Exploring Iranian Women\u27s Perceptions Regarding Control and Prevention of Breast Cancer

The purpose of this study was to explore Iranian women\u27s perceptions, behaviors, and beliefs related to breast cancer screening, breast cancer, and follow up care. A qualitative descriptive inquiry with both individual and focus group interviews was conducted in Tehran with 31 Farsi-speaking women, age 35 to 65 years of age. A constant comparison method of analysis assisted the researchers in gaining an understanding of factors that influence Iranian women\u27s perceptions regarding the control and prevention of breast cancer. Findings suggest that insufficient knowledge regarding breast cancer and breast cancer screening is a significant factor among this population. Breast cancer programs are needed in Iran that address women\u27s religious beliefs and spiritual needs

Survey of the Impact of Using Text Messaging Educational Method on Breast Self Examination in Female Students of None-medical Fields In 2013

Abstract: Purpose: Short text messaging is the easiest and cheapest way to promote knowledge level in the society which provides easy access to an extent layer of audience and a two way connection between users and educational sources in a short time and in any place. Present study has been done with the purpose of evaluating the impact of using text messages as an educational tool on breast self examination education in female students of none-medical fields in 2013. Method: in a clinical trial 54 female students from Tarbiat Modarres dormitories were selected by accidental sampling and then were educated about breast cancer, its control ways and breast self examination by 28 educational text messages at 9 AM every day for 1 moth. Data collection tool was a questionnaire designed by the researcher which was used as a pre-test and then 3 months after education as a post test and the quality of doing breast self examination was evaluated by an operational test and check list. Data analysis was done with SPSS 20 software and a parametric statistical test (paired T-test) in a significant level of p<0.05. Findings: There is a significant difference in knowledge, attitude and performance points (KAP) about breast self examination before and after educational text messaging intervention (p = 0.001). Text messaging with 47.2% was selected as the first priority by the samples. Results: text messaging educational method is effective in promotion of breast cancer preventive behaviors. The amount of KAP in female students about breast self examination was effectively elevated after text message education. We suggest use of this educational method in health education programs especially in breast cancer controlling for maintaining women's health and hygiene

Women’s perception of sexual socialization in Iran: A qualitative study

Introduction: Sexual behavior and performance is not only influenced by biological factors but also, affected by sexual socialization. Family and society are two key institutions over this procedure. The aim of this study was exploring the married women’s perceptions of social structure related to sexuality in Iran. Method: This was a qualitative study with interpretive approach and conventional content analysis strategy. Purposive sampling was carried out of 5 health care centers of university affiliated centers and one health institute in Tehran and Shiraz. Data collection was performed through 17 in-depth interviews, and 14 sexual life narratives to reach to data saturation. Constant comparative method was used to analyze concurrently with the data collection. Results: Two main categories emerged as “parent’s conservation related to child’s sexuality issues” and “passive social support systems”. The main theme emerged study was “passive sexual socialization”. Conclusion: Findings indicate that there is an essential need for revising current paradigm about sexuality in Iran. Not only, the conservative and passive approach is not helpful for resolving difficulties surround this issue, but also, leads to greater vulnerabilities. Therefore, based on the social constructionism, in Iran, age-specific sexuality education and providing sexual health care in public health care system based on the Islamic ideology, social norms, and moral principles are suggested. Keywords: Sexuality issues, content analysis, women, family, social structur

Experience of Healthcare Providers to Deal with Victims of Sexual Assault: A Qualitative Research

Introduction: Victims of sexual assault require comprehensive, gender-sensitive health services in order to cope with the physical and mental health consequences of their experience. In most countries, however, there is a gap between the healthcare needs of victims of sexual violence and the existing level of health services provided in such cases. Experiences of the service providers help to deepen the understanding of this phenomenon so, this study aimed to understand the perceptions and experiences of clinical health care providers to victims of sexual assault. Method: This was a qualitative study with content analysis approach. 23 healthcare providers working in private and public hospitals in Ahvaz and Tehran, Iran were selected with purposive sampling method. Data were collected using interviews, observations and recording field notes. All the interviews were recorded and transcribed verbatim. Data were analyzed using descriptive content analysis and the Granheim and Lundman method. Results: Five categories including 255 primary codes were emerged. The derived codes were as follows: 1) focus on the history and physical examination 2) legal considerations 3) diagnostic and para-clinical services4) ostensible prevention and treatment of complications and 5) consult and referral request. The main code included in all derived codes was "routine and task-orientation". Conclusion: The findings showed that clinical healthcare providers provided health care to the victims of sexual violence regardless of their care needs, based on their routine administrative procedures. Therefore, the staff should concerns about the respond to the needs of females who have been sexually assaulted. Keywords: Clinical service, Sexual assault, Qualitative study, Content analysi

Postnatal quality of life in women after normal vaginal delivery and caesarean section

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Caesarean section might increase the incidence of surgical interventions and problems resulting from hospitalization and thus affecting quality of life in women after delivery. This study aimed to compare quality of life in women after normal delivery and caesarean section.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>This was a prospective study. A sample of women with normal delivery and caesarean section from 5 health care centers in Isfahan, Iran were entered into the study. Quality of life was measured using the SF-36 at two points in time (time 1: 6 to 8 weeks after delivery; time 2: 12 to 14 weeks after delivery). Data were analyzed to compare quality of life in the two study groups.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>In all 100 women were interviewed (50 with normal delivery and 50 with caesarean section). Postnatal quality of life in both groups was improved from time1 to time 2. However, comparing the mean scores between the normal and caesarean delivery groups the results showed that in general the normal vaginal delivery group had a better quality of life for almost all subscales in both assessment times. The differences were significant for vitality (mean score 62.9 vs. 54.4 P = 0.03) and mental health (mean score 75.1 vs. 66.7, P = 0.03) at first assessment and for physical functioning (mean score 88.4 vs. 81.5, P = 0.03) at second evaluation. However, comparing the findings within each group the analysis showed that the normal vaginal delivery group improved more on physical health related quality of life while the caesarean section group improved more on mental health related quality of life.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Although the study did not show a clear cut benefit in favor of either methods of delivery that are normal vaginal delivery or caesarean section, the findings suggest that normal vaginal delivery might lead to a better quality of life especially resulting in a superior physical health. Indeed in the absence of medical indications normal vaginal delivery might be better to be considered as the first priority in term pregnancy.</p

Quality of life in women with nausea and vomiting from pregnancy

Background: Nausea and vomiting in early pregnancy is a common complaint, affecting approximately 50-80% of pregnant women. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of the severity of nausea and vomiting from pregnancy on the quality of life during the first trimester of pregnancy. Methods: An analytical study was conducted on pregnant women with nausea and vomiting from pregnancy (NVP) during their first 12 weeks. These pregnant women were receiving prenatal care at the prenatalogy ward of Rouhani Hospital, which is affiliated to Babol University of Medical Sciences. The women were asked to complete a visual analogue scale questionnaire to report their intensity of nausea within the last 24 hours. The severity of NVP was measured by a structured questionnaire. A Health-Related Quality of Life for Nausea and Vomiting during Pregnancy (NVPQOL) questionnaire was also used to measure the quality of Life of pregnant women with NVP. Low scores in all domains of NVPQOL and the overall quality of life evaluation mean better quality of life. A total number of 80 women with NVP, who were within the age range 18 to 35, were randomly selected for the purpose of this study. Results: The mean total score of NVPQOL was 95.5±15.69. The total quality of life score in women with severe nausea (p = 0.003) and sever vomiting (p = 0.029) was higher than that of the mild/moderate group. A statistically significant result was found in the mean scores of the fatigue domains between the women with mild/moderate and severe nausea groups (P = 0.001). The women with severe vomiting also had significantly higher mean scores of the physical symptoms (P = 0.027) and limitation (P = 0.027) domains compared with those with low/moderate vomiting. Conclusion: The finding showed that the NVPQOL score was correlated with the severity of NVP symptoms. It is, therefore, very important that we, in our clinical practices, consider the impact of NVP on Iranian woman's quality of life in order to provide them with optimal management in cas

Assessment of the level of health literacy among fertile Iranian women with breast cancer

Introduction: Health literacy is one of the main determinants of health promotion. Regarding the influential role of the women in a society, enhancing their critical health literacy would be a prerequisite for the promotion of public health. The aims of this study were to determine the level of health literacy among fertile Iranian women with breast cancer and to determine the relationship between the health literacy level and socio demographic factors, such as age, educational level, occupation, age of marriage, duration of marriage, and several clinical factors, including taking psychiatric medication and the type of breast surgery among breast cancer patients. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted on 260 fertile patients with breast cancer from screening and monitoring centers and breast cancer clinics in Tehran from August 2014 to August 2015. Data were collected using socio demographic and clinical questionnaires developed by the researchers and the questionnaire for health literacy for Iranian adults (HELIA).The results were analyzed using SPSS-IBM version 20 and the Pearson product-moment correlation coefficient, along with Kido’s correlation test. Results: The mean age of the participants was 43.32. Most of the participants (68.5%) had high school diplomas or lower school degrees (based on educational system in Iran). The mean score of health literacy was 75.73. The levels of health literacy among the different groups of participants were as follows: insufficient health literacy (6.9% of patients), barely enough health literacy (18.8% of patients), enough health literacy (38.8% of patients) and excellent health literacy (35.1% of patients). Also, significant relationships were found between the level of health literacy and the participants’ age of marriage, duration of marriage, educational level, and occupation (p < 0.05). Conclusion: This study showed that the level of health literacy was high among women with breast cancer. This indicates that their high level of health literacy might be used as a contributor to the promotion of the public health in terms of awareness about breast cancer

The effect of acupressure at spleen 6 acupuncture point on the anxiety level and sedative and analgesics consumption of women during labor: A randomized, single-blind clinical trial

Background: Labor pain is the most severe pain women would experience, which could lead to loss of emotional control that plays a key role in creating a traumatic delivery experience and psychological disorders. The goal of this study was to evaluate the effect of acupressure on anxiety level and sedative and analgesics consumption in women during labor. Materials and Methods: This study was a randomized, single-blind clinical trial performed at Maryam Hospital in Tehran, Iran. One hundred and thirty-one pregnant women in Labor Ward were selected by convenience sampling. Subjects were randomly allocated to three groups, namely experimental group (pressure group), control group 1(touh group) and, control group 2 (routine care group). The study data were gathered using demographic information form, and assessed with Faces Anxiety Scale (FAS). For participants belonging to the experimental group, pressure was applied to the Spleen 6 acupoint for 30 min, and for those with only light touch was applied to the Spleen 6 acupoint for 30 min. The collected data were analyzed using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences 16 and descriptive statistics. Results: There was a significant difference between the three groups in terms of the mean of anxiety after 30 min of starting the intervention and 30 min after termination of the intervention; the anxiety of the experimental group was significantly decreased (p = 0.03). Sedative and analgesics consumption was significantly lower in the experimental group compared to the other groups (p = 0.006). Conclusions: This study showed that compression of the Spleen 6 acupoint was an effective complementary method to decrease maternal anxiety and analgesic consumption, especially pethidine

Challenges Faced by Health Care Providers in Dealing with Iranian Women’s Fear of Breast Cancer

Background: Smoking is one of the leading causes of disease and death in the world. There is a growing trend of smoking in Iran, especially among youth and women. This study has been conducted to identify the factors related to smoking and solutions that can lead to its control in Tehran. Methods: This study was conducted qualitatively from August 2015 to August 2016 in Tehran. The data collection tool included cognitive interviews and deep, semi-structured interviews. The participants consisted of 7 men and 5 women who smoked cigarettes; they were selected through purposive sampling with maximum diversity and snowball technique which continued until data saturation. The data was analyzed through qualitative conventional content analysis. Results: Two main classes with 15 subclasses were extracted from the participants&rsquo; responses. The causes of smoking and the solutions for its control are evaluated along these two classes. The subclasses include factors like being accustomed to smoking, considering smoking as a normal behavior, easy access to cigarettes, recreation and entertainment; lack of recreational facilities, way of relaxing, increasing the price of cigarettes, the importance of making cigarettes scarce, and cultural and individual volition. Conclusion: Being accustomed to smoking and considering it as an entertainment are the most important causes of smoking, and the importance of creating an anti-smoking culture and individual volition have been introduced as the most important solutions for controlling smoking in Tehran. Furthermore, it seems that reducing the public access to cigarette through various ways such as increasing the price, reducing the imports, the decline in production and supply, as well as creating a culture against smoking can reduce the amount of smoking considerably