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Abstract Background Possessing sensitive and multiple responsibilities in the country's health system, particularly after the implementation of the health reform in Iran, midwives must be able to optimally perform their duties in their new job as healthcare providers. This study aimed to identify the factors that predict job adjustment for Iranian midwives working in healthcare. Methods In this cross-sectional study, 310 midwives were recruited from 209 health centers in the Iranian province of West Azerbaijan using the census method and asked to complete research questionnaires. Data were collected using job adjustment, job satisfaction, and organizational commitment scales. SPSS version 25 was used to perform ANOVA and calculate multiple linear regression coefficients for data analysis. In addition, the AMOS software was employed for path analysis and the identification of predictive variables. Results The mean age of the participants was 37.67 ± 7.1 years. Most participants (35.5%) were interested in their occupation as a midwife, and 27.1% were very interest. They had a moderate to strong tendency (76.1%) to remain in their new profession. In addition, 58.1% of participants experienced moderate job adjustment. For healthcare midwives, "desire to remain in the midwifery profession" and "organizational commitment" were significant predictors of job adjustment. "Desire to remain in the midwifery profession" directly affected midwives' job adjustment, while "interest in the new profession" had an indirect effect. Furthermore, "adequacy of income to expenses," "job satisfaction," and "organizational commitment" through the mediating role of "desire to remain in the profession" can, directly and indirectly, influence their job adjustment. Conclusion To better prepare midwives for their role as healthcare providers, organizational managers should focus their efforts and plan primarily on providing incentives to increase the longevity of staying in the profession of midwifery increase job adjustment, job satisfaction, and organizational commitment, thereby improving the quality-of-service delivery.

Background & aim: Job satisfaction of midwives plays an important role in the efficiency and performance of health centers and the quality of midwifery services. This study reviewed job satisfaction and its related factors among midwives working in health systems in Iran.Methods: In this systematic review, the databases of Web of Science, Scopus, PubMed, PsycINFO, Embase, Google Scholar and Magiran, were searched between 2000 and 2021 using keywords of midwife, job satisfaction, occupational stress, and Iran. The research steps were based on PRISMA. For quality assessment, the articles were evaluated according to the inclusion criteria by two researchers with the Newcastle-Ottawa scale. Results: A total of 23 articles including 3,352 midwives working in the health and medical centers were reviewed. The level of job satisfaction was moderate, and the job satisfaction of midwives working in hospitals was lower than that of those working in health centers. The highest level of satisfaction was related to the job positions and relationships with colleagues, and the lowest level was in relation to the salary and job benefits. Marital status, age, income, salary, organizational position, education, employment status, interest in the field of education, and workplace had a relationship with increasing job satisfaction. Tensions in the workplace environment was associated with decreasing job satisfaction.Conclusion: It is necessary to provide conditions to improve job satisfaction of midwives in order to identify and removing barriers and improving professional belonging to promote occupational health and optimize the quality of providing midwifery services.

Background: As a rising epidemic in developing countries, childhood obesity and overweight need particular attention. Methods: The sample (n = 2432) was randomly selected among children aged 24–59 months living in West Azerbaijan Province whose information was recorded in SIB software. The survey questionnaire is derived from the Demographic and Health Survey and the Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey questionnaires designed by the WHO 2017 and UNICEF 2017, respectively. Results: The prevalence of obesity defined as BMIz (body mass index z-score)> +2 was 1.4% among children. Dietary diversity score (DDS) was high in 59.3% of children, moderate in 36.1%, and low in 4.6%. Socio-economic status (SES) of children families was high, moderate, and low in 34%, 28.9%, and 37.1% of families, respectively. Physical activity hours were over 3 in 85.9% of children. The girls were more likely to be obese than the boys (OR = 0.43, P = 0.016). Those with high and moderate DDS were less likely to be obese than those with low DDS (OR = 0.250 and OR = 0.180, respectively). The likelihood of obesity among children with high and moderate SES were 2.6 and 1.6 times more compared to children with low SES, respectively. Conclusions: According to the results, DDS and physical activity levels are related to obesity in children aged 24–59 months. Therefore, establishing proper nutritional behavior and promoting a healthy lifestyle are essential for preventing obesity and non-communicable diseases in this age group.

Background and Objectives: Globally, the prevalence of overweight/obesity is increasing at an alarming rate. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), about 1.9 billion adults worldwide are overweight, and of these, over 600 million are obese. The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence of overweight and obesity in West Azerbaijan, Iran, in 2014. Materials and Methods: Data were collected as part of the National Food and Nutritional Surveillance Program (NFNSP). A total of 249 men and women aged 20–60 from West Azerbaijan were included in the survey conducted in 2014. Body height and weight were measured with light clothing and no footwear after overnight fasting. Results: Mean age of the participants was 38.5 ±7.8 yrs. Mean BMI was 28.0±4.9 kg/m2 (men: 26.8±4.2 vs. women: 29.0±5.3, p

Background: Despite significant reduction in global disease prevalence, leprosy still has a high rate of disability while its determinants are unfair and many of them are amendable. The objective of this study was to measure inequality of disability in leprosy in Iran. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study (2006-2007) on all living people affected by leprosy registered in W. Azerbaijan province health center, Western North of Iran. The outcome of the study was the socio-economic inequality considering presence or absence of grade 2 disability (G2D) based on the WHO classifications. An extended concentration index decomposition approach was used for analysis. Results: Among 452 cases, 65.3% were male and 67% were affected by the multi bacillary type. Overall G2D was 65.3%. The estimated Concentration Index was −0.0782, showing presence of pro-poor socio-economic inequality of G2D, while extended CI estimation (ѵ = 5) was −0.163. Achievement index with coefficient (ѵ = 5) revealed that G2D mean was 16% more than classic mean in the poorest group. The result of decomposition of the existing inequality revealed that, some of the determinants such as receiving mono-therapy, education, urbanization, and bacillus calmette guerin (BCG) vaccination had shared contribution (67.4%, 61.8%, 59.2%, and 57.5% respectively). Conclusions: This study provided new perspective for the health system to leprosy control considering the significant gap between rich and poor (inequality) regarding G2D disability, and its effective elements in socio-economic strata. Some effective actions can be considered to reduce the scale of existing inequality.

Background: The aim of the study was to evaluate potential risk factors of children mortality between 1-59 months of age. Methods: This nested case-control study was conducted among children born from June 1999 to March 2009 in rural areas of Shahroud, located in the central region of Iran using health care visit reports and follow-up data available in household health records. Results: Mortality was significantly associated with breastfeeding duration (OR: 0.87, 95% CI: 0.81-0.93), total health care visits (OR: 0.90, 95% CI: 0.83-0.98) and low birth weight (LBW) (OR: 7.38, 95% CI: 1.37-39.67). Conclusion: In our study, a longer breastfeeding period and more frequent health care visits were two important protective factors, while LBW was an important risk factor for 1-59 month child mortality. It seems, that complex and multiple factors may be involved in mortality of under 5-year-old children, so combined efforts would be necessary to improve child health indicators.