Evaluación del grado de resiliencia física de Babol contra los terremotos

The management of natural disasters requires understanding their essence, making accurate assessments, planning, and providing appropriate solutions. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the physical resilience of the 22 neighborhoods of Babol located in the north of Iran against earthquakes. The methodology of this applied research study is descriptive-analytical. In this regard, by initially studying similar national and international studies, using the expert opinion of seismology and urban planning specialists and interviewing experienced urban managers in the field of crisis management, 30 effective indices on physical resilience against earthquake risk were extracted. Then, using analytic functions of GIS software and multi-criteria models including AHP, TOPSIS, VIKOR and COPRAS, the physical resilience of Babol against earthquakes was evaluated. Then, in order to obtain accurate results, using the integration models including the Statistic, BORDA and COPELAND, the physical resilience of Babol's 22 neighborhoods was evaluated. The analysis of the final GIS maps shows that neighborhoods 2, 3, 4, 5, and 11 have very high physical resilience and neighborhoods 6, 8, 10, 12 and 14 have very low physical resilience against earthquakes.La gestión de desastres naturales requiere comprender su esencia, realizar evaluaciones precisas, planificar y brindar soluciones adecuadas. El propósito de este estudio es evaluar la resiliencia física de los 22 barrios de Babol ubicados en el norte de Irán frente a terremotos. La metodología de este estudio de investigación aplicada es descriptiva-analítica. En este sentido, mediante el estudio inicial de estudios similares nacionales e internacionales, utilizando la opinión experta de especialistas en sismología y planificación urbana y entrevistando a gestores urbanos experimentados en el campo de la gestión de crisis, se extrajeron 30 índices efectivos de resiliencia física frente al riesgo sísmico. Luego, utilizando funciones analíticas de software GIS y modelos multicriterio incluyendo AHP, TOPSIS, VIKOR y COPRAS, se evaluó la resiliencia física de Babol frente a terremotos. Luego, con el fin de obtener resultados precisos, utilizando los modelos de integración incluyendo la Estadística, BORDA y COPELAND, se evaluó la resiliencia física de los 22 barrios de Babol. El análisis de los mapas GIS finales muestra que los barrios 2, 3, 4, 5 y 11 tienen una resistencia física muy alta y los barrios 6, 8, 10, 12 y 14 tienen una resistencia física muy baja frente a los terremotos

Evaluación del grado de resiliencia física de Babol contra los terremotos

The management of natural disasters requires understanding their essence, making accurate assessments, planning, and providing appropriate solutions. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the physical resilience of the 22 neighborhoods of Babol located in the north of Iran against earthquakes. The methodology of this applied research study is descriptive-analytical. In this regard, by initially studying similar national and international studies, using the expert opinion of seismology and urban planning specialists and interviewing experienced urban managers in the field of crisis management, 30 effective indices on physical resilience against earthquake risk were extracted. Then, using analytic functions of GIS software and multi-criteria models including AHP, TOPSIS, VIKOR and COPRAS, the physical resilience of Babol against earthquakes was evaluated. Then, in order to obtain accurate results, using the integration models including the Statistic, BORDA and COPELAND, the physical resilience of Babol's 22 neighborhoods was evaluated. The analysis of the final GIS maps shows that neighborhoods 2, 3, 4, 5, and 11 have very high physical resilience and neighborhoods 6, 8, 10, 12 and 14 have very low physical resilience against earthquakes.La gestión de desastres naturales requiere comprender su esencia, realizar evaluaciones precisas, planificar y brindar soluciones adecuadas. El propósito de este estudio es evaluar la resiliencia física de los 22 barrios de Babol ubicados en el norte de Irán frente a terremotos. La metodología de este estudio de investigación aplicada es descriptiva-analítica. En este sentido, mediante el estudio inicial de estudios similares nacionales e internacionales, utilizando la opinión experta de especialistas en sismología y planificación urbana y entrevistando a gestores urbanos experimentados en el campo de la gestión de crisis, se extrajeron 30 índices efectivos de resiliencia física frente al riesgo sísmico. Luego, utilizando funciones analíticas de software GIS y modelos multicriterio incluyendo AHP, TOPSIS, VIKOR y COPRAS, se evaluó la resiliencia física de Babol frente a terremotos. Luego, con el fin de obtener resultados precisos, utilizando los modelos de integración incluyendo la Estadística, BORDA y COPELAND, se evaluó la resiliencia física de los 22 barrios de Babol. El análisis de los mapas GIS finales muestra que los barrios 2, 3, 4, 5 y 11 tienen una resistencia física muy alta y los barrios 6, 8, 10, 12 y 14 tienen una resistencia física muy baja frente a los terremotos

Psychological Distress Model Among Iranian Pre-Hospital Personnel in Disasters: A Grounded Theory Study

Objective: Pre-hospital personnels (PHPs) who work in disasters under extreme pressure, uncertainty, and complex situations are victims of disasters themselves, and there is a link between experiencing such incidents andmental health problems. Because most studies focus on the injured and less on the psychological issues of PHPs, the present study aimed to develop a model to provide relief for PHPs in disasters from a psychological perspective. Methods: A grounded theorymethodology recommended by Corbin and Strauss (2015) was employed. PHPs (n = 24) participated in a semi-structured interview between July 2018 to May 2020. Results: In the analysis of the pre-hospital staff interviews, three main themes were extracted, namely, providing relief with struggle (complexity of incident scenes, command-organizational and occupational challenges), psychological distress (psychological regression and psychological empowerment), and consequences (resilience and job burnout). Seven categories and 22 subcategories were explored from our data via the grounded theory approach Conclusions: The PHPs managed psychological distress with two approaches: psychological self-empowerment and regression, which resulted in resilience and burnout, respectively. Due to the lack of enough support, the resilience of the PHPs was short-term, turned into burnout over time, and affected the structural factors again as a cycle

Global Health Impacts of Dust Storms: A Systematic Review.

BACKGROUND: Dust storms and their impacts on health are becoming a major public health issue. The current study examines the health impacts of dust storms around the world to provide an overview of this issue. METHOD: In this systematic review, 140 relevant and authoritative English articles on the impacts of dust storms on health (up to September 2019) were identified and extracted from 28 968 articles using valid keywords from various databases (PubMed, WOS, EMBASE, and Scopus) and multiple screening steps. Selected papers were then qualitatively examined and evaluated. Evaluation results were summarized using an Extraction Table. RESULTS: The results of the study are divided into two parts: short and long-term impacts of dust storms. Short-term impacts include mortality, visitation, emergency medical dispatch, hospitalization, increased symptoms, and decreased pulmonary function. Long-term impacts include pregnancy, cognitive difficulties, and birth problems. Additionally, this study shows that dust storms have devastating impacts on health, affecting cardiovascular and respiratory health in particular. CONCLUSION: The findings of this study show that dust storms have significant public health impacts. More attention should be paid to these natural hazards to prepare for, respond to, and mitigate these hazardous events to reduce their negative health impacts.Registration: PROSPERO registration number CRD42018093325

Continuous post-disaster physical rehabilitation: a qualitative study on barriers and opportunities in Iran

Background: Internationally, inclusion of physical rehabilitation services during early disaster response is relatively new. The aim of the study was to gain an understanding of disaster relief physical rehabilitation in Iran. Methods: A qualitative study design was employed and sixteen semi-structured interviews were conducted for data collection. Content analysis was used for data analysis. The participants in this study were purposively selected among people who experienced the Bam (2003) and Varzaghan (2012) earthquakes. Results: Three main themes were explored including: indispensable intervention, barriers to continuous intervention and opportunities for intervention. Almost all participants reiterated the importance of effective physical rehabilitation services during disasters. Some participants mentioned significant barriers for delivering such services in the context of Iran. The lack of an effective responsible body, weak disaster-related competencies and under-prioritization by government were among other barriers. On a more positive note, some interviewees talked about national programs that could facilitate service delivery. Conclusions: Providing disaster relief physical rehabilitation has faced many barriers in Iran. However, there are some facilitators in the country that could help provide these services. Finally, the feasibility of post-disaster physical rehabilitation services delivery completely depends on the current national rehabilitation system

Effect of Dust Storms on Non-Accidental, Cardiovascular, and Respiratory Mortality: A Case of Dezful City in Iran.

BACKGROUND: Despite the fact that Iran has been exposed to severe dust storms during the past 2 decades, few studies have investigated the health effects of these events in Iran. This study was conducted to assess the association between dust storms and daily non-accidental, cardiovascular, and respiratory mortality in Dezful City (Khuzestan Province, Iran) during 2014 to 2019. METHODS: In this study, mortality, meteorological, and climatological data were obtained from the Dezful University of Medical Sciences, Iranian Meteorological Organization, and Department of Environment in Khuzestan Province, respectively. Days of dust storm were identified based on the daily concentration threshold of particulate matter with an aerodynamic diameter of less than 10 μm (PM10) according to Hoffmanns҆ definition, and then an ecological time-series was used to estimate the short-term effects of dust storms on daily mortality. Statistical analysis was performed using a distributed lag linear model (DLM) and a distributed lag non-linear model (DLNM) packages by R software and the study results were reported as excess mortality. RESULTS: During the study period, 15 223 deaths were recorded, and 139 dust storms occurred in Dezful city. In addition, there was statistically significant excess risk of mortality due to dust storms in Dezful City (mortality in the group under 15 years of age, lag4: 34.17% and 15-64 years of age groups, lag5: 32.19%, lag6: 3.28%), also dust storms had statistically significant effects on respiratory mortality (lag6: 5.49%). CONCLUSION: The findings of the current study indicate that dust storms increase the risk of mortality with some lags. An evidence-based early warning system may be able to aware the people of the health effects of dust storms

Health Consequences and Management of Explosive Events

Background: Explosive events refer to events, either natural or man-made, that occur advertently or accidentally. This article aimed to study epidemiology of explosive events and investigate the health consequences of such events. It also aimed to discuss the prevention and management of these events from a healthcare provision viewpoint. Materials and Methods: This descriptive study comprised 2 sections. First, following an extensive review of the literature, a database, containing the related articles was developed. Then, the core research group drafted the first adapted version of the results. Using a Delphi panel methodology, the results were finalized based on the consensus of 11 experts. Results: Terrorist explosion is the most common type and of ever-growing explosions worldwide. It accounts for the largest proportion of casualties caused by man-made events. Health consequences of explosions can be classified into physical, mental, and social ones, which can appear immediately or a long time after the event and affect individuals, families, and societies. Conclusion: Because of the wide range and adverse impacts of explosions, healthcare authorities and staff should have a good grasp of preventive principles, as well as protection and management of explosion sites. Besides they have to be familiar with treating the injured. It is recommended that training courses and simulated explosive events be designed and run by the healthcare sector

Application of Multilayer Perceptron (MLP) Neural Network Model in Urban Vulnerability Zoning with Emphasis on Earthquake (A Case Study on Municipal District 20 in Tehran)

District 20 (Shahr-e-Ray), as the southernmost urban area among the municipal districts of Tehran, has a population of 4553740 individuals and an area of 22km2 within the urban zone and 178km2 outside this zone. The earthquake risk is estimated to be very high in this region due to the tectonic and geographical position, presence of numerous faults around the region, the occurrence of several historical destructive earthquakes within this area, as well as other tectonic and geological evidence. In the present study, by investigating the current status, analyzing and classifying the vulnerability of the habitats in this region, and using the MLP model, a new strategy is presented. The results of the model based on the input models indicated the higher accuracy and efficiency of the standard classification method compared to the standard max/min method. By taking a look at the map of the standard classification method in the applied model, it can be found that the orange and nearly blue spots, which are mostly scattered in the central part of the region, have the highest correlation with the worn texture and the highest vulnerability. According to the results of the model in terms of vulnerability expansion and zone, out of the total area of the region, 21% has the high and very high vulnerability, 61% medium vulnerability, and 18% low vulnerability. Also, the results of the population layers indicated high, medium, and low vulnerability intensities for 56.8%, 27.9%, and 14.1% of the total population, representing the population density in worn-out buildings with narrow pathways. Moreover, the results concerning the layers of material type and important places showed that the material types including metals, bricks, semi-metallic, …, respectively, and the important places such as educational centers, clinics, and medical centers have the highest vulnerability intensitie

Gender-based violence against women during the COVID-19 pandemic: recommendations for future

Abstract Background Gender-based violence (GBV) includes any physical, sexual, psychological, economic harms, and any suffering of women in the form of limiting their freedom in personal or social life. As a global crisis, COVID-19 has exposed women to more violence, which requires serious actions. This work aims to review the most critical dimensions of the GBV against women, effective factors on it, and strategies for combating it during the COVID-19 pandemic in order to provide recommendations for future pandemics. Methods This study was conducted based on PRISMA-ScR. First, PubMed, Embase, Scopus, Web of Science, ProQuest, and Google Scholar were searched in April 2021 with no time limitation and location using the related keywords to COVID-19 and GBV. The searched keywords were COVID-19, gender-based violence, domestic violence, sexual violence, women, violence, abuse, and their synonyms in MESH and EMTREE. Duplicates were removed, titles and abstracts were screened, and then the characteristics and main results of included studies were recorded in the data collection form in terms of thematic content analysis. Results A total of 6255 records were identified, of which 3433 were duplicates. Based on inclusion criteria 2822 titles and abstracts were screened. Finally, 14 studies were eligible for inclusion in this study. Most of these studies were conducted in the United States, the Netherlands, and Iran, mostly with interventional and qualitative methods. Conclusions Strengthening ICT infrastructure, providing comprehensive government policies and planning, government economic support, social support by national and international organizations should be considered by countries worldwide. It is suggested that countries provide sufficient ICT infrastructure, comprehensive policies and planning, economic support, social support by collaboration between national and international organizations, and healthcare supporting to manage incidence of GBV against women in future pandemics