Knowledge and practices of safe use of pesticides among a group of farmers in Northern Iran

Background: The unsafe use of chemical pesticides, along with the lack of appropriate preventive protocols and equipment may damage the health of users. Objective: To determine the knowledge and practice of the safe use of chemical pesticides by farm workers in northern Iran. Methods: The present cross-sectional study was conducted on 300 farmers in Mazandaran province, in 2017. The data collection instrument was a two-part questionnaire: The first part was concentrated on demographic and agricultural characteristics of the participants; the second part dealt with the farmers' knowledge and practice of the safe use of pesticides. Results: The mean knowledge and practice scores (out of 100) of the participating farmers in the safe use of pesticides were 84.8 (SD 13.5) and 50.8 (13.2), respectively. There was a significant positive correlation (r=0.466, p<0.001) between their knowledge and practice. Wearing protective clothes, while applying pesticides, was among safe practices. Although more than 60 of farmers had a sufficient level of knowledge of the safe use of pesticides, they did not implement their knowledge in practice. There was a significant (p<0.001) association between the education level and knowledge of the safe use of pesticides. Conclusion: There was a significant correlation between knowledge and practices of the safe use of pesticides among farmers in northern Iran. There was a clear know-do gap�al-though the majority of the participants possessed a sufficient level of knowledge of the safe use of pesticides, they did not implement it in practice. © 2019, NIOC Health Organization. All rights reserved

Promoting Knowledge, Attitude and Practices (KAP) of the mothers in their girls' pubertal health based on peer education approach

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Communication and educational approaches in health promotion of adolescents has been challenging. Peer education is a well-known approach that not only provides youths with knowledge; they also learn the related skills in communication to convey health messages to target groups. This paper describes the impact of peer education method on KAP of the mothers concerning the middle school girls' pubertal health. METHODS: This experimental study was carried out on 100 mothers who divided into two groups (n=50). The participants were allocated in each group randomly. Traditional education was conducted by lecturing for one group and peer education was used for the second group. Self made questionnaire was employed for data collection at base and 1.5 month follow up. Scoring was ordered as: knowledge and practice scale; 75 was described as high. Attitude scaled up with "maximum and minimum" divided on 3 concepts: negative, positive and buffer (no idea) and then compared in two groups. FINDINGS: Average attitude score after training in peer group was 86.25±0.49 and in lecture group was 48.25±0.78 (p=0.007). Average knowledge score in peer group was 89.33±2.15 and in lecture group was 43.73±5.67 (p<0.001). Also the average practice score was 80.8±21.36 in peer group and it was 56±38.86 in lecture group (p<0.001). Knowledge, attitude and practice in lecture group respectively in 16, 66 and 42 people and in peer group respectively in 78, 96 and 74 people were in good level (p<0.002). CONCLUSION: The results showed that the girl peer education approach will increase the average of knowledge, attitude and practice of mothers to pubertal health topic. Puberty health education using active learning methods and the groups involved with subject is recommended

Can we improve the quality of medical news merely by increasing journalists' health knowledge?

Background: The aim of this study was to determine the effectiveness of an educational intervention on the quality of health research- based news, given the sensitivity of disseminating incorrect information. Methods: An uncontrolled before-after study was conducted among health news producers in Tehran from November 2011 to March 2012. The intervention that included educational content in the form of a workshop was evaluated in advance. The outcome of measuring the scientific quality of news extracted from medical and health research results was considered for authenticity and accuracy. The health research-based news quality assessment tool was used. In this study, 32 individuals voluntarily entered the program, and their produced news was collected in 4 stages. To determine the effectiveness of the educational intervention, paired t- tests were used. SPSS version 17 was used for statistical analysis and p < 0.05 was considered significant. Results: The mean score (±SD) of the participants' produced news was 0.40 (±0.089) before and 0.61 '(±0.086) after the intervention, which increased by 0.21±0.09 (p < 0.001). Of the news collected from the participants as baseline data, 544 (65) articles aimed at increasing public knowledge and awareness. Almost all the news had been gathered from interviews, and only 41 (4.8) news articles were based on health research results. Conclusion: The educational intervention proved effective in promoting the quality of health research news. Only a few health journalists participated in this study, and thus the need to educate health news producers is felt. Since interviews with health researchers and experts were the largest source of news, interventions need to target other groups who affect the quality and accuracy of the news. © Iran University of Medical Sciences

Association of socioeconomic profiles with cardiovascular risk factors in Iran: The Isfahan Healthy Heart Program

Objectives: To determine the relationship between socioeconomic status (SES) and cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors. Methods: A representative sample of adult populations living in three cities in Iran was studied. The demographic and subjective data were collected by questionnaires prepared and validated for this study; physical examination and laboratory tests were conducted under standard protocols. Three components of SES including education, occupation, and income were determined. The univariate ANOVA was used for statistical analysis. Results: The population studied (99.3 response rate) comprised 12,514 subjects (51 females, mean age 38.4 ± 14.3 years). While higher education was a protective factor against smoking in men OR = 0.8 (95 CI = 0.7-0.8), it increased the risk of smoking in women OR = 1.2(95 CI = 1.02-1.5). The other risk factors increased with education especially in men. Higher income level increased the OR of CVD risk factors. Occupation had an inverse association with the aforementioned risk factors. The employed individuals had higher serum lipid level and body mass index than unemployed individual. Conclusion: In line with previous studies, we found an association between SES and CVD risk factors. Education level was the strongest associated factor. © 2010 Swiss School of Public Health

Effects of family-centered empowerment model based education program on quality of life in methamphetamine users and their families

Background: Nowadays there are more concerns about drug treatment of methamphetamine abusers whereas quality of life (QOL) related supportive psychotherapy is less credited. Objectives: This study aimed to evaluate the effects of family-centered empowerment model on social support and QOL of methamphetamine users and their families. Patients and Methods: This study was a randomized clinical trial; individuals were randomly allocated to three groups: a group for educating methamphetamine users in recovery (95 subjects), a group for educating a family member of methamphetamine users in recovery (95 subjects) and a control group (95 subjects). Data collecting instruments were standard questionnaires of social support and health-related quality of life (HRQOL). Data were analyzed using �2-test, t-test, paired t-test, Pearson's correlation and ANOVA. Results: Mean scores of QOL and social support dimensions changed significantly in two intervention groups (P 0.05). Also, there was a positive significant relation (P < 0.05) between total social support and all dimensions of QOL for all study groups. Conclusions: Family-centered empowerment model, easily adapted to methamphetamine users and their families, leads to improved social supports and QOL. © 2014, Iranian Red Crescent Medical Journal; Published by Kowsar Corp

Implementing and monitoring a new approach to promoting family health in Iranian villages

SIGLEAvailable from British Library Document Supply Centre-DSC:DX191871 / BLDSC - British Library Document Supply CentreGBUnited Kingdo

Implementing and monitoring a new approach to promoting family health within Iranian villages

SIGLEAvailable from British Library Document Supply Centre-DSC:DXN006015 / BLDSC - British Library Document Supply CentreGBUnited Kingdo

Psychological well-being (PWB) of school adolescents aged 12-18 yr, its correlation with general levels of physical activity (PA) and socio-demographic factors in Gilgit, Pakistan

Background: Adolescence is a critical developmental stage marked by complex transitions. The purpose of study was to assess school adolescents� PWB, examine the relationship of PA and socio-demographic factors with PWB. Methods: A cross sectional study conducted in five randomly selected schools with 345 adolescents (aged 12-18) from grade 6th-10th. A self-administered Well-Being index was adapted to measure PWB and questionnaire for adolescents PA (PAQ-A). Socio-demographic variables determined: age, gender, household income and parental education. Bivariate and multivariate regression analyses performed to examine the association between PWB, PA and covariates. Results: Findings indicated the mean age 14.64 (SD=1.275), 55.4 were female. Without gender difference the majority (43.4) of adolescents showed moderate, while (23.2) revealed low level of PWB. Participants with low level likely to have depression but scores were significantly not different between low, moderate and high PWB with PA. Socio-demographic trends of adolescents� were observed significant (P &lt;0.005) for PWB. In multivariable analysis the mean wellbeing in females adjusted for other covariates was significant (P =0.004) than males. PWB importantly (P &lt;0.001) decreased by 3.36 units as its covariates increased and PA score in boys found 0.05 unit more than girls. Conclusion: The study results are invaluable in addressing low, moderate and high levels of PWB. Inadequate PA and PWB decreasing with some socio-demographic covariates is crucial health issue among female adolescents in Pakistan. Further studies need to find barrier, social indicators of PWB and implication of health among adolescents. © 2015, Iranian Journal of Public Health. All rights reserved

To identify the facilitator and barrier factors of physical activity among elderly people in Tehran

Background & Objective: Physical activity is important for the health of all individuals, however, the determinants of physical activity behavior for elderly remain unexplored in Iran. The purpose of this investigation was to explore a range of factors that influence participation in physical activity for a group pf elderly people in Tehran in 2008. Methods: This was a population-based study. Structured interviews with a valid questionnaire were employed for this survey. It was carried out on four hundred members of Healthy Association in Tehran. Multistage sampling was used. Results: The mean age of participants was 64.07 ± 4.49. The prevalence of a sedentary lifestyle among elderly fifty-three (53) estimated. The prevalence across the stages was as follows: 30.25 in pre contemplation, 12.75in contemplation, 27.25 in preparation, 6.25 in action and 23.5 in maintenance. Inactive participants perceived that their laziness prevented them from being physically active. Meeting friends was the most important facilitator for participating in physical activity. The individuals who married, younger, lower body Mass index, having no chronic disease, and those with past history of exercise were more likely to adopt, initiate and maintain regular physical activity. Regression analysis showed that the greater knowledge of physical activity, higher Perceived health benefits, more Self efficacy were associated with physical activity. Conclusion: Knowing the facilitators and barriers factors of physical activity in elderly would help to implement any future intervention for this group of people