attitude

 COVID-19 is highly contagious, and pregnant women might be at a higher risk of developing severe symptoms. This study aimed to evaluate the impact of a self-care education intervention on knowledge, attitude, and practice (KAP) related to preventing COVID-19 among pregnant women.

This experimental study was conducted in Health Centers of Sirjan, West Iran. A total of 60 pregnant women, divided equally into experimental and control groups, participated in this study. The educational intervention included face-to-face training as well as providing educational brochures and posters, and text message reminders, which were sent weekly over two months. Data collection was done using validated and reliable researcher-made questionnaires, including demographic and knowledge, attitude, and practice questionnaires, which were completed before and then two months after the intervention. Data analysis was performed by SPSS 23, using t-tests, chi-square, and correlation coefficients.

The experimental group showed significantly higher mean scores of knowledge, attitude, and practice in comparison to the control group after the intervention (P<0.001). Additionally, the mean scores of knowledge, attitude, and practice significantly increased after the intervention in the experimental group, compared to pre intervention (P<0.001). However, there were no significant changes after two months in the control group.

The effectiveness of the educational intervention to improve KAP was confirmed in this study, and notable enhancements were observed in the intervention group compared to the control group. Such intervention not only support individual health but also contribute to reducing healthcare costs and disease burden at the community level.

 Sepsis is a major global health issue, often leading to delayed recognition due to its varied symptoms. ICU nurses play a crucial role in early detection, but knowledge gaps in sepsis assessment and management persist. This study aimed to examine critical care nurses’ knowledge and experience of caring for patients with sepsis. 

 A cross-sectional correlational study was conducted on a convenience sample of 320 ICU nurses from various hospitals in Jordan. A Validated tool assessed nurses’ knowledge and experience of sepsis management.

Nurses demonstrated moderate knowledge, with an overall score of 9.76 ± 1.43. Hypotension (51.6%) was the most recognized symptom, and 94.7% understood sepsis involves an infection with an inflammatory response. However, knowledge gaps remained, with only 31.9% knowing antibiotics should be given within 2 hours and 73.4% recognizing they should be administered before blood cultures. Regarding SIRS criteria, only a small percentage correctly identified key signs, such as temperature <36°C (26.3%) and heart rate >80 bpm (23.8%). Sepsis risk factors like IV drug use (34.4%) and chronic steroid use (21.9%) were recognized, but fewer identified the elderly (10.6%) as high-risk. Hypotension (50.9%) was the most challenging aspect of care. Nurses emphasized the need for better education (50.6%) and improved treatment protocols (46.9%).

This study highlights critical gaps in ICU nurses’ knowledge and experience in assessing and managing sepsis. The findings identified region-specific barriers and the urgent need for tailored training programs in resource-limited critical care settings.

Antibiotic misuse is an escalating global health concern, especially in Malaysia, resulting in increased resistance and significant public health challenges. Understanding the public’s awareness, knowledge, attitudes, and practices (AKAP) regarding antibiotic use is essential for implementing effective interventions. Therefore, this study aimed to adapt and validate a questionnaire derived from existing tools and translated from English to Malay to assess the AKAP related to antibiotic use among the Malaysian public.

The questionnaire underwent forward and backward translation to ensure cultural relevance and linguistic accuracy. Content validity was assessed using the content validity index (CVI) based on evaluations conducted by six experts with backgrounds in public health, pharmacy, nursing education, and nursing practice. These experts reviewed the relevance, clarity, and appropriateness of each item. A cross-sectional study was conducted with 50 individuals in Pahang, Malaysia, to evaluate the reliability of the questionnaire. Participants were selected through convenience sampling, emphasizing the inclusion of individuals from diverse age groups, educational backgrounds, and occupations to ensure community representation. Reliability testing was performed using the Kuder-Richardson Formula 20 (KR-20).

The CVI for all the developed questionnaire items indicated strong content validity, with item-level CVI (I-CVI) scores exceeding 0.83 for the translated questionnaire. Additionally, the KR-20 analyses demonstrated good internal consistency, with KR-20 scores greater than 0.7, thereby confirming the questionnaire’s suitability for use within the target population.

The adapted Malay-language questionnaire revealed acceptable levels of validity, indicating that it is a valid and reliable instrument for assessing antibiotic use among the Malaysian public, particularly within the Malay-speaking population.

The attitudes of primary healthcare (PHC) physicians are essential for integrating mental health services into PHC. This study aimed to assess the attitudes of PHC physicians toward depression in Oman.

In 2022, a cross-sectional study was conducted on a convenient sample of 445 PHC physicians working under Oman’s Ministry of Health. The data were collected using a self-administered online form that included the revised depression attitude questionnaire. An independent t-test and multiple linear regression were used to compare mean attitude scores for binary independent variables and to adjust mean scores for different explanatory variables, respectively.

The percentage of physicians who showed positive attitudes exceeded 60% for most of the questionnaire statements. The overall attitude score of mean±standard deviation (SD) was 3.56±0.43. In addition, the mean (±SD) scores for the professional confidence, the generalist perspective, and the optimistic view subscales were 3.32 (±0.66), 4.16 (±0.55), and 3.41 (±0.62), respectively. The overall attitude mean score was significantly higher among physicians with previous mental health training (MHT) (P<0.001) and work duration of less than 10 years (P<0.001). Additionally, the scores of physicians with previous MHT were significantly higher across all subscales.

The PHC physicians in Oman demonstrated favorable attitudes toward depression. However, there is still some room for improvement to ensure accessibility and quality of care for people with mental illnesses.

Attitudes towards childbearing are influenced by various biological, psychological, and social factors.

This study aims to investigate the impact of social determinants of health on attitudes towards childbearing, mediated by social support among women of reproductive age.

This descriptive-analytical study was conducted on 500 women who were referred to health centers affiliated with Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences in Tehran, using a multistage random sampling method in 2022 - 2023. Data were collected using Soderberg's Attitudes Toward Fertility and Childbearing Scale, the Demographic and Midwifery Questionnaire, Ghodratnama's Socio-economic Status Questionnaire, the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support, the Depression-Anxiety-Stress Scale (DASS)-21 Scale, Spanier's Marital Compatibility Questionnaire, and the Fear of Childbirth Scale. The data were analyzed using SPSS 26 and LISREL 8.8, applying the statistical method of path analysis. Stepwise regression tests were used to examine the relationship between independent variables (demographic variables) and dependent variables while controlling for contextual and confounding variables.

Based on the results of the path analysis, the levels of depression, anxiety, and stress as measured by the DASS-21 had only a direct effect (β = -0.25); fear of childbirth (β = -0.06), socio-economic status (β = 0.057), and social support (β = 0.19) had only an indirect effect; and marital compatibility (β = 0.257), education (β = -0.16), and women's employment (β = -0.13) had both direct and indirect effects on attitudes towards childbearing. Notably, marital compatibility (β = 0.257) had the most substantial positive influence on attitudes towards childbearing. The model proposed in the study showed a good fit (P-value = 0.001; GFI = 0.99; RMSEA = 0.033).

Based on the findings, social support plays a significant role as a mediating factor in improving attitudes towards childbearing. Therefore, relevant organizations should recognize their responsibility in implementing laws and policies aimed at enhancing social support, particularly for employed women.

Adolescent mental health is a major public health concern in Iran, with 1 of every 5 adolescents suffering from a mental disorder. Mental health literacy (MHL) is an important factor in improving mental health outcomes. To address this issue, a mental health literacy school curriculum used in Canada was adapted, piloted, and evaluated for use in Iranian schools. This study examines the impact of the intervention on the attitude and help‑seeking intentions of first and secondary students in Iran.

This study is semiexperimental research that was conducted on 200 female teenagers who were studying in girls’ secondary schools in Saveh, Central part of Iran, in 2023. The participants were divided into two groups, namely, the intervention group and the control group. Both groups completed a valid and reliable questionnaire that assessed their attitude and help‑seeking intention at two different time points. To evaluate the intervention’s effects, a repeated‑measures analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used.

The study used the repeated‑measures ANOVA to assess the changes in the mean attitude and help‑seeking intention scores between the intervention and control groups. The findings indicated significant improvements in the attitude of help‑seeking (P < 0.001), informal help‑seeking intention (P < 0.001), and formal help‑seeking intention (P < 0.001) for the intervention group as compared to the control group during the study.

The adapted mental health literacy school curriculum has been used and evaluated for the first time in Iran, and it has shown a significant increase in attitude and help‑seeking intention among first and secondary female students. These results need to be confirmed by further studies, which should also analyze the interrelationships between different dimensions of mental health knowledge and help‑seeking practices. Keywords for this study include mental health literacy, help‑seeking, attitude, and female students.

Despite the high prevalence of depression and the need for timely diagnosis and treatment, research results show different and sometimes contradictory attitudes and practices among general practitioners about depressed patients. This study investigated the attitude and performance of general practitioners in depression diagnosis and treatment.

This descriptive‑analytical cross‑sectional study was conducted in 2022 in Yasuj, Iran. One hundred and two general practitioners participated in this study using convenience sampling. The Revised Depression Attitude Assessment Questionnaire (R‑DAQ) was used to collect participants’ attitudinal information regarding depression, and the checklists completed by standard patients were used to evaluate their performance status. The collected data was analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 25 software using descriptive and inferential statistics.

The average score of the overall attitude of the participants was 77.09 ± 21.03 and the average score in three domains, including professional trust in depression care, optimism in depression treatment, and public opinion about the occurrence of depression, its identification, and its management were 22.31 ± 6.47, 36.54 ± 9.51, and 19.05 ± 5.05, respectively. The mean score of overall diagnosis was 42.09 ± 19.24, and the mean score of treatment measures was 4.20 ± 3.06. There was no statistically significant difference between male and female participants in terms of performance score (P > 0.05). Also, the results showed that there was no correlation between the attitude score of the participants (dimensions and overall score) and the performance score (diagnosis and treatment).

The findings of this study showed that the performance of general practitioners in the diagnosis and treatment of depressive disorder was relatively weak. Considering the high prevalence of depressive disorder in societies and the need for timely and appropriate diagnosis and treatment of this disorder, it is important to empower general practitioners in this regard. Therefore, medical schools and continuing education centers can play an essential role in solving this problem by revising the educational programs related to general practitioners. 

 Clinical photography is a practical tool in the area of training and research of medical science. The goal of this research is to determine the rate of social network using and the level of awareness and attitudes toward the ethical considerations of sharing clinical photos of patients on social networks by medical students and medical assistants.

 In a cross-sectional study, the population of the study including the medical assistants(residents) and students at Urmia University of Medical Sciences. Their awareness and attitudes regarding ethical issues in sharing clinical photos on social networks have been evaluated using a standardized questionnaire.

 This study was conducted with 450 participants. 96.6% of the participants use smartphones, and 432 (96%) of them had an account at least in one social networks. 92% of the participants had an account on Instagram, 22% on Facebook, 74% on Telegram, and 38% on LinkedIn. 46% of participants have been a member of more than one social networks. Also, 42% had more than one account on social networks. In 68% of participants, the clinical or photography findings of patients were shared on social networks. General awareness of ethical guideline in sharing clinical findings of patients was 10.6% (32 cases) in medical students and 18.6% (28 cases) in residents.

 The use of social networks by smartphones among medical students in Iran is increased like to the other countries, and there is low awareness of ethical issues in regard to sharing or posting medical photography in medical professional setting.

The risk factors and conditions that increase dengue fever cases and outbreaks in endemic areas needs to be identified to determine the specific prevention and control efforts required. This study aimed to determine the particular needs of dengue intervention in Palopo City.

Housewives in Palopo City's East Wara Sub-District were interviewed for the case-control study's data. There were 168 homes in the sample overall, 84 of which had dengue cases and 84 did not. Patients with dengue fever, as determined by hospital laboratory tests employing the NS1 antigen RDT and IgM-IgG antibodies from the Palopo City Health Office and public health center (PHC) reports in 2021, were considered cases in this research. The neighbors of cases who had never been diagnosed with dengue fever were the closest controls.

Respondent achievement level (RAL) was poor for seven out of seventeen attitude statement points and low for four out of eleven practice statements. Most of the potential countainers for dengue were discovered beyond the residence. In Palopo City, household larval density (CI>20%) was associated with a higher incidence of dengue illness (OR 2.173, 95%CI 1.097-4.304). The knowledge, attitude, practice, waste management, buildings and abandoned locations, and mobility were not demonstrated to be dengue fever risk factors in this study.

An intervention to promote community awareness of dengue fever prevention and vector control is to enhance specific knowledge about dengue fever through better counseling.

Inter-professional collaboration (IPC) is vital in enhancing the quality of healthcare. Hence, this study aims to evaluate the attitudes of healthcare staff towards interprofessional cooperation.

The study utilized a descriptive-analytical method. The medical teams from two hospitals of Shahrekord University, constituted the study population. Using stratified sampling, 325 individuals were selected.on 2020  Data were gathered by Jefferson Interprofessional Attitude Questionnaire, consisting of demographic information and IPC questions (20 items.. SPSS (20) was used for data analysis, and variables were assessed by descriptive tests, one-sample t-tests, t-student tests, Levene tests, and ANOVA.

The mean scores for attitudes towards IPC were as follows: general practitioners (4.54 ± 0.31), specialists (4.94±0.37), nurses (4.84±0.40), midwives (4.86±0.36), radiologists (4.86±0.43), nutritionists (4.69±0.46), laboratory staff (4.97±0.38), pharmacists (4.99±0.49), operating room anesthesiologists (5.09 ±0.38), environmental and occupational health experts (5.07±0.35), and psychologists (5.19±0.34). There was a significant difference (p < 0.05) between general practitioners and anesthesia and operating room experts. The relationship between demographic data with mean score of IPC was not significant, but it was significant forjob experience of 15-20 years (sig = 0.001 and F = 8.81).

Managers should promote a positive attitude towards IPC within the healthcare team. By implementing an educational strategy, cooperation and performance among healthcare staff can be enhanced.

This study evaluates the effectiveness of the public education of Red Crescent Society (RCS) on attitude, knowledge, and performance of conscripted personnel of the Iranian armed forces towards first aid and facing of hazards and disasters.

In this descriptive and quasi-experimental study, a total of 680 armed forces conscripts across the country were evaluated using a multi-stage cluster sampling method. Based on Cochran's formula, 340 individuals were assigned to the experimental group (trained by RCS trainers) and 340 to the control group (not trained). A researcher-made questionnaire contains two sections and main components (attitude, knowledge, and performance), was developed using the Kirkpatrick evaluation model. Its content validity (CVR=0.86) and reliability (Cronbach’s alpha=0.89) were confirmed. Data analyzed using SPSS-22 included Kolmogorov-Smirnov, independent t-test, Mann-Whitney U, and chi-square tests.

According to the results, the RCS public education courses had a statistically significant positive effect on participants’ attitude (mean score 4.1, p<0.05), knowledge (4.0, p<0.05), and performance (3.6, p<0.05); also, total score (3.8, p<0.05) in the experimental group are lower compared to the control group (attitude 2.8, knowledge 3.7, performance 3.3, total score 3.2).

The RCS public education training courses significantly improved the attitude, knowledge, and performance of conscripted armed forces personnel which these results support the continuation and potential expansion of such training initiatives to enhance military preparedness and response capability.

Different personality traits have different positive or negative attitudes towards addiction. This study examines the association between the attitude towards drug addiction and the personality characteristics of Abadan University of Medical Sciences students and highlights the social issue of drug addiction due to its ability to undermine social beliefs.

In this cross-sectional study, 324 students were included in the research using the random sampling method. The target population was students, and the research sample was students of Abadan University of Medical Sciences. The data collection tools were two questionnaires: "attitude towards drug addiction" and questionnaire of the "five-factor model of personality". Tests of Student -t test, one way ANOVA and linear regression were used to analyze the data.

The study participants included 107 men and 217 women. Most of the participants (93.2%) were single. The average age of the participants was 22.25 ± 6.35 years. The mean and standard deviation of attitude towards addiction in students were 59.08±17.34 which was lower than the median value of the questionnaire (96), and this difference was statistically significant. (P value<0.001). Addiction attitude was positively correlated with neuroticism domain (r=0.13, P < 0.05) and negatively correlated with openness to experience (r=-0.31, P < 0.01). According to the results of the regression test, 14% of the changes in attitudes towards addiction were predicted by personality domains. Also, neuroticism and openness to experience were the most important predictors for attitude towards addiction.

Personality traits, especially neuroticism, are predictors for attitudes toward drug addiction and drug abuse. Counseling centers should collect student personality traits to predict drug addiction attitudes, identify vulnerable individuals, offer counseling and educational services, and organize events. Participating in sports, attending lectures, and social skills training can reduce drug abuse. Authorities should adapt educational programs to student characteristics.

Child sexual abuse is the most tragic form of child maltreatment, a problem that affects all societies and results in both short-term and long-term physical, emotional, behavioral, social, and psychological consequences for the victims. There is a scarcity of data regarding the knowledge, attitude, and practice of Iranian parents in relation to child sexual abuse. This study was conducted in 2022 to examine the level of knowledge, attitude, and practice of parents regarding the sexual abuse of primary school children. This descriptive-analytical investigation was implemented on 423 parents of primary school students in the Iranian city of Ahvaz. The data was gathered using a demographic checklist and the Persian variant of the questionnaire on the knowledge, attitude, and practice of parents in preventing the sexual exploitation of children. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, t-test, and analysis of variance in SPSS software version 23. Results showed 24.6% of parents exhibited inadequate knowledge, 28.4% demonstrated a negative attitude, and 44.4% shown poor practice. The level of parents' knowledge demonstrated a substantial correlation with their employment position, economic status, and level of education (P=0.001). Parental practice exhibited little correlation with demographic variables. While the knowledge, attitudes, and practice of the majority of parents are generally commendable, some attitudes and particularly the practice of certain parents are concerning and suboptimal. Parental and self-education is utterly essential to prevent the sexual abuse of children

Pressure ulcers represent a significant financial burden in healthcare, ranking as the third most costly condition following heart disease and cancer. The prevalence of pressure ulcers serves as a key indicator of the quality of healthcare and nursing services. Nurses are integral to the prevention and management of pressure ulcers; thus, this study aimed to assess the knowledge, attitudes, and practices of nurses in this area. Conducted in 2022, the study employed a descriptive methodology. A convenience sample of 200 nurses from an educational and medical center affiliated with Lorestan University of Medical Sciences was utilized. Data were collected via a four-part questionnaire and analyzed using SPSS version 16, employing both descriptive and analytical statistical methods. The mean scores for nurses' knowledge, attitudes, and practices in the prevention and management of pressure ulcers were 51.1 ± 7.5, 60.35 ± 16.53, and 50.1 ± 10.5 out of 100, respectively. The findings indicate that nurses' knowledge and practices in pressure ulcer prevention and management are at a relatively satisfactory level. Given the threat that pressure ulcers pose to patient safety, it is imperative for healthcare center managers to implement strategies to enhance the capabilities of the healthcare team, particularly nurses.

Foodborne infections are a global problem, especially in developing nations. These infections mostly spread in homes, restaurants, and other public places. Thus, promoting food safety knowledge, attitudes, and hygienic behaviors is essential. The aim of this study was to assess the level of food safety knowledge attitude and hygienic practices among food service workers in hotels, restaurants and street food stands. A cross-sectional study carried out during February to May 2024 in Morogoro Municipality examined 75 hotel, restaurant, and street food vendors' food safety knowledge, attitudes, and hygienic practices using structured questionnaires and an observation checklist. Food service workers were tested on pathogens, cleanliness, and handling. Correct answers got points; scores below 50% indicated insufficient knowledge. Food safety attitudes contained 10 questions with 10% points for accurate answers. Food service workers in hotels had significantly (p<0.05) superior food safety knowledge (94.65%), attitude (95.60%), and hygienic practices (98.25%) compared to those in restaurants and street food stands. The food service workers at street food stands had the lowest ratings in terms of their knowledge (50.65%), attitude (40.40%), and hygienic practices (45.75%). Restaurant food service workers scored 66.97%, 69.2% and 83.02% for food safety knowledge, attitude, and hygienic practices, respectively, and these were significantly (p<0.05) higher than those obtained from street food stand and lower than hotel service workers. Hotel staff demonstrated superior food safety knowledge, attitude, and practices compared to street vendors. Food safety in Morogoro Municipality requires intense training, regulatory supervision, local authority cooperation, and continual study and monitoring.

Spiritual care is a part of holistic nursing care for end-of-life patients. One of the dimensions of this care is the religious dimension, which seems to be influenced by religious attitudes. Therefore, this study was conducted to determine nurses’ knowledge and attitude toward spiritual care for end-of-life patients and to investigate their relationship with religious attitudes in Pastor Hospital of Bam, southeast Iran.

This descriptive-correlational study was conducted from November 2019 to May 2020. A total of 218 nurses were selected using the convenience sampling method. Data were collected using a reasearcher-made questionnaires containing four sections. Data analysis, which included descriptive and inferential statistics, was performed using SPSS software, version 24.

The mean scores of knowledge and attitude toward spiritual care were 13.62±3.36 and 73.94±8.52, respectively, reflecting a moderate level. The mean score of religious attitude was 133.86±19.37, reflecting a high level. Additionally, a significant relationship was observed between the scores of knowledge and attitude toward spiritual care, religious attitude, and some demographic variables (P<0.05).

The current level of knowledge and attitude toward spiritual care is inadequate to provide holistic care for end-of-life patients. Considering the relationship between religious attitude and the main study variables can attract appropriate human resources.