contact with second-hand cigarette smoke includes inhalation of cigarette smoke caused by the burning of the cigarette itself and inhalation of smoke exhaled by the smoker. Wife's pregnancy can be a motivating factor to change the behavior of men who smoke. Therefore, this study was conducted in order to determine the effect of training male smokers on the effects of secondhand smoke during pregnancy on their self-efficacy. Materials and methods: The present study is an interventional type of pre-test and post-test. In this phase, random sampling was done from health centers in Isfahan, the participants were 140 smoking spouses of pregnant women, who referred to health centers to receive pregnancy care, and were divided into two intervention and control groups. The data collection tool was a researcher-made questionnaire on men's self-efficacy regarding second-hand cigarette smoke. The validity of the questionnaire was confirmed based on the opinion of the expert panel with content validity ratio (CVR)=0.87 and content validity index (CVI)=0.88, and its reliability was confirmed with Cronbach's alpha=0.97. All data were analyzed with SPSS18 software and Chi-score, Fisher, t-test. Results: There was no significant difference between the comparison of demographic variables in the intervention and control groups (p>0.05). The results of the paired t-test to compare before and after the training showed that the average score of self-efficacy (p<0.001) in the intervention group had increased significantly after the training, and according to the independent t-test, the average score of self-efficacy After training, it was more in the intervention group than the control group (p<0.05). Conclusion: Men's self-efficacy regarding second-hand smoke increased after training, so the current training package is effective in training and can be suggested for future studies.

Designing an educational campaign intervention on smoking preventive behaviors in students: A protocol.

BACKGROUND: Todays, human lifestyle has faced significant changes, and this lifestyle has caused health problems. The increase of smoking, among young people, is one of the risk factors and incorrect lifestyle factors. The present study will design an educational campaign intervention based on the protection motivation theory (PMT) on smoking preventive behaviors in students. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In designing this study, five phases are considered. (1) needs assessment and determination of the current situation are considered. In this phase, the required communication is established to form a planning team with key and influential people and experts, (2) tool design, (3) educational intervention (educational campaign) is designed. Some individuals will be selected and trained as facilitators to start entering the target population, have a better access to the target group, and implement the interventions in the target group. (4) the implementation of the educational plan, in which the designed educational intervention (educational campaign) will be implemented on the students of the studied universities. (5) the educational evaluation, which will be conducted 2 months after the intervention of the educational campaign. The posttest will be based on before and after the implementation of the educational campaign. In the prevention of the second type in smoking students, the salivary cotinine levels of smoking students will be measured and comparisons will be made before and after educational using appropriate statistical tests. RESULTS: The present study addresses the needs and strategies for smoking prevention using a training campaign based on the PMT and web . CONCLUSION: Designing a campaign which will lead to smoking preventive behaviors causes lifestyle changes, prevent health problems such as cancer, cardiovascular diseases, and other chronic diseases, reduce treatment costs, and increase life expectancy.

The association between serum TSH concentration whithin the normal range and nutritional status in euthyroid pregnant women at the first trimester of gestation.

BACKGROUND: Follow-up studies have shown an increased risk of thyroid dysfunction in individuals with normal serum thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) levels. Furthermore, the possible consequences of minor differences in thyroid function (without achieving poor thyroid function) in the risk of weight gain during pregnancy are questionable, too. The production of TSH is under the hypothalamus-pituitary control, and food is one of the most effective environmental agents that control hypothalamic-pituitary-thyroid axis activity. Regarding the few available studies, we assessed the association of minor variations of TSH concentrations and nutritional status in the first trimester of pregnancy. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This cross-sectional descriptive and analytical study was performed on 150 primiparous healthy women. Demographic and family characteristics were collected using a researcher-administered questionnaire. Nutrients intake were extracted from a 72-h recall, and physical activity scores were determined by the pregnancy physical activity scale. RESULTS: The prepregnancy body mass index (BMI) (ß =0.022, P = 0.004) and participants' weight at 6-10 weeks of gestation (ß =0.006, P = 0.024) were positively associated with TSH concentrations, while total physical activity score was negatively correlated (ß = ‒0.006, P = 0.047). We did not find any significant association between TSH values and energy-adjusted nutrients intake (P > 0.05). CONCLUSION: We suggest that differences in TSH concentrations within normal range in the first trimester are correlated with gaining weight, physical activity level, and prepregnancy BMI. TSH concentration and consequently thyroid function may influence on gestational weight gain or vice versa.

A questionnaire on factors affecting the precaution adoption process model for cervical cancer - Psychometric properties.

BACKGROUND: Implementing a cervical cancer prevention program requires an exploration of certain behaviors concerning this disease. This study is aimed to evaluate the psychometrics of a questionnaire that enquired about the factors involved in Precaution Adoption Process Model (PAPM) for cervical cancer among suburban women in Bandar Abbas, south of Iran. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The primary draft of the questionnaire was developed with a review of the related literature on cervical cancer and the constructs affecting PAPM, with 68 items. The face validity, content validity ratio (CVR), and content validity index (CVI) of the questionnaire were approved by a panel of 10 experts. The internal consistency and test-retest reliability of the questionnaire were estimated too. Field testing sample included 300 women recruited from a women's healthcare center in suburban areas of Bandar Abbas in the south of Iran. Exploratory factor analysis was used to evaluate validity, and Cronbach's alpha coefficient was estimated for reliability. RESULTS: After the face validation, 11 items were eliminated. Once CVR was estimated, two items were discarded. The remaining items had a CVR >0.79. All had a CVI >0.79. Six items were eliminated in the factor analysis. The final questionnaire included 49 items organized in 8 factors including awareness, perceived susceptibility, perceived severity, perceived benefits, perceived barriers, social norms, fear, and self-efficacy. Principal component analysis with varimax rotation indicated eight main components that explained 56.25% of the variance. Reliability assessment showed a good internal consistency for all subscales and the Cronbach's alpha score ranged between 0.82 and 0.90. The test-retest reliability showed that the correlation coefficients (between 0.81 and 0.89) were significant at the 0.01 level for all sub-scales. CONCLUSIONS: The final questionnaire was a new instrument comprised the effective constructs of PAPM and had a high reliability and validity. Thus, this questionnaire is recommended to be used to explore and enhance preventive behaviors of cervical cancer.

Determiners of fast-food consumption in Iranian university students: Application of prototype/willingness model.

BACKGROUND: Today, marked by advanced scientific approach, urbanism, and changing life style, there is an ever-growing rate of fast-food consumption, which has significantly affected public health. Hence, the present research aimed to predict factors involved in fast-food consumption in light of the prototype/willingness model among the students of Rafsanjan University of Medical Sciences. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In the present descriptive/analytical research conducted in 2018-2019, 350 students in Rafsanjan University of Medical Sciences were selected through proportionate stratified random sampling. The required data were collected using a self-administrated questionnaire in light of the constructs within the prototype/willingness model and fast-food consumption behavior. The data were analyzed in SPSS version 16.0 using descriptive and inferential statistics including mean scores, standard deviation, correlation coefficient, and linear regression. RESULTS: Behavioral intention of fast-food consumption showed to be positively correlated with positive willingness, positive prototype, positive subjective norms, and positive attitude toward fast-food consumption. Furthermore, the correlation between positive behavioral intention of consuming fast food and positive subjective norms and positive attitude toward fast-food consumption was statistically significant (P < 0.05). The underlying constructs of prototype/willingness model altogether managed to explain 13% of the total variance of fast-food consumption behavior. Behavioral intention showed to be the strongest predictor of the behavior (ß = 1.613). CONCLUSION: It is suggested that the preventive measures aimed to reduce fast-food consumption among the youth focus more on strengthening negative attitudes and subjective norms concerning fast-food consumption.

A study of comparing two cognitive-behavioral workshop for college students: Sleep, wakefulness program and perseverance program.

INTRODUCTION AND AIM: Researchers and specialists believe that health maintenance and improvement through university students, as a part of society, play a crucial role in community configuration which should not be ignored. Since there was a few studies in these fields, researchers have sought to explore how mentioned workshops is related to cognitive emotion regulation, anxiety, depression, and sleep quality for the student volunteers of Shiraz University of Medical Sciences. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In a randomized controlled trial, 152 students were allocated into the 3 equal groups (study1: "perseverance workshop" study2:"sleep and wakefulness workshop" and control group). Data collection instruments were the Granovsky cognitive emotion regulation scale, the Beck depression and anxiety inventories and Pittsburgh sleep Quality Index (PSQI-P) Questionnaire. RESULTS: The results of comparing the anxiety and depression between groups showed that there was a decreasing and significant trend in the two intervention groups, before and after the two workshops (P < 0.001). For PSQ analysis, within-group comparisons in those who have participated sleep and wakefulness workshop showed that the change trend was significant and in linear form. In addition, to compare those who have participated in perseverance workshop with the control group, there was a significant difference between the pretest and posttest results in the Cognitive Emotion Regulation subgroups. CONCLUSION: It can be said that the implementation of the workshops could improve the emotional state of the participants in comparison to the control group.

The effect of willpower workshop on anxiety, depression, and the excitement components in the students of Shiraz university of medical sciences.

INTRODUCTION AND AIM: The current study aimed at evaluating the effect of willpower workshop on anxiety, depression, and the Granovsky excitement components among the students of Shiraz University of Medical Sciences in the academic year 2016--2017. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Students (140) were selected by the simple random sampling method and allocated into two equal groups of intervention (willing) and control, each of 52 individuals. Data collection instruments were the Garnefski cognitive emotion regulation scale and the Beck depression and anxiety inventories. The data were collected twice, before intervention and after the intervention (9 months after the study completion and holding the workshops). The control subjects received no intervention but were interviewed every 3 months. RESULTS: The results of the current study indicated no significant differences in demographic variables and pretest scores between the groups, which indicate the homogeneity of the groups. In other words, there were no significant differences between the groups regarding demographic characteristics before the intervention (P > 0.05). In addition, to compare the intervention and control groups, the Mann--Whitney U test was used and the results showed a significant difference in posttest results between the study groups (P < 0.05). Also, there was a significant difference between the pretest and posttest results of each group (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Results of the current study indicated that training the stress, coping and willpower strengthening skills, based on the Granovsky excitement components, could promote psychophysical health and reduce anxiety and stress among the studied students.

Exposure to secondhand smoke in Iranian pregnant women at home and the related factors.

INTRODUCTION: Fetus health is of high importance in pregnant women and exposure to secondhand smoke (SHS) endangers maternal and fetal health. Therefore, in this study we examined the prevalence of exposure to SHS in pregnant women at home and the related factors. METHODS: This cross-sectional study was conducted with 255 pregnant women who were referred to the Isfahan health care center from July to September 2018. A questionnaire that was designed by the research team was applied to collect data about the participants' prevalence of exposure, attitude-emotional dimension, perceived susceptibility, perceived severity, and perceived barriers. The questionnaire used was self-administered. The validity and reliability of the questionnaire were confirmed by a panel of experts. Cronbach's alpha of attitude-emotional dimension, perceived susceptibility, perceived severity, and perceived barriers were also calculated as 0.81, 0.91, 0.92, and 0.89, respectively. Statistically significant differences were examined using chi-squared test and Mann-Whitney test. RESULTS: We found that the prevalence of exposure to SHS in pregnant women was 23.1%. The age of the husband (p=0.041), education level of the smoking husband (p=0.005), the education level of the pregnant woman (p=0.002), employment status of husband (p=0.010), and whether the pregnancy was planned (p=0.010) had significant association with the participant prevalence of exposure to SHS. Thus, older age of husbands, lower education levels of husbands and wives, unwanted pregnancies, and unemployment of husbands resulted in higher exposure to SHS. The mean scores of knowledge and perceptions were lower in women exposed to smoke than in non-exposed women (p<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The rate of SHS exposure was high in pregnant women. The knowledge and perception scores of exposed women to SHS were lower than those of non-exposed women. Low levels of education of husbands and women, unemployment and higher age of husbands, and unwanted pregnancies were considered as health risk factors. Therefore, effective training programs should be designed to educate pregnant women and their husbands.

Effect of the Living Environment on falls among the Elderly in Urmia.

BACKGROUND: The living environment has an impact on the health of the elderly, and the safety of the house is one of the concerns of the elderly. Disregarding the safety concerns increases the falling. AIM: This research was conducted with the aim of influencing the living environment on falls among elderly people in Urmia city. METHODS: This is a cross-sectional (descriptive-analytic) study which 200 elderly people were selected by random cluster sampling. Data were collected by using a two-part questionnaire including demographic information, and home safety assessment checklist. Data were analysed by using chi-square test and logistic regression in SPSS v. 21 software. RESULTS: The incidence of falling in the elderly was 30%. There was a significant statistical association with age, sex, marital status and history of chronic disease. Results of logistic regression showed non-safe stairs (OR = 1.1, p = 0.002), unsafe toilet/bath (OR = 1.3, p = 0.001), unsafe bedrooms (OR = 1.7, p = 0.05) unsafe living room (OR = 1.4, p = 0.02) increase the falls in the elderly, as well as male gender (OR = 1.14, p < 0.001) and living with other people (OR = 0.19, p = 0.002) reduce the falls in the elderly. CONCLUSION: By identifying the risk factors of the physical space of the home, we can plan for implementing necessary interventions according to the risk factor or risk factors to prevent and reduce the falls in the elderly community.

Evaluating Reliability of Theory of Planned Behaviour Questionnaire for Withdrawal of Divorce Petition.

BACKGROUND: Given the increased rate of divorce, it is important to analyse the characteristics of divorce applicants. The theory of planned behaviour (TPB) can provide a suitable framework to predict, explain, and/or change the behaviours. In Iran, no instrument can be found, based on health education models, to investigate divorce petition filing as a behaviour. AIM: This study was conducted to design a questionnaire on withdrawal of divorce petition based on the TPB and estimate its validity and reliability. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A qualitative study was conducted in 27 participants involved in the divorce process using directed content analysis. The face and content validity of 58 items, drawn from the qualitative study, were evaluated by 10 experts. The reliability was estimated using Cronbach's alpha coefficient. The SPSS version 16 was used to analyse data. RESULTS: Estimates of the face and content validity (quantitative and qualitative), revealed that of the 58 items, 48 were valid based on four of the constructs of the TPB. Cronbach's alpha coefficient was also derived greater than 0.6. CONCLUSION: The designed questionnaire, whose validity and reliability was confirmed in this study, can be used in similar studies. However, the social and cultural differences and their related effects should be considered.

Breakfast consumption determinants among female high school students of Yazd Province based on Pender's Health Promotion Model.

BACKGROUND AND AIM: Despite the importance of breakfast, especially for students, unfortunately, this meal is usually ignored in daily routine. The aim of this study was to identify determinants among female high school students of Yazd province based on the Pender Health Promotion Model. METHODS: This was a cross-sectional study conducted to examine 200 female high school students of Yazd, selected by cluster sampling method in 2016. A researcher-made questionnaire, based on Pender's Health Promotion Model, was used as a data collection tool. A panel of experts and Cronbach's alpha coefficient were used to confirm the questionnaire validity and reliability. In order to analyze descriptive data, SPSS version 22 was used. AMOS software (v.23) was employed for path analysis. RESULTS: Direct impact of activity -related affect (0.300), interpersonal influences (0.276), and perceived barriers to eating breakfast (-0.223) were approved at significance level p<0.000. By influencing perceived barriers, perceived self-efficacy and previous related behavior indirectly affected breakfast consumption. These components determined 33% of breakfast consumption. CONCLUSION: By planning to create a positive feeling in students to have breakfast, to involve family and friends to encourage students to eat breakfast, to reduce barriers to have breakfast by increasing students' self-efficacy, the behavior of having breakfast among students can be improved.

The effect of motivational interviewing-based intervention using self-determination theory on promotion of physical activity among women in reproductive age: A randomized clinical trial.

BACKGROUND: Physical activity (PA) prevents chronic diseases. Self-determination theory (SDT) provides a useful framework to understand the nature of motivational interviewing (MI). OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to determine the effect of MI-based intervention using SDT on the promotion of PA among women in reproductive age. METHODS: Seventy women in reproductive age were selected by clustering sampling method for this randomized controlled trial. The questionnaire included the variables of physical fitness test, SDT, and global physical activity questionnaire (GPAQ). The validity of the questionnaires was approved using content validity ratio (CVR) and index (CVI). The reliability and internal consistency of the questionnaires and measures was approved using test-retest method and Cronbach's alpha test, respectively. The intervention group (n=35) received four MI sessions through theory and one standard education session about PA. The control group (n=35) received a standard education session about PA. RESULTS: Four months after the intervention, an increase in the mean scores of total PA (p<0.001, ES=4.77), physical fitness tests including flexibility (p<0.001, ES=1.59), muscular endurance (p<0.001, ES=2.0), cardiorespiratory endurance (p<0.001, ES=0.51), and a decrease in mean scores of agility test (p<0.001, ES= - 0.51) and sedentary behavior (p<0.01, ES=- 0.74) was observed in the intervention group compared to the control group. The intervention group reported an increase in the scores of intrinsic motivation (p<0.001, ES=3.34), identified regulation (p<0.001, ES= 1.28), perceptions of competence (p<0.001, ES=0.81) and autonomy (p<0.001, ES=2.01), enjoyment (p<0.001, ES=0.98) and health motives (p<0.01, ES=0.19), health care climate (p<0.001, ES=4.6), and a decreased score of external regulation (p<0.01, ES=-0.55) and amotivation (p<0.01, ES= -0.56) over time, compared to the control group. CONCLUSION: MI-based intervention using SDT was effective on the promotion of PA. TRIAL REGISTRATION: The Trial was registered at the Iranian Registry of Clinical Trial (http://www.irct.ir) with the Irct ID: IRCT2015101924592N1.

Critical thinking ability and its associated factors among preclinical students in Yazd Shaheed Sadoughi University of Medical Sciences (Iran).

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to investigate the ability of Iranian medical and dental students in thinking critically and to assess their ability in using definite components of critical thinking (CT). METHODS: Multistage cluster sampling was utilized to recruit 125 preclinical (1(st), 2(nd) and 3(rd) year of study) students in Yazd Shaheed Sadoughi University of Medical Sciences in Yazd, Iran. The Watson-Glaser Critical Thinking Appraisal (WGCTA) was applied to collect data. The statistical analysis of the data included One-way analysis of variance (ANOVA), t-test and bivariate correlations. RESULTS: The mean total score for this sample was 45.33±5.4. Significant differences were found in total critical thinking score by gender (p= 0.022), residency (p= 0.026) and the year of education (p= 0.01). A significant correlation was found between the total CT score and the student's number of passed credits (r= 0.297, p= 0.003). Also, a significant difference was found in the students' scores on the WGCTA evaluation subtest by passing any research method courses (p= 0.04). CONCLUSION: The CT ability in medical and dental students in the present study was weak overall. Medical educators and clinical instructors should try to develop the ability of CT by teaching methods and techniques like purposeful planning and problem-based teaching to promote the components of CT in their students. The improving of CT in medical students has implications for medical education and promotion of medical profession.

Knowledge, attitude, and performance of students toward skin cancer in Yazd, 2009.

BACKGROUND: Cancer is increasingly recognized as a major and growing health concern in the Eastern Mediterranean Region (EMR), and skin cancers are the most prevalent cancers. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the knowledge, attitude, and performance of university students regarding skin cancer. METHODS: This cross-sectional study included 230 samples selected randomly from the students of Yazd universities. The reliability of the questionnaire was certified by specialists, validated by a pilot study, and confirmed by Alpha Cronbachs test (α = 0.8). SPSS software was used for data entry, manipulation, and analysis. RESULTS: The students studied had medium knowledge level related to skin cancer. Their attitude towards skin cancer was relatively good. The performance level of the population under study was moderate. Non-medical students had more poor knowledge, attitude, and performance than medical students. Overall results show a significant relationship between knowledge, attitude, and performance level of the population under study. CONCLUSION: Skin cancers are the most common form of cancers in our state, but my students do not have appropriate knowledge and performance levels about this disease. It is therefore proposed that related information should be given to them during continuous and regular educational programs.