Background: The current study aimed to determine the effectiveness of acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) on emotion regulation in two subscales of emotion suppression and cognitive reappraisal and dysfunctional attitudes of female students with PMS. Methods: The statistical population of this quasi-experimental research with nonequivalent control group and pretest-posttest design with a 2-month follow-up included female students with PMS at the Islamic Azad University, Doroud branch in the academic year 2022-2023. The sample size included 30 PMS students who met the inclusion criteria for the study and were selected through an available sampling method and randomly assigned in two experimental and control groups. The experimental group received acceptance and commitment therapy during eight weeks and a two-hour group session every week. The obtained data were analyzed using the statistical test of mixed ANCOVA, SPSS version 22 statistical software. Results: The mean scores of ACT group in the variable of emotion suppression and cognitive reappraisal have been increased and in the variable of dysfunctional attitude has been decreased after the therapy in the post-test and follow-up. It shows that the therapy has been significantly effective on the women with PMS in the two variables of emotion regulation and dysfunctional attitudes. Conclusion: The acceptance and commitment therapy has caused the emotional suppression and reappraisal variables which are two subscales of emotion regulation to be increased and dysfunctional attitudes to be decreased in the post-test and follow-up stages. It means that ACT has been effective for women with PMS to reduce some of their symptoms, and it can be used in the clinics to help them.
Background: Correct understanding of the oral and dental health status is one of the most important factors in planning healthcare interventions.Therefore, the present study was conducted with the aim of determining the perception of self-care behaviors of oral and dental health in adolescent boys. Methods: This study was carried out in a cross-sectional descriptive manner. The sample size included 200 male high school students of Farsan city, Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari province who were selected by stratified random sampling. The instrument of data collection was the standard questionnaire of attitude towards self-care behaviors. The collected data were analyzed with SPSS20 and parametric tests. Results: The mean score and standard deviation of five areas of perceptions included values 16.61 ± 2.91, emotions 63.47 ± 9.52, social position 18.76 ± 3.24, the influence of parents 19.08 ± 3.78 and the knowledge of caries 11.81 ± 2.00. The overall attitude score was 129.74 ± 16.66 and the average percentage of the maximum was 75.87%, which was at a favorable level. The highest average score was related to the range of values with an average percentage of the maximum of 83.05% and the lowest average of parental influence with an average percentage of the maximum of 73.38%. Conclusion: The average score of attitude is in a favorable situation, and in the area of parental influence, the situation was at a lower level. Also, it is necessary to consider appropriate intervention and education programs for teenagers with parents of low education and unfavorable economic status, and persuasive methods should be used instead of compulsory methods.
Background: Health centers play an important role in improving the health of society in the structure of the health system in Iran. This study was conducted to evaluate the quality of health services based on SERVQUAL Model (Service Quality Model) in Birjand Comprehensive Health Centers based on the perspective of the clients in 2021. Methods: In this cross-sectional (descriptive-analytical) study, 257 health service users referring to Birjand Comprehensive Health Centers participated. The sampling method was a quota from 8 Comprehensive Health Centers in Brijand. Demographic characteristics and SERVQUAL questionnaire were completed by the participants. Furthermore, data were analyzed using Mann-Whitney U, Wilcoxon, and Kruskal-Wallis tests at a significant level of 0.05 in SPSS (16) software. Results: The average scores of health service users’ perceptions and expectations were 5.80 ± 0.56 and 6.14 ± 0.37, respectively. The average score of the gap between perceptions and expectations was also -0.34 ± 0.64. There was a significant difference between the average score of perceptions and expectation of service quality. Conclusion: Due to the gap between perceptions and expectations of service quality, it seems that the health system policymakers should plan a program in order to improve the quality of services based on the factors affecting the quality of services.
Background: The COVID-19 pandemic underscored the critical need for advanced modeling approaches to elucidate transmission dynamics and inform public health strategy. This study employed a Time-Series Susceptible-Infected-Recovered (TSIR) model to quantitatively analyze the pandemic trajectory in Iran and estimate the time-varying basic reproduction number (R₀) from February 2020 to December 2023. Methods: In an analytical cross-sectional study, comprehensive national COVID-19 data were obtained from the Iranian Ministry of Health and validated international repositories. The TSIR framework was implemented using R software (v4.0.0) to estimate transmission parameters (β, γ) and reconstruct epidemic dynamics. Vaccination impact was assessed through comparative analysis of compartmental populations pre- and post-vaccination deployment. Results: Analysis of 1,373 surveillance days revealed 7,625,160 confirmed cases with 146,741 fatalities (CFR: 2%). The TSIR model demonstrated superior tracking of seven distinct epidemic waves, with R₀ estimates declining to 0.2 during 2022-2023. Statistical analysis confirmed significant compartmental shifts post-vaccination (p<0.001), indicating substantial intervention impact. Moreover, model validation showed robust performance across multiple epidemic phases. Conclusion: The TSIR model provides a validated framework for epidemic monitoring and evaluation of public health interventions in Iran. The sub-critical R₀ values observed during the study's conclusion reflect successful containment through combined vaccination and control measures. Therefore, integration of time-series epidemiological modeling into national surveillance systems is recommended for enhanced preparedness against future infectious disease threats.
Background: Tendency to smoke is one of the most important social problems and harms. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence and causes of smoking in high school students in Yazd province and to study some of the factors affecting it. Methods: This was descriptive-analytical cross-sectional study with a statistical population of 455 high school students in Yazd who were selected by cluster-random sampling. Research data were collected using a researcher-made questionnaire. Results: In this study, 34.7% of students had a history of smoking, and the age of the first experience of smoking was 15-20. 20.7% smoked cigarettes through others, and 14% smoked their first cigarette. 13.8% believed that the reason for smoking their first cigarette was imitation of others, and 8.8% believed in becoming more mature and beautiful. 15.8% of the students were currently smoking, of whom 9.7% was for hoby and occasionally, and 12.7% was through friends. 23.7% of students had a history of alcohol consumption. The most sources of information about smoking were family, cyberspace, and friends, respectively. 55.6% of students found smoking cessation difficult, and 89.2% of students believed that smoking was harmful. 62.4% did not believe that smoking was a risk factor for coronary heart disease, and 37.6% did not believe that smoking was a risk factor for coronary heart disease. Conclusion: Due to the relatively high frequency of smoking (about one sixth) among high school students, educational programs should be done since adolescence, and because family, cyberspace, and friends were the most important source of information about smoking, so appropriate education can be very effective.
Background: Prehospital emergency preparedness in radiological and nuclear incidents is significant to the health system's first responders. This study aims to conduct a scoping literature review to identify and explain the components affecting prehospital emergency preparedness in radiological and nuclear incidents. Methods: This study is a scoping review protocol. A search will be conducted in PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, ProQuest, and Google Scholar databases using main keywords, including nuclear, radiation, radiological, and Prehospital Emergency Care, preparedness, and relevant MeSH terms defined in the PubMed database from 1970 to 2024. Articles related to prehospital emergency preparedness and nuclear and radiation incidents are the inclusion criteria for the study. The documents used will include a variety of original, systematic, and scoping review articles. The basis for defining search strategies will be the guide for each database. Database management, removing duplicate and irrelevant articles, and extracting appropriate articles will be done using EndNote software version X7. Two team members will perform all screening and selection steps based on the inclusion and exclusion Criteria. The PRISMA 2020 flowchart will be used to show the article selection process. Results: The results of this study will identify the effective components for prehospital emergency preparedness in radiological and nuclear incidents, categorized into subcategories and codes. Conclusion: Knowing the effective components of prehospital emergency preparedness will improve the response. In this way, various groups, including decision-makers, researchers, and executive areas, including the Ministry of Health and Medical Education and the Non-Active Defense Organization, can take a more effective step in managing the risk of emergencies and disasters.
Background: According to WHO, for every 100 hospitalized patients at least 7 in developed and 10 in developing countries acquire healthcare associated infection. Important factors that put the patients at the risk of infections are inadequate environmental hygiene, waste disposal, and poor knowledge, and application of basic infection control measures. To assess the knowledge, attitude and practice regarding biomedical waste management (BMWM) among health care providers (HCP) and support staffs in a secondary level Hospital with the goal of identifying gaps and informing strategies for improved compliance and waste management practices. Methods: A cross-sectional study was done in government hospital, Mayiladuthurai, Nagapattinam district, during September 2018 to November 2018. Among the 32 districts in Tamilnadu, Nagapattinam district was randomly selected and Mayiladuthurai government hospital was randomly selected among 9 secondary level care hospitals. All the categories of staff in the hospital like doctors, pharmacists, staff nurses, lab and x ray technicians, sanitary workers who handle the biomedical waste in the study area were included in the study. After getting informed consent, data was collected using pre-tested semi structured questionnaire. Data entry was made in the Microsoft Excel software and analysis was done with SPSS version 21 software package. Results: Out of 109 participants, 24.8% were males and 75.2% were females. Age group of the participants ranges from 20-60 with the mean age of 35.34 and standard deviation of 7.51. Majority of them belong to 31-40 age group (44%). In this study, based on the work experience 72.5% participants belong to 0-8 -years' experience group, 22.9% participants belong to 9- 16years experience and about 4.6% belongs to 17-24 years of experience group. It was observed that those having adequate knowledge and good attitude about BMW management were found to have less adequate practices which also varies among different categories of health workers (p < 0.001). Conclusions: The results of the present study showed that knowledge, attitude and practices of participants were not adequate among different categories of health care providers. Safe and effective management of waste is not only a legal necessity but also a social responsibility. The government should take the responsibility to train effectively the healthcare providers working in secondary healthcare settings. Compulsory continuous intensive training programs should be conducted at regular time interval for all the paramedical personnel with special importance to the newcomers, and they should have access to BMWM guidelines in their department/healthcare delivery section. The authors recommend similar studies in different settings and further research to provide accurate data for future decision-making.
Background: Tobacco use in India is a significant public health challenge, contributing to high morbidity and mortality. Despite strict regulations, widespread cultural acceptance and accessibility continue to drive its prevalence across diverse population groups. The objective is to estimate prevalence of tobacco, its usage patterns, and their socio-demographic associations among adults in Manikeshwari, Kalaburagi.” Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted for 2 months among adults residing in Manikeshwari using a pre-tested questionnaire administered through face-to-face interviews. The sample size of 350 was calculated based on a 33.5% prevalence in Kalaburagi, with participants selected through cluster sampling. Data from 310 participants were analyzed for completeness using Jamovi software. Results: Among 310 participants, 41.9% had used tobacco at least once, with 29.7% currently using it. Most smokers (54.9%) commenced between 20 and 30, whereas 23.6% started earlier. 47.6% of users had been consuming tobacco for less than 10 years. Smokeless tobacco was utilized by 63% of the participants. With addiction as the main hurdle (48.9%), only 13.9% of current users are willing to quit. Smoking was found to be associated with gender (p-value: <0.001), religion (p-value: 0.02), marital status(p-value:<0.03), education(p-value:<0.001), and occupation(p-value:<0.001). Conclusion: The study shows high tobacco use, mainly smokeless forms, starting in early adulthood, influenced by demographic and socio-cultural factors. Targeted interventions and stricter enforcement of sales bans and no-tobacco zone regulations are recommended.
Background: Social health is a crucial yet underexplored dimension of human well-being, particularly in architecture and environmental design. While the links between design and physical or mental health have been widely studied, the social dimension remains insufficiently addressed. This review examines how architectural and urban design influence social health outcomes globally from 2002 to 2024. Methods: This systematic review followed the PRISMA protocol. Peer-reviewed articles were retrieved from Scopus, Web of Science, PubMed, and Google Scholar using Boolean keywords (e.g., “design*” AND “social health”). After screening 16,402 initial records, 44 studies from 14 countries and 31 journals met the inclusion criteria. Eligible studies empirically assessed environmental design factors in relation to social health indicators in real-world settings. Results: Key design features positively linked to social health include access to green and blue spaces, walkability, aesthetics, public safety, mixed land use, spatial layout, and third places. Common social outcomes were enhanced interaction, cohesion, trust, and sense of belonging. The majority of studies focused on outdoor spaces, with fewer addressing interior environments. Conclusion: The built environment significantly shapes social well-being. However, notable research gaps persist, especially in non-Western and indoor contexts. Future studies should apply mixed methods, include diverse cultural settings, and develop standardized frameworks to evaluate the social impacts of design.
Background: The global elderly population is growing rapidly, and India is home to the world's second-largest elderly population. Understanding the activities of daily living (ADL) among the elderly is essential for providing effective healthcare and support. This study aimed to assess the prevalence of dependency with respect to ADL and its association with socio-demographic and comorbidities variables among elderly individuals residing in three wards of urban Bengaluru. Methods: This community-based cross-sectional study was conducted between January and March 2023. A total of 132 elderly were selected using simple random sampling. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews. Data analysis was performed using EpiData 3.1 software, with the chi-square test and binary logistic regression used to study associations. Results: The study found that 43% of the elderly population experienced activity limitations in ADL where 75 (57%) showed full function, 47 (36%) showed moderate impairment, and 10 (7%) showed severe functional impairment. Activity limitations were more prevalent among females, those over 80 years of age, illiterate individuals, homemakers, and those with hypertension and economic dependency. The adjusted odds ratio analysis showed a significant association between activity limitations and those aged above 80. Conclusion: The study highlights the need for targeted healthcare interventions, regular health check-ups, and literacy programs for elderly population, particularly elderly feamles and those over 80 years of age. Policies should focus on addressing the determinants of activity limitations to improve the functional status and overall quality of life for the elderly.
Background: This study investigated the prevalence of injuries among Taekwondo athletes, with specific emphasis on psychological attributes, namely competitive anger and aggression, as well as sleep quality. Although these factors are recognized contributors to sports-related injury risk, their association with Taekwondo-specific injuries remains insufficiently explored. The research aimed to identify injury patterns and evaluate the relationships between these psychological constructs, sleep quality, and injury incidence to guide targeted prevention and management approaches. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was administered in Tehran between November and December 2023 to 201 Iranian Taekwondo practitioners. Participants completed a validated Farsi-language online questionnaire capturing demographic information, training characteristics, scores on the 12‑item Competitive Aggressiveness and Anger Scale (CAAS), the 19‑item Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), and self-reported musculoskeletal injuries over the preceding six months. Data analyses employed descriptive statistics and multivariable logistic regression to determine independent predictors of injury. Results: Among respondents, 118 athletes (58.7%) reported at least one injury, most commonly involving the ankle (20.6%) and foot/toe (17.6%). Adjusted regression analyses revealed that each one‑point increase in CAAS score was associated with greater injury risk (OR = 1.23; 95% CI 1.11–1.36; p < 0.001), as was each one‑point increase in PSQI score (OR = 1.12; 95% CI 1.05–1.38; p = 0.006). Training more than three sessions per week (OR = 4.01; 95% CI 1.93–8.33; p < 0.001) and session durations exceeding 60 minutes (OR = 2.27; 95% CI 1.07–4.84; p = 0.032) were also independent predictors. Conclusion: The findings underscore the need to systematically assess competitive aggressiveness, anger, sleep quality, and training load when formulating injury prevention and management strategies for Taekwondo athletes.
Background: Fire is a significant disaster that poses a threat to people's lives, properties, and overall well-being. The level of awareness within a community plays a crucial role in effective handling of fire incidents. This research aims to assess knowledge, attitude, and practice of students at Kurdistan University of Medical Sciences concerning fire safety. Methods: This was a cross-sectional descriptive study conducted in 2023 among the students studying medical sciences in Kurdistan. The sample size consisted of 250 participants, and data were collected using a researcher-made questionnaire consisting of four parts: demographic information, knowledge, attitude, and practice. Data analysis was performed using SPSS24, employing descriptive statistics, independent t-tests, and ANOVA. Results: The mean and standard deviation of knowledge, attitude, and performance scores were 23.28 ± 4.31, 21.53 ± 8.36, and 23.04 ± 4.94, respectively, and the average scores of knowledge, attitude, and performance were reported in 24.56%, 32.59%, and 41.05% of the participants. The results indicated a statistically significant relationship between the average knowledge score and gender and educational level (p < 0.05). The primary sourceof information about fire for students was the Internet, followed by professors and academic units’ views. Conclusion: The findings of this study reveal an average level of knowledge, attitude, and performance among students regarding fire safety, and the obtained scores are considered inadequate for educated and young individuals in the country. It is recommended to develop suitable educational programs that encompass both theoretical knowledge and practical exercises (maneuvers) to enhance awareness, foster the right attitude, and improve practice. These educational programs should be conducted regularly to minimize forgetfulness in this context.
Background: The purpose of this research is to determine the dimensionality and reliability assessment of the questionnaire of Adult Responses to Symptoms (ARCS) of Iranian children suffering from chronic diseases. When adults respond appropriately to the physical symptoms of sick children, they can manage chronic diseases more effectively and prevent the worsening of symptoms associated with psychological factors. Methods: In this psychometric and validation study, 290 parents of children aged 4 to 16 with chronic diseases were selected through consecutive sampling. They were recruited from a children's educational and therapeutic center in Rasht city (north of Iran) and participated by answering the ARCS questionnaire between December 2021 and June 2022. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was used to determine the construct validity. Pearson correlation coefficient and intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) were employed to assess the test-retest reliability over a 4-week interval. Results: In the CFA, the factor loadings of all the items were above 0.3, and the fit indices of the modified Iranian model (PCFI = 0.69, PNFI = 0.62, CMIN/DF = 2.80, RMSEA = 0.07, IFI = 0.90, CFI = 0.90 and GFI = 0.92) were obtained, which shows the confirmation of the three-factor model of the ARCS questionnaire (i.e. protective, encouraging and minimizing dimensions). The test-retest reliability of the ARCS questionnaire scores for the dimensions of protective, encouraging/monitoring and minimizing responses were equal to 0.85, 0.94 and 0.87 (p = 0.001). Furthermore, ICC for the dimensions of protective, encouraging/monitoring and minimizing responses was obtained as 0.90, 0.97, and 0.93, respectively. The Cronbach's alpha coefficients were also calculated for the three above-mentioned subscales as 0.83, 0.70, and 0.60, respectively. Conclusions: The ARCS questionnaire has desirable reliability coefficients and construct validity. It can be used for clinical monitoring, educating families of children with chronic illnesses, and evaluating improvements in treatment outcomes.
Background: Confounders can distort the actual connection between exposure and outcome, resulting in skewed results. In research, it is essential to account for confounding variables to preserve the validity of causal inferences. Methods: In this narrative review study, all statistical methods for adjusting confounding variable such as standardization, propensity score, stratification, restriction, statistical model for control, matching, randomization were reviewed. Results: The five most important methods were reviewed. Conclusion: Adequate adjustment improves the internal validity of findings and elucidates the relationships among variables, underscoring the importance of a comprehensive analysis of confounding for trustworthy research results.
Background: Promoting the health of society members, especially the workforce, is a top priority for any society. Hence, this study was conducted with the aim of determining the relationship between health literacy with public health in employees of Highway and Road Transportation Department of Razavi Khorasan province in 2023. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted on 121 employees of Highway and Road Transportation Department of Razavi Khorasan province in Iran in 2023. Data collection tools included demographic information questionnaire of employees, health literacy questionnaire, and public health questionnaire. The data were analyzed using SPSS26.00 with a significance level of 0.05. Result: The mean (SD) health literacy of participants was 111.2 (22.01). The study found that 55.4% of people had medium health literacy, and there was a statistically significant relationship between health literacy and public health (p < 0.05). Additionally, there was a statistically significant relationship between education level and health literacy (p < 0.05). Conclusion: The results of the study showed that health literacy is related to public health, so, to improve the public health of employees, their health literacy should be improved, and it is necessary to design interventions to improve the health literacy of employees.
