JOURNAL OF RESEARCH IN HEALTH SCIENCES (JRHS)
Year:2019 | Volume:19 | Issue:1|Papers Count:5

Background: Water pipe smoking (WPS) has increased and is becoming a major leisure pastime among young people in Iran. The aim of this study was to determine of efficacy of an educational intervention based on Multi-Theory Model (MTM) to reduce WPS in the male adolescent students in Iran. Study design: A randomized controlled trial. Methods: Overall, 94 male adolescent students (grades 10, 11) smoked water pipe (WP) in the past month (current WP smokers) were selected, allocated randomly in two groups (47 students in intervention group and 47 students in control group), in two different schools in 2018 in Hamadan City, western Iran. Data were collected utilizing a valid and reliable questionnaire based on MTM constructs and demographic variables. Educational intervention was designed in five 45-min sessions. Two groups were followed-up three-months after completion of intervention. The collected data were analyzed using SPSS 22 software through Chi-square test, independent-sample t-test, paired-samples t-test, and Friedman test. Results: There were significant differences between the mean score of participatory dialogue, behavioral confidence, emotional transformation and practice for change in the intervention group compared with the control group after the intervention (P<0. 001). In addition, significant reductions in the frequency of WPS (from 14. 9% to 4. 3%) were observed in the intervention group compared to the control group (P<0. 001). Conclusion: The developed educational intervention based on MTM constructs was efficacious and can be replicated for effectiveness studies to reduce WPS in the male adolescent students in Iran.

Background: Transmitting blood-borne diseases is alarming in places with high prevalence of people who inject drugs. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of drug injection and its related predictors among prisoners with a history of tattooing in Iran. Study design: Cross-sectional study. Methods: By using a census sampling, 5493 prisoners with a history of tattooing of 11988 prisoners participated for hepatitis B and C bio-behavioral surveillance surveys (BSS) in prisons of Iran, during 2015-2016 from 55 prisons in 19 provinces were assessed. The data for the BSS were collected using face-to-face checklist-based interviews. Weighted prevalence and the association between variables and history of drug injection were determined using Chi-square test and adjusted odds ratio (AOR) was estimated through multivariate logistic regression test using survey package. Results: The mean age of participants was 33. 9  8. 3 yr. Most of them were male (96. 4%) and had a history of drug use (85. 4%). The prevalence of drug injection among drug users was 20. 2%, of which 33. 9% had a history of shared injection. The prevalence of drug injection among prisoners with a history of tattooing is associated with male gender (P=0. 047), age ≥ 35 yr (P<0. 001), being single (P=0. 002), being divorced/widow (P=0. 039), and a history of imprisonment (P<0. 001). Conclusion: The prevalence of drug injection increases in the presence of other high-risk behaviors. It is necessary to initiate harm reduction programs and preventive interventions in groups with multiple high-risk behaviors.

Background: This study was conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of short-term structured interventions on healthy lifestyle behaviors, dietary intake, anthropometric measures, blood pressure, fasting blood glucose, and serum lipid profile of middle-aged adults. Study design: Randomized controlled trial study. Methods: Overall, 300 individuals out of apparently healthy (non-patient) adults aged 40-60 yr living in Amirkola, Babol the north of Iran were enrolled in 2016-2017. The Persian translation of the Health Promoting Lifestyle Profile II (HPLP-II) and two days 24-h food recall questionnaires were used for data collection. Eligible participants were allocated randomly in three groups (high-intensive, low-intensive and the control). The follow-up examination has been conducted after 16 wk of intervention. Results: The three study groups had no significant difference in age (P=0. 888), sex (P=0. 395), BMI (P=0. 969), healthy lifestyle score (P=0. 675) and total daily energy intake (P=0. 612). After intervention, the mean scores of all the six subdomains of HPLP-II questionnaire had significant improvement (P<0. 001). Mean weight loss was 1. 5, 1. 0 and 0. 3 kg, in high-intensive, low-intensive and control groups, respectively. BMI although reduced, was still in the overweight range in two sexes. Mean of neck, arm, waist and buttock size, diastolic blood pressure, serum triglyceride, total cholesterol, and HDL levels have been changed to a better condition in comparison with the baseline values (P<0. 001). Dietary intake had good changes in total daily energy (P<0. 001), daily intake of carbohydrate, protein, and fat (P<0. 001), and proportion of energy from carbohydrate (P=0. 007) and fat (P=0. 022) after the intervention. Conclusion: Our intervention program could have positive impact on healthy lifestyle behaviors, dietary intake and weight in addition to some other anthropometric variables and serum lipid profile of middleaged adults.

Background: Although the epidemiology of road traffic accidents (RTAs) and their determining factors have been extensively investigated and debated in Iran, yet there is no data regarding socioeconomic inequalities in mortality from RTA in Iranian context. Since effective interventions to control, management and diminish the negative influence of RTAs would require understanding of numerous contributing factors, including the inequalities We aimed to quantify for the first time the socioeconomic differential in mortality or injuries from RTAs. Study design: A cross-sectional study. Methods: Overall, 50755 died and injured people from RTA from Mar 2015 to Feb 2016 were evaluated. The data were taken from traffic police department in Iran. We calculated concentration index (CI) to measure socioeconomic inequality in traffic-related mortality & injury. Data were analyzed using Stata software. Results: The mortality and injury rate from accidents was 1130. 80 per 10000 accidents. The concentration index was negative for mortality rate (-0. 11) of RTA, indicating the higher concentration of the rates among deprived groups. Conclusion: People with low socioeconomic level were more at risk for fatal accidents and injuries. Therefore, specific interventions on road safety should be delivered in the deprived drivers which uses from low safety level vehicles.

Background: Bullying in school-age children is a public health concern that less discusses in Middle East countries like Iran. The goal of this study was to determine and compare whether exposure to various forms of bullying behaviors contributes to disparities in life satisfaction and self-rated health among Iranian pupils. Study design: A cross-sectional study. Methods: Data were obtained from a cross-sectional study on 834, 8th and 9th-grade students conducted in northern Iran in 2014. Bullying was measured by the Iranian-version of the Olweus Bullying Questionnaire. Life satisfaction and self-rated health were assessed by a single item of the Global School Health Survey (GSHS) in Persian. Descriptive statistics and two-level logistic regression analysis were used for data analysis. Results: Positive self-rated health and life satisfaction were significantly higher in boys than girls (P<0. 002). Self-related health and life satisfaction were similar in the 8th and 9th-grade students. After controlling for gender and grade, students involved in only-victim of verbal bullying (OR=0. 48, 95% CI: 0. 34, 0. 67), and bully-victim of relational bullying (OR=0. 29, 95% CI: 0. 12, 0. 67) reported lower selfrated health compared to non-involved students. Conclusion: Life satisfaction and self-rated health were differently related to types of bullying behaviors. Our findings highlighted the necessity to detect victims and bully-victims and develop prevention programs to stop bullying and its negative consequences in Iranian schools.