Decomposing disparity in adult individual’s mental health in Tehran among lower and higher economic groups; an Oaxaca- Blinder analysis on urban HEART Survey- round 2

Background: Mental health is one of the main aspects of social well-being. Tehran -capital of Iran- is metropolitan, where the mental health status of citizens is not prioritized effectively. Objectives: The purpose of this study was identifying contributors of mental health inequality between lower and higher economic groups in Tehran through Oaxaca- Blinder method. Methods: The study was conducted by the data of Tehran’s Urban Heart Survey- Round 2 (2012). Through a three- stage stratified and clustered sampling method, 34,700 were selected  as samples. The mental health status was measured by the General Health Questionnaire 28- items (GHQ- 28) and the quantity of the inequality in mental health was measured by corrected concentration index. The Fairlie’s decomposition approach was performed in STATA 14.Results: The corrected concentration index were: -0.0967 and -0.1004 by Erreyger’s and Wagstaff’s approaches. Being of the Iranian origin, disability conditions, employment status and smoking were identified as the main contributors of inequality in mental health among lower and higher economic groups.Conclusion: Thus, re-organizing strategies and plans on promoting the socio- economic status of non-Iranian residents, improving employment opportunities, developing well-designed environment for disabled individuals and supporting plans to reduce smoking is recommended to the urban policy makers. Keywords: Mental health, decomposing inequality, urban heart survey, Tehran

Decomposing disparity in adult individual\u2019s mental health in Tehran among lower and higher economic groups; an Oaxaca- Blinder analysis on urban HEART Survey- round 2

Background: Mental health is one of the main aspects of social well-being. Tehran -capital of Iran- is metropolitan, where the mental health status of citizens is not prioritized effectively. Objectives: The purpose of this study was identifying contributors of mental health inequality between lower and higher economic groups in Tehran through Oaxaca- Blinder method. Methods: The study was conducted by the data of Tehran\u2019s Urban Heart Survey- Round 2 (2012). Through a three- stage stratified and clustered sampling method, 34,700 were selected as samples. The mental health status was measured by the General Health Questionnaire 28- items (GHQ- 28) and the quantity of the inequality in mental health was measured by corrected concentration index. The Fairlie\u2019s decomposition approach was performed in STATA 14. Results: The corrected concentration index were: -0.0967 and -0.1004 by Erreyger\u2019s and Wagstaff \u2019s approaches. Being of the Iranian origin, disability conditions, employment status and smoking were identified as the main contributors of inequality in mental health among lower and higher economic groups. Conclusion: Thus, re-organizing strategies and plans on promoting the socio- economic status of non-Iranian residents, improving employment opportunities, developing well-designed environment for disabled individuals and supporting plans to reduce smoking is recommended to the urban policy makers

Relapse Among Patients Referring to Residential Rehabilitation Centers for Drug Use Disorders in Iran and Its Related Factors

Objectives: In this study, we aimed to determine the individual characteristics of clients who were referred to residential rehabilitation centers for drug use disorders and to determine their relapse-related factors. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted on 576 patients who were referred to nine residential treatment centers for drug use disorders, chosen by the cluster sampling method. A self-constructed questionnaire to assess personal and addictive characteristics was applied. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and Independent t-test. Multiple regression models were applied to determine the factors affecting the time of relapse. Results: The average interval between quitting drug use and relapse was found to be 4.7 months with a standard deviation of 4.1. Age and relapse were found to be correlated (0.193), but the correlation was not found to be statistically significant (P=0.12). There was significant correlation between occupational status (P=0.014) and number of attempts to quit drug use (P=0.019) with relapse. In addition, there were significant correlations between relapse time with injection history (P=0.035), victim history (P=0.047), risky sexual behaviors (P=0.022), sexual dysfunction (P=0.019), having a consumer as a close friend (P=0.001), another drug user in family (P=0.001), compulsory treatment (P=0.033), and alcohol consumption (P=0.041). There was no significant relationship between relapse with duration of addiction, type of abused drug, education, staying longer in centers, and marital status. Discussion: There is a high chance of relapse in case of patients who seek treatment in residential rehabilitation centers for drug use disorders. Paying attention to the patients social status and especially their occupation and connection with the treatment center after discharge reduces possibility of relapse

Ergonomic Assessment of Posture Risk Factors Among Iranian Workers: An Alternative to Conventional Methods

Objectives: Work-related musculoskeletal disorders are a global problem which evolves at different workplaces such as industries, administrative, and agriculture sectors. In various studies, such disorders were assessed through multiple methods. It is necessary to evaluate different tools to use them in diverse communities. The aim of this study was to assess the validity of the new ergonomic evaluating method of Novel Ergonomic Postural Assessment (NERPA) method in Iran.&nbsp; Methods: The employees (n=455) of operational units of four companies (drug producers, printing and publishing houses, dairy, and drinks producers) were assessed in 2014. It was a cross-sectional and descriptive-analytical study. One of the researchers developed a questionnaire that was applied to collect demographic data. The NERPA, Rapid Upper Limb Assessment (RULA), and Rapid Entire Body Assessment (REBA) methods were utilized to analyze posture risk factors. Spearman correlation and Kappa agreement were used to analyze the collected data through SPSS V22.&nbsp; Results: Findings indicated that printing company had the best and pharmaceutical industries had the worst state regarding RULA&rsquo;s results. The risk levels between NERPA and REBA were not statistically significant (P>0.05), however, that was significant with RULA&rsquo;s outcome. Also, the results of NERPA and other two methods were correlated significantly (P<0.05). Pain in the lumbar area was implied to be the most prevalent problem (35.1%). Discussion: Data of the present study suggest that NERPA method was a valid tool compared to RULA. The NERPA method could be used to evaluate standing tasks among industrial workers. However, the concurrent validity of NERPA method compared with results of REBA, as a widely used method, were not verified

Relationship Between Social, Economic and Cultural Factors and Women’s Tendency Toward Crystal Methamphetamine or Opium Use

Objectives: High prevalence of stimulants use &ndash;especially crystalline methamphetamine (crystal meth)-, which required extensive medical and rehabilitation interventions is a major problem in Iran; health care system. Main objective of the current study was to compare social, economic and cultural factors associated with female tendency toward use of two main types of drugs including opium and crystal methamphetamine. Methods: The present cross-sectional and comparative study was performed on female opium and Methamphetamine (MA) dependents of Tehran in 2015. 136 women (82 crystal meth consumers and 54 opium consumers) were selected by simple random sampling method whom filled a researcher-developed questionnaire. Data was analyzed by Pearson Correlation Coefficient and Chi-square test using SPSS software V. 19. Results: There were significant differences between two groups in terms of marital status (P=0.012), the believe in better fitness with drug use (P=0.011), and the believe in improved working and studying efficacy (P=0.039). Discussion: It seems that misconceptions of beneficial impact of crystal methamphetamine use on fitness and improved working and studying efficacy could be recognized as a prominent factor for women tendency toward crystal methamphetamine use. Also, being single and avoiding a stable marital life was a strong factor associated with such tendency. This was whilst opium use was more prevalent among married women, and especially those influenced by their addicted spouse

Developing the Guideline of Therapeutic Interventions for Street Children With Substance Use Disorders

Millions of children are left to survive on the streets around the world. Investigations on drug use disorders among street children reveal that they not only abuse all types of drugs higher than their peers who live at home or in shelters, but also they abuse more harmful drugs such as injection drugs or methamphetamines. This guideline provides a comprehensive approach to the treatment and management of substance use disorders among children of 3 to 18 years of age for the staff of substance use disorder clinics. It highlights examples of how to perceive and approach the management and issues of substance abuse among street children at an early stage of development through various medical, psycho-social, and other interventions. It also defines the characteristics of the street children with a focus on prevention. These provisions consist of addressing the applicability matters in this area and necessity of a decision model in our country