جستجوی مقالات مرتبط با کلیدواژه "earthquake" در نشریات گروه "پزشکی"

We investigated the effect of earthquakes on the six-month breast milk intake rate in infants.

In this single-centre prospective cohort study, 35 mother-baby dyads who were in the earthquake zone during the February 6, 2023, Turkey-Syria earthquakes were included as the study group, while 29 mother-baby dyads who were not in the earthquake zone were included as the control group. The physical, environmental, and social characteristics of the settlements after the earthquake, along with the nutritional characteristics of the infants, were evaluated through questionnaires during interviews and online assessments. The Breastfeeding Self-Efficacy Form and the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale were administered to the mothers, and their scores were calculated.

No significant difference was found between the exclusive breastfeeding rates at six months in the study and control groups [18 (62.9%) vs. 22 (61.9%), n (%), P = 0.95]. The breastfeeding self-efficacy score was significantly higher in the study group [64 (33 - 70) vs. 54 (31 - 70), median (min-max), P = 0.02]. Although the Edinburgh Postpartum Depression Scale (EPDS) score was higher in the control group [10 (0 - 21) vs. 7 (0 - 26), median (min-max)], this difference was not statistically significant.

In general, earthquakes do not affect breastfeeding rates in infants at six months. The continuation of breastfeeding, supported by increased resilience in difficult conditions, enhances breastfeeding self-efficacy and provides protection for the mother-baby dyad. Breastfeeding should be continued and supported during natural disasters.

Considering the location, the frequency of faults and the probability of earthquake, district 20 is distinguished from other areas as the most dangerous region of Tehran. Due to the uncertainty of the time of the previous destructive earthquake, the probability of activation of these faults is very high.

Regarding the exploratory nature of this research, the environmental scanning technique was used, and due to the dominant approach of this research, which is future research, the Delphi technique was used. Structural analysis has been used in MicMac software to analyze data.

The results of the dispersion of the variables indicate the instability of the system in the studied area, and accordingly, five categories of variables were identified.

The results showed that based on the quantitative analysis of the Scenario Wizard software, three golden, static and crisis scenarios were obtained for the 2051 horizon of district 20, which is the most valid scenario related to the static scenario.

Earthquake is a natural disaster that threaten large parts of Iran. In addition to the preparedness of relief organizations, people should know how to protect themselves from possible damages. Tehran, the capital of Iran, is prone to earthquakes and citizens’ preparedness for possible earthquakes should be improved. This study aims to measure the safe emergency evacuation knowledge of citizens in Tehran, in case of an earthquake. 

This is a cross-sectional study that was conducted on 602 residents of Tehran (all 22 districts) aged ≥15 years in 2022. Data were collected using a researcher-made questionnaire with acceptable validity and reliability to measure the knowledge of safe placement and safe evacuation.

The mean knowledge score of citizens was 8.8 out of 20. The knowledge score was significantly higher in women than in men, in people under the age of 64, in those with higher level of education, in students/housekeepers and employed people, in people who had received relevant information from the educational programs prepared by the municipality and educational textbooks, and in those living in privileged urban areas. Nearly 25% of people had not received any education related to earthquake. Radio/TV programs and educational textbooks were the most common sources of information. 

There is a need to improve the knowledge of safe emergency evacuation during an earthquake among the residents of Tehran. In addition to formal education in schools/universities, citizens need appropriate training courses in other centers with the help of social media. Planning in this area should be attractive to motivate citizens to acquire more disaster knowledge.

Managing the challenges of healthcare waste produced after the earthquake is a vital issue. This study aimed to provide a comprehensive management plan for healthcare waste in Kermanshah and Varzaqan-Ahar earthquakes using two models: Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats (SWOT) and Quantitative Strategic Planning Matrix (QSPM).

The present qualitative study was conducted through a content analysis approach using semi-structured interviews and a purposive selection of 16 experienced experts and managers in the field of healthcare waste management in an earthquake in 2021-2022. After recording and transcribing data, data analysis was done in MAXQDA software (version 18). Lincoln and Goba criteria were used to check the reliability of the data. The statements (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats of waste management) were summarized for each main category in the SWOT classification. Strategies for improving healthcare waste management were presented by comparing internal and external factors. Finally, the attractiveness table was compiled and weighted using the QSPM method for prioritizing strategies.

The study found 18 strengths, 24 weaknesses, 18 opportunities, and 19 threats. The final scores for internal and external factors of healthcare waste management in earthquakes were 2.38 and 2.3, respectively. A total of 12 strategies were developed based on the findings. Finally, the strategy of "optimal use of the opinions provided by managers, researchers, and experts interested in the field of waste management for the development of guidelines and national regulations for the management of healthcare waste in an earthquake" was prioritized to be implemented based on the QSPM matrix.

The strategic priorities identified in this study are important steps towards achieving sustainable development goals and protecting public health and the environment in disaster situations. Moreover, using QSPM and SWOT models helps to provide appropriate solutions for improving the management of healthcare waste in earthquakes.

In order to increase the capacity to deal with earthquake hazards, increasing urban resilience has become a basic priority for most governments. Based on this, the current research was written with the aim of measuring the physical resilience of the peripheral part of the 20th district of Tehran against earthquakes.

The research method is applied in terms of purpose and analytical-exploratory in nature, which was used to analyze information using the AHP technique in Expert Choice software and the opinion of 25 experts.

 The findings showed that district 20 of Tehran city will face a serious crisis due to having many worn-out and marginalized structures, short-term residential units, old buildings, high population density, small area of residential land and narrow roads.

According to the obtained results, about 47% of the fabric of district 20 is highly vulnerable to the earthquake crisis. Therefore, appropriate policymaking to manage earthquake crisis, especially in strengthening buildings and land use planning in this area, is an inevitable necessity.

Informal settlements in cities are one of the most vulnerable regions to natural disasters, including earthquakes. The investigation of the vulnerability of Tehran's 20th District to earthquakes revealed that the plans and measures taken to make this area more resilient were unsuccessful. This research was conducted to systematically identify and analyze the key drivers effective on the resilience of District 20 of Tehran against earthquakes.

The present study was mixed (quantitative-qualitative) with an analytical-exploratory nature, and the statistical population consisted of a group of 35 experts in the two fields of "futuristic approach" and "resilience". The Delphi technique was utilized in this research, and the obtained data were analyzed in MicMac software using structural analysis.

The findings obtained from the distribution of variables in the axes of influence and dependence of factors in MicMac software indicated the instability of the system within the scope of the study, based on which, five categories of variables were identified.

According to the high score of direct and indirect influences of the factors, 11 main factors were identified as the key drivers affecting the resilience of District 20 of the Tehran metropolis against the earthquake

The present study aimed to investigate the level of structural safety and resistance of comprehensive health service centers, which provide critical services during earthquakes. For this purpose, a total of 30 comprehensive rural health centers and 14 comprehensive urban health centers in Babol city were examined.

To assess the cultural safety and resilience of comprehensive health service centers in Babol city against earthquakes, we integrated two questionnaires, one from the research of Pourahmad et al. (2018) and the other from the Ministry of Health and Medicine, both of which have been confirmed for validity and reliability. Using these questionnaires, we obtained 9 structural safety indicators and applied this questionnaire to all 44 health units in the city. The data were analyzed using SPSS. 20 software. Additionally, we used the Vicor software to evaluate, score, and rank the physical resilience of comprehensive health service centers against earthquakes.

The total area of the evaluated structures in this research was 18, 340 m2, with construction dates ranging from 1968 to 2019. The physical resilience of all comprehensive health service centers in Babol city in 2021 was the following results 18.2% were categorized as favorable, 18.2% as relatively favorable, 15.9% as average, 20.5% as relatively unfavorable, and 27.3% as unfavorable.

In the face of disasters and earthquakes, the health and safety of society depend on the infrastructure and resilience of critical service centers, such as comprehensive health service centers. Upgrading the infrastructure of these centers is crucial to ensure their resilience and protect the health and safety of society. The investigation of comprehensive health service centers in Babol city reveals that more than half of the structures are over 30 years old and lack sufficient resilience against natural disasters. Therefore, investments are needed to improve the physical resilience of these centers. Strategies such as structural reinforcement, regular maintenance, and the implementation of safety standards can enhance their resilience and help them better cope with earthquakes.

An earthquake is a major natural disaster with widespread and great effects on human life and nature. Taking care of the basic needs of earthquake victims is an essential step that should be addressed immediately. Moreover, the evaluation of various problems after disasters, especially earthquakes, is of crucial importance for the affected people. The management of humanitarian aid and public assistance among these affected people is considered one of the most important post-earthquake concerns. Therefore, the present study was conducted to evaluate the post-earthquake challenges and strengths of providing humanitarian aid services in Sisakht, Yasuj, in February 2019.

This qualitative case study was conducted from March 2019 to July 2020. The studied population consisted of 20 participants including medical staff (n=10), clergy (n=2), crisis managers (n=4), and military personnel (n=4). The required data were collected through observation and semi-structured interviews, which continued until data saturation. To evaluate the reliability of the data, the strategies recommended by Guba were used. The data were analyzed by conventional content analysis based on the method proposed by Graneheim and Lundman.

The advantages and strengths of this study included humanitarian cooperation and coordination, as well as the timely presence of relief and rescue teams and law enforcement agencies from the post-earthquake first hours, which had a great impact on reducing the suffering of people. The challenges in providing post-earthquake services included health, medical, management, geographical, and spatial concerns and issues related to the earthquake victims (relief goods distribution problem and inappropriate information dissemination as the main challenges).

Effective and appropriate management policies regarding the management of providing post-earthquake services and elimination of the structural and managerial obstacles can improve the operation and management of humanitarian aid.

The network of relief centers, which is a connected set of relief centers, rescue points, and rescue routes, is of utmost importance during an earthquake. This study aimed to model this network to identify the aid-receiving points and rescue routes, followed by the development of plans to improve the aid-giving process during an earthquake.

This descriptive-analytical study was conducted based on an applied research method and a quantitative approach. The required data were obtained through the library method (documents). The data used in this study included location information of relief centers (hospitals, crisis management centers, Red Crescent centers) and the transportation routes among them. These pieces of information were collected from related plans and documents. The obtained data related to the location of relief centers were analyzed using Spatial Analysis, and Network Analysis tools were utilized to analyze the transportation routes among the relief centers.

The findings in this study revealed the right places for receiving aid and the rescue routes that deliver aid from the aid-giving to the aid-receiving centers in the central zone of Tehran in the shortest time. Moreover, the relief centers were ranked based on their importance during a crisis.

The results of this study show the number of required aid-receiving points in the central zone of Tehran through which the aid needed during a crisis can be delivered from rescue centers. The findings revealed which relief centers played a more significant role during an earthquake. The identification of these points and routes makes the provision of special planning possible during an earthquake.

A variety of gas heaters are used in residential, administrative, and commercial buildings in Iran. Home packages (HP) and central heating boiler rooms (CHBRs) are among the most common types of heating systems that can be damaged during earthquakes and, thus, harm the building and the residents.

By doing a survey and an interview in 50 residential buildings in District 16 of Tehran, the risks of these facilities were assessed during earthquakes from the viewpoint of the residents. To do the risk assessment, the failure mode and effects analysis (FMEA) model in the fuzzy space were applied. To analyze the risk priority number (RPN), defuzzification and the center of gravity method were used. Based on the results, 11 indicators were identified and evaluated for each system.

The mean RPNs obtained for both systems were almost equal (the difference was about 2%). Thus, no definitive superiority can be presumed for HP or CHBR when earthquakes happen. The major difference in the risk of each system can be separately evaluated based on the conditions of each building, confidence about the quality of installation, connections, pipe materials, electric wire corrosion, etc.

It is suggested that the risks of CHBR and HP during earthquakes are the same, and some issues such as design, economy, and technical issues play a greater role in contractors’ selection of the system.

Natural disasters are known as one of the most important factors in the destruction of human settlements. One of the key concerns for urban planners is examining how natural disasters affect human settlements, particularly cities. Earthquake is one of these natural disasters that has always threatened human settlements and can cause a lot of damage and casualties in a short period. Therefore, this study aimed to assess the vulnerability of settlements in District 2 of Tabriz, Iran, against earthquakes.

This applied research was conducted based on a descriptive-analytical approach. The primary data of existing documents and maps were collected from related organizations. The analytical hierarchy process model and geographic information system software were used for data analysis.

To determine the vulnerability of the texture of District 2 of Tabriz, such indicators as the distance from the fault, slope percentage, groundwater levels, building age, building materials, building quality, building density, number of floors, plot area, and land use were employed.

According to the results, 35% of the region was in the high-risk and 25% in the very high-risk areas. In general, it can be said that most of the region (i.e. 60%) was in the area with a high risk of earthquake, and the area with very high risk was mostly in the northern parts of the region, while the southeastern parts of the region were located in low-risk areas.

Earthquake is a natural disaster severely affecting the societies’ health, hygiene, and welfare as such the most effective method to respond to its damages is to develop a readiness plan. This study aimed to discover thematic patterns and co‑author relationships extracted from relevant publications to plan an earthquake response.

This descriptive–analytical study adopted the scientometric approach and used word co‑occurrence and social network analysis. The published articles indexed in PubMed were retrieved from 1970 to 2021 using a combination of keywords “earthquake and response.” The data were analyzed in VOSviewer, UCINET, and NetDraw software.

The following six thematic clusters with a social map were extracted: Initial response of the healthcare system, response to probabilistic risks after the hazard, response to mental health and community resilience, response to public health, response to post‑traumatic stress disorders, and staff’s response to the needs assessment and continuity of diagnostic treatment services. Moreover, social network analysis revealed the great impact of Japanese and Chinese authors and institutes.

The present study detected many gaps in the literature on earthquake response, which can contribute to developing a general framework to prepare integrated healthcare earthquake response plans to promote the performance of this system.

Women are at higher risk of death during disasters due to physical, biological, psychological, and cultural differences. After a disaster, they experience more miscarriages, premature births, inadequate fetal growth, low birth weight, sexual violence, and unwanted pregnancies. This study aims to investigate the reproductive health status of women affected by the 2017 earthquake in Kermanshah, Iran.

This descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted in 2018. The study population consists of women aged 15-49 years (Mean age=31.7 years) living in Sarpol-e Zahab, Javanrood, and Thalas Babajani towns in Kermanshah city affected by the earthquake in 2017. The questionnaire used for assessing the status of reproductive health in women was the Reproductive Health Assessment Questionnaire for Women of Reproductive Age, which has already been localized in Iran and its reliability and validity have been confirmed. Native Kurdish language experts completed the questionnaires on behalf of 396 participants. Descriptive statistics were used to describe the variables.

It was found that 42.4% of women complained of abnormal menstruation and 34.09% of limited menstrual hygiene materials. Sixty women were pregnant at the time of the earthquake, all of whom gave birth in hospital; two had miscarriages, two had premature births, and one had stillbirth. Urinary tract infection was the most common problem (21%) in pregnant women. Moreover, 48% of women used contraceptive methods after the earthquake, the most commonly used method was the use of contraceptive pills (23%). Access to contraception methods was difficult for 14.4% of them after the earthquake. Furthermore, 25% had experienced violence after the earthquake; of these, 30 reported physical violence, 86 verbal violence, and 13 sexual violence.

The control of pregnancy and safe delivery in earthquake-affected areas of Kermanshah is relatively acceptable; however, the provision of reproductive health services seems to be challenging. It is recommended to pay attention to the menstrual hygiene of women and regular distribution of contraceptives (despite the current population growth plan), address sexual acts of violence, and develop a protocol to support the victims.

Due to the severity of the earthquake, it may need immediate treatment and transfer of the injured people to advanced medical centers, as well as dispatch of the expert team and specialized health equipment to the accident‑affected area. Aerial emergency is an important responsibility of the health care system in this situation. The study aimed to extract the prehospital emergency challenges of Iran aerial operations emergency in response to the earthquake.

The study was qualitative content analysis with conventional approach. Sampling was done in a purposive method and data were collected through semi‑structured interview. The panel involved consists of 26 health professionals in medical emergencies. Recorded interviews were transcribed into written and then conventional content analysis was used to derive coding categories directly from the text data.

Content analysis is provided 97 initial codes, 20 subcategories and 4 main categories including challenges of “response assessment,” “support,” ”pre‑hospital staff‑management,” and “response operation,” respectively.

The results showed that the necessity to assess the affected area, staffing, and management actions, including integrated operations command and the development of a dedicated response plan, as well as the use of strategies inter‑organizational coordination in the response phase to earthquake. This study also emphasized that providing standard equipment, support actions, and strengthening communication infrastructure, and updating the aerial emergency system should be considered as one of the priorities of the emergency organization of Iran to provide a desired response to the earthquake.