Evaluation of intervening role of health risk-related training and consultation on performance of High school students from Kermanshah suburban

Background and aims: The most important risk factors threatening health of young people include improper diet, inactivity, smoking, intentional and accidental damages, drugs, AIDS/HIV and psychiatric disorders. Considering increased risky behaviors among teens during 2 last decades, it was decided to evaluate the effects of education and consultation roles in relation to health risks on performance of teens from suburban areas within 4 months following interventions and to propose a model for health-based modification of teen's behaviors. The aim of this study was to determine the intervening role of health risk-related personal education and consultation on performance of high school students from suburban areas in Kermanshah province. Methods: Research population consisted of 8534 high school students from suburban areas of Kermanshah province. School wise questionnaires were completed for all samples before and four months after holding personal education and consulting session. Results: Performances of students on intentional/accidental damages, nutrition, physical activities and AIDS/HIV was improved 4 months after education consultation intervention (P<0.05). No significant changes were observed with student's performance in the fields of smoking, addiction and psychiatric disorders in comparison with the time prior to the intervention. Conclusion: These examination findings revealed positive effects of personal education and consultation on modification of teen's risky behaviors. It appears that a long-term planning is required for modifying behaviors regarding smoking, drugs usage and psychiatric disorders. Self-care education is particularly important because experience has proven that role of classic education pales over time while knowledge leading to acquired skills will be more permanent

The reliability of self-reporting chronic diseases: how reliable is the result of population-based cohort studies

Objectives: To evaluate the reliability of self-reporting chronic diseases in the baseline data of the Ravansar Non-Communicable Diseases (RaNCD) cohort study in Kermanshah province, western Iran.Methods: The study was conducted in RaNCD cohort study. To assess the reliability of self-report of chronic disease, a random sample of 202 participants were asked about some of chronic conditions 30-35 days (mean=32) after recruitment.Results: A range of kappa agreement between 39.52-100%, which the lower statistics was for hypertension and hepatitis and the higher one for cancer, cardiac ischemic, and diabetes.Conclusion: The self-report of chronic diseases was highly reliable. Therefore self-reporting data for some conditions can be used in situations where the validity is acceptable

What explains socioeconomic inequalities in dental flossing? Cross-sectional results from the RaNCD cohort study

Introduction: The magnitude of or determinants underlying socioeconomic inequalities in the use of dental floss is poorly understood in Iran. This study aimed to measure and decompose socioeconomic inequalities in dental flossing in Ravansar, Iran. Methods: This cross-sectional study used data of 10002 individuals aged 35-65 years obtained from the Ravansar Non-communicable Disease (RaNCD) cohort study located in Kermanshah province, west of Iran.&nbsp; Socioeconomic status was measured through an asset-based method and principal component analysis was carried out to determine the socioeconomic status (SES). The concentration index and curve were used to measure socioeconomic inequality in dental flossing. Decomposition analysis was also used to determine the main determinants that contribute to inequalities in dental flossing. Findings: Of 10,002 participants, 11.74% were found to use dental floss. The normalized CI for use of dental floss was 0.327 in the entire population, 0.323 in females and 0.329 in males, indicating that the use of dental floss is more concentrated among high-SES individuals. The decomposition analysis indicated that SES (50.58%) and level of education (44.90%) respectively contributed the most to this inequality. Place of residence (10.55%) and age group (2.7%) were the next main contributors, respectively. Conclusion: There are a low prevalence and a relatively high degree of pro-rich socioeconomic-related inequality in dental flossing among Iranian adults. Socioeconomic status, level of education and place of residence contributed the most to the observed inequalities in dental flossing. Policy interventions should consider these factors to reduce inequality in the use of dental floss and increase the prevalence of dental flossing. &nbsp

The Effect of a Web-based Educational Program on Perevention of Hookah Smoking among Adolescent Girls: Application of Theory of Planned Behavior

Background: The prevalence of hookah is increasing worldwide and in all age groups, especially among women. Therefore, this study was conducted to determine the effect of web-based educational program in the prevention of hookah smoking among girls in Kermanshah, Iran, using theory of planned behavior (TPB).Methods: This study was a randomized controlled trial performed on 110 adolescent girls in Kermanshah City in 2020. Multistage random sampling was used in this study. The data collection tool included a researcher made questionnaire. Designed intervention was implemented for the intervention group in 5 educational sessions according to analysis of pre-test results. Data were collected 3 months after the end of the training intervention. Data analysis was carried out using SPSS software.Findings: The presented interventions significantly improved the structures of attitude (P < 0.001), subjective norms (P < 0.001), and intention (P < 0.001) in the intervention group compared with the control group. However, the difference between perceived behavioral control score in the two groups was not significant (P = 0.131). There was also a significant difference in reducing the behavior of hookah smoking between the intervention and control groups after the educational intervention.Conclusion: Using web-based interventions is a good educational strategy for prevention of hookah smoking in adolescent girls

Measuring and Decomposing Socioeconomic Inequalities in Adult Obesity in Western Iran

Objectives Obesity is a considerable and growing public health concern worldwide. The present study aimed to quantify socioeconomic inequalities in adult obesity in western Iran. Methods A total of 10 086 participants, aged 35-65 years, from the Ravansar Non-communicable Disease Cohort Study (2014-2016) were included in the study to examine socioeconomic inequalities in obesity. We defined obesity as a body mass index ≥30 kg/m2. The concentration index and concentration curve were used to illustrate and measure wealth-related inequality in obesity. Additionally, we decomposed the concentration index to identify factors that explained wealth-related inequality in obesity. Results Overall, the prevalence of obesity in the total sample was 26.7%. The concentration index of obesity was 0.04; indicating that obesity was more concentrated among the rich (p<0.001). Decomposition analysis indicated that wealth, place of residence, and marital status were the main contributors to the observed inequality in obesity. Conclusions Socioeconomic-related inequalities in obesity among adults warrant more attention. Policies should be designed to reduce both the prevalence of obesity and inequalities in obesity by focusing on those with higher socioeconomic status, urban residents, and married individuals

Mirzaei - Alavijeh M et al. Injury & Violence 93 J Inj Violence Res. 2019 Jan; 11(1): 93 - 100 . doi: 10.5249/ jivr.v11i1. 10 78 Journal homepage: http://www.jivresearch.org Socio - cognitive determinants of safe road - crossing behaviors: an application of the prototype willingness model

Background: Pedestrians are one of the most vulnerable groups of road users that potentially are at risk for road traffic injuries and deaths. The present paper reports an application of the Prototype Willingness Model (PWM) to the prediction of road- crossing behaviors among students from Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences (KUMS) in the west of Iran. Methods: This cross-sectional study was carried out among a sample of 315 medical students who were randomly selected from seven faculties of KUMS in 2017 according to their size, and who filled out a self-administered questionnaire containing a scenario depicting a potentially hazardous road-crossing behavior, followed by items measuring the PWM constructs. Data were analyzed by SPSS version 16 at 95% significant level. Results: The mean score of safe road-crossing behaviors was 9.57 [95% CI: 9.10, 10.05], ranging from 0 to 16. Attitude, subjective norms, and prototype accounted for 15% and 9% of the variation of willingness and intention, respectively. Willingness was a stronger predictor of the safe road-crossing behaviors (P less than 0.001). The road crossing behavior of female student pedestrian was safer than that of their male counterparts (P less than 0.035). Conclusions: The results have a number of implications. In particular, PWM-based interventions should focus on willingness in order to encourage safer road-crossing behavior among pedestrians

Socioeconomic-related inequalities in oral hygiene behaviors: a cross-sectional analysis of the PERSIAN cohort study

Background Socioeconomic-related inequality in oral hygiene behaviors in Iran is poorly understood. This study aims to measure and decompose socioeconomic-related inequalities in oral hygiene behaviors among middle-aged and elderly adults in Iran. Methods A cross-sectional analysis was performed using data from the Prospective Epidemiological Research Studies in IrAN (PERSIAN), a large national cohort study. A total of 130,016 individuals aged 35 years and above from 17 cohort centers in Iran were included in the study. The normalized concentration index (C-n) was used to measure the magnitude of inequality in oral hygiene behaviors, i.e. brushing at least twice and flossing once daily, among middle-aged and elderly Iranian adults included in the cohort centers. Decomposition analysis was performed to quantify the contribution of each determinant to the observed inequality in oral hygiene behaviors. Results Totally, 65.5% of middle-aged and elderly adults brushed their teeth twice a day or more, 7.6% flossed at least once a day and 3.48% had both habits. The estimated C-n of the two habits combined, i.e. tooth brushing and dental flossing, for all provinces taken part in the PERSIAN cohort study was 0.399 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.383 to 0.417), indicating that the prevalence of the two habits combined is more concentrated among individuals with higher socioeconomic status. Inequality in oral hygiene behaviors was pro-rich in all cohort centers. The decomposition results suggested socioeconomic status as the main factor contributing to the overall inequality, followed by the level of education, and the province of residence. Conclusion A low prevalence of oral hygiene behaviors among middle-aged and elderly Iranian adults was observed. There was also a pro-rich inequality in oral hygiene behaviors among middle-aged and elderly adults in all cohort centers. These results suggest an urgent need for targeted policy interventions to increase the prevalence of preventive oral hygiene behaviors among the poor and less-educated middle-aged and elderly adults in Iran

Validity of Self-reported Hypertension and Factors Related to Discordance Between Self-reported and Objectively Measured Hypertension: Evidence From a Cohort Study in Iran

Objectives Self-reporting can be used to determine the incidence and prevalence of hypertension (HTN). The present study was conducted to determine the validity of self-reported HTN and to identify factors affecting discordance between self-reported and objectively measured HTN in participants in the Ravansar Non-Communicable Diseases (RaNCD) cohort. Methods The RaNCD cohort included permanent residents of Ravansar, Iran aged 35-65 years. Self-reported data were collected before clinical examinations were conducted by well-trained staff members. The gold standard for HTN was anti-hypertensive medication use and blood pressure measurements. The sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values, and overall accuracy of self-reporting were calculated. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression were used to examine the discordance between self-reported HTN and the gold standard. Results Of the 10 065 participants in the RaNCD, 4755 (47.4%) were male. The prevalence of HTN was 16.8% based on self-reporting and 15.7% based on medical history and HTN measurements. Of the participants with HTN, 297 (18.8%) had no knowledge of their disease, and 313 (19.9%) had not properly controlled their HTN despite receiving treatment. The sensitivity, specificity, and kappa for self-reported HTN were 75.5%, 96.4%, and 73.4%, respectively. False positives became more likely with age, body mass index (BMI), low socioeconomic status, and female sex, whereas false negatives became more likely with age, BMI, high socioeconomic status, smoking, and urban residency. Conclusions The sensitivity and specificity of self-reported HTN were acceptable, suggesting that this method can be used for public health initiatives in the absence of countrywide HTN control and detection programs

Decomposing socioeconomic inequality in poor mental health among Iranian adult population: results from the PERSIAN cohort study

Background Socioeconomic inequality in mental health in Iran is poorly understood. This study aimed to assess socioeconomic inequality in poor mental health among Iranian adults. Methods The study used the baseline data of PERSIAN cohort study including 131,813 participants from 17 geographically distinct areas of Iran. The Erreygers Concentration index (E) was used to quantify the socioeconomic inequalities in poor mental health. Moreover, we decomposed the E to identify factors contributing to the observed socioeconomic inequality in poor mental health in Iran. Results The estimated E for poor mental health was - 0.012 (95% CI: - 0.0144, - 0.0089), indicating slightly higher concentration of mental health problem among socioeconomically disadvantaged adults in Iran. Socioeconomic inequality in poor mental health was mainly explained by gender (19.93%) and age (12.70%). Region, SES itself, and physical activity were other important factors that contributed to the concentration of poor mental health among adults with low socioeconomic status. Conclusion There exists nearly equitable distribution in poor mental health among Iranian adults, but with important variations by gender, SES, and geography. These results suggested that interventional programs in Iran should focus on should focus more on socioeconomically disadvantaged people as a whole, with particular attention to the needs of women and those living in more socially disadvantaged regions. Keywords:Mental health; Socioeconomic inequality; Concentration index; Decompositio

Nationwide Prevalence of Diabetes and Prediabetes and Associated Risk Factors Among Iranian Adults: Analysis of Data from PERSIAN Cohort Study

Introduction Over the past decades prevalence of diabetes has increased in Iran and other countries. This study aimed to update the prevalence of diabetes and prediabetes in Iran and to determine associated sociodemographic risk factors, as well as diabetes awareness and control. Methods This is a nationally representative cross-sectional survey that included 163,770 Iranian adults aged 35-70 years, from different ethnic backgrounds, between 2014 and 2020. Diabetes was diagnosed at fasting blood sugar of >= 6.99 mmol/L (126 mg/dL), or receiving blood glucose-lowering treatment. Multivariable logistic regression was applied to detect determinants associated with prevalence of diabetes and prediabetes, as well as predictors of diabetes awareness and glycemic control. Results Sex- and age-standardized prevalence of diabetes and prediabetes was 15.0% (95% CI 12.6-17.3) and 25.4% (18.6-32.1), respectively. Among patients with diabetes, 79.6% (76.2-82.9) were aware of their diabetes. Glycemic control was achieved in 41.2% (37.5-44.8) of patients who received treatment. Older age, obesity, high waist to hip ratio (WHR), and specific ethnic background were associated with a significant risk of diabetes and prediabetes. Higher awareness of diabetes was observed in older patients, married individuals, those with high WHR, and individuals with high wealth score. Moreover, glycemic control was significantly better in women, obese individuals, those with high physical activity, educational attainment, and specific ethnic background. Conclusions The prevalence of diabetes and prediabetes is increasing at an alarming rate in Iranian adults. High proportion of uncontrolled patients require particular initiatives to be integrated in the health care system