Factors related to earthquake preparedness of households based on social-cognitive theory constructs: A systematic review.

Background: Earthquakes cause many casualties worldwide. Taking preventive measures and improving community preparedness is critical to reducing earthquake damage. The social cognitive theory explains how individual and environmental factors cause behavior. This review was conducted to identify the social cognitive theory structures, in research on the preparedness of households against earthquakes. Materials and methods: This systematic review was performed based on the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. A search was conducted from January 1, 2000, to October 30, 2021 in Web of Science, Scopus, PubMed, and Google Scholar. Studies were selected based on inclusion and exclusion criteria. The initial search yielded 9,225 articles, and finally, 18 articles were selected. Articles were assessed using the Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology (STROBE) checklist. Results: Eighteen articles about disaster preparedness behaviors based on the socio-cognitive constructs were identified and reviewed. The essential constructs used in the reviewed studies included self-efficacy, collective efficacy, knowledge, outcome expectations, social support, and normative beliefs. Conclusion: By identifying the dominant structures that have been used in studies related to the preparedness of households against earthquakes, researchers can implement appropriate and more cost-effective interventions by focusing on improving suitable structures.

The effect of evening primrose oil on cervical ripening and birth outcomes: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background and purpose: The results of various studies on the effect of evening primrose oil (EPO) on cervical ripening are controversial. The purpose of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to assess the effect of EPO on cervical ripening and birth outcomes. Materials and methods: The Cochrane Library, Embase, PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science and Persian databases were searched for studies published from the inception of the databases up to February 2021 (search updated in May 2022). Full-text articles published in English or other languages, randomized controlled trials, and quasi experimental studies with control group were included. Studies published in form of conference proceedings, and those whose full texts were not available, as well as studies with control groups receiving other treatments for cervical ripening, and those in which the intervention group received drugs besides EPO were all excluded. The Cochrane handbook was used to determine the risk of bias of the included studies. All data were analyzed using Review Manager 5.4 and reported in forest plots. Results: Seven trials involving 920 women were included in the meta-analysis. In five studies, including 652 participants, cervical ripening was evaluated using Bishop score. The use of EPO was found to significantly improved Bishop score (MD = 3.23; 95% CI: 3.17, 3.29). The meta-analysis showed no significant differences between two comparison groups in terms of 1-min Apgar score and length of the second stage of labor. However, the two groups were significantly different in terms of their 5-min Apgar score and the time interval between administration of EPO and birth. Based on subgroup analysis by route of administration, both vaginal and oral use of EPO increased Bishop score significantly in the intervention group compared to the placebo group. Conclusion: This study showed that using EPO in term and post-term pregnant women was clinically effective in improving their Bishop score.

Sleep Quality and its Main Determinants Among Staff in a Persian Private Hospital.

BACKGROUND: Having good quality of sleep is essential to good health. Sleep disorders could incur intangible expenses. The aim of this cross-sectional study was to evaluate the Persian version of the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI-P) questionnaire administered to 3 categories of workers (clinical personnel, clerical staff, and logistics workers) in a private hospital located in Tehran, Iran. METHODS: In 2017, all Pars hospital personnel were invited to participate in the study. The PSQI-P questionnaire was distributed among Pars hospital staff, who consented to take part in the study. RESULTS: The total personnel in this private hospital was 1151 and 552 of them submitted their answers. According to the statistical analysis performed using SPSS version 19, there was no correlation between sleep quality and gender, marital status, age, job, shift work, or university degree (P value: 0.94, 0.42, 0.59, 0.67, 0.12, 0.23, respectively). However, participants with a lower body mass index (BMI) experienced better overnight sleep quality than overweight and obese participants (P value: 0.025 and 0.032, respectively). In addition, the prevalence of poor sleep quality was higher in those living in the suburbs compared to urban residents (P value: 0.02). CONCLUSION: The study obtained a significant difference in sleep quality based on the participants' BMI and place of residence. Despite the fact that the P value of the job was not significant, it appeared that sleep disorders are common among clinical personnel. Quality of life may be improved by modification of the factors responsible for poor sleep quality.