Insights for speed management among Iranian drivers: a social marketing formative research study.

BACKGROUND: Road traffic crashes are among the leading causes of death and disability in the world, particularly in low and middle-income countries. This study aimed at to conduct a social marketing formative research to inform the development of a campaign to manage driving speed on the intercity roads of Iran. METHODS: To carry out the social marketing formative research, a qualitative and quantitative study were conducted. Also, a literature review of the speed management strategies was carried out and an analysis of traffic accident data and speeding violations was performed in selected provinces during 2019 and 2020. RESULTS: Based on the findings of the qualitative study, perceived sense of lack of speed control, poor monitoring system, and law enforcement are the main reasons drivers exceed the speed limit. They mostly suggest using punitive levers and more stringent law enforcement practices for speed management. Literature reviews also confirm that to successfully develop an effective speed management plan a set of measures should be implemented together, including road safety engineering, raising awareness, social marketing strategies, and finally strict law enforcement. The overriding findings of the formative research revealed that to persuade Iranian drivers to respect the speed limit, the messages of the campaign should focus on strict law enforcement in the selected corridors. CONCLUSIONS: In the minds of the Iranian audience, strict law enforcement is of paramount importance for a speed management strategy to work; hence it should be taken into consideration when tailoring the campaign messages. From the findings of the present study, it can be concluded that to manage speed on intercity routes in Iran, a social marketing campaign is needed to encourage compliance with speed limits.

The Iranian National Blood Pressure Measurement Campaign: What Do the Process and Output Evaluation say?

BACKGROUND: The Iranian National Blood Pressure Measurement Campaign (INBPMC) was conducted all over the country to raise awareness in different groups of people regarding the importance of blood pressure and persuading them to manage their blood pressure. The present research aimed at assessing the process and output of this campaign. METHODS: For process evaluation, 31 universities/faculties were selected. Experts from the Ministry of Health and Medical Education assessed the documentation of the campaign implementation using the designed checklist. The output was assessed by including 8274 people and through a telephone survey using the designed instructions. RESULTS: The response rate of the telephone interviews was 82.74% (8274 people). It was found that 79% of the selected groups were aware of the INBPMC. Among them, 64% remembered the messages, 99% of the participants who remembered the messages agreed with those messages, and 89% of the participants who agree with the messages went for a measurement of their blood pressure. In the telephone interviews, 30% of the participants stated that they were diagnosed with hypertension, 97% of these participants received the required consultations for subsequent care, and 86% of them went to the health service centers to receive care. The process evaluation of the INBPMC indicated that the universities of medical sciences obtained 97% of the score of the checklist. CONCLUSION: The INBPMC was successful and accomplished its objectives.

Development and application of a tool to measure hearing health literacy of young people in the Islamic Republic of Iran.

BACKGROUND: A reliable and valid tool to assess hearing health literacy in Iranian young people is lacking. AIMS: This study aimed to develop a tool to assess the hearing health literacy of young people in the Islamic Republic of Iran and to use the tool to determine the hearing health literacy of a sample of Iranians aged 12-25 years. METHODS: A questionnaire was designed with three skill sections: obtaining health information, evaluating this information and applying it to benefit health. The validity and reliability of the tool were determined. Cluster sampling was used to select 50 urban clusters across the country from which 5000 Iranians aged between 12-25 years old were selected to complete the questionnaire. RESULTS: The final questionnaire had 22 items with scores ranging from 22 to 44. The Cronbach alpha was 0.65, and content validity ratio and index were 0.92 and 0.82, respectively. Of the 5000 questionnaires completed, 4890 were included in the analysis. The mean (standard deviation (SD)) age of the participants was 17 (SD 3) years and 45.9% were males. The mean score on the tool was 30.81 (SD 3.75), indicating inadequate health literacy (score 22-36). Only 137 (2.8%) participants had adequate health literacy (score 37-44). Statistically significant differences in mean hearing health literacy were seen for sex, age, years of education, occupation, marital status and income (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Given the low level of hearing health literacy in Iranian young people, programmes to improve the ear and hearing health literacy are urgently needed.

The Prevalence of Psychotropic Drugs and Relevant Factors in Iranian Youth: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

BACKGROUND: Psychotropic drugs can cause many complications and side effects including cognitive, behavioral, and psychological disorders. In recent years, the Iranian youth and adolescents have growingly been using psychotropic drugs. Therefore, this study analyzes the overall prevalence of psychotropic drugs and the relevant factors among the Iranian youth through a systematic review and a meta-analysis. METHODS: Based on the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) checklist, this study includes a systematic review and a meta-analysis. For bias prevention, qualitative evaluation and data extraction were performed independently by two people. Different databases (PubMed, Science Direct, Springer, Wiley, ISI Web of Science, Cochran, Google Scholar, Magiran, IranMedex, SID, ISC) were investigated online, and data analysis was done in Stata software. FINDINGS: In total, 5 articles were selected for the meta-analysis phase. They had been published between 2008 and 2018. According to the meta-analysis results, the overall prevalence of psychotropic drugs was 4.18% [95% confidence interval (CI): 2.52-5.84] in the Iranian youth population. The overall prevalence of psychotropic drugs was 4.74% (95% CI: 1.49-7.99) and 1.06% (95% CI: 0.72-1.41) in young men and women, respectively. Three studies indicated a significant relationship between gender and the use of psychotropic drugs. In other words, the prevalence of psychotropic drugs was significantly higher in boys than in girls (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: The research results showed that family, parents, close friends, and unemployment were the factors affecting the prevalence of psychotropic drugs in the youth and adolescents.

Skin cancer protective behaviors among welders of west of Iran: Importance of access to protective equipment.

BACKGROUND: Welders are normally at risk of skin cancer due to continuous contact with natural ultraviolet rays and welding radiation. Protective behaviors against the radiations are the most fundamental measures taken to prevent skin cancer in these individuals. AIMS: This research aimed to evaluate the factors affecting the protective behaviors in welders. PATIENTS/METHODS: In this cross-sectional research, participants were selected by the census method, and the research tool was a reliable and valid questionnaire filled by 154 welders in Yasuj, Iran. Data analysis was performed in SPSS version 16 using ANOVA, Pearson's correlation coefficient, and independent t test. RESULTS: The highest age frequency was related to the age-group of 36-45 years, and the highest frequency of work experience was less than 10 years. In terms of the level of education, most welders had a diploma or a higher degree. In addition, most behaviors reported included using gloves, whereas the least applied method was using sunscreen cream, the most important cause of which was the high cost of the cream. In this regard, the Pearson's correlation coefficient demonstrated a negative association between skin cancer and job difficulty. In addition, performing of protective behaviors decreased in the target group by aging. CONCLUSION: Given the unfavorable mean skin cancer protective behaviors in the welders, it is recommended that interventions, such as planned education, access to protective tools, and periodic skin examinations by a physician, be carried out to promote the health of these individuals and facilitate performing protective behaviors.