Predictors of Learning Styles in Students of Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Iran

Background & Objective: Learning style is a distinct behavior for gaining knowledge and skills through study or experience. Personality is a series of relatively stable characteristics which distinguish a person from others. The key to involving learners in the learning process is their preferences and learning styles, and identifying factors affecting these variables. In this regard, the predictor variables of learning styles must be accurately identified so as to improve educational conditions. This study aimed to determine factors predictive of learning styles of the students of Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Iran. In addition, the impact of demographic factors on their characteristics will be discussed. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study. Data collection was performed by a questionnaire including demographic data, personality test (NEO), the Learning style inventory, and the Kolb Learning Style Questionnaire. For data analysis, central tendency and dispersion measures, chi-square, Spearman correlation coefficient, and logistic regression tests were used. Results: The results show that most of the participants in this study were single women. Mean age of participants was 21.41 ± 2.96 years. Most students (44.31%) used assimilating learning style. Based on the results of these personality types, nearly a third of students (28.2%) were of the conscientious (responsible) character type. The results showed that only gender is a predictor of learning styles. Conclusion: More attention to students' learning styles results in the perfect use of teaching practices, and increasing and enhancement of students’ capabilities. Moreover, by identifying students' preferred learning styles and changing teaching methods, the students' enthusiasm for learning can be increased. Keywords Learning styles Personality Ira

Prevalence of Active and Passive Smoking among Adult Population: Findings ‎of a Population-Based Survey in Kerman (KERCADR), Iran

Background: Smoking is one of the major modifiable non-communicable disease risk factors. Our aim was to report the pattern of active and passive smoking using the data collected through a population base household survey in Kerman, Iran. Methods: Given a cluster random sampling design, we recruited 5900 adult populations (15-75 years old) into a survey. After consenting, every participant was interviewed by a trained interviewer. The section for smoking had questions about daily (smoking at least one cigarette/day), non-daily, past and passive cigarette smoking as well as the time of exposure to cigarette’s smoke. We used Kerman population distribution (as the target population) to adjust our estimates using direct standardization method. Findings: Overall, 8.3% of study participants (15.5% in men vs. 0.8% in women, P = 0.010) reported themselves as daily smokers and 1.7% (2.9% in men vs. 0.4% in women, P = 0.010) as non-daily smokers. The passive smoking was common in total (27.5%), while women experienced more exposure than men (30.1% vs. 25.0%, P = 0.010). 3.2% of daily smokers smoked more than 20 cigarettes/day. Among passive smokers, 62.6% were exposed to cigarette smoke more than 6 days/week. Conclusion: Smoking is pretty common among adult populations, particularly men. A majority of tobacco-free young adult women are exposed to passive smoking. Age and gender oriented interventions are required to change this risk pattern in our community to prevent from further smoking related morbidities and mortalities

HIV prevalence and related risk behaviours among female sex workers in Iran: results of the national biobehavioural survey, 2010

Objectives To determine the prevalence of HIV and related behavioural risks among Iranian female sex workers (FSW) via the first national biobehavioural surveillance survey. Methods In 2010, 1005 FSW were approached and 872 recruited using facility-based sampling from 21 sites in 14 cities in Iran. We collected dried blood samples and conducted face-to-face interviews using a standardised questionnaire. Data were weighted based on the response rate and adjusted for the clustering effect of the sampling site. Adjustment was performed by weighting based on the sampling fraction of each site using a prior estimate of its total size of the FSW population. Results The prevalence of HIV infection (95% CI) was 4.5% (2.4 to 8.3) overall, 4.8% (2.2 to 9.8) among those who had reported a history of drug use and 11.2% (5.4 to 21.5) among those who had a history of injection drug use. The frequencies of condom use in the last sexual act with paying clients and non-paying partners were 57.1% and 36.3%, respectively. Any drug use was reported by 73.8% of participants, and among this subgroup, 20.5% had a history of injection drug use. Conclusions The prevalence of HIV was considerable among FSW particularly those who had a history of drug injection. A combination of prevention efforts addressing unsafe sex and injection are needed to prevent further transmission of HIV infection

Prevalence of Suicide Ideation, Attempts and the Associated Factors among a Sample of Iranian Population in South Part of the Country: A Population Based Study

"n  Objective: "n "n "nSuicide represented 1.8% of the total global burden of disease in1998 and it will increase to 2.4% in 2020. We performed a cross sectional study to assess the prevalence of suicide ideation, attempt and its associated factors. "nMethod: We designed a cross sectional study in Mahan and Bardsir cities, Kerman province, Iran. Based on the multistage cluster sampling, 860 subjects aged 15 and older were selected as the non-attempter group and 58 hospital cases admitted due to suicide attempts were selected as the attempter group. General Health Questionnaire, Suicide Ideation Scale and demographic form were filled for each participant. "nResults: This study showed that the prevalence of suicide ideation was 10% in total: 48.3% in the suicide attempters and 7.33% in the non-attempters. Being female, young, single, more educated and less religious, living in urban areas, opium use and having somatic complaints and other psychiatric problems were associated with suicide attempts. "nConclusion: Suicide ideation and attempt aren't uncommon in Iran and should be recognized as important problems existing in these two cities of Kerman province

Driving environment in Iran increases blood pressure even in healthy taxi drivers

<ul> <li><strong>BACKGROUND</strong>: Nowadays, driving is an unseparated part of our new modern lifestyle; and we are exposed to this environment all the days for several hours whether as drivers or as riders. Many reports indicated that Iran is on the top rank of automobile-related morbidity and mortality among developed and even many developing countries that can be due to dangerous driving habits in Iran. We designed this study to find out if environment of driving have clinically important effects on blood pressure (BP) and how strong is the effect. We also examined if there were any predictors for the BP rises in driving time.</li> <li><strong>METHODS</strong>: In a cross-sectional study, 31 healthy male taxi drivers were included through a multistage proportional sampling method in winter and spring 2007. They were referred to the clinic of hypertension in Shafa Hospital, Kerman. A trained nurse measured the BPs. She also did set up the Ambulatory Blood Pressure Monitor (ABPM) on the drivers’ left arms for BP recording every 30 minutes during the day. Based on the diurnal recorded BPs, the subjects were allocated into normotensive and hypertensive (systolic BP > 135 or diastolic BP > 85mmHg) groups. The difference among the clinic BPs and the driving BPs was examined by t-test in Stata version 8, followed by a multivariate analysis for exploring the main predictors for BP rises in driving time.</li> <li><strong>RESULTS</strong>: Both mean systolic and mean diastolic BPs were significantly increased from 116.85 (SE 2.28) and 74.44 (SE 2.22) mmHg in clinic to 138.64 (SE 2.77) and 95.70 (SE 2.55) mmHg during driving, respectively (P = 0.0001). Pulse pressure remained constant (P = 0.87). The difference between clinic's and driving time measurements was higher in hypertensive group. Those with higher systolic blood pressures in clinic had more frequent and higher BP rises in driving time (P = 0.02).</li> <li><strong>CONCLUSIONS</strong>: Driving increased BP averagely 20 mmHg especially in those with higher BP measurements. Drivers with higher baseline systolic BPs were more prone to higher BP rises in driving time.</li> <li><strong>KEYWORDS</strong>: Driving, systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, hypertension, ambulatory blood pressure monitoring.</li> </ul&gt

Using expert opinion to quantify unmeasured confounding bias parameters

ObjectiveTo develop and apply a method to quantify bias parameters in the case example of the association between alcohol use and HIV-serodiscordant condomless anal sex with potential confounding by sensation seeking among men who have sex with men (MSM), using expert opinion as an external data source.MethodsThrough an online survey, we sought the input of 41 epidemiologist and behavioural scientists to quantify six parameters in the population of MSM: the proportion of high sensation seeking among heavy-drinking MSM, the proportion of sensation seeking among low-level drinking MSM, and the risk ratio (RR) of the association between sensation seeking and condomless anal sex, for HIV-positive and HIV-negative MSM.ResultsEleven experts responded. For HIV-positive heavy drinkers, the proportion of high sensation seeking was 53.6% (beta distribution [α=5.50, β=4.78]), and 41.1% (beta distribution [α=3.10, β=4.46]) in HIV-negative heavy drinkers. In HIV-positive low-level alcohol drinkers, high sensation seeking was 26.9% (beta distribution [α=1.81, β=4.92]), similar to high sensation seeking among HIV-negative low-level alcohol drinkers (25.3%) (beta distribution [α=2.00, β=5.89]). The lnRR for the association between sensation seeking and condomless anal sex was ln(2.4) (normal distribution [μ=0.889, σ=0.438]) in HIV-positive and ln(1.5) (normal distribution [μ=0.625, σ=0.391]) in HIV-negative MSM.ConclusionExpert opinion can be a simple and efficient method for deriving bias parameters to quantify and adjust for hypothesized confounding. In this test case, expert opinion confirmed sensation seeking as a confounder for the effect of alcohol on condomless anal sex and provided the parameters necessary for probabilistic bias analysis