Search

Background Prevalence of short and long sleep duration varies in different countries and changes over time. There are limited studies on Iranians’ sleep duration, and we aimed to evaluate the prevalence of short and long sleep duration and associated factors among people living in Kermanshah, Iran. Methods This population-based cross-sectional study was conducted between November 2014 and February 2017. Data was collected from 10,025 adults aged 35 to 65 years using census sampling, and we evaluated the short and long sleep duration (≤ 6 and ≥ 9 h, respectively) and its relation with the socio-demographic factors and health-related status of the participants. Results Mean age of participants was 48.1 years (standard deviation = 8.2), and 47.4% of participants were male. Of our participants, 11.6% had short, and 21.9% had long sleep duration. Age ≥ 50 years, female gender, being single, mobile use for longer than 8 h per day, working in night shifts, moderate and good levels of physical activity, BMI ≥ 30, past smoking, and alcohol use were associated with short sleep duration (P P Conclusion In the Ravansar population, short and long sleep duration are prevalent, with long sleep duration having higher prevalence. People at risk, such as night shift workers, as well as modifiable factors, such as mobile phone use, can be targeted with interventions to improve sleep hygiene.

Background The present research explored the effect of an educational program based on the health belief model (HBM) on prisoners’ HIV preventive behaviors in the south of Iran. Methods The present quasi-experimental research was conducted in 2019–20 on 280 prisoners, 140 in the control group (CG) and 140 in the intervention group (IG). The sampling was simple randomized. The data were collected using a questionnaire in two parts, one exploring the demographic information and the other the HBM constructs. The final follow-up was completed 3 months after the educational intervention (8 sessions long) in November 2020. Results After the intervention, statistically significant between-group differences were found in the healthy behavior score and all HBM constructs except for the perceived barriers (p Conclusion The educational intervention showed to positively affect the adoption of preventive behaviors mediated by the HBM constructs. To remove barriers to HIV preventive behaviors or any other healthy behavior, researchers are suggested to develop multi-level interventions (beyond the personal level) to gain better findings.

Background Since hypertension (HTN) is responsible for more than half of all deaths from cardiovascular disease, it is vital to understand the nutritional factors that reduce its risk. Little information, however, is known about it in the Kurdish population. This study was aimed to evaluate the healthy eating index (HEI) 2015 and major dietary patterns concerning incident HTN. Methods This case-cohort study was designed using Ravansar non-communicable diseases (RaNCD) cohort study data (294 participants with incident HTN and 1295 participants as representative random sub-cohort). HEI 2015 and major dietary patterns were extracted using data from their dietary intake, and three major dietary patterns were identified, including plant-based, high protein, and unhealthy dietary patterns. To analyses the association between HEI 2015 and major dietary patterns with incident HTN Cox proportional hazards regression models were applied. Results There was a significant positive correlation between HEI 2015 and plant-based diet (r = 0.492). The participants in the highest quartile of HEI-2015 had a 39% and 30% lower risk of incident HTN, compared to participants in the first quartile in both crude and adjusted model (HR: 0.61; 95% CI: 0.46–0.82) and (HR: 0.70; 95% CI: 0.51–0.97), respectively. Furthermore, participants with the highest tertile of the plant-based dietary pattern were at lower risk of incident HTN in both crude and adjusted models (HR: 0.69; 95% CI: 0.54–0.9) and (HR: 0.70; 95% CI: 0.53–0.94), respectively. However, the other two identified dietary patterns showed no significant association with incident HTN. Conclusions We found evidence indicating higher adherence to HEI 2015 and plant- based diet had protective effects on incident HTN. The HEI 2015 emphasizes limited sodium intake and adequate intake of vegetables and fruits.

Background Overweight and obesity are major health concerns worldwide, with adverse health consequences during the life span. This study measured socioeconomic inequality in overweight and obesity among Iranian adults. Methods Data were extracted from 129,257 Iranian adults (aged 35 years and older) participated in the Prospective Epidemiologic Research Studies in IrAN (PERSIAN) in 14 provinces of Iran in 2014. Socioeconomic-related inequality in overweight and obesity was estimated using the Concentration Index (Cn). The Cn further decomposed to find factors explaining the variability within the Socioeconomic related inequality in overweight and obesity. Results Of the total number of participants, 1.98, 26.82, 40.76 and 30.43% had underweight, normal weight, overweight and obesity respectively. The age-and sex standardized prevalence of obesity was higher in females than males (39.85% vs 18.79%). People with high socioeconomic status (SES) had a 39 and 15% higher chance of being overweight and obese than low SES people, respectively. The positive value of Cn suggested a higher concentration of overweight (0.081, 95% confidence interval [CI]; 0.074–0.087) and obesity (0.027, 95% CI; 0.021–0.034) among groups with high SES. There was a wide variation in socioeconomic-related inequality in overweight and obesity rate across 14 provinces. The decomposition results suggested that SES factor itself explained 66.77 and 89.07% of the observed socioeconomic inequalities in overweight and obesity among Iranian adults respectively. Following SES, province of residence, physical activity, using hookah and smoking were the major contributors to the concentration of overweight and obesity among the rich. Conclusions Overall, we found that overweight and obesity is concentrated among high SES people in the study population. . Accordingly, it seems that intersectional actions should be taken to control and prevent overweight and obesity among higher socioeconomic groups.

Background The level of socioeconomic-related inequality in physical activity in Iran is largely unknown. This study investigates socioeconomic-related inequality in poor-physical activity (PPA) among Iranian adults. Methods A total of 129,257 adult participants enrolled in the PERSIAN (Prospective Epidemiological Research Studies in IrAN) Cohort were included in this study. Physical activity of adults was measured using metabolic equivalent rates (METs). Physical activity less than 41 METs/hour/day was considered PPA. The Concentration index (C) was used to quantify socioeconomic-related inequality in PPA. Moreover, the C was decomposed to identify the relative contribution of explanatory variables to inequality in PPA. Results There were significant regional variations in physical activity level among Iranian adults (29.8–76.5%). The positive value of C (0.098, 95% CI = 0.092 to 0.104) suggested that the higher concentration of PPA among higher socioeconomic status (SES) adults in Iran which was consistently observed in all cohort sites. Conclusions The higher prevalence of PPA among Iranian adults, especially, women and older adults, warrant further public health attention. Since PPA is concentrated more among the high-SES population in Iran, strategies for the promotion of physical activity should focus more on economically well-off population.

Background Although effectiveness of web-based interventions on lifestyle changes are recognized, the potential of such programs on metabolic syndrome has not been explored. We describe the protocol of a randomized controlled trial that aims to determine the feasibility, acceptability, usability, and effectiveness of interactive technology on lifestyle intervention in a population with metabolic syndrome. Methods/design This is a two-arm randomized controlled trial. The study includes 160 participants (n = 80 per arm) who will be recruited via online registration on the study website. The inclusion criteria are that they should have metabolic syndrome and have access to the Internet. All participants will receive information on dietary intake and physical activity through the study website. The intervention group will receive additional resources via the study website including interactive Healthy Heart Profile and calorie restricted diet tailored to the participants. The primary outcomes are feasibility, acceptability, usability, and the change in metabolic syndrome components. The secondary outcomes are comparing quality of life, physical activity and food intake among the study arms. The participants will be followed up to 6 months with data collection scheduled at baseline, 3 and 6 months. Discussion There is a need for developing and evaluating web-based interventions that target people with high risk for cardiovascular diseases. This study will therefore make an important contribution to this novel field of research and practice. Trial registration IRCT201111198132N1