Cutaneous leishmaniasis preventive behaviors and the related factors among parents: Application of BASNEF model

Background: Leishmaniasis is endemic in 98 countries, and 350 million people in the world are at risk of this disease. It is necessary to evaluate the influencing leishmaniasis preventive behaviors to manage this disease in endemic areas. The present study aimed to determine the factors associated with cutaneous leishmaniasis preventive behaviors in parents using the BASNEF model.Methods: The research was an analytical cross - sectional study. The sample consisted of154 parents selected via the available sampling method. The instrument for gathering data was a standard questionnaire based on the BASNEF model that was completed by parents. SPSS software version 16 was used for data analysis and the significance level was considered at 0.05.Results: The knowledge of 32.4% of parents about cutaneous leishmaniasis preventive behaviors was lower than the average level. In the case of subjective norms, the most influential people for preventive behaviors were health liaisons (73.4%). The behavior of parents was directly correlated with subjective norms (r = 0.352, P <0.05) and intention (r = 0.384, P <0.01).Conclusion: Cutaneous leishmaniasis can be controlled and managed in the family by creating a favorable attitude and using the power of the most influential people and providing enabling factors to perform leishmaniasis preventive behaviors by parents

Validation of a social-cognitive theory-based tool for measuring factors influencing obesity prevention behaviors in 4-6 years old children using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA)

Background: Child obesity is one of the main health problems all across the world, which leads to mental and physical health problems. There is no specific tool based on the constructs of social-cognitive theory (SCT) to assess the factors associated with child obesity. The aim of this study was to investigate the validity and confirmatory factor analysis of a SCT-based questionnaire for assessing obesity preventing behaviors among 4-6-year-old children. Method: This cross-sectional study was conducted to validate a SCT-based instrument for measuring factors affecting obesity prevention behaviors among children aged 4-6 years. 240 preschool children aged 4 to 6 years in Behbahan city, southwest Iran participated in the study. After performing the forward-backward translation method, the face, content, and construct validity of the SCT-based questionnaire were confirmed. The content validity index (CVI) and the content validity ratio (CVR) were used to assess the difficulty, relevancy, and ambiguity of the items, and Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was performed to measure the construct validity. Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) was also performed to evaluate the fitness of the model. Reliability of the questionnaire was also measured through Cronbach’s alpha coefficient and Intraclass Correlation Coefficient (ICC). The obesity prevention behaviors used in the model included physical activity, consumption of fruit and vegetable, consumption of sugar-free drinks, and screen. Results: Results of this study confirmed the acceptable content and face validity of the SCT-based questionnaire. The results of confirmatory factor analysis also confirmed the factor loading of more than 0.3 for all variables; therefore the SCT-based questionnaire had an acceptable validity and reliability. Conclusions: Since the SCT-based questionnaire had an acceptable validity and reliability, it can be used to assess the obesity prevention behaviors in 4-6-year-old children, and also to design relevant educational interventions

Factors Affecting Oral Health Self-Care Behaviors in Seventh Grade Students in Behbahan City: An Application of the Health Belief Model

Background: Oral and dental diseases are among the most common diseases in the world that are usually initiated in childhood and adolescence. With risk factors like those of the other important non-contagious diseases, they cause pain, discomfort, deformity, and even death. As it is preventable, the promotion of the related care behaviors by identifying the effective factors is very important. Therefore, the present study aimed to determine the factors affecting oral health self-care behaviors in seventh-grade students in Behbahan city using the health belief model.Method: This descriptive-analytical study was performed on 360 seventh-grade students in Behbahan city, Iran, through a two-stage cluster sampling. The data collection tool was a questionnaire designed based on the Health Belief Model and the DMFT checklist. The collected data were analyzed using SPSS software V. 20.Results: The results showed that the mean DMFT index and students' performance score for oral health behaviors were 2.08 and 1.76, respectively. There was a significant difference between the two genders in terms of DMFT index and performance score (P = 0.007). In this study, there was a significant relationship between oral health behaviors and perceived sensitivity, perceived severity, perceived benefits, perceived barriers, cues to action, and self-efficacy. There was also an indirect and significant relationship between perceived barriers and behavior (r = 0.271, p = 0.001).Conclusion: Based on the results of this study, the structures of the health belief model were effective on students' oral self-care behaviors. Therefore, it is recommended to focus on the mentioned structures to promote these behaviors

Effective Factors of the Healthy Nutritional Behavior Based on the Application of Social Cognitive Theory among 13-15-Year-Old Students

Background: There is a rapid spurt in non-communicable diseases because of some significant changes in nutrition patterns around the globe. Controlling the main risk factors, namely lack of physical activity and smoking, might decrease more than 50% of the deaths and disabilities caused by these factors. This study aimed to investigate the effective factors of healthy food behavior based on the application cognitive social theory to 13 to 15-year- old students. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study was performed on 330 students aged 13–15 years, in Zarrin- Dasht County, Fars Province, south of Iran who were randomly selected from public schools assigned to the study in 2016. The data gathering tools were demographic questionnaire, a researcher-made questionnaire of social cognitive theory (outcome expectations, outcome values, self-efficacy, social support, and self-regulation), and another questionnaire on nutritional behavior. Questionnaires were completed by students. For analyzing data, the SPSS-22 software, multiple regression, and correlation tests were used.   Results: 330 students aged 13–15 years with seventh, eighth and ninth educational grade participated in this study. Among different constructs of social cognitive theory, outcome expectations (P=0.001), social support (P=0.005), and self-regulation (P=0.001), have made significant contribution to the explanation of the variance of appropriate nutritional behavior among the students. In total, these variables account for approximately 63% of the variance of nutritional behaviors. Conclusion According to the results of this study outcome expectations, social support, and self-regulation might be effective in designing educational interventions to achieve healthy food behavior in students

نقش عوامل محیطی در انتقال ویروس SARS- CoV- 2 و راهکارهای کاهش آن

Background and Aims: Limited knowledge about SARS-CoV-2 transmission mechanism and the affecting factors is a global challenge. Due to the high prevalence of Covid-19 pandemic, airborne transmission of SARS-CoV-2 is more important than other modes of transmission. To investigate the airborne transmission of this virus, indoor air sampling was performed in COVID-19 ward of Sina Hospital in Ahvaz. Materials and Methods: Air samples were collected from two sampling points with a distance of less than or equal to 1 meter from the patient bed (in the patient's room) and more than 3 meters from the patient bed (in the corridor and the nurse station) Sampling was conducted through both active and passive methods. The collected samples were then transferred to the laboratory in the cold chain, where they were tested for the presence or absence of virus by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Ethical considerations were observed in all stages of the study. Results: Of the total air samples collected in our study, (21 samples), 9.52 % of the samples (2 samples) were positive for SARS-CoV-2, both of which were positive in the patient's room and were obtained by active air sampling method. Also, multivariate analysis showed that among the studied parameters, the highest correlation was found between the presence of virus in air samples and temperature, relative humidity, and concentration of particles in the air. Conclusion: The results indicate the presence of SARS-CoV-2 bioaerosols in the air inside the hospital.زمينه و اهداف: دانش محدود در مورد مکانیسم انتقال ویروس SARS-CoV-2 و عوامل تاثیر گذار بر آن یک چالش در مقیاس جهانی است. با توجه به شیوع بالای اپیدمی کووید-19، انتقال هوایی ویروس نسبت به دیگر راه‌های انتقال مورد توجه بیشتر می‌باشد. بنابراین در این مطالعه به بررسی نقش انتقال هوایی این ویروس، نمونه برداری از هوای داخلی بخش بستری بیماران کرونایی بیمارستان سینا اهواز انجام شد. مواد و روش‌ها: در هر یک از محل­های نمونه برداری، از دو نقطه با فاصله‌ی کمتر یا مساوی 1 متر از تخت بیماران (در اتاق بیماران) و فاصله بیش از 3 متر از تخت بیماران (در راهرو و ایستگاه پرستار) نمونه هوا به دو روش فعال و غیر فعال جمع آوری و در زنجیره‌ی سرما به آزمایشگاه منتقل شد. سپس با استفاده از واکنش زنجیره‌ای پلیمراز رونویسی معکوس (RT- PCR) برای حضور یا عدم حضور ویروس مورد بررسی قرار گرفتند. در تمام مراحل، ملاحظات اخلاقی مد نظر قرار گرفت. &nbsp;يافته‌ها: از کل نمونه‌های هوای (21 نمونه) جمع‌آوری‌ شده برای حضور ویروس SARS-CoV-2، 52/9% نمونه‌ها (2 نمونه) مثبت شدند که هر 2 نمونه مثبت در اتاق بیماران و توسط روش نمونه­برداری فعال هوا ثبت شدند. تجزیه و تحلیل چند متغیره نشان داد که از بین پارامترهای مورد مطالعه، بیشترین همبستگی بین حضور ویروس در نمونه‌های هوا با دما، رطوبت نسبی، غلظت ذرات موجود در هوا به دست آمد. نتيجه‌گيري: تحقیق بیانگر وجود بیوآئروسل‌های SARS-CoV-2 در هوای داخل بیمارستان می‌باشد

Influence of lifestyle factors on Body Mass Index in preschoolers in Behbahan city, southwest Iran, 2016

Background and aim: The body mass index (BMI) of Iranian preschoolers is noticeably increasing. Thus, studying the factors influencing BMI in preschool children is crucial. The purpose of this study was to identify the effects of lifestyle factors on BMI of preschool children, residing in Behbahan city, southwest Iran, in 2016. Methods: A total of 120 preschool children, aged 4 to 6 years, participated in this cross-sectional study. Multi- stage random sampling was done. Using researcher-developed questionnaires whose validity and reliability was confirmed, demographic and lifestyle data were obtained, as the questionnaires were completed by the subject’s mothers. Lifestyle factors included physical activity, fruit and vegetable consumption, sugar-free beverage intake, and screen time. Multiple logistic regression was conducted to analyze the influence of lifestyle-related behaviors on BMI. Data were analyzed by means of the SPSS 22 software and p<0.05 was resulted as the meaningful level of statistics. Results: The average BMI values for children was 15.13±1.90 kg/m2. A total of 88.3% of children did not receive 5 cups of fruits and vegetables each day. Also, 12.5% consumed more than one serving of sweetened beverages per day. Only 2.5% engaged in 60 minutes of structured physical activity every day and 40% did not limit screen-time viewing to 2 hours per day or less. The findings indicated that the physical activity and screen time affected the BMI (p<0.05), and the duration of physical activity had inverse relationship with obesity, and screen time was directly related to obesity. Conclusion: Understanding the factors affecting the BMI of preschool children can inform the development of interventions to impact children’s weight-related behavior and it can be used as the basis for future healthy body weight policies. Efforts to lower the obesity rate of preschoolers should be focused on the lifestyle behaviors, especially on the physical activity and screen tim

Mediating Roles of Stress, Anxiety, and Depression in the Relationship between Constipation and Sleep Quality among the Elderly: Structural Equation Modeling (SEM)

Introduction Sleep quality is an important health index in the elderly. As age increases, changes occur in sleep quality leading to sleep disorders and recurrent complaints. Sleep quality management of the elderly requires identification of its determinants. The present study aimed to determine the mediating roles of stress, anxiety, and depression in the relationship between constipation and sleep quality among the elderly using structural equation modeling (SEM). Materials and Methods A correlational design was used in the present study through structural equation modeling. In this work, 363 elderlies were examined by multi-stage random sampling. Data collection tools included four questionnaires, namely a demographic information questionnaire, the constipation questionnaire (ROME III), the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale-short form, and the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), which were completed by interview and the self-report method. The SPSS Statistics for Windows, version 22.0, and SPSS AMOS (IBM Corp., Armonk, NY, USA) were used to analyze the data. Results The results indicated that the proposed model had an acceptable fit (p < 0.000, root mean square error of approximation [RMSEA] = 0.062, comparative fit index [CFI] = 0.83, goodness-of-fit index [GFI] = 0.87, and Χ2/df = 1.94). The fitted model could explain 60% of the sleep quality variance. According to the proposed model, constipation could significantly predict sleep quality due to the mediation of stress, anxiety, and depression (p < 0.05). Conclusion The constructs of this model (constipation, stress, anxiety, and depression) can be used as a reference framework to design effective interventions and improve sleep quality in old people

Demographic determinants of obesity, and adherence to dietary and physical activity guidelines among 4 to 6-year-old children in Behbahan city, southwest Iran, 2016

Background and aim: The world is experiencing an alarming increase in prevalence of childhood obesity. The aim of this study was to determine the demographic determinants of obesity and adherence to dietary and physical activity guidelines among children aged 4 to 6 years old in Behbahan city, southwest Iran, in 2016. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted on 120 preschool children aged 4 to 6 years old in Behbahan city, southwest Iran, in 2016. Multi-stage random sampling was done. The weight and height of the children were measured with standard methods. The demographic and behavioral factors data were collected in self report questionnaires which were completed by the children’s mothers. The Chi-square test, Independent-samples ttests, One-way analysis of variances and logistic regression analysis were used for data analysis. SPSS software (version 22) was employed. Results: This study showed that 88.3% of the children did not meet the guideline of 5 servings per day of fruit and vegetables. Only 2.5% met the guideline of 60 minutes of structured physical activity every day. Sex and mother’s occupation status were associated with adhering to screen time guideline. This study found a significant difference in the mean of screen time between sexes. Boys were more likely to meet the screen time guideline. A significant association between adhering to physical activity guidelines and mother’s occupation status was revealed. Significant statistical relationship between demographic factors and BMI categories was not illustrated. Demographic covariates were not significantly related to adherence to dietary and physical activity guidelines. Conclusion: In preventive programs of obesity among 4 to 6-year-old children key lifestyle behaviors and demographic factors need to be considered