Journal of Research Development in Nursing and Midwifery
Volume:18 Issue: 2, Autumn-Winter 2021

Due to advances in medicine and technology in recent years, the number of elderly has increased substantially in most countries. As a result, addressing factors influencing the elderly population to improve their physical, psychological, and cognitive status is of great importance. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between perceived social support and physical activity with the mood, physical fitness, and cognitive status of elderly people.

This cross-sectional study was conducted from April to September 2019 in Golestan province, Northeast of Iran. The sample consisted of 142 people over 60 years old (including 131 women and 11 men) who were selected using a random sampling method from Gorgan, Gonbad Kavous, Aliabad Katoul, and Azadshahr cities of Golestan province in 2019. Data was gathered using Perceived Social Support Scale, Geriatric Depression Scale, Wechsler Memory Scale, Rapid Assessment of Physical Activity Questionnaire, and Rikli and Jones’ physical fitness test for the elderly. Data were analyzed in SPSS-22 and Spearman correlation coefficient used to study the cooperation between variables.

The finding showed that the mean age of participants was 66.56 years old and perceived social support had significant correlation with depression (r=-0.48, P<0.001) and memory (r=0.24, P=0.003). There was a significant correlation between physical activity and physical fitness (r=0.18, P=0.049), but no significant correlation were observed between physical activity with depression and memory. In addition, physical fitness had significant correlation with depression (r=0.27, P=0.001) and memory (r=0.27, P=0.001).

Perceived social support and physical activity can be considered important factors for improving the mood-cognitive-physical status of the elderly. Therefore, gerontologists, physiotherapists, and occupational therapists can improve the mood-cognitive-physical status of the elderly by improving social relationships and physical activity.

Anemia during pregnancy may lead to serious maternal and fetal complications such as miscarriage, preterm birth and post-partum hemorrhage. This study aimed to determine effects of ferrous fumarate supplementation alone and combined with date consumption on hemoglobin levels in women in the third trimester of pregnancy.

This quasi-experimental study was done on all pregnant women in third-trimester of pregnancy who were referred to the Puteri Ayu Public Health Center in Jambi, Indonesia in 2019. Overall, 60 participants were enrolled via convenience sampling. The subjects were divided into two groups of ferrous fumarate supplementation alone (n=30) and ferrous fumarate supplementation combined with date consumption (n=30). Data were analyzed using the paired t-test and independent t-test at 95% confidence interval.

Ferrous fumarate supplementation significantly increased hemoglobin levels in the subjects (P=0.000). However, the combined use of ferrous fumarate and dates was more effective in increasing hemoglobin levels in the subjects (P=0.000).

Our results suggest that consumption of dates alone or combined with ferrous fumarate supplementation could be recommended to pregnant women in order to prevent or control anemia during pregnancy.

Choosing the contraception method remains one of the most critical decisions made by women of reproductive age. Not only does this have a direct impact on women’s reproductive health, it also affects their social and economic well-being. This study was carried out to determine the factors affecting choice of contraceptives among women of reproductive age in Lagos State, Nigeria.

This descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted on 200 women aged 15-45 years who visited the family planning clinic at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital in Nigeria in 2019. The subjects were enrolled through a convenience sampling method. Data were collected using a demographic information form and a self-structured questionnaire on knowledge about family planning methods (n=9), the choice of contraceptives (n=8) and factors influencing the choice of family planning (n=15). Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics (frequency and percentage) and the Pearson correlation coefficient at significance level of 0.05.

We found that 82.8% of the respondents had good knowledge about the contraceptives. The most commonly used methods of contraception were birth control pills (38.3%) and implants (36.1%), while the least commonly used methods were tubal ligation (29.4%) and withdrawal (29.4%). The choice of contraceptives was significantly correlated with level of knowledge (r=-0.564, P=0.001) and religion (r=-0.173, P=0.020) of the subjects.

The majority of women in the study area have good knowledge about contraceptives, and factors such as parity and fear of injury from contraceptives affect their choice of contraceptives. This study recommends implementation of extensive health education and counseling sessions to assist women in contraceptive decision making.

Oxygen therapy refers to the administration of oxygen as a medical intervention. Inadequate oxygen administration may result in serious complications including cardiac arrhythmias, tissue injury and ultimately cerebral damage. The aim of this study was to determine knowledge and practice of nurses on supplemental oxygen therapy in Harari region, Ethiopia.

This cross-sectional descriptive study was performed on all nurses working in three public hospitals in the Harari region, Ethiopia in 2021. A self-administered questionnaire was used to assess nurses’ knowledge and practice about oxygen therapy. Demographic information was also collected using the questionnaire. Data were analyzed in SPSS 20 using descriptive statistics.

Of 422 participants, 212 (50.2%) were female. The majority of nurses were 20-29 years old (40.5%) and had a Bachelor’s degree (69.9%) and 4-6 years of work experience (35.5%). We found that 61.4% and 47.5% of the nurses had good knowledge and practice level about oxygen therapy, respectively. Knowledge about oxygen therapy had no significant association with gender, age, education level, marital status and work experience.

Our findings indicate that there is a clear knowledge and practice gap among nurses working in the public hospitals of Harari region, Ethiopia. Therefore, extensive educational and training programs should be offered to nurses to raise their knowledge and practice about oxygen therapy.

Many women become hopeless and are unable to adapt to disease after diagnosis of breast cancer. Social support plays a major role in adaption of patients to cancer. The present systematic review aimed to determine effects of social support programs based on the Roy's adaptation model on patients with breast cancer.

In the present systematic review, articles published in English that have been indexed in PubMed, Scopus and Web of Science databases until the end of September 2019 were included. Searches were made using the following keywords: "Social Support", "Roy Model", "Breast Cancer" and their synonyms. The publications were selected through screening, selection, quality evaluation and data extraction. Interventional and qualitative studies were included in the study, which used the Roy’s adaptation model for social support in women with breast cancer or used the model for evaluation the consequences of implementing support programs. Overall, 98 articles published were reviewed. After exclusion of unrelated articles, five articles were included in the analysis.

Of five high-quality articles, three were qualitative and two were interventional. The findings indicated that the implementation of support programs based on the Roy's adaptation model had beneficial effects on patients' adaptive responses, attitudes towards breast cancer, spiritual health, mood and loneliness.

Implementing support programs can positively affect the adaptation of patients with breast cancer. Therefore, social support based on the Roy's adaptation model can be utilized as a non-invasive, non-pharmacological, cost-effective and comprehensive nursing intervention to provide support for patients with breast cancer.

Chronic energy deficiency (CED) can have serious health consequences in both the mother and the baby. The aim of this study was to determine factors associated with CED in pregnant women. 

This cross-sectional study was done on 115 pregnant women referred to two health centers in the Konawe District (Indonesia) in 2021. After determining the prevalence of CED, data on different demographic and socioeconomic characteristics including family income, nutritional status, adherence to Fe tablet consumption and food availability were collected using questionnaires. Relationship between the variables and prevalence of CED was assessed using the Chi-square test at significance of 0.05.

The prevalence of CED was 36.5% among pregnant women. The prevalence of CED was significantly associated with family income (P=0.001), nutritional status (P=0.001), adherence to Fe tablet consumption (P=0.007) and food availability (P=0.002). The logistic regression test showed that family income had the strongest association with the prevalence of CED (OR=2.197; 95% CI: 1,248-3.868).

The prevalence of CED is higher in pregnant women with low income, poor nutritional status, and limited access to food and poor adherence to Fe tablet consumption. We suggest increasing food security at the family level by providing information to women in preconception stage through counseling, flip charts and posters.

Given the importance of diabetes-related stigma and its coincidence with adolescence and the need to implement a self-care program to strengthen knowledge, improve attitudes and practice in adolescents, the present study aimed to determine the effect of virtual self-care education on the perception of type 1 diabetes-related stigma in female adolescents with diabetes.

The present quasi-experimental clinical trial was done on 76 girls with type 1 diabetes as members of the Iranian Diabetes Society (IDS) in 2016. We recruited patients using the convenience sampling, and then randomly assigned to experimental and control groups. We implemented the self-care education in the experimental group through a mobile-based virtual social network for 12 weeks (a media message per day and interactively). The 35-item online questionnaire of type 1 diabetes-related stigma were fulfilled before intervention, immediately after the intervention and 4 weeks after the intervention. Data were analyzed using the independent t-test, Fisher's exact test, and Chi-square test in SPSS-16.

There was no significant difference between the experimental (94.09±21.89) and control groups (89.87±22.97) in terms of mean scores of stigmas before the intervention (P=0.415). Mean scores of stigmas decreased significantly in the experimental group immediately (78.20±18.66; P=0.043) and 4 weeks after the intervention (77.47±19.39; P=0.012) compared to control group.

Self-care education via virtual social networks was effective in reducing the stigma perception. In general, the more education was separated from its traditional method, lecturing, and was accompanied by attractive and popular methods, such as the use of social networks, the higher the level of learning, and the more enjoyable it became.

General self-concept refers to a set of feelings and perceptions toward oneself, and sexual self-concept is defined as individual's perception of his/her sexual feelings and actions. These two concepts are affected by various life problems, including infertility. The present study aimed to determine correlation of general self-concept and sexual self-concept in infertile women.

The descriptive correlational study was carried out on all infertile women who visited the Gorgan Infertility Center in 2018. Overall, 105 eligible infertile women were included in the study via convenience sampling. Data were collected using Persian versions of the Rogers self-concept questionnaire and the Snell sexual self-concept questionnaire. Data were analyzed using the Pearson and Spearman's correlation tests in SPSS 16 and at significance of 0.05.

Mean age of subjects was 28.88±5.14 years (range: 17 and 40 years). Based on the findings, 19% of the participants had normal general self-concept, 31.4% had moderate self-concept, and 49.5% had weak self-concept. Mean scores of positive sexual self-concept, negative self-concept and situational sexual self-concept were 118.9±24.85, 13.33±8.94 and 41.98±10.53, respectively. There was no correlation between general self-concept and different dimensions of sexual self-concept of the infertile women.

Due to the lack of correlation between general self-concept and sexual self-concept in infertile women, it is suggested to conduct evaluations and interventions on the general and sexual self-concepts of the participants separately.

Counseling interventions are among the available strategies to improve the menopausal quality of life and self-awareness counseling is effective in improving adaptation, self-confidence and quality of life. Therefore, the present study aimed to examine effects of self-awareness counseling on quality of life of menopausal women in Gorgan, Iran.

In this clinical trial, we examined 52 menopause women referred to health centers of Gorgan, Iran in 2018. Data collection tools included a demographic characteristics form and the menopause-specific quality of life questionnaire. First, the control group completed the data collection tools at the beginning of the study and 6 and 10 weeks after the first session. Then the intervention group completed the tools at base line and participated in six 45-60-minute self-awareness-based group counseling sessions, once a week. After that, they were completed questionnaire, immediately and a month after the end of the intervention. Data were expressed as mean ± standard deviation.

In the intervention group, the baseline mean scores of menopausal quality of life and its vasomotor, physical, psychosocial and sexual domains were 55.69±19.47, 5.30±4.57, 30.26±12.24, 12.15±6.64 and 7.96±5.34, respectively. A month after the intervention, the mean scores of menopausal quality of life (30.42±19.64) and its vasomotor (2.65±2.33), physical (16.38±8.64), psychosocial (7.19±4.63) and sexual (4.19±3.42) domains increased significantly in the intervention group (p=0.001). In between group comparison, except for the psychosocial domain, the mean scores of quality of life and its various domains showed a statistically significant difference in one month after the intervention (P=0.001).

The menopausal quality of life and its various domains improved one month after the end of self-awareness counseling. Therefore, we recommend offering self-awareness counseling in health centers for improving the quality of life of menopausal women.

End of life and palliative care remains less popular and underdeveloped in many countries. Palliative care services have been proven to facilitate preference towards good death. The present study aimed to determine patterns and factors associated with place of death in Brunei Darussalam.

This retrospective study was conducted in 2016 on all cancer deaths (n=801) recorded on the registry of death records in Brunei Darussalam. Data including sociodemographic characteristics and place of death were extracted from the medical records. Statistical analysis of data was done in SPSS 16 using binary logistic regression analysis at significance level of 0.05.

The overall number of cancer deaths increased from 171 in 2013 to 320 in 2015. The highest number of cancer deaths was recorded among those aged 50-59 (31%), 60-69 (22.6%), and 50-59 years (24.7%) in 2013, 2014, and 2015, respectively. Age and living in Temburong district significantly associated with the place of death (P<0.05).

The location of specialized care settings associated with place of death among cancer patients. Our results may have important implication for development of specialized palliative and supportive care for end of life care.

Polypharmacy (PP) and inappropriate medication use (IMU) are issues that negatively affect the health care system. Despite nurses’ engagement and important role in prevention of drug-related issues, awareness regarding consequences of PP and IMU is relatively low. This study aimed to determine the knowledge and perception effects about PP and IMU among nurses in the Lautech teaching hospital, Osun state, Nigeria.

This descriptive, cross-sectional study was performed on 190 randomly selected nurses working at the Lautech teaching hospital (Osun state, Nigeria) in June 2020. Data were collected using a researcher-made questionnaire. The reliability of the questionnaire was verified by obtaining a Cronbach alpha score of 0.77. Data analysis was done in SPSS 25 using descriptive statistics, the Chi-square test. All analyses were carried out at significance level of 0.05.

The findings revealed that most nurses (84.2%) had good knowledge about PP. In addition, 93.2% of the nurses claimed that IMU should be entirely avoided. According to the nurses, the most important perceived effect of PP and IMU was adverse drug reactions (57.9%). There was a significant relationship between nurses level of educational and knowledge of PP (χ2=12.095, P=0.002). Moreover, there was a positive correlation between the respondents’ age and knowledge of PP (r=0.204, P=0.016). There was also a significant negative correlation between the nurses' knowledge and perceived effect of PP and IMU (r=0.605, P<0.001).

The results indicate that the nurses working at the study setting possess good knowledge of PP and IMU. Educational programs such as seminars and workshops are essential for translating this information into routine nursing care.

Given the high prevalence of chemotherapy complications, it is essential to try limiting the side effects in order to prevent reduced quality of life in cancer patients, particularly children. The present study aimed to determine effect of maternal empowerment training on gastrointestinal complications in children undergoing chemotherapy.

This clinical trial study was performed on mothers with children under 12 years undergoing chemotherapy at the Bahrami Children's Hospital in Tehran (Iran) in 2017. Forty mothers were enrolled in the study via convenience sampling. The subjects were then randomly assigned to an intervention (n=20) and a control group (n=20). Data were collected using a checklist on gastrointestinal complications at baseline and two, four and eight weeks after the last training session. Statistical analysis of data was performed in SPSS 16.

The frequency of gastrointestinal complications reduced significantly after the training in the intervention group (P<0.05). There was no significant difference in the frequency of gastrointestinal complications before and after the intervention in the control group (P>0.05). After the training, the frequency of gastrointestinal complications was significantly lower in the intervention group than in the control group.

The empowerment program could help improve mothers’ knowledge about chemotherapy and associated complications, thereby reducing the frequency of such complications in children undergoing chemotherapy.

Teacher evaluation is an essential and useful tool for decision making and determining appropriate teaching policies, especially in universities. The present study aimed to compare the teacher evaluation indices from the perspective of students and teachers at Alborz University of Medical Sciences, Iran.

The present descriptive-analytical study was conducted in 2013 on 34 faculty members and 418 students at Alborz University of Medical Sciences in Karaj, Iran. Data were collected using a researcher-made questionnaire on demographic characteristics, target group, appropriate time for teacher evaluation and opinions of faculty members and students about the twenty indices of teacher evaluation. The data were analyzed with SPSS 16 using descriptive statistics, mean test and Pearson correlation coefficient.

The most effective target groups for teacher evaluation from the perspective of teachers were elite students (58.9%) and normal students (20.6%), while the most effective target groups for teacher evaluation from the perspective of students were normal students (42.1%) and teachers (14.1%).

Based on the results of the present study, we suggest using the criteria agreed by the teacher and students, revising the teacher evaluation forms, not limiting the evaluation process to the students' opinion, conducting self-evaluation by the teachers, conducting continuous evaluation at different times of the semester, a survey of teachers in preparing forms and summarizing and concluding the evaluations.

Genital self-image could express an individual’s attitudes towards her feelings-thoughts and changes in her behavior in a variety of conditions positively or negatively. This study aimed to determine the relationship between socio-demographic characteristics with the genital self-image in women referred to Health Care Centers.

This cross-sectional study was performed on 239 women between 18-40 years old in 5 health care centers of Qazvin, by convenience sampling method in 2015-2016. Data were gathered using the research-made questionnaire of genital self-image set by the researcher. Independent t-test, one-way ANOVA, and general linear model were used to analyze data. Data were analyzed using SPSS 16.

The mean score (SD) of the genital self-image in participants was 53.4 (12.1) from the total range of 0-100. Most women (83.7%) had moderate, 9.2% good and 7.1% poor genital self-image, respectively. There was a significant statistical relationship between the variables of occupation, woman and her husband's education levels, and body mass index with genital self-image (P<0.05).

Only a small number of women had a good genital self-image. Therefore, concerning the adverse and inappropriate consequences of genital self-image, it is recommended to study the other factors affecting genital self-image.

Mosquito-Borne Diseases (MBDs) are still a health problem faced, especially in developing countries. Reducing the number of mosquitoes can be done by breaking the reproduction chain by getting rid of places that become nests. This systematic review aims to get an idea of what strategies or efforts can improve or change people's behavior in eradicating mosquito nests.

This review was done using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-analyses (PRISMA) statement. Literature searches were conducted several databases such as Science Direct, Cochrane Library, and Wiley Online Library and Google Scholar on published articles between 2010 and 2021. At first, the screening process was conducted based on inclusion and exclusion criteria. Then, the full text of the remaining articles was read carefully, and eligible articles was selected according to the objectives of the study. Next, the methodological quality of the selected papers was reviewed, and the required information was extracted from those with acceptable quality. Sixteen studies met the criteria for this systematic review.

Based on data extraction in the 16 eligible articles, five strategies or efforts to improve community behavior towards mosquito nets eradication was presented include Door-to-Door monitoring of house conditions, using control cards, empowering groups in the community (SHG), health education with the SGD approach, and promote the prevention of MBDs through social media.

All the strategies in this study are adequate for the community, but the pattern that should be done is to find out the root of the problem early (bottom-up). Communities need to be mediated to recognize their environment better, what they need related to health problems, especially MBDs.