مجله تحقیقات سلامت در جامعه
سال هفتم شماره 2 (تابستان 1400)

One of the most valuable and widely used methods in screening and evaluating respiratory diseases and diagnosing lung disorders is spirometry and comparing its value with standard references. Therefore, the present study aimed to measure and compare spirometric values among adults in Esfarayen (northeastern Iran).

In this cross-sectional study, demographic, anthropometric, and spirometry data (based on American Thoracic Society criteria) were obtained from 317 normal adults in the summer of 2019. Thereafter, the Forced vital capacity  (FVC), forced expiratory volume in 1 s  (FEV1), forced expiratory flow at 25-75% of the pulmonary volume (FEF25-75), and peak expiratory flow (PEF) values in Iranian adult population were compared with predictions from Economic Community for Coal and Steel (ECCS), Knudson, Morris, and Pereira standardized references Data was analyzed in SPSS (version 18) using descriptive and analytical statistics (Kolmogorov-Smirnov, Pearson correlation and Paired sample t-test).

The mean scores of age and Body Mass Index (BMI) of subjects were reported as 29.63±0.38 years and 23.87±0.19 kg/m2, respectively. Statistical analysis demonstrated that the measured values of FVC, FEV1، FEF25-75, and PEF were significantly correlated with Knudson, Morris, ECCS, and Pereira references (P<0.05).

The comparison of the measured spirometric values with the international standards revealed that the Morris standard had a very high correlation with all the measured spirometric values. Therefore, this standard was identified as a suitable (consistent) and applicable reference in the study population.

Justice is one of the basic aspects of providing healthcare services. Accountability is also one of the components considered by policymakers and managers of healthcare systems and paying attention to this issue in healthcare organizations is of special importance. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between organizational justice and responding to patients referring to the hospital.

In this descriptive-analytical study, the samples were chosen from 387 employees of and 478 patients referring to selected hospitals in North Khorasan Province, Iran. The instrument for measuring organizational justice was the Niehoff and Morman questionnaire and the World Health Organization questionnaire was used to assess the responsiveness of hospitals' employees to patients.

The results showed that the rate of distributive justice among the employees was higher in public hospitals in North Khorasan Province than in the social security hospital. A significant difference was observed between the rate of responsiveness to the patients and an increase in the level of organizational justice (P≤0.05), which was increased.

It can be concluded that by giving importance to organizational justice, it is possible to promote hope among employees to respond to patients, and consequently, solve one of the greatest challenges of the country's healthcare system, namely patient satisfaction.

The prevalence of COVID-19 disease has led to many mental disorders, including hypochondriasis. This study aimed to investigate the hypochondriasis caused by COVID-19 disease and its related factors among the staff of an oil refinery located in the south of Iran.

In this cross-sectional study, the study sample included workers with different occupations in an oil refinery. Subjects were selected through a random sampling approach based on the inclusion criteria. The instruments used in this study included a demographic questionnaire, a researcher-made questionnaire, and Evans Questionnaire. Questionnaires and instructions were provided to the workers through social media networks. In total, 78 percent of the questionnaires were completed correctly and returned to the research team. Data were analyzed using SPSS software (Version 22)  through descriptive tests, analysis of variances (ANOVA), and Pearson correlation coefficient.

Based on the obtained results, 186 out of 275 cases obtained a score from 1 to 20 and were included in the group of healthy individuals. In addition, 89 cases showed mild to severe symptoms of hypochondriasis. The results of the one-way ANOVA analysis indicated that the hypochondriasis score was significantly different in different groups of variables of age, jobs experiences, the application of protective means, history of COVID-19, and attention to preventive measures (P<0.05).

The condition of the workplace has a significant relationship with the prevalence of hypochondriasis symptoms caused by COVID-19. Therefore, the improvement of the workplace environment can increase the probability of compliance with health protocols and reduce the rate of hypochondriasis among the staff.

Municipal wastewater effluents contain high amounts of nitrate and phosphate nutrients. Microalgae have been considered as a bioreactor to absorb nutrients in wastewater due to their environmental friendliness and ability to produce valuable products. In the present study, the effects of light-dark cycles and microalgae biomass concentrations on the nitrate and phosphate removal from municipal wastewater were investigated.

In this study, Chlorella vulgaris (green microalgae) was first cultured in a membrane photobioreactor with a light intensity of 300 μmol photons in three light cycles (12 h light-12 h dark, 16 h light-8 h dark, and 24 h light and 0-h dark). Afterward, the best light cycle in municipal wastewater effluent was investigated at constant concentrations of microalgae (0.5 g L-1, 1 g L-1, and 1.5 g L-1).

According to the results, the highest growth rate (2.3 g L-1) and the highest amount of nitrate and phosphate removal (87% and 86%) were obtained in the 24-0 light cycle. Following that, the concentration of 1 g L-1 of microalgae in the 24-0 light cycle was recorded as the highest amount of nitrate and phosphate removal from municipal wastewater (91% and 87%, respectively).

The results indicated that light-dark cycles and initial concentrations of microalgal inoculation could have an undeniable effect on the growth of microalgae. Moreover, it could have a significant impact on the removal of nitrate and phosphate from municipal wastewater through microalgae cultivation. This removal percentage increased with the optimization of light conditions and biomass concentration.

The social well-being of the students as an influential group, who face different experiences in society, university, and family, is affected by various factors. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the role of psychological hardiness components and emotions (positive and negative) in predicting the students' social well-being.

This study was conducted based on a descriptive-correlational research method. The statistical population included all students at the School of Nursing and Midwifery in Ghaen, Iran, during the academic year 2020-21. The samples (n=180) were selected using the convenience sampling method, as well as Gajresi and Morgan table. They were then asked to answer the questionnaires online. The data were collected using the Psychological Hardiness Scale (Kiamarsi et al., 1998), Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (Watson et al., 1988), as well as the Social Well-being Subscale (Keyes and Magyar-Moe, 2003). The obtained data were analyzed in SPSS software (version 25) through the Pearson correlation test and multiple regressions simultaneously.

The results showed a direct correlation between positive emotion and psychological hardiness with social well-being; however, there was an inverse and significant association between negative emotion and social well-being (P<0.01). Moreover, the results of the regression revealed that emotions and psychological hardiness explained 40% of the variance in social well-being.

The results emphasize the development of psychological hardiness and the promotion of positive emotion in order to increase the social well-being of students during Coronavirus disease-2019 pandemic.

According to epidemiological studies in the healthcare field, the prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders is increasing among dentists. Since the prevention of such disorders is crucial, the present study was conducted to determine the prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders and various physical interactions and related factors among dentists in Bojnourd.

The present study is descriptive cross-sectional. A total of 28 dentists in Bojnourd were selected by purposive sampling. The Nordic questionnaire was completed through an interview. Data were analyzed by SPSS software (V 22) using descriptive tests, Chi-square, and T-test.

The mean age and work experience of the subjects were 38.32±6.32 and 12.57±8.02 years, respectively. A study on 18 men and 14 women indicated the highest percentage of pain or discomfort in the back (75%), neck (71.4%), shoulders (60.7%), and waist (50%). The prevalence of neck and shoulder pain was higher in women (P=0.008). The Chi-square test showed that these disorders intensify with increasing age and work experience. Also, the t-test showed that individuals with BMI higher or lower than normal are more prone to musculoskeletal disorders.

A high prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders was observed in the neck and upper extremity. Regarding this issue, interventional ergonomics and preventive physiotherapy exercises in the workplace, training, and informing dentists about the injuries seems necessary.

Leukemia is one of the most common types of cancer, which is a set of diseases in which disobedient cells are part of the human body’s circulatory system. This study aimed to compare the effectiveness of spiritual therapy and positive psychology training on optimism in patients with leukemia.

The present study was a quasi-experimental study with a pretest, posttest, and follow-up design, and a control group. The statistical population of the study included all patients with leukemia who were referred to Valiasr Hospital in Khorramshahr, Iran, in 1398, of whom 45 patients (three groups of 15) were selected by purposive sampling. Scheier and Carver's optimism questionnaire (1993) was used for data collection. The experimental groups underwent individual spiritual therapy (12 sessions 90 minutes) and positive psychology training (14 sessions 90 minutes); however, the control group received no training. Data were analyzed using ANCOVA statistical method.

The results showed that both spiritual therapy and positive psychology training were effective to increase optimism in patients with leukemia (P<0.001). Moreover, the results revealed that there was a significant difference between the effectiveness of spiritual therapy and positive psychology training on the increase of optimism in patients with leukemia in favor of spiritual therapy (P<0.001) and this result was consistent in the follow-up period as well.

Based on the obtained results, it can be concluded that spiritual therapy and positive psychology can be used to increase optimism in patients with leukemia.

Infertility and its related factors are among the conditions affecting and reducing the quality of life in both physical and psychological dimensions. Given the critical importance of the role played by the quality of life in the success of treatment, the present study aimed to assess the non-pharmacological interventions made to improve the quality of life among infertile women.

A systematic search was conducted on Scientific Information Database, including MagIran, Google Scholar, PubMed, ScienceDirect, Embase, Scopus, and IranMedex from 2010- 2021. Data were extracted from all the studies that met the eligibility criteria based on the aims of the study. A total of 23 related articles were extracted and used. The quality of the articles was assessed based on the Risk of bias Cochrane.

A total of 23 articles met the eligibility criteria for a scoping review, 11 studies were published within the last five years, and 13 articles were performed In Iran. Psychological interventions were the most studied, and  15 (65.2%) evaluated studies included multilateral interventions (6;26%)  and complementary interventions (2; 8.6%). The majority of interventions improved the quality of life among the studied participants. In this study, the highest risk of bias was related to performance and detection, and the lowest number of articles were related to detection bias.

The majority of non-pharmaceutical interventions, especially in the field of psychology, are effective in the enhancement of infertile women’s quality of life. Therefore, it is suggested that special attention be devoted to effective counseling services and planning, along with common infertility treatments, to improve their quality of life. Nevertheless, more culture-based research is required to make more effective interventions and change the policies.