The Efficiency of the Health Belief Model in Predicting the Preventive Behaviors of Pregnant Women During the COVID-19 Pandemic in Iran.

This study examined the efficiency of the health belief model in understanding preventive behaviors of pregnant women in Iran. A cross-sectional descriptive-analytical methodology study was conducted of pregnant women who were referred to a healthcare center in 2021. The data were the responses to a questionnaire designed for this study. The data were analyzed with SPSS 24 software, Amos 22 software, correlation tests, regression analysis, and independent t tests. In terms of the health belief model, pregnant women with high perceived susceptibility showed the highest vaccination rate, while those with high perceived barriers had the lowest. The model predicted 20% variance in the preventive behavior from COVID-19, with perceived susceptibility and cues to action being the strongest and weakest predictors of behavior, respectively. The conclusion of the study was that the health belief model was an appropriate model to guide the care of pregnant women.

Survey the effectiveness of education based on message framing through mobile phone on women's physical activity.

BACKGROUND: Physical activity in female employees is a healthy behavior and increases strength, endurance, improves flexibility, improves the feeling of vitality and freshness, improves health, and ultimately increases life expectancy. Health messages are one of the most effective ways to engage people and motivate them to perform healthy behaviors. The purpose of this study was to the study of the effectiveness of education based on message framing through mobile phone (whatsapp) on the physical activity of women employees of universities and higher education institutions in Ahvaz city. METHOD: In this interventional study, 90 of female employees of three universities and higher education institutions of Ahvaz city were selected by random sampling and randomly divided into three groups (30 participants) receiving gain framed messages, receiving loss framed messages and the control group. The tools of data collection were demographic information questionnaire and international physical activity questionnaire (IPAQ). The participants of the intervention groups received educational messages about physical activity behavior in two different gain and loss framed messages through whatsapp for one month. Data were collected from three groups at the beginning of the study, immediately and two months after the intervention, and were analyzed using SPSS version 26. RESULTS: The results showed that there was a significant increase in the average physical activity score after the intervention in two interventional groups. by comparing the increase of this score, 53% improvement in physical activity is observed in the gain message group and 15% in loss massage group but there was no significant increase in the control group. CONCLUSION: The results of this study showed that the design and implementation of education programs based on message framing, especially gain framed messages through online education (Whatsapp) can improve and promote physical activity behavior in women employees.

Investigating the effect of multimedia education based on the health belief model in preventing COVID-19 in pregnant women.

BACKGROUND: Pregnant women are considered one of the high-risk groups during the COVID-19 pandemic, so paying attention to preventive behaviors among them is highly important. This study aimed to examine the effect of multimedia education based on the Health Belief Model (HBM) in preventing COVID-19 among pregnant women. METHODS: This quasi-experimental intervention study was conducted on 120 pregnant women referring to Comprehensive Health Services Centers affiliated with East and West health centres of Ahvaz city, Iran, in 2021. Participants were divided into two control (n = 60) and intervention (n = 60) groups. A researcher-made questionnaire was used for data collection. The intervention group was given the required educational content using social networks virtually and multimedia in 12 sessions. Both groups were reinvestigated after two months. Data were analyzed using SPSS software version 24, independent t-test and paired t-test tests. RESULTS: The mean age and mean gestational age of participants were estimated at 28 years old and 18 weeks, respectively. Before the educational intervention, there was no significant difference in mean constructs of HBM. In contrast, the mean of all constructs increased significantly in the intervention group after intervention. The greatest change was related to the constructs of self-efficacy and perceived susceptibility, and the lowest change was related to the perceived barriers construct. CONCLUSION: Our findings suggest multimedia education using the HBM to COVID-19 preventive behaviors among pregnant women can benefit behavior change.

Measurement of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in edible oils and potential health risk to consumers using Monte Carlo simulation, southwest Iran.

Persistent organic pollutants, such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, are hazardous trace contaminants frequently observed in food ingredients, such as edible oils. This study aimed to measure PAHs in forty brands of edible oils marketed in southwest Iran. Additionally, we characterized the daily intake of MOE and ILCR using Monte Carlo simulation. To analyze the content of PAHs, the liquid-liquid extraction method followed by GC-MS was utilized. The average concentration of PAHs was mostly lower than the maximum value for individual PAH (2 µg/Kg); however, the average concentration of fluorene (3.86 µg/Kg) and benzo(a)anthracene (3.13 µg/Kg) was more than the permitted level. The highest residual concentrations of PAHs were mostly observed in canola and corn oils. The daily intake of BaP and 4-PAH for 95% of consumers was 0.01 ng/kg BW/day and 0.04 ng/kg BW/day, respectively. Also, MOE was more than 10,000 for the percentiles of 5%, 50%, and 95%. The modeled ILCR showed that consumption of oil does not currently pose a cancer risk for Iranian consumers due to PAHs exposure. Concerning potential health risks, consumption of edible oils is safe; however, regular monitoring and assessment are required.

Perceived job demands: a qualitative study of workplace stress in the Iranian healthcare workers (HCWs).

OBJECTIVES: Work-related stress is a common risk factor among healthcare workers (HCWs). In Iran, the healthcare system has undergone extensive changes to develop services. Organisational change has led to the creation of new working conditions for HCWs. The purpose of this study is to identify job demands that health workers perceive as stressors. DESIGN: As a qualitative study, semistructured interviews, a focus group, and related data were analysed both inductively and deductively with reference to the job demand component based on the job demands-resources model and MAXQDA. SETTING: This investigation was conducted in 18 primary healthcare centres in Qazvin, Iran. PARTICIPANT: Twenty-one female HCWs with at least 6 months of work experience and an average age of 34.4 years. RESULTS: The participants identified six key elements as the stressful job demands including organisation's supervisory function, role characteristics, workload, job insecurity, client service challenges and perceived job content. CONCLUSIONS: After organisational changes and development, HCWs were faced with role changes and increased workload. In addition, organisational supervision in terms of quantity and quality and lack of job security intensified the pressures. These factors led to the high level of stress among employees who dealt with people and those who perceived their job content as unfavourable. Perhaps teaching stress control skills and organisational support interventions can be useful to reduce and control stress among HCWs.

The effect of educational program based on the precede-proceed model on improving self-care behaviors in a semi-urban population with type 2 diabetes referred to health centers of Bavi, Iran.

AIMS: Self-care in patients with diabetes reduces the number of hospital admissions, costs and improves their quality of life so that just by training self-care to them can reduce 80 percent of diabetic complications. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the effect of educational program based on precede-proceed model on improving self-care behaviors in patients with type 2 diabetes referred to health centers in city Bavi in 2016-2017. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This quasi-experimental study, conducted on 110 patient women with type 2 diabetes referred to health centers in Bavi city in 2016-2017. The training program was designed based on Precede-Proceed Model. Data collection tools included the Precede researcher-made questionnaire and the Glasgow questionnaire. The duration of the training course was three months. After one month, the effect of this program, and the amount of improvement of the patients' self-care behavior were evaluated. Independent t-test, paired t-test, Chi-square and Fisher's exact tests were carried was used for data analysis. RESULTS: After the intervention, the average score of predisposing factors (knowledge, attitude and self-efficacy), reinforcing factors, enabling factors and self-care behaviors, in the intervention group compared to the control group, significantly increased (P<0.05). After the training, the fasting blood sugar (FBS) and body mass index (BMI) decreased in the experimental group, but this reduction was not statistically significant (P>0.05). CONCLUSION: The findings of this research showed that Precede-Proceed Model would be an appropriate framework to educate patients with type 2 diabetes as well as promote self-care behaviors.

Nutrition education based on health belief model improves dietary calcium intake among female students of junior high schools.

This study examined the effects of a nutrition education programme based on the Health Belief Model (HBM) on knowledge, attitude, and practice (KAP) of dietary calcium in female students. In this interventional study, 188 students were placed into intervention (95) and control (93) groups. The intervention group participated in a nutrition education programme. Students in both the groups completed KAP and food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) at baseline and after two and three months of follow-up respectively. The data were analyzed by independent and paired t-tests. Those who received the intervention were found to have better attitude (p=0.049) and practice (p=0.005) scores compared to the controls. The HBM constructs, including perceived susceptibility (p=0.006), perceived severity (p=0.001), perceived benefits (p=0.002), perceived barriers (p=0.001), and taking health action (p=0.02) scores, were also significantly higher. The findings support the effectiveness of nutrition education based on the HBM in improving the knowledge, attitude, and practice relating to calcium intake among adolescent students.

Factors predicting mood changes in oral contraceptive pill users.

BACKGROUND: Over 100 million women worldwide are using oral contraceptives pills (OCP) and mood changes were being as the primary reason for OCP discontinuation. The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence and predicting factors of mood changes in oral contraceptive pills users. METHODS: This was a cross-sectional study of 500 women aged 15-49 years old using low dose (LD) pills attending family planning centers in Ahwaz, Iran. Data were collected via face-to-face interviews using a structured questionnaire including items on demographic, self-efficacy and mood change. Both univarate and multiple logistic regression analyses were performed to assess the relationship between reported mood change and the independent variables. RESULTS: In all 406 women reported that they did experience OCP side effects. Of these, 37.7% of women (n =153) reported mood changes due to OCP use. The results of multiple logistic regression revealed that place of living (OR =2.57, 95% CI = 1.06-6.20, p =0.03), not receiving information on OCP side effects (OR =1.80, 95% CI = 1.15-2.80, p =0.009), and lower self-efficacy (OR = 0.87, 95% CI = 0.80-0.94, p =0.001) were significant predictors of mood changes. CONCLUSION: The findings from this study indicated that the prevalence of reported mood changes due to OCP use among Iranian women appeared to be consistent with other studies. In addition the findings showed that receiving information on OCP side effects from health care workers and self-efficacy were important predicting factors for mood changes. Indeed implementing educational programs and improving self-efficacy among women are recommended.

Riboflavin supplementation to patients with multiple sclerosis does not improve disability status nor is riboflavin supplementation correlated to homocysteine.

BACKGROUND: Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic demyelinating disease of the central nervous system. Riboflavin is involved in myelin formation in nerve cells. Riboflavin is a precursor of flavin adenine D-nucleotide (FAD), which is a coenzyme of methylene tetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR), which is an important enzyme for remethylation of homocysteine. Riboflavin supplementation has been shown to affect the serum levels of homocysteine in healthy volunteers. The aim of the present study was to test the effect of riboflavin supplementation on the status and disability of patients with MS and whether this effect could be mediated by serum homocysteine levels. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This was a randomized, double-blind, controlled trial in which 29 MS patients with a mean age of 33 were tested with riboflavin, and the placebo group, with a mean age of 31, received either riboflavin supplementation (10 mg) or the placebo daily for six months. Disability, measured by the Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) scores, erythrocyte glutathione reductase activity coefficient (EGRAC), and serum homocysteine levels were measured before and after the study. RESULTS: The mean ± SD of EDSS score was significantly decreased in both groups over the six months of the study (2.3 ± 0.7 vs. 1.6 ± 0.6 for the riboflavin group and 2.8 ± 1.1 vs. 2.3 ± 1.3 for the placebo groups. The comparison across both groups yielded a non-significant change (P = 0.001 and 0.02, respectively). No significant differences were observed between the two groups in terms of EGRAC, riboflavin deficiency levels by EGRAC category, and serum homocysteine levels before and after the study. CONCLUSION: Riboflavin supplementation (10 mg/day) to patients with MS does not improve disability status. It appears that this effect is not related to serum homocysteine levels.

Prevalence of hepatitis C and B infection and HC V genotypes among hemodialysis patients in Khuzestan province, southwest Iran.

Hepatitis B (HBV) and C (HCV) virus infection are the most important infections transmitted by the parenteral route in hemodialysis patients. This study is the first report of prevalence of viral hepatitis and hepatitis C virus genotypes in southwest Iran among hemodialysis patients. A cross-sectional study was carried out among 214 hemodialysis patients of the Central hemodialysis unit, from March 2005 to August 2006. Serum samples were tested for HBsAg and anti-HCV using specific enzyme linked immunoassay (ELISA) kits and confirmed by PCR (HBV) and RT PCR (HCV). HCV genotypes were determined with HCV genotype specific primers using HCV genotype kit. Out of 214 hemodialysis patients, 34 were positive for anti-HCV (7.9%, 95% CI: 4.32-11.56) and 11 for HBsAg (5.1%, 95% CI: 2.18-8.1). The duration of treatment by hemo-dialysis was significantly associated with HBV and HCV positivity (P< 0.001). The predominant HCV genotype in the region was 1a (41.1%, 7/17), whilst genotypes 3a and 1b were found in 35.2% (6/17) and 23.5% (4/17) subjects, respectively. In conclusion although anti-HCV and HBsAg positivity in hemodialysis patients in Khuzestan province are smaller than those found in some other Iranian provinces and neighboring countries, they are still high. Enforcement of universal precautions in infection control, routine testing of patients, and serial determination of hepatic enzymes should be the common practice in dialysis centers in Iran.

Seroprevalence of hepatitis E virus in blood donors in Khuzestan Province, southwest Iran.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the seroprevalence of hepatitis E virus (HEV) infection among volunteer blood donors in Khuzestan Province, Iran. Khuzestan is a war stricken area in the southwest of Iran, which shares a land, river, and sea border with Iraq. This region has suffered the heaviest public health system damage of all the Iranian provinces during a 25-year period of war and conflict. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was carried out among 400 urban volunteer blood donors of the regional blood banks, from May to December 2005. Serum samples from healthy blood donors were tested for IgG anti-HEV antibody using a specific enzyme linked immunoassay (ELISA) kit. RESULTS: The prevalence of HEV infection was found to be 11.5% (46/400). All patients were negative for anti-HIV, anti-HBV, and anti-HCV antibodies. The data indicate that 14.6% (38/260) of HEV positive subjects were male, compared to 5.7% (8/140) of females; this difference is statistically significant (risk ratio=2.6, p<0.008). CONCLUSIONS: These findings demonstrate the high prevalence rate of anti-HEV among blood donors, particularly males.