Exploration of the Challenges of COVID-19 from the Perspective of Emergency Medicine Specialists.

Background: Emergency physicians are at the forefront of the medical system in the face of the COVID-19 crisis. Identifying the challenges, along with the strategies and effective measures implemented by them in the face of the COVID-19 crisis, can be a roadmap for future crisis management planning. This study aims to explain the challenges faced by emergency physicians regarding COVID-19. Methods: This study is a qualitative content analysis. Data were collected using individual and semistructured interviews. Twenty-seven emergency medical specialists in Fars University of Medical Sciences, Iran, participated in the study by purposive sampling method and were interviewed using semistructured interviews. Results: Participants' experience of COVID-19 led to the extraction of four main themes, including structural factors, threats to the health of the medical team, fluctuations of extremism and wastage in the face of COVID-19, and the country's policymaking hierarchy. Conclusions: Emergency physicians face challenges such as structural factors, health threats, extreme fluctuations, and national policymaking. To avoid surprises and threats, they must predict acute scenarios, provide necessary equipment, address skilled manpower shortages, and adopt appropriate management policies. This includes culture-building, cross-sector coordination, planning, and efficient management to prevent virus spread.

Investigating the effect of education based on PRECEDE-PROCEED model on the preventive behaviors of musculoskeletal disorders in a group of nurses.

Background: One of the most important occupational complications that could occur in nurses is musculoskeletal disorders. In this study, we designed an educational intervention based on the PRECEDE-PROCEED model to investigate its effects on a group of nurses on preventive behaviors of musculoskeletal disorders. Methods: A total of 120 nurses working in Izeh City, Iran, participated in this semi-experimental study. The sampling was performed through a convenient sampling method, and the participants were randomly assigned to the experimental and control groups (60 participants for each group). Both groups filled out a questionnaire based on the PRECEDE-PROCEED model before and 2 months after the educational program as part of the data collection process. The data were examined using a paired t-test, an independent t-test, and a chi-square test after being entered into SPSS version 24. Results: According to the findings, prior to the intervention, there was no difference between the two groups in terms of their knowledge (p = 0.221), attitude (p = 0.136), enabling factors (p = 0.325), reinforcing factors (p = 0.548), self-efficacy (0.421), and behavior (0.257) levels. However, following the intervention, a substantial rise was witnessed in the experimental group in each of the mentioned variables (p = 0.001). Conclusion: In the current study, education based on the PRECEDE-PROCEED model led to the improvement of knowledge, attitude, enabling and reinforcing factors, self-efficacy, and finally preventive behaviors with musculoskeletal disorders in the participants. Considering the importance of the role of health education in promoting behaviors related to musculoskeletal disorders in nurses and the importance of observing related behaviors in preventing long-term complications, the necessity of education in a wider dimension and with different tools is felt more and more in society. Therefore, longer interventions with this aim could be carried out on nurses and other healthcare personnel.

Environment Intensifies Imbalance and Fear of Falling: Comparing Urban and Rural Aging Communities.

BACKGROUND: The relationship between environmental diversity and the health status of older adults has been less considered in studies. This study seeks to investigate the causal relationship among the environment, falling, fear of falling, and the imbalance of older adults in southern Iran in 2021. OBJECTIVE: The investigation into the relationship between environmental pollution to the imbalance and fear of falling, especially in comparing urban and rural aging societies is the aim of current study. METHODS: In a cross-sectional study, 489 older samples from rural and urban areas were chosen randomly and their experience of falling, fear of falling, imbalance, and IADL were examined. The ordinal and nominal logistic regression and ANOVA were performed using IBM-SPSS. RESULTS: With a mean age of 71.8 (SD = 8.3), older participants have long time chronic disease (69.6%) and falling experience twice a year (42.7%). The values of effect size indicated the high effectiveness of settlement in explaining IADL, health situation, experience and fear of falling, and imbalance (Eta squared > 30). The odds ratio for being in the urban settlement was 5.51, indicating the imbalance score increased by approximately 5.52 times. CONCLUSION: Imbalance in older people leads to the fear and experience of falling. This imbalance is strongly influenced by the environment. Urban pollution can contribute to this problem. Future studies on aging need to focus on environmental pollution and diversity in the experience of falling and imbalance.

Investigating the factors affecting health care workers' intention to remain in villages.

Background: Settlement in a village and being native is one of the special conditions for choosing to be a health care worker as they must be accessible day and night and provide people with health services when needed. The aim of this study was to investigate the factors affecting health care workers' intention to remain in villages covered by Jundishapur University, Ahvaz, Iran. Methods: This is a cross-sectional study in 2019. The total number of health workers working at Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences and Health Services, Iran was 1034, amongst whom 280 individuals participated in this study. The data collection tool was a questionnaire consisted of two parts, in the first part of which there were 11 questions on personal information of the participants. In the second part, a total of six measures (physical, social, educational and cultural, occupational, welfare, personal and family) were used to examine the factors affecting the health workers' intention to remain in rural areas. Results: The results of this study showed that the current residence of 55% of the health workers was villages while 45% of them lived in urban areas. The results indicated that there was a significant relationship between physical, social, educational and cultural, occupational, welfare, personal and family factors and the health workers' intention to remain in rural areas. Besides, female HCWs were more affected by personal and family factors compared to the male participants. Conclusion: Increasing the quality and paying more attention to physical, social, educational and cultural, occupational, welfare, personal and family factors can cause health workers to remain longer in rural areas.

Faculty development strategies to empower university teachers by their educational role: A qualitative study on the faculty members and students' experiences at Iranian universities of medical sciences.

BACKGROUND: This study aimed to identify and explain the strategies of faculty development based on their role at Iranian Universities of Medical Sciences. METHODS: We conducted a qualitative content analysis study in 2021 using purposive, snowball sampling, with a maximum variation in the faculty members' age and experience level. Twenty four participants were enrolled in this study (eighteen faculty members and six medical sciences students); data collection consisted of two phases of semi-structured interviews and a brainstorming group technique. Data were categorized into two themes and six related subthemes, based on their similarities and differences after frequent summarization. RESULTS: The data analysis yielded two themes and eight categories. The first theme was to explain competencies based on role and task with two sub-themes: Tasks and capabilities and development and excellence of personal qualities. The second theme was the best strategies for empowering the teachers with four sub-themes, including problem-based learning, integration of methods, evaluation-based education, and scholarship in education (PIES), which explains the strategies that can support the development of teachers in medical sciences universities, and all the concepts were interrelated to each other. CONCLUSION: From the experiences of faculty members, the importance of some strategies in education and empowering the teachers' professional competence dimensions should be emphasized. PIES could explain the practical strategies that can support the development of teachers in medical sciences universities.

Effect of Sexual Knowledge, Attitude and Quality of Life on Marital Satisfaction of Aged Couples in South Iran: APIM-SEM Analysis.

Marital satisfaction is important for health and well-being among aged couples. The aim of this study is to explore the relationship between knowledge, sexual attitude, and quality of life with marital satisfaction of aged couples of over 60 years in southern Iran. This APIM analytical study was performed on 510 aged couples in southern Iran in 2020. Proportionate stratified sampling was randomly performed in three stages relative to the aging population in main cities in the south Iran. Data collection tools included demographic information (age, education, occupation, living alone, type of disability, etc.), sexual knowledge and attitude scale (SKAS-10), quality of life scale (SF-12), and marital satisfaction questionnaire. Mean score of marital satisfaction, sexual attitude, sexual knowledge, and QoL (SF-12) was 49.71 (SD = 14.8), 27.5 (SD = 7.3), 24.7 (SD = 8.5), and 31.49 (SD = 3.2), respectively. The present study showed that sexual knowledge and attitude, quality of life, are among the estimators of marital satisfaction in aged couples.

Effect of educational intervention based on protection motivation theory on preventive behaviors of respiratory infections among hospital staff.

Background: Hospital staff represent a vulnerable population for respiratory diseases. Consequently, the implementation of training programs becomes imperative as a preventive measure against such infections in these populations. The current study was conducted to examine the impact of an educational intervention based on the Protection Motivation Theory (PMT) on preventive behaviors for respiratory infections among a group of hospital staff. Methods: This experimental study involves a sample of 150 hospital staff from Gachsaran City, Iran, in 2021-2022. The sampling technique involved the utilization of a random assignment approach to allocate individuals into two distinct groups: the experimental group, consisting of 75 participants, and the control group, also including 75 individuals. The data collection instrument was a questionnaire designed in accordance with the PMT. This questionnaire was administered to both the experimental and control groups prior to the intervention as well as two months following the intervention. The intervention program consisted of a total of five sessions, each lasting for 60 min, for the experimental group. These sessions were conducted on a weekly basis over a period of two and a half months. Specifically, there were two sessions held every month and one session held every two weeks. Following the completion of the program, the data was entered into SPSS-24 statistical software for analysis using paired t-tests, independent t-tests, and chi-square tests. Results: The results indicated that prior to the intervention, there was no significant difference between the two groups in terms of perceived vulnerability constructs (p = 0.25), perceived severity (p = 0.63), perceived response (p = 0.32), and perceived reward (p = 0.11). Besides, there was no considerable distinction in perceived self-efficacy (p = 0.84), perceived response cost (p = 0.33), fear (p = 0.45), behavior motivation (p = 0.51), knowledge (p = 92), or vaccination behavior (p = 0.12) before the educational intervention. However, a significant change was noticed in each of the mentioned variables between the two groups after the intervention (p < 0.05). Conclusion: The results of this study indicated that the implementation of an educational intervention grounded in the PMT yields positive outcomes in enhancing preventative behaviors pertaining to respiratory infections. Hence, it is recommended to utilize an intervention grounded in this theory among hospital staff as a viable approach to mitigating the occurrence of respiratory infections.

Exploring the Knowledge and Attitude of the Taxi Drivers in the Field of Traffic Rules and Regulations.

Background: In all countries, the knowledge of driving guidelines is the most important and critical mechanism to ensure the safety of drivers. Naturally, it is expected that more knowledge and attitude towards driving laws would result in fewer driving violations. The aim of this research is to investigate both the knowledge and attitude of taxi drivers in the field of traffic rules and regulations in Shiraz city, Fars province, in 2019. Methods: This research is a cross-sectional study, based on which about 1077 taxi drivers were randomly chosen in Shiraz city, Iran. The data collection tool is a demographic information questionnaire and a questionnaire on driving guidance. After collecting these questionnaires, the obtained data were entered into SPSS version 20 and then analyzed by descriptive analyses (mean, standard deviation, and percentage). Afterward, the independent t-test, one-way ANOVA, and Pearson correlation coefficient are implemented and investigated. Results: The mean and standard deviation of knowledge score in drivers were about 26.8 ± 55.2 while the mean and standard deviation of drivers' attitude were about 98.16 ± 59.3. The results showed that there was a significant relationship between the variables studied (R = -0.07; P=0.02) and drivers' attitudes toward driving (P=0.01). Conclusion: The results of this research show that the mean scores of knowledge and attitude of taxi drivers in Shiraz city are moderate in terms of driving rules and regulations; moreover, among taxi drivers of increasing age, the average score of knowledge was lower.

The effect of parenting style on anxiety and depression in adolescent girls aged 12-16 years.

Background: Many personality traits of adolescents are influenced by the personality traits and parenting styles of parents; Parents grow their children in different ways based on their cultural patterns and ideals; due to the importance of anxiety and depression in adolescents and considering the vital role of parents in growing children, the present study was designed and conducted to investigate the effect of parenting skills training on anxiety and depression in adolescent girls aged 12-16 years in Mahshahr city, Khuzestan province, Iran. Materials and methods: This experimental study was performed on adolescent girls aged 12-16 years in Mahshahr city, Khuzestan province, Iran, in 2020. We chose both groups of our study using a multistage cluster sampling method. Mean anxiety and depression before, two, and six months after the intervention was measured by the test and control groups using parenting style, anxiety, and depression questionnaires. The educational intervention program for the training group was like a WhatsApp group, and sending messages were in the form of audio files, text messages, photos with captions, video messages, and PowerPoint presentations. Data analysis was performed using SPSS software version 24 and using independent t-test, paired t-test, repeated measures analysis of variance, and ANOVA. Results: The mean and standard deviation of the age were 14.03 ± 1.41 in the experimental group and 14.06 ± 1.38 in the control group. Before the educational intervention, the mean scores of anxiety and depression were not significantly different between the experimental and control groups. In contrast two months and six months after the educational intervention, there was a significant difference in the mean scores of anxiety and depression between the experimental and control groups (P < 0.05). Conclusion: The findings of the present study showed that an educational intervention on a group of mothers regarding their parenting styles has helped their adolescent daughters to handle their anxiety and depression and also led to a decrease in their anxiety and depression scores.

Suicide attempts and related factors in patients referred to Gachsaran Hospital, Iran.

Background: Suicide is considered as an important, widespread phenomenon in the world, causing numerous deaths annually. This study is going to investigate how suicidal attempts are affected by several demographic and other underlying factors. Objective: The present study was designed to investigate suicide attempts and its related factors in patients referred to Gachsaran Hospital, Iran. Materials and methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted on 348 people who had attempted suicide (Please note that 348 was the number of suicidal attempts not the number of suicidal deaths). The data were collected by consent of Shiraz University of Medical Sciences and necessary coordination with the Emergency Management Statistics Center of Shahid Rajaee Hospital in Gachsaran city. The data analysis was performed through the logistic regression test using SPSS software version 19. The significance level was considered 0.05. Results: A total of 348 individuals with a mean age of 23.9 ± 8.1 had attempted suicide in Gachsaran. Of these, 185 were female (53.2%) and 163 were male (46.8%). The results of multivariate regression showed that, after controlling the effect of probable confounding variables, the following variables had a significant relationship with suicide attempts in the individuals who had attempted to suicide: male gender, unemployment, and love problems. Conclusion: Considering the high rate of suicide attempts among unemployed male individuals during one year, counseling centers in Gachsaran city should pay special attention to this group of people. Measures such as creating jobs for young people can help prevent this social dilemma.

The effect of educational intervention based on theory of planned behavior on behavioral responses of premenopausal women in prevention of osteoporosis.

BACKGROUND: Osteoporosis is one of the most prevalent bone diseases which is preventable. Implementing educational programs is an important step in prevention of chronic diseases in the community setting. One of the theories used for predicting behavior and performing educational intervention is theory of planned behavior (TPB) which predicts the intention of an individual toward doing a specific behavior. This study was conducted to assess the effect of educational intervention based on TPB on behavioral responses of premenopausal women in prevention from osteoporosis in Fasa city, Iran. METHODS: This study is a quasi-experimental study performed on 200 women aging from 35 and 55 years who referred to health centers in Fasa city; iran in 2019. Simple random sampling was applied to assign participants to control and intervention groups (100 participant for each group). Data were gathered by a "valid" and "reliable" questionnaire arranged based on the constructs of TPB, nutrition performance and physical activity. An educational program on osteoporosis prevention was conducted. educational intervention was performed in six sessions through group discussions and educational films and booklet for experimental group and then the changes in the scores of the two groups were evaluated and compared. Obtained data were analyzed by SPSS-22 software through Chi-square, independent t-test, paired t-test and ANOVA tests. RESULTS: The mean ages of studied participants in experimental and control groups were respectively 43.39 [Formula: see text] 5.20 and 42.94 [Formula: see text] 5.52. In experimental group, the average scores of knowledge [2 weeks (31.12 [Formula: see text] 4.20) and 2 months (39.04 [Formula: see text] 4.10) after educational intervention (p < 0.001)], constructs of theory of planned behavior [attitude construct: 2 weeks (89.32 [Formula: see text] 9.22) and 2 months (98.57 [Formula: see text] 9.13) after educational intervention (p < 0.001), Subjective norms construct: 2 weeks(88.39 [Formula: see text] 8.84) and 2 months (122.57 [Formula: see text] 8.58) after educational intervention (p < 0.001), Perceived behavioral control construct: 2 weeks (88.56 [Formula: see text] 8.38) and 2 months (120.15 [Formula: see text] 8.33) after educational intervention (p < 0.001), Behavioral intention construct: 2 weeks (54.44 ± 4.72) and 2 months (60.26 [Formula: see text] 4.12) after educational intervention (p < 0.001)], nutrition performance [2 weeks (19.88 ± 2.56) and 2 months (24.14 [Formula: see text] 2.36) after educational intervention (p < 0.001)] and physical activity [2 weeks (16.75 [Formula: see text] 1.42) and 2 months (18.94 [Formula: see text] 1.68) after educational intervention (p < 0.001)] had more significant enhancement than control group 2 weeks and 2 months after educational intervention. DISCUSSION: TPB was effected in nutrition performance and physical activity in osteoporosis prevention of subjects. This theory can be used as a framework for designing and performing educational intervention for preventing osteoporosis and promoting women's health.

Physical activity behavior during Covid 19 pandemic among Iranian dwellers in Southern Iran based on planned behavior theory: a SEM analysis.

BACKGROUND: The COVID-19 pandemic restrictions curtailed physical activity. The current study applied an integrated Theory of Planned Behavior to identify the determinants of physical activity behavior and the processes involved in the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted in Shiraz city, Southern Iran, among 2500 people who met the inclusion criteria were included in the study. Data were collected using the demographic information questions and questionnaire based on the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) constructs. The Questionnaire via WhatsApp, emails, and SMS was shared. Data analysis was performed using SPSS26 and Amos version 24. Mean and standard deviation was used to describe the data. Also, one-way ANOVA and structural equation analysis were used to analyze the data. The significance level in all the tests was considered to be 0.05. RESULTS: One thousand one hundred sixty-nine samples (46.8%) said they had been exercising less than 3 days a week, and 47.6% of them did not have any exercise or physical activities (n = 1191). The mean score of attitudes, SN, PBC, and intention were 9.38 ± 2.07, 9.27 ± 2.03, 9.32 ± 2.05, and 12.29 ± 2.35, respectively. The effect size values demonstrate the independent variables' high coefficient of influence on explaining the theoretical model. According to the results, the factors play an important role in samples' intention (η2 ≥ 0.2, p ≤ 0.05). The effect size of intention on doing physical activities and exercise during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic is Eta square = 0.777, which means the measure was high. The obtained model was good based on the main goodness of fit indices (Chi2 = 108.6, df = 25, n = 2500, Chi2/df = 4.344, RMSEA = 0.036, AGFI = 0.92, CFI = 0.95, GFI = 0.90, Fornell-Larcker criterion = 0.87, HTMT = 0.89). CONCLUSION: The TPB provides a useful framework to explore psychosocial determinants of physical activity behavior during the pandemic and identify key strategies for program planning aimed at improving exercise among people who were already influenced by quarantine and lockdown restrictions.

The effect of Orem-based self-care education on improving self-care ability of patients undergoing chemotherapy: a randomized clinical trial.

BACKGROUND: Cancer is a frightening disease. Therefore, the care of cancer patients is very complex. This study aimed to investigate the effect of the education based on Orem's self-care model on self-care abilities of the patients undergoing chemotherapy in Shafa Hospital in Ahvaz city, Iran. METHODS: This randomized clinical trial was carried out in 2018 on 100 cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy, who referred to Shafa Hospital in Ahvaz city, Iran. The sampling method was simple and the subjects were randomly divided into two experimental and control groups (50 in the experimental and 50 in the control group). The study outcome was the self-care ability of the patients measured before and 2 months after the intervention by the control and experimental groups. The educational intervention consisted of five 60-minute sessions (one session per week) held as educational and counseling ones through group, face-to-face and individual training based on the identified needs of the patients in the experimental group at Shafa Hospital Chemotherapy Department. To collect data, two questionnaires [the assess and identify the conceptual pattern of Orem questionnaire and the Self-care capacity assessment (ESCI)]were used. Statistical data were entered into SPSS software version 20 and analyzed by chi-square, independent t-test and paired t-test. RESULTS: The mean and standard deviation of age was 35.06 ± 14.51 in the control group and 31.72 ± 15.01 in the experimental group. The results of the independent t-test showed that before the educational intervention, there was no significant difference between the two groups in terms of the mean self-care (P = 0.38). But after the intervention, a significant difference was found between the mean self-care scores of the experimental and control groups (P = 0.001). CONCLUSION: Application of Orem's self-care model led to increased self-care ability of the cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy. Therefore, it is recommended that this model be included in the routine programs of chemotherapy departments. TRIAL REGISTRATION: IRCT registration number: IRCT20160418027449N6. Registration date: 01/05/2019.

The Effect of Educational Intervention on Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice of Women towards Breast Cancer Screening.

Background: Early identification of breast cancer may result in earlier treatment and a lower mortality rate. This fact has resulted in the development of screening programs to detect breast cancer in its early stages; thus, the current study sought to investigate the influence of educational intervention on knowledge, attitude, and practice about breast cancer screening in Izeh, Khozestan Province, Iran. Materials and Methods: This experiment was carried out on the women of Izeh city in 2019. This study included 120 women who were randomized into the experimental and control groups at random (60 in the experimental and 60 in the control groups). Before and two months after the intervention, data were collected using a researcher-created questionnaire by the control and education groups. The intervention program for the intervention group included eight educational sessions over the course of two months. The SPSS 20 statistical program was used to examine the data, as well as the paired t-test, independent t-test, and Chi-square. Results: There was no significant difference between the experimental and control groups' mean scores of knowledge, attitude, and practice prior to the educational intervention, but a significant difference was observed after the intervention, with the experimental group obtaining significantly higher mean scores of knowledge, attitude, and practice (P = 0.05). Conclusion: In the present study, the educational intervention on the knowledge, attitude, and practice towards breast cancer screening led to the increased scores of the experimental group compared to control group.

The effect of educational intervention based on the theory of planned behavior on improving physical and nutrition status of obese and overweight women.

BACKGROUND: Regarding the high rate of obesity and overweight among women, develop a comprehensive and effective program it seems necessary to improve their nutritional behaviors and physical activity. This study aims to survey the effect of educational intervention based on the theory of planned behavior (TPB) on improving physical and nutritional activities of obese and overweight women. METHODS: This experimental study was performed on 400 obese and overweight women over the age of 20. The sampling method was A simple random sampling. The data collection was valid and reliable self-reports measure, questionnaires. This tools was including demographic information, questionnaire based on the constructs of the theory of planned behavior, physical activity performance questionnaire and nutritional performance questionnaire that individuals completed before and 6 months after the educational intervention. The training intervention for the experimental group consisted of 12 sessions of 50-55 min. Data analyzed by SPSS22 and by using chi-square test, independent t-test and paired t-test. RESULTS: Findings showed that before the educational intervention, was no significant difference between the experimental and control groups in terms of education, household monthly income, occupation, mean age, marital status, awareness, attitude, perceived behavioral control, subjective norms, physical activity and nutritional behavioral intentions, and physical activity and nutritional performance, weight and BMI. However, six months after the training intervention, there was a significant increase in each of the TPB contracts, weight and BMI in the experimental group, while no significant difference was observed in the control group. The meaningful level was considered 0.05. CONCLUSION: Our findings partially support of applying theory of planned behavior in reducing the weight, BMI and improved nutritional performance and physical activity of the study subjects. TPB could be an important strategy for effective future educational interventions.

The Effect of Educational Intervention Based on PRECEDE Model on Health Promotion Behaviors, Hope Enhancement, and Mental Health in Cancer Patients.

In this experimental study, 200 cancer patients (100 subject in experimental group and 100 subjects in control group) referred to Amir Oncology Hospital in Shiraz were investigated. Educational intervention for experimental group consisted of 12 educational sessions for 50 to 55 minutes. A questionnaire including demographic information, PRECEDE constructs (knowledge, attitude, self-efficacy, enabling factors, and social support), was used to measure health promotion behaviors, patients' hope, and mental health before and 6 months after intervention. Six months after intervention, experimental group showed significant increase in knowledge, attitude, self-efficacy, enabling factors, social supports, health promotion behaviors, patients' hope, and mental health compared to the control group. This study showed the effectiveness of intervention based on PRECEDE constructs in mentioned factors 6 months after intervention. Hence, this model can act as a framework for designing and implementing educational intervention for health promotion behaviors of cancer patients.

Epidemiological and clinical features of cutaneous leishmaniasis and its time trend model in a high-endemic focus of disease in the southwest of Iran from 2014 to 2019.

BACKGROUND: Cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) is a tropical infection with a relatively high incidence rate in Iran. The present study aimed to explore the time trend and associated factors of CL in Dezful, in southwest Iran. METHODS: This case series study was conducted on all CL patients registered from 2014 to 2019. The descriptive analysis of the data was done using SPSS 20 software and the time series model on the number of cases was run through Interactive Time Series Modeling software. RESULTS: A total of 5349 leishmaniasis cases were identified in the study area during 2014-2019. The highest incidence rate was 35 840 per 100 000 in 2014. The fitted time series model revealed a decreasing trend with an annual periodic pattern. The mean age of infection was 19.82 y (standard deviation 21.87). The infection was most frequent in the 1-10 y age group (41.7%). Also, females were more prone to leishmaniasis (54.7%). Most lesions were located on the hand (23.1%), face (19.7%), and forearm (17.75%) and 48.5% of patients had only one lesion. CONCLUSIONS: The results revealed a decreasing trend of leishmaniasis in Dezful. It has been predicted that this infection will reach a minimum rate (300 per 100 000) in the winter of 2021.

Effect of educational program based on theory of planned behavior on promoting nutritional behaviors preventing Anemia in a sample of Iranian pregnant women.

BACKGROUND: Iron deficiency anemia (IDA) is one of the most common problems during pregnancy. The aim of this research was to determine the effect of educational program based on Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) on promoting nutritional behaviors preventing anemia in a pregnant woman in Shiraz city, Iran. METHODS: This quasi-experimental study was done on 150 pregnant women (75 experimental and 75 control groups) who were selected using randomly sampling method in in Shiraz city, Iran, in 2020-2021. The educational intervention for the experimental group included six educational sessions for 50 or 55 min-based TPB model. A questionnaire consisted of items about demographic information, TPB constructs (attitude, perceived behavioral control, subjective norms and behavioral intention) was used to measure the nutritional behaviours preventing iron deficiency anemia in pregnancy women before and 3 months after the intervention. RESULTS: The results showed that before the educational intervention, there was no significant difference between the two groups in terms of knowledge, attitude, perceived behavioral control, subjective norms, behavioral intention and nutritional performance; however, three months after the educational intervention, the experimental group showed a significant increase in each of the mentioned variables. For example the mean and standard deviation score of behavioral intention after intervention in the experimental group was significantly increased (25.57 ± 1.66, P = 0.001),and the mean and standard deviation score of performance after intervention in the experimental group was significantly increased (31.03 ± 2.19, P = 0.001), (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: After the educational intervention, the experimental group showed a significant increase in of the knowledge, attitude, perceived behavioral control, subjective norms, behavioral intention and nutritional performance. Therefore the results of the study showed positive effect of nutrition educational intervention program base on TPB model on improvement of iron deficiency anemia preventive behaviours in the pregnancy women.

Effect of educational intervention on improvement of physical activities of middle-aged women.

BACKGROUND: Regular physical activity has important health benefits for women. The present study aimed to investigate the effect of theory-based educational interventions on the improvement of physical activities of middle-aged women. METHODS: This experimental study was conducted on 160 middle-aged women referred to Ahwaz health centers Iran in 2017 who were selected through the cluster sampling method. They were randomly divided into two groups: intervention (n = 80) and control (n = 80). The educational intervention for the experimental group consisted of 4 consultation and 4 follow-up sessions. The study outcomes included physical activity change, self-efficacy, decision-making balance, and the International Physical Activity Questionnaire, which were measured before the intervention and 2 months after that. The data were analyzed using the SPSS19 software as well as the Chi-square, independent t-test and paired t-test. RESULTS: After the intervention, the mean scores of preparedness for change, decision-making balance, perceived self-efficacy, pre-thinking, thinking, preparation, practice and maintenance were significantly different in both the experimental and control groups (P value < 0.05). The t-test showed that after the educational intervention, the mean score of physical activity was significantly higher in the experimental group than in the control group (726.3 ± 201.6 and 339.8 ± 90.2, respectively) (P value < 0.001). CONCLUSION: The findings of this study showed that the theory-based educational intervention was effective on the improvement of the middle-aged women's physical activities. Therefore, it is suggested that a theory-based educational program be designed and implemented in order to increase the physical activities of this group.

Health-Related Quality of Life in People Living with HIV in Southwest Iran in 2018: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Health-related quality of life (HRQoL) is one of the most important indicators in assessing the health and well-being of HIV-positive patients. The present study investigated the HRQoL of HIV patients referred to Abadan's Voluntary Counseling and Testing (VCT) center in 2019. In this cross-sectional study, a total of 134 HIV+ patients referred to Abadan's VCT center were selected through convenience sampling. Demographic information was collected through a researcher-made checklist; the patients' status and health information were collected through electronic medical records of HIV+ patients and their records at the VCT center. The HRQoL index was assessed using the World Health Organization (WHOQOL-BREF) questionnaire. Data analysis was carried out using simple and multiple linear regression as well as a t-test in SPSS software. A P value < 0.05 was considered as the significance level in all tests. The mean of the HRQoL in all the participating patients was 56.42 ± 22.66. The highest and lowest mean scores of HRQoL domains were related to social relationships (57.53 ± 24.73) and environmental health (53.68 ± 19.07). There was a positive significant relationship between the marital status, residency, years of education, duration of infection, transmission route, and antiretroviral (ARV) therapy with the score of the HRQoL. The results showed a moderate score for the mean HRQoL and its domains. The present study revealed the necessity of improving HIV+ patients' living conditions, employment status, health education, and mental health care.