Epidemiology and Health System Journal
Year:2021 | Volume:8 | Issue:2|Papers Count:8

Dear Editor, Education is a complex issue and there is a need to consider a several factors to provide an effective training program. Regarding the issue of road traffic crashes, there are some contradictory findings about the efficacy of education, which may cause mistrust among professional circles and experts. 1-3 Some scientists believe that most of the training programs do not necessarily cover all aspects of crashes and only address some of the concerns...

Background and aims: Social health refers to the quantity and quality of interaction of an individual with society to promote the well-being of individuals in the society. This interaction promotes social capital and social security, and reduces poverty and injustice. So far, no study has been ever done on the social health situation in Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari province. This study aimed to investigate the social health status in Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari province in 2019. Methods: In this cross-sectional and descriptive-analytical study, the data from the prospective epidemiological study of Shahrekord cohort study in Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari province in 2019 were used. In order for measuring social health, a valid Iranian social health questionnaire with a score range of 33-165 was used. ANOVA and t test in SPSS version 22 were employed for analyzing the data in order to compare the mean values. Results: By way of explanation, 597 individuals out of 600 samples completed the social health questionnaire (99. 5% response rate). The mean ± standard deviation age of participants was 48. 54± 9. 33 years and the mean ± standard deviation score of their social health was 115. 71± 22. 7. This score was higher in men than in women (P = 0. 038). Social health score was significantly higher in urban areas than in rural areas (P = 0. 001). Social health was highest in civil servants, and lowest in unemployed participants (P = 0. 001). Social health score was lower in obese and high body mass index (BMI) individuals than in normal BMI individuals (P = 0. 047). Conclusion: Social health in the studied population was moderate and, therefore, deserves the attention of health policy makers and planners. Social health can be improved by holding training classes for villagers and teaching them how to interact with each other – especially with family members, furthering participation of women in social affairs and increasing their social relationships, giving advice on diets and social health to people with non-normal BMI, as well as by holding post-retirement training classes for retirees.

Background and aims: Previous studies have shown that the intestinal parasites have the high prevalence in Hamadan province. However, this problem has not been addressed properly yet and, therefore, there is not up-to-date information about it. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of intestinal parasites in different residential areas of Hamadan Province (urban and rural areas) and compare the obtained findings with the results from previous studies on these parasites in this region and other parts of Iran. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, a total of 2948 fecal samples were collected from all rural and urban inhabitants of the province (including 12 cities) by cluster random sampling method. Fecal samples were examined using the direct smear and formalin ether concentration techniques. A questionnaire was used to collect relevant epidemiologic information about the study population. Results: Overall, 52. 2% of the samples were from rural areas, and the rest were from urban areas. As for the gender of study population, 50. 6% were male and 49. 4% were female (Mean age 29± 12. 3). The infection rate was 4. 9% for both pathogenic and non-pathogenic parasites. Only 4 specimens were positive for ova (Ascaris lumbricoides, Hymenolepis nana, and pinworm). A total of 69 specimens (2. 3%) were positive for pathogenic parasites, and 73 specimens (2. 5%) were positive for non-pathogenic (E. coli). The most important intestinal parasite in this region was found to be Giardia lamblia. It was also discovered that totally 2. 3% of the studied population was infected with this parasite. Conclusion: According to the results from this study, this area was not faced with a problem caused by the intestinal parasites at the time. In addition, only G. lamblia was found to have been a moderate parasitic problem in the province.

Background and aims: Violence is recognized as a significant public health problem throughout the world. The present study aimed to evaluate the prevalence of violence-related behaviors and its relationship with other risky behaviors, family support, and religiosity among students in Bushehr. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted on a total of 977 students in Bushehr city, southern Iran, in 2016. Required data were collected using a self-administered questionnaire on violence-related behaviors and other risky behaviors. The validity of the questionnaire was measured by MPH students with a Cronbach’ s alpha of 0. 90. Additionally, family support scale and religious belief questionnaire were applied. Data analysis was performed using chi-square, t test, and logistic regression model in SPSS version 16. 0. Results: The overall prevalence rates of weapon carrying and physical fighting were reported to be 9. 1% and 7. 1%, respectively. The findings of this study revealed that hookah use (OR: 2. 93), physical fight (OR: 5. 64), and having unsafe sex (OR: 2. 42) were associated with weapon carrying (P < 0. 001). Moreover, male gender (OR: 3. 36), illicit drug use (OR: 3. 64), weapon carrying (OR: 5. 24), and family support (OR: 0. 97) were shown to be associated with physical fight (P < 0. 001). Conclusion: The results of the present study suggested co-occurrence nature of risky behaviors. Given the high prevalence of violence-related behaviors, the implementation of preventive interventions for college students is of great importance.

Background and aims: Acanthamoeba spp. as opportunistic microorganisms are widespread in a wide range of environmental sources in the world and may cause severe diseases in immune-deficient patients. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence and genotypes of Acanthamoeba spp. in hemodialysis patients in Shahrekord county of Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari province. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 79 oral swabs were collected from the mouth of patients with chronic renal disorder undergoing hemodialysis from June to October 2018. The samples were then cultured on non-nutrient agar and examined by Giemsa staining, polymerase chain reaction (PCR), sequencing, and tolerance testing methods. Results: Morphological investigations indicated that 30. 4% (24/79) of the subjects were infected with some free-living amoebae (FLA), and the PCR showed that only 3 samples contained Acanthamoeba spp. The sequencing of the latter samples demonstrated that these isolates belonged to T2 and T4 genotypes. After performing the assay tolerance test, 2 of these 3 isolates were related to T4 genotypes representing a high pathogenic potance. Conclusion: The infection of hemodialysis patients with some of Acanthamoeba spp. particularly, the T4 genotype should be considered important for these patients. Therefore, it is recommended that dialysis machines and dialysis units in hospitals be checked and disinfected periodically.

Background and aims: Prostate neoplasms have various geographical distribution in the world as well as in Iran. This study aimed to investigate the epidemiology of prostate neoplasms in Maragheh due to the lack of literature on the subject in this city. Methods: This study is a descriptive-analytical, cross-sectional study in which the epidemiological status of prostate neoplasms was investigated in Maragheh during 2014-2019. All available records in the form of a census were included in the study. A checklist made by the researcher was used as a special tool for collecting data from prostate neoplasms medical records. The collected data were analyzed by statistical tests of chi-square, unpaired t test, Kruskal– Wallis test, and Cohen’ s kappa coefficient using SPSS 25 software. Results: By way of explanation, 107 medical records on prostate neoplasms were recorded between 2014 and 2019. The mean and median ages were 71. 33 ± 9. 37 and 70 years. The highest frequency was observed in the 60-70 age group with a frequency of 41. 1% (44 cases). All patients had been undergoing clinical examination (first) and pathological examination (after prostatectomy). For 12. 1% of individuals, benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) had been diagnosed in the clinical diagnosis, and cancer and prostatitis had been diagnosed in the pathological test. Cohen’ s kappa coefficient was obtained 20. 4%, which was statistically significant (P≤ 0001). The results showed a significant relationship between the number of prostate neoplasms and age groups (P≤ 0001). Conclusion: Taking the results of this study into account, it is recommended that more attention be paid to other laboratory and radiological tests such as the PSA test, ultrasound, etc. In addition to clinical examination, it is also suggested that screening programs be particularly developed for the age group ≥ 50 using a specific prostate antigen against this cancer.

Background and aims: Since ventricular septal defect (VSD) is the most common congenital heart disease, this study aimed to investigate its prevalence, characteristics, and associated diseases in a referral children’ s heart clinic in south of Iran. Methods: In this cross-sectional study that was conducted based on the databases of children with heart diseases, patients under 18 years of age referring to Imam Reza clinic were examined. All patients with at least one record of VSD in echocardiography during 2016-2017 were included. Demographic and echocardiographic characteristics including size of VSD, shunt gradient, pulmonary hypertension (PH), aortic regurgitation, and associated cyanotic and acyanotic defects were analyzed. Results: The prevalence of VSD found in 7458 echocardiography records was 12%, the median age of patients was 9. 3, and the male/female ratio was 1. 08. The perimembranous VSDs were determined to be the most common types of VSD. The most common associated complication with VSD was detected to be PH followed by aortic regurgitation. Sub-pulmonic showed the highest association with aortic failure. Atrial septal defect and tetralogy of Fallot (TOF) were the most common acyanotic and cyanotic heart defects, respectively. Only 0. 5% of the patients had Eisenmenger syndrome. Conclusion: Fortunately, the prevalence of the complication of VSD was not high in south of Iran, and the number of Eisenmenger syndrome was low. The types of VSD and the number of its complications identified in study population were similar to those in other populations.

Background and aims: Congenital toxoplasmosis is assumed to play a role in developing schizophrenia in human. This study aimed to estimate the relationship between Toxoplasma infection and schizophrenia by using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Methods: In this case-control study, 46 schizophrenic patients forming our case group as well as 40 healthy relatives of schizophrenic patients forming our control group were selected from among 456 inpatients with schizophrenia in Ibn Sina and Hejazi hospitals in Mashhad from June 2016 to February 2017. The blood samples from both groups were collected for serological and molecular tests. Different statistical methods such as Chi-square, independent t test, and logistic regression models were used in the present study. Results: In the present study, the seroprevalence of T. gondii was 54% in case group and 45% in control (OR=1. 44, 95% CI: 062-3. 40, P = 0. 38). There was no significant association between the seroprevalence of T. gondii infection and age, gender, and season as the risk factors in the case group. Furthermore, a poor agreement was observed between the microscopy and PCR methods. Nonsignificant differences were found between the mean levels of interferon gamma (IFN-γ ), C-reactive protein (CRP), and white blood cell (WBC) in two groups. Conclusion: Contrary to the reports from some studies, no association was found between Toxoplasma infection and the schizophrenia. In order to better understand the effect of Toxoplasma on schizophrenia, it is necessary to develop laboratory methods to differentiate acquired toxoplasmosis from congenital one.