The Role of Age, Period, and Cohort Effects on Smoking among the Students of Tehran University of Medical Science

The aim of the study is to determine age, period, and cohort effects on trends in student’s cigarette smoking in Tehran University of medical science from 2006 to 2009. We analyzed data from subjects aged 18 to 23 years from Aids Researches Center with Cooperation Environment Researches Center and Accessory collegian. Intrinsic Estimator was used for analysis, that is a new method for resolving linear dependency between age, period, and cohort in linear regression models. In the present study, age effects exhibited increased for both sexes. Also, aging proportion of smoking increased. For both sexes log coefficients were negative at young ages. Period effects for females showed declines but for males there was no significant difference. Cohort effects for females were small and gradual declines were shown for male cohorts. Proportion of smoking at young cohorts was less than old cohorts and log coefficients were negative.There was an increasing trend on age effect .Although a reduction period effect was observed from 2006 to 2009 in females that can be due to utilizing smoking policies in previous years but such a trend was not showed for males. Cohort effect was observed for males and smoking proportion at young cohorts was less than old cohorts

Exploring Measures to Control Road Traffic Injuries in Iran: Key Informants Points of View

Background: Injuries and fatalities from road traffic Injuries are global public health concerns, and a major problem in the Iran. This study aimed to explore strategies to control road traffic Injuries (RTI) in Iran. Methods: We conducted a qualitative study to explore possible ways to reduce the occurrence of road traffic Injuries in Iran in 2016. Interviewees were purposively sampled from various sectors due to multidisciplinary nature of RTIs. Participants were mainly representatives from the police, Ministry of Road, Municipal, emergency services and Minis-try of Health. Besides, public health authorities, researchers, and university professors were interviewed. We con-ducted in-depth interviews using generic guides. Data was analyzed using MAXQDA 10 software. Through content analysis, we interpreted core themes relevant to the accomplishment of our study objectives. Results: Themes that emerged from our study include; road traffic management, governance, education, improving accident database, enforcement, driving license restrictions, and construction of pedestrian overpass. Conclusion: This study revealed key informants’ views regarding available and affordable solutions to reduce RTIs in Iran. Many applicable strategies are identified in the control of RTIs in Iran. Although some solutions such as highway construction and/or expanding rail transportation have been suggested as effective measures for reducing accident, but they are costly and may not be fully applied in developing countries like Iran

Exploring measures to control road traffic injuries in Iran: key informants points of view

Background: Injuries and fatalities from road traffic Injuries are global public health concerns, and a major problem in the Iran. This study aimed to explore strategies to control road traffic Injuries (RTI) in Iran. Methods: We conducted a qualitative study to explore possible ways to reduce the occurrence of road traffic Injuries in Iran in 2016. Interviewees were purposively sampled from various sectors due to multidisciplinary nature of RTIs. Participants were mainly representatives from the police, Ministry of Road, Municipal, emergency services and Minis-try of Health. Besides, public health authorities, researchers, and university professors were interviewed. We con-ducted in-depth interviews using generic guides. Data was analyzed using MAXQDA 10 software. Through content analysis, we interpreted core themes relevant to the accomplishment of our study objectives. Results: Themes that emerged from our study include; road traffic management, governance, education, improving accident database, enforcement, driving license restrictions, and construction of pedestrian overpass. Conclusion: This study revealed key informants’ views regarding available and affordable solutions to reduce RTIs in Iran. Many applicable strategies are identified in the control of RTIs in Iran. Although some solutions such as highway construction and/or expanding rail transportation have been suggested as effective measures for reducing accident, but they are costly and may not be fully applied in developing countries like Iran

Developing an Educational Parenting Skills Package to Parents Undergoing Substance Abuse Treatment for Preventing Addiction among Adolescents: A Study Protocol Based on Social Marketing Approach

Background: Developing an educational parenting skills package for parents with substance abuse may be effective in preventing the same problem in their adolescents. Social marketing is one of the approaches facilitating the preparation of educational content for this purpose. Social marketing is a regular and planned process focusing on customers and their needs for encouraging a target group to exhibit a particular behavior or adopt a specific idea. This study protocol aims to use the social marketing approach to prepare an educational parenting skills package for the parents undergoing substance abuse treatment to prevent addiction in their adolescents. Methods: An educational parenting skills package will be designed and validated by a combination of qualitative research (descriptive phenomenology), scoping review, and Delphi study based on social marketing approach (4 Ps = product, price, place, promotion). The package will be prepared in four phases including educational need assessment, ranking the identified educational needs, determining the suitable health education constructs, and modeling and developing the educational content based on the identified constructs. The designed educational package will be validated from the perspective of the target group (parents undergoing substance abuse treatment) and experts. Conclusion: Developing educational packages based on a scientific health education approach and mainly the Social Marketing Assessment and Response Tool (SMART) model with an emphasis on market analysis or marketing mix (4 Ps = product, price, place, promotion) can prove effective in attracting the audience and promoting the target activitie

Premarital addiction test and its outcomes

Introduction: Although many people around the world are dealing with addiction, still no method that can detect and permanently treat it has been found. Premarital addiction test is one of the factors of great importance in this field. An erroneous detection in this test affects the psychosocial aspects and marital decisions of the individual. The purpose of this study was to determine the effectiveness of the health system in premarital addiction tests and its psychosocial effects. Method: This interpretive qualitative study was performed using content analysis. Data were collected from 6 focus group discussions and 2 semi-structured individual interviews with couples and health care personnel. All interviews were tape-recorded and transcribed verbatim, and themes were extracted using content analysis method. Results: Qualitative content analysis determined the 2 themes of lack of professional adequacy and consequence of marriage. Conclusion: Premarital addiction test is one of the health services provided by the health care system. An incorrect diagnosis not only has a considerable impact on different aspects of individuals’ life, but is also closely related to the psychosocial concept of dignity. Therefore, the professional competence of the staff in providing these services is very important and necessary. Keywords: Addiction, Marriage, Health syste

The association between current smoking and binge drinking among adults: A systematic review and meta-analysis of cross-sectional studies

BackgroundThe substantial increasing trend of binge drinking is a global alarm. Our aim was to undertake a systematic review and meta-analysis of cross-sectional studies to explore the association of current smoking with binge drinking among adults.MethodsWe systematically searched Web of Knowledge; PubMed; Scopus; Embase and Ovid (MEDLINE, EMBASE, PsycARTICLES, PsycINFO, PsycEXTRA, and PsycTests) (from inception to 27 May 2020) databases to identify cross-sectional studies of the association between current smoking and binge drinking. Study screening, data extraction, and methodological quality assessment were all carried out by two independent authors. Adjusted odds ratio (AOR) was pooled with 95% confidence intervals (CI) using random effects model in the meta-analysis, followed by the investigation of the heterogeneity via Q-test and I2 statistic. We assessed publication bias using a funnel plot, the Egger’s, and Begg’s tests.ResultsWe identified 3,171 studies and included nine cross-sectional studies with 64,516 participants. A significant association was found between current smoking and binge drinking among both genders (AOR = 2.97; 95% CI = 1.98 to 4.45; I2 = 90.5%). Subgroup analysis showed that this association among women, men, Caucasians, and Asians/Africans were (AOR = 3.68; 95% CI = 1.03 to 13.18; I2 = 98.9%), (AOR = 2.53; 95% CI = 1.87 to 3.42; I2 = 73.1%), (AOR = 1.36; 95% CI: 1.01–1.83, I2 = 47.4%), and (AOR = 3.93; 95% CI: 2.99–5.17, I2 = 61.3%), respectively. There was no evidence of publication bias.ConclusionCurrent smoking is associated with binge drinking and can be used for identifying and screening binge drinkers. Moreover, this association is stronger among men, and Asians/Africans. This meta-analysis estimation was limited to English-language studies, and the full text of about 3.5% of reports for retrieval was not found, then generalization of the results should be done with caution

Current Status of Health and Social Services for Children with Autism in Iran: Parents’ Perspectives

Objective: The present study is a part of a larger study that aimed at developing a comprehensive model of service delivery for individuals with autism in Iran based on the local needs and characteristics. In this study, the status of the services provided to those with autism in Iran was investigated based on the perspectives of parents of children with autism. Method: A semi-structured interview was used to qualitatively investigate the status of the services with regards to autism in Iran based on the perspectives of parents of children with autism. Results: This study revealed several barriers, including shortness of eligible professionals, difficulty in access to care for families, high costs, and lack of formal and informal supports, in providing services to those with autism in Iran. Early detection and diagnosis are of prime importance. We also need to train our specialists to diagnose autism based on the standard protocols and tests. Conclusion: In sum, we need a comprehensive program that involves different sectors in charge of health and education in Iran

Validity of self-reported substance use : research setting versus primary health care setting

Funding Information: This study has been supported by the Vice Chancellery for Research & Technology of Rafsanjan University of Medical Sciences. The context of this article are the views of the authors and the funder had no role in design of the study and collection, analysis, and interpretation of data, decision to publish and writing the manuscript. Acknowledgments The Rafsanjan University of Medical Sciences provided funding for this study. Also we thank the people who participated in the study.Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Signal transduction pathway mutations in gastrointestinal (GI) cancers : a systematic review and meta-analysis

The present study was conducted to evaluate the prevalence of the signaling pathways mutation rate in the Gastrointestinal (GI) tract cancers in a systematic review and meta-analysis study. The study was performed based on the PRISMA criteria. Random models by confidence interval (CI: 95%) were used to calculate the pooled estimate of prevalence via Metaprop command. The pooled prevalence indices of signal transduction pathway mutations in gastric cancer, liver cancer, colorectal cancer, and pancreatic cancer were 5% (95% CI: 3–8%), 12% (95% CI: 8–18%), 17% (95% CI: 14–20%), and 20% (95% CI: 5–41%), respectively. Also, the mutation rates for Wnt pathway and MAPK pathway were calculated to be 23% (95% CI, 14–33%) and 20% (95% CI, 17–24%), respectively. Moreover, the most popular genes were APC (in Wnt pathway), KRAS (in MAPK pathway) and PIK3CA (in PI3K pathway) in the colorectal cancer, pancreatic cancer, and gastric cancer while they were beta-catenin and CTNNB1 in liver cancer. The most altered pathway was Wnt pathway followed by the MAPK pathway. In addition, pancreatic cancer was found to be higher under the pressure of mutation compared with others based on pooled prevalence analysis. Finally, APC mutations in colorectal cancer, KRAS in gastric cancer, and pancreatic cancer were mostly associated gene alterations

Detection of Echinococcus multilocularis in Carnivores in Razavi Khorasan Province, Iran Using Mitochondrial DNA

Echinococcus multilocularis causes alveolar echinococcosis, a serious zoonotic disease present in many areas of the world. The parasite is maintained in nature through a life cycle in which adult worms in the intestine of carnivores transmit infection to small mammals, predominantly rodents, via eggs in the feces. Humans may accidentally ingest eggs of E. multilocularis through contact with the definitive host or by direct ingestion of contaminated water or foods, causing development of a multivesicular cyst in the viscera, especially liver and lung. We found adult E. multilocularis in the intestine and/or eggs in feces of all wild carnivores examined and in some stray and domestic dogs in villages of Chenaran region, northeastern Iran. The life cycle of E. multilocularis is being maintained in this area by wild carnivores, and the local population and visitors are at risk of infection with alveolar echinococcosis. Intensive health initiatives for control of the parasite and diagnosis of this potentially fatal disease in humans, in this area of Iran, are needed