مجله طب پیشگیری
سال دهم شماره 3 (پیاپی 31، پاییز 1402)

Objective:

 The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by SARS-COV-2, can lead to disorders in some body organs, especially the respiratory system. Considering the emergence of new strains of this virus, followed by the increase in transmissibility and the decrease in the effectiveness of vaccines and treatments, the present study aims to investigate the effect of an educational intervention based on Pender’s health promotion model (HPM) on the preventing behaviors against COVID-19.

Methods:

 In this quasi-experimental intervention, 200 people aged >18 years from Lar County participated and were randomly divided into two intervention (n=100) and control (n=100) groups. The data collection tool was a researcher-made questionnaire measuring demographic characteristics, HPM constructs, and preventing behaviors against COVID-19, whose reliability and validity were confirmed. The questionnaire was completed before and two months after the intervention by both groups. The collected data were analyzed in SPSS software, version 25 using descriptive and inferential statistics using independent t-test, paired t-test, chi-square test, and linear regression analysis.

Results:

 The results showed that the mean score of the importance of health (P<0.001), perceived control (P<0.001), perceived self-efficacy (P<0.001), perceived benefits (P<0.001), interpersonal influences, situational influences (P<0.001), activity-related affect (P<0.001), internal guide (P<0.001), external guide (P<0.001), commitment to plan of action (P<0.001), and preventive behaviors against COVID-19 (P<0.001) significantly increased in the intervention group, after the intervention compared to the control group, while the scores of perceived barriers (P<0.001) and immediate competing demands significantly decreased in the intervention group after the intervention compared to the control group. After the intervention, the constructs of immediate competing demands (P<0.001), activity-related affect (P=0.01), and perceived benefits (P=0.03) had a statistically significant relationship with preventive behaviors of COVID-19.

Conclusion:

 The educational intervention based on HPM is effective in improving preventive behaviors against COVID-19.

Objective :

This study aims to investigate social avoidance and workplace discriminatory attitudes towards patients recovered from COVID-19 in the general population of Iran.

Methods:

 In this cross-sectional study, participants were 3836 people aged >15 years who were selected from the general population of Iran using a convenience sampling method in 2020. The data was collected using a researcher-made, self-report online questionnaire. Univariate and multivariate analyses were used to examine factors associated with social avoidance and workplace discriminatory attitudes.

Results:

 The results showed that 56.72% and 49.06% of participants had social avoidance and workplace discrimination attitudes, respectively. Social avoidance was significantly higher in the age group 45-64, urban people, people with high school diploma and university education, college/school students, employed people, and people who had a recovered person at home. Men had 37% less social avoidance compared to women. Workplace discriminatory attitudes were significantly higher in the age group 45- 64, single people, urban people, people with high economic status, and people who had a recovered person at home. Men and people with high school diplomas, and university degrees had lower discriminatory attitudes at the workplace towards COVID-19-recovered patientss.

Conclusion:

 More than half of the general population of Iran avoids contact with patients who recovered from COVID-19, and almost half of the people have workplace discriminatory attitudes towards them.

Objective :

The COVID-19 pandemic resulted in home quarantine, which affected elite athletes in terms of physical and mental health and nutrition. This study aims to investigate the role of emotional eating in predicting the physical activity and psychological health of elite athletes during the COVID-19 pandemic in Iran.

Methods :

This is a descriptive/correlational survey. The study population includes all elite athletes in Iran. Using Cochran’s formula, the sample size was determined 384, and samples were selected by random cluster sampling method. To measure the physical activity of participants, the international physical activity questionnaire (IPAQ) was used. The impact of event scale-revised (IES-R) and the depression, anxiety, and stress scale-21 (DASS-21) were used to measure the psychological health of participants. To measure their emotional eating, the emotional eater questionnaire (EEQ) was used. Pearson correlation test, linear regression analysis, and multivariate analysis of variance were used to analyze the data in SPSS software.

Results :

There was a relationship between IPAQ and EEQ score (R=0.594, P=0.027) and a negative and significant relationship between body mass index and EEQ score (R=-0.710, P=0.019). There is also a positive and significant relationship between psychological health indicators and EEQ score (R=0.113, P=0.026 for DASS-21; R=0.131, P=0.010 for IES-R).

Conclusion:

 Emotional eating in the quarantine during the pandemic has an effective role in predicting physical activity and psychological health of elite athletes in Iran.

Objective :

Lack of access to adequate food during pregnancy can have adverse effects on the mother and the fetus. This study aims to investigate food insecurity and its related sociodemographic factors in pregnant women referred to health centers in Yazd, Iran.

Methods :

This is a descriptive cross-sectional study that was conducted on 240 pregnant women referred to health centers in Yazd in 2020. The sampling was done using a stratified two-stage cluster sampling method. Data was collected using a questionnaire with four sections: Socio-demographic information, pregnancy-related information, infant-related information, and the household food insecurity access scale (HFIAS). Data analysis was performed in SPSS software, version 20. The significance level was set at 0.05. 

Results:

 In this study, 167 women (69.6%) had food security, 59 (24.6%) had mild food insecurity and 14 (5.8%) had moderate-to-severe food insecurity. The results of logistic regression analysis showed that the odds of food insecurity in housewives was 3.93 times more than in employed women (OR=3.93, P=0.013); in women with more than two children was 4.5 times more than in women with fewer children (OR=4.05, P<0.001); in women with less lower than a high school education was 2.36 times more than in women with university education (OR= 2.36, P=0.013); in pregnant <20 years old was 1.69 times more than in women >20 years old (OR=1.69, P=0.18); and in women with unplanned pregnancy was 2.54 times more than in women with planned pregnancy (OR=2.54, P=0.03).

Conclusion :

Most of the pregnant women in Yazd have food security. Their food security is affected by different factors, such as occupation, educational level, number of children, and pregnancy planning.

Objective :

Hypertension is a chronic disease with increasing prevalence. Psychological health problems can lead to the exacerbation of hypertension. This study aims to assess the effect of mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) on the psychological health of adult women with hypertension. 

Methods :

This randomized controlled clinical trial was conducted in 2019 on 80 women with hypertension in Isfahan, Iran who were randomly assigned to two groups of intervention and control. The intervention group received MBSR at 8 two-hour sessions, once a week, followed by 4 weeks of training at home. The control group received routine care. The psychological health of patients in both groups was evaluated before and one week after the intervention using the depression, anxiety, and stress scale–21 items (DASS-21). The data were analyzed in SPSS software, version 24 using paired t-test, independent t-test, and multivariate analysis of covariance.

Results:

 The mean age of the patients was 55.45±6.19 years. In the intervention group, the mean post-test scores of depression, anxiety, and stress were 11.64±3.4, 10.78±2.72, and 11.75±2.94 respectively, which were significantly lower than in the control group (11.97±2.85, 11.62±2.37, and 12.75±2.86 respectively; P<0.05).

Conclusion:

 The MBSR, as a low-cost therapeutic method without complications, is effective in improving the psychological health (reducing depression, anxiety, and stress) of hypertensive women in Iran.

Objective:

 Lifestyle is an important component in health education and promotion. The World Health Organization (WHO) has reported that currently 60% of deaths worldwide and 80% of deaths in developing countries are due to unhealthy lifestyle. The present study aims to determine the effect of an educational intervention on improving the healthy lifestyle behaviors of people referred to the health centers in Yazd, Iran.

Methods:

 This is a quasi-experimental study conducted in 2017 on 140 men and women aged 18-40 years referred to four health centers in Yazd city, who were selected by a multi-stage random sampling method. They were randomly divided into intervention and control groups. The intervention group received the educational program at three sessions, while the control group received no intervention. The data collection tool was a researcher-made lifestyle questionnaire with acceptable validity and reliability.  The questionnaire was completed before, immediately after, and three months after the intervention by both groups. Data were analyzed in SPSS software, version 16 using descriptive statistics and analytical tests.

Results:

 Immediately after the intervention, there was a statistically significant difference between the two groups in knowledge, attitude, and enabling factors (P<0.05), but the score of health-promoting behaviors was not significantly different (P=0.063). Three months after the intervention, there was a significant difference in the scores of knowledge, attitude, enabling factors, and health-promoting behavior between the two groups (P<0.001).

Conclusion:

 The educational intervention is effective in promoting healthy lifestyle behaviors of people in Yazd, Iran.

Objective:

 Due to the rapid spread of COVID-19 worldwide and the lack of a diagnostic method, there is a need to assess the association between the results of existing methods for rapid diagnosis. Therefore, this study aims to assess the relationship between the results of laboratory tests, CT scan, and real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) in suspected or confirmed COVID-19 patients in Quchan, Iran.

Methods:

 This retrospective study was conducted on 221 suspected or confirmed COVID-19 patients referred to a hospital in Quchan, Iran. The required information including the results of five blood tests, lung CT scan, and RT-PCR was extracted from the medical records of patients and was analyzed by descriptive statistics, chi-square test, and Cramér’s V statistic in SPSS software, version 19.

Results:

 The mean age of the subjects was 60±11.4 years, and 51.58% were female. Positive blood tests, lung CT scan and RT-PCR were reported in 37.1%, 66.5%, and 32.1%, respectively. It was reported that 76% of patients with positive RT-PCR also had a positive lung CT scan. However, it was not statistically significant based on the chi-square test results. There was a significant relationship between positive RT-PCR and positive blood tests (Cramér’s V=0.186) and between positive blood tests and CT scan ( Cramér’s V=0.231). There was no significant relationship between the positive results of the three diagnostic methods.

Conclusion:

 The sensitivity of lung CT scan to COVID-19 is higher. Due to the negative results of blood tests and RT-PCR in the early stage of the disease, lung CT scan for suspected cases and the repetition of blood tests and RT-PCR can help make a correct COVID-19 diagnosis.

Objective:

 The COVID-19 pandemic and the imposed social restrictions have had many negative effects on the psychological and social aspects of people. The current study aims to determine the prevalence of behavioral problems among preschool children in home quarantine during the COVID-19 pandemic in Abadan, Iran.

Methods:

 This is a descriptive-analytical study. Participants were 234 pre-school children aged 4-6 years in Abadan city, who were selected by a convenience sampling method in 2021. Their behavioral problems were measured by a standard behavioral problems scale for preschool children, which was completed by the parents of the children. Data analysis was done in SPSS software, version 25 using the Mann-Whitney U test. The normality of data distribution was examined by the Shapiro-Wilk test. 

Results:

 Among children, 6.8%, 25.2%, and 1.3% had high aggression, anxiety, and withdrawal, respectively, while 93.2%, 74.8%, and 98.3% had low to moderate aggression, anxiety, and withdrawal, respectively. The mean scores of withdrawal and anxiety were higher in children whose mothers were employed than in children whose mothers were housekeeper. The anxiety score in first children is significantly higher than other children (P=0.000)

Conclusion :

According to the results of the research, there is no significant difference between aggression and anxiety in girls and boys, but the mean withdrawal in boys was reported to be more than that of girls. Also, the amount of anxiety in first children was reported more than other children, and withdrawal and anxiety were reported more in children with working mothers than children with stay-at-home mothers.