A New Scale for Measuring the Socio-economic Status in Health Studies Conducted in Tehran

Introduction: One of the most important determinants in health studies is health-related socio-economic status. The precise determination of health-related socio-economic classes is contingent upon updating the data and taking new cultural, social, and health factors. The objective of this study is to provide a practical method for determining the index and health-related socio-economic classes of the subjects under study. Materials and Methods: A questionnaire containing 68 items was developed as a tool to assess the socio-economic status index related to health. Data were collected from six hundred and four married individuals who were randomly recruited from the city of Tehran. To identify the prognostic variables of the model, linear regression method was used. Predicted values of the index were obtained using the model. Then, boundary lines were proposed to determine the five socio-economic classes using the K-means cluster method. Results: Education, employment, internet access at home, use of supplementary health insurance, and time spent in virtual reality (cyberspace) were among the significant variables. Conclusion: The socio-economic class determination table at the end of the manuscript presents a step-by-step method for calculating the index and determining the desired class with respect to gender

Association between anogenital distance as a noninvasive index in the diagnosis and prognosis of reproductive disorder: A systematic review

Background: There are 2 measures of anogenital distance (AGD) in men and women. AGD has been used as an indicator of fetal androgen dysfunction and an adverse outcome in adulthood. Some studies have shown the association of AGD as a predictor in the diagnosis and prognosis of diseases and disorders. Objective: To systematically summarize the latest evidence for presenting AGD as a new approach for prognosis and early diagnosis of diseases. Materials and Methods: A systematic review of the available literature was performed using Medline via PubMed, Scopus, and ISI Web of Knowledge up to July 2021, using search terms “anogenital distance” OR “anogenital index” OR “ano genital distance” OR “ano genital index”. Language restrictions were not imposed. Results: After reviewing the retrieved articles, 47 unique studies were included in this systematic review. Different outcomes, including endometriosis, prostate cancer, polycystic ovary syndrome, pelvic organ prolapse, hypospadias, cryptorchidism, fertility and semen parameters, maternal and birth development, and ovarian and gynecological-related disorders, have been studied in the included evidence. A negative association was observed between AGD and endometriosis and hypospadias and a positive association between AGD and prostate cancer, polycystic ovary syndrome, male fetal gender, and fertility parameters. Conclusion: Using quantitative indicators such as AGD may be a useful clinical tool for diagnosing diseases. Although many studies have shown an association between AGD and diseases, some factors, including different measurement methods, different measurement tools, age, and different definitions of AGD, can be involved in the variation of AGD. Key words: Genitalia, Prognosis, Early diagnosis, Reproductive health

The Effect of Peer Group-Based Training Using Health Belief Model on Quality of Life and Foot Ulcer Self-Care Behaviour in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes: A Randomized Controlled Clinical Trial

Objective: The present study was aimed at investigating the effect of peer group-based training (PGBT) using the health belief model (HBM) on the quality of life (QOL) and foot ulcer self-care behavior  in patients with type 2 diabetes. Materials and methods: The present study was a randomized controlled clinical trial performed on patients with type 2 diabetes who were referred to the Diabetic Care Clinic in Shiraz (Iran) from September 2019 to June 2020. A total of 70 patients participated in the study and were randomly assigned to peer training (n = 35) and control groups (n = 35). Diabetes Quality of Life, and diabetes self‑care behaviors, which were completed by both groups before, immediately, 1 month, and 3 months after the intervention. The data were analyzed using the Chi‑square test, paired t-test, independent t‑test, ANOVA, and descriptive statistical methods. P < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: The results showed that mean scores of QOL, constructs of HBM (awareness, perceived susceptibility, perceives severity, perceived benefit, self-care behavior, and foot care) before the intervention did not reveal a significant difference between the two groups, but immediately one month after the educational intervention, the mean values for the intervention group were significantly higher than the control group (p < 0.05). Conclusions: PGBT using HBM was effective in increasing the mean score of QOL and self-care behavior in patients with type 2 diabetes. Thus, this method is recommended to be utilized alongside other methods to train patients

Metabolic Syndrome and Cardiovascular Risk Factors in a National Sample of Adolescent Population in the Middle East and North Africa: The CASPIAN III Study

Objective. The present study was designed to investigate the prevalence of different combinations of the metabolic syndrome (MetS) risk factors among a nationally representative sample of adolescents in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA). Methods. The study sample, obtained as part of the third study of the school-based surveillance system entitled CASPIAN III, was representative of the Iranian adolescent population aged from 10 to 18 years. The prevalence of different components of MetS was studied and their discriminative value was assessed by receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis. Results. The study participants consisted of 5738 students (2875 girls) with mean age of 14.7±2.4 years) living in 23 provinces in Iran; 17.4% of participants were underweight and 17.7% were overweight or obese. Based on the criteria of the International Diabetes Federation for the adolescent age group, 24.2% of participants had one risk factor, 8.0% had two, 2.1% had three, and 0.3% had all the four components of MetS. Low HDL-C was the most common component (43.2% among the overweight/obese versus 34.9% of the normal-weight participants), whereas high blood pressure was the least common component. The prevalence of MetS was 15.4% in the overweight/obese participants, the corresponding figure was 1.8% for the normal-weight students, and 2.5% in the whole population studied. Overweight/obese subjects had a 9.68 increased odds of (95% CI: 6.65–14.09) the MetS compared to their normal-weight counterparts. For all the three risk factors, AUC ranged between 0.84 and 0.88, 0.83 and 0.87, and 0.86 and 0.89 in waist circumference, abdominal obesity, and BMI for boys and between 0.78 and 0.97, 0.67 and 0.93, and 0.82 and 0.96 for girls, respectively. Conclusion. The findings from this study provide alarming evidence-based data on the considerable prevalence of obesity, MetS, and CVD risk factors in the adolescent age group. These results are confirmatory evidence for the necessity of primordial/primary prevention of noncommunicable disease should be considered as a health priority in communities facing a double burden of nutritional disorders