Withdrawal users' experiences of and attitudes to contraceptive methods: a study from Eastern district of Tehran, Iran

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The aim of this study was to explore withdrawal users' experiences of and attitudes to contraceptive methods in Tehran, Iran.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>This was a cross-sectional study. A sample of women attending a health care center in Tehran, Iran was entered into the study. To collect data structured interviews were conducted.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>In all 300 women who were using withdrawal took part in the study. Of these, 210 women (70%) indicated that they were used modern contraceptive methods previously. The mean duration for withdrawal use was 6.5 (SD = 4.9) and for modern contraceptive it was 2.3 (SD = 2.9) years. The most common reasons for using withdrawal were: no cost involvement, did not need medical advice, having fewer side effects and easier to use than other methods. The main obstacles to use modern contraceptives were: health concerns, fear of side effects, misinformation, lack of confidence and sexual dissatisfaction.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The study results suggest that withdrawal users carry misconceptions about modern contraception and exaggerate its related health problems. Indeed these are important issues for the understanding of attitudes and experiences of women in Iran. The findings from this study might be essential for making evidence-based policy decisions, and for planning, monitoring and evaluating reproductive health programs in Iran and elsewhere.</p

Comparison of the Prevalence of Hypertension between the Children with Hematuria and Healthy Children

Background: Abnormal disposal level of red blood cells in the urine is called hematuria and can be a sign of a serious or benign renal pathology in children. Hematuria, hypertension, and kidney diseases have closely relationship. Given the high prevalence of hypertension in children, the aim of this study was to compare it between children with hematuria and healthy children. Methods: This was a case-control study on 50 children with hematuria and 50 healthy children. Detection of hematuria was performed with urinary analysis and confirmation of diagnosis by microscopic observation. Child's blood pressure and body mass index, and parental pressure were measured accurately by one person. Then, statistical analysis was performed via SPSS software. Results: The frequency of sex (20 men and 30 women, and 21 men and 29 women in case control groups, respectively) was not significantly different between the two groups (P = 0.839), as well as other demographic variables. Children's maximum and minimum blood pressure in the case group (and mmHg) was significantly higher than the control group (88.90 vs. 81.20 and 63.93 vs. 55.86 mmHg, respectively). Significant correlations were seen between maximum blood pressure in children with hematuria with parents' minimum and maximum blood pressure, and children's age. Conclusion: Due to the elevated blood pressure in children with hematuria, child's blood pressure can be named as a risk factor in incidence of hematuria. Keywords Hematuria; blood pressure; body mass inde

Development and psychometric properties of a belief-based Physical Activity Questionnaire for Diabetic Patients (PAQ-DP)

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>This study carried out to develop a scale for assessing diabetic patients' perceptions about physical activity and to test its psychometric properties (The Physical Activity Questionnaire for Diabetic Patients-PAQ-DP).</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>An item pool extracted from the Theory of Planned Behavior literature was generated. Then an expert panel evaluated the items by assessing content validity index and content validity ratio. Consequently exploratory factor analysis (EFA) was performed to indicate the scale constructs. In addition reliability analyses including internal consistency and test-retest analysis were carried out.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>In all a sample of 127 women with diabetes participated in the study. Twenty-two items were initially extracted from the literature. A six-factor solution (containing 19 items) emerged as a result of an exploratory factor analysis namely: instrumental attitude, subjective norm, perceived behavioral control, affective attitude, self-identity, and intention explaining 60.30% of the variance observed. Additional analyses indicated satisfactory results for internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha ranging from 0.54 to 0.8) and intraclass correlation coefficients (ranging from 0.40 to 0.92).</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>The Physical Activity Questionnaire for Diabetic Patients (PAQ-DP) is the first instrument that applies the Theory of Planned Behavior in its constructs. The findings indicated that the PAQ-DP is a reliable and valid measure for assessing physical activity perceptions and now is available and can be used in future studies.</p

Predicting the behavioral intention of pregnant women’s choice of delivery method based on the theory of planned behavior: A cross-sectional study

Introduction: Cesarean, as a major abdominal surgery, if done without a medical indication, may impose numerous complications on the mothers and the babies and increase frequency of cesarean deliveries in subsequent pregnancies. This study aimed to predict the behavioral tendencies of pregnant women in selecting their delivery approaches, based on the theory of planned behavior (TPB). Materials and methods: This cross-sectional study was performed on 100 pregnant women referred to healthcare centers of Kermanshah city (western Iran). A researcher-made questionnaire was applied, based on TPB constructs including attitudes, perceived behavioral controls, subjective norms, and behavioral tendencies. To analyze the data, Pearson correlation, Spearman, s regression, and ANOVA were used via the SPSS statistical software, version 20. Results: The average age of pregnant woman was 23.7±3.93 years old. The results demonstrated a significant correlation between the subjective norms and behavioral tendencies (r=0.335, P=0.001). A significant relationship was seen between the perceived behavioral controls and tendencies (r=0.277, P=0.004). A significant relationship was found between the perceived behavioral control and the attitude (r=0.293, P=0.002). The results of the regression results demonstrated that the subjective norms and perceived behavioral controls can significantly predict 14.1 percent of changes in the variable of tendencie. Conclusion: The findings indicate the strength of the variable of subjective norms as the most effective factor in predicting the delivery approach; therefore, systematic and planned training seems necessary, not only for the pregnant women, but also the individuals affecting this group. Thus, to reduce caesarean sections, physicians, as an effective factor, need to be urged to boost natural childbirth

Assessing lecture as a teaching method from students\' perspective in Ilam UMS

Introduction: Lecture, as the dominant method, in all of the Iran education system is one of the oldest methods. This education method is one of the most used methods in teaching and learning especially in higher education. This study was developed and carried out for quantitative and qualitative assessment of lecture from IUMS students&rsquo; perspectives. Methods: This cross-sectional study carried out on 840 students of Ilam University of Medical Sciences by using a researcher-made questionnaire including three dimensions; interaction, subject and class management, and organizational tasks. Validity and reliability of the questionnaire was confirmed by content and construct validity and alpha cronbach. An acceptance criterion was used in order to total evaluation of the scale. Data collected analyzed by SPSS software and Mann-whitney and Kruskal-Wallis tests. Results: Totally, 36 percent of students studied assessed lecture, good. In interaction subscale, opportunity for questioning by the teacher and team work by learners gained the highest (51.3%) and lowest (28.6%) desirability among all variables respectively. Time spent for session and course topics cover in organizational tasks, gained highest (57.2%) and lowest (32.4%) desirability among the subscale variables. A significant difference was found between girls and boys by subject and class management &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;(P Value<0.05). Conclusion: the results showed that lecture cannot achieve the acceptance satisfaction in the most of educational goals. So, it is necessary that educational systems&rsquo; policy makers replace this method with appropriate methods in many of courses or try for optimizing the method with deep studies

A Study on Premenstrual Syndromes of High School girl-students in Ilam City (western Iran), 2015

Introduction: Premenstrual syndromes are among the disorders associated with reproductive age that includes physical, cognitive, emotional, and behavioral signs during the luteal phase that occurs periodically from 7 to 14 days before menstruation. These signs are not present at the begining of menstruation or during the first few days of bleeding. The aim of this study was to investigate the frequency of premenstrual syndromes in high school girls of Ilam during the year 2015. &nbsp; Materials & Methods: This descriptive-analytic study has been performed on 266 single girl- students aged from 15 to 18 years, with the average age of 16.34, considered to have regular and natural menstruation cycles (with gaps of 21 to 35 days between each two menstruations lasting for 3 to 7 days). To assess the frequency of premenstrual syndromes, the prospective questionnaires (Premenstrual Symptoms Screening Tool: PSST) was used for two consecutive cycles. In this research, statistical tests such as Chi-square, Variance analysis, and Logistic regression were applied to analyze the data. &nbsp; Findings: Based on our results, the frequency of medium or sever premenstrual syndromes was 36.84% and the frequency of premenstrual dysphoric disorder was 11.65%. According to logistic regression model, severe bleeding multiplies chances of the individuals suffering from dysphoric disorder by 5.1 times, while pain multiplies chances of the girls suffering from premenstrual syndrome about 4.1. There was a significant relation between the mild and severe premenstrual syndrome with pain, (P<0.001), and also between premenstrual dysphoric disorder and volume of bleeding (P<0.01). Investigating the mean for the 19 signs, the highest averages stood for fatigue, possession of physical signs, trouble or lack of concentration, reduction in interest of participation in normal routines, and anger; while the lowest average stood for over eating.&nbsp; &nbsp; Discussion & Conclusion: Our research concluded that prevalence of such syndromes among Ilami's high school girl-students was relatively high. Considering the negative effects of these syndromes on physical condition as well as psychological, emotional, and social wellbeing of teenagers, and the significance of this period from the educational point of view, more investigations and interventional moves are recommended to manage these signs

3D printed pH-responsive tablets containing N-acetylglucosamine-loaded methylcellulose hydrogel for colon drug delivery applications

The pH-responsive drug release approach in combination with three-dimensional (3D) printing for colon-specific oral drug administration can address the limitations of current treatments such as orally administered solid tablets. Such existing treatments fail to effectively deliver the right drug dosage to the colon. In order to achieve targeted drug release profiles, this work aimed at designing and producing 3D printed tablet shells using Eudragit® FS100 and polylactic acid (PLA) where the core was filled with 100 µL of N-acetylglucosamine (GlcNAc)-loaded methyl cellulose (MC) hydrogel. To meet the requirements of such tablets, the effects of polymer blending ratios and MC concentrations on physical, thermal, and material properties of various components of the tablets and most importantly in vitro drug release kinetics were investigated. The tablets with 80/20 weight percentage of Eudragit® FS100/PLA and the drug-loaded hydrogel with 30 mg/ml GlcNAc and 3% w/v MC showed the most promising results having the best printability, processability, and drug release kinetics besides being non-cytotoxic. Manufacturing of these tablets will be the first milestone in shifting from the conventional "one size fits all" approach to personalized medicine where different dosages and various combinations of drugs can be effectively delivered to the inflammation site

Nutritional Status and Anthropometric Indices in High School Girls in Ilam, West Iran

Background. Adolescence is one of the most challenging periods for human growth and nutritional status. The aim of this study was to assess the nutritional status and anthropometric indices in high school girls in Ilam. Methods. This cross-sectional study was performed on 360 domestic high school girl students chosen randomly by cluster sampling. Data were gathered through interviews performed by a dietitian to fill 24-hour dietary recall and food frequency and demographic questionnaires. Then we performed the anthropometric measurements and we compared the results with CDC2000 standards. We analyzed our data by N4 food analyzer and SPSS16 software. Results. The prevalence of obesity and overweight was 5% and 10.8%, respectively. Simultaneously, the prevalence of underweight was 20.2%. The prevalence of stunting was 5.8%. We also showed that 50% of high school girls in Ilam suffered from severe food insecurity, 14.7% suffered from mild insecurity, and 4.7% get extra energy from foods. Food analysis showed that micronutrients such as zinc, iron, calcium, folate, fiber, magnesium, and vitamin B12 were less than what is recommended by the RDA. Conclusion. Undernutrition and overnutrition are completely prevalent among girls studied in Ilam. This needs further acts and investigations in the field and more nutritional and health educations