Health Education and Health Promotion
Volume:10 Issue: 2, Spring 2022

People's experiences of home quarantine during the COVID-19 pandemic are essential to maximize its prevention and minimize its negative effects on families and society to better understand public needs and concerns. This study was aimed to explore the lived experiences of home quarantine during the COVID-19 pandemic in Iranian families.

This is a qualitative study with a phenomenological approach. Participants were 34 residents of Guilan province, north of Iran, who had experienced living in-home quarantine during the COVID-19 pandemic. Participants were recruited by purposive sampling and the method of data collection was semi-structured interviews. All data were recorded and transcribed and thematically analyzed based on Colaizzi proposed steps. To ensure the rigor of the data, the 4-item scale was used, which includes dependability, credibility, confirmability, and data transferability.

Four main themes were extracted from data analysis; "emerging experiences" such as the emergence of new habits, compulsory rest, paying more attention to spirituality, "anxious days" such as constant anxiety, trapped in a cage, and increased tensions at home, "in contrasting of fear and hope" such as simultaneously positive and negative emotions, and being engaged with true and false news, and "in financial strait" such as the need to buy expensive personal protective equipment, low wages, and forced to the sale of personal belongings.

The Iranian society experienced various consequences in its social life, economic situation, and psychological condition during the home quarantine for the COVID-19 pandemic, which should be considered by the country's health officials and decision-makers.

COVID-19 has harmed people's lives and efforts are being made to speed up vaccinations. The growing problem of vaccine uncertainty may affect the uptake of the COVID-19 vaccine. The objectives of this study were to examine the determinants of COVID-19 vaccine acceptance.

From July 3 to September 25, 2021, we conducted a web-based, cross-sectional study among the citizens of Ardabil with a snowball sampling strategy under a highly restricted environment. A questionnaire was designed and filled out by 768 participants through social media and email. Associations between COVID-19 vaccine acceptance and determinants were explored using the chi-squared test. Key determinants that predict vaccine acceptance among respondents were modeled through logistic regression analysis.

Of the 932 survey invitees, 768 responded to the questionnaire (response rate, 82.4%). The majority (55.2%) of the study participants were female. Of the 768 respondents, 486 (63.2%) showed interest to accept the COVID-19 vaccine. Willingness to get the vaccine is relatively high among older age groups (59.4% among 40+ year old), being married (56.9%), and city dwellers participants (83.09%). In multivariate model, respondents who were above 40 years (OR: 0.7; 95% CI:0.5-0.94), and married (OR: 1.43; 95% CI: 0.97-2.09) were significantly associated with vaccine acceptance (p<0.05). Besides, people having trust in the health system and vaccine were most likely to accept the vaccine (OR: 1.26; 95% CI: 1.01-1.56), and those having a higher perceived risk of acquiring infection were 4.83 times (OR: 4.83; 95% CI: 3.78-6.17) higher odds of accepting the vaccine.

Our study identified religious/personal beliefs and risk perceptions as the most important predictors that would be affecting COVID-19 vaccine uptake.

It is vital to examine nurses' disaster management capacity to determine their readiness levels, particularly in a Hilla where disasters are common. This study aimed to assess healthcare providers of their knowledge and preparedness for disaster management.

This descriptive-cross-sectional study was conducted from June to October 2021, to investigate the knowledge preparedness of nurses for disaster management in primary healthcare clinics. The instruments were constructed by the researcher to fulfill the study's goals using non-probability sampling. The purposive sample was chosen from 200 people who worked in emergency departments of primary health care institutions, and data was collected using two study tools (questionnaire and demographic data). The instrument's reliability was confirmed by test and retest, and the instrument's validity was determined by a panel of specialists. Graphic information (frequency, percentages, arithmetic mean, and standard deviation), as well as illative information, were employed to interpret the data (sufficiency in a relative).

In terms of gender, most of the participants were male, 31-41 years old, married, and had no prior experience of a real disaster. The subjects had a strong knowledge of all studied items. The overall assessment of the preparedness of Nurses' compliance in disaster management was high.

The majority of nurses had a strong awareness of disaster preparedness.

The purpose of this study was the cognitive analysis of quality of life conceptual metaphors from the perspective of health promotion students of Tehran University.

This qualitative study was conducted on 35 health promotion students of Tehran Medical University through cognitive analysis in 2021. They were selected by the purposive sampling method. Participants were asked to compare the dimensions of quality of life (WHO-36) to what they perceived. Their conversation was recorded and collected by WhatsApp voice recording. The population of 946 metaphorical phrases was obtained. According to the theoretical saturation rule, 300 phrases were selected purposively.  Phrases and sentences in which the quality of life was metaphorically expressed were manually separated and categorized.

The results showed that there were 8 salient source domains for quality of life. They respectively included object, place or location, path, direction, product, strength and power, human, and money. There were different metaphorical mappings for each source domain. Moving and edible objects were the most mapping for “quality of life is the object”.

It seems that quality of life can be understood and conceptualized as material things according to the embodiment rule. This fact has cultural roots as well. Paying attention to the leads to quality of life promotion.

Since 2019, COVID-19 has become a public health emergency and a global threat. Although adolescents are a vulnerable group, they have not received much attention. Accordingly, the present study aimed to explain adolescents' experiences of the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on lifestyle behaviors.

This study was conducted as a qualitative study with a qualitative content analysis approach at Zanjan University of Medical Sciences in 1400. Purposeful sampling consisted of 21 adolescents of both sexes. The data collection method was semi-structured and in-depth interviews.

A total of 112 initial codes were obtained, which after merging similar codes finally extracted 89 semantic units in 12 subcategories and 3 main categories including Physical consequences, Psychological consequences, and Cognitive-emotional consequences from the perspective of adolescents.

Considering the formation of lifestyle behaviors in adolescence and the positive and negative effects of coronary heart disease on various aspects of adolescent lifestyle, it seems that governments should pay special attention to this age group that is the future makers of countries and steps Valuable for this age group to flourish.

The aim of this study was determination the diversity of the aquatic Gastropoda species and to assess heavy metals in water, sediment, soft tissue, and shell Melanoides tuberculata by evaluating some of the physical and chemical factors for the river.

The study was done during the Summer and Winter seasons and samples were collected from three study sites along the Euphrates river. The samples were analyzed using Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy for the detection of heavy metals.

The results revealed that Melanoides tuberculate, Physella acuta, Pisidium dubium, Melanopsis nodosa, and Corbicula fluminea were found in the studied station in both seasons with a high percent ratio (37.73, 20.27, 6.58, 8.42, 26.98%, respectively) in the summer season. Sediment has the highest mean concentration more than water. The heavy metals order was arranged as Zn<ni<pbMelanoides tuberculate is higher than in shell and they were arranged as Pb<zn<ni</zn<ni</ni<pb

Lead and Zink were higher and exceed the permissible level. Melanoides tuberculate could accumulate the heavy metals in their metals then it could use as a bio-indicator for these metals to detect the pollution in the Euphrates River.

This research aimed to study the effect of virtual social networks on self-care of the users concerning COVID-19.

This survey research was conducted from April to June 2020. The study sample included social network users (WhatsApp, Instagram and Telegram) in Hormozgan province who were selected by convenience sampling. The measuring instrument was an online questionnaire extracted from Dorthea E. Orem’s self-care model, Gerbner's cultivation theory and Kaplan and Haenlein's media-richness-theory. Modeling was carried out using SPSS 28 and Amos 26 software.

The results of explanation and modeling in the present research not only indicate a significant and direct relationship between the independent variables of Presence and interaction in the social networks and user orientation to the type of social network with the dependent variable of users concerning COVID-19 self-care (p<0.0009), but also, 45% of changes in COVID-19 self-care variable was covered by a set of social networking indices. Structural equation modelling in the self-care variable also showed that independent variables; Presence and interaction in the social networks and user orientation to the type of social network had the highest and lowest effects on the psychological support dimension with a standard coefficient of 0.99 and the dimension of awareness and attention to COVID-19 effects and outcomes with a standard coefficient of 0.95, respectively.

As a result, we suggest that health officials and disease control and prevention centers use the potential of social networks such as WhatsApp and Instagram in self-care of users concerning COVID-19.

COVID-19 has affected a worldwide population, causing more than a million deaths from the end of 2019 until now; so the aim of this study was to determine the symptoms of COVID-19 in the Iranian population through a teleconsultation-based service to better deal with it.

This study was a cross-sectional study that included 12125 individuals calling for COVID-19 screening and consultation from 2 March 2020 to 19 April 2020 with the census method. A telephone number was assigned for consultation with more than 70 nurses responding to first-level questions and more than 30 medical doctors responding to second-level questions. For statistical analysis, a chi-squared test and univariate logistic regression with SPSS 25 were used.

Cough was the most common complaint (41.3%), followed by shortness of breath (32.8%), and fever (31.5%). Confusion was the least common complaint (1.6%). Binary logistic regression revealed that men were at a higher risk of COVID-19 compared to women (OR:1.31, 95% CI 1.10-1.55, p=0.002). In addition, older age was a risk factor for COVID-19 (OR:1.02, 95% CI 1.02-1.03, p<0.001). Also, significant positive correlations were found between fever, chills, sore throat, shortness of breath, cough, body ache, and gastrointestinal symptoms with COVID-19 even after adjustment for gender and age.

Fever, cough, and shortness of breath were the most common complaints in individuals calling for COVID-19 teleconsultation. It’s suggested that in times of crisis, such as the Covid-19 pandemic, remote sensing can be done to raise public awareness and break the transmission chain.

This study aimed to assess the long-term effect of SBY on the academic performance of adolescents and their gender.

Repeated measure design using purposive sampling was adopted and 324 adolescent boys and girls practicing Superbrain Yoga for three years from Mysuru District, India were involved in the study. Academic scores of adolescents from 2013 to 2016 were analyzed using Repeated Measure ANOVA by SPSS 21.

A significant increase in academic scores of adolescents in their performance (F=168.324, p=0.001) was noticed. Girls outperformed boys in Science (F=5.263, p=0.006, ηp2=0.02), second language (F=5.832, p=.004, ηp2=.02), and total performance (F=4.534, p=0.014, ηp2=0.02) with a  minimal effect size.

The long-term practice of Superbrain Yoga showed a positive impact on academic performance among adolescents and the gender difference in academic performance is found minimal. The cognitive enhancement practice of SBY can be implemented in educational settings.

This study aimed to investigate the predictors of health-related quality of life in pregnant women based on Pender’s health promotion model.

In this descriptive correlational study, 300 pregnant women in the second and third trimesters of pregnancy were selected by simple random sampling from one of the community health centers of Yazd province. Data were collected through a demographic information questionnaire, a short-form health survey v.1, and a questionnaire based on Pender's model constructs. Finally, the obtained data were analyzed descriptively using SPSS 18 software.

The psychological dimension of quality of life was significantly correlated with perceived effects, perceived self-efficacy, and perceived benefits (p<0.05). Also, the physical dimension of quality of life had a significant correlation with perceived barriers, social support, affect, and benefits (p<0.05). The regression analysis results showed that the variables of perceived barriers, social support, positive and negative effect, and perceived benefits had significant effects on the physical dimension of health-related quality of life (p<0.002). Moreover, the variables of positive and negative affect, self-efficacy, and perceived benefits influenced the psychological dimension of health-related quality of life (p<0.001).

According to the results, perceived effect, perceived self-efficacy, and perceived benefits constructs are suitable for the psychological dimension of health-related quality of life, perceived barrier constructs, and social support effects. The perceived benefits are appropriate for predicting the physical dimension of quality of life.

Maternal health and pregnancy outcomes are vitally important areas of each country's healthcare system. This study aimed to investigate the acceptability of a mobile app-based intervention program for choosing the mode of delivery among pregnant women.

Thirty pregnant women participated in this study. The Mobile App-Based Program focused on facilitating choosing mode of delivery based on information, motivation, and behavior model among pregnant women in Tehran, Iran. A retrospective post-intervention study was carried out. We used quantitative and qualitative semi-structured interviews to explore the experiences of women participating in the Mobile app-based program and investigate the intervention's acceptability.

Quantitative result has shown that 76.6% of the users assessed the application as usable.  In the qualitative section of the study, three main themes were emerged: 1- specific features of the App (images, text, colors, and etc.); 2- advantages (distance learning method, reliability, and credibility, being user-friendly and comfortability, time-saving, and being interactive); and 3- disadvantages (fear of mobile radiation on fetus, poor internet connection, and limited audience) regarding using of the intervention.

This mobile application eased women's knowledge and behavior and satisfied them, specifically during the new-emerged pandemic. It also helped women to clarify their thoughts regarding their choice on mode of delivery. Participants suggested some shortages using the application that should be noticed.

Sexual satisfaction is one of the aspects of sexual health that is vital in maintaining the couple's relationship and their quality of life. The present study aimed to investigate the factors predicting sexual satisfaction based on the IMB model among Iranian men.

This was a cross-sectional descriptive-analytical study. A  number of 362 men living in Sanandaj, Iran, with a marriage age of fewer than 5 years were systematically included in the study. Data collection tools were Larson sexual satisfaction questionnaire, sexual health questionnaire based on information-motivation-behavioral skills model constructs, and men's sexual function questionnaire. Data analysis was performed at a significant level of 0.05 and with SPSS 20 software.

The results indicate that 1.4% of participants have no sexual satisfaction at all, 43.1% have poor sexual satisfaction, 53.9% have moderate sexual satisfaction and 1.7% have high sexual satisfaction. The regression model showed that the level of education, information, and motivation of the IMB model were predictors of sexual satisfaction with a 13% variance (F=19.48, p=0.001, r=0.13, R2=0.37).

The findings of this study showed that sexual dissatisfaction is related to the level of education, information, and motivation of men about sexual issues.

Nowadays, the acquisition of innovative approaches and techniques that use the Internet is one of the main goals for the development of higher medical education in Ukraine. This paper aimed to describe the effectiveness of blending learning in the preparation of medical students.

The authors designed a course “Medical English for Specific Purpose” and implemented it into the educational process.

The majority of students and teachers agreed that the developed course should be integrated into the educational process.

From this research, it can be concluded that blending learning is an integral part of modern education with the ability to use collaborative and critical thinking skills. In such kind of education, the role of a teacher changes to the facilitator who involves and stimulates students to go through real problem solving and meaningful lifelong learning experiences.

Many people with hypertension are unaware of their problem. As hypertension may have no warning signs and causes serious complications, designing effective interventions to sensitize the community towards its control is necessary. The current study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of self-care educational programs for hypertension in rural areas.

In this quasi-experimental study, 136 patients with hypertension from rural areas of Minodasht county were studied in 2019. Two-stage random cluster sampling was used to select participants. Data were collected by a self-administered questionnaire whose validity and reliability were assessed. The questionnaire consisted of demographic and related outcomes parts (adherence to diet and drug therapy, physical activity, adherence to control (measurement) of blood pressure, and feelings related to behavior). Data were analyzed using paired t-tests and covariance by SPSS 19.

Based on the paired t-test, the mean of measured dimensions was significantly increased after providing the intervention (p<0.05). The covariance analysis was also statistically significant (p<0.05), after removing the pre-test effects of variables.

This study showed the positive effects of educational interventions on those who suffer from hypertension. Educational programs, as a core component of health promotion, can improve the knowledge, attitudes, and skills of trainees to maintain and adhere to promote their health.

This study aimed to design and psychometric a tool for measuring the knowledge, beliefs, and behavior of teachers regarding COVID-19 preventive behaviors.

The goal was to create a tool that may be used to create an educational intervention that promotes preventive behaviors. A 60-item scale regarding COVID-19 preventive behaviors was developed upon literature review. Then, face and content validity were evaluated using quantitative and qualitative methods, through the involvement of the participants and expert panel. The internal consistency and reliability were assessed and approved using Cronbach's alpha index and test-retest.

The face and content validity of the primarily developed scale was confirmed by item impacts of 1.5, 0.49 CVR, and 0.79 CVI, and the number of items dropped to 60. The reliability of the instrument was approved by Cronbach's alpha of 0.67 to 0.95 and a correlation coefficient of 0.65 to 0.93.

Based on the results, the scale that was developed using the constructs of the HBM for COVID-19 preventive behaviors among teachers had appropriate validity and reliability.

The purpose of the article is to consider the problematic issues of forming an understanding of such concepts as "health", "pain" and "suffering".

A set of general scientific and special methods was used in the work: dialectical, dogmatic, hermeneutic, comparative legal method, statistic and sociological method.

Considered the category of "health" in various humanities, compared the characteristics of "physical pain" and "physical and moral suffering" as possible consequences of criminal offenses that harm the health of the individual.

The research of such problematic issues allowed to develop of a unified approach to understanding of such concepts as “health”, “pain” and “suffering”, this, in turn, will make possible to unify legislation in this area.

Patients after diagnosis of COVID-19 may have psychological problems. Illness perceptions and social support can play an important role in individuals’ health and the effects of stress. This study aimed to determine the relationship between mental health, perception of illness and perceived social support in Hospitalized Patients with COVID-19.

The present study is a cross-sectional study that was conducted in 2020. 143 patients with coronavirus who met the inclusion criteria participated in this study. Inclusion criteria are age over 18 years, full consciousness, lack of physical and mental disabilities, diagnosis of coronavirus with the approval of an infectious disease specialist, no history of mental disorders, the ability to communicate with the researcher. Data collection tools were the 21-item depression, anxiety, and stress scale, Zimet’s multidimensional scale of perceived social support, and the brief illness perception questionnaire. Data were analyzed in SPSS 26.

The average score of depression, anxiety, and stress for all participants with coronavirus was 8.12±7.12, 11.74±6.02, and 13.92±6.80, respectively. 30.1% of the participants had high illness perception and 59.4% had high social support level. The multiple linear regression model showed illness perception and social support were associated with depression, anxiety, and stress. Drug history was associated with depression and anxiety. Oxygen saturation was associated with anxiety and stress (P<0.05).

In general depression, anxiety, and stress in patients with Covid 19 are associated with the perception of illness and social support, which is more strongly associated with social support.

Health promotion is the future perspective of hospital services in the health system. Thus, the study aimed to examine the effect of the implementation of a health promotion program on the attitudes of cardiac patients. Material &

The study was an interventional before-after study, conducted on 62 cardiac patients admitted to two selected teaching hospitals from July to September 2019, including 31 patients from Shahid Sadoughi Hospital (control group) and 31 patients from Afshar Hospital (experimental group) using a purposive sampling method. Besides the routine training of the ward, the samples in the experimental group received face-to-face and group training interventions based on the health belief model and the guideline of the the american association of cardiovascular and pulmonary rehabilitation and received the training package at the end. Moreover, the samples in the control group received routine training. Data was collected using a questionnaire based on the health belief model and analyzed in SPSS 23 using Chi-square, independent t-test, and analysis of covariance.

The total scores of attitude dimensions in the experimental and control groups before the intervention were 117.41±31.49 and 155.80±33.31, respectively, and after the intervention 234.70±16.90 and 164.54±33.54, respectively. The mean of these scores did not significantly differ before the intervention, but the mean of attitude dimensions significantly differed after the intervention (p=0.001).

The educational program implemented based on the health belief model and the american association of cardiovascular and pulmonary rehabilitation guideline in the study was effective and these programs proved a key role in promoting health and preventing cardiovascular disease.

Community engagement, as a key factor in changing the behavior can affect the prevention and management of communicable diseases in rural areas. This study aimed to determine the role of community engagement innovations in controlling Coronavirus pandemic in rural areas.

this qualitative study was carried out using observation, reviewing documents and semi structured interviews, for data gathering. Interviews were done by Key informant persons that selected purposefully. All interviews recorded ,transcribed verbatim and analyzed manually by using thematic analysis method.

45 codes and three themes  were obtained by open, axial, and selective coding method. Main themes were Management and leadership, public confidence and trust, and accountability and transparency that could have many important role in engaging people in controlling COVID.

 the findings show that using the community engagement in rural areas can be play a critical role in controlling the spread of COVID-19, but it depends on the cultural, social, and economic status of the community. In addition, promoting the health literacy and a sense of responsibility individuals for their health and the health of others can increase the success of these innovations

The dentists in Iraq usually operate the process of taking dental radiography by themselves. with the more uses of newer ionizing radiation modalities, there is an increased chance that dentists, co-workers, and patients are liable to face the harmful effect and hazards of radiation especially when there was negligence or ignorance.

To assess the knowledge, attitude, and perception (KAP) among General Dental Practitioners and Specialists Dentists toward dental radiation and to assess the difference in KAP between them. Dentists.

 322 dentists participated in this study. The information was collected from each participant through a structured questionnaire consisting of 26 questions. Statistical analysis: Chisquare and P-value were used to test the association of knowledge, attitudes, and perception (KAP) and the educational qualification to compare the difference in means of KAP between the two different groups of professionals.

Out of the 322 dentists who participated in the study, 244 (74.6%) were General Dental Practitioners and 78 (23.9%) were specialist dentists. Specialist dentists showed higher KAP values towards radiation hazards protection than general dentist practitioners.

From the results obtained in this study, it was clear that the KAP level with regard to radiation protection was higher among specialist dentists compared to general dental practitioners.

Aims Midwives, who manage maternal and infant health during the COVID-19 pandemic, need special attention. The present study was designed to examine the knowledge, attitude, and practice of midwives. Methods This study was a cross-sectional online survey via the social media platform WhatsApp that was conducted in April 2020 on 360 midwives working in educational hospitals or urban health centers in Mashhad, Iran. The data collection tool was a self-structured questionnaire consisting of two parts of demographic data and another part for measuring midwives’ knowledge, attitude, and practice, which was designed electronically and implemented online after evaluating its validity and reliability. Data analysis was performed by descriptive and inferential statistical methods in SPSS. Finding 188 midwives answered the questionnaire, of which the mean score of knowledge, attitude, and practice was 34.35±5.59, 45±4.24, and 16.02±2.57, respectively. Only 44.7% had good practice in dealing with a pregnant mother infected by Covid-19. The mean knowledge score was not significantly different between the midwives working in different health care wards. However, the highest positive attitude was related to midwives working in urban health centers (73.1%). The highest practice score of practice was assigned to hand hygiene and the use of personal protective equipment for Covid-19. Conclusion Improving midwives’ awareness through encouraging them to participate in scientific programs and in-service training, using up-to-date guidelines issued by World Health Organization, as well as studying the new evidence are significant approaches to promote midwives’ knowledge and practice during the outbreak of COVID-19.

This paper focused on the effect of cyber security knowledge CSK on employees’ personal growth PG in private hospitals in Libya and Yemen. Employees were evaluated for their responses to cyber practice, cyber threats targeting end-users in the healthcare industry (i.e., malware, social engineering, spam, phishing, and ransomware), and cyber awareness. The descriptive-analytical approach was used to determine the relationship between the independent CSK and dependent variable PG, the current study took place in March 2021 and was applied to a stratified random sample of 164  managers from the middle and lower management.  Results indicated a lack of understanding of cyber threats and recommended mitigations and uncertainty regarding applicable legislation governing electronic patient information; also, the level of CSK & PG in the studied hospitals was low. The findings also show that CSK positively affects employees’ PG beyond the demographic differences in respondents. Finally, a set of recommendations for effective based cyber security implementations and training programs were presented and discussed.

Adolescents are among one of the most vulnerable populations, and the COVID-19 pandemic has led to rapid and unprecedented changes in the lives of millions of adolescents around the world. The present study aimed to evaluate the health-promoting behaviors among female Iranian adolescents during the COVID-19 pandemic.

In this descriptive-analytical study, 529 female students from Saveh, Iran high schools were selected by multi-stage sampling and participated in the study. Data were collected using the Demographic Information and Health Promoting Lifestyle Profile (HPLPII). Data were analyzed using ANOVA and independent t-test in SPSS 21.

The results showed that the mean and standard deviation of the health-promoting behavior score was moderate (89.3±11.2). Among the dimensions of HPLPII, the highest scores were related to health responsibility, nutrition, physical activity and stress management. There were significant differences in mean scores across numerous health-promoting behavior domains and father’s occupation status, mother’s education level, hobby type and participants academic status.

Moderate overall mean score of health-promoting behaviors and low mean scores across stress management and physical activity domains suggest that female youth are in need of resources to improve health behaviors, particularly during the ongoing pandemic. It is recommended that interventions to improve health-promoting behavior among female adolescents are adapted and implemented within the context of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Occupational hazards refer to any activities that have a possible cause or increase the risk in the workplace, the multiplying effects of occupational injuries and diseases among providers of health care include economic loss, physical loss, and psychological disorders such as depression and stress. A descriptive cross-sectional study was carried out in hospitals and health centers to determine the level of attitudes, and practices regarding occupational hazards among a sample of medical and paramedical staff in Baghdad governorate. During the period from January 5th, 2022 ending on April 10th, 2022, 485 staff individuals participated in the study. Regarding the attitudes of the staff, the results observed that all responses regarding the preceding domain had a "Good" evaluation. While the practices of the medical and paramedical staff that were studied, the results that observed the most responses regarding of preceding domain had a "Good" evaluation with some of responses was “Accepted” and “Poor”. This study concluded that the medical and paramedical staff had "Good" attitudes and practices regarding the occupational hazards in their working environment. It recommends that the attitudes, and practices of the staff be enhanced by, efficient training courses, and assurance of the effectiveness OSH departments in health facilities.

 Health literacy has gained increasing attention in public health. It was aimed to assess the health literacy and the related determinants among mothers with children under 6 years old in Arak, Iran in 2019-20.

 In this population-based cross-sectional study, 1483 mothers were included  through stratified random sampling. The study included demographic variables and socioeconomic status (SES) based on asset variables. Health literacy was collected by Health Literacy for Iranian Adults questionnaire. The principal component analysis was applied to calculate SES based on asset indices. Univariate and adjusted linear regression models were applied to assess the determinants of health literacy.

 The mean age of the children was 2.1±1.5. The mean score of health literacy was 70.2±17.5 in mothers. there was a significant association between mother’s and her husband’s permanent job and SES and total health literacy. Minimum and maximum scores of health literacy were obtained in the appraisal and understanding subscales, respectively. Totally, 36.4% of the participants had adequate health literacy.

 It was concluded that the health literacy of the mothers was relatively high.
 

A strong association has been documented between diabetes mellitus (DM) and oral diseases. Since dental clinicians are mainly responsible for oral health of the general population, this study aimed to assess the knowledge and practice of dental students in Tehran regarding the oral health of diabetic patients.

In this cross-sectional study, a researcher-designed questionnaire with 3 domains and 32 questions (5 demographic, 21 knowledge, and 6 practice questions) was used for data collection. After assessing the validity and reliability of the questionnaire, 130 senior dental students attending Tehran, Shahdi Beheshti, Shahed, and Islamic Azad University dental schools were requested to fill it out. Data were analyzed by the linear regression model using SPSS version 20.

The mean age of the participants was 24.6±2.47 years. The response rate was 94% . Half of the students were females (n=70, 53%). The mean knowledge and practice scores of the students were 15.29±2.32 out of 21, and 4±1.19 out of 6, respectively. The students with a higher grade point average (GPA) score acquired higher knowledge and attitude scores (P=0.00) .A significant inverse correlation was found between the practice and age of students (P=0.05).

The results indicate the moderate level of knowledge and practice of dental students in Tehran regarding the oral health of diabetic patients. Educational interventions and revision of dental curricula may enhance the knowledge and practice of dental students in this respect.

This study sought to determine the prevalence of prediabetes and to evaluate the significance of six biomarkers, including neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP), C-peptide, interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-13, and IL-35, in predicting prediabetes.

A cross-sectional, case-control study was performed to determine the prevalence of prediabetes among 735 healthy Iraqis. Besides, 125 prediabetes patients, 30 newly diagnosed diabetes mellitus (DM) cases, and 30 normoglycemic controls were assessed for the six biomarkers.

Among the 735 Iraqis, the prevalence of prediabetes was 17%. Most prediabetes patients were over the age of 40 and were overweight/obese. Median levels of the six biomarkers were significantly elevated in the serum of prediabetes and DM patients compared to the normoglycemic group. Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis showed that C-peptide scored the highest area under the curve (AUC) in prediabetes (0.913), while in DM, hsCRP scored the highest AUC (0.961). Logistic regression analysis showed that only hsCRP, C-peptide, IL-1β and IL-13 were associated with prediabetes risk, whereas in DM, the six biomarkers were associated with disease risk.

Prevalence of prediabetes among healthy Iraqis was 17%. Prediabetes was associated with ages over 40 and overweight/obesity. Pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory cytokines were up-regulated in serum of prediabetes patients.