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This paper evaluates the effectiveness of an educational intervention based on the transtheoretical model aimed at increasing physical activity (PA) participation among female employees in Bandar Abbas city (Iran) healthcare centers in December 2017 and August 2018. Using a semi-experimental interventional study design with a randomized and multi-stage method, 100 participants were included in both the intervention (n  = 50) and control groups (n  = 50). Data collection involved questionnaires assessing demographic information (age, gender, marital status and education), stages of change in PA behavior, Perceived Benefits, Barriers and Self-efficacy. The data were analyzed using SPSS-16, employing both descriptive (mean, SD, frequency, percentage) and inferential statistics (t -tests, chi-squared tests, etc.). Prior to the educational intervention, 19 participants (0.38%) in the intervention group engaged consistently in PA (stages 4–5). After 3 and 6 months of intervention, these numbers increased to 29 (0.58%) and 25 (0.50%), respectively. This improvement was statistically significant compared to the pre-intervention stage (P  < 0.001). The findings highlight the importance of theory-based behavior change models and health education programs in promoting PA and combating sedentary lifestyles. Although focused on a specific population in Bandar Abbas, the intervention can serve as a model for similar programs targeting diverse social classes and populations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Objectives: It is important to note that Oral Health Literacy (OHL) not only pertains to dental health but also has a broader impact on overall quality of life. Therefore, this cross-sectional study aimed to assess the level of OHL in the adult population of Tehran, Iran. Materials and Methods: A sample of 700 Iranian adults (Tehran), aged 18-64 years, participated in this study (October 2021 and March 2022). A researcher-developed questionnaire was used to collect data on demographic variables and OHL. The questionnaire consisted of four domains: cognitive, behavioral, media, and communication skills. The data was analyzed by software SPSS 19. Data analysis included descriptive statistics, independent-samples t-tests, one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA), chi-square tests, and multiple regression analysis. Statistical significance was set at P < 0.05. Results: The average age of the subjects was 35.50±8.87 years, ranging from 18 to 61 years. The mean OHL score was 67.62±15.53, indicating a moderate level of OHL. Among the dimensions of the questionnaire, cognitive skills received the highest scores and Communicative skill lowest. The results revealed significant associations between OHL and demographic variables. Multiple regression analysis showed that income, education level (academic and below diploma), and marital status (married) significantly predicted OHL. Conclusion: This study highlights the need for improved OHL in the Iranian adult population. The findings suggest that educational interventions targeting loweducated individuals and specific demographic groups could help enhance OHL. Efforts should be directed towards improving communication skills in oral health settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Given that physical activity can improve health, the present study was conducted to affect education based on the theory of planned behavior on the promotion of physical activity and awareness in the prevention of diabetes in students. This parallel quasi-experimental study with two equal groups of intervention and control was carried out in three stages by multistage sampling method. Students who were physically ill or had absence were excluded from the study. Only the intervention group received the required intervention and the evaluation was done before, immediately after and 3 months after the intervention in both groups. The educational program was implemented in various forms such as oral, pamphlets, brain storming, group discussions, role play for behavior modeling, and written media such as posters, and exercise demonstrations. Data collection was performed in primary schools of Mashhad. The questionnaire was contained; demographic information, diabetes awareness, physical activity based on the theory of planned behavior and physical activity (IPAQ). Data analysis was done by SPSS-16 software using Fisher's exact test, Chi-square, and marginal longitudinal models at the significance level of 0.05. The mean scores of knowledge (p < 0.001), subjective norm (p < 0.001), perceived behavior control (p = 0.015) and physical activity (p < 0.001) immediately after the intervention were higher in the intervention group compared to the control group and the differences were significant. Results of this study supported the effectiveness of education based on theory of planned behavior in the promotion of physical activity and knowledge of students regarding diabetes prevention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: Identifying those with inadequate oral health literacy is difficult because little is known about its various multiple dimensions. Accordingly, the present research investigated dimensions of the concept using a qualitative approach. Method: Participants (n = 15) who met inclusion criteria (Including having expertise in the fields of general dental, social dental, and health education and health promotion and having at least 5 years of relevant working experience) were recruited by purposive sampling via the public health and dentistry faculty in Tehran between December 2018 and October 2019. Thematic analysis was used to assess the data. Results: A total of 15 specialists (ranging in age from 28 to 61, mean 44) were included in the study. Their working experience averaged 15.5 years (SD = 7.7, Min = 6, Max = 30). Independent analysis of qualitative data by three researchers led to identification of seven themes and 18 sub‐categories, including need perception (feeling the need and paying attention to meeting the need), emotional literacy (valuation of oral health, formation of personality and taking care of oral health), planning literacy (planning and goal‐orientation), communicative literacy (choice in decision‐making, interpersonal communication skill and claiming), behavioural literacy (self‐care), cognitive literacy (knowledge, information comprehension, information use, and information analysis) and media literacy (the ability to use up‐to‐date technologies, the ability to search for and acquire the information, and judgment). Conclusions: Our findings provide insights into the dimensions of oral health literacy. It is hoped that these findings can be used to guide the development of interventions on OHL and that aspects of the concept can help to enhance levels of OHL and help to promote health at societal level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present research aims to systematically analyse Iranian university students' awareness and attitude towards AIDS. We published human cross-sectional studies published in English and Persian between 1 January 1990 and 1 January 2018 in the following databases: MEDLINE, Embase Ovid, Scopus, Web of Science. The key terms searched were Student, HIV, AIDS, Iran, Knowledge, and Attitude. The operators used were AND, NOT, OR which led us to find related articles. The overall findings showed that about 30% of university students had a reasonable awareness of AIDS and 44% had an attitude towards AIDS. As the results showed, 37% of the medical students and 23% of the non-medical group had a good awareness of AIDS. This study showed the fact that despite the susceptibility of university students to high-risk behaviours, this population does not enjoy an adequate level of AIDS preventive programmes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper attempts to assess the knowledge and attitude on HIV/AIDS among school students of Iran. The following data sources were searched for eligible studies: Medline, Science Direct, CINAHL, Scopus, Web of Science, SID, ISC, Magiran, and Google Scholar from 1990 to the end of 2016. The quality of the studies was evaluated using the 22-item STROBE checklist. The highest level of awareness belonged to sharing clothes (93.15) and blood transfusion, respectively (86.31), while the lowest level of awareness was related to transmitting HIV from mother to child (42.05). The study identified a substantial gap in the knowledge, negative attitude towards HIV/AIDS and its transmission among Iranian school students. Accordingly, schools should be regarded as one of the main focuses of activities in the strategies of AIDS risk reduction, and education of school students about all aspects of HIV/AIDS has to be considered seriously by the education policymakers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present cross-sectional research was conducted on 245 adolescents selected through a multi-stratified sampling method. The data collection instrument was the risky behavior scale (YRBSS). The collected data were statistically analyzed via SPSS ver19. Such indices as mean, standard deviation, min and max scores were used as descriptive statistics. The present findings showed that 17 subjects (6.9%) had carried cold weapons with them at least once before; 22 subjects (15.17%) had experienced drug consumption (opium and hash) at least; 52 subjects (21.3%) consumed alcohol; 45 (out of 108) (41.66%) had sexual affairs with the opposite sex and 108 (44.1%) experienced smoking. Certain measures can be taken to prevent and reduce the rate of risky behaviors: closer and stronger family ties between parents and teenagers, emphasis on positive examples set by peers, establishment of moral values, provision of sport facilities and public welfare, special attention to the key role of schools. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The present research aimed to investigate the effect of an educational intervention based on the health belief model in pregnant women visiting the healthcare centers in the west of Tehran in 2016. Materials and Methods: The present experimental research was conducted on 135 pregnant women visiting the healthcare centers in the west of Tehran. The subjects were selected through a randomized multistratified sampling and were divided into an experimental and a control group. The collected data were then statistically analyzed in SPSS ver.16. To do so, descriptive statistics and inferential statistics were used including the independent‐samples t‐test, repeated‐measures one‐way ANOVA and paired‐sample t‐test. Results: The present findings revealed a statistically significant difference between the experimental and control groups in terms of immediate post‐test results including perceived sensitivity, severity, benefits, barriers, and self‐efficacy along with awareness and performance constructs (p ˂ 0.001). Moreover, two months after the intervention, except for the perceived sensitivity construct (p = 0.088), the two groups diverged significantly in terms of the other constructs (p ˂ 0.001). Conclusions: The educational intervention driven by the health belief theory showed to be effective on pregnant women and can help to promote preventive behaviors of tooth decay. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Investigate the health literacy of pregnant women in the south of Iran. Materials and methods: The present descriptive-analytical study was conducted on 775 pregnant women in the south of Iran (including Boushehr, Ahvaz, Zahedan and Bandar Abbas cities) through the clustering sample selection method. The data were collected through the Test of Functional Health Literacy in Adults: TOFHLA, and were analyzed statistically via SPSS 16 through independent-sample t-test and ANOVA. Results: The average age of the subjects was 31.89 ± 7.54 years. The results indicated that 15.5% of the subjects had an inadequate level of health literacy; 41.7% had a border-line level of health literacy, and 42.8% had an adequate level of literacy. Significant correlations were found between each of these variables and the subjects' level of health literacy: education, age, occupation and care provision during pregnancy (p ˂ 0.05). The highest mean score of health literacy belonged to Ahvaz while the lowest belonged to Boushehr. Conclusion: According to the results, the health literacy level of pregnant women in the target geographical areas showed to be inadequate or on a border-line. Moreover, subjects' education, age and occupation showed to be significantly correlated with health literacy. Therefore, promoting pregnant women's health literacy through simplifying health-related information, use of audio-visual media, improving communicative skills among the health staff and mothers can be effective. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To anticipate the type of childbirth according to the health belief model. Materials and methods: The present cross-sectional research was conducted on 222 primiparous women visiting the healthcare center in Khorram Abad. A combination of simple randomization and clustering was used to do the sampling. The data collection instrument was a validated four-part questionnaire the first part of which contained demographic information. The second part was comprised of awareness questions while the third dealt with the constructs of the health belief model. The final part consisted of the behavioral intention derived from the logical action theory. SPSS 16 was used to statistically analyze the data and the significance level was set at p = 0.05. Results: The average age of the participants was 27.40 ± 6.07 years. Intention to go for a vaginal birth showed to be significantly correlated with awareness, perceived sensitivity, intensity, barriers and benefits (p = 0.001) as well as self-efficacy (p = 0.025). The best predictor of the type of childbirth turned out to be the perceived barriers (OR = 1.153, p = 0.001) and only then awareness (OR = 1.108, p = 0.001). Conclusion: Strategies to remove the barriers of preferring vaginal childbirth, raising women's awareness of the side effects of C-section and the benefits of vaginal birth, strategies to enhance women's beliefs in their capability of natural childbirth can be used to reduce the prevalence of unnecessary C-sections. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to develop and rigorously evaluate the Test of Oral Health Literacy in Adults (TOHLA) for the Iranian population, addressing the limitations of existing oral health literacy (OHL) measurement instruments and contributing to the literature on OHL assessment. The development of the TOHLA involved a qualitative approach, which included a comprehensive literature review and semi-structured interviews with a panel of 15 experts from diverse fields and 22 Iranian adults aged 18 to 64 years. The instrument was designed with 48 items categorized into four domains: cognitive skill, communication skill, media skill, and functional skill. Content validity was established through expert input and content validation indices. Construct validity was supported by factor analysis, and concurrent validity was assessed by comparing TOHLA scores with demographic variables. Internal consistency and test-retest reliability analyses were performed to assess the instrument's reliability. The psychometric evaluation of the TOHLA demonstrated strong content validity, construct validity, concurrent validity, internal consistency, and test-retest reliability. The instrument exhibited a high level of internal consistency, with a Cronbach's alpha coefficient of 0.81 for the entire scale. Test-retest reliability was satisfactory, with an intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) of 0.83. Concurrent validity analysis showed statistically significant associations between OHL scores and demographic variables, supporting the instrument's overall performance. The TOHLA overcomes the weaknesses observed in existing instruments and offers a comprehensive tool with strong psychometric properties to assess the OHL of the Iranian adult population. Researchers, policymakers, and healthcare providers can utilize the TOHLA to address oral health challenges and enhance overall oral health outcomes among Iranian adults.

Background: The present research aimed to assess the effects of oral health intervention programs at school level on students' oral hygiene in developing countries. To this aim, a systematic review and meta-analysis approach was employed., Methods: The present research was done by surfing electronic databases with MEDLINE Ovid (Embase Ovid, Scopus), Web of Science from 2000 to Mar 2020. The data were collected using a standard type of data collection including specific studies to observational ones, and the data entered RevMan 2014. The eligibility criteria were individually randomized controlled trials (RCTs) or cluster-RCTs including quasi-experimental papers with oral health interventions. The RevMan 2014 package was used for a meta-analysis done through random-effects models., Results: Meta-analyses revealed statistically significant divergences in terms of knowledge (SMD 3.31, 95% CI 2.52 to 4.11; I 2 = 98; P <0.001), attitude (SMD 1.99, 95% CI 0. 43 to 3.54; I 2 = 99; P <0.001), behavior (SMD 4.74, 95% CI 3.70 to 5.77; I 2 = 99; P <0.001), plaque index (SMD -1.01, 95% CI -1.50 to -0. 51; I 2 = 97; P <0.001) and Gingival index (SMD 0. 33, 95% CI -0. 36 to 1. 02; I 2 = 98; P =0.34) in the case of students who received educational interventions versus those with ordinary care., Conclusion: The present findings attested to the effectiveness of the educational interventions in improving oral health knowledge, attitudes, behaviors, and so on which can presumably contribute to a better oral hygiene, lower incidence of oral diseases, and lower costs of the treatments imposed by oral diseases., Competing Interests: Conflict of interest The authors declare that there is no conflict of interests., (Copyright © 2023 Dadipoor et al. Published by Tehran University of Medical Sciences.)

Background: Preterm birth (PTB) is one of the most important factors that increase the risk of chronic diseases and postpartum death in infants. The aim of this study was to determine the maternal factors that affect the birth of preterm infants in the city of Bandar Abbas., Materials and Methods: This is a case-control study that was performed on 400 preterm infants. Sampling was done by a simple method, and information was gathered by interviewing the mothers and their medical records. Data were collected by SPSS software version 16. To compare risk factors in the two groups, conditional logistic regression was used, and P < 0.05 was considered statistically significant., Results: Results showed that factors such as type of delivery (odds ratio [OR] = 3.584, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.981-6.485), preeclampsia (OR = 2.688, 95% CI: 1.164-6.207), history of PTB (OR = 4.171, 95% CI: 1.483-11.728), premature rupture of membranes (OR = 3.273, 95% CI: 1.745-6.137), care during prenatal (OR = 0.334, 95% CI: 0.159-0.701), placental abruption (OR = 3.209, 95% CI: 1.209-8.519), placenta previa (OR = 9.333, 95% CI: 2.086-41.770), and cervical insufficiency (OR = 11, 95% CI: 1.381-87.641) were independent risk factors of preterm infant birth., Conclusions: The PTB risk is higher for women with cervical insufficiency, history of placenta previa, and history of preterm. Early recognition and management of these high-risk conditions among pregnant women may lead to a reduction in PTB rates., Competing Interests: There are no conflicts of interest., (Copyright: © 2021 Journal of Education and Health Promotion.)

Background: Approximately one third of the food produced in the world for human consumption was wasted., Objectives: This study aimed to determine the effect of intervention on behavior of food consumption and waste production in the restaurants of Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences., Materials and Methods: In this quasi-experimental study, 233 students of public health school were selected as intervention group, and 233 students of medical school were selected as control group. The food wastage was weighed in both "Sabz" and "Medical" restaurants for a week. Based on training needs of the samples, teaching methods and programs were implemented in the intervention group for a month. The clients of both restaurants were followed 4 weeks after the intervention. The food waste was weighed after 4 weeks. Data were analyzed using SPSS software version 16 and statistical tests (Wilcoxon, Chi-squared, McNemar, and Mann-Whitney tests)., Results: The results obtained from Wilcoxon test showed that, the means of awareness, attitude, and behavior were significantly improved after the intervention in the intervention and control groups ( P < 0.001). After the intervention, according to the number of served foods, it was expected that the weight of food wastage to be 341.37 kg/week, but this figure was reduced to 224.98 kg/week after the intervention., Conclusions: This study has confirmed the effectiveness of implementation of interventions on enhancement of knowledge, attitude, and behavior of people about consumption of food and amount of wastage. The authors suggest that to investigate sustainability of effect of intervention on behavior of food consumption and wastage production, this study could be implemented in different and longer time intervals after the end of project., Competing Interests: There are no conflicts of interest., (Copyright: © 2020 Journal of Education and Health Promotion.)

Background: A proper measurement instrument is selected based on the suggested use of the instrument, the target concept of measurement, and features of measurement (e.g. internal consistency, reproducibility, content and construct validity, responsiveness, and interpretability). Concerning the design and features of measurement, there are not any adequately specific standards for instrumentation to measure oral health literacy (OHL). The present study proposes a protocol that attempts to fill this gap by introducing the psychometrics of a standard questionnaire which measures OHL., Materials and Methods: The present research employs a methodological design and is carried out in Tehran, with data collected through interviews that are held face to face. The data collection procedure involves a review of the related literature, cognitive interviews, fuzzy Delphi Method, and focal groups with participants with OHL work experience for item generation. The target participants of this research are the Iranian adult population and experts working professionally in different health domains. For qualitative data analysis, the content analysis strategy and in the instrument Psychometrics COSMIN checklist will use., Conclusions: Achievement of the present research will be used to evaluate the capability of the Iranian adult population in searching, processing, and deciding on healthcare services. This instrument will focus on evaluating both clinical and nonclinical settings. The present research can vastly improve our knowledge of the state of OHL in the Iranian adult population., Competing Interests: There are no conflicts of interest., (Copyright: © 2020 Journal of Education and Health Promotion.)

Background: Insufficient physical activity is a global health-care problem and is considered an independent risk factor for chronic diseases. The present research aimed to explore the effect of an educational intervention based on the theory of planned behavior (TPB) and stages of change on promoting women's physical activity., Materials and Methods: This quasi-experimental research was conducted on 68 women who voluntarily visited the health-care centers of Mashhad. They were selected by randomized multistratified sampling method and were divided into two groups of intervention ( n = 34) and control ( n = 34). The data collection tools included a demographic information questionnaire, a questionnaire based on the TPB and stages of change, and the International Physical Activity Questionnaire. The data were statistically analyzed by SPSS software version 16 using descriptive statistics (frequency, percentage, mean, and standard deviation) and inferential statistics (paired t -test, correlation coefficient, and covariance). The significance level of P < 0.05 was considered in this study., Results: No statistically significant difference was found between the intervention and control groups before the intervention in terms of the scores of the TPB constructs and physical activity ( P > 0.05). However, after the educational intervention, a significant difference was observed in the mean scores of TPB constructs and physical activity ( P < 0.05). In addition, no statistically significant difference was found in the stages of change between the two groups after the intervention., Conclusions: The results of this study pointed to the effectiveness of educational intervention and the necessity to use educational interventions to help adopt preventive behaviors. Therefore, the use of well-established educational models rather than conventional methods is recommended., Competing Interests: There are no conflicts of interest., (Copyright: © 2019 Journal of Education and Health Promotion.)

Context: The importance of research is revealed by the fact that the top seven science producing countries in the world are the same seven countries worldwide in terms of the research facilities., Aim: To explore the barriers to research activities among the students of the Hormozgan Medical University., Settings and Design: A total of 400 students affiliated with the Hormozgan University of Medical Sciences participated in this cross-sectional study., Methods: The sampling method was proportional stratified, and the data collection instrument was a tripartite questionnaire that comprised demographic information, personal barriers, and organizational barriers., Statistical Analysis: The data were statistically analyzed by the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) software (V.16.0, SPSS Inc., Chicago, IL, USA) using descriptive statistics as well as the independent sample t -test, one-way analysis of variance, and Pearson's correlation coefficient. The level of significance was set at P < 0.05., Results: The most prevalent personal barriers were inadequate knowledge of research methodology (2.91±1.24) and inadequate skill in research conduction (2.89±1.36). In the realm of organizational barriers, limited access to information sources was the most prevalent barrier (2.75±2.27). The results showed that researcher students encounter more of the organizational barriers (56.13±13.90), whereas non-researcher students faced more of the personal barriers (53.80±10.95)., Conclusion: Establishing access to high-speed Internet system, raising students' awareness of research methodology through workshops, encouraging and motivating students for research work, and using online sources can help in removing the barriers to research activities., Competing Interests: There are no conflicts of interest.

Background: Mortality and disability rates were reported to be respectively 2-3 and 5-10 times higher in C-sections compared to Vaginal delivery., Objectives: This study was aimed to explore the factors involved in selecting the birth type among primiparous women., Methods: The present cross-sectional research was conducted on 220 primiparous women, who visited the health-care centers of Bandar Abbas. They were recruited in their first trimester of pregnancy with a simple randomized clustering method. Data were collected in a researcher-designed questionnaire. Its validity was confirmed by a panel of experts and reliability was tested and approved through the test-retest method. Mean, standard deviation, independent sample t -test, and Chi-squared tests for data analysis were done by SPSS 16. P < 0.05 was considered statistically significant., Results: The mean age of the participants was 27.40 ± 6.07 years. The main barriers to the choice of vaginal delivery were the fear of pain and fear of vaginal area tears and ruptures, fear of injury to fetus, and doctor's recommendation. A statistically significant correlation was observed between the age, education, employment, income, awareness, and the reasons for preferring surgical childbirth., Conclusions: To reduce the rate of unnecessary cesarean sections (C-section), the following recommendations are suggested: Reducing fear of pain in expectant mothers, modifying wrong beliefs about the culture of natural childbirth, increasing awareness of fewer adverse effects of vaginal delivery including the vaginal tears if the mother abides by all midwife(s) instructions during the delivery procedure, providing educational courses for the necessary movements during the delivery, decreasing surgeons' payment for C-section, and increasing payment for natural childbirth and implementing barriers for optional delivery to reduce the C-section., Competing Interests: There are no conflicts of interest.

Background: Thalassemic disorders are the most prevalent monogenic hereditary diseases around the world caused by decreased and altered synthesis or agenesis in one or more globin chains. Families who have a child with thalassemia major face a myriad of significant problems. Hormozgan province ranks second with thalassemic patients in Iran. Therefore, current research is aimed to analyze the reproductive behavior of such families in the southern province of Iran., Methods: In this descriptive study 190 mothers of patients suffering from thalassemia major were included. The reproductive behavior of mothers was investigated by a questionnaire regarding the number of thalassemic infants born after their first child with thalassemia major., Results: About 23% of these mothers had more than 1 child with major thalassemia. The findings showed that the reasons for conception among these mothers were to have a healthy child (64.2%) and to have a boy (20%). In about 92.6% of mothers CVS test was not performed., Conclusion: This study showed that awaring mothers and families regarding the prevention of birth of afflicted infants and provision of accessible diagnostic facilities can reduce the number of children with thalassemia major.