Archives of Hygiene Sciences
Volume:10 Issue: 3, Summer 2021

Sleep disorders are highly prevalent in individuals with diabetes. Iranian researchers have used various interventions to improve sleep quality in diabetic patients. This meta-analysis study was performed to determine the effects of the interventions performed on improving sleep quality among diabetic patients.

Several databases, including PubMed, Cochrane Library, Scopus, Science Direct, Medline EMBASE, as well as Persian databases (SID & IranMedex) were searched until 23 September 2020. The applied keywords were “sleep, sleep quality, diabetes, and diabetes mellitus”. Meta-analysis was performed in Comprehensive Meta-Analysis software.

A total of 8 published articles were entered in this meta-analysis. The obtained results suggested a significant heterogeneity between all articles included in this meta-analysis (I2=74.09, Q=27.016, P=0.0001). The STD Mean for the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) score in diabetic patients after the intervention in the case group was 0.84 higher than that in the control group. Researchers found no publication bias in this study. The STD Mean for the PSQI score in diabetic patients before and after the intervention in the case group was equal to 0.64.

All interventions were performed to improve sleep quality in diabetic patients who were eligible for this meta-analysis, and significantly improved sleep quality in them

Recently, smoking, as a critical risk factor, increased the diseases burden, especially chronic and non-communicable conditions, such as cardiovascular, respiratory, cancer, and stroke. Smoking is highly prevalent for various reasons. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the views and causes of smoking tendency in the youth of Qom City, Iran.

This qualitative research employed the content analysis method. The research environment consisted of all public places and the research population consisted of the youth of Qom City, Iran. In total, 19 participants were selected by the purposive sampling method. The required data were collected by semi-structured interviews, i.e., recorded, transcribed, and analyzed with the consent of the study participants. Qualitative content analysis was used to analyze the achieved data.

Data analysis provided 3 main categories of environmental factors, individual, family, and 8 subcategories that included cultural acceptability, stimulants, economic and social issues, attitude toward smoking, curiosity and excitement, family supervision and control, relationships within the family, and substance dependence in family members.

Smoking and hookah use in youth is a multi-factor and multi-level phenomenon. Besides, the factors determining the tendency to them are at various environmental, individual, family levels; thus, they should be considered in the prevention, control, and smoking cessation of hookah.

Terfetalic Acid (TPA ) is produced in large quantities and used in various industries. Besides, TPA is among the main sources of water pollution in industrialized countries. TPA photo-degradation process was performed in a Circulating Fluidized Bed Reactor (CFBR) by one Ultraviolet type A (UV-A) lamp and ozone generator with MnFe2 O4 /Willemite photo-catalyst.

In this research, the nanoparticles of MnFe2 O4 and Willemite were synthesized by co-precipitation reactions and wet mixing method, respectively. Then MnFe2 O4 / Willemite was synthesized by the immobilization of MnFe2 O4 on Willemite by mechanical method. Full factorial experimental design with 4 factors, including the pH, the initial concentration of TPA, the amount of Catalyst (Cat.), and O3 dosage was used for modeling and optimizing the process.

In the optimal conditions, the amounts of pH, TPA, Cat., and O3 were obtained equal to 9, 20 ppm, 1.5 g/L, and 2.17 mg/h, respectively. In these conditions, degradation efficiency was obtained to be 98.2695%, and decomposition kinetics was determined as pseudo-first-order with Kapp=0.2707 min-1, kLH=3.729 ppm min-1, and kadd=0.051 ppm-1.

Comparing experiments results in different processes, such as UV, UV-Cat, O3 , UVO3 , Cat-O3 , and UV-Cat-O3 revealed that photo-catalytic ozonation (O3 /MnFe2 O4 /Willemite) in the presence of UV for degradation of TPA in an aqueous environment, present the higher efficiency.

Infertile women experience negative feelings, such as anxiety, depression, and despair; accordingly, such conditions create strategies to cope with infertility, i.e., significant for a sense of stability. The present study aimed to determine the effects of an integrated approach, consisting of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and Positive Thinking Training (PTT) on distress and wellbeing in infertile women with marital conflicts.

In this randomized controlled trial, 30 infertile couples referring to the Infertility Clinic in Tehran, Iran was explored. The integrated approach group completed NEO Personality Inventory (NEO-PI), Fertility Problem Stress Scale, and Ryff’s Psychological Wellbeing Scale before and 1 month after the completion of the intervention. A Dependent Samples t-test was used to analyze the collected data.

According to the current research results, there was a significant difference in distress and wellbeing among the examined infertile women with marital conflicts (P<0.05). One month after the completion of the intervention, the mean overall distress score in the integrated approach group was significantly less than that of the pre-test phase (P<0.05). Furthermore, the mean overall score of wellbeing after the therapy sessions was significantly higher than that of the pretest step in the study subjects (P<0.05).

Considering the effectiveness of the integrated approach based on ACT plus PTT on distress and wellbeing in infertile women, this method can be used in infertility clinics. Healthcare providers and counselors should receive training on ACT and PTT to improve mental health and wellbeing among infertile couples.

Cerebral Palsy (CP) is the most common chronic motor disability in children. CP can cause depression and anxiety in the mothers of affected children. The present study aimed to investigate the effects of Compassion-Focused Therapy (CFT) on anxiety and depression in the mothers of children with CP.

This was an experimental study with a pre-test, post-test and follow-up and a control group design. The study sample consisted of 40 mothers of children with CP who were selected by convenience sampling method. We randomly divided the study participants into experimental and control groups (n=20/group). The research instruments included the Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI) and Beck Depression Inventory (BDI). The experimental group underwent eight 60-minute sessions weekly sessions of CFT. The follow-up step was performed after 45 days. The obtained data were analyzed by descriptive and inferential statistics, such as mean, standard deviation, Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA), and Multivariate Analysis of Covariance (MANCOVA). Data analysis was performed using SPSS v. 24.

The Mean±SD pre-test and post-test scores of anxiety and depression were measured as 28.80±9.24) and 16.25±7.40 in the experimental group and 38.80±10.27 and 28.00±5.01, respectively in the control group. The obtained results suggested that CFT effectively reduced anxiety and depression in the explored mothers of children with CP (P<0.01).

According to the present study results, CFT can be used to reduce anxiety and depression in the mothers of children with CP and accordingly improve their quality of life.

Beta-Endorphin (β-EP), as the main stress hormone, is secreted during delivery and labor and modifies the pain threshold and sensation. This study aimed to determine the umbilical cord blood level of β-EP and its related factors in two groups of nulliparous women with Natural Vaginal Delivery (NVD) and Elective Cesarean Section (ECS).

This case-control study was conducted on 80 pregnant women (40 cases & 40 control) at 38-42 weeks of gestation. Besides, the study subjects presented no history of chronic diseases, pregnancy complications, abortion, stillbirth, or infertility. The explored cases were women with NVD and the control were women with ECS. After delivery, a 3-mL blood sample was collected from the placental umbilical cord. After separating the blood serum, the β-EP level was examined using a standardized β-EP kit (Glory Co., USA). Data analysis was performed in SPSS using the Chi-squared test, t-test, and Fisher’s Exact test (P≤0.05).

The study groups were matched on individual, social, and obstetric characteristics, such as age, educational level, occupational status, gestational age, body mass index, and the frequency of prenatal care. The obtained results indicated that the umbilical cord blood levels of β-EP were significantly higher in the NVD group, compared to the ECS group (P=0.03).

The present research results suggested that NVD provides greater effects on the release of β-EP, in comparison with ECS.

Women’s health including, the sexual dimension is the basis of family’s and community’s health. Due to the lack of research on women’s sexual health, investigations seem necessary in this area. The present research aimed to study factors affecting women’s sexual health.

This was qualitative research. The required data were collected using in-depth individual interviews. The statistical population consisted of married women under the age of 50 years residing in Qom City, Iran. Twenty married women were selected by the purposive sampling method and data were obtained until reaching saturation.

Our findings indicated that sexual disorders, anal intercourse, neglecting sexual foreplay, environmental conditions, body image, pudency, and feeling guilty during intercourse degraded sexual health according to the interviewed women. According to this qualitative research data, the most common dysfunction reported by the interviewed women was anorgasmia.

In the present qualitative study, the factors affecting the sexual health of housewives were identified. Paying attention to these characteristics in designing appropriate interventions is suggested by health authorities in the country

Virtual Social Networks (VSNs), as a major communication tool, affect different aspects of life in society members. Due to the lack of an appropriate questionnaire to assess the consequences of using these VSNs, this study aimed to design and determine the psychometric properties of a questionnaire using consequences of VSNs in users.

This methodological research was conducted on 320 active users of VSNs in Qom Province, Iran, in 2018. Based on the purposeful literature review, 97 items related to various consequences of using VSNs were prepared. By assessing the face and content validity of the questionnaire, using the opinion of an 8-member expert panel, the items were quantitatively and qualitatively reviewed and reduced to 32 items. Furthermore, the reliability of the questionnaire was determined by examining the internal correlation of items by calculating the Cronbach’s alpha coefficient and the validity of the questionnaire was examined by a testretest method using SPSS v. 20. Finally, to evaluate the tool’s structural validity, exploratory factor analysis was performed using LISREL 10.3.

After determining the validity and reliability, a 7-factor questionnaire with 22 items was obtained. The content validity ratio and index values of all items were obtained to be more than 0.75 and 0.79, respectively. In the assessment of structural validity, the factor load values of all items, i.e., appropriate values, were measured to be more than 0.5. The reliability of the questionnaire was confirmed by Cronbach’s alpha coefficient to range between 0.65 and 0.85 and a correlation coefficient index of 0.66-0.87.

The present study data suggested that the developed questionnaire, using consequences of VSNs, had proper validity and reliability and can be used in future studies.