Psychometric Properties of the Lasher and Faulkender Anxiety about Aging Scale (AAS) among Iranian Older Adults

Abstract: (1) Background: The older adult population of society is exposed to multiple stressors daily, such as the loss of loved ones, dysfunctional mobility, financial dependence, and suffering from numerous chronic illnesses. The present study aimed to assess the psychometric properties of the Anxiety about Aging Scale among older adults in Iran. (2) Methods: A sample of 703 communitydwelling older adults was recruited and screened using a standardized tool. The mean age of participants was 69.4 � 8.1 years. The majority of participants were male (59.2%), married (66.6%), and illiterate (79.7%). A ‘forward-backward’ translation method was used in developing the Iranian version of the AAS for assessing the psychometric properties among older adults. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and the Rasch model were used for construct validity. (3) Results: Applying CFA indicated that the model’s four original factors are the best solution, representing 55% of the total variance. The result of the CFA showed that this four-factor model had a good fit for the data. The findings were also confirmed by Rasch analysis. (4) Conclusions: The Persian version of the AAS is valid and reliable for measuring aging anxiety among Iranian older adults

The Effect of Cognitive-Behavioral Counseling on Pre-conception Physical Activity in Women with High Body Mass Index: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Background & aim: Obesity is one of the most important health problems for mothers and has been increasing in recent years. It has been showed that cognitive-behavioral counseling is an effective method to increase women’s physical activity. The present study was conducted to determine the effect of cognitive-behavioral counseling on physical activity before pregnancy in women with high BMI.Methods: This randomized control trial was carried out on 60 married women who referred to pre-conception clinic in Gonabad, Iran in 2020. Sampling was done by two-stage cluster random method and subjects were randomly assigned to two groups. The intervention group underwent six two-hour sessions of cognitive-behavioral counseling as three face-to-face and three virtual sessions. The control group only received the routine care. International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ), Depression Anxiety Stress Scale 21(DASS-21) and Silhouette Figure Rating Scale (SFRS) was used to collect data, which were completed before, immediately, after, and one month following intervention. The data was analyzed using Chi square, Fisher Exact test and T-test.Results: There was no statisticallysignificant difference in terms of average physical activity score between the intervention and control group before intervention. However, a significant difference was seen between intervention and control group in terms of physical activity immediately after the intervention and one month later (P < 0.001).Conclusion: Considering that cognitive-behavioral counseling increases physical activity before pregnancy in women with high BMI, it is recommended to provide such  counseling programs for these women in preconception clinics to improve their health before pregnancy

Psychometric properties of the lasher and faulkender anxiety about aging scale (AAS) among iranian older adults

(1) Background: The older adult population of society is exposed to multiple stressors daily, such as the loss of loved ones, dysfunctional mobility, financial dependence, and suffering from numerous chronic illnesses. The present study aimed to assess the psychometric properties of the Anxiety about Aging Scale among older adults in Iran. (2) Methods: A sample of 703 community-dwelling older adults was recruited and screened using a standardized tool. The mean age of participants was 69.4 ± 8.1 years. The majority of participants were male (59.2%), married (66.6%), and illiterate (79.7%). A ‘forward-backward’ translation method was used in developing the Iranian version of the AAS for assessing the psychometric properties among older adults. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and the Rasch model were used for construct validity. (3) Results: Applying CFA indicated that the model’s four original factors are the best solution, representing 55% of the total variance. The result of the CFA showed that this four-factor model had a good fit for the data. The findings were also confirmed by Rasch analysis. (4) Conclusions: The Persian version of the AAS is valid and reliable for measuring aging anxiety among Iranian older adults

Groundwater quality assessment for drinking and agriculture purposes in Abhar city, Iran

The main objective of this study is to assess the quality of groundwater for drinking consume and agriculture purposes in abhar city. The analytical results shows higher concentration of electrical conductivity (100%), total hardness (66.7%), total dissolved solids (40%), magnesium (23%), Sulfate (13.3%) which indicates signs of deterioration as per WHO and Iranian standards for drinking consume. Agricultural index, in terms of the hardness index, 73.3% of the samples in hard water category and 73.3% in sodium content were classified as good. Therefore, the main problem in the agricultural sector was the total hardness Water was estimated. For the RSC index, all 100% of the samples were desirable. In the physicochemical parameters of drinking water, 100% of the samples were undesirable in terms of electrical conductivity and 100% of the samples were desirable for sodium and chlorine parameters. Therefore, the main water problem in Abhar is related to electrical conductivity and water total hardness. Keywords: Groundwater, Agricultural indicator, Drinking indicator, Abhar, Ira

Data on microbiological quality assessment of rural drinking water supplies in Tiran County, Isfahan province, Iran

A lack of access to safe drinking water can lead to adverse health effects such as infection, disease, and undesirable aesthetic problems. The current study focused on the investigation of groundwater quality in Tiran's villages (Isfahan province, Iran). To determine essential microbiological quality, water samples were collected from 46 randomly-selected water wells during a one-year period. The parameters of pH and chlorine were measured on-site. Turbidity was measured at 420 nm using a DR5000 spectrophotometer. Microbiological tests including general thermoforms, Escherichia coli, and thermophiles were carried out according to the National Iranian Standard Method 3759. Data showed that 1.8% of the villages under study had contaminated water resources. The turbidity values for 94.5% of the resources were within recommended limits (<5NTU). In 20.6% of the samples, the residual free chlorine was in the range of 0 to 0.2 mg/L, 8.79% of samples had values greater than the recommended limits, and18.5% had no free residual chlorine. Keywords: Microbiological quality, Drinking water, Turbidity, pH and chlorine, Tira