Journal of Education and Health Promotion
Volume:10 Issue: 7, Jul 2020

Health communication is a field that uses social and behavioral models to improve health outcomes and raise awareness on major health risks that threaten human well‑being. Low‑income countries (LICs) suffer from the effects of communicable and noncommunicable diseases that are exacerbated by weak health‑care systems, lack of awareness campaigns, and ineffective communication tactics. This work aims to explore health communication research in LICs to find strategies that help improve health outcomes in the future.

The PubMed database was explored systematically for publications related to health communication from LICs between January 1, 1960, and January 1, 2020. Publications were categorized according to country of origin and were analyzed with respect to population size, gross domestic product (GDP), and primary school enrollment of each state as obtained from the World Bank Open Data.

Collectively, LICs published 796 contributions, comprising 1.08% of the total biomedical research published by LICs and 0.27% of the world’s health communication research. Malawi had the highest number of publications per GDP, with 32.811 publications per billion US$. Uganda had the most contributions per population, with 9.579 publications per million persons. Ethiopia had the highest amount of contributions per primary school enrollment with a ratio of 2.461 publications per %gross. The role of health communication in promoting HIV awareness and prevention was the most common theme explored. Other infectious diseases, such as malaria, tuberculosis, and Ebola, were also highlighted. Improving communication in health education was also explored.

Health communication is a rising field in LICs, with research focusing on disease prevention. Efforts to amplify research are key to effectively utilize the health communication models and improve health outcomes in LICs.

As a part of healthcare providers of the Health System Reform Program, midwives are required to master the necessary knowledge and skills to meet the related demands of society. This study was aimed to assess the knowledge and skills training needs of practicing midwives of health and medical centers of Isfahan.

This study is a descriptive cross-sectional study. The statistical target population was midwifery experts working in Isfahan health centers and the samples were selected through simple random sampling (sample size 250). Data were collected by two questionnaires to assess knowledge and skill needs. The validity of the questionnaires was confirmed by experts of the province and city health centers and medical education experts and its reliability was calculated by Cronbach’s alpha (98%). Data were analyzed using SPSS 23 software and descriptive and analytical statistical methods (frequency, mean, variance).

The first five knowledge training priorities of employed midwives in health and medical centers, which comprise most of the means values, are pregnancy complications and abnormalities (3.64 ± 1.21); mammography and its interpretation (64.3 ± 1.30); skills and principles of parenting (3.59 ± 1.24); shortness of breath and palpitations during pregnancy (3.58 ± 1.16); and common mental disorders (3.57 ± 1.16). The most important skills training needs were Excel (1.21 ± 3.59), PowerPoint (27.1 ± 54.3), internet (3.52 ± 1.25), and parameters registration and reporting in the SIB system (3.49 ± 1.28). Employed midwives of the health and medical centers displayed a significant difference in feeling the need for training in some subjects.

Needs assessment is the foundation of purposeful training, and better training leads to improved performance of personnel and organizations. Therefore, it is imperative that reliable and documented data be utilized for promotion and improvement of in-service training programs of employed midwives of the health and medical centers of Isfahan province and also for revising university curriculums. Taking these measures would lead to the empowerment of personnel and general development of society

The educational service is expensive and having the right financial information is one of the most important tools for managing financial resources. Therefore, due to the importance of this issue, this study aimed to determine the cost of educational services for medical sciences students at Alborz University of Medical Sciences.

A cross-sectional study was conducted between March 20, 2018, and March 20, 2019, at Alborz University of Medical Sciences. The current and capital cost data were extracted from the university’s financial database, and the cost price of services provided was calculated using the activity-based cost model.

The mean annual cost of services per student was $4778, and the mean cost of education per hour was $113. The total cost price of services provided per student at the school was 65% for wages and salary, 26% for depreciation of building and equipment, and 9% for consumable goods and services. Furthermore, the share of different cost centers to the total cost price of services provided per student was 82% for educational services, 11.9% for student welfare services, and 6.1% for research services.

Costs of personnel, especially pays to faculty members and the costs of capital expenditures, are the most important costs in higher education institutions. It seems reducing of pay to faculty members through novelty approach of education and evaluation, reducing capital expenditures through use effective of buildings and equipment that can be placed higher education institutions in the path to productivity.

Brucellosis is one of the common diseases between humans and animals. The purpose of this study was to investigate behavioral determinants of brucellosis incidence among stockbreeders and their family members in a rural area based on the PRECEDE model.

This cross-sectional study was carried out among 540 stockbreeders and their family members in Northeastern Iran in 2019. Sampling was done in two stages including stratified sampling and random sampling method. Data collection was conducted by a valid and reliable questionnaire developed based on the PRECEDE model. Data were analyzed using SPSS16 through Pearson correlation coefficient, independent t-test, and ANOVA. Furthermore IBM SPSS AMOS version 20 was used for the path analysis.

The mean age of the participants was 39.02 ± 16.41 years, of whom 53.1% and 46.9% were men and women, respectively. About 23.9% of the participants had a history of brucellosis in their families. Enabling factors were the most important determinant of self-efficacy and self-efficacy was the most important determinants of behavior. Evaluation of the chi-square indicators, chi-square ratio to degree of freedom, root mean square error of approximation, adjusted goodness of fit index, parsimony comparative fit index, comparative fit index, incremental fit index, and parsimonious normed fit index indices indicated that the model was well fitted and there was a positive and significant relationship between the predisposing, enabling, and reinforcing factors on the one hand and behavior on the other. chi-square indicators, chi-square ratio to degree of freedom, root mean square error of approximation, adjusted goodness of fit index, parsimony comparative fit index, comparative fit index, incremental fit index, and parsimonious normed fit index

Designing and implementing health plans based on the PRECEDE model with more emphasis on self-efficacy as the most important behavioral determinants can bring about a positive effect on enhancing the brucellosis preventing behaviors.

Posttraumatic growth following traumas such as chronic illnesses can occur in some people. The psychological factors, such as cognitive emotion regulation (CER), can influence its formation. CER is a type of coping strategy that helps to efficiently deal with trauma. Due to the importance of the topic and the lack of sufficient studies on posttraumatic growth and CER in hemodialysis patients, this study aims to investigate the relationship between posttraumatic growth and CER in hemodialysis patients.

This is a descriptive study performed on hemodialysis patients in Bou Ali and Velayat hospitals in Qazvin. One hundred and sixty-two patients were selected by the convenience sampling method, and Garnefski Cognitive Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (α =0.92) and Tedeschi Posttraumatic Growth Questionnaire (α =0.96) were used. Data were analyzed using Pearson correlation and ANOVA tests.

The results showed that the majority of the hemodialysis patients experienced some degree of posttraumatic growth. The participants achieved high scores in the domains of spiritual development and communication with others. Moreover, posttraumatic growth was positively and significantly correlated with CER (r = 0.67, P < 0.001).

Hemodialysis provides the basis for the positive mental reactions known as posttraumatic growth in hemodialysis patients. Nurses and other authorities can use this phenomenon to adapt to illness and care planning.

Better preventive care is a prerequisite to foster community health and in reducing the unnecessary burden on the health‑care system. The Unani System of Medicine has given due emphasis on preventive care. This article aims to discuss the health promotion and disease prevention approaches in Unani Medicine.

A manual literature survey of classical Unani texts such as Firdaus‑al‑hikmat, Al Qanoon‑fit‑tib, Kitab‑al‑mansoori, Kitab‑al‑kulliyat, and Kitab‑al‑taisir was conducted to collect the information available on the strategic approaches of health promotion and disease prevention in Unani Medicine. To obtain the appropriate English equivalent words for Unani terms and the scientific name of the drugs, “Standard Unani Medical Terminology” and “Classification of Unani Drugs” were consulted, respectively.

The findings of the literature survey revealed that Unani physicians have advocated the personalized and predictive approaches for maintaining health and preventing diseases. Personalized approach mainly centers on the temperament of an individual. By determining an individual’s temperament, Unani physician can tell what is adequate or not adequate for the individual. While in the predictive approach, correct knowledge of prodromal symptoms is a prerequisite to predict the future developments in the human body and recommending the appropriate preventive measures accordingly.

These approaches present interesting perspectives in the field of promotive and preventive care and are of much relevance in the present scenario. Unfortunately, the lack of efficacy studies is a limiting factor in their application. Hence, effective protocol must be developed to provide evidence‑based data and to give grounds for their widespread usage.

Because the performance assessment of the health system is used as the basis for decision‑making and demonstrates progress or failure in achieving the goals of the health system, promoting the health system performance assessment can play a major role in improving and enhancing the health system. Therefore, the main aim of the study was to identify and prioritize the challenges of promoting the health system performance assessment.

There were two approaches in both qualitative and cross‑sectional studies. At first, using semi‑structured interviews with 52 performance appraisers, data related to the challenges of promoting the health system performance assessment were collected and thematically analyzed. Then, in cross‑sectional terms, the performance appraisers were provided with researcher‑made checklists which contained a list of challenges to determine the priority of challenges by scoring. The data were handled and analyzed using MAXQDA Plus version 12 and Microsoft Excel.

Our results revealed five themes and ten subthemes on the challenges of promoting the health system performance assessment. Themes (subthemes) included infrastructures (cultural and technological), implementation (organizational support, process, and responsibilities), human resources (motivation and training), assessment (performance monitoring), and content of measures (reliability and validity). We also prioritized 31 listed challenges in three priority groups, including below average, average, and above average.

Our findings suggest that promoting the health system performance assessment in Iran can be accomplished by allocating financial and nonfinancial motives to the performance assessment staffs, using performance assessment results in policymaking, clarifying tasks of assessment process executors, and reviewing and adapting the performance assessment indices according to contingencies in the health system.

Diet adherence may cause diabetes complications to be diminished.

This study aimed at identifying determinants of diet adherence among patients with Type 2 diabetes based on the health action process approach (HAPA).

In this cross-sectional study, 734 patients with Type 2 diabetes, attending to South Tehran health centers, were recruited during June–December 2018. The dietary regimen scale (nine items) and a researcher-designed questionnaire consisting of HAPA constructs were used to gather the data. Data were analyzed using the Mann–Whitney test, Pearson Chi-squared test, Fisher’s exact test, and linear regression test. All statistical tests were assessed using SPSS (IBM Corp. Released 2017. IBM SPSS Statistics for Windows, Version 25.0. Armonk, NY, USA: IBM Corp.).

The level of nonadherence to diet was 91.1%. Diet adherence was significantly associated with family income (P = 0.005), level of education (P < 0.001), and age (P = 0.009). The linear regression showed that 55% of the variance of diet adherence was determined by HAPA variables. Diet adherence was associated with intention (P < 0.001), action planning (P = 0.005), and barriers (P = 0.003).

Most of the patients did not adhere to their diet. Appropriate programs should be designed to promote diet adherence among the patients, especially those with low literacy and patients living in poor communities.

Despite the progress of health care and the application of new technology in the care of patients, the need to train highly skilled and specialized nurses is inevitable. Given that a master’s degree in neonatal intensive care nursing has been recently established in Iran, the aim of the study was to explain the educational challenges of neonatal intensive care postgraduate nursing students in their perspective.

This conventional content analysis was performed by conducting semi-structured interviews with 18 students of neonatal intensive care in X University of Medical Sciences from 2018 to 2019. Data were analyzed using conventional content analysis. To establish the reliability and validity of findings, Graneheim and Landman criteria were considered.

Following the data analysis, two main categories were extracted: “theoretical education challenges” and “clinical education challenges.” The first main category was comprised of the following subcategories: “detachment of nursing department and hospital,” “defects in weekly scheduling,” “combination of care and treatment approaches in education,” “inconsistency between the content of theoretical courses,” “limited collaboration between basic science and medical departments,” “low number of lecturers,” “lecturers’ unrealistic expectations,” and “the importance of the scoring system.” “Extended work shifts,” “a large number of students,” “lack of opportunity to do clinical practices,” “lack of training classes,” and “limited amenities in the hospital” were recognized as subcategories of the second category.

Managers can address some of the students’ challenges and provide the opportunity to enhance the quality of education through being familiar with, considering and meetings the needs and expectations of these students.

Disciplinary-based information literacy (DIL) or professional-related information literacy has not been widely studied in the academic context, including medical sciences. This study aimed at investigating the status of DIL among medical students in an Iranian medical university.

This study was a cross-sectional survey. A random sample consisting of 298 students majoring in general medicine at Tehran University of Medical Science, Tehran, Iran, in the academic year of 2018–2019 completed a valid and reliable 20-item questionnaire on DIL. Data were analyzed using SPSS statistical software.

Participants’ DIL was less than expected, especially in the skills related to professional information access and evaluation. The majority of them had low DIL level. However, medical students in their last 2 years of study had significantly high scores in DIL than those in their first 2 years of study.

Information literacy has not been seriously considered in health-related higher education in Iran. It is needed to consider DIL in the medical curriculum for training students to be proficient specialists in medical practice.

Regular training in the blood transfusion process is crucial for transfusion safety. Hospital transfusion committees have an obligation to provide this education to hospital employees through training activities. E-learning is positioning itself as a valid alternative to physical-presence courses.

We describe a training course on blood transfusion to members of our hospital who are involved in the transfusion process, including technicians, nurses, and doctors. The course uses Moodle as the e-learning platform; it is evaluated using a satisfaction survey along with a knowledge-transfer and impact survey a year after taking the course.

From 2015 to 2018, seven editions of the online transfusion course were developed. Six hundred and eighty students enrolled; of these, 124 did not take the final examination (18.2%); 60 never began the course (8.8%). Of the 556 students who completed the course, 546 passed (98.2%). The average score from the initial self-assessment was 7.3 while the average score from the final self-assessment was 9.2; the mean improvement was 1.9 (out of 10). The level of general course satisfaction was 9.27 (an average out of 10). More than 90% of the students stated that they were able to apply the acquired knowledge in the workplace after a year.

E-learning has demonstrated itself as an affordable solution that could help in the training of all staff involved in the transfusion process at our hospital, with the advantage that it includes general knowledge and particular skills in local transfusion medical practice.

Postpartum depression is a significant common health problem that has negative effects on mental and physical health of mothers and their infants. The main purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between spiritual well-being (SWB) and perceived social support with postpartum depression in new mothers.

Using a descriptive survey design, 200 mothers in the 4th–8th weeks after delivery, who referred to selected therapeutic centers in Qom Province, were selected by a convenience sampling method. They were asked to answer the question of the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale, Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support, SWB Scale, and Farhangestan Spiritual Health Questionnaire. Data were analyzed using Pearson correlation and Chi-square.

The prevalence of postpartum depression in this group was 22%. Pearson correlation test showed that there was a negative correlation between high level of perceived social support and SWB with postpartum depression.

The findings of this study suggest that perceived social support and SWB have an important role in low depressive symptom in mothers during postpartum. This result can help health- care professionals to pay much attention to social support and SWB as a protective factor against postpartum depression in postpartum or pregnancy care programs.

The concept of electronic health literacy has become a main focus of health-care professionals along with the increasing use of the Internet. In Iran, the Internet not yet has much impact on providing health services, and the physicians’ and patients’ community are now more willing to use the traditional method for diagnosing disease and prescribing medicines. This study aimed to determine the correlation between electronic health literacy, quality of life (QoL), and self- efficacy among Tehran citizens.

The present study is a descriptive, cross-sectional study with a correlation approach that was conducted on 400 clients of community health centers of Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences in 2019. Samples were selected by stratified random sampling method. Data were collected using E-Health Literacy Questionnaire (α = 0.88), 12-item Short-Form Health Survey (α = 0.73), and General Self-Efficacy Scale (α = 0.87). Analytic statistics were using by descriptive statistics (mean and standard deviation) and inferential statistics (Pearson correlation coefficient and regression analysis) at the significant level (P < 0.05).

Correlation between electronic health literacy and QoL was 0.14 and with self-efficacy was 0.10, which was positive and statistically significant (P < 0.05). In addition, the correlation between QoL and self-efficacy was 0.33, which was positive, statistically significant, and moderate (P < 0.05).

According to the findings of this study, it is possible to improve the QoL through the promotion of electronic health literacy and self-efficacy. The results of this study can be used as a basis for health service providers and policymakers in designing and implementing health-related interventions.

To design instructions in health sciences education, it is highly relevant to heed the working memory and the approaches for managing cognitive load. In this article, we tried to mention the implications of cognitive load theory (CLT) for optimizing teaching-learning in health sciences education and discussing cognitive load from the perspective of cognitive neurosciences as brain-aware medical education.

We searched databases of Pubmed, Proquest, SCOPUS, and ISI Web of Science for relevant literature in September 1, 2018.

The 27 articles out of a total of 46 records, along with 23 papers from snowballing and hand searching were included in this study. Main items encompassed; “Various types of cognitive loads,” “Aim of cognitive load theory,” “Strategies to managing Cognitive Load,” “Cognitive Load Theory in novice and experienced learners and “expertise reversal effect,” Medical and Health Sciences Curriculums and Cognitive Load Theory,” “Challenges of Cognitive Load Theory.”

We discussed six important themes for CLT in health sciences education according to the literature. Mental imagery (visualization) as one of the useful techniques to optimize germane load was suggested, as it processes further gain access to neural circuits that are engaged in sensory, motor, executive, and decision-making pathways in the brain.

Recently, the Iranian Ministry of Health estimated about 750,000 deaths are attributed smoking complications. The aim of this study was to apply the transtheoretical model (TTM) on general population of Mashhad city to evaluate the stages of change and possible cultural factors regarding smoking cessation.

This descriptive, cross-sectional population-based study was conducted in Mashhad, Iran. A total number of 562 participants selected by multistage sampling. They were asked about stages of change for smoking cessation for both hookah and cigarette smoking. Stages of change refer to an orderly sequence of changes in smoking behavior that people progress through according to the TTM. Its six stages are as follows: precontemplation (PC) (no intention to quit smoking within 6 months), contemplation (planning to quit smoking in the following 6 months), preparation (planning to stop smoking within 1 month), action (quit smoking for <6 months), maintenance (stopped smoking for 6 months or more), and termination (will never smoke again). Data were analyzed using tests such as Chi-square, Kruskal–Wallis, and logistic regression by SPSS 11.5.

About 18% and 19% of people in this study were regular hookah and cigarette smokers, respectively. There was significant difference between cigarette smoking and sex (P < 0.001) and marital status (P = 0.01). There was a statistically significant difference between stages of change in men and women from the point of cigarette smoking (P < 0.001). Male sex, hookah smoking, and alcohol abuse were predictors of PC, and age was the only predictor of termination stage for cigarette smoking. Sex did not have any role in hookah smoking.

Targeted education based on gender and marital status warrant attention. Community-wide education and interventions such as increasing the price of cigarettes are desired.

Use of technology and ICT tools is ubiquitous among college students including medical students. However overuse or misuse may lead to many physical and psychological problems including the risk of harming professional standing in the long term. The purpose of this study was to explore techno stress among freshmen at a medical institute and to suggest measures to reduce problematic use of technology pertaining to internet.

(i) To explore the extent of technology use including internet among medical freshmen, (ii) To identify the content of usage (iii) To quantify the extent of techno stress and iv. To suggest measures to reduce problematic use of technology.

The sample comprised all the freshmen at a medical institute (n = 61). A semi structured questionnaire was used to collect socio demographic details of students and their patterns of technology usage. Perceived Stress Scale was used to measure stress.

The mean age of the sample was 18.34 (±0.58) years comprising 68% males and 32% females. Students spent a mean time of 3.96 h/day on the technology tools (standard deviation = 4.99). Ninety-two percent of the students used technology for educational purposes followed by entertainment (89%), social networking (77.78%), watching films (70.37%), communication (66.67%) and watching pornography (46.3%). 11.47% had symptoms suggestive of problematic internet use. One percent had craving suggestive of addiction. All these had stress out of which 43% had high and 57% had moderate levels of stress.

Considering the students’ present usage of social media, it can serve as a potent academic tool. However, awareness is required to be raised with regard to its use as a medical professional.

Use of technology is crucial in the current academic world and restrictions on usage may neither be practical nor feasible. However, understanding patterns of usage among students is a preliminary step that can enable educators and administrators to formulate guidelines to channelise their usage in more productive ways

 Pap smear test is one of the most important actions in preventing cervical cancer. This study aimed to perform a meta-analysis on all related literature about the effects of health belief model (HBM)-based training on Pap smear screening test performance of Iranian women.

The search was performed in Scopus, PubMed, and Web of Science. Eligibility criteria were limited to English and Persian language articles with experimental or semi-experimental methods until October 2019 that evaluated the effect of HBM-based training on Iranian women’s performance of Pap smear test. We excluded studies that used both cervical and breast cancer screening together.

Twelve studies were performed on totally 1605 participants. This meta-analysis showed that all of Health Belief Model (HBM) constructs improved significantly among HBM-based trained women, perceived susceptibility (standard mean division [SMD] =0.785; P = 0.002; confidence interval [CI] = 0.005 to 1.56; Heterogeneity; P = 0.013; I2 = 97%)., perceived severity (SMD = 1.14; P = 0.001; CI = 0.66–1.62; heterogeneity; P < 0.001; I2 = 92%), perceived benefits (SMD = 1.25; P = 0.001; CI = 0.545–0.135 heterogeneity; P = 0.003; I2 = 97%), perceived barrier (SMD = 0.20; P = 0.001; CI = 0.44–1.24; heterogeneity; P < 0.001; I2 = 92%) and perceived self-efficacy (SMD = 0.638; P < 0.001; CI =1.76–0.426; heterogeneity; P < 0.001; I2 = 97%).

Cervical screening education program based on the HBM can be effective on Iranian women’s performance in their perceived susceptibility, perceived severity, perceived barrier, and perceived self-efficacy about Pap smear test.

Professionalism and medical ethics are a vital quality for doctors, which has been taken into account seriously in recent years. Perception of the factors affecting professionalism may help develop more efficient approaches to promote this quality in medical education. This study was aimed to explain the role of hidden curriculum in the formation of professional ethics in Iranian medical students.

This qualitative study was performed on 15 medical interns of Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences in 2019, using grounded theory. Sampling was started by purposive sampling and continued through theoretical sampling until complete data saturation. Data collection and analysis were done simultaneously. Data were interpreted by a constant comparative method according to Strauss and Corbin’s approach.

The analysis of the participants’ interviews and reduction of findings using common themes yielded one class and four categories as well as a number of concepts as the role of hidden curriculum in the formation of professional ethics in medical students. The categories included the role of modeling in the formation of professional ethics, role of education in the formation of professional ethics, role of environmental factors in the formation of professional ethics, and role of personal and inherent attributes in the formation of professional ethics.

Curriculum developers and medical education authorities need to proceed in line with the findings of the present study to provide a proper learning environment, in which the modeling, learning, and teaching conditions and supportive environmental atmosphere are taken into account in accordance with the inherent and individual characteristics of the learners in order to guarantee the formation of professional ethics in medical students.

The World Health Organization has identified health literacy (HL) as one of the most important determinants of people’s health. Therefore, this research aimed to investigate the status of HL and its predictors.

This research was a cross-sectional study that was performed on 600 adults in Bijar County, Iran. Cluster sampling was used to select the samples. Data were collected using the questionnaire of HL for Iranian adults. Data were analyzed using one-way analysis of variance, Student’s t-test, and multiple linear regression in SPSS 21.

The mean score of HL was 3.6 out of 5; 69% and 29% of the samples had a moderate- to-high health status, respectively. Among the dimensions of HL, the highest and the lowest means were perception (3.94) and evaluation (3.21), respectively. Based on the multiple regression results, the variables (gender – B = −0.142, confidence interval [CI]: −0.409 to −0.011, P = 0.39; education level – B = 0.391, CI: 0.149–0.287, P = 0.00; and income level – B = 0.203, CI: 0.00–0.00, P = 0.01) were significantly positively associated with HL.

The results of this study can be applied to educational interventions through media and radio-television to increase public awareness. Education is also strongly recommended in terms of demographic variables and characteristics to promote HL in the society.

Health promotion of adolescents requires appropriate evidences of its determinants. The aim of this study was to investigate predictors of self-rated health (SRH) among adolescents in Qazvin, Iran.

In this descriptive cross-sectional study, with a multistage sampling method, we recruited 1740 adolescents aged 12–19 years from 53 schools in Qazvin, Iran (2018). We used the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire and Adolescents’ Academic Stress Questionnaire for data collection. The analysis was conducted using a multilevel logistic regression model. Gender, educational period, and socioeconomic status were considered as confounders.

Almost 21% of the adolescents reported their SRH suboptimal. Suboptimal SRH was higher in girls and older adolescents. Mental health disorders and academic stress had a positive association with SRH. However, this association was negative for academic achievement and physical activity. The interaction between mental health disorders and academic stress with SRH had a significant association in a crud regression model.

Mental health, academic stress, academic achievement, and physical activity were important predictors for SRH. Interventions that focus on promoting mental health, academic stress, academic achievement, and physical activity such as physical activity for 1 h and each day for 3 days per week can improve SRH in adolescents. Hence, policymakers should pay more attention to this issue in health promotion programs of adolescents

Adolescence is characterized by a rapid phase of growth and development during which the requirement of nutrition and micronutrients is relatively high. Although there is a decreasing trend in the prevalence of undernutrition among adolescents, the current prevalence of undernutrition is still very high (41.9%). Adolescents with good nutrition knowledge are more likely to follow healthy eating habits. In the light of this, the current study was planned to assess the baseline nutrition‑related knowledge of adolescent girls and the effectiveness of nutrition education material (flipchart) in increasing their nutrition‑related knowledge.

A school‑based interventional study was conducted among adolescent girls of class 9th of a school in an urban slum of Delhi. A structured pretested Knowledge Assessment Questionnaire consisting of 10 multiple‑choice questions in Hindi with a maximum score of 10 was used. The intervention was a nutrition education session conducted by doctors of Community Health department using specially designed flipcharts covering important aspects of nutrition relevant for adolescent girls. A demonstration of food items and charts and flex material was also given. The total sample size was 265 adolescent girls.

Baseline knowledge as assessed by mean pretest score was poor (3.698 ± 1.81). The students’ baseline knowledge was significantly associated with mother’s educational status (P = 0.024). There was a significant increase (mean difference was 1.7890 ± 0.1434) in the nutrition‑related knowledge of the participants after the intervention (P < 0.001). The proportion of students who improved, i.e., 147 (55.47%) was more than proportion who deteriorated (25 [9.43%]) after the educational session. This difference was found to be statistically significant (P ≤ 0.001).

Nutrition knowledge was found poor among school‑going adolescent girls, which significantly improved after the nutrition education session.

Conduct disorder is among the most serious and complex complications in school- aged children. Considering severe problems in the families of children with conduct disorder, this article aimed to investigate such problems in this group. SUBJECTS AND

This qualitative research was conducted on 23 participants in Tehran, Iran. The study participants were selected by purposive sampling technique. Interviewees consisted of children with conduct disorder (8–12 years old), their parents, teachers, and relevant experts. This study is a qualitative research which is a content analysis. The research tools included a checklist of questions approved by experts. The content analysis method was used with the help of MAXQDA software to analyze the obtained data.

The findings comprised the studied families’ issues in five categories. These classes included the parents’ marital problems, helplessness, and inability of the family to improve conditions; inappropriate discipline approaches; the family’s lack of interest in the treatment; and the family members’ mental harms.

It is necessary to provide appropriate facilities and health-care centers for the families to reduce the burden of their problems. In addition, a specialist and experienced work team consisting of at least a child psychiatrist, a child psychologist, and a social worker is necessary to serving these families.

Hypertension is one of the most critical factors for chronic diseases such as cardiovascular disease, stroke, arrhythmias, heart failure, and renal disease. The aim of this study was to evaluate the quality of life and its related factors in hypertensive patients.

This study was descriptive research. The sampling method was simple random, i.e., 137 were selected among the ten health centers of the list of the existing patients by simple random sampling. Data were collected using a questionnaire World Health Organization Quality of Life-BREF (Short Form-26). After collecting the questionnaires, the data analysis was carried out using SPSS software and using statistical methods (e.g., number, percentage, mean, standard deviation, and MANOVA tests).

The results showed that the mean score for the physical domain (52.82), the psychological domain (50.26), the social domain (48.33), the environmental domain (46.1), and the total quality of life (49.60). Among the demographic variables, the education level variable (P =0.000), job (P = 0.013), and the duration of hypertension (P = 0.039) were significantly correlated with the quality of life of patients. The “levels of education” variables are significantly correlated with the physical domain (P = 0.000), psychological domain (P = 0.000), social domain (P = 0.000), and environmental domain (P = 0.000) of the quality of life. The “job status” variable is only significantly correlated with the social domain of the quality of life (P = 0.005). The “duration of hypertension” variable is only significantly associated with the physical domain of the quality of life (P = 0.011).

The findings of the present study show that demographic variables such as educational level, occupation, and duration of hypertension have a significant relationship with the quality of life domains of hypertensive patients. It is recommended that the principled education of patients is a step toward the improvement of the quality of life of patients.

Teenagers are increasingly interested in computer games, and the adverse effects of these games are dependent on the execution of these games. The theory of planned behavior (TPB) is one of the most important theories in behavior change. This study aimed to determine the effect of educational planning based on TPB on the level of dependence on computer games in high school male students in Gonabad, Iran.

This was a randomized controlled trial. The study population was students of computer games in Gonabad. Sixty-four students were selected by a multistage random sampling method and were randomly divided into intervention (n = 32) and control (n = 32) groups. Data-gathering tool was the standard questionnaire of computer game dependency and researcher- made questionnaire according to TPB constructs that were completed before, immediately, and 3 months after the intervention. The intervention consisted of eight 90-min training sessions. Data were analyzed using the Chi-square test, Fisher’s, t-test, repeated measures ANOVA, and Bonferroni post hoc test.

Before the intervention, the intervention and control groups were matched for the mean score of model constructs. However, after the intervention, the mean score of computer game addiction significantly decreased (≤0.001). However, the mean score of knowledge, attitude, perceived behavioral control, and behavioral intention increased, which was statistically significant. Furthermore, the mean changes of model structures were statistically significant (P < 0.05).

The findings revealed that TPB can be used as a good theoretical framework for designing and implementing educational programs to reduce the dependency of computer games on students.

Many women refuse to exercise during pregnancy due to lack of awareness and not receiving training. The aim of this study was to investigate and compare the effect of group and telemedicine education on exercise during pregnancy by using the health belief model (HBM).

This quasi-experimental study was carried out in 2019 in Zahedan, and a total of 135 pregnant women participated in it. Samples were randomly assigned to the following three groups: group training (n = 45), telemedicine (n = 45), and control (n = 45). Group training was presented in three sessions, and the telemedicine group received the educational content through mobile applications. The samples completed the HBM questionnaire before and 6 weeks after the intervention. In addition, within 6 weeks after the intervention, they completed the exercise activity schedule. SPSS software Ver. 16 (IBM Corp, Armonk, NY, USA) was used for analysis, and data were analyzed by ANOVA, Tukey’s post-hoc test, Kruskal–Wallis test, and Mann–Whitney test.

After intervention, the scores of HBM constructs and exercise levels in group training, telemedicine group, and control group, respectively, were as follows: perceived susceptibility 25.91 ± 3.24, 25.51 ± 1.97, and 22.55 ± 3.78; perceived severity 27.48 ± 2.27, 25.13 ± 2.29, and 22.51 ± 3.88; perceived benefits 27.28 ± 2.97, 25.68 ± 3, and 22.8 ± 3.05; perceived barriers 10.69 ± 2.69, 10.66 ± 3.19, and 14.17 ± 3.14; cues to action 24.71 ± 4.35, 23.9 ± 2.48, and 22.84 ± 3.02; self-efficacy 26.17 ± 3.05, 25.2 ± 2.82, and 22.51 ± 3.38; and exercise levels 70.99 ± 20.43, 56.51 ± 21.99, and 37.62 ± 29.66. Group training and telemedicine led to significant improvement in all HBM constructs and exercise levels (P < 0.05, P < 0.0001, and P = 0.003, respectively). Group training provided more improvement than telemedicine in the scores of perceived severity (P < 0.0001), perceived benefits (P = 0.001), cues to action (P = 0.02), and mean exercise time (P = 0.001).

The results of this study showed that the HBM is a proper model for exercise education in pregnant women. It is recommended to use HBM as a group training and telehealth in promoting the rate of exercise in pregnant women.

Iran has experienced an increasing number of earthquake disasters in the past three decades. Due to nurses’ unique role as professional and volunteer responders in times of disaster, more information is required regarding the capabilities they need to provide more effective care during the crisis. The aim of this study was to identify professional capabilities needed by nurses to provide care to the injured of earthquake.

The present study was conducted as a qualitative conventional content analysis, and data collection was carried out through 16 semi‑structured and in‑depth interviews with the nurses involved in providing care to the injured in the Kermanshah earthquake. The data were analyzed following Graneheim and Lundman’s approach.

Data analysis led to the emergence of 427 primary codes, 10 subcategories, and four categories. The four categories included clinical competence (professional knowledge and clinical skills), personal competences (communication skills, resiliency, and creativity and innovation in providing care), ethical competence (commitment to ethics and professional responsibility), and essential skills in caring for the injured (skills in triage, psychological care skills, and skills in observation and monitoring)

The present study identified a wide range of professional capabilities required by nurses in disasters. Given that nurses do not acquire some of these specialized and technical skills during their education, it is recommended to enhance the professional capacity of nurses in disasters. In addition, special training programs in this field can be incorporated into the curriculum of nursing programs and in‑service nursing education.

Occupational accidents have many undesirable and irreparable effects on labor forces, assets, environment, and credibility of organizations. Human errors are one of the most important causes of occupational accidents. Human errors have different causes, but in all cases, human cognitive abilities and limitations play important roles; in this research, the relationship between occupational cognitive failures and work-related accidents in heavy equipment operators of Shahid Rajaee Port Complex has been investigated.

This research was done through the field method. A sample of 332 people was selected by a stratified sampling method among all heavy equipment operators. The data gathering tool contained a 30-item occupational cognitive failure questionnaire. Furthermore, regression analysis method was used to test the hypotheses.

The results of this study showed that cognitive failures of occupational accidents on direct work-related accidents in heavy equipment operators of Shahid Rajaee Port complex have a direct effect (P < 0.00). Further more, variables that modify the research are age, work experience, working hours, educational level, type of occupation, and marital status of the operators.

Regarding the direct relation between cognitive occupational failures and occupational accidents, one can predictive this result that the occupational cognitive failure questionnaire can be used as a predictive tool in accidents of Shahid Rajaee Port Complex.

Although telemedicine has been used spottily in Indian health care so far, the 2020 Covid‑19 pandemic provided the nation’s health systems an unprecedented opportunity to make a concerted effort to increase access and coverage. Health‑care providers can incorporate telemedicine systems to reduce doctor‑patient visits and help in breaking the chain of transmission of infections. Anticipating the increased need of telemedicine by health‑care providers, the Medical Council of India released practice guidelines in March 2020. In this article, the literature pertinent to telemedicine and its applications with special reference to recently released practice guidelines were reviewed and summarized in a historical and current context. Telemedicine is bound to grow and be adopted by more health‑care practitioners and patients in a wide variety of forms due to ease and availability. At the same time, it cannot replace in‑person consultation or emergency medicine.

In chronic diseases such as osteoporosis, understanding the factors that improve prevention, such as health literacy (HL), is essential in reducing the incidence of these diseases. This study aimed to determine the association between HL and adoption of osteoporosis‑preventive behaviors among students in Qazvin. SUBJECTS AND

This is a cross‑sectional study in which 375 female students (aged 15–18 years) at high schools (grades 10th, 11th, and 12th) in Qazvin city were selected, in 2019. Sampling method was multistage. To collect data, the standardized questionnaire for measuring HL in adolescents (health literacy measure in adolescents), in addition to another questionnaire for assessing osteoporosis‑preventive behaviors, was used. Data were analyzed using SPSS 22 by descriptive statistics and logistic regression. The association considered significant when P < 0.05.

The mean scores of adoption of osteoporosis‑preventive behaviors and HL were 22.43 ± 5.60 and 70.84 ± 12.58, respectively. Logistic regression showed that there was a significant association between the adoption of osteoporosis‑preventive behaviors and HL (P = 0.001). In addition, the association between the adoption of osteoporosis‑preventive behaviors and age was also significant (P = 0.048 and odds ratio = 3.35).

Young students and those of low HL showed less adoption of osteoporosis‑preventive behaviors. Therefore, it is necessary to pay more attention to design educational programs that may raise the knowledge and awareness of those students about such these diseases, mainly prevention.

Novel coronavirus is believed to be tiny enough (0.08–0.14 μm) to penetrate through face mask, thus protection offered by cloth mask may be too low. However, the use of cloth face mask in community has been recommended by the United States Centre for Disease Control and Prevention and regulatory bodies of other countries. There is paucity of literature on efficacy of cloth face mask in preventing SARS‑CoV‑2 infection transmission; thus, this review aims to update the available most recent evidences on efficacy of cloth face masks in prevention of viral infection transmission.

We searched MEDLINE, EMBASE, and Clinical Trials Register for identifying studies related to this review using free‑text terms and MeSH terms. Both experimental and observational studies on efficacy of cloth masks which were published in English language have been included in this review except expert opinions, commentaries, editorials, and review articles. Twelve studies were eligible to be included in review for data extraction and qualitative synthesis was carried out from extracted data but quantitative analysis (meta‑analysis) could not be performed because of serious heterogeneity between the studies.

Cloth face masks show minimum efficacy in source control than the medical grade mask. The efficacy of cloth face masks filtration varies and depends on the type of material used, number of layers, and degree of moisture in mask and fitting of mask on face.

Cloth face masks have limited efficacy in combating viral infection transmission. However, it may be used in closed, crowded indoor, and outdoor public spaces involving physical proximity to prevent spread of SARS‑CoV‑2 infection.

Clinical informationist (CI) is one of the current trends in the field of medical librarianship and information science. CIs are members of clinical care teams, and their main duty is to fill the gap in the information needs of health‑care workers and patients using information sources. They need an official and standard education. This study aims to identify the educational goals and needs of CIs. To this end, a scoping review was conducted using the Preferred Reporting Item for Systematic Reviews and Meta‑analyses guidelines. The ISI Web of Science, Scopus, Proquest (MEDLINE), Science Direct, Emerald, ERIC, Cochrane, and Library, Information Science and Technology Abstracts were searched. The Journal of the European Association for Health Information and Libraries was hand searched for relevant studies. A total of 1026 studies were extracted, and 38 studies were selected for the final review. The review resulted in identifying 18 goals in cognitive, emotional, and psychomotor areas. Furthermore, the educational needs were identified in eight educational needs including research method and statistics, education, medical knowledge, information and librarianship science, clinical environment knowledge, evidence‑based knowledge, information technologies and systems, management, and leadership. Although part of these educational needs can be met through general medical librarianship and information science education, further specialized education for CIs requires specific aims and curriculum. Thus, the results of this study can be the basis for future studies regarding the competencies of CI in order to provide a more precise and detailed curriculum based on these educational needs.