Effect of designed health education program on knowledge, attitude, practice and the rate Pediculosis Capitis in female primary school students in Chabahar city

Background and aim: Pediculosis Capitis is one of the important health problems in students which cause physical, mental and social complications. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of designed health education program on knowledge, attitude, practice and Pediculosis Capitis rate among female elementary students in Chabahar city during 2008 and 2009. Methods: This research was a quasi-experimental (case –control) study. Data gathering tools were questionnaire, check list and head examination. Two schools were randomly selected among female primary schools in Chabhar and 153 students were divided into case and control groups. After collecting the data, an educational program was designed and performed in case group and was evaluated after 2 months. Data were analyzed using Chi-square, Wilcoxon-Mann Whitney, and McNemar tests. Results: Results showed a significant difference in knowledge, attitude and practice of the students in the case group before and after the educational program (P0.05). The infestation rate was 69.3% in the case group before education and 82.1% in the control group which decreased to 26.7% in the case group after the education (P<0.001). However, it was not significant in the control group (P<0.05). Significant relationship was observed between infection and the variables such as father’s level of education, number of bedrooms, number of individuals per room, existence of continuous water at home, type of hair, history of infection in students and infected cases in the family (P<0.05). Conclusion: The health education program had a positive effect on the reduction of Pediculosis Capitis among students. Therefore, performing and evaluating educational programs for students and their parents is suggested

A Survey on the Effects of Hatha Yoga Training (Asana and Relaxation) on Reduction of Anxiety among the Woman of 20-49 Years Old

Abstract: Aim: This study designed and conducted with the aim of specifying the Hatha Yoga effects on anxiety reduction among the women of age 20-49 years. As mental health is an inevitable part of public health, attention to it is one of the World Health Organization (WHO) plans. The organization has been considered anxiety as the most prevalent mental disorder around the world. Since women face more anxiety than men, concentrating on the women mental health is an ever-increasing social concern. Method: This is a quasi-experimental study conducted before and after intervention. The place has been Eqbal sport complex in Tehran-district 12. Samples were selected using random method among the patients with different anxiety levels. The samples were thought Hatha Yoga including one hour Asana and half an hour relaxation at each session by an experienced trainer. The intervention was done for 3 months and three 90-min sessions each week. Data collection instruments were demographic and anxiety questionnaires distributed before and three months after the intervention. The mean score of anxiety was calculated and then the collected data were analyzed using SPSS-16 software, descriptive statistical test, pair t-test and chi square test. Results: There was a significant difference between the mean score of anxiety among the samples, before and after the intervention (p&lt;0.05) Conclusion: Conducting cheap, simple and fun exercises of Hatha Yoga reduces anxiety among women and as a result leads to increase society mental health and perhaps population quality of life. Therefore, it seems applying such exercises can reduce anxiety, efficiently

The effect of health education program on knowledge, attitude and performance in male primary school students regarding Tinea Capitis in Chabahar

Background and aim: In many parts of the world Tinea Capitis is a public health problem, especially in primary school children. The control of the disease is dependent on patients education for increasing their knowledge and health. The aim of this study was to evaluate on knowledge, attitude and performance in male primary school students regarding Tinea Capitis in Chabahar in 2007-2008. Methods: In this quasi-experimental (case – control) study, 115 primary school students were randomly selected from two primary school in the city of Chabahar. Students were assigned into two groups. Tools and data collection methods were included: questionnaire, check list and laboratory samples of scalp and hair. At the beginning of the research, a pre-test was performed on the students and according to the data obtained, an educational program were prepared and was performed for experimental group. Post-test was done after two months. Data was analyzed using chi-square, Mann-Whitney, Wilcoxon and McNemar tests. Results: The findings showed a significant increase in the knowledge, attitude, performance in experimental group (P<0.001). In addition, experimental group demonstrated a significant decrease in Tinea Capitis (P<0.01). The results of this study showed that there is a significant relationship between Tinea Capitis and weight, type of skin and parents education (P<0.05). Conclusion: The results of this research show that the risk of Tinea Capitis transmission is a public health problem and health education is a suitable response to this problem

Withdrawal users' experiences of and attitudes to contraceptive methods: a study from Eastern district of Tehran, Iran

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The aim of this study was to explore withdrawal users' experiences of and attitudes to contraceptive methods in Tehran, Iran.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>This was a cross-sectional study. A sample of women attending a health care center in Tehran, Iran was entered into the study. To collect data structured interviews were conducted.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>In all 300 women who were using withdrawal took part in the study. Of these, 210 women (70%) indicated that they were used modern contraceptive methods previously. The mean duration for withdrawal use was 6.5 (SD = 4.9) and for modern contraceptive it was 2.3 (SD = 2.9) years. The most common reasons for using withdrawal were: no cost involvement, did not need medical advice, having fewer side effects and easier to use than other methods. The main obstacles to use modern contraceptives were: health concerns, fear of side effects, misinformation, lack of confidence and sexual dissatisfaction.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The study results suggest that withdrawal users carry misconceptions about modern contraception and exaggerate its related health problems. Indeed these are important issues for the understanding of attitudes and experiences of women in Iran. The findings from this study might be essential for making evidence-based policy decisions, and for planning, monitoring and evaluating reproductive health programs in Iran and elsewhere.</p

Why Iranian married women use withdrawal instead of oral contraceptives? A qualitative study from Iran

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Withdrawal as a method of birth control is still used in Iran. The aim of this study was to explore married women's perspectives and attitudes on withdrawal use instead of oral contraceptive (OC) in Tehran, Iran.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>This was a qualitative study. Participants were 50 married women, not currently pregnant, not desiring pregnancy and who had been using withdrawal for contraception. Face-to face interviews were conducted to collect data. Content analysis was performed to analyze the data.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Four major themes were extracted from the interviews: advantages, disadvantages, barriers for OC use, and husband-related factors. Advantages of withdrawal use were identified as: easy to use, convenient, ease of access, natural. Even those participants who had experienced unwanted pregnancy while using withdrawal, relied on withdrawal as their contraceptive method. Disadvantages of OC included concerns about side effects. Barriers related to use of OC included the need for medical advice, vaginal examination and daily use. Husband-related factors included: the husband wanted to be the primary decision maker on the number of children and that he preferred withdrawal.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Health providers should address misunderstandings that exist about OC and highlight the non-contraceptive health benefits of OC to balance the information provided for women. We suggest that not only women but also their spouses be advised in family planning programs.</p

Validity and Reliability of the Social Support Scale for Exercise Behavior in Diabetic Women

Objective: The present study aimed at examining the reliability and validity of the Persian version of Sallis’s Social Support Scale for Exercise Behavior. It also aimed at measuring the predictive power of this scale among diabetic women. Method: confirmatory factor analysis was used to identify potential differences between English and Persian versions and construct validity of the scale. Cronbach’s a coefficients were determined to estimate internal consistency of the scale. Results: A total of 348 women who referred to a diabetes institute in Iran filled in the questionnaire. Confirmatory factor analysis supported the friend factor of the scale completely. However, it modified the family factor and reduced the English items. That is, it changed the items into 13 and generated 3 subfactors with a different structure. Cronbach’s a coefficients for the family and friend support were.89 and.86, respectively. Therefore, this scale consisting of 18 items can be used to assess the social support (friend and family) in exercise behavior. In diabetic patients, emotional support subfactor was found to be the most predictive subfactor for physical activity in family social support scale. Conclusion: This 18-item scale was valid and reliable and can be used for diabetic women to evaluate their exercise social support. The results showed that consideration of emotional support is the most important point in promotion of exercise among diabetic women in Iran

Health problem behaviors in Iranian adolescents: a study of cross-cultural adaptation, reliability, and validity

Background: The main purpose of this study was to assess the factorial validity and reliability of the Iranian versions of the personality and behavior system scales (49 items) of the AHDQ (The Adolescent Health and Development Questionnaire) and interrelations among them based on Jessor′s PBT (Problem Behavior Theory). Methods: A multi-staged approach was employed. The cross-cultural adaptation was performed according to the internationally recommended methodology, using the following guidelines: translation, back-translation, revision by a committee, and pretest. After modifying and identifying of the best items, a cross-sectional study was conducted to assess the psychometric properties of Persian version using calibration and validation samples of adolescents. Also 113 of them completed it again two weeks later for stability. Results: The findings of the exploratory factor analysis suggested that the 7-factor solution with low self concept, emotional distress, general delinquency, cigarette, hookah, alcohol, and hard drugs use provided a better fitting model. The a range for these identified factors was 0.69 to 0.94, the ICC range was 0.73 to 0.93, and there was a significant difference in mean scores for these instruments in compare between the male normative and detention adolescents. The first and second-order measurement models testing found good model fit for the 7-factor model. Conclusions: Factor analyses provided support of existence internalizing and externalizing problem behavior syndrome. With those qualifications, this model can be applied for studies among Persian adolescents