Journal of Community Health Research
Volume:12 Issue: 2, Apr-Jun 2023

COVID-19 has not only damaged the individual's physical health, but also the community’s mental health. The current study is conducted to investigate the effects of COVID-19 on mental health and anxiety level of the university students.

In the current cross-sectional study, 216 students from Mashhad University of Medical Sciences were collected using simple random sampling during COVID-19 pandemic in 2022. To determine anxiety symptoms relevant to COVID-19, Corona Disease Anxiety Scale (CDAS) was used, and to assess the status of mental health, General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12) was used. Data were analyzed through SPSS software. Descriptive analysis statistics was performed using frequency percentages, and mean and standard deviation indexes. Furthermore, multiple linear regressions were calculated with psychological and physical symptoms of CDAS and mental health scores. The significance level of all statistical tests was 0.05.

84.3% (182 participants) of the participants had medium and high levels of psychological symptoms of Corona disease anxiety, and regarding physical symptoms, approximately more than half of the participants (55.6%, 120 participants) experienced medium and high levels of anxiety. Both the psychological and physical symptoms of the disease anxiety were associated significantly with mental health (ß standard = 0.14, p value = 0.004), and psychological symptom variable was the stronger predictor (ß standard = 0.53, p value = 0.0001).

The wide spread of anxiety during COVID-19 lockdown is a warning to health educators and policy makers that significant time, attempt, and funding of the services for mental health should be spent to control anxiety.

Road traffic accidents (RTAs) are a leading and disproportionately prevalent cause of mortality and disability, particularly burdening Nepal, primarily within the Kathmandu Valley.

This cross-sectional study was conducted between March 22nd and April 24th, 2021, involving 185 victims admitted to the emergency department of a private hospital. Respondents were selected using purposive sampling, and data were collected through face-to-face interviews. Socio-demographic characteristics, human factors, and environmental factors data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, and all statistical tests were conducted using SPSS version 20.

Among the 185 RTA victims, the majority (36.8%) fell within the 21-30 age groups. Male victims (55.7%) outnumbered females (44.3%). Students (36.8%) experienced the highest accident rates, with most incidents (21.1%) occurring on Saturdays and 38.4% taking place between 12:00pm and 6:00pm.Human Factors and RTA: Of the total victims, 80 (43.2%) were drivers, with 43.75% of them reporting the use of emergency brakes. Furthermore, 77.61% indicated that accidents were caused by pedestrians not using zebra crossings when crossing the road.Environmental Factors and RTA: Rainy weather was associated with the highest number of accidents, accounting for 36.2% of cases. Additionally, narrow routes (28.6%) and slippery roads (25.9%) contributed to a significant number of accidents.

Nepal faces a high rate of road traffic accidents, with critical factors including victim age, vehicle types, speed, road and weather conditions, and traffic rule violations. Authorities must consider these factors to effectively control and prevent RTAs.

People's health behaviors are important in determining the prevalence of the head lice infestation. This study aimed to determine the preventive behaviors of head lice infestation using the Health Belief Model (HBM) in female students of Jahrom University of Medical Sciences.

This cross-sectional study was conducted on 255 female students of Jahrom University of Medical Sciences, Fars Province, South of Iran in 2021. Sampling was randomly selected from female students studying in the fields of public health, operating room, anesthesia, nursing, laboratory sciences, and medicine. The data collection tool was a four-part standard “preventive behaviors against pediculosis infection” questionnaire whose validity and reliability have been confirmed. The questionnaire was completed by the participants and the data were entered into SPSS 21 for analysis. Data analysis was performed descriptively with the report of frequency, percentage, mean and standard deviation. The correlation was evaluated using Pearson correlation test. Significance level was considered less than 0.05.

The mean age and number of roommates (SD) of the participants were 22.4 (1.7) and 3.35 (1.3), respectively. There was a positive and significant correlation between the perceived benefits construct and knowledge (r = 0.147, p = 0.04) and the perceived susceptibility construct (r = 0.413, p < 0.001). In addition, a positive and significant correlation was observed between the behavior with knowledge (r = 0.144, p = 0.04) and self-efficacy construct (r = 0.167, p = 0.02). There was a significant inverse correlation between perceived barriers construct with knowledge (r = -0.265, p < 0.001) and behavior (r = -0.213, p = 0.002), as well as between self-efficacy construct and knowledge (r = -0.219, p = 0.001).

To improve preventive behaviors of lice infestation in students, in addition to improving people's knowledge, efforts should be made to identify and remove barriers to healthy behavior as well as improve people's perception of these barriers.

Smoking is a serious health threat, killing about 5 million people worldwide each year. By 2030, the number of diseases and deaths from tobacco use will reach 8 million per year. This study aims to investigate the prediction of smoking tendency based on emotional dyslexia and perceptual control with the mediation of risk perception.

This was a descriptive-correlational research conducted on all the 45,000 employees of Tehran Municipality who were working in 2019. The statistical sample consisted of 215 members of the aforementioned statistical population, which was determined using the usual sampling method in correlation studies and the multi-stage cluster sampling method. The instruments used included the smoking tendency questionnaire, the emotional nonverbal questionnaire, and the perceptual control questionnaire. The collected data were analyzed using SPSS software version 25 and Amos software version 22 at two descriptive (mean, standard deviation, etc.) and inferential (structural equation analysis) levels.

The coefficient of the direct path between alexithymia and the tendency to smoke was 0.380. It can be concluded that there was a positive and significant relationship between alexithymia and the tendency to smoke. In addition, the coefficient of the direct path between perceptual control and the tendency to smoke was -0.250.

There is a negative and significant relationship between cognitive control and the tendency to smoke. Therefore, by teaching people emotional regulation skills, a person can be prepared to face and solve problems and have constructive relationship with others.

Inadequate nutrition can affect oral health. Compromised oral health can also alter food choices and negatively lead to poor nutrition. This study aims to assess the knowledge and practice of dentists and dental students regarding nutrition counseling.

In this cross-sectional study, a valid and reliable four-part questionnaire was conducted among senior students and dentists in Yazd city in February 2022. All 40 senior students in the Faculty of Dentistry were selected by census method, and 98 dentists were selected randomly from all the names registered in the system of Medical Council. Data were analyzed by SPSS version 25 and t-test and Chi-square tests were used (P-value < 0.05)

Out of a score 9, the mean score of knowledge was 7.12 ± 1.75 for dentists and 6.48 ± 1.2 for students. The mean score of dentists was higher than students (P = 0.03). Out of a score of 10, the mean score of dentists and students' practice were 3.26 ± 2.43 and 3.20 ± 1.82, respectively. There was no significant difference regarding the mean score practice in two groups
(P = 0.879).

  The knowledge level of both groups was not good but acceptable, and the quality of practice in both groups was poor. It seems that there is a need for corrective educational interventions to improve the practice of dentists and dental students.

Some countries experience lower or higher life expectancy than what is predicted based on their income. This study examines why life expectancy deviation is experienced with the aim of exploring which factors and conditions contribute to better health outcome (life expectancy) at low cost.

In this study at the first stage, the well-known Preston curve is reproduced and updated using the cross-sectional data of variables of life expectancy at birth (years) and per capita gross domestic product (GDP) by purchasing power parity (PPP) of 182 countries around the World in 2018 based on the latest available data. After estimating the deviation of each countries life expectancy from the curve, the characteristics of countries with more than four years of positive (group 1) and negative (group 2) gaps from the curve were compared by applying the mean comparison test of two independent groups (t-test).

The identified drivers of gains or losses in longevity relative to income included using at least basic sanitation (P = 0.012) and drinking water services (P = 0.045), Universal Health Coverage (UHC) (P = 0.012), access to electricity (P = 0.004), CO2 emissions (P = 0.037), inequality in income (P = 0.003), health expenditure per capita (P = 0.000), non-communicable (P = 0.000) and communicable diseases and maternal, prenatal, and nutrition conditions (P = 0.000), literacy rate (P = 0.057), and road injuries (P = 0.001).

Better health outcome in countries and regions with relatively low income or few resources can be achieved that would be critical for global improvement in population health. However, it needs to take effective measures and is of great importance for policy-making.

Divorce is one of the most damaging social issues. Since the divorce rates are increasing rapidly, the current study evaluated the effects of factors leading to divorce.

In this qualitative study, by using two-stage sampling method (purposive and snowball) 4 couples on the verge of divorce visiting consulting center and 8 experts with experience in the field of family and divorce in Yazd city were selected. Semi-structured interviews were used for data collection. The contents of the interviews were transcribed verbatim and analyzed using a content analysis method.

The experts who participated in this study included several marriage and divorce registrars, lawyers, and family counselors with over 10 years of experience in the field of family and divorce. The mean age of women on the verge of divorce was 33 ± 8.51 years and for men 37.2 ± 6.13 years. Fifty percent of the couples had a bachelor's degree and 62.5% of them were self-employed. Most of them had a marriage period of 5-10 years. A total of 23 codes were extracted from the interviews. The codes were organized into four main themes. Major topics included lack of preparation for marriage, psychological factors, unfavorable marital relationships, and social factors.

The interference of families, extramarital relationships, early marriage and the lack of communication skills and media literacy are the most influential factors of divorce.

The primary purpose of the health system is to promote equitable health in society. The aim of this study is to offer some recommendations for improving the Iranian health policy-making cycle with a good governance approach.

The systematic review approach was employed to undertake this research. To track down articles published electronically between 2010 and 2021, a comprehensive search in the National Library's English databases, in December 2021, was conducted using the keywords such as public policy, policy, policy-making, health policy, good governance, health, and healthcare. In addition, the Persian equivalents of the aforementioned keywords were searched separately or in combination with Boolean operators (OR, AND) in databases such as Scopus, Ovid, Science Direct, Web of Knowledge, PubMed, IranMedex, Magiran, and SID to further pinpoint the desired articles. To evaluate and validate the quality of the selected articles, critical tools appropriate for the type of study were utilized (e.g., the SRQR tool for qualitative studies and the MMAT tool for mixed-methods studies), and finally, the research team conducted content analysis and categorized the findings.

Findings revealed that the health policy-making cycle is an extensive and intra-sectoral concern. Good governance in the health system results in specialized and individualized opportunities for better health and reduces inequality. To accomplish this purpose, it is necessary to emphasize cross-sectoral participation, social responsiveness, and transparent processes, and incorporate the viewpoints of experts and implementers of the health policy-making system. Furthermore, the health system's sovereignty and progress toward good governance should be evaluated, which results in effective policies and health justice.

Considering the legal mission of the Supreme Council of Health and Food Security (the highest policy-making authority in the Ministry of Health), it is recommended that the council implement the practical recommendations of this research in actualizing and incorporating the good governance approach into the health policy-making cycle.

Morbidity pattern shows the burden of the disease and time trends, highlighting demographic differences in disease burden. It also demonstrates the extent and nature of the disease load in the community, and thus, assists in establishment of the priorities for monitoring and evaluating disease control activities, allocating the resources and monitoring the trends for the effect of intervention5.Hence, this study aims to determine the prevalence of common morbidities in the elderly age group.

This was a descriptive and cross-sectional study conducted on the 318 elderly subjects in rural areas. Of 60 or above. Random sampling was done to select the villages. A house to house survey was conducted in every selected village, and eligible subjects were interviewed till the required sample size was reached. The study tools were a pre-tested, pre-validated questionnaire Variables included socio- -demographic factors such as age, sex, religion, marital status, education, occupation, type of family, family income, etc.

Female preponderance was seen in the study subjects. The majorities of the subjects was between 60-70 and were suffering from either one or two morbidities. 70 % had a positive family history. There were behavioral risk factors (addiction/ habit) in 35% of the participants, and the most common problem was smoking. The most common problems were generalized muscular weakness (63%) followed by gastrointestinal (GI) problems. Around 5% of the study subjects suffered from diabetes and cardiovascular diseases (CVD).

Regarding the socio-demographic characteristics, behavioral factors and morbidities, the present study is comparable to many other studies conducted in India. The burden of different diseases or the morbidity pattern is different in different parts of the country.

 Life expectancy, especially life expectancy at birth is a good indicator of current health condition of the population and is estimated through life tables. The present study aims to examine the effect of partial and complete elimination of a specific disease on the gain in life expectancy at birth by sex in India and selected states using Medical Certification of Cause of Death (MCCD) secondary data for 2017.

 Life tables were constructed for all cause-specific deaths using Greville method for both males and females separately for India and selected states.  Cause-deleted life tables were also constructed for partial (25%, 50%, 75%) and complete (100%) elimination of ten leading cause of death groups.  Gain in life expectancy was estimated as the difference between values of cause-deleted life tables and cause-specific life tables.

Complete elimination of diseases of the circulatory system yielded maximum gain in life expectancy at birth in males (14.64 years) and in females (15.49 years) both in Haryana. It was followed by diseases of the respiratory system in males (6.45 years) in Jharkhand and in females (6.17 years) in Uttar Pradesh; certain infectious and parasitic diseases in males (3.82 years) in Uttar Pradesh and in females (3.58 years) in Delhi; neoplasms in males (2.71 years) and in females (2.11 years) both in Kerala.  Similar results were obtained in case of remaining diseases.

 Maximum gained years would be obtained after reducing mortality from diseases of the circulatory system.  These may have implications for practical decision making in setting up health goals, allocating resources, and launching tailor-made health care programs.

Organizational cynicism is a negative attitude toward the organization. The design of health promoting schools (HPSs), one of the indicators of which is the creation of mental health for school staff, can reduce cynicism.

The present study used a qualitative approach and the grounded theory (GT) method. The statistical population included all managers and assistants of secondary HPSs in Tabriz. The purposive sampling method was used, and the data collection tool was a semi-structured interview.

This research aimed to identify a model for reducing organizational cynicism in HPSs in Tabriz. According to the inclusion criteria and to reach data saturation, a semi-structured interview was conducted with eight people. Data analysis was performed based on Strauss and Corbin's continuous comparison strategy. The findings identified individuals, groups, and environments as factors affecting organizational cynicism (causative conditions). The basis and background of organizational cynicism is the internal and external environment of HPSs, which are also affected by the implementation barriers of HPS programs. 

The best strategy for solving this problem is to build confidence in the design of the HPSs to attract cooperation in its implementation and create coordination between the activities of different organizations, which can lead to sustainable psychological outcomes and the success of HPSs programs.

In, health in addition to promoting medical knowledge, it aims to diagnose or treat diseases. According to ethical and legal principles, the damage to the patient in the process of health research must be fully compensated.

In this research, the issued verdicts and the existing judicial procedures in legal cases in judicial and quasi-judicial authorities were analyzed in order to formulate the necessary legal theories with regard to the jurisprudential and legal basis of civil liability of researchers and scientific centers. To achieve results, it has been tried to avoid any violation of human rights without hindering the process of scientific research.

The basis of this view is moral and legal commitment of society to compensate for injuries caused by research, because ultimately, it is society that benefits from the results of medical and scientific research. As a result, it is better to provide legal support for the need to insure patients in medical research and to allocate special funds for damages resulting from medical research.

There are drawbacks to filing a civil liability lawsuit for injuries caused by medical research; this is because it either leads to incomplete compensation or is an obstacle to medical research and medical researchers. Assuming the sole responsibility of research centers to create such liability insurance, legislators should enact comprehensive laws to resolve the existing ambiguities regarding the claim for injuries.

This was a qualitative study with the aim of specifying effective factors regarding the improvement of health and hygiene education in secondary schools of education and training in Zahedan city in Sistan and Baluchistan province.

The research community included all the academic experts, principals, and healthcare providers of Sistan and Baluchistan province in the academic year 1401-1402.  Purposive sampling method was conducted on the statistical population, and those who met the criteria for entering the study were selected through snowball method. The number of samples was selected based on the principle of theoretical saturation, and 20 people were selected. Data were analyzed using content analysis method and theme analysis approach.

The results of the study led to the identification of effective factors on the promotion of health and hygiene education in secondary schools, which can be considered in health education plans of schools.

By identifying effective factors on the promotion of health and hygiene education in secondary schools, effective measures can be taken in maintaining and promoting healthy lifestyle in future generations.