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BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: More than one third of elderly people experience fall annually and 20 to 30 percent of it caused moderate to severe injury. Fall related injuries are the leading cause of injury death and disabilities among older adults and its health care cost is high. So the aim of this study was to survey the fall frequency at home and its related factors among the elderly in Babol city, Iran.METHODS: This cross sectional study was performed on 350 elderly residents in Babol city from December 2009 to May 2010. By Strata sampling (according to socio economic status) the elderly people were entered in the study according to their population in each strata by randomization. Data was collected by means of a questionnaire including demographic characteristics, fall-related characteristics and program for fall prevention at home (good, moderate and weak).FINDINGS: The fall incidence rate at home was 35.1%. In 62.2% of homes, program for fall prevention was good and in 37.8% was moderate or inadequate. There was a significant correlation between program for fall prevention and fall incidence (p=0.000). Most falls occurred on the stairs (24.9%). In this study, there was a significant correlation between fall incidence and age over 75 (OR=2.51, CI95%:1.26±5.06), history of disease (OR=4.55, CI95%: 2.14- 9.71), balance disorders (OR=2.37, CI95%:1.12-5) and consumption of hypnotic drugs (OR= 6.48, CI95%: 3.48-12.06).CONCLUSION: Considering the elderly population is growing in our country, so that good planning is needed to prevent and decrease the fall incidence at home.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Reducing the mortality rate of low birth weight and preterm infants is associated with an increase in their care needs. Insufficient knowledge of mother in effective care of the premature infant affects the process of growth and development and causes illness and re-admission of the infant. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of educational intervention on awareness of Practice of mothers in care of premature infants. METHODS: In this quasi experimental study, 100 mothers with premature infants who were admitted to Shafizadeh Amirkola Children's Hospital affiliated to Babol University of Medical Sciences, were randomly assigned to two groups of 50 subjects. Data of mothers' knowledge about infant care was gathered by a researcher-made questionnaire containing 22 questions with a three-point Likert scale ranging a score of 22 to 66. Obtaining a higher grade reflects the better performance of mothers. Based on the needs assessment at the beginning of the study, the training related to the care of the premature infant in the intervention group from the fourth day was given in 4 sessions for 20 minutes. The control group had the current process in the care. After three months, awareness of mothers' performance in both groups was compared and evaluated. FINDINGS: Mothers' awareness scores in the experimental group increased from 53.15±4.99 before the intervention to 62.5±3.73 after the intervention (p