Cervical cancer vaccine as a priority of public health practices in Iran

Cervical cancer is the third most common cancer in women. In poor countries, it is the second cause of cancer death [1]. According to official report of World Health Organization, about 500,000 new cases of cervical cancer were recorded each year that more than half of them are leading to death. 80 percent of new cases are occurred in developing countries [2]

Multi-theory model of behavior change: an appropriate model for creating health behaviors

Evolving evidence shows that health promotion interventions that explicitly use models and theories that are rooted in social and behavioral sciences, are more effective than interventions without a theoretical framework [1]. Testing theories and models is a critical step that should be conducted before utilizing them for intervention development [2]

Health literacy and self-care in patients

Self-care is a process in which a patient uses his knowledge and skills to perform recommended behaviors. Therefore, patients should not only be able to obtain sufficient information about their illness and how to take care of them, they must also be able to use their knowledge in different situations and situations. In fact, patients for self-care and disease management, need to receive accurate and authoritative information to understand their condition as well as to collaborate on self-care programs [1]. Although doctors have historically been the most important source for health and medical information, but today, with the spread of media and the rapid dissemination of information through the internet, access to other resources is easy for the public. Therefore, patients' skills to achieve, accurate understanding and apply this information will have a significant effect on their health and well-being. These skills have recently been highly regarded as "health literacy" (HL) [2]. HL is defined as the level of individual capacity for gaining, interpreting, understanding basic information and health services that is necessary for a proper decision-making, and is divided into three levels of functional, communication, and critical [3]. In a meta-analysis study that summarizes the results of 85 different studies, the percentage of inadequate and marginal HL in the United States is estimated to be 25% and 20%, respectively

The effect of education on knowledge and attitude towards the harmful effects of smoking among students of Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran

زمینه و اهداف: نظر به شیوع نسبتا بالای مصرف سیگار در دانشجویان و نقش آگاهی و نگرش در پیشگیری از مصرف سیگار، پژوهش حاضر با هدف تعیین تاثیر آموزش بر آگاهی و نگرش نسبت به مضرات مصرف سیگار میان دانشجویان اجرا گردید.   مواد و روش‌ها: این مطالعه مداخله‌ای از نوع نیمه ‌تجربی در سال 1395 و در میان 130 نفر از دانشجویان خوابگاهی دانشگاه علوم پزشکی شهید بهشتی تهران (65 نفر در هر یک از دو گروه مداخله و کنترل) انجام شد. ابزار گردآوری اطلاعات، پرسشنامه مشخصات جمعیتی و زمینه‌ای و پرسشنامه روا و پایای موجود جهت سنجش آگاهی و نگرش نسبت به مضرات مصرف سیگار بود که در دو مرحله قبل و سه ماه پس از مداخله تکمیل گردید. آموزش در این مطالعه در قالب شبکه‌های اجتماعی اجرا و پیام‌های آموزشی طی 6 نوبت به دانشجویان گروه مداخله ارسال گردید. داده‌های گردآوری شده با استفاده از آزمون‌های متناسب و نرم‌افزار SPSS  نسخه 16 تحلیل شدند. تمامی مراحل مطالعه حاضر طبق موازین اخلاقی اجرا گردید. یافته‌ها: قبل از مداخله، بین متغیرهای جمعیتی و زمینه‌ای، میانگین نمرات آگاهی و نگرش نسبت به مضرات مصرف سیگار در دو گروه، تفاوت معنادار وجود نداشت (p>0.05). پس از مداخله، مقایسه دو گروه نشان داد که میانگین نمرات آگاهی و نگرش نسبت به مضرات مصرف سیگار در گروه مداخله به طور معناداری نسبت به گروه کنترل، تغییر داشته است (p<0.05).  نتیجه‌گیری: در مداخلات آموزشی جهت ارتقای آگاهی و نگرش نسبت به مضرات مصرف سیگار در دانشجویان، می‌توان از شبکه‌های اجتماعی استفاده کرد.Background and Aims: Considering the relatively high prevalence of smoking among students and the role of knowledge and attitude in smoking prevention, the present study aimed to determine the effect of education on knowledge and attitude towards the harmful effects of smoking among students.Materials and Methods: This was a quasi-experimental interventional study conducted in 2016 among 130 dormitory students of Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences in Tehran (65 students in each intervention and control groups). Data gathering tool was a demographic and background characteristics questionnaire. A valid and reliable questionnaire was used to assess the knowledge and attitude towards the harmfulness of smoking that was completed in two stages before and three months after the intervention. In this study, education was performed using Social Networks and educational messages were sent to the students of the intervention group in 6 sessions.The collected data were analyzed through the proportional tests and SPSS software version 16. All stages of the study were conducted according to moral standards.Results: There was no significant difference between demographic and background variables before the intervention and also the mean scores of knowledge and attitude towards the harmfulness of smoking in both groups (p > 0.05). Comparing two groups after the intervention showed that the mean scores of knowledge and attitude towards the harmfulness of smoking have changed significantly in experimental group compared to control group (p < 0.05).Conclusion: Social networking can be used in educational interventions to promote knowledge and attitude towards the harmful effects of smoking in students

The experience of pregnancy in women with high body mass: a hermeneutical/phenomenological study

Overweight is one of the most common health problems and risk factors for many prenatal illnesses. The proportion of pregnant women with high body mass would be increased by increasing body mass in society. The purpose of this study was to explain the pregnancy experience in women with high body mass index. An interpretive phenomenological approach was used to conduct this study. Participants included ten pregnant women with high body mass index who were interviewed. All interviews were recorded and transcribed after permission from the participants in order to explain the phenomenon under study and the data were analyzed by using the Van Manen method in MAXQDA version-10 software to emerge their themes and their basic patterns. Out of the 857 extracted primary codes, the experience of women with high birth weight was summarized in the main theme of "Pregnancy concurrent with concern". This theme comprised the following subthemes: "sense of risk", "lack of care facilities for mothers with high body mass index", "obesity as a stigma", and "lack of specialized care". This Hermeneutic phenomenology study showed that pregnant women with high body mass are a vulnerable group. Their pregnancy concurrent with more concern requires more care and support. Service providers, in particular midwives, nurses, and doctors, should be aware of their attitudes and behaviors toward this group of clients and avoid any stereotypical and harassing care behaviors

The efficacy of treatment reminders of life with emphasis on integrative reminiscence on self-esteem and anxiety in widowed old men.

Loss of wife besides the phenomenon of aging could cause some psychological disorders and may shorten the duration of this stage of life. The aim of this study was to examine the efficacy of treatment reminders of life with emphasis on integrative reminiscence on self-esteem and anxiety in widowed old men.This was a clinical trial with pre-test and post-test design with a control group. The study population included All 60 to 80 year old men living in Meshginshahr; among whom, 34 participants were selected using convenience sampling method. They were randomly allocated into two equal groups (experimental and control). The experimental group participated in therapy sessions and the control group did not receive any intervention. The research instruments were Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale and the General Anxiety Questionnaire. Data were analyzed using multivariable covariance analysis in SSPS-19. Statistical significance was set at

Effect of Islamic-based spiritual therapy on self-esteem and mental health of addicts

In Islamic teaching, the communication with God and remembering Him is considered a factor for mental unlocking and transcendence, which causes much psychological and health effects; religious and Islamic teachings particularly affect people's health. The present study was conducted with the aim to determine effect of Islamic-based spiritual therapy on mental health and self-esteem in addicts. This is an experimental pretest-posttest study with trial and control groups. This is an experimental pretest-posttest study with trial and control groups. Study population consisted of addicts from a methadone-therapy addiction treatment center. The sample size initially included 90 randomly selected addicts from the mentioned center, of whom 40 were chosen from those that scored the lowest in self-esteem questionnaire and highest in mental health questionnaire, and were then randomly divided into trial and control groups. The trial group received nine 2-hour sessions of spiritual therapy, but the control group received no intervention. Data were collected using the goldberg's general health questionnaire-28 and coopersmith's self-esteem inventory, and analyzed using covariance analysis. The results obtained confirmed effectiveness of spiritual therapy with emphasis on Islamic teachings in improving self-esteem and mental health of addicts

Health status of Gonabad city parks compared to standards and in people's opinion in terms of safety, hygiene and aesthetics

Abstract Given the importance of parks in urban habitats, health and safety is among important issues that ought to be considered in planning, implementation, management, and maintenance stage prior to occurrence of accidents, in order to meet citizen's needs. The study aims to assess status of Gonabad city parks in terms of safety, hygiene, and aesthetics. Study population consisted of people attending Gonabad city parks. A total of 384 questionnaires were distributed among people older than 15 years of age attending these parks on certain days. A checklist was prepared to assess how parameters matched standards. All parks in Gonabad city (8 parks) were studied. Data obtained from checklist and questionnaires. Mean standard of equipment and facilities in parks was found 43%. Ghori Park enjoyed the highest standard (67%), and Noghab park had the lowest (10%). The highest standard of equipment and facilities in Gonabad city parks was found in Ghori park (67%) and Melli park (60%), respectively, and the lowest standard in Noghab park (10%). Municipal managers should now take urgent measures to improve quality and safety of city parks

Effects of curing method and glass transition temperature on the unconfined compressive strength of acrylic liquid polymer-stabilized kaolinite

Polymers have been widely known as nontraditional soil stabilizers capable of replacing common soil additives to reach superior soil stabilization outcomes. While numerous studies represent the efficiency of polymers as one of the soil additives, there is still ambiguity about the optimum condition of curing, soil-polymer interaction, and effect of each property of the polymer on the final mixture. In this study, to investigate the effect of sample preparation on the strength of the clay, five different curing methods were examined to assess the unconfined compressive strength (UCS) of the stabilized clay with acrylic polymers. Since the glass transition temperature (Tg) is one of the most important characteristics of polymers that influences various mechanical properties of the polymer such as elastic modulus, in this study, it is considered by choosing two similar acrylic polymers with different glass transition temperatures. Two acrylic polymers with Tg above and below the ambient temperature (i.e., −13°C and +33°C) were used as soil stabilizers. Different curing variables including polymer concentration (0%–10%), curing time (immediately to 1 week), and curing temperature (ambient to 100°C) may control the clay-polymer composite behavior and were analyzed in this work. For Method I, samples were prepared, compacted, and tested immediately. For methods II and III, samples were oven-dried at 100°C for 1 day, air-dried at room temperature for 7 days, respectively, and subjected to UCS testing. Method IV consisted of curing the remolded samples in a double vinyl bag for 1 day before the UCS test. For Method V, the treated soil mix was oven-dried and then remoistened (using the original liquid: i.e., water or polymer solution) to reach the target moisture content followed by a UCS test. Samples cured at 100°C in the oven showed a significant increase in the UCS due to a complete moisture loss. There was no considerable difference between the samples cured in a vinyl bag and noncured samples. The results also showed that the polymer with a higher Tg is more effective for soil improvement given all other conditions are kept unchanged