Mojtaba Salimi; Ahmad Soltani; Hamid Haghighi; Mehrdad Taheri; Abbas Aminizadeh; Tayeba Salimi; Milad Ahmadi Marzaleh
Volume 25, Issue 8 , 2023
Abstract
Background: Urban planning and urban planning activities have increased the pressure on nature and weakened its resilience, often bringing negative and even irreparable consequences.Objectives: One of the most important issues in urban management in recent years is the emergence of resilient cities. ...
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Background: Urban planning and urban planning activities have increased the pressure on nature and weakened its resilience, often bringing negative and even irreparable consequences.Objectives: One of the most important issues in urban management in recent years is the emergence of resilient cities. Hormozgan is one of the most important provinces of the country, and Bandar Abbas, in the center of this province, is considered one of the major coastal cities of Iran from a national point of view.Methods: To identify and examine the resilience of Bandar Abbas against environmental crises, based on which an information base was created, the place and spatial information of this database was prepared in 5 criteria and 29 sub-criteria. They include 1. socio-economic criteria, 2. structural criteria, 3. access criteria, 4. physical criteria, and 5. Ecological criteria. In the next step, to weigh and value the research criteria and sub-criteria in the resilience model of Bandar Abbas, the network analysis method (ANP) was used. In this model, the first 50 questionnaires were prepared by the Delphi method and distributed among experts in the field of environment and disaster management.Results: The findings of this study indicated that the weight and value of ecological, socio-economic, physical, accessibility, and physical-structural criteria in resilience were 0.256, 0.236, 0.194, 0.171, and 0.141, respectively. Among the ecological criteria, the sub-criterion of distance from polluted points, the socio-economic criterion, the sub-criterion of access to medical-health centers, the sub-criterion of access to medical-health centers, among the physical-structural criteria, flood risk sub-criterion, and functional zone sub-criterion, and among access criteria, the sub-criterion of access to the fire station obtained the highest values in resilience.Conclusion: Environmental crises, such as earthquakes, floods, accidents, air pollution, and storms, have resulted in the environmental vulnerability of the city and posed serious threats to the security of Bandar Abbas. A thorough understanding of the vulnerability of Bandar Abbas against urban environmental crises will enable policymakers to propose management solutions to reduce vulnerability and risk and increase resilience. Consequently, the main goal of this study was to evaluate the resilience of Bandar Abbas against environmental crises. The results of this study can be of great help in the decision-making of city managers and the lives of city residents.
Jamshid Yazdani-Charati; Freshteh Khatti-Dizabadi; Goljahan Javadi; Erfan Oladi; Zohre Haghparast; Fatemeh Haghparast; Milad Ahmadi Marzaleh
Volume 25, Issue 1 , 2023
Abstract
Background: COVID-19 is the third pandemic of the 21st century, is highly contagious, and can cause anxiety due to the development of serious physical problems and reduction of quality of life. Anxiety is a psychological state experienced by nearly all humans in life. However, it is considered a mental ...
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Background: COVID-19 is the third pandemic of the 21st century, is highly contagious, and can cause anxiety due to the development of serious physical problems and reduction of quality of life. Anxiety is a psychological state experienced by nearly all humans in life. However, it is considered a mental disorder if it exceeds its moderate level. Therefore, this study aimed to determine the anxiety level, mental health, and their related factor in the population above 18 years old in Qaemshahr County.Methods: This descriptive, correlational study was conducted on 400 individuals in Qaemshahr County. Given the population of this county, convenience sampling was employed to select 40% of the participants from the rural population and 60% from the urban population. The data were collected using a demographic questionnaire (7 items), the Corona Disease Anxiety Scale (CDAS) including somatic (physical) anxiety and psychic (mental) anxiety sections, and the 12-item General Health Questionnaire (GHQ). Descriptive and inferential statistical tests (multiple linear regression analysis, independent sample t-test, one-way ANOVA, and Pearsons test) were used in the SPSS 25 software for data analysis.Results: The mean score of mental health was 22.93±8.9, which accounted for 63.69% of the total score of the questionnaire. The total mean score of anxiety was also 9.46±6.89, which contributed to 31.53% to the total score of the questionnaire. According to the results, physical anxiety per se predicted 31% of the dependent variable (mental health).Conclusion: The results showed a significant negative correlation between mental health and anxiety resulting from COVID-19. In other words, the higher the anxiety level, the lower the level of mental health would be. Anxiety also acted as an underlying variable threatening health. Moreover, the mean score of mental anxiety was higher in married, divorced, and widowed participants than in single ones.
Ahmad Soltani; Nader Ghanizadeh; Milad Ahmadi Marzaleh; Hadi Mahmoodi; Marjan Akbari
Volume 25, Issue 1 , 2023
Abstract
Background: Natural and manmade disasters affect public health directly and indirectly. As statistics show, 31 of the 42 types of natural disasters in the world occur in Iran; therefore, preparation is necessary to effectively manage them. To this end, it is essential to train experienced and professional ...
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Background: Natural and manmade disasters affect public health directly and indirectly. As statistics show, 31 of the 42 types of natural disasters in the world occur in Iran; therefore, preparation is necessary to effectively manage them. To this end, it is essential to train experienced and professional personnel to work in disaster fields.
Objectives: This study aimed to evaluate the gaps in pre-hospital knowledge and skills among the rescuers of the Red Crescent Society of the Islamic Republic of Iran to increase the effectiveness of pre-hospital training courses for rescuers across the country.
Methods: This study was conducted with a descriptive qualitative method in two months through targeted in-depth interviews with the personnel of aid and relief centers, staff, volunteers, and pre-hospital skills training instructors of the Red Crescent Society. The inclusion criteria were having a bachelors degree or above and at least seven years of work experience (including teaching and responding to operations), as well as willingness to participate in the study. To determine the gaps in pre-hospital knowledge and skills in the Red Crescent society, the interviews were conducted in a semi-structured manner. A total of 31 interviews were conducted, which were written verbatim, and the codes were extracted manually. Finally, thematic analysis was used to analyze the data.
Results: After analyzing the text of the interviews, 98 codes were extracted, which after removing duplicate codes and reanalyzing, were divided into two categories of knowledge and skills, each of which had 10 subcategories.
Conclusion: It seems that the pre-hospital theoretical and skill training courses of the Red Crescent Society failed to fill the knowledge and skill gaps identified in this research in terms of content and skills. Therefore, these courses can be revised based on the findings of this study. It is also necessary to identify the weight of each of the themes and investigate their impact on the efficiency of rescuers performance through a supplementary quantitative study, which we suggest as a topic for future research.
Marzie Tajik Jalali; Milad Ahmadi Marzaleh; Fateme Askarian; Seyede Maryam Najibi; Ahmad Soltani; Sajad Delavari
Volume 24, Issue 9 , 2022
Abstract
Background: Rumors concerning various aspects of the fight against COVID-19, vaccination, in particular, have become one of the main challenges for managers and policymakers who have to deal with different aspects of the disease. This necessitates the recognition of the factors that influence the prevention ...
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Background: Rumors concerning various aspects of the fight against COVID-19, vaccination, in particular, have become one of the main challenges for managers and policymakers who have to deal with different aspects of the disease. This necessitates the recognition of the factors that influence the prevention and spread of these rumors.
Objectives: The current study aimed to investigate the link between health literacy among adults and their acceptance of COVID-19 vaccination rumors in Iran.
Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted from November 15 to December 15, 2021, in different provinces of Iran. The study population included Iranian adults, aged 18 years and older, who were selected using the snowball sampling method. The data collection tools involved two questionnaires: the Health Literacy Questionnaire, which consists of 33 items, and the COVID-19 Vaccine Rumor Questionnaire which assesses 17 rumors related to COVID-19 vaccination collected from various news sources.
Results: The number of completed questionnaires was 1158 out of 2163 questionnaire visits (74% response rate). Univariate analysis showed that health literacy had a statistically significant association with sociodemographic variables of gender, marital status, ethnicity, place of residence, and level of education. The results of data analysis also demonstrated a significant correlation between the average of rumors acceptance and the sociodemographic variables of gender, marital status, ethnicity, place of residence, and level of education. The results of the Pearson correlation coefficient test showed a significant and negative relationship between health literacy and rumor belief (P= 0.000, r=-0.590), indicating that those with a higher level of health literacy had a lower level of rumor acceptance.
Conclusion: Based on the findings of the present study, health literacy has a significant effect on reducing the credibility of rumors and other misinformation among community members. Macro-level decisions and policies are needed to improve factors such as health literacy and can help individuals identify and track rumors and make decisions based on reliable information on vaccination.
Mostafa Bijani; Ali Asghar Khaleghi; Milad Ahmadi Marzaleh; Hojatolah Najafi; Gholam Ali Heidari Kochi
Volume 24, Issue 1 , 2022
Abstract
Background Disasters are unpredictable events that exert devastating effects on people, properties, and the environment. Iran is a disaster-prone country where numerous deaths and injuries happen annually due to disastrous events. Preparedness, awareness, and performance of health workers are important ...
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Background Disasters are unpredictable events that exert devastating effects on people, properties, and the environment. Iran is a disaster-prone country where numerous deaths and injuries happen annually due to disastrous events. Preparedness, awareness, and performance of health workers are important factors for service providers in disasters.
Objectives: The present study aimed to assess the preparedness, awareness, and performance of Iranian nurses as a major part of the treatment team during disasters.
Methods This systematic study was carried out based on the articles published from 1989-2019 on preparedness, awareness, and performance of Iranian nurses during disasters. In total, 14 databases and 560 articles were reviewed. The databases included Web of Science, Cochrane Library, PubMed, CINAHL, Google Scholar, Ovid, Science Direct, WILEY, Scopus, Pro-Quest, Medline, Elsevier, Magiran, and SID.
Results: After analyzing the titles, abstracts, and manuscripts, 11 papers were selected for the final analysis. They included 5 interventional studies and 6 descriptive investigations. The results of this study pointed to the poor to moderate level of nurses preparedness for disaster response in hospitals in Iran.
Conclusion: As evidenced by the obtained results, nurses had moderate to low levels of knowledge, preparedness, and competence in nursing practice concerning disasters management. Due to inappropriate levels of nurses awareness and preparedness during disasters, health system managers should use appropriate programs and measures to improve them.
Seyed Hamid Falaki; Maryam Safaeikoshkak; Jaber Abedi; Milad Ahmadi Marzaleh
Volume 23, Issue 8 , 2021
Abstract
The first report of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) was presented in Wuhan, Hubei province, China, in December 2019 (1). COVID-19 is an infectious virus with a high level of spread. According to its fast pandemic condition in the world, it has been announced as an emergency of public health by the ...
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The first report of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) was presented in Wuhan, Hubei province, China, in December 2019 (1). COVID-19 is an infectious virus with a high level of spread. According to its fast pandemic condition in the world, it has been announced as an emergency of public health by the World Health Organization (WHO) related to its fast pandemic condition (1-3). Movements of population, communication among humans, and environmental factors cause the transfer of this virus. The most prevalent clinical symptoms include fever, cough, headache, muscle cramps, and fatigue (4). Different industries in different countries have faced many problems and even there were many days off in the world after the COVID-19 pandemic. The pharmaceutical industry, among all industries, has a unique and exclusive sensitivity according to the necessity in the production of pharmaceutical products. The pharmaceutical industry has been important since the past years as a complementary part of the primary process in the treatment of the patients that shows the significance of development in this industry.
In the COVID-19 pandemic situation, pharmaceutical companies try to respond to the challenges in the supply chain, change the business process, and protect the health of the staff. If the epidemic of COVID-19 continues for a medium/long time, this will affect active supplies, necessary materials, and medication export/import. Moreover, it causes adverse effects on research and development (R&D) activities, production, and developmental projects related to improving the industry. Although the effect of global expansion has not been apparent yet, pharmaceutical companies should respond, improve, and develop. Therefore, during the COVID-19 pandemic situation, pharmaceutical companies should continue their activities and even develop it while facing many challenges. Moreover, it will help them detect the challenges and approaches of development in safety and health in pharmaceutical companies during the COVID-19 pandemic situation.
Challenges of pharmaceutical companies in the COVID-19 pandemic situation include: 1) Hiding or lack of reports in COVID-19 affection; 2) Lack of appropriate monitoring of distribution vehicles in the prevention of infection; 3) Continual contacts with documents and internal permissions of products leading to the lack of supervision of health principles; 4) Production in closed and limited space; 5) Continual production line and necessity of team working; 6) Commotion of the personnel with public transportation and lack of knowledge in family health; 7) The physical presence of staff in administrative positions (R&D, marketing, IT, and planning); 8) Serving food in the restaurant of the company (breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snack); 9) Closing of air conditioning system in departments; 10) Lack of correct extrusion of produced wastes; 11) Lack of the attention of personnel on their health; and 12) The entrance of infected products and raw materials to the COVID-19.
Solutions in safety and health improvement of pharmaceutical company in facing COVID-19 pandemic include: 1) Disinfection of the external surface of the vehicles which contain materials and raw materials barrels at the entrance; 2) Use of electronic forms for documentation, product permissions, other production processes, quality control, and Health and Safety Executive ; 3) Use of distancing between the personnel with separator and fresh air injection into the rooms with building management system equipment; 4) Supply of mask and shield for all staff in sufficient number, and control of the use, extirpation, and protection of documents; 5) Use of masks with cartridge and N95 pad in administrative departments in exposure to chemical materials and changing them according to standard; 6) Assignment of the dedicated vehicles to the staff communication and their disinfection; 7) The necessity of using masks by the staff during transportation; 8) Provision of the opportunity for administrative staff to work from long distance; 9) Installation of the bags and buckets for sanitary wastes (mask, gloves, and tissue); 10) Disinfection of air conditioning system based on WHO rules; 11) Disinfection of all spaces and surfaces per hour or after use; 12) Installation of automatic disinfection equipment at the entrance of all buildings and busy places; 13) Introduction of COVID-19 as a job sickness to fast identification and self-declaration of the staff and elimination of transferring chain; 14) Assignment of subvention to treatment and leave of absence with salary for COVID-19 patients; 15) Psychological consultation and call contact with COVID-19 patients; 16) Online monitoring of the personnel and their families with an online questionnaire; 17) Transfer and management of waste by mechanizing systems and trained executive team with personal protection equipment; 18) Arrangement of all internal and external meetings online; 19) Presentation of all training courses in online classes (sky-room webinar); 20) Risk assessment in facing COVID-19 patients based on age, background illness, facing jobs, and a team of colleagues; 21) Non-public quarantine of the staff according to the importance of medicine production; 22) Specialization in COVID-19 tests for a suspicious person; 23) Distribution of self-protect equipment and disinfectants among the staffs families; 24) Quarantine of suffering, suspicious people or those who were in contact with suffering patients; 25) Quarantine of the products in the warehouse to eliminate the transporting chain of the infected products.
Conclusion
The pharmaceutical stability of industry and permanent presence is an inseparable part of treatment teams in the world. Therefore, the necessity of continual observation of environmental health in pharmaceutical companies and the staff health could develop the efficiency, health protection of the personnel, and consumers in the COVID-19 pandemic situation. Controlling the challenges, as the next step, helps the presence of pharmaceutical companies in the current condition. Therefore, international, national, and local organizations should emphasize the revision of health and safety standards in the workplace. In addition, the self-declaration of industries and physical observation is necessary to conduct the suggested solutions for the personnel health as a staff in the health area.
Nahid Hatam; Yegane Partovi; Seyed Reza Najibi; Milad Ahmadi Marzaleh; Seyede Maryam Najibi
Volume 23, Issue 7 , 2021
Abstract
Background and objective: Universal health coverage is considered a prerequisite for human health and security. Therefore, the current study aimed to evaluate and compare the healthcare system functions in Iran with those in successful developing countries in terms of universal health coverage (UHC).
Methods: ...
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Background and objective: Universal health coverage is considered a prerequisite for human health and security. Therefore, the current study aimed to evaluate and compare the healthcare system functions in Iran with those in successful developing countries in terms of universal health coverage (UHC).
Methods: In this comparative study, three developing countries, namely Turkey, Thailand, and China, were selected based on former studies, and the model presented by the World Health Organization in 2000 was used to compare and analyze the data. The required information from the selected countries was collected through searching the Pub Med and Scopus databases using the following keywords: "Health system review", "Health system transition", "International profiles of healthcare systems", "Financing", "Resource generation", "Service provision", "Universal health coverage", and "Health system reform".
Results: The evaluation of the healthcare system's function in four countries showed that the public sector's share of total health spending was much higher than the private sector in both Thailand and Turkey. The issues of integration of insurance funds and risk accumulation and the existence of a strong buyer organization should be considered. The comparison of the payment system in the studied countries showed that the per capita method was used in all primary cares, and the inpatient diagnostic group (diagnosis-related group), fee for service, and salaries and rewards were more focused in the context of hospitalization. The majority of hospitals in the studied countries were state-owned; however, the important point was the presence of different non-university public hospitals in these countries, compared to Iran.
Conclusion: In general, one way to reach the UHC is to utilize the experiences of successful countries in establishing and maintaining this issue.
Batoul Khoundabi; Ahmad Soltani; Milad Ahmadi Marzaleh
Volume 23, Issue 6 , 2021
Abstract
Background: Given the fact that nurses are at the frontier of taking care of COVID-19 patients, they are directly or indirectly faced with many psychological problems.
Objectives: The present research used a systematic review approach to explore the psychological problems of nurses during the COVID-19 ...
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Background: Given the fact that nurses are at the frontier of taking care of COVID-19 patients, they are directly or indirectly faced with many psychological problems.
Objectives: The present research used a systematic review approach to explore the psychological problems of nurses during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.
Methods: This systematic review was conducted using PubMed, Cochran Library, Scopus, EMBASE, Science Direct, ProQuest, and Web of Science databases until May 21, 2020. These databases were searched using some keywords and the papers with a focus on the psychological problems of nurses during the COVID-19 pandemic were selected.
Results: Primarily, the academic papers were searched using their titles, abstracts, and full texts. In total, 10 articles were selected for the final analysis; nine of them were cross-sectional in type and one of them was qualitative and phenomenological. Moreover, seven studies were carried out in the Chinese context and were followed by other similar studies performed in Italy, Pakistan, India, and Singapore. Based on the findings, the most prevalent psychological problems were panic, anxiety, stress, sleep disorders, discomfort, depression, lack of self-control, overstimulation, and post-traumatic stress disorder.
Conclusion: During the epidemic and pandemic of infectious diseases, such as COVID-19, a wide range of psychological problems arise among the healthcare staff, especially nurses. As nurses are at the frontier of taking care of and treating COVID-19 patients, they need to be fully supported. Healthcare policymakers should devise educational and psychological supporting protocols to improve the mental health of nurses.
Simintaj Sharififar; Maryam Moradi; Milad Ahmadi Marzaleh
Volume 23, Issue 5 , 2021
Abstract
Background: The illness caused by the novel coronavirus is an emerging disease, and for this reason, the international community is encountered with its unknown nature, such as clinical features, treatments, and long-term complications. Experience suggests that humans are affected by the psychological ...
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Background: The illness caused by the novel coronavirus is an emerging disease, and for this reason, the international community is encountered with its unknown nature, such as clinical features, treatments, and long-term complications. Experience suggests that humans are affected by the psychological and social effects of epidemics and pandemics of infectious diseases. Accordingly, it is a new experience to care for patients with this disease that has to be more explored. The present study aimed to detect the challenges with which nurses are faced in the process of caring for patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in Iran using a qualitative method.
Methods: This qualitative study utilized in-depth semi-structured interviews with 19 key informants selected via targeted sampling. The obtained data were analyzed by thematic analysis to identify the challenges to which the nurses have encountered in the process of caring for patients with COVID-19 in Iran.
Results: Challenges of the nurses in the caring process for patients with COVID-19 are listed in five categories of stress and psychological issues, equipment-related challenges, increased events of errors, medication and treatment problems, and hospital management. It should be mentioned that at the same time, 35 other subcategories were also identified in this study.
Conclusion: Since nurses are at the forefront in fighting the COVID-19, there must be plans to increase their preparedness. Deficiencies in health systems, including equipment, medicine, and personal protective gear should also be addressed so that nurses can better respond to these incidents. Psychological and mental support is a key component of the nurses appropriate response; therefore, along with nurses' responses, individuals, groups, and family psychological supports should be facilitated to increase performance and effectiveness in response to COVID-19.
Ahmad Soltani; Mahtab Aram; Farshid Alaeddini; Milad Ahmadi Marzaleh
Volume 23, Issue 4 , 2021
Abstract
Introduction: Arbaeen Pilgrimage is one of the worlds largest religious gatherings held in Iraq on the occasion of the 40th day of Imam Hussein martyrdom. The identification of the problems and challenges facing the Arbaeen Pilgrimage is of great help in holding this event safer in the future. The present ...
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Introduction: Arbaeen Pilgrimage is one of the worlds largest religious gatherings held in Iraq on the occasion of the 40th day of Imam Hussein martyrdom. The identification of the problems and challenges facing the Arbaeen Pilgrimage is of great help in holding this event safer in the future. The present study aimed to review the challenges of health services provided to pilgrims during the Arbaeen Pilgrimage in 2019.
Methods: This cross-sectional study was performed within one month after the end of this event. The statistical population comprised three million applicants registered by the Hajj and Pilgrimage Organization of Iran. Out of this population, 1,200 subjects who had participated in the event were selected using simple random sampling. The needed data were collected using a researcher-made questionnaire containing closed- and open-ended questions. Demographic characteristics, medical records, and subject comments were included in the questionnaire. The researchers contacted the participants and filled out the questionnaire.
Results: The mean age of participants was reported as 41.2±14.1 years, and the majority of them (65.7%) were male. The cold mostly caused the need for medical services. In total, 9.5% of the participants did not receive services, and 90.9% received them from the Iranian Red Crescent Society(IRCS). According to the results, 95.4% of those who received services from the IRCS and 82.4% of those who received services from other service providers were satisfied with medical services.
Conclusion: Iraqs health system is faced with numerous challenges during the Arbaeen Pilgrimage. These challenges are multiplied due to infrastructural shortcomings in Iraqs health system, the lack of precise planning, as well as attendees' unpreparedness and unawareness. To obtain pilgrims satisfaction and minimize the problems, the authorities of Iraqs health system should participate, synergize, and provide health equipment and facilities in cooperation with organizations from other countries participating in the Arbaeen Pilgrimage. Comprehensive multi-organizational planning and intra- and extra-organizational coordination before the Arbaeen Pilgrimage and training the pilgrims are two key factors that can help the better organization of this event.
Ahmad Soltani; Farshid Alaedini; Navvab Shamspour; Milad Ahmadi Marzaleh
Volume 23, Issue 1 , 2021
Abstract
Background: Iran is a disaster-prone country, which is subjected to various hazards, such as floods, earthquakes, fire, and traffic accidents.
Objectives: This study aimed to determine the priority and risk of various hazards threatening the public in different provinces of Iran in 2019.
Methods: This ...
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Background: Iran is a disaster-prone country, which is subjected to various hazards, such as floods, earthquakes, fire, and traffic accidents.
Objectives: This study aimed to determine the priority and risk of various hazards threatening the public in different provinces of Iran in 2019.
Methods: This cross-sectional study was carried out from March to September 2019 using data related to 31 provinces of Iran. The assessment was conducted using hazard assessment tools presented by the Iranian Ministry of Health. A total of 70 natural, man-made, and complex hazards were analyzed in this study. The data were collected by holding sessions and conducting individual and group interviews with the officials of provincial Red Crescent Societies as well as reviewing the databases of the Red Crescent Society and the Disaster Management Organization. The participants consisted of operation analysis experts.
Results: In terms of the frequency of occurrence, earthquake (12: 38.7%), traffic accidents (7: 22.6%), and flood (6: 19.4%) obtained the highest priority in different provinces in descending order. Furthermore, regarding the total scores of hazards in all provinces, flood (78.6), earthquake (75.3), traffic accidents (71.9), drought (60.1), and building collapse (58.1) had the highest priority in descending order.
Conclusion: Given the extreme vulnerability of Iran to various disasters, authorities should develop strategic plans to reduce the risks associated with high-priority disasters. In addition, crisis and disaster management policymakers must develop separate detailed disaster response plans for each hazard in order to increase the preparedness at organizational and community levels. Public training can also raise awareness among the public and help people cope better with various hazards.
atefeh haghparast; Camelia Rohani; Parvaneh Vasli; Fatemeh Salmani; Milad Ahmadi Marzaleh
Volume 22, Issue 10 , 2020
Abstract
Background: Attention to the increase of students' physical activity is one of the goals of Healthy People 2020. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of education on the students' physical activity by using two methods of lecturing and the peer group.
Methods: In this quasi-experimental ...
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Background: Attention to the increase of students' physical activity is one of the goals of Healthy People 2020. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of education on the students' physical activity by using two methods of lecturing and the peer group.
Methods: In this quasi-experimental study, 142 female students (aged 12-15) were randomly selected and divided into two groups: lecture (n=71) and peer group (n=71). Two physical activity questionnaires; the Physical Activity Questionnaire for older Children (PAQ-C) and the International Physical Activity Questionnaire-Short Form (IPAC-Short Form), were filled out by the students in two phases, before educational intervention and eight weeks later. Data were analyzed by SPSS version 20 using the parametric (independent and paired sample t-tests) and non-parametric tests (Man Whitney U and Wilcoxon Signed-Ranked tests).
Results: The results of the study showed that the hypothesis: "the effect of the educational intervention program using two methods of lecture and education in the peer group is different on the physical activity of students" was accepted. In both groups, the level of physical activity was low in the beginning of the study. However, eight weeks after the educational intervention program, a significant increase was observed in the physical activity of students in the peer group, in comparison to the students in the lecture group using both questionnaires; i.e. PAQ-C (p<0.001) and IPAQ-Short Form (p<0.001). Also, measurement by two questionnaires showed that the number of students with low physical activity in the peer group declined (p=0.001), and the number of those with moderate physical activity was notably added (p<0.01).
Conclusions: Dynamism in the peer group causes sustainable learning in the domain of psychomotor skills. Therefore, this active teaching method can be developed in schools for increasing learning motivation of students in health programs by school or community health nurses.
Seyedreza Mirsoleymani; Seyyed Mojtaba Nekooghadam; Milad Ahmadi Marzaleh; Mahmoudreza Peyravi; Ahmad Soltani; Simintaj Sharififar; Rita Rezaee; Mahnaz Ahmadi; Hossein Akbarialiabad
Volume 22, Issue 9 , 2020
Abstract
Background: The outbreak of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) has led to a major concern for those who are more vulnerable to infections.
Objectives: This study aimed to evaluate the most important risk factors for severe COVID-19 pneumonia.
Methods: This retrospective study included information ...
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Background: The outbreak of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) has led to a major concern for those who are more vulnerable to infections.
Objectives: This study aimed to evaluate the most important risk factors for severe COVID-19 pneumonia.
Methods: This retrospective study included information on clinical and epidemiological features of 105 patients with severe COVID-19 pneumonia hospitalized in Tajrish Hospital, Tehran, Iran. Initially, the medical records of the patients were investigated, and an interview was conducted based on a pre-prepared checklist to seek information about symptoms, past medical history, medication history, and behavior before hospitalization.
Results: Out of 105 participants, 76 (72.5%) cases were male, and 54 (51.4%) patients were older than 54 years old. The majority of the patients (n=18; 17.1%) had both hypertension and diabetes (n=12; 11.4%). Metformin (n=36; 34.3%) was the most used medication amongst the studied patient. In addition, 24 (22.9%) patients were recreational hookah smokers, and the majority (75%) of them were under the age of 46 years old. Eventually, 19 patients were excluded from the study, of whom 11 individuals had diabetes, and 10 cases were using metformin.
Conclusion: Apparently, hookah smoking played a critical role in the spread of COVID-19 in Iran and has made younger people more susceptible. In addition to older age, the immunosuppressive effects of Metformin seem to make diabetic patients with an impaired immune system more vulnerable to severe COVID-19 pneumonia. More studies on the immune system of vulnerable individuals by identifying their differences can help to protect them.
Hassan Araghizadeh; Mahmoudreza Peyravi; Simintaj Sharififar; Milad Ahmadi Marzaleh
Volume 22, Issue 1 , 2020
Abstract
Background: A large number of natural disasters, including floods and earthquakes, occur in Iran annually. Recognition of the factors influencing the civil-military coordination in natural disasters is amongst the prerequisites in disaster management. Experts perspectives towards coordination in ...
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Background: A large number of natural disasters, including floods and earthquakes, occur in Iran annually. Recognition of the factors influencing the civil-military coordination in natural disasters is amongst the prerequisites in disaster management. Experts perspectives towards coordination in these disasters can also be indicative of the importance of this subject. Given the fact that no studies have been carried out regarding the relationship between the civil and military forces in the aftermath of natural disasters in Iran, these factors can be recognized according to individuals and experts viewpoints.
Objectives: The present study aimed at extracting the factors influencing the civil-military coordination in the course of natural disasters in Iran through interviewing experts in 2019.
Methods: The present qualitative research was conducted through semi-structured and in-depth interviews with 20 key informants who were selected via snowball, convenience, and purposive sampling methods. A session was also held with the presence of the panel of experts. The data were analyzed using thematic analysis in order to extract the factors influencing the civil-military coordination in natural disasters in Iran.
Results: The factors influencing the coordination between the military and civil organizations were categorized into personnel, stuff, and system issues (structure). In addition, 33 subcategories were also identified. The specialists emphasized that holding instructional courses and regular and periodic exercises could enhance coordination in response to disasters.
Conclusions: The present study showed that coordination between civil and military organizations in the management of natural disasters in Iran is faced with many challenges that should be overcome and reduced through providing organizational, political, and structural supports. Recognition of the factors influencing coordination can be effective in line with the correct management of natural disasters. Furthermore, organizations can be made readier for taking better measures in disasters according to the extracted factors. In order to provide a proper response to natural disasters, all coordination components should be elevated simultaneously and coherently.
Milad Ahmadi Marzaleh; Rita Rezaee; Abbas Rezaianzadeh; Mahnaz Rakhshan; Gholamhassan Haddadi; Mahmoudreza Peyravi
Volume 21, Issue 5 , 2019, Pages 1-8
Abstract
Background: The emergency department is the entrance gate of patients to a hospital. Hospitals are confronted with major chal- lenges in radiation, nuclear accidents, and nuclear terrorism. Iran is also at risk of disasters, accidents, and threats, so, the possibility of nuclear and radiation accidents ...
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Background: The emergency department is the entrance gate of patients to a hospital. Hospitals are confronted with major chal- lenges in radiation, nuclear accidents, and nuclear terrorism. Iran is also at risk of disasters, accidents, and threats, so, the possibility of nuclear and radiation accidents cannot be neglected.Objectives: The present study aimed to extract the effective factors in emergency department preparedness of hospitals for radia- tion, nuclear accidents, and nuclear terrorism in Iran.Methods: This qualitative study was conducted using in-depth semi-structured interviews with 32 key informants selected through purposive and snowball sampling. Experts were from seven different specialties. Data were analyzed using the thematic analysis method in order to extract the effective factors in emergency department preparedness of hospitals for radiation, nuclear accidents, and nuclear terrorism in Iran in 2019. The interviews were held in the cities of Bushehr, Tehran, Shiraz, and Isfahan from September 2018 to February 2019.Results: Effective factors in emergency department preparedness of hospitals were categorized into staff preparedness, equipment preparedness, and system preparedness with 20 subcategories. The experts emphasized that training courses and exercises could enhance the preparedness and response to these accidents.Conclusions: This study showed that the emergency departments of hospitals in Iran have many challenges. When the country moves towards having nuclear technology, must also provide the infrastructure of the preparedness. There must be an attempt toreduce these challenges by providing financial and structural support. Identifying effective factors in preparation can be helpful in setting up programs for emergency department preparedness of hospitals against nuclear and radiation accidents.
Mahmoudreza Peyravi; Ali Asghar Peyvandi; Milad Ahmadi Marzaleh
Volume 21, Issue 5 , 2019, Pages 1-1
Abstract
In the great flood of Iran, a wide range of donations was presented to the people affected by the flood as the signof altruism and philanthropy. The Red Crescent of the Is- lamic Republic of Iran was majorly responsible for man-aging the donated goods.
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In the great flood of Iran, a wide range of donations was presented to the people affected by the flood as the signof altruism and philanthropy. The Red Crescent of the Is- lamic Republic of Iran was majorly responsible for man-aging the donated goods.
Alireza Mashallahi; Milad Ahmadi Marzaleh; Abbas Ostadtaghizadeh
Volume 21, Issue 3 , 2019, Pages 1-2
Abstract
Ezgeleh is a city in Kermanshah province, in western Iran. According to the census 2016, the city populationwas 1502 individuals. At 21:48 PM on the 12th of Novem- ber 2017, an earthquake with a magnitude of 7.3-RichterScale struck the city at the depth of 11-kilometer. The epi- center was in Ezgeleh, ...
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Ezgeleh is a city in Kermanshah province, in western Iran. According to the census 2016, the city populationwas 1502 individuals. At 21:48 PM on the 12th of Novem- ber 2017, an earthquake with a magnitude of 7.3-RichterScale struck the city at the depth of 11-kilometer. The epi- center was in Ezgeleh, a district of Salase-e-Babajani countynear the city of Sar-Pol-e-Zahab, both of which sustained the highest damage.
