Zeinab Haghparast; Ziba Taghizadeh; Ehsan Kazemnezhad Leyli; Azam Bagheri; Farnaz Farnam; Marzieh Azizi
Volume 25, Issue 8 , 2023
Abstract
Background: Up to now, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has affected and killed millions of people across the globe. In these conditions, Iran was experiencing the fifth wave of the Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, accrued by the Delta variant, over the course ...
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Background: Up to now, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has affected and killed millions of people across the globe. In these conditions, Iran was experiencing the fifth wave of the Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, accrued by the Delta variant, over the course of the present study.
Objectives: The present study aimed to reflect on preventive behaviors, psychological distress, and their associated factors in Iranians during the SARS-CoV-2 Delta variant outbreak.
Methods: Utilizing a descriptive-analytical cross-sectional research design, this study was performed on 1,015 Iranian individuals referred to the comprehensive healthcare centers in Kashan, central Iran, selected via simple random sampling. Data collection tools included the sociodemographic information questionnaire, the Preventive Behaviors against COVID-19 Questionnaire (PBCQ), and the 12-item General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12).
Results: The study results revealed that the mean±standard deviation (SD) of PBCQ was 17.20±4.18 (12-36). In addition, involvement in preventive behaviors against COVID-19 was at higher levels in male (P=0.007), younger (P?0.001), and self-employed (P=0.016) participants with a fair family economic status (P=0.007), as compared to other cases. Those receiving no vaccines (P=0.023), together with the subjects recently contracting COVID-19, also adhered to only some preventive behaviors (P?0.001). The GHQ-12 mean±SD was equal to 2.15±2.41 (0-12). Moreover, the study results indicated that female (P=0.021) younger (P=0.017), married (P=0.024), self-employed (P=0.003) subjects with a fair or poor family economic status (P=0.001) and recent infection with COVID-19 (P=0.010) were more susceptible to psychological distress, as compared to others.
Conclusion: The present study demonstrated that engagement in preventive behaviors against COVID-19 significantly dwindled, and the incidence rate of psychological distress augmented in the course of the fifth wave of the pandemic in Iranians. These findings could provide healthcare planners and policymakers with valuable information.
Fatemeh Abbaszadeh; Nahid Sarafraz; Mahboobeh Kafaei Atrian; Zohreh Sadat; Azam Bagheri; Alireza Moravveji
Volume 19, Issue 11 , November 2017, , Pages 1-7
Abstract
Background: Identifying the best marker for appropriate screening of risk factors of chronic diseases seems necessary in any society.Objectives: This study aimed at performing a comparative evaluation of anthropometric indices to determine a better marker for prediction of high blood pressure in adolescents.Methods: ...
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Background: Identifying the best marker for appropriate screening of risk factors of chronic diseases seems necessary in any society.Objectives: This study aimed at performing a comparative evaluation of anthropometric indices to determine a better marker for prediction of high blood pressure in adolescents.Methods: This cross-sectional study was done during 2013 on 1046 students, aged 11 to 19 year old in Kashan, who were chosen by cluster and class sampling method. Height, waist circumference (WC), waist-to-hip ratio (WHR), waist-to-high ratio (WHtR), systolic blood pressure (SBP), and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) of the subjects weremeasured. Blood pressure of all subjects, who had their blood pressuresmeasured during the first visit, wasmeasured during the second and third visit again, and the threemeasured blood pressure averages was considered as subjects’ blood pressure.Results: This study showed a significant positive correlation between BP and body mass index (BMI), WC, WHR, and WHtR indices (P < 0.001). Receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) analysis was performed. Area under the curve (AUC) was obtained for BMI (0.62 to 0.73), WC (0.67 to 0.76), WHR (0.57 to 0.67), andWHtR (0.63 to 0.77) in diastolic blood pressure and BMI (0.66 to 0.76), WC (0.68 to 0.78), WHR (0.57 to 0.67) and WHtR (0.67 to 0.77) in systolic blood pressure. The WHtR in adolescents had better distinguishing power than other anthropometric indices.Conclusions: TheWHtR, as a relatively simple, inexpensive, and convenientmeasurementmethod is the best anthropometric index for determination of blood pressure in these subjects.
