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Introduction: Marriage is a social capital in society, so that makes the behavioral and social stability of parents and children in a generation, productive. Various factors can affect the intention of marriage, including individual, economic, social and cultural factors. The present study aimed to determine predictors of university students' intention to marriage based on the theory of planned behavior (TPB). Methods: This cross-sectional study was performed among 192 single students (Master and PhD students with five to seven years of dentistry and medicine) in Hamadan, in 2014. The samples in this study were selected through convenient sampling. The data collection tools were demographic and TPB questionnaires. A questionnaire based on the TPB model was used in order to assess attitude toward behavior, subjective norms, perceived behavioral control, and intention. Data were analyzed by using SPSS16 and descriptive indexes, independent-samples t-test, One-way ANOVA and multivariate linear regression at 95% significant level. Results: The results showed that attitudes toward marriage (β=0.217; p=0.001), subjective norms (β=0.366; p<0.001), and perceived behavioral control (β=0.279; p<0.001) significantly predicted students' intention to marriage. The TPB constructs explained 44% of the variance of intention. Conclusion: Results indicated that strategies to improve the intention of marriage can include: expression of psychological needs such as having a companion, the importance of responsibility, society attitude of marriage, parents and marriage, the importance of the decision-making power and job position. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: These days, hookah smoking has gained popularity among people in many communities, especially among youths and students, and more attention to this issue seems necessary. The purpose of this study was to determine the factors affecting hookah smoking among Sabzevar Azad University students. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted on university students in Sabzevar, Iran in 2014. The questionnaire was developed and its validity and reliability were assessed. Three hundred six male students of Sabzevar Azad University were selected by simple random sampling and questionnaires were filled out by them. The collected data were analyzed by SPSS software and the Chi-Square and Independent-samples t-test. Results: The results showed that 47.7% of the participants had a history of smoking hookah. The main factors affecting hookah smoking from participants' point of view were: filling leisure time, availability of hookah, positive social appearance, friends' invitation and relief from anxieties. Chi-Square tests showed that there was no significant relationship between fathers' level of education (p=0.41), mothers' level of education (p=0.46), fathers' job (p=0.18), mothers' job (p=0.53) and students' current grade (p=0.41) with hookah smoking. The study showed significant relationship between present hookah smoking and awareness about complications of the hookah (p=0.01). Conclusion: Interventions to reduce and quit hookah smoking among students should include several items, such as teaching problem-solving skills to fill leisure time properly and to deal with the temptation of hookah smoking, as well as teaching refusal skills at the invitation of friends for hookah. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Gender composition and the soaring trends of drug and tobacco dependency reveal the priority of social skills training related to drug avoidance self-efficacy among female students. The aim of this study was to verify the impact training high school female students to have the social skills needed to avoid the use of drugs. Methods: This study was conducted from September 2012 to May 2013 in two high schools in Ahvaz City in southwest Iran. The participants were divided randomly into two groups of 60 students, one experimental group and one control group using the multi-stage simple sampling method. Two questionnaires, i.e. the ASES and TISS questionnaires, were completed before and after the intervention. Descriptive statistics, chi squared, pairedsamples t-test, and the independent-samples t-test were used. Results: The participants had a mean age of 14.93 years. Among the 120 participants, 90.8% indicated that they had never smoked a cigarette, and 51.7% of the participants denied having smoked a hookah. There was no significant relationship between the self-sufficiency means of drug avoidance in the two groups of girls before intervention (p = 0.05). However, after intervention, a significant difference was found in test score of selfefficacy of drug avoidance between the two groups, i.e., 94.91 ± 8.3 for the control group versus 99.16 ± 3.8 for the experimental group, p < 0.05). Significant increases were observed for the pre- and post-test scores of selfefficacy of drug avoidance in the experimental group compared to the control group (99.16 ± 3.8 (p = 0.001) vs. 96.58 ± 6.98 (p > 0.05). The mean values of the pre- and post-test scores of social skill before and after intervention increased significantly only for the experimental group (97.60 ± 19.19 vs. 100.58 ± 12.37, p = 0.03). Conclusion: Educational intervention can significantly enhance social skills for drug avoidance self-efficacy, so it is recommended that such skills be taught in the high school curriculum. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]