A survey of the growing trend of caesarian section in Iran and the world: a review article

Introduction: The rate of cesarean section is increasing in developing and developed countries. Due to the probability of side-effects of cesarean and the importance of knowing the growing trend of this type of delivery, this study was performed with aim to survey the trend of caesarian section in Iran and the world in different studies. Methods: In this review article, data was collected through databases of PubMed, Science Direct, CINAHL, SID, Iranmedex, Magiran, Web of Science, Google Scholar, and Scopus using the keywords of Cesarean Section Rate, caesarian section prevalence, delivery, childhood, relative causes, relative frequency. Time duration for articles' selection was 1990 to 2015. Eventually, 45 articles were included in the study. Results: Worldwide, the rate of cesarean increased from 6.7% in 1990 to 19.1% in 2014, which represents a 12.4% increase. Cesarean rates increased 14.6 % in developing countries and 12.7% in developed countries. The cesarean rate in the United States increased from 20.7% in 1996 to 32.8 % in 2011. In Iran, the caesarean rate increased from 16% in 1985 to 60% in 2013. Conclusion: Current rate of cesarean section, except for less developed countries, is consistently increasing and is higher than what is considered medically justifiable. The steep increase and inappropriate rate of caesarean section represents a health problem in Iran and requires the attention of government officials. Since there are numerous factors about the need for caesarean section, various strategies including mother-friendly hospitals, development of standard protocols; preparation classes for mothers, midwives, and gynecologists, and workshops for specialists and midwives should be considered to avoid unnecessary use of this method

Pregnant Women’s Health Literacy in the South of Iran

Objective: Investigate the health literacy of pregnant women in the south of Iran. Materials and methods: The present descriptive-analytical study was conducted on 775 pregnant women in the south of Iran (including Boushehr, Ahvaz, Zahedan and Bandar Abbas cities) through the clustering sample selection method. The data were collected through the Test of Functional Health Literacy in Adults: TOFHLA, and were analyzed statistically via SPSS 16 through independent-sample t-test and ANOVA. Results: The average age of the subjects was 31.89 ± 7.54 years. The results indicated that 15.5% of the subjects had an inadequate level of health literacy; 41.7% had a border-line level of health literacy, and 42.8% had an adequate level of literacy. Significant correlations were found between each of these variables and the subjects’ level of health literacy: education, age, occupation and care provision during pregnancy (p ˂ 0.05). The highest mean score of health literacy belonged to Ahvaz while the lowest belonged to Boushehr. Conclusion: According to the results, the health literacy level of pregnant women in the target geographical areas showed to be inadequate or on a border-line. Moreover, subjects’ education, age and occupation showed to be significantly correlated with health literacy. Therefore, promoting pregnant women’s health literacy through simplifying health-related information, use of audio-visual media, improving communicative skills among the health staff and mothers can be effective

Utilization of cervical cancer screening services and its associated factors in Iran: a case–control study

Background Considering the high incidence rate of cervical cancer (CC) in Iran, screening is an efective way of reducing the impact of the disease due to early detection. Thus, the recognition of the factors afecting the use of cervical cancer screening (CCS) services is essential.The present study aimed to determine the associated factors of CCS in women living in the suburbs of Bandar Abbas in the south of Iran. Methods The present case–control study was conducted between January and March 2022 in the suburban areas of Bandar abbas. Two hundred participants were assigned to the case group and 400 participants were assigned to the control group. A self-constructed questionnaire was used to collect the data. This questionnaire contained demographic information, reproductive information, knowledge of CC, knowledge of CCS and access to the screening. Univariate and multivariate regression analyses were run to analyze the data. The data were analyzed in STATA 14.2 at a signifcance level of p<0.05. Results The mean and standard deviation of participants’ age in the case group was 30.33±4.892, and in the control group was 31.35±6.149. The mean and standard deviation of knowledge in the case group was 10.21±1.815 and in the control group was 7.24±2.447. The mean and standard deviation of access was 43.72±6.339 in the case and 37.17±4.828 in the control group. The results of multivariate regression analysis showed the following factors increased the odds of CCS: knowledge (OR medium=18.697, OR high=13.413), access (OR medium=4.028, OR high=8.126), being married (OR=3.193), being educated (OR diploma=2.587, OR university degree=1.432), middle and high SES (OR Middle=6.078, OR Upper=6.608), and not smoking (OR=1.144). Also, women’s reproductive status, including history of sexually transmitted diseases (OR=2.612), use of oral contraceptives (OR=1.579), sexual hygiene (OR=8.718). Conclusions In the light of the present fndings, it can be concluded that besides increasing suburban women’s knowledge, their access to screening facilities should be improved. The present fndings showed the need to remove the barriers to CCS in women of low SES to increase the rate of CCS. The present fndings contribute to a better understanding of factors involved in CCS

Utilization of cervical cancer screening services and its associated factors in Iran: A case–control study

Considering the high incidence rate of cervical cancer (CC) in Iran, screening is an efective way of reducing the impact of the disease due to early detection. Thus, the recognition of the factors afecting the use of cervical cancer screening (CCS) services is essential.The present study aimed to determine the associated factors of CCS in women living in the suburbs of Bandar Abbas in the south of Iran. The present case–control study was conducted between January and March 2022 in the suburban areas of Bandar abbas. Two hundred participants were assigned to the case group and 400 participants were assigned to the control group. A self-constructed questionnaire was used to collect the data. This questionnaire contained demographic information, reproductive information, knowledge of CC, knowledge of CCS and access to the screening. Univariate and multivariate regression analyses were run to analyze the data. The data were analyzed in STATA 14.2 at a signifcance level of p<0.05

Investigate internet addiction and effective factors among students in Hormozgan University of Medical Sciences

Background: Access to the Internet is a growing phenomenon .Every day more people are among the Internet users. This study aimed to investigate Internet addiction and its effective factors among students in Hormozgan University of Medical Sciences. Methods: This study was of a descriptive, cross--sectional type which aimed to investigate Internet addiction and effective factors among students in Hormozgan University of Medical Sciences The research community consisted of all students in Hormozgan University of Medical Sciences in year 2013 studying and Was proportional stratified sampling. Data gathering tool was Yang standard internet addiction questionnaire. SPSS software model 16 was used for data analysis research . p <0.05 was set as the level of significance. Findings: From total of 500 students that participated in the study, 166 patients (33.1%) were male and 334 (66.7%) were female. 409 patients (81.6%) were single and 91 (18.2%) were married. Results of the study indicated (226 patients) as the user at risk (205 patients) as a normal user, and (69 patients) another addicted user . There was significant relation Between variables such as gender (p=0.003), field of study (p=0.002), marital status (p <0.001), age (p <0.001), educational level (p <0.001) and using Internet (p=0.005) with Internet addiction. But the location was no significant associated Internet addiction. Conclusion: The correct teaching for the students to use the Internet and making culture, educate families, schools and universities, to solve the problems of young people, creating a fun and engaging programs are effective in reducing the rate of Internet addiction

Health problem multiple behaviors in Iranian adolescents: a cross-sectional study

The present cross-sectional research was conducted on 245 adolescents selected through a multi-stratified sampling method. The data collection instrument was the risky behavior scale (YRBSS). The collected data were statistically analyzed via SPSS ver19. Such indices as mean, standard deviation, min and max scores were used as descriptive statistics. The present findings showed that 17 subjects (6.9%) had carried cold weapons with them at least once before; 22 subjects (15.17%) had experienced drug consumption (opium and hash) at least; 52 subjects (21.3%) consumed alcohol; 45 (out of 108) (41.66%) had sexual affairs with the opposite sex and 108 (44.1%) experienced smoking. Certain measures can be taken to prevent and reduce the rate of risky behaviors: closer and stronger family ties between parents and teenagers, emphasis on positive examples set by peers, establishment of moral values, provision of sport facilities and public welfare, special attention to the key role of schools

Causes of Maternal Mortality in Iran: A Systematic Review

Background Maternal death is a key qualitative reliable index of a nation’s economic development. The present research aims to investigate causes of maternal mortality in Iran. Materials and Methods A systematic review of the following databases led us to find the target articles: Medline (via PubMed), Science Direct, CINAHL, CINAHL (EBSCO), Scopus, Web of Science, SID, ISC, Magiran, and Google Scholar. The key terms searched for were: pregnancy, childbirth, mother’s mortality, pregnancy side effects, Iran. The search was done in two languages, English and Persian. The operators used were AND, NOT, OR which led us to find related articles. Results A review of the 19 articles indicated that the main direct causes of mortality were respectively bleeding, eclampsia, sepsis and embolism. Among the indirect causes of mortality, background diseases ranked first and heart diseases ranked next. Overall, the foremost rate of mortality was induced by direct causes. Conclusion According to the present findings, a number of suggestions are made to help to significantly reduce the rate of pregnant women’s mortality in Iran: recognition of mothers at risk by the healthcare staff, preventive measures such as educating efficient and experienced forces, more equipment and facilities including blood products, monitoring care provision during pregnancy, during and after the childbirth, development of local healthcare centers and educating more midwives especially in rural areas, improvement of nursing hospitals in counties and timely referral of mothers to specialized centers

The effect of a theory-based educational program on southern Iranian prisoners’ HIV preventive behaviors: a quasi-experimental research

Abstract Background The present research explored the effect of an educational program based on the health belief model (HBM) on prisoners’ HIV preventive behaviors in the south of Iran. Methods The present quasi-experimental research was conducted in 2019–20 on 280 prisoners, 140 in the control group (CG) and 140 in the intervention group (IG). The sampling was simple randomized. The data were collected using a questionnaire in two parts, one exploring the demographic information and the other the HBM constructs. The final follow-up was completed 3 months after the educational intervention (8 sessions long) in November 2020. Results After the intervention, statistically significant between-group differences were found in the healthy behavior score and all HBM constructs except for the perceived barriers (p < 0.001). Perceived severity and susceptibility were found to be the strongest predictors of HIV preventive behaviors. Conclusion The educational intervention showed to positively affect the adoption of preventive behaviors mediated by the HBM constructs. To remove barriers to HIV preventive behaviors or any other healthy behavior, researchers are suggested to develop multi-level interventions (beyond the personal level) to gain better findings

Barriers to research activities as perceived by medical university students: A cross-sectional study

Context: The importance of research is revealed by the fact that the top seven science producing countries in the world are the same seven countries worldwide in terms of the research facilities. Aim: To explore the barriers to research activities among the students of the Hormozgan Medical University. Settings and Design: A total of 400 students affiliated with the Hormozgan University of Medical Sciences participated in this cross-sectional study. Methods: The sampling method was proportional stratified, and the data collection instrument was a tripartite questionnaire that comprised demographic information, personal barriers, and organizational barriers. Statistical analysis: The data were statistically analyzed by the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) software (V.16.0, SPSS Inc., Chicago, IL, USA) using descriptive statistics as well as the independent sample t-test, one-way analysis of variance, and Pearson’s correlation coefficient. The level of significance was set at P < 0.05. Results: The most prevalent personal barriers were inadequate knowledge of research methodology (2.91±1.24) and inadequate skill in research conduction (2.89±1.36). In the realm of organizational barriers, limited access to information sources was the most prevalent barrier (2.75±2.27). The results showed that researcher students encounter more of the organizational barriers (56.13±13.90), whereas non-researcher students faced more of the personal barriers (53.80±10.95). Conclusion: Establishing access to high-speed Internet system, raising students’ awareness of research methodology through workshops, encouraging and motivating students for research work, and using online sources can help in removing the barriers to research activities

Comparison of Health Belief Model Constructs Based on Birth Type among Primiparous Pregnant Women in Bandar Abbas, Iran

Background and Objectives: Cesarean section is the most widespread birth-related surgery throughout the world, the mortality rate of which is seven times as high as that of vaginal delivery. The present study aimed to compare the Health Belief Model (HBM) constructs based on the selected birth type among the primiparous pregnant women in Bandar Abbas, Iran. Materials and Methods: This descriptive-analytical, cross-sectional study was carried out on 210 primiparous women referring to the health care centers of Bandar Abbas in 2016. The study population was performed using a combination of cluster and simple random sampling methods. The data were collected by means of a questionnaire consisting of three parts, namely demographic data, awareness, and HBM constructs. The data were analyzed in SPSS software (version 18) using descriptive statistics, Chi-square test, and one-way ANOVA. Results: The mean age of the participants was 24.56±4.96 years.Furthermore, 36.2% and 63.8% of the mothers had undergone cesarean section and normal delivery, respectively. The mean score of maternal awareness regarding the advantages and disadvantages of delivery methods was 6.63%. In addition, there was a significant statistical difference in all HBM constructs between the mothers of different delivery types (P<0.05). Conclusion: Based on the findings of the present study, the number of the unessential cesarean sections can be reduced by undertaking some measures. These actions include the consistent implementation of educational courses on the side effects and hazards of cesarean section by the health care centers as well as identification and removal of the barriers to mothers’ choice of vaginal delivery with the aim of attracting the mothers' trust for undergoing this delivery