ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Over the last decade, Iran has experienced a declining birth trend. Identifying the proximate determinants of fertility intentions among married women is informative for population studies. This study aimed to examine the importance of three immediate antecedents of fertility intention. METHODS: We invited 1,100 married women to complete a well-validated questionnaire based on the theory of planned behavior (TPB). The sampling framework consisted of visitors attending hospitals in two cities in southeastern Iran. Intention for having children was measured using the item "Do you intend to have a/another child during the next 3 years?" Attitude, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control were measured using eight, three, and three items, respectively. Structural equation modeling was used to specify the model and to test the predictive ability of the TPB constructs. RESULTS: The response rate was 90.7% (N=998), and the mean±standard deviation age of the respondents was 34.8±7.4 years. More than 50% of the respondents reported intending to have a child in the next 3 years. All three TPB model constructs showed significant associations with fertility intentions. The standardized beta coefficients for attitudes, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control were 0.74, 0.41, and 0.55, respectively. CONCLUSION: The TPB model showed that psychological mechanisms play an important role in predicting the childbearing intentions of married women in Iran. Of the three TPB constructs, attitude was the strongest predictor of the intention to have a child.
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Mortality rate in low-birth-weight infants is almost 30 times more than that in those with normal weight, so the birth of low-birth-weight infants is one of the most serious health problems in the world. Therefore, this nested case-control study was conducted to investigate the risk factors associated with low birth weight among infants in the rural population of Kerman province. METHODS: This nested case-control study was performed in rural areas of Kerman province, southeastern Iran. Case (n = 155) and control (n = 310) groups were selected using risk set sampling. Data were analyzed through Point and distance estimation (OR, CI) using conditional logistic regression method by Stata-12 software. RESULTS: The results of multivariate analysis showed that maternal BMI [OR = 0.3, CI 95% (0.1, 0.9)], gestational age [OR = 3.8, CI 95% (0.9, 6.1)], history of stillbirth [OR = 4.8, CI 95% (1.3, 11)], history of pregnancy bleeding [OR = 3.7, CI 95% (0.7, 9)], pregnancy craving [OR = 3, CI 95% (1.1, 3.8)], and the level of health workers' care [OR = 0.4, CI 95% (0.1, 0.9)] are the risk factors affecting LBW in infants (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Low birth weight is a multifactorial phenomenon. Therefore, raising public awareness, providing nutritional counseling to pregnant mothers, regular referral to health homes to receive health care, and identifying risk factors and referral to higher level specialists and health centers can be effective in reducing the risk of birth of LBW infants.
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BACKGROUND: Evidence is accumulating that the pattern and nature of marital relationships are very different in different cultures. This nationwide study aimed to determine marital satisfaction and the prevalence of emotional divorce as well as to identify the sociodemographic correlates in a Muslim population. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this cross-sectional study, one-third of Iran's provinces were selected randomly and a representative sample of inhabitants of their central city was included in the study. The ENRICH marital satisfaction scale was used to determine marital satisfaction levels. A single-item measure with confirmed validity and reliability was used to find out about emotional divorce. The demographic variables included respondent's age, spouse's age, gender, educational level, residency, childbearing, and premarriage familiarity. RESULTS: Of the 2033 participants, 1034 were women (50.9%). Nearly one-third of both men and women had academic degrees. Almost 53% of them were satisfied with their marital life and 9.7% had emotional divorce. Men with academic degrees had a higher probability of marital satisfaction (odds ratio [OR] =1.26, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.04-1.53) and a lower prevalence of emotional divorce (OR = 0.37, 95% CI: 0.24-0.58). CONCLUSION: This study showed a relatively high percentage of marital dissatisfaction as well as emotional divorce. Policymakers should strengthen premarriage education programs and postmarriage counseling centers.
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Subjective accounts of divorce seeking individuals is a useful complement to sociological and psychological causes of divorce at both individual and community level. Regarding the increasing trend of divorce worldwide, the need for a questionnaire measuring subjective reasons of divorce is felt more and more. OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to develop and validate perceived causes of a divorce questionnaire in Iranian society. METHODS: This was an instrument development study that carried out in 2016, based on extensive literature reviews and interviews with individuals referring to "Family Intervention Centers to Reduce Divorce" in Kerman, Fars and Alborz provinces (Iran). At first, 38 items expressing the perceived reasons for divorce were extracted; then, 29 items were used in the questionnaire according to the experts' judgment. After that, the questionnaire was given to 570 participants. The structural validity was evaluated using two methods: exploratory factor analysis via principle axis factoring, and known group comparisons by paired-samples t-test. The internal consistency of the questionnaire was also examined by calculating the Cronbach's alpha and corrected item-total correlation. SPSS version 20 was used for statistical analysis. RESULTS: The mean age (± SD) of women and men was 32.3 (±8.9) and 36.8 (±10.6), respectively. Based on an expert panel, content validity of 29 items was approved. Using principle axis factoring and varimax rotation, two components were extracted. These two factors were called "instrumental/external reasons" and "expressive and relationship-centered reasons." Factor loading of all 29 items was higher than 0.32. Cronbach's alpha of the two subscales was 0.84 and 0.85, respectively. Corrected item-scale coefficient of all items was more than 0.2. CONCLUSIONS: According to the acceptable validity and reliability of the Perceived Reasons for Divorce Seeking Questionnaire, it can be used to ascertain people's reasons for divorce seeking.
