Journal of Education and Community Health
Year:2015 | Volume:1 | Issue:4|Papers Count:8

Background and Objectives: Problems caused by menstruation are common among women. Focus group discussions are a method of data collection in which a small group of participants discuss a specified topic or issue. This study mainly aimed to determine the effects of health education based on focus group discussions on the promotion of health behaviors of female adolescents residing boarding centers of the Welfare Organization (Tehran, Iran) during their menstruation periods.Materials and Methods: This quasi-experimental interventional study recruited all eligible 12-19-year-old female residents (n=61) of the boarding centers affiliated to the Welfare Organization, Tehran, Iran. The data collection tool was a questionnaire including demographic information and puberty health behaviors (health behaviors during the menstruation period). The questionnaires were completed through interviews before and one month after training. The educational intervention lasted for three months. Data were analyzed using paired t and Kolmogorov-Smirnov tests in SPSS16.Results: The mean scores of performance increased from 12.11±4.43 before the intervention to 16.50±2.79 after the intervention (P<0.001).Conclusion: Since the educational intervention based on focus group discussions had positive effects on the participants’ puberty health, such discussions are recommended to educate adolescent girls about puberty issues.

Background and Objectives: Women’s nutrition during pregnancy is a key determinant of maternal and fetal health. Therefore, the current study used the social cognitive theory (SCT) to determine factors predicting the nutritional behaviors of pregnant women in Tabriz, Iran.Materials and Methods: This analytic study applied multistage random sampling to select 380 pregnant women who visited health centers in Tabriz during 2014. Data were collected using the Nutritional Behavior Questionnaire and a researcher-made questionnaire on the constructs of the SCT (knowledge, outcome expectations, outcome expectancies, self-efficacy, social support, and self-regulation). The questionnaires were completed through interviews and self-reports. Pearson’s correlation and liner regression analyses were performed to analyze the data in SPSS20.Results: The participants’ mean age was 27 years. Among the different constructs of the SCT, out-come expectations (P=0.039), outcome expectancies (P=0.046), knowledge (P=0.043), and self-regulation (P=0.001) had significant roles in explaining the variance in nutritional behaviors of pregnant women. These factors could in fact predict 16% of the variance in nutritional behavior. Bread and cereals, meat and beans, fruits, and vegetables consumption were below the recommended level in 54.5%, 73.2%, and 55.3%, and 70.5% of the subjects, respectively.Conclusion: Based on our findings, knowledge, outcome expectations, outcome expectancies, and self-regulation can be used in the development of educational interventions to promote healthy nutritional behaviors in pregnant women.

Background and Objectives: The world population has reached over seven billion people. Of these, 230 million individuals abuse substances. Therefore, substance abuse prevention and treatment pro-grams have received increasing attention during the past two decades. Understanding people’s motivations for quitting drug abuse is essential to the success of treatment. This study hence sought to identify major motivations for quitting and to compare them with the constructs of health education models.Materials and Methods: In the present study, qualitative content analysis was used to determine the main motivations for quitting substance abuse. Overall, 22 patients, physicians, and psychotherapists were selected from several addiction treatment clinics in Bojnord (Iran) during 2014. Purposeful sampling method was applied and continued until data saturation was achieved. Data were collected through semi-structured, face-to-face interviews and field notes. All interviews were recorded and transcribed.Results: Content analysis revealed 33 sub-categories and nine categories including economic problems, drug-related concerns, individual problems, family and social problems, family expectations, attention to social status, beliefs about drug addiction, and valuing the quitting behavior. Accordingly, four themes, i.e. perceived threat, perceived barriers, attitude toward the behavior, and subjective norms, were extracted.Conclusion: Reasons for quitting substance abuse match the constructs of different behavioral models (e.g. the health belief model and the theory of planned behavior).

Background and Objectives: While all students are vulnerable to injuries, such vulnerability may even be higher in the deaf and hard-of-hearing students. Therefore, this study evaluated a health belief model-based educational program to prevent school injuries among deaf and hard-of-hearing high school students.Materials and Methods: This quasi-experimental study was conducted on all deaf and hard-of-hearing students who attended two special schools in Hamadan (Iran) during 2014. They were randomly assigned to either the intervention group (n=23) or the control group (n=27). Data were collected using a self-report questionnaire containing items on demographic characteristics, constructs of the health belief model, and knowledge and preventive behaviors. In both groups, the questionnaires were filled out through interviews before and two months after the intervention. The intervention included distributing booklets and holding five educational sessions. Data were analyzed with paired t, independent t, chi square, and Fisher’s exact tests in SPSS16.Results: After the educational intervention, the mean scores of knowledge (P=0.002), preventive behaviors (P=0.001), and constructs of the health belief model, i.e. perceived severity (P=0.001), perceived benefits (P=0.001), self-efficacy (P=0.001), and cues to action (P=0.001), were significantly higher in the intervention group than in the control group.Conclusion: According to our findings, an educational intervention based on the health belief model can promote behaviors to prevent school injuries among deaf and hard-of-hearing students.

Background and Objectives: The majority of children's diseases have certain symptoms and warning signs. The mothers' knowledge of the signs and symptoms of these diseases, particularly of respiratory and gastrointestinal diseases, helps reduce mortality rates in children under the age of five. The present study was conducted to determine the knowledge, attitude and practice of mothers with respect to the warning signs of diseases in children less than the age of five.Materials and Methods: The present descriptive-analytical study was conducted on 350 women with children under the age of five admitted to the healthcare centers of Arak and selected through random sampling. The study's data collection tool was a questionnaire consisting of different parts on the patients' demographic details, knowledge, attitude and practice. The validity and reliability of the questionnaire were confirmed before beginning the study. Data were collected through interviews and then analyzed in SPSS-19 using the independent t-test, the Pearson correlation test and the one-way ANOVA.Results: The mean score ± standard deviation was 60.71±13.7 for knowledge about the warning signs, 77.45±5.29 for attitude and 49.5±41.5 for practices aimed at respiratory infections, 49.25±41.42 at diarrhea and 52.1±42.91 at febrile seizure. There was a significant difference between the working mothers and the housewives in terms of practice. The mothers' practices differed significantly with their economic status and level of education. Attitude had a significant positive relationship with knowledge and practice (P<0.001).Conclusion: The findings of the present study can be helpful in the design and implementation of educational programs for promoting mothers' knowledge, attitude and practice with regard to the warning signs of diseases in their children.

Background and Objectives: Neglecting women's health and the domestic violence prevailing against them can cause a variety of mental and even physical diseases that threaten the health of the family. Disruptions in the life pattern of women and mothers have adverse health effects for both the family and the entire society. The present study was conducted to investigate the relationship between wife abuse and mental health in female victims of domestic violence referred to the Forensic Medical Center of Shiraz.Materials and Methods: The present cross-sectional, descriptive, analytical study was conducted over three months in 2013 on 197 women with abusive husbands referred to the Forensic Medical Center of Shiraz. The study data collection tools included a demographic information questionnaire, the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-28) and a standard violence against women questionnaire. Cronbach's alpha was measured to assess the data collection tools' reliability. Data were analyzed in SPSS-18.Results: The mean age of the study subjects was reported as 30.42±6.72. More than 50 percent of the women had been victim to domestic violence and suffered from disorders in all the aspects of general health (P<0.05). There was a positive relationship between domestic violence and all the aspects of general health. In other words, violence of any kind was a predictor of general health disorders (P<0.05). Domestic violence was found to have the greatest effect on the incidence of depression and anxiety.Conclusion: The present study revealed the psychological consequences of wife abuse and violence against women and confirmed the damaging effect of violence on women's mental health. In addition to imposing heavy costs on the society for providing healthcare and medications, mental health disorders in women are also a burden for the family life and the children's upbringing.

Background and Objectives: Health promoting behaviors are crucial to the health of pregnant women and their children. The present study was conducted to assess health promoting behaviors in pregnant women admitted to Imam Khomeini Hospital of Saqqez.Materials and Methods: The present descriptive analytical study was conducted on 181 pregnant women selected through convenience sampling. The data collection tool used in the study was a questionnaire containing two parts: a section on the subjects' demographic details, and another section for the Health Promoting Lifestyle Profile II (HPLP II). Data were analyzed in SPSS-21 using descriptive (frequency percentage) and inferential statistics, such as the independent t-test, the Pearson correlation test and the one-way ANOVA.Results: Based on the findings of the study, the highest scores of health promoting behaviors obtained were in the domain of spiritual growth and the lowest in the domain of physical activity. The mean overall score of health promoting behaviors was desirable. The only demographic variable found to have a significant relationship with health promoting behaviors was occupation (P<0.032).Conclusion: The results obtained indicate desirable levels of health promoting behaviors in these pregnant women. Other domains of health such as physical activity, stress management and accountability are recommended to be further emphasized. Future studies are encouraged to be conducted on other ethnicities and with larger sample sizes.

Background and Objectives: The group of 6-12 year-old students is the main target of oral health programs due to the high prevalence of dental caries and the formation of permanent teeth during this age and the lifestyle-shaping nature of the period. Schools provide the easiest and most effective means of accessing this group. The present study was conducted to examine the impact of school-based interventions on improved oral health in 6-12 year-old students.Materials and Methods: The present systematic review searched for its English and Persian keywords in databases such as the Scopus, Proquest, Science Direct, Pubmed, Springer, Biomed Central, Google Scholar, IranMedex and SID and examined studies published between January 2004 and September 2014 about educational interventions aiming to prevent oral dis-eases and promote associated health behaviors in students.Results: The 17 studies selected for examination were divided into two categories: first, assessing an education based on self-care behaviors and preventive services, second, assessing an education based on self-care behaviors only. Those interventions that were consistent in nature, involved the parents and the school personnel, used behavior change models, used a combination of several training methods, used practical experiences and provided preventive services were more effective in promoting knowledge and health behaviors and reducing dental caries and plaque in this group of children.Conclusion: Providing consistent community-based education, using a combination of sever-al organized educational programs, following up on the children's progress, using behavior change theories and models and providing prevention services are the most effective measures for achieving the desired goals.