Iranian Journal of Health Sciences
Volume:5 Issue: 2, Spring 2017

Background and Self-care can help patients with diabetes to reduce complications of the disease. The purpose of this study was to compare the effectiveness of diabetes self-care educational programs through tow podcast and pamphlet methods.
Material and The present study was quasi-experimental research conducted in Tehran Aboozar Diabetes Center (2014). 90 patients with type II diabetes were selected and randomly divided into two groups of podcast training group (n = 45) and pamphlet group (n = 45). In both groups, the data were collected using the researcher-made questionnaire. In the podcast group, five audio training files were transferred via Bluetooth to the patients’ mobiles, and the pamphlet group was given an educational pamphlet with a quite similar content. After 12 weeks, the two groups were assessed by the same questionnaire. The collected data was analyzed using SPSS Software, version 16, through statistical t-test at a significance level of P ≤ 0.05.
The mean of adherence to exercise programs, drug treatment, and diabetic diet were 15.53, 23.92, and 48.20, respectively, for Podcast Group, while these values were 14.48, 24.04, and 46.54 for Pamphlet Group, respectively. After the intervention, the mean of adherence to exercise programs, drug treatment, and diabetic diet increased as follows: Podcast group (20.00, 23.95 and 57.12); Pamphlet group (21.26, 25.40 and 55.59).
The use of podcast such as pamphlet is recommended to increase the adherence rate of self-care behaviors of diabetic patients. Due to the great satisfaction of patients with podcast, the method is suggested as an effective, simple, and attractive method to control diabetes and compliance with care practices.

Background & One of the major factors in the quality of drinking water is corrosion and scaling. The aim of the present study was to evaluate corrosion and scaling potential of drinking water supply network in Juybar (A city in Iran).
60 samples of drinking water in distribution network were collected randomly in summer and autumn seasons and transferred into laboratory. Some parameters including temperature, TDS, pH, total alkalinity and hardness and calcium hardness were measured based on the standard methods. The corrosion and scaling potential of water have been evaluated by Langelier, Ryznar, Puckorius and aggressive indices. The collected data were analyzed using descriptive statistics.
The mean values of pH, TDS, total alkalinity and calcium hardness in summer were 7.6, 637.5, 300, and 120 mg/l, respectively; and in autumn were 7.5, 646.5, 301, and 118 mg/l, respectively. The Langelier index in summer and autumn were 0.57 and 0.5, respectively, which showed that water had a potential for scaling. The Ryznar index in summer and autumn were 6.42 and 6.53, respectively indicating that water samples had neither scaling, nor corrosive potential. The Puckorius index in water samples was also determined to be 5.83 and 5.92 in summer and autumn, respectively, which showed that the samples were depositing water. Based on the aggressive index, the water samples in summer and autumn were 12.65 and 12.59, respectively, showing that water was mild scaling.
This study showed that the drinking water of Juybar city has tendency to scaling.

Background and Sick building syndrome (SBS) consists of a group symptoms, including fatigue, headache, nausea, nose irritation, dry skin and redness in which people in a building suffer from the symptoms. The purpose of this study was to assess the symptoms of SBS and its associated factors among staff at a hospital in Kashan, Iran.
The present study was conducted among all staff who volunteered to participate in the research. Totally, 41 subjects were surveyed for SBS symptoms. A MM040EA questionnaire was used to determine SBS among staff and indoor air quality. Chi-square and Fisher’s exact tests in SPSS Software version 16 were applied to analyze the collected data.
In general, the most prevalence symptoms of SBS were headache (85.4%), heaviness in the head (65.9%), low concentration, and dry skin (63.4%). The correlation was found to be not significant between SBS and age (P=0.46), gender (P=0.18), job (P=0.68), and working history (P=0.16). Also, the prevalence of SBS was significantly correlated with noise, low light, and unpleasant odor (P Accordingly, the high prevalence of SBS among staff and its relationship with factors such as unpleasant odor, noise, low light and the effect of the syndrome on the efficiency and the quality of working life, the improvement of lighting distribution and the reduction of noise were proposed for the reduction of SBS.

The current study aimed at considering the performance, attitude and awareness level of patients affected by congestive heart failure who were hospitalized in Zahedan hospitals with regard to the self-care behaviors and factors related to it.
This was a cross-sectional study conducted on 140 patients with congestive heart failure who were hospitalized in various hospitals during 2015. The required data was collected through interview and a designed questionnaire. In order to analyze the data, SPSS Software, version 15, was used through chi-square test, t-test, and ANOVA test.
Findings: There was a direct correlation between patients’ awareness level and attitude (p˂ 0.001 and r=0.459), and behavior (p˂ 0.001 and r=0.345). In addition, a direct correlation was observed between patients’ attitude and their behavior (p= 0.003 and r=0.452). However, there was a reverse correlation between patients’ age and their awareness level (p= 0.003 and r= -0.253), and their attitude (p˂ 0.03 and r= -0.181). By performing an ANOVA test, it was revealed that there was a statistically significant relationship between educational level and awareness (p= 0.001), and patients’ attitude (p= 0.006). The average number of hospitalization was 3.31%, the most important reasons for hospitalization was shortness of breath (dyspnea) (74%), and the most prevalent background diseases was hypertension (74.3%).
It is necessary to pay enough attention to patients’ needs in this regard, and provide suitable educational programs which improve the patients’ awareness level and positive attitude; finally, these programs can promote self-care behaviors in patients.

Background and Improved life standards, over the past few decades, had led to an increase in health expenditures. The aim of this article was to compare the trend of health expenditure per capita and its association with health indicators in selected countries.
The health indices of World Health Organization and World Bank health statistics for 10 years (2003 to 2013) were employed. Countries includes Denmark, the Netherlands, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Iran, Nigeria and Liberia. Six indices were compared with the global average in 5 income groups.
Denmark with health expenditure per capita more than the Netherlands had higher life expectancy at birth and more deaths as a result of alcohol abuse and tobacco smoking. Nigeria’s health spending per capita was 2.5 times more than that of Liberia, because it had worse results in all health indicators with high mortality rate due to lower vaccination coverage for malaria, AIDS, and tuberculosis, and at the same time, high costs for the labor force and corruption in health system. Iran with health expenditure per capita less than Turkey had lower total mortality rate of infants and children under 5 years and lower total fertility. Well-organized PHC system and highly qualified professionals in the field of healthcare are among the strengths of the healthcare system in Iran.
Increasing trend of health expenditures in selected countries did not have a significant impact on the health indicators trend. Countries must identify and invest on their health priorities to improve population health status.

hemodialysis patients suffer from impaired functional ability. Several pilot studies have been conducted concerning the effect of home-based exercise on functional ability of hemodialysis patients; however, there have been observed some contradictions between the results of these studies. The aim of this study was, therefore, to determine the effects of home-based exercise on functional ability of hemodialysis patients using meta-analysis.
In this review study, for the purpose of finding studies published electronically form 2000 to 2016, the papers published in journals indexed in the databases of “PubMed, Science Direct, Google Scholar Cochrane” were used. Also, to analyze the full text of these articles, Stata Software Version 11 was used. Heterogeneity index between the studies was determined using Cochran (Q) c and I2 tests. Since heterogeneity was observed between the studies, a random effect model was used to estimate the mean score of the standardized difference of a 6-minute walk test in order to measure the functional ability of hemodialysis patients in two experimental and comparison groups.
Four articles were finally selected in this meta-analysis. 68 patients were in the experimental group and 65 were in the control group. After the intervention, the mean score of the standardized difference of a 6-minute walk test in the experimental group with a confidence interval of 95% was 0.21 (-0.15, 0.57) units more than before the intervention, which was statistically not significant.
The results of the meta-analysis showed that home-based exercise increased the functional ability of hemodialysis patients although this effect was not significant.