Preventive Care in Nursing & Midwifery Journal
Volume:13 Issue: 3, Autumn 2023

Infertility can have many negative psycho-social consequences including depression, anxiety, and feelings of shame in couples, especially women.

This study aimed to explore the effectiveness of positive psychology interventions (PPIs) in increasing hope and happiness in women undergoing assisted reproductive therapy (ART).

This quasi-experimental study was conducted using a pre-test and post-test design with a control group. The research population consisted of all infertile women who had been admitted to Omid Royan Infertility Center in Arak, Iran, in 2022. The participants were a sample of 40 infertile women undergoing ART who were selected through convenience sampling and then they were placed into two intervention and control groups (each group with 20 members) through permuted block randomization. Afterward, the participants in the intervention group received PPIs for 10 sessions. However, the controls received no intervention. The data were collected through the Oxford Happiness Questionnaire (OHQ) and Adult Hope Scale (AHS). Finally, the collected data were analyzed through one-way ANCOVA with SPSS-26 software.

The data showed a statistically significant difference between the mean scores of the variables of hope (p<0.001) and happiness (p<0.001) for the participants of the two groups in the post-test stage, while this difference was not significant in the control group (p>0.05).

Psycho-social interventions can be implemented as a part of infertility treatments along with medical treatments and as complementary treatments for infertile couples in regular meetings. Thus, health and medical professionals can provide their supportive consultations in time to reduce the negative psycho-social effects of infertility.

 Severe and moderate asthma attacks are among the major causes of children’s visits to emergency departments.

 The present systematic review is conducted to assess the effectiveness of inhaled budesonide on hospitalization and clinical presentations in children with asthma.

 A search was conducted on six English databases from 2000 to 2022. Quality assessment was done using Cochrane Collaboration’s tool for Assessing the Risk of Bias, and heterogeneity was assessed using I2. The risk of bias was calculated using a funnel plot and Begg and Egger tests. The data were analyzed using RevMan 5, and random effects, the risk ratio and means difference were reported with a 95% confidence interval.

 Totally, 1380 studies were identified. After the screening, ten studies with a sample size of 1859 were included in the systematic review. The asthma scores were improved following budesonide administration in 10 studies. Compared to the placebo, the effects of budesonide on hospitalization rate were not statistically significant, but they were statistically significant with zero heterogeneity compared to other corticosteroids. Compared to the placebo or oral corticosteroids, there were no significant differences in heart rate, respiratory rate, and oxygen saturation after budesonide administration.

 The effects of inhaled corticosteroids were similar to other oral corticosteroids and the placebo. Considering the high heterogeneity of the studies, future studies with larger sample sizes and longer follow-ups are recommended.

Life-style is one of the most important factors affecting health, which can counteract with various pathogenic risk factors through identification and management of it.

This study aimed to compare life-style of elders affected and not affected by intestinal parasitic infections (IPIs).

This case-control study was conducted on 190 elders aged ≥60 years old (30 individuals: affected, 160 individuals were non-affected by IPI) who referred to health centers in Gilan province (2017-2018). Sampling was random and the samples were transferred from the health centers to the laboratory of the medical school in east of Guilan. Using direct wet smear (microscopic examination), formalin-ethyl acetate concentration techniques and Ziehl Neelson’s stain, stool samples were examined for IPIs. Data were collected using Babak's healthy life-style questionnaire for the elderly and analysed in SPSS v.21 software.

The majority of the participants were in the age range of 60-69 years (63.2%) and illiterate (55.8%). Most of the elders had moderate life-style (62.1%). In the significant dimensions (exercise, prevention, nutrition, stress management and total), mean and median score of life-style in elders non-affected by IPI were higher than affected ones (P<0.05). In addition to IPI, age, presence of chronic disease, living with spouse, BMI and educational level are among the factors related to life-style in the elderly (P<0.05).

Identifying factors related to healthy life-style has important role in change and promotion of elders’ life-style. Performing interventions in order to enhance elders’ awareness to modify and improve life-style is essential.

 Malnutrition is deficiencies or excess nutrients by an individual. Includes under-nutrition and micronutrient-related malnutrition. It causes about half of all fatalities in children below five years; increases the chance of a child dying from common ailments. Cultural determinants are associated with malnutrition of ages 6-59 months.

 The study sought to establish the determinants contributing to child malnutrition in West Pokot County of Kenya.

 This was cross sectional study. Multistage cluster sampling was applied. Anthropometric measures of 420 children aged 6-59 months in Pokot North Sub-County were assessed. Data was collected from August-September, 2022 using online questionnaire. Pretesting was done for validity and reliability. SPSS v.2022 used for data analysis. Chi-Square and Odds Ratios and Confidence intervals were used to test variables.

 Mean (SD) age of the respondents’ children was 29.9 (16.0). Over 60% of children were below 35 weeks. Children with 0-11 months had lower representation (15.2%). 82.4% had one younger sibling. Monogamy (76.8%) had fewer malnutrition cases (OR: 0.5; P=0.015). Violence was high and had impact on malnutrition (34.5%). Traditional food restrictions caused malnutrition (OR:1.8; 95% CI:1.2-2.8; P=0.006).

 There is evidence that some cultural aspects: types of marriage, caretaker violence and food taboos contribute to malnutrition in children aged 6-59 months in West Pokot County. Awareness on harmful cultural practices should be implemented. More studies should be done to establish why cultural practices still exist.

People experience a lot of challenges during COVID-19 pandemic, and studies that have examined the effects of quarantining people exposed to COVID-19 in Iran are limited.

This study aimed to explore the people's experiences of psychological challenges of home-quarantine during the COVID-19 pandemic in southern in Iran.

In this descriptive qualitative study, 44 individuals who were voluntarily quarantined at home for at least two weeks due to the COVID-19 pandemic were interviewed in depth from the beginning of January to March 2021. Purposive sampling method was used to select the participants, and the conventional content analysis approach was used to analyze the data. Qualitative data management was performed using MAXQDA 10 software.

Most participants were 31- 40 years old (29.5%), had diploma (38.6%), were married (75%), and were female (56.8%). The extracted data were classified into 3 main categories (Individual psychological issues, social psychological issues, and family psychological issues) and 15 subcategories.

Due to the prevalence of COVID-19, measures such as home quarantine should be taken to control the infection, but it might have adverse psychological impacts on some people, as confirmed by the results of this study. Therefore, it is necessary to pay attention to the mental health of people during home quarantine, so that this method is more welcomed and successful.

Death anxiety is common in disease with a high mortality rate. Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic is considered a crucial factor with remarkable impact on community different age groups' mental health.

The present study aimed to determine the relationship between death anxiety and happiness during the COVID-19 pandemic among the undergraduate students of Zanjan University of Medical Sciences, Zanjan-Iran, in 2021.

This correlational-descriptive study was conducted on 395 undergraduate students of Zanjan University of Medical Sciences using convenience sampling method. Data was collected through a three-part questionnaire including demographic characteristics, Templers’s Death Anxiety Scale (DAS), and Oxford Happiness Inventory (OHI). For data analysis Spearman, Mann-Whitney, and Kruskal-Wallis tests were used in SPSS software version 26.

The results indicated that the mean (SD) scores of death anxiety and happiness were 34.04 (8.30) and 51.98 (14.43), and their median scores were 34 and 53, respectively. The death anxiety of 70.7% of the studied students was average, while the level of happiness of 40.8% of the students was average and 47.3% was high. A significant weak, inverse relationship was observed between the two variables of death anxiety and happiness (r=- 0.155, P=0.002).

The results of the study indicated a slight decrease in happiness in students with higher death anxiety during the COVID-19 pandemic. But considering the high prevalence of death anxiety among students, especially female and non-native ones, it is necessary to pay particular attention to decreasing death anxiety in undergraduate medical students.

Pregnancy nausea and vomiting (NVP) are common complaints in the early period of pregnancy.

The present study aimed to determine the effects of the positive psychology approach on improving the severity of NVP.

This randomized controlled clinical trial was conducted on 60 pregnant women with mild and moderate NVP in Zanjan province, Iran in 2020-2021. Pregnant women under study were divided into two experimental and control groups by block randomization method. Six counseling sessions were held for the experimental group regarding the treatment protocol of a positive psychological approach twice a week for 60 minutes. Data were collected using the Rhodes and demographic questionnaire and then analyzed using Chi-square, Fisher exact test, independent t-tests, repeated measure ANOVA test with a confidence level (CI) of 95% in SPSS 16 software.

As regards the demographic analysis, there was no statistically significant difference between the two groups. However, based on obstetric characteristics, the difference was significant between the two groups in terms of the number of pregnancies. The analysis showed that the mean (SD) severity of NVP in the experimental group was (11.60 ± 2.73) before the intervention, (5.0 ± 2.5) immediately and (3.73 ± 2.50) four weeks after the intervention. There were significant differences in the severity of NVP immediately (P values =0.014) and after four weeks of the intervention between the two groups (P values =0.031).

The use of a positive psychological counseling approach reduced the severity of NVP and improved maternal health.

The epidemic of respiratory diseases and their complications and mortalities have always been considered one of the health threats to humans.

This study aimed to identify the predictors of Covid-19 prevention behaviors based on the health belief model among the students of the Nursing and Midwifery Faculty of Zanjan City in 2021.

This cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted on 294 nursing students recruited using the convenience sampling method. A three-part questionnaire addressing demographic characteristics, the health belief model, and preventive behaviors were used. The questionnaire was provided to the participants via sharing on social media. For statistical analysis, the independent t-tests, ANOVA, Pearson’s correlation, and regression were conducted in SPSS v.22 software.

The mean (SD) of preventive behaviors and health belief scores were 42.36 (3.23) and 113.11 (10.07), respectively. The highest and lowest scores were related to the constructs of perceived benefits (3.82 from 5) and perceived barriers (3.003 from 5), respectively. According to Pearson’s correlation coefficient, preventive behaviors had a direct and statistically significant correlation with the perceived sensitivity, perceived intensity, perceived benefits, self-efficacy, and action guide constructs (P<0.05). The constructs of perceived sensitivity, perceived intensity, self-efficacy, and action guide predicted 13%, 9.7%, 22%, and 19.4% of the variance in preventive behaviors, respectively.

Based on the findings of the present study, self-efficacy was the most prominent construct predicting COVID-19 prevention behaviors among students. Therefore, methods that enhance self-efficacy, such as boosting awareness and empowerment strategies, can be employed to manage the preventive behaviors of students during infectious emerging diseases.