مجله آموزش و سلامت جامعه
سال نهم شماره 3 (Sep 2022)

The aim of this study was to determine the effect of educational intervention on improving the preventive behaviors of fatty liver in women referring to comprehensive health service centers in Bardaskan using the protection motivation theory (PMT).

This quasi-experimental study was conducted on women aged 18-59 in Bardaskan in 2020. The sample size was determined as 128 according to the suggestion (Cohen), including 64 experimental and 64 control samples. The participants completed a researcher-made questionnaire consisting of three parts (demographic variables, constructs of PMT, and fatty liver prevention behaviors). The educational intervention for the experimental group was performed in 12 one-hour sessions over 4 weeks using lectures, group discussions, questions and answers, brainstorming, substitution experiences, and delivery of the designed educational booklet. Two months after the completion of the educational intervention, the questionnaire was completed again by all participants. The obtained data were analyzed by SPSS 21 using descriptive statistics, Chi-square test, independent t test, paired t test, ANCOVA test, and linear regression test.

There was a significant difference between the mean scores of perceived susceptibility (P<0.001), perceived severity (P=0.002), perceived external and internal rewards (P=0.010), response efficiency (P=0.010), perceived cost (P<0.001), and behavior (P=0.028) between the experimental and control groups after the educational intervention.

Educational intervention based on PMT led to behavior modifications to promote the preventive behaviors of the fatty liver.

The coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19) pandemic and the accompanying restrictions have caused disruptions in the lives of older Thais. The present study aimed to determine the associations of perceived risks with social, economic, and health changes that occurred among people aged 60 years old and over during the implemented lockdown measures.

In this cross-sectional study, data from a survey on the Impact of COVID-19 on Older Persons in Thailand, with a sample size of 1230 collected in July 2020, were used for the analyses. An index was created using factor analysis from a list of perceived risks or worries during the COVID-19 pandemic. The mentioned index was then employed in an ordinary least squares regression model to explore associated factors that involved social, economic, and health changes.

The results indicated that older individuals, who were married (β=-0.141; P=0.030) and resided in rural areas (β=-0.218; P<0.001), had lower levels of perceived risks or worries. Greater worry was related to individuals who had negative physical health changes during the pandemic (β=0.177; P<0.001) and those who had less mobility around their communities (β=0.356; P<0.001). Loss of employment (β=0.318; P=0.004) and income inadequacy before the pandemic (β=0.370; P<0.001) and only during the pandemic (β=0.169; P=0.040) had positive associations with perceived risk.

Observing psychological health is necessary for the protection of the older population’s wellbeing. The COVID-19 pandemic being an unprecedented event has shown the need to ensure the social and economic protection of this age group as they are highly vulnerable.

Girls need special care regarding menstrual hygiene because of early pubertal development and related problems. The researchers aimed to explore the knowledge about the role of the mother-daughter relationship in menstrual hygiene among young teens.

A cross-sectional study was conducted (February-April 2020) among 190 elderly young teenage girls in middle schools who lived in Bukan, North-West of Iran. Data about demographic characteristics, menstrual information, knowledge of menstrual hygiene management, the practice of menstrual hygiene, the premenstrual symptom screening tool, visual analog scale for pain, and parent-child relationship survey were collected by a questionnaire using a multistage random sampling method. Finally, the obtained data were analyzed using SPSS (version 25) through descriptive and analytical statistics.

The most common severe signs and symptoms were anger/irritability (21.6%), fatigue/lack of energy (19.5%), and decreased interest in household activities (17.9%). A sense of shame was reported more among girls who have moderate relationships with their mothers (P=0.011), and a significant relationship was found between mothers’ low literacy and the severity of premenstrual symptoms in their daughters (P=0.036).

Mothers play a crucial role in their daughters’ lives, which can buffer stressors and relieve anxiety, especially during the experiencing of menarche and during the menstruation period, indicating familial support to overcome the puberty-related crisis.

Happiness is a measure of school-age children’s well-being. Many factors have been identified as the source of school-age children’s happiness, among which school experiences are particularly significant. This study aimed to investigate school-age children’s happiness and school experiences in various contexts.

In total, 3282 Thai school-age children (first- and sixth-grade students) across the country were randomly selected in 2019. The exploratory research design was used for quantitative and qualitative data collection. The selected samples were administered self-reported questionnaires, interviewed, and observed in their school settings for five days a week. The collected quantitative data were analyzed with mean scores, standard deviations (SD), and the t test, while qualitative data were analyzed using content analysis.

The mean score (±SD) of the first- and sixth-grade students were 2.290 (±0.32) and 2.220 (±0.30), respectively, which was interpreted as a moderate level of happiness. Factors such as grade levels, school types, food consumption, class hours, learning activities, and play activities had a statistically significant impact on school-age children’s happiness (P≤0.05). A qualitative examination of their routines and schedules on weekdays demonstrated that these children lost out on personal time and could not make decisions to spend time on the activities of their own interest and preference.

School-age children are burdened with required schoolwork and barely have the time for any recreation and rest. Thus, children’s happiness is reduced with lower recess time.

Fear of falling is one of the factors that threaten the quality of life in old age and increases the risk of falling by limiting physical activity. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of balance training on the efficacy of fear of falling and the rate of falling in older women.

In this randomized controlled trial, 70 aging women with a fear of falling were selected and randomly assigned to experimental (n=35) and control (n=35) groups. The intervention group received 10 sessions of 1-hour balance exercise, along with training in falling prevention strategies, but the control group received only routine care. Data were collected using the Falls Efficacy Scale-International questionnaire and the new elderly health services package of the Ministry of Health of Iran. Fear of falling was evaluated as the primary outcome 1 month and 3 months after balance training, and frequency of falling was assessed as a secondary outcome one year after the intervention. Data were analyzed by ANOVA, independent t test, and paired t test.

The results showed that the mean score of fear of falling in the experimental group was significantly lower than in the control group 1 month (P = 0.005) and 3 months (P < 0.001) after balance training. The mean score of fear of falling in the control group represented no significant difference between the three times (P = 0.64). Finally, one year after the balance training, the frequency of falling in the experimental group was significantly lower in comparison to the control group (P = 0.035).

A balance training program is recommended as a preventive approach for reducing the frequency of falling in older women.

The increase in smoking among female students in recent years has become one of the major public health concerns in the world. Therefore, the aim of this study was to determine the effect of educational intervention based on the health belief model (HBM) on the adoption of smoking preventive behaviors among university female students.

This was an experimental interventional study that was conducted on 114 female students of Islamic Azad University of Tonekabon Branch (57 in each intervention and control group) in 2018. The data collection tools included a demographic questionnaire and the International Tobacco Survey based on HBM about the dangers of smoking which was completed in two stages before and one month after the intervention. The educational intervention was conducted in three sessions using two methods of lecture and group discussion. The collected data were analyzed using proportional tests and SPSS software, version 21.

Before the intervention, there was no significant difference in the mean scores of the HBM constructs and smoking preventive behaviors between the two groups (P>0.05), but one month after the intervention, a statistically significant increase was observed in the mean scores of all constructs and preventive behaviors in the experimental group (P<0.05).

Overall, the HBM-based education was effective in preventing smoking among female students, and the implemented intervention was appropriate to the used model.

Due to the great importance of health literacy during pregnancy and its direct impact on the health of the mother and her child, this study aimed to evaluate the health literacy of pregnant women in a semi-urban area, Kuhdasht county, located in western Iran and to investigate its associated factors.

This is a cross-sectional study conducted on 300 pregnant mothers referred to a governmental prenatal care center in Kuhdasht county, Iran, in 2019. Data collection tools included a demographic form and the Persian version of the Maternal Health Literacy and Pregnancy Outcome Questionnaire (MHLAPQ). Collected data were then analyzed through SPSS software version 22 using the Pearson correlation test and Multiple linear regression analysis.

The mean score for the maternal health literacy dimension was 58.38±8.87 (out of 70), and it was 47.20±6.22 (out of 60) for the pregnancy outcome dimension. This indicates that the current pregnant women had adequate health literacy and pregnancy outcome. Further, there was a significant relationship between maternal health literacy and pregnancy outcome (r=0.58, P=0.001). Moreover, multiple linear regression results indicated that age, occupation, education, ferrous sulfate uptake, history of abortion, frequency of pregnancy, the trimester for prenatal care initiation, and birth weight of infants could not significantly predict health literacy in women (P>0.05).

The health literacy level of pregnant women in Kuhdasht county, Iran, is adequate but not high. Accordingly, it is necessary to further consider maternal health literacy in socio-economic and health planning due to its effect on the health of the child and mother.

Considering the influential role of teaching safe behaviors in preventing accidents and injuries, this study aims to determine the effect of educational intervention based on protection motivation theory (PMT) and information-motivation-behavioral skills (IMB) model on promoting safe motorcycle riding behaviors in male students at Sabzevar University.

This quasi-experimental study was performed on 100 motorcyclist students at Sabzevar University selected using two-stage cluster sampling method in 2018. After confirming the validity and reliability of the instrument, the questionnaire was completed three times before, immediately, and two months after the educational intervention. The intervention group was held in 9 educational sessions for three weeks. The data were analyzed by SPSS18 software using t-test, chi-square, Fisher's exact test, and repeated measures tests.

The mean scores of PMT and IMB and safe behaviors of students in the intervention group immediately and two months after the educational intervention compared to the control group showed a statistically significant increase (p<0.001). The mean scores of the studied constructs and safe behaviors in the intervention group had also a statistically significant change over time (p <0.05).

The results indicate the effect of educational intervention based on PMT and IMB on promoting safe behaviors in young students. Face-to-face education and virtual education based on a combination of health education theories can be used to effectively promote safe behaviors of motorcyclist students.

Office workers are high-risk populations for their sedentary behavior and its related diseases. This study examined the structured intervention on physical activities in employees.

In this quasi-experimental study, 189 participants were allocated to two experimental and control groups using the multistage random sampling method. Data were collected through the short form of an international physical activity questionnaire, and a structured researcher-made questionnaire containing demographic and questions related to the constructs of the theory of planned behavior (TPB). The experimental group contributed to four training sessions and four practical walking meetings. Data were analyzed by SPSS software (version 19) using independent t test, chi-square, and linear regression tests at the significance level of 0.05.

There was no significant difference between the two groups before the intervention regarding the mean score of attitude, subjective norms, perceived behavioral control, behavioral intention, physical activity, and demographic variables (P>0.05). After the intervention, the mean score of attitude, subjective norms, perceived behavior control, behavioral intention, and physical activity in the experimental group was significantly higher than the control group (P<0.05).

The finding of this study suggests that TPB is a suitable framework for designing physical activity interventions among office workers.