Journal of Research in Health Sciences
Volume:14 Issue: 4, Fall 2014

The current study estimated the national prevalence rate of intimate partner violence against women (IPVAW) in Nepal. Besides, the individual level, empowerment level, family and societal level factors were assessed to relate with the victims of IPAVW in Nepal. Nationally representative sample of 4210 women of reproductive age (15-49 yr) were included in the study. Household surveys using two stage sampling procedures, face to face interview with pre-tested questionnaires were performed. Emotional, physical and sexual violence were target variables. A violence variable was constructed from these three types of violence. Individual level factors were measured by age, residency, education, religion and husband’s education. Empowerment factors included employment status and various decision making elements. Family and societal factors included economic status, neighborhood socioeconomic disadvantage index, history of family violence, husband’s controlling behavior and other issues. Cross tabulation with chi-square tests and multivariate logistic regression were employed. Prevalence of emotional IPVAW was 17.5%, physical IPAVW 23.4% and sexual IPAVW 14.7%. Overall the prevalence of IPVAW in Nepal was 32.4%. Joint decision making for contraception, husband’s non-controlling behavior to wives and friendly feelings were emerged as less likely to be IPVAW perpetration. The findings have immense policy importance as a nationally representative study and indicating necessity of more gender equality.

We aimed to assess the prevalence of type-2 diabetes in rural Pondicherry and to study the determinants of Diabetes Mellitus (DM) in the rural population of Pondicherry, south Induia. It was a cross-sectional community-based study conducted from November 2010 to January 2012 in two of the field practice villages affiliated to a Medical College in Pondicherry. Sample size was calculated using open source software, Open Epi Version 2.3.10. The sampling frame comprised individuals aged above 25 years and single stage cluster random sampling was carried out. After obtaining the verbal informed consent each of the study participants were interviewed face-to-face using a pre-tested structured questionnaire. Data were analyzed using the SPSS version 16. The age of the study participants ranged from 25 to 98 years with mean of 42.6 (±13.7) and majority of the study participants 339 (32.5%) from the age-group of 30-39 years. The prevalence of diabetes was 19.8% (60-69 years), 17.1% (40-49 years), 16.8% (50-59 years), and 13.6% (>69 years) among study subjects. In univariate analysis, higher age, being educated, unemployed and poor was associated with higher risk of diabetes mellitus (DM). Furthermore, a high triglyceride level was significantly associated with increase in the risk of DM (adjusted odds ratio: 3.01; 95% CI: 1.86, 4.86). Type-2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is an important public health problem in the adults of rural Pondicherry. Among non-modifiable factors, higher age, better socio-educational background and positive family history of diabetes was significantly associated with T2DM.

The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the effects of six-week aerobic training program including running and rope skipping on cardiovascular fitness, body mass index (BMI), and mental health among female students at the University of Isfahan, Iran. In this interventional study we included 30 female students in academic year 2011-12. The participants were randomly assigned in experimental group (n=15, mean±SD for age=26.06±1.18, weight (kg)=57.43±5.67, height (cm)=160.06±4.16) and control group (n=15, mean±SD for age=26.33±1.30, weight=57.66±5.08, height=161.86±3.29). Pre-test and post-test measurements include VO2 max with Queen Step test; BMI and General Health Questionnaire-28 as a measure of mental health were done. Analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) was used to test the effects of aerobic training as intervention (P<0.05). There was statistically significance difference between experimental and control groups after adjustment for their own baseline values concerning cardiovascular fitness (P=0.004), BMI (P<0.001) and mental health indices (P<0.001). A six-week aerobic practice improves cardiovascular strength, mental health and BMI considerably and could be more encouraged at universities.

Hookah smoking has increased worldwide especially among youth and young adults and has been identified as an emerging threat to public health. The aim of the present study was to determine the prevalence of hookah use and related factors in a sample of Iranian college students. This study took place in Tabriz (northwest of Iran) in April and May 2011. The randomly selected sample consisted of 1837 college students. Data was collected in a survey. A self-administered questionnaire was used to measure religious belief, parental support and risk taking behaviors including hookah smoking. Logistic regression model was performed in data analysis. The prevalence of hookah smoking was 8.5% (CI95%: 7.3-9.9). After adjustment, being male (OR= 2.01), living in single house in comparison with living with parents (OR= 2.22), smoking (OR= 5.96) and ever drug abuse (OR= 3.02) were factors associated with students’ hookah use. Our results showed a low prevalence of hookah smoking in Iranian college female students and revealed some of its associated factors. We demonstrated the co-occurrence of risky behaviors which emphasizes the importance of interventions aimed at reducing or preventing different high risk behaviors simultaneously.

More than a billion people have some form of disabilities worldwide. Persons living with a disability have many needs (including physically, mentally, and socially needs). Estimating the size of disabled population is a challenge in health systems. An innovative indirect method to estimate the size of populations is network scale up (NSU) having widely used for hidden populations. The method is based-on the social network of individuals. We assessed the capability of NSU to estimate persons living with a disability being a middle population (neither non-hidden nor hidden populations) in the Southeast of Iran (Kerman City, southeast Iran). A total of 3052 of Kermanian people over 20 year old were interviewed by simple random sampling. We asked them whether they knew acquaintances with complete blindness, severe visual impairment, deafness, severe hearing impairment, limb defects, and mental retardation, if yes; we wanted them to count them. Based on the network scale up method, the prevalence of the populations was estimated at 5.21/1000 in Kerman City where severe visual impairment was 1.35, mental retardation was 1.039, severe hearing impairment was 1.005, limb defects was 0.78, deafness was 0.59, and complete blindness was 0.56 (per 1000 inhabitants). The results were not exactly comparable to previous studies using different methods such as surveys. Although the method has some limitations, considering its easiness and cost-effectiveness, modified NSU could be used when direct methods are not practicable.

The superiority of either of body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC), waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) and waist-to-height ratio (WHtR) for prediction of metabolic syndrome (MetS) is remained controversial in Asian population. The objective of this study was to compare the discriminative capacity of either of these measures in prediction of non-adipose components of MetS. In this population-based cross sectional study, 1000 representative samples of adults were recruited in Babol, northern Iran. The demographic, anthropometric measures and blood pressure were determined by standard method. Fasting plasma glucose (FPG), triglycerides (TG), total cholesterol (CHL), high density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol levels were measured with enzymatic methods by an auto analyzer. The presence of two or more any of four non-obese components were considered as MetS. The diagnostic accuracies (AUCs) of four different measures were rather similar. While AUC for BMI (AUC=0.684; 95% CI: 0.633, 0.736) slightly tended to be higher than that of WC (AUC=0.640; 95% CI: 0.587, 0.693) and WHtR (AUC=0.649; 95% CI: 0.596, 0.701) in men but the accuracy of WC (equivalently WHtR (AUC=0.708; 95% CI: 0.664, 0.751) is tended to be greater than that of BMI in women. The optimal cut-off value for WC was higher in men compared with women. Overall, BMI, WC and WHtR were significant predictors of MetS equally but WC (equivalently WHtR) was a better predictor than BMI and WHR in women. The optimal cut-offs of WC are lower compared with western population for men but not for women.

Iran, a newly industrializing country in Middle East, has a workforce of 25 million people. Most employees are working in agriculture, manufacturing, services, construction, commerce sectors, carpet weaving and mining. This article aims to explore the improvement of occupational harmful agents in workplaces due to implement “prioritize inspections”. In 2012, the system of "prioritize inspections "was defined for surveillance on enterprises replace of routine inspection. From this system, the enterprises classified on four groups based on health hazards and enterprises with high risk were under more surveillance. The information about each enterprise was collected by health centers, in five provinces and reported by a recommended form to Centre of Environmental and Occupational Health (CEOH). At this program, the inspections from high and medium hazards were increased in all of provinces. The results showed there was a significant difference between the control of health hazards in before and after beginning of “prioritize inspections”(P=0.048). The control of noise, fumes and providing of proper illumination increased from 8 to 10%, 9to 9.5%, 12.9 to 15.4%, respectively, at under study provinces in 2012 compared to 2011. The surveillance based on “prioritize inspections” increased the quality of occupational health inspections that causes to prevent occupational health diseases.

Noise pollution is currently a major health risk factor for workers in industries. The aim of this study was to investigate noise pollution and implement a control intervention plan for blast furnace in a steel industry. The measurement of sound pressure level (SPL) along with frequency analysis was done with the sound-level-meter Cell-450. Personal noise exposure was performed using dosimeter TES-1345 calibrated with CEL-282. Before planning noise controls, acoustic insulation properties of the furnace control unit and workers’ rest room were assessed. Control room and workers’ rest room were redesigned in order to improve acoustical condition. The SPL before intervention around the Blast Furnace was 90.3 dB (L) and its dominant frequency was 4000 Hz. Besides, noise transmission loss of the control and rest rooms were 10.3 dB and 4.2 dB, respectively. After intervention, noise reduction rates in the control and rest rooms were 27.4 dB and 27.7 dB, respectively. The workers’ noise dose before and after the intervention was 240% and less than 100%, respectively. Improvement the workroom acoustic conditions through noise insulation can be considered effective method for preventing workers exposure to harmful noise.

To identify correlates related to retention time of a cohort study of the opioid-dependent patients participating in the Methadone Maintenance Treatment (MMT) program offered by a major addiction treatment clinic in Tehran, Iran between April 2007 and March 2011. Several parametric Survival models assuming Weibull, Log-normal and Log-logistic distributions were compared to search for association between covariates and risk of relapse and dropping out of treatment among 198 patient participants. According to Akaike Information Criterion (AIC), Log-normal model had the best fitting. Estimates of this model indicated that increase in average methadone dosage was associated with longer retention time. Correlates associated with shorter retention time were suffering from mental disorders, using stimulant drugs, being poly-substance dependents and having prior treatments. Findings of this study provide support for giving more attention to patients who are poly-substance or stimulant-drug dependents, have non-substance psychiatric comorbidity and the ones with addiction treatment history. Independent of patient characteristics, retention improved as the dose of methadone increased.

Lifestyle-modification programs including physical activity are essential for both treatment and prevention of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM). However, factors associated with physical activity among patients are poorly understood. This study applied Social-Cognitive Theory (SCT) for predicting determinants of physical activity among women with T2DM in Iran, 2013. In this cross-sectional study, partial least square path modeling (PLS-PM) was used as an estimation technique for structural equation model. This model specified hypotheses between components of Social-cognitive Theory on physical activity behavior. A random sample of 300 women with T2DM was selected, and completed SCT constructs instrument. Data were analyzed using statistical software WarpPLS Ver. 4.0. The model explained 26% of the variance in physical activity. Self-regulation, task self-efficacy and barrier self-efficacy were significantly direct predictors of physical activity among women with T2DM. Task self-efficacy, social support and modeling had significantly indirect effects on physical activity behavior (P<0.001). Our findings showed evidence for adequacy of a theoretical framework that could be used to predict physical activity behavior among women with T2DM.

Lifestyle is recognized as a key factor as the cause and management of the metabolic syndrome. The aim of this study was to identify individuals at increased cardiovascular diseases risk and determine main features of lifestyle of participants with metabolic syndrome via internet. The study was conducted from Jun 22 to August 22, 2012 in Tehran, Iran. Recruitment was carried out through the study website. Participants with metabolic syndrome who were interested and met the study criteria were invited for free clinic visits and clinical assessments. Baseline measurements were metabolic syndrome risk factors. Physical activity and dietary intake were measured by international physical activity questionnaire (IPAQ- short form) and the frequency food questionnaire (FFQ) respectively. Metabolic syndrome was defined according to Adult Treatment Panel III diagnostic criteria. Mean (SD) age for men and women were 41.9 (10.4) and 48.1 (7.8) yr respectively. Men were well educated and more likely to participate in the study than women. Men with metabolic syndrome had larger waist circumference (105.5) and lower BMI (29.1) than women with metabolic syndrome (P<0.001). Approximately 73% of the sample was inactive and 3% of participants had health enhancing physical activity. There were significant differences in the intakes of total fat and cholesterol between men and women (P<0.001). Because of the high prevalence of metabolic syndrome, national lifestyle modification policies must be developed for population. Web-based healthy lifestyle programs may contribute to the reduction of the metabolic syndrome components.