Determinants of road traffic injuries in Iranian children; Results from a National Representative Demographic-Health Survey 2010

Background: Road Traffic Injuries (RTIs) are a leading cause of disabilities and mortalities in Iran. The occurrence of RTIs among children is increasing. This study aims are to assess RTIs among Iranian children and to determine the main socio-economics determinants. Methods: The National Institute of Health Research (NIHR) in collaboration with the Iran Ministry of Health (MoH) conducted a nationwide survey: The Multiple Indicator Demographic and Health Survey 2010 (IrMIDHS 2010). The Survey was undertaken by Medical Universities in Iran. Based on multistage clustered randomized sampling, 30,960 households were included in the survey. We performed a multivariate logistic regression to determine the main socio-economic factors associated with RTIs among children. Results: Approximately 0.9 of the children received RTIs in 2010. Main socio-economics contributors to RTIs involving Iranian children included household size (Adjusted OR: 1.06 (CI 95 1.01, 1.14), sex (Adjusted ORfemale: 0.38 (CI 95 0.29, 0.50), living with both parents (Adjusted OR: 0.55 (CI 95 0.13, 0.95), being in the 2nd (Adjusted OR: 0.81 (CI 95: 0.60, 0.90) or 4th income quartile (Adjusted OR: 0.13 (CI 95: 0.02, 0.92) rather than the 1st income quartile, being aged five to nine (Adjusted OR: 1.39 (CI 95: 1.10, 2.10), or aged 15 to 18 (Adjusted OR: 2.94 (CI 95: 2.07, 4.97), and residency in a non-owned or non-tenancy house (Adjusted OR: 0.42 (CI 95: 0.23 0.74). Conclusions: Children need safe places for playing and doing their daily activities. Policy and regulation development aimed at protecting children from road traffic injuries needs to take into consideration the socio-economic factors associated with risk of road traffic injury among children. © 2020 The Author(s)

Studying the Changes of Accumulation some Mineral and Organic Osmoregulator Compounds in Different Sugar Beet (Beta vulgaris L.) Cultivars under Salinity Stress

This experiment was performed to study osmoregulators in sugar beet under salinity stress, and determine the best method for screening of tolerant and susceptible cultivars, in the greenhouse of Shahid Chamran University of Ahvaz during 2009-2010 growing season. Three sugar beet cultivars (BR1, Jolgeh & Rassoul) were grown under three salinity levels including control (Zero), 100 and 200 mM NaCl using factorial experiment based on randomized complete block design with three replicates. The results showed that by increasing salinity, root and shoot dry weight and leaf area decreased significantly (P≤0.01). As salinity increased, leaf relative water content (RWC) and potassium amount decreased. While characters such as relative membrane permeability (RMP), sodium content, proline, and total soluble sugar increased in leaves of all three cultivars. Evaluation of tolerance and susceptibility of cultivars based on stress susceptibility index (SSI) showed that, in 200 mM sodium chloride treatment, cultivars Rassoul, BR1 and Jolgeh were tolerant, semi-tolerant, and susceptible, respectively. With regard to results the correlation of traits showed that, root dry weight had highest correlation with SSI under salinity stress conditions, so root dry weight could be used as an appropriate criterion for selection of tolerant cultivars at seedling stage

Socio-economic contributors to current cigarette smoking among Iranian household heads: findings from a national household survey

Background: The first step in developing a series of appropriate interventions for controlling the epidemic of smoking is to scrutinize surveillance data to understand any contributing socio-economic factors. The aim of this study is to identify the prevalence rates and the socio-economic factors associated with cigarette smoking among Iranian household heads in 2016. Methods: All data related to cigarette smoking were extracted from the Iranian Households� Income Expenditure Survey (IHIES) by the Statistical Center of Iran (SCI). The prevalence of current cigarette smoking was calculated by gender, educational level, employment status, age, and marital status. Then, socio-economic factors associated with cigarette smoking were analyzed using a logistic regression. Results: The prevalence of current cigarette smoking was 17.8 for male and 6.6 for female-headed households. Being aged 37�41 years, married, and having a primary school educational level had the highest prevalence for current cigarette smoking in the sample. Being female, unemployed, divorced showed a significant association with the likelihood of current cigarette smoking among household heads. Conclusion: The positive association of current cigarette smoking across all economic levels was an unexpected finding. However, other socio-economic factors including current employment status and educational levels showed expected associations. © 2019, © 2019 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC

Population Size Estimates of Street Children in Iran: Synthesis of Multiple Methods

We used four methods (direct count, indirect count, wisdom of the crowd, and unique object multiplier) to map and estimate the population size of street children in six major cities in Iran in 2017. In aggregate for the six cities, the number of street children was estimated at 5296 (interquartile range [IQR] 4122-7071) using the median of the four methods. This corresponds to a rate of 16.3 (IQR 12.5-24.5) per 10,000 children age 5-18 years old, or 3.2 (IQR 2.4-5.3) per 10,000 total population. The total number for street children in the country is estimated at 26,000 (IQR 20,239-34,719) children. Results can help policy-makers advocate for resources, plan programs, and evaluate the reach of programs for street children. The maps created through the course of the population size estimation exercise can also guide outreach efforts to provide street children with health and social welfare services

The economic burden of smoking-attribution and years of life lost due to chronic diseases in Mashhad, 2015-2016

Background: Tobacco smoking is one of the most preventable causes of mortality related to noncommunicable diseases (NCDs). This study aimed to estimate the direct economic burden and years of life lost (YLL) attributable to smoking in NCDs in Mashhad, 2015-2016. Methods: Hospital-based data were utilized to calculate the economic burden of four selected diseases related to smoking. An epidemiological population-attributable risk method was used to determine the smoking-attributable fraction (SAF). Moreover, the study was conducted by data related to disease-specific expenditures and patients' information on cost and the number of mortality for estimating the YLL for each disease, population and life expectancy data, the prevalence of smoking, and the relative risk of smoking. Data analysis was performed with STATA software, version 12. Results: The total costs attributable to smoking for stroke, myocardial infarction, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and lung cancer were 94148, 151272, 1191396, and 574784 US Dollars, respectively (per 100000). In 2015, the YLL per deaths due to COPD were 4217 and 3522 among males and females, respectively. Furthermore, in 2016, the YLL per deaths due to the stroke in males and females were 8317 and 7563, respectively. In the same year, the highest proportion of years of potential life lost per 100000 smoking-attributable deaths belonged to COPD. Conclusions: The results of this study can be used to inform policy-makers about smoking-attributable diseases in Iran. To decrease the smoking-attributable costs, which have resulted in the spread of NCDs, policy-makers should adopt and implement effective policies regarding smoking prevention and control. © 2021 Wolters Kluwer Medknow Publications. All rights reserved