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Background and purpose: The deleterious effects of chronic stress on dimensions health have already been stablished. Hair cortisol concentration is a promising new tool for the assessment of long-term stress. This study was conducted for determining the relationship between perceived stress and hair cortisol in women health care workers. Materials and methods: This cross sectional study was conducted in 2018, among 188 women health care workers in Babol/Iran. Data collection was done using a demographic and perceives stress questionnaire. Hair cortisol was extracted according to exiting protocol. Data analysis was done with SPSS21 software at a significance level of P

Objectives Primary care is the first main interface of health services for the elderly to maintain and improve their health. Therefore, it is essential to evaluate the appropriateness of the way to provide services for this population group, which is one of the most vulnerable classes of society. This study was conducted to explain the structural and functional challenges of comprehensive health centers in Babol City, based on the guidelines of the World Health Organization’s elderly-friendly centers to plan aging-friendly. Methods & Materials The current research was a descriptive qualitative study using the content analysis method with a conventional approach. This research was conducted on elderly people who were referred to comprehensive health centers and their families as well as service providers in the form of in-depth semi-structured interviews until reaching the level of data saturation. Each interview was implemented immediately after implementation, and the content analysis of the interviews was conducted by determining conceptual units, accurate coding, and continuous comparison method until the formation of subgroups and main classes. Results In this study, 23 elderly people with an average age of 71.47±7.88, 5 family members, and 14 service providers participated. A total of 72 codes were extracted from all the interviews, which were divided into five main categories of structural factors, behavioral issues, educational characteristics, social support, and functional challenges during the analysis process. A total of twelve subgroups emerged for the five main classes. Conclusion Several underlying factors exist in the path of making comprehensive health centers elderly-friendly, and which will be impossible to achieve this issue without providing the conditions and eliminating the existing challenges. Therefore, the obtained components may help in identifying, and prioritizing needs, and choosing the type of interventions to adapt comprehensive health centers to the needs of the elderly.

Objectives: One way to improve the social participation of the elderly is to pay attention to environmental adaptation, and ensure safety and independence of them in places they use. Due to the rapid growth of the aging population in Iran and considering the important role of mosques as one of the main religious-spiritual places for the elderly, conducting studies to determine the structural suitability components of the mosques in terms of geriatrics and ergonomics are necessary. Therefore, the present study aims to identify the structural suitability components of elderly-friendly mosques in Iran. Methods & Materials: This is a qualitative study using the content analysis method conducted in 2020. Participants were 18 eligible older adults (13 women and 5 men) aged 61-72 years (Mean±SD age=66.33±2.99) attended the mosques of Babol city who had the ability to communicate effectively and the willingness to participate in the study. The mosques were selected based on the geographical distribution (in north, south, east, and west). The data collection method was in-depth and semi-structured interviews, which continued until data saturation. Each interview was transcribed and analyzed step by step according to Kvale’s method. Results: The extracted data were divided into 5 main categories and 18 subcategories as the structural suitability components of elderly-friendly mosques. Extracted main categories included: Outdoor Environment, Indoor Environment, Equipment, Basic Welfare Amenities, and Internal Facilities. Conclusion: The identified components can help find and prioritize the needs and select the type of interventions to be conducted in the mosque according to the characteristics of the elderly.

Abstract Background There is no standard and comprehensive questionnaire for reproductive health assessment among women shift workers. This study aimed at the development and psychometric evaluation of the Women Shift Workers’ Reproductive Health Questionnaire. Methods This sequential exploratory mixed-method study was conducted in a qualitative (item generation) and a quantitative (psychometric evaluation) phase. In the qualitative phase, the primary item pool of the questionnaire was generated based on the findings of the qualitative content analysis of 21 interviews held with 21 women shift workers as well as the findings of a literature review. In the quantitative phase, the face, content, construct, convergent, and discriminant validity and the reliability of the questionnaire were assessed. For construct validity assessment through exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses, 620 women shift workers were conveniently selected to fill out the questionnaire. Reliability assessment was done through assessing internal consistency, stability, and composite reliability. Results The primary item pool contained 88 items. During face and content validity, item number was reduced to 55. Construct validity assessment through factor analysis revealed that 56.50% of the total variance was explained by five factors with 34 items. The factors were named motherhood, general health, sexual relationships, menstruation, and delivery. Confirmatory factor analysis confirmed the fit of the five-factor model. The Cronbach’s alpha and the composite reliability value of the questionnaire were more than 0.7. Conclusion The Women Shift Workers’ Reproductive Health Questionnaire is a valid and reliable instrument and can be used for reproductive health assessment among women shift workers.

Abstract Background Due to the importance of water, the negative effects of water pollution on human health and the lack of proper knowledge of the state of research in this regard, the purpose of this study was to analyse scientific publications on water pollution in Iranian journals of environmental health. Methods This cross-sectional study was conducted using a scientometric method over a ten-year period (2008–2017) on articles published in five specialised environmental health journals emphasising the issue of water pollution. Data were collected through a researcher-based checklist using the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE) and the World Association of Medical Editors (WAME) recommendations. Data processing was done using descriptive statistics and VOSviewer software. Results A review of 1276 articles in specialised environmental health journals revealed that 33.7% of the articles were in the field of water. Physical and chemical factors in water were the main subjects of 21.4% of studies, and temperature and turbidity were the most important physical factors. Microbial agents in groundwater and surface water were the main subjects of 14.1% of the articles. The findings show that 55 of 430 articles related to water were written with contributions from 20 countries (including Iran), with the most contributions from researchers from Asia. Conclusions Good conditions do not exist to investigate the status of articles on water pollution in specialised environmental health journals in Iran over a ten-year period. Health policymakers should therefore provide mechanisms to encourage national researchers, especially environmental health professionals, by setting national research priorities on quality and water pollution to conduct studies in this regard.

Abstract Background and Objectives: Lack of comprehensive theses databases in various fields can be a reason for research problems in every field. In Iran, I has been several decades that due to scientific and cultural developments of work, the necessity to train Occupational Safety and Health experts is perceived and for this reason, we have witnessed the increasing development of graduates in this field, especially in graduate courses. However, despite various research activities as theses, no study has been conducted on thematic fields of interest, population under study, and similar cases and these constitute the concerns of experts and policymaking in this field. According to lack of access to accurate information about theses in the field of Occupational Safety and Health in Iran, this descriptive study aimed to analyze the content of MSc and PhD theses in Occupational Safety and Health in 2017 in a cross-sectional study for a 10-year period from 2007 to 2016 through investigating theses in universities of medical sciences in Tehran to draw the status quo and investigate advantages and disadvantages of studies and research gaps. Method: Content analysis is a standard method to study and identify the features of registered information in various documents such as theses and the variables of this study included university, gender and grade of the writer, field, location, city, methodology, data collection tool or method, population, and sample. From 2009 to 2010, we saw the integration of University of Tehran and Iran University of Medical Sciences. Therefore, about theses in this interval, theses that were available in the libraries of these centers were included in the lists of the related university. Sampling was carried out according to census and through investigating all theses that existed in these universities. In order to collect data, the conventional method in the field of scientometrics was used as one of the most common assessment methods for scientific activities and development quantification. Data were collected by direct reference to the theses and entering the information in the pre-prepared list consistent with the objectives and variables of interests and previous studies. It should be noted that in the absence of the main file of the end of the letter in the library , an abstract of the text or full electronic text in the library site of the relevant university was used . the collected data were analyzed using spss software and excel version . This study was conducted on Occupational Safety and Heath theses in universities of medical sciences in Tehran. The sample included MSc and PhD theses in Occupational Safety and Health available in the libraries of Tehran University of medical Sciences, Tarbiat Modarres University of Medical Sciences, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, and Iran University of Medical Sciences. Findings: According to investigating Occupational Safety and Health theses in universities in Tehran city, of 350 published theses in the information database of the libraries of these universities, 336 theses (96.57%) were available and most of them during 2007-2016 were related to the University of Tehran with 134 theses (39.64%). Moreover, frequency distribution of theses according to the publication year indicates that the majority of Master’s and Ph.D. theses with 21 theses (6.21%) belong to 2014 in the University of Tehran. To conduct the study, university and industry or university and hospital as well as industry and hospital were used and the numbers are separately stated in the related section. Different types of studies in the health field studies are divided into descriptive and analytic types. Analytic studies include interventional or observational studies and descriptive studies report the case or are ecological. Here, analytic observational studies had the most uses in all four universities. Among different topics, chemical and physical factors, safety as well as ergonomics, toxicology, and biological factors and among cities, Tehran and Mahshahr Petrochemical Industry were selected. Industries ranked first as the project site and SPSS showed the highest application. Ignoring the MSc and PhD graduates in Occupational Safety and Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences showed the highest number. The ratio of female students, except Tehran University of Medical Sciences, was higher than males. Among various studies on health sciences, analytical observational study was the most used study among all four universities. Conclusion: The findings of this study showed that ignoring the graduates of Occupational Safety and Health in country’s universities, Tehran University of Medical Sciences had the highest ratio. The ratio of female students, except Tehran University of Medical Sciences, was more than males. About this aspect, it should be noted that although Occupational Safety and Health needs physical capabilities to be present in various occupational environments, the existing condition for student admission needs more investigation and this should be investigated and analyzed more carefully. However, for graduate courses, the issue of presence in industry can be considered marginally and instead, other aspects such as attracting the graduates in educational centers and universities can be taken into consideration. In this condition, gender inequality and relative and high presence of females can be more justifiable. According to the importance of Occupational Safety and Health presence in large and small industries, the presence of students in industries and conducting studies required by industries are growing in this context. Nevertheless, for several reasons, Tehran may be selected as the research location but health issues of the workforce in other parts of the country should not be ignored. Although questionnaire and interview have been used as data collection tools in many theses, the share of laboratory tools has been higher. The objectives of Occupational Safety and Health include identification, assessment, and control of the existing harmful factors in the workplace with a series of healthcare services in order to make the workplace healthy and maintain the health of the workforce. Among different data analysis software, SPSS with modified versions is the applied software in this field that seems instruction of this software as an academic course has to be taken into consideration. Allocation of sufficient budget to prepare required equipment for sampling and updating them seems necessary. The results of this study indicated a positive growth in student recruitment in postgraduate studies in Occupational Safety and Health but the dispersal of the recruited students, subjects, and location as well as samples, tools, and statistical methods address the need for references to announce research needs to universities. Keywords: Content analysis, thesis, occupational health, Iran

Abstract Background Fertility, in addition to the biomedical aspect, is phenomena of social, economic and demographic changes. Social network were considered for understanding fertility behaviors and changes in the levels of fertility. This study was conducted to investigate the relationship between social capital and childbirth behaviors in Iranian women employees. Methods This cross-sectional study was conducted in 2017 on 536 women health care workers who randomly selected from health care setting Babol/Iran. Data were collected using demographic, childbearing behavior and social capital questionnaires. The SPSS-21 software was employed to analysis the data at a significant level of 0.05. Results The results of the study showed that, there was significant relationship between number of pregnancy and social capital (P = 0.039). Furthermore, social capital has a significant relationship with the time of pregnancy (P = 0.043), the time of pregnancy in women with high social capital was observed to be relatively 30% shorter compare the women with low social capital. Conclusion Social capital, as one of the important factors influencing childbirth behaviors, should be considered in population planning and policy making.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Holding the classes in the first weeks of the official semester is one of the main problems for the university education system. This study aimed to determine assessing the causes of students' irregularities in class formation at the beginning of each semester in medical sciences universities. METHODS: This cross-sectional study was conducted at three universities of Babol, Shahid Beheshti and Iran University of Medical Sciences, on two groups of students, those who attended the first classes of semester and those who missed the classes; available sampling method was used to select participants. The researcher-made questionnaires were used to collect data, including students' personal and educational information, students' viewpoints on the reasons for absenteeism during the first classes of the semester, questions about their familiarity with absenteeism codes and regulations, and their viewpoints on canceling classes at the first days of semester. FINDINGS:The viewpoints of two groups of present and absent students (218 and 130 students, respectively) at classes on the first week of the semester, were analyzed using scores 1-5 in the Likert scale, and indicated that the main reason for the students attending at their first classes of the semester was the importance of specialized courses (4.16±0.94) and teachers’ emphasis (4.13±0.96). The most important factors for the students' absence were their experience of canceling first classes of previous semester (3.51±0.95) and students not paying attention to timely attend the first sessions (3.22±1.01). T-test showed that there was a significant direct relationship between students' age and their timely attendance at the beginning of the semester (p=0.035). CONCLUSION: The presence or absence of students at classes on first days of new semester is influenced by various factors and actions taken by influential individuals such as educational staff and faculty members.

Introduction: Holding classes based on a university-set date is a form of discipline and compliance with educational regulations. But what we currently observe is one or more weeks of delay in starting the semester. This study aimed to determine the causes of irregularities at the beginning of each semester in medical universities from the viewpoint of faculty members. Methods: This cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted in 2016, using the available sampling method on 59 faculty members of three Universities of Medical Sciences (Babol, Shahid Beheshti and Iran). The research tool was a 22-item questionnaire consisting of four sections on factors affecting irregularities. The validity of the research tool was confirmed by six faculty members and its reliability was confirmed by the test-retest method (r = 0.82). Result: The majority of faculty members participating in the study were male (34 people), most of them were assistant professors (23 people) with the average work experience of 15.24±8.6 years. Asking them about the reasons for the students' absence showed that they believed the most important reason was their friends persuading them not to attend the first classes of each semester (4.29±0.773) and the lack of facilities such as dormitory and dining room at the beginning of the semester (3.74±1.28). Conclusion: According to the findings, the occurrence of irregularities at the beginning of university semesters is influenced by various factors, especially encouraging classmates not to attend the classes, but the teachers can prevent it with their desired influence. Keywords: Medical students, Faculty members, University

Background: Among the inflammatory factors, high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) is one of the strongest predictors of cardiovascular disease. This study aimed to evaluate the relationship of serum hs-CRP level with shift work among reproductive age women. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted from September 2017 to May 2018 in three cities in Mazandaran Province, North of Iran. Through purposive sampling, 350 women (172 shift workers and 178 day workers) were recruited. The guideline recommended by the American Heart Association and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention was used to interpret the result of hs-CRP measurement as the following: less than 1 µg/ml: low CVD risk; 1–3 µg/ml: moderate CVD risk; and more than 3 µg/ml: high CVD risk. The data were analyzed using the independent-sample t and the chi-square tests as well as the logistic regression analysis. Results: 11.1% of participants had a serum hs-CRP level of more than 3 µg/ml. This rate among shift workers was significantly greater than day workers (15.6% vs. 7.0%; p=0.012). After adjusting the effects of potential confounders shift work significantly increased the odds of serum hs-CRP level of more than 3 µg/ml by 2.45 times (OR=2.45, 95% CI: 1.01–5.93, p=0.047). Conclusion: Shift work is a significant predictor of high serum hs-CRP level probably due to its association with sleep problems and occupational stress. Improving the knowledge of female shift workers about the importance of quality sleep can reduce their CVD risk and improve their health.

Background & Objective: Since one of the common methods of medical sciences teaching is teaching by several lecturers, the present study aimed to evaluate the viewpoints of medical science professors on this type of teaching. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional, descriptive and analytical research was performed on professors of Babol University of Medical Sciences in 2013. Subjects were selected using convenience sampling, and data were collected using a 14-item researcher-made questionnaire. In addition, data analysis was performed using descriptive and inferential statistics. Results: From a total of 41 professors, about 33 cases (80.4%) had the experience of teaching a course by several lecturers in the previous or current semester. In total, 65.9% of professors believed that this type of teaching increased the diversity and attractiveness of the course and about half of them reported that there was better compliance with the headlines. On the other hand, most of these individuals believed that teaching a course by several lecturers was associated with an unnecessary increase in volume of the course content (68.3%), as well as a decrease in the time required for student assessment (51.2%) and the time needed for establishing relationships between professors and students (46.3%). However, statistical tests showed no significant differences in results in terms of gender and academic rank of professors. Conclusion: According to the results of the study, about half of the professors opposed to applying the method of teaching by several lecturers or no comments on this technique. However, the other half of the professors had a positive attitude toward this type of teaching. Therefore, considering some of the positive aspects of teaching by several lecturers, it is not possible to provide a definitive opinion about the method and more extensive studies are required in this regard.

Background and purpose: Patient safety culture is essential in preventing patient injuries in hospitals. Safety attitude is one of the valid tools used in assessment of safety culture among nurses. The purpose of this study was to investigate the nurses safety attitude and also understanding the effect of demographic characteristics, work shifts, and job demands on that. Materials and methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted in 325 nurses in Babol, north of Iran, 2016. Demographic and organizational information were recorded. The Safety Attitude Questionnaire (SAQ) and Job Content Questionnaire (JCQ) were used. Data analysis was done using regression analysis in SPSS V24. Results: The average values for psychological and physical demands of nurses were 32.7±9.4 and 8.8±2.8, respectively. According to the SAQ, the dimensions of stress recognition (73.6 ±17.9) and perception of management (48.8±16.2) were found with the highest and lowest mean scores, respectively. Also, regression model showed the wards, psychological demands, and physical work demands as the predictors of nurses attitude toward safety (P

Background: The epidemic of obesity has turned into a major global health challenge. Environmental and social factors such as social capital, can significantly affect obesity. This study aimed to evaluate the relationship of social capital with overweight and obesity among female health-care workers. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted in 2018 on 680 female health-care workers who were randomly selected from healthcare settings affiliated to Babol University of Medical Sciences, Babol, Iran. Data were collected using a demographic questionnaire and the Workplace Social Capital (WSC) questionnaire. The SPSS Version 21 was employed to analyze the data through conducting the independent-sample t and the chi-square tests as well as the linear and the logistic regression analyses at a significance level of less than 0.05. Results: Linear regression analysis revealed that age, marital status, satisfaction with economic status, and structural social capital were significant predictors of body mass index (P

Abstract Background Scientific cooperation is one of the effective methods to access current knowledge and technologies and also to use successful experiences of researchers in developed countries by academicians living in developing countries. This study aimed to determine the level of international contribution in compilation of scientific articles in Iranian journals published in the field of environmental health engineering. Methods This descriptive and retrospective study was conducted within a 10-year period (2008–2017), in which all articles published in five specialized Iranian journals of environmental health engineering were reviewed using a researcher-made checklist. The information collected in the checklist included: the year of publication, number of issues and articles, information about the status of authors’ participation in terms of number of authors, sex, institutional affiliation, country, continents, and research centers. Descriptive and inferential statistics such as index of dispersion, measures of central tendency, and Chi-square and t tests were used to statistically analyze the data. Besides, VOSviewer software was used to visualize the data. Results The review of 1276 articles published in 102 issues of the five journals of environmental health engineering in Iran showed that 184 articles were written with the participation of researchers from other countries. Most articles with the participation of international authors during the last decade were published in 2014. Chi-square test indicated a significant difference in the publication of these articles within 2014–2015 than other years (P = 0.001). Among the five journals, the best participation of international researchers was observed in J Environ Health Sci Engineer (168 articles, 91.3%). Considering the number of joint articles with Iran, the top continents were Asia, Europe, and Africa each with 117, 52, and 32 articles, respectively. India, Turkey, and Malaysia had the highest level of cooperation with Iranian researchers with 53, 16, and 14 articles, respectively. 637 authors contributed in 184 articles, of whom 469 (73.6%) were male and 121 (18.9%) were female. T test was used to compare the mean number of male and female authors in the articles with or without the participation of international researchers, which showed no significant difference. Conclusion International contribution of researchers in compilation of specialized environmental health articles was good. Given the low level of cooperation between researchers from developed European and American countries and their Iranian counterparts, it seems necessary to adopt different methods to attract more collaboration from researchers working in developed countries considering their significant role in health-related areas.

Background: Occupational accidents are the second cause of occupational fatality in Iran and are among the major health, social, and economic risk factors. Since the publication of scientific articles in the field of occupational accidents reflects the concern of researchers to this important issue, the present study aimed to evaluate the scientific achievements in the field of occupational accidents in the journals of Iranian medical sciences universities. Materials and Methods: The current cross-sectional study was carried out by content analysis method on Persian journals of Iranian medical sciences universities from 2007 to 2016. For data extraction, a researcher-made data collection form tailored to the research objectives was used. Data analysis was performed using descriptive statistics indices. Results: Assessing a total of 52158 articles extracted from 5226 issues of 147 journals published by 49 medical sciences universities showed that the number of scientific articles in the field of occupational accidents was 259 (0.4% of the total articles). A growing trend was observed in the number of articles during the 10-year study from 12 articles in 2007 to 52 in 2016. The content analysis of the articles showed that the majority of the articles (n=85, 32.8%) were about industrial accidents followed by occupational accidents among healthcare providers (n=48, 18.5%). Most articles (n=254, 98%) were original research, and the research tools in most of the papers (n=214, 82.6%) were questionnaire and checklist. Conclusion: Although the publication of a high number of articles on occupational accidents in the journals of medical sciences universities indicates the attention of experts to the health of the workforce, research in this area is far from enough. Therefore, enhancing the attention of experts, especially the ones in occupational health, occupational medicine, ergonomics, and safety areas seems necessary.

Abstract Background The psychosocial environment of the workplace has received less attention in terms of occupational health. Trust, social network and social cohesion at the workplace (that is, factors related to social capital) may have effects on employee health. Thus, the objective of this study was to examine the association between workplace social capital and mental health among Iranian workers. Methods In this cross-sectional study, data were obtained from 5 factories in Babol, Northern Iran, in 2016, where 280 workers responded to a survey on social capital at work and psychosocial distress. Results Approximately 23.6% of the workers had psychological distress, and 23.4% had low social capital in the workplace. There was a significant relationship between mental health and individual workplace social capital (p = 0.025) and aggregated workplace social capital (p = 0.027). After controlling for each individual’s characteristics, the prevalence ratio of psychological distress was 2.11 (95% CI: 1.43-3.17) times higher among workers with low individual social capital, and low aggregated workplace social capital was associated with 2.64 (95% CI: 1.28–5.45) times higher odds of psychological distress. Conclusion Higher social capital is associated with a reduced risk of psychological distress. The promotion of social capital can be considered as a means to increase workplace mental health among workers.

Background and objectives: Although Women’s health in the physical, mental and social aspects are the most important foundation of community health, but there is a little attention to women›s social health in comparison with the other aspects. The aim of this study is investigation some of effective factors on women’s social health. Material and Methods: This is a review study. The articles in Persian scientifi research journals indexed databases including SID, Magrian, Iran medex, google scholar ,Noormags and Elmnet without time limitation and with the overall keyword «social health», and more detailed keywords such as «social participation, social adaptation, social acceptance, social solidarity, social prosperity» as social health aspects, and «women» has been searched. Totally, 134 articles has been chosen and fially 20 articles approved in accordance with the objectives of the study. Results: The results showed that there was a signifiant relationship between social health and socio-economic class, education, income, social support, social capital. Conclusion: Social health especially in women, has been less considered in comparison with other aspect of health in Persian health studies. In order to obtain the highest level of health, it seems necessary to pay attention to social determinant of health along with other domain of health.

Abstract Background Fertility rate in Iran has decreased by more than 70% in the last three decades. Continuous decrease in fertility rate will create socioeconomic crises for the country in a near future. A significant factor behind fertility behaviors is women’s attitudes towards maternal and spousal roles. Such attitudes are mainly determined by social capital. This study aims to determine and explore of relationship between social capital and fertility behavior among female healthcare workers. Methods This sequential explanatory mixed methods study will be conducted using the follow-up explanations model in two phases. In the first phase, a population-based cross-sectional survey will be conducted on 500 female workers recruited through multistage cluster sampling from healthcare settings located in Babol, Iran, and the relationship of social capital with fertility behaviors will be assessed. In the second phase, a qualitative study will be done to explain the findings of the first phase. Finally, the findings of the first phase will be explained using the findings of the second phase. Discussion Understanding the relationship of social capital with fertility behaviors is essential to effective planning for the management of population decline. The findings of the present study will provide population policy-makers with helpful information.

For downloading the full-text of this article please click here. Background and Objective: Aging, which is an inevitable process in life, brings about some limitations and disabilities. Providing conditions which are suitable for the elderly can result in a relatively healthy, comfortable, and independent life. Given the important role of mosques in maintaining people’s physical, psychological, social, and spiritual health, the current study aimed to assess the suitability of mosques’ structure in the light of the elderly’s needs. Method: This study, which adopted a cross-sectional design, was conducted among 30 mosques of Sabzevar in the summer of 2016. Data were collected using a 70-item checklist made by the researchers. Elements of spatial structures (e.g. elderly-friendly houses, churches, and parks) were utilized in designing this instrument. The opinions of some experts in ergonomics, elderly science, and civil engineering were also sought. The current conditions of various parts of mosques, including shabestans, rest rooms, wash sinks, corridors, stairs, and entrances, were assessed in this study. All ethical issues were observed in this research and the researchers declared no conflict of interests. Results: About 50% of people who referred to mosques were seniors. The average number of stairs was bigger for the female parts than that of the male parts. Easy access to public transportation was available for around 70% of the mosques. None of the mosques had entrances with equal ground levels in the outside and inside. Finally, about 80% of the studied mosques did not have any ramps for the rest rooms or wash sinks. Conclusion: The assessed mosques were in appropriate conditions in some parts like the ground surface of the yard and the building, lighting, and temperature. However, interventions are required in some parts like rest rooms, stairs, and corridors. Since the population of the elderly is growing in Iran, the physical structure of mosques should undergo some ergonomic interventions to protect seniors’ comfort and independence and enhance their safety. For downloading the full-text of this article please click here.

Abstract Background Although shift works is a certain treat for female reproductive health, but currently, there is no standardized instrument for measuring reproductive health among female shift workers. This study aims to develop and evaluate the psychometric properties of a Women Shift Workers’ Reproductive Health Questionnaire (WSW-RHQ). Methods This is a sequential exploratory mixed-method study with a qualitative and a quantitative phase. In the qualitative phase, semi-structured interviews will be held with female shift workers who live in Mazandaran Province, Iran, additionally, the literature review will be performed by searching electronic databases. Sampling will be done in different workplaces and with maximum variation respecting female shift workers’ age and job and educational and different economic situation. Interview data will be analyzed using conventional content analysis and then, the primary item pool for the questionnaire will be developed. In the quantitative phase, we will evaluate the psychometric properties of the questionnaire, i.e. its face, content, construct as well as reliability via the internal consistency, stability. Finally, a scoring system will be developed for the questionnaire. Discussion The development of WSW-RHQ will facilitate the promotion and implementation of reproductive health interventions and assessment of their effectiveness. Other scholars can cross-culturally adapt and use the questionnaire according to their immediate contexts.

Background: Human error is more prevalent among nurses than other health care occupations. These mistakes are used as important index for determination of the safety of patients in hospitals. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the different factors resulting in the occurrence of medication mistakes in an educational hospital. Methods: This study was performed on 236 nurses working in a hospitals affiliated to Babol University of Medical Sciences, Iran. The data collection tools were demographic and organizational information questionnaire, containing questions about the main causes of medication mistakes. Data were analyzed using SPSS software using descriptive statistic and analytical statistics such as independent t-test and one-way ANOVA. Results: The lowest and the highest score among the four dimensions of the causes of medication mistakes questionnaire were related to the dimension for nursing management (mean=3.13, SD= 0.66) and causes related to nurses (mean=3.54, SD= 0.68), respectively. Also, based on Pearson Correlation, there was a significant and direct correlation between all the four dimensions of the questionnaire and the demographic and organizational factors of nurses. Only the shift work variable of the employees had a significant statistical relationship with the final score of the causes of medication mistakes. Conclusion: Nursing staffs need to pay more attention to possible causes of medication errors such as reducing workload and reducing the working hours of nurses, because the mentioned factors can lead to fatigue and decrease of concentration of nurses and may increase the possibility of occurrence of mistake.

For downloading the full-text of this article please click here. Background and Objective: The Quran Al-Karim is not a book in the field of medicine and public health; however, it contains many verses in relation to health and hygiene. It also explores the root of events relevant to health and disease. Nahjul-Balagha also contains brilliant clues of health and hygiene. Therefore, the present study was conducted with the aim of determining the degree to which these two guidebooks have been utilized in writing medical articles. Method: The current applied, cross-sectional investigation was conducted by citation analysis; that is, frequency counts were obtained of original English language scientific articles which were published by Iranian universities of medical sciences in 2014. Data was collected using a researcher-made check-list through the survey of all scientific articles and their references. Descriptive statistical indicators were used for data analysis. In this study, The ethical issues were all considered and the authors declared no conflict of interest. Results: Of 201,071 studied references from 6,907 published articles and in 696 English language scientific journals belonging to 31 Iranian universities of medical sciences, Quran Al-Karim had been cited 218 times (less than 1%). Also, none of the articles had used Nahjul-Balagha as a reference. The most frequently cited Surahs of the holy Quran in published articles were Al-Baqarah, An-Nisa, Al-Anaam, and Al-Isra, in that order. Conclusion: Although the findings have shown that the Quran was cited as a reference among published articles in the field of medical sciences, its utilization rate seems to be inadequate. For downloading the full-text of this article please click here.

Introduction: Irregularity or delay in the beginning of classes at each semester, due to absence of students and/or professors, is a common problem in most Iranian universities. This study aimed to investigate the reason for irregularities at the beginning of each semester according to the viewpoints of educational experts. Method: This cross-sectional study was carried out at three universities of medical sciences namely; Babol University of Medical Sciences, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, and Iran University of Medical Sciences in the first academic semester of 2015-2016. This study investigated the viewpoints of educational experts working in four schools of medicine, dentistry, paramedicine, and public health using a researcher-made instrument. The instrument’s face validity was surveyed and confirmed by six faculty members and its reliability was tested by test-retest method (r=0.82). Descriptive statistics were used for data analysis. Results: According to a forty-two member panel of educational experts’ opinions, the main reasons for academic irregularities at the beginning of each semester is students’ absence followed by weak disciplinary rules, lack of implementation of regulations, teachers’ reluctance to hold classes on time, as well as not completing roll calls and not passing them to the registrar’s office. Conclusion: From the educational experts’ point of view, the factors related to students and teachers have greater effect on the recession of classes at the beginning of each academic semester. Therefore, a better planning for semesters and more control by authorities are required.

Background: Medical students are required to do part of their services in different shifts. This pattern can harm their health and education. This study was aimed to investigate the relationship between shift work and the health status of medical interns. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted on 104 medical interns of Babol University of Medical Sciences, Iran. The data collection instrument included Survey of Shift workers (SOS) and Goldberg’s General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-28). Descriptive statistics such as frequency and percentages, as well as analytical statistics (independent t-test, Chi-square, and correlation) was performed. Results: According to the results, married and female students made up 75% and 18% of the participants, respectively. The mean age of participants was 25 ± 1 years. The statistical analysis showed that almost two thirds (71.6%) of students did not have appropriate mental health status and there was a significant relationship between mental health status and gastrointestinal problems (P= 0.041). There was a significant relationship between shift-work satisfaction and its adverse effects on students' family life (P

Introduction and purpose: Content analysis of scientific articles conducted in the field of Health Systems Management through identifying the priorities and outcomes can help authorities in decision-making. The present study aimed to determine the status of research bias in the articles published in scientific journals in the field of Health Systems Management. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 659 articles from 87 issues of 4 scientific journals in the field of Health Systems Management (from the first year of publishing through the end of 2014) were surveyed using the census method. A researcher-made checklist was used for data collection, and descriptive statistics were utilized for data analysis. Results: From different research areas, the highest percentage of published papers (23.4%) were on Health Systems Management and 18.4% belonged to the Human Resources Management. In 27.3% and 13.3% of the surveyed papers, the study populations were limited to staff and managers, respectively. More than two thirds of the papers (89.3%) were derived from original articles, 59.4% of them were descriptive studies, and over half of the papers were questionnaire-based. Conclusion: Despite the wide variety of subjects in Health Systems Management articles, some areas such as physical management and medical equipment and supplies have been neglected. Thus, a balanced subject distribution along with an emphasis on novel and practical studies is recommended.

Background: Accurate and timely information plays an important role in disaster preparedness and this information is partly obtained through research and scientific articles. This study aimed to evaluate the publication status of scientific articles about disasters and accidents in Iranian Medical Journals from 2010 to 2015. Materials and Methods: All Persian articles on the subject of natural disasters; safety; occupational, road, or home accidents, burns, medical errors, related disasters, and emergencies were extracted. The relevant data were collected using a researcher-made checklist through the survey of selected articles. Results: The results obtained from 36341 articles out of 156 journals published by 47 medical universities showed that 599(1.6%) articles were related to emergencies, disasters, and accidents, in which 30(0.08%) articles were about natural disasters and 569(1.5%) papers were about man-made accidents. Conclusion: Although, there were scientific articles dedicated to emergencies, disasters and accidents, such topics were limited. Therefore, it seems necessary to take appropriate measures aimed at greater attention to the needs of national and regional medical scientists.

For downloading the full-text of this article please click here. Background and Objectives: Nahjul-Balagha, after Quran, is an important reference for humanity and a book of guidance that carries useful messages about health. The present study aimed at measuring the utilization rate of this book in the scientific output of medical sciences. Materials & Methods: The current cross-sectional study has been conducted on a portion of medical science’s scientific outputs (medical and dental dissertations as well as journals and articles in the field of medical sciences) and a 16-year interval of conferences on environmental health. Data was collected with citation analysis technique and using a researcher-made checklist. Descriptive and inferential statistical indicators were used for data analysis. In this study, all relevant ethical issues were considered. Results: A survey on 20,776 references from 511 dissertations has shown that Nahjul-Balagha was not used in any of them. In addition, findings of 19,069 references used in 876 published scientific articles in Persian journal of Babol University of Medical Sciences have showed that, the utilization rate of Nahjul-Balagha was 2 times over a 22-year interval. The abstract of only 1 article had been attached to Nahjul-Balagha issue in a 16-year interval of survey on 2928 articles presented in environmental health conferences. Conclusion:Though the important role of religious recommendations and especially useful written advice in Nahjul-Balagha on health, the utilization rate of this valuable book among articles of medical sciences, is rare. Keywords:Citation analysis, Medical sciences, Nahjul-Balagha Identity, Scientometry For downloading the full-text of this article please click here. Please cite this article as: Tirgar A, Aghalari Z. A survey on utilization of Nahjul-Balagha in scientific output of medical sciences. J Res Relig Health.2017;3(1): 30- 41.

Introduction: Air pollution is one of the environmental concerns of many countries, including Iran. One of the most common and effective ways to explain the importance of this issue is to perform research and publish scientific articles. Therefore, this study aimed to monitor scientific publications on air pollution in the specialized environmental health journals of Iran within the last ten years. Materials and methods: This descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted on all articles published in the field of air pollution in five specialized environmental health journals within 10 years (2008-2017). Data were collected using a checklist in accordance with the research objectives. The variables in the checklist were selected based on the recommended items for writing medical articles by the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE) and the World Association of Medical Editors (WAME). The obtained data was analyzed using descriptive statistics. Results: Reviewing 1276 articles in 102 issues of the 5 specialized environmental health journals showed that 11.6 % of articles were published in the field of air pollution. The trend in air pollution researches over the past decade was a slow and growing trend. Studying articles related to air pollution showed that the highest proportion of articles (45.3 %) in this field were related to measuring the organic matter. The analysis of the content of the articles showed that, from the research methodology point of view, most articles (24.3 %) were performed by laboratory method. Conclusion: Due to the widespread nature of air pollution issue in many cities of Iran and other countries in recent years and its destructive effects on human and other creatures, it is expected to focus and perform more researches on this issue. Hence, health policymakers should place the air pollution issue at a higher priority, and also it would be useful for researchers, especially graduate students, to focus on research in this area, drawing international cooperation.

Introduction: In view of the increasing attention to the health of the workforce and the other hand the increase in scientific outputs in format of scientific and research papers, the aim of this study was to monitor the status of technical articles of Iranian journals in the field of health workforce. Methods: This retrospective cross-sectional study was conducted for a period of ten years (2005-2015) in the specialized field occupational health journals. The data based on content analysis method with researcher-made checklist and using by census articles were collected. Results: the extracted data, from 927 article from 5 specialized journals in period of ten years, was represent the growing trend in publication of Persian and English articles. Most research had been done respectively in physical and mental health scope. According to the type of harmful factors, Ergonomic factors with 24.27 percent, has been allocated to itself the largest portion of articles and research. Only 11.54 percent of reviewed articles was interventional studies. Also, cohort studies was not found among articles. Conclusion: The findings of this study which is the Scientometrics type, represent the imbalance in health workforce researches. So that hazardous agents such as ergonomic factors is strong emphasis and some health aspects such as public health is neglected. According to current situation, setting national priorities in order to balance the distribution of health force researches is necessary.

Background and Objective: In the current situation, it seems that municipal solid waste recycling despite hygienic, economic and environmental aspects is important from sociopolitical aspect. The aim of this study was to determine waste recycling condition and the knowledge of households about resistive economics, as an action along with a policy.Materials and Methods: This descriptive and cross-sectional study was conducted among 330 family of Amirkola city in Mazandaran province during 2013. The samples were collected from 33 regions using cluster sampling method. The data was collected by means of researcher-made data collection sheet and analyzed using descriptive statistical indices and Chi- square test, and pResults: The results showed that the mean (SD) of age were 39.1 (10.9) years and 176 (53%) female. More than half of households (56.9%) were recycling municipal solid waste (plastic, paper, glass, and food residue) which the share of plastic, and paper were the highest. Only 59 (29%) were familiar with resistive economics, but there was not any significant relation between waste recycling and their awareness of resistive economics.Conclusion: The limitation of knowledge about resistive economics, and their weakness of practice about waste recycling imply that the authorities should have definite programs in order to increase family information and participations in social issues.

Background and Objective: According to the special role of socioeconomic factors on health, the medical sciences journals should pay attention to such important issues. The aim of this study was to assess the published articles regarding resistive economy through medical journals.Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted among all Persian Medical Sciences Journals during the two years up to 2013. Titles, abstracts and keywords of all articles were reviewed in terms of words such as economy, Islamic economy and resistive economy. The data were collected by means of a tailor-made data collection sheet and analyzed using descriptive statistics indexes.Results: The outcome extracted from 13101 articles from 125 journals published by 47 Medical Universities (during 2012-2013) showed that mentioned words were used in 27 (0.2%) articles, although none of the articles were about Islamic economy and resistive economy. More than three-quarters of the articles (96%) were derived from original research. Also, more than half of the researches (51.8%) were performed by questionnaire or interview.Conclusion: According to the important role of socioeconomic factors on health, more attention should be given and further studies are necessary to be done by faculty members and university students.

For downloading the full-text of this article please click here. Background and Objectives: Since the beginning of the descent up to now, Quran was the endless source of Islamic sciences and the core of religious education.In addition, statements and deeds of the Prophet and the great Imams of Muslims are the other sources of life pattern. The aim of this study was to determine how to use the verses and Hadith during theoretical training in medical education. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted among all theoretical classes in a paramedical faculty. The data were collected by means of a tailor-made data collection sheet. The data in all classes were gathered through trained students for instructors. Having one third of classes during a semester was one of the inclusion criteria for each instructor. Results: The results of 900 sessions of 92 classrooms of the 7 major and 58 instructors of the Faculty of Paramedical Sciences showed that verses and Hadith were used at least once in 81 and 99 sessions, respectively. They were also used more than once in 17 and 22 classes.Totally, according to the results, the frequency distribution of the use of verses and Hadith was similar for male and female instructors. Conclusion: Despite using the verses and Hadith via considerable number of instructors during theoretical sessions, but more than half of instructors have never used such valuable messages. Therefore, the use of verses and hadiths according to the training subject is recommended. Keywords: Research in Education, Quran, Verses, Hadith, Medical education For downloading the full-text of this article please click here.

Introduction & Purpose: Musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) and computer work are common in majority of the society and both show an increasing trend. This study was conducted to survey on Somatic disorders, MSDs frequency and ergonomic considerations awareness regarding computer use among the employees of Babol University of Medical Sciences (North of Iran). Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted on 128 administrative staff of medical, dental and paramedical faculties in 2012. The samples were collected by simple method the data were gathered by means of a tailor-made data collection sheet that consisted of 5 open and 13 closed-ended questions. The data were analyzed with descriptive and analytical statistical indexes. Results: According to our data, the mean age of employees was 38.16±7.78 years, 55.5% were females and 63.3% were in bachelor’s degree. More than fifty percent of the samples spend 2 hours or more on their computer a day. Seventy two percent of the staff reported experiencing one or more MSDs symptoms and less than 10% of them were aware of ergonomic considerations in this regard. Chi-square test result showed that a significant statistical difference between MSDs with duration of using computer. (p

Background and aim: Scientific journals can be considered as a symbol of scientific life of every science such as Human Sciences. According to the current state of the country, paying special attention to economic issues, especially the resistive economy among journals related to human sciences indicates direct or indirect interest in the subject. The aim of this study was to assess the publication of articles regarding resistive economy among Human Sciences Journals. Material and methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted on all Persian Human Sciences Journals using scientometric method during two years (2012-2013). Titles, abstracts and keywords of all articles were reviewed in terms of words such as economy, Islamic economy and resistive economy. The data were collected by means of a tailor-made data collection sheet and were analyzed using descriptive statistics and chi-square test (χ2). Findings: The outcome extracted from 21353 articles of 486 journals published by Universities, faculties and research institutes (during 2012-2013) showed that the mentioned words were used in 703 scientific works (in 3.29% of articles). Twenty nine (nearly 0.1%) and 10 (0.04%) scientific works were related to Islamic economy and resistive economy, respectively. Journals of economics had the highest percent of related articles regarding economy and Islamic economy, and journals of politics had the highest percentage of articles about resistive economy. Conclusion: According to the importance of scientific explanation of resistive economy in the current state of our country, the more role-playing of human sciences specialists, especially "economics' scientists" is necessary. Thus paying attention to encourage the lecturers and students to study and research on policies and purposes of resistive economy is strongly recommended.

ORIGINAL ARTICLE This study evaluated the safety attitude and determined its predictor individual and organizational variables among nurses. This cross-sectional and descriptive-analytical study was conducted on 295 nurses working in hospitals affiliated to the Babol University of Medical Sciences, northern Iran (at 6 hospitals) from Oct 2016 to May 2017. The required data was collected using two questionnaires of demographic and organizational information and Safety Attitude Questionnaire (SAQ). The data were analyzed using the SPSS Ver. 23 software. A logistic regression model (Backward: LR) was also used to investigate the effect of predictor personal and organizational factors on the studied nurses' attitude of safety. The highest and lowest scores in the dimensions of the SAQ questionnaire were respectively related to the stress recognition dimension (73.57 ± 17.93) and management perception dimension (48.79 ± 16.17). Based on the Pearson correlation, a significant correlation was established between the six dimensions of the questionnaire except for the stress recognition dimension. In addition, the most important individual-organizational factors affecting the attitude of the studied nurses included gender, training, work experience, education, and type of the ward. Since among the individual-organizational variables affecting the attitude of safety, the nurses' training can be acquired, it is recommended to hold regular safety courses along with an assessment after the training to improve the safety attitudes, and consequently, reduce the occupational accidents for nurses.

Objectives: Retirement impacts different dimensions of life such as physical, psychological, social, economic, and spiritual aspects. Since identification of the factors promoting or demoting health situation of retirees is important; this study aimed to determine the level of retirement syndrome in Babol retirees. Methods & Materials: This cross-sectional study was conducted on 205 retirees aged over 50 years. Data were gathered by a questionnaire consisting of 2 sections; Demographic characteristics and retirement syndromes. Retirement syndrome questionnaire consisted of 40 questions in 5-point scale (“never” to “always”) in 4 dimensions of “helplessness and failure”, “older and idleness”, “trying and new directions”, and “conflict and confusion”. Data were analyzed by SPSS. The Pearson and Spearman tests were used to evaluate the within group variables. To analyze the data, the correlation coefficient test, t-test, and analysis of variance (ANOVA) were performed. The significant level for all tests was set at 0.05. Results: About 53% of the participants were male and 47% female with an average (SD) age 61.13(5.87) years. Means(SD) scores of “helplessness and failure”, “older and idleness”, “trying and new directions”, and “conflict and confusion” were 2.08(0.52), 3.73(0.51), 3.47(0.65) and 2.49(0.56), respectively. There were a direct significant association between “feeling helplessness” and “conflict and confusion” (P

Abstract Background and purpose:Women’s health, as almost “half of the population of each society” and in recent years as “half of the workforce,” is of particular importance in achieving sustainable development goals. The aim of this study is to investigate the relationship between birth weight and gestational age and mother’s employment. Materials and Methods:This descriptive analytic study was implemented among 390 cases (180 employees and 210 housewives) from pregnant women referred to Imam Ali Hospital in Amol, Mazandaran, Iran. Sampling was done by available methods, and data collection was conducted using a researcher made form appropriate to the purpose of the study. After collecting demographic and birth characteristics information (gestational age and birth weight), the results were analyzed using chi-square and t-test. Results:The mean birth weight in the case (employed mothers) and control groups was 3262.5 ± 506.3 and 3369.1 ± 450.8 g, respectively in case group was significantly lower than control group (P = 0.029). This difference was not observed in gestational age between the two groups with mean age38.8 ± 1.7 in unemployed mothers and 38.5 ± 2 weeks in employed mothers. Conclusion:Women’s employment during pregnancy is associated with some consequences such as effects on birth weight. Given the important role of the birth weight in the health and survival of babies, establishing greater co-ordination between the job and conditions of a pregnant woman will be effective on the health of the mother and baby.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Resistive economy (self-contained economy) is a way to circumvent sanctions against experiencing sanctions. Universities are mostly the pioneers in this regard. The aim of this study was to determine the knowledge, attitude and practice of medical sciences students about resistive economy. METHODS: This descriptive study was conducted among a group of medical, dental and paramedical sciences students in two parts during winter and spring 2013. Individuals participated in the research through simple sampling.The data were collected by means of a tailor-made data collection sheet including personal and resistive economy questions. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistical indexes and Chi square test by SPSS16. FINDINGS: In part A, among 250 participants, the findings indicated that 60% of them were female, 11% were familiar with resistive economy, and 9 % did some measures about resistive economy. Thirty six percent of students (89 persons) found themselves responsible. According to their opinions, people, authorities and mass media are more responsible than the others. Chi square test results showed that there was a significant difference between males and females regarding their awareness and responsibility of resistive economy (p

Change in the form of doing the task in some occupations such as farming has led to overweight and obesity as a threatening factor for farmer's health. This study aimed to compare the anthropometric indices of obesity and fatness as the predictors of cardiometabolic disorders among rural farmers in the northern part of Iran. This cross-sectional study was carried out in 2012 on subjects whose first or second jobs were farming, aged over 18 yrs and lived in Babol City, northern Iran. The anthropometric indices in this study included Body Mass Index (BMI), Waist Circumference (WC), Waist-to-Hip Ratio (WHR) and Conicity Index (CI). Among 300 studies farmers, 66.7% suffered from overweight and obesity, in which female farmers were more frequent than male farmers (P

Background and aim: Various scientometric indicators have been developed for quantitative and qualitative evaluation of scientific output. Each of these indicators has its own weaknesses and strengths. The study aimed at using the keywords as a qualitative evaluation instrument in research of many scholars of Medical Sciences University. Material and methods: This study was conducted as a cross-sectional study within a 6-year period (2005-2010). The research population included all papers published by faculty members of Medical Science University of Babol who were as the first/corresponding authors with at least 2 papers and these indexed articles in periodicals published in WOS during this period. The data were collected by means of a tailor-made data collection sheet. The repeated or synonym keywords were collected from different papers of an author and were analyzed in terms of repetition for qualitative evaluation of the research of every scholar. The data were analyzed by using descriptive statistical indexes and statistical software spss version16. Findings: During this period, 127 articles have been indexed in WoS database from researchers of this University. in 11 articles of 300 words, 21 repeated words or synonyms were used by 25 researchers who had two or more than two papers. By considering these findings, the overall ratio of articles with repetitive keywords was 16% and the proportion of repeated keywords to whole words was 7%. Statistical processing of the data using linear regression indicates an inverse relationship between the number of articles of each author and repeated keywords or synonyms in his/her articles. So, by increasing the number of articles for every author from 2 to 5, the repeated words in per article were decreased to 0/83, 0/77, 0/25 and finally zero, respectively. Conclusion: low rate of the same keywords and synonyms in the articles of one researcher may be a sign of dispersion and lack of coordination in research activities. Therefore, regarding the coordination and concentration of the subject in scientific activities is very important in assessing the quality of research and researchers.

ABSTRACT BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Iranian National Medical Digital Library (INLM) was started in 2008 in order to facilitate accessibility to the newest scientific resources for all medical universities. The aim of this study was to discover the condition of using this scientific intervention among the users in Babol University of Medical Sciences. METHODS: This cross-sectional study was conducted among 91 faculty members and research center staffs (who were INLM members) during 4 related workshops in summer 2010. The data were collected by means of a tailor-made data collection sheet and was analyzed by means of SPSS16 and using descriptive and analytical statistical indices. FINDINGS: Sixteen defected questionnaires out of 91 were omitted. From the rest completed questionnaires (n=75), 34 were women, 38 were PhD, and half of them have not been trained about INLM yet.58 persons were faculty members and 59 individuals had experienced downing articles from INLM before the workshops and 16 none. 91% of participants expressed on INLM necessity and its effectiveness for quantitative and qualitative improvement of education and research activities. Sciencedirect and Ovid were the more familiar data bases among users, and Ebsco and Scopus were less familiar. 68% of participants had difficulties about web speed, lack of information and human resources for guidance, limitation in the access to some of resources, and incorrect filtering. CONCLUSION: Although a huge investment was done to extend rapid accessibility to the newest scientific resources, a considerable number of faculty members were not aware and trained, and many of them had several difficulties in effective use of INLM.

Background & purpose: There are occupational hazards related to Nitrous Oxide (N2O) in hospitals operating and recovery rooms. These hazards include the decrease of mental performance and audio-visual ability, and reduced fertility, spontaneous abortion and neurological, renal and liver diseases. In this survey, the concentration of Nitrous Oxide in indoor air of hospitals operating and recovery rooms in Babol University of medical sciences was determined. Materials & Methods: This descriptive study was performed in 23 operating rooms and 3 recovery rooms in 3 educational hospitals of Babol medical sciences university. The rooms with continuous usage of N2O with 2-3 lit/min of flow of general anesthesia were studied. For sampling and detecting N2O concentration as part per million (ppm), a portable IR spectrophotometer (3015 model of Bacharach Inc.) was used. The sampling was performed in 5 different zones of the operating rooms and 1zone of recovery room in 3 different hours of work time (8:30-9AM, 10:30-11AM and 12:30-1:00PM). One-way ANOVA ,SPSS 18 was used to analyze data and comparing the means. Results: N2O concentration mean in 5 different zones of the operating rooms was 318± 22.6, 325.5± 24.1, 299± 21.8, and 301± 22, 314± 23.7 ppm and in recovery room, it was 51± 15 ppm. There was no significant difference between the means of N2O concentration in different zones of the operating rooms, but the means of N2O concentration in different zones of the operating rooms and recovery room were significant (p

Background & Objective: Community oriented medical education has been considered by many universities The aim of this study was to determine the general practitioners (GPs) point of view regarding social medicine training programs (SMTP) Methods: This crosssectional study was conducted on GPs graduated from different Iranian medical Universities after 1985 in Babol Iran in 2010 Subjects were selected by simple randomized sampling method Data were gathered using a questionnaire consisting of three parts and analyzed using chisquare and Fishers exact tests by SPSS Results: In this study 130 GPs who had graduated 104 ± 57 years ago were evaluated Data showed some topics of SMTP like occupational health disease management executing a research project and presence in rural/urban health centers were more common in GPs graduated after 2001 in comparisons with counterpart group Moreover GPs who worked in rural health centers indicated to have more attention on mental health dental health elderly care disease management and social health assessment methods in curriculum of SMTP Conclusion: According to our findings mental and occupational health along with elderly care should be considered in social medicine curriculum of medical students Moreover appropriate revisions on SMTP and continuous education programs on these topics for GPs are recommended

Although the International Labor Organization (ILO) has reported that two-thirds of the world’s occupations belong to women, a few studies regarding employed women have been conducted. The present study aimed at conducting survey on scientific outputs regarding women’s occupational health. This cross-sectional study was conducted from 2010 to 2014 at five-year intervals on a number of hygiene-based journals regarding workers’ health at Scimago data center. Surveyed articles were categorized on the basis of type of work-related risk factors, methodologies, types of women jobs. Articles were distributed under the terms of the subjects. Out of 4,197 published papers on 17 subjects related to occupational hygiene indexed by Scimago, 203 papers (4.8%) were allocated to women’s health. With regards to women’s health, health staff had taken the most papers with 37.7%. Most of the studies were cross-sectional and on hazardous chemical agents. Due to low range of articles with the issue of occupational hygiene, it was concluded that occupational hygiene researchers have not focused much attention on this occupational group.

Introduction & Objective: Hexavalent chromium, Cr+6, is a very harmful pollutant and a relatively unstable compound that is present in many industries. It is a known human respiratory carcinogen and occupational exposure to this chemical is associated with different health hazards. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of four parameters including: type of sampling head, sampling height from the surface of electroplating solution, sampling duration, and sample storage duration on Cr+6 mist monitoring. Materials & Methods: To evaluate the influence of the main parameters as an experimental study, the 24 factorial design was applied at constant electroplating condition. A chromium electroplating bath with the ability to produce homogenous mist was used to create Cr+6 mist in laboratory setting. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) method 7600 was used to determine the Cr+6 concentration. Results: The results of 48 Cr+6 mist samples showed that Cr+6 concentration was higher: (1) for sampling by closed-face filter cassettes than for sampling by open-face filter cassettes (P

A chromium electroplating bath with the ability to produce homogenous mist was used to evaluate parameters influencing hexavalent chromium (Cr+6) mist sampling methods. The results of 48 Cr+6mist samples collected using the U.S. National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health method 7600showed that Cr+6concentration was higher: (1) For sampling by closed-face filter cassettes than for sampling by open-face filter cassettes (P