Health Promotion Perspectives
Volume:2 Issue: 1, Jul 2012

Household devices may have a positive impact on daily lives by reducing the burden of several tasks and enriching social interaction. There are varieties of assistive devices such as alarms, sensors, detectors,and life style monitoring devices, which can help in compensating for the activity limitations caused by impairments. This study aimed to review the contribution that residential technology devices can make to older people’s lives. An open-ended literature review following the guidance of the Centre for Review and Dissemination was conducted to establish the current understanding of the topics by using clear and appropriate criteria to select or reject studies. The studies entered into the review were limited by language, topic, and date of publication. The research literature indicated that residential facilities which appropriately are designed and supplied can have many benefits for older people such as increasing independence, maximising physical and mental health, and improving their quality of life. Although most of the literature has explored the positive effects of technology devices on older adults’ social networks, independence, psychological well-being, and social status, the possibilities of negative consequences have been neglected.

Cuba, a “resource-poor” country, provides high-quality, free maternal care despiterelatively low per capita health expenditures in comparison to similar expenditures in “resource rich” nations such as Canada and the US. This paper assesses maternal and child healthcare in Cuba, details the system of community-based regional maternity homes, and outlines specific recommendations for the US. Based on observations during a visit to Cuba, and supplemental research on international health expenditures and health indicators such as infant and maternal mortality, this paperdetails maternal and child health in Cuba. Cuba utilizes community-based regional maternity homes to provide comprehensive care for women with high-risk pregnancies. This effective strategy of investing in maternal health by safeguarding pregnancies has lowered infant and maternal mortality rates significantly. Cuba has achieved neonatal, infant and under-five mortality rates that are better than or on par with resource rich nations such as the US. Additionally, within the Latin American and Caribbean region,Cuba has a low rate of maternal mortality. Positioning maternal and child health priorities to the policy foreground were a critical step in saving the lives of Cuban women and children. The US may benefit from Cuba's example with respect to maternal and child health. Cuba's model provides important health; rights and policy lessons for all nations—are they resource rich or poor.

The rates of gastric cancer reported from Ardabil Province of Iran, are among the highest in the world. The aim of this study was to investigate the risk factors for gastric cancer in Ardabil Province. This case-control study was conducted on 128 adults with mean age of 56.5 ± 12.8 yr old in Ardebil City, Iran in 2010 – 2011. Forty-two people with gastric cancer and 86 healthy people were recruited. Participants were interviewed using a structured questionnaire. Fasting blood samples were taken for measurement of IgG and IgA indices against Helicobacter pylori infection.Data were analyzed using the Chi-square and Independent sample t-test. Diet and H. pylori infection indices had the significant relationship with gastric cancer (P<0.05). Among dietary patterns, drinking hot tea, low intake of fresh vegetables and fruits, and unsaturated fat were the most significant risk factors (P<0.05). In gastric cancer patients, the levels of serum IgG and IgA as indicator of H. pylori infection were significantly (P<0.05) higher than the healthy subjects (IgG 37.7 ± 29.3 vs. 16.9 ± 11.1 U/ml and IgA 50.5 ± 44.7 vs. 22.9 ±15.8 U/ml). No significant relationship was observed between tobacco smoking and alcohol consumption with gastric cancer. Dietary pattern especially drinking hot tea and low consumption of unsaturated fat, fresh vegetables, and fruits, as well as H. pylori infection were the most important risk factors in gastric cancer patients.

The aim of this study was to suggest a suitable context to develop efficient hospital systems while maintaining the quality of care at minimum expenditures. This research aimed to present a model of efficiency for selected public and private hospitals of East Azerbaijani Province of Iran by making use of Data Envelopment Analysis approach in order to recognize and suggest the best practice standards. Among the six inefficient hospitals, 2 (33%) had a technical efficiency score of less than 50% (both private), 2 (33%) between 51 and 74% (one private and one public) and the rest (2, 33%) between 75 and 99% (one private and one public). In general, the public hospitals are relatively more efficient than private ones; it isrecommended for inefficient hospitals to make use of the followings: transferring, selling, or renting idle/unused beds; transferring excess doctors and nurses to the efficient hospitals or other health centers; pensioning off, early retirement clinic officers, technicians/technologists,and other technical staff. The saving obtained from the above approaches could be used to improve remuneration for remaining staff and quality of health care services of hospitals, rural and urban health centers, support communities to start or sustain systematic risk and resource pooling and cost sharing mechanisms for protecting beneficiaries against unexpected health care costs, compensate the capital depreciation, increasing investments, and improve diseases prevention services and facilities in the provincial level.

The aim of this study was to assess physical properties of dietetic chocolate milk produced by stevia as a sugar replacer and inulin. Along with having prebiotic effect, inulin can also participate in enhancing textural properties of beverages. Therefore, this novel food will be useful for all people especially for diabetics. This study was carried out in Quality Control Laboratory of Food Science and Technology Department, Health and Nutrition Faculty, Tabriz University of Medical Science, during 2011-2012. The assay was performed on nine treatments with three replications. Sugar was substituted with stevia in two proportions of sucrose to stevia; 50:50 and 0:100. Inulin, in four levels of 0%, 2%, 4% and 6%, was added to the treatments of 50% and 100% stevia. The control sample contained no stevia and no inulin, such as commercial ones. Precipitation amount and viscosity were measured 24 hours after production. Data analyzed by one-way ANOVA, at the significant level of 0.05, using SPSS software ver. 17. Sugar replacement with stevia caused significant increase in precipitation and significantdecrease in viscosity (P<0.05), whereas using inulin in formulation significantly decreased precipitation and increased viscosity (P<0.05). The sample containing 100% stevia and 6% inulin revealed a viscosity with a non-significant difference with the control (P>0.05). The sample containing 50% stevia and 6% inulin had the lowest precipitation while having a non-significantly difference with the control. A thickener agent, such as inulin, should be used in the chocolate milk sweetened by stevia to improve physical properties of the product.

Quality of health behavior research determines usefulness of the findings for application.The authors individually scrutinized quality of a representative sample of abstracts (n=315) submitted to the 1st International and 4th National Congress on Health Education and Promotion,held in Tabriz, Iran on 16-19 May, 2011. Among the assessed abstracts, introduction section had the standard format in 18.1% (CI: 14.2-22.7%), sampling method and sample size were concurrently explained in 56.3% (CI: 50.3-62.1%), and the data in 40.6% (CI:35.4-46.1%) were insufficient to support the conclusion section. The observed heterogeneity in the quality of Iranian research may reflect gaps in research methodology education. Revision in the current research performance is recommended to ensure a more stringent national research output.

Gastric cancer is the fourth most common malignancy in the world. Honey is a complex mixture of special biological active constituents. Honey possesses antioxidant and antitumor properties. Nutritional studies have indicated that consumption of honey modulates the risk of developing gastric cancer. On the other hand, apoptosis has been reported to play a decisive role in precancerous changes. Our chief study was conducted to assess the relationship between consumption of honey and apoptosis in human gastric mucosa. This cross-sectional study was conducted on 98 subjects over 18 years old, referred totwo hospitals in Tabriz, Iran. Subjects were undergone an upper gastrointestinal endoscopy, 62 subjects were finally enrolled. Honey consumption was assessed by a Food Frequency Questionnaire (FFQ) and apoptosis was detected by TUNEL technique. We tested polynomial curve to find the best fit between honey consumption and apoptosis. A positive relation between honey consumption and apoptosis was found (P=0.024).Our results indicated that the final and the best fit curve was: apoptosis = 1.714+1.648(honey amount) - 0.533(honey amount)2 +1.833×10-5(honey amount)7. Honey consumption had positive effects on gastric cancer by inducing apoptosis in gastric mucosa.

La Victoria was considered, the most violent area in Lima City, the local government enforced a public policy regarding number of hours for selling of alcoholic beverages in January 2007. The study was designed to compare its results in Violence between one district with the law and other without the law. This retrospective cross-sectional was an ecological study with a chronological and geographical comparison between La Victoria, with the restriction and Cercado de Lima without the ban. The participants in the study were patients from a local National Hospital, with aggressions from fighting, or were wounded in traffic accidents, and violent death bodies at National Institute of Legal Medicine. Data were analyzed, using clinical histories (2006 vs. 2007-8) and necropsies (2005-6 vs. 2007-8) The reduction of aggression rates at La Victoria in 2007 and 2008 in comparison to 2006, were 40.7% and 36.4% respectively (P< 0.05). It was related to the number of hours of liquor authorized selling Y= -11.25+27.32 X (P<0.05). There was a reduction of 44% in homicide (P<0.05) and 35% in suicide rates between biennia’s. The female/ male ratio of homicides changed from 1/7.3 to 1/4.6. A significant increase in the rate of alcohol positive dead bodies was observed (20.3% to 41.5%), (Relative Risk (RR) = 2.03, (95% Confidence Interval (CI) =(1.09-3.8), χ²(1)=5.24, (P< 0.05). The reduction of violence was probably due to the ban, indicating the importance of programs to control alcohol consumption which lead to decrease the rate of violence and its’ onsequences like homicides, impulsive violence.

Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is a major public health problem worldwide.Hypertension and inflammation are well recognized as risk factors for the macrovascular complications of diabetes. The aim of this study was to assess the impact of vitamin E supplementation on blood pressure (BP), serum high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) and fasting blood glucose in patients with T2DM. In a double blind, randomized, controlled clinical trial, 83 patients with T2DM were divided randomly into two groups of vitamin E (400 mg/d, n=42) and placebo (n=41). All patients received the pearls for 8 weeks. Baseline and eighth week BP, serum hs-CRP, fasting blood glucose, anthropometric and dietary intake data were obtained from each patient. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 11.5. Vitamin E supplementation significantly increased serum levels of vitamin E (P < 0.001) and decreased mean arterial pressure and fasting blood glucose (P = 0.047, P = 0.028, respectively)in itamin E group as compared with placebo group. A significant decrease in systolic blood pressure and diastolic blood pressure was observed in the vitamin E group comparing with baseline values (all P < 0.01). There were no significant changes in serum hs-CRP in both of the studied groups. Vitamin E had beneficial effects on serum vitamin E, BP and blood glucose in patientswith T2DM. Improvement in BP and glucose control may contribute to reducing complications of diabetes including cardiovascular risk in these patients.

Musculoskeletal pain is known to be a common problem in diabetic patients. In spite of this fact, there is little information about epidemiology aspect of Low Back Pain (LBP) and necessity of taking preventive approach in diabetic patients. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of LBP in diabetic patients and its comparison with non-diabetic subjects. Low back pain frequency was examined among 317 diabetic patients referred to endocrine clinic, Sina Hospital, Tabriz city, Iran during 3 months interval. The control group included 100 participants who were parents of students of Tabriz University. All participants were asked to fill out a questionnaire including Roland Morris Disability Questionnaire (RMDQ) and Face Pain Scale (FPS). Of the 317 diabetic patients, 63.4% (201) reported LBP while in non-diabetic group was47% (47).The average functional disability in diabetic group was 9 while in control group was 7.Inter-correlation between low back pain intensity scale and functional disability were significant (r=0.52, P<0.01). Low back pain is a common problem in diabetic patients in terms of intensity, frequency and functional level of disability.

According to the findings of several studies conducted on work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs) among the video display terminals (VDTs) users, Prevention of these disorders among this population is a challenge for many workplaces today. Ergonomically Improving of VDT workstations may be an effective and applicable way to decrease the risk of WMSDs. This study evaluated the effect of an ergonomics-training program on the risk of WMSDs among VDT users. This study was conducted among a large group of computer users in SAPCO industrialcompany, Tehran, Iran (84 persons with 29.85±11.2 years of age and with 6.98±2.54 years of experience). An active ergonomics-training program was designed and implemented during 14 days to empower the VDT users and involve them in improving their workstations. The direct observational RULA (Rapid Upper Limb Assessment) method was used in pre and postintervention stages to evaluate the risk of WMSDs among participants. The RULA final scores showed that 18.8 % of VDT users were at action level 2, 63.5% at action level 3 and 17.6% at action level 4 before any intervention. In addition, 8.2% of users were at action level 1, 44.7% at action level 2, 42.4% at action level 3 and 4.7% at action level 4 at the post-intervention stage. The results of Wilcoxon statistical test indicated that RULA scores ere decreased significantly after interventions (P < 0.05) and consequently, decreased risk of WMSDs. Active ergonomics training programs can be used effectively to improve the VDT workstations and decrease the risk of musculoskeletal disorders among VDT users.

Regarding the importance of probiotics in prevention of different diseases, the knowledge of people particularly health-related professionals about the beneficial effects and availability of probiotic products is important. Considering the limited studies, the present study was conducted to assess the knowledge of medical sciences students as future provider of health information about probiotics in Tabriz, Iran. This cross-sectional study was carried out on 296 medical sciences students from different faculty majors with mean age of 22 ± 4 years. The students completed two self-administered questionnaires; the one was about the demographic characteristics and the other one with nine closed questions as for knowledge as well as probiotics and their health effects and 2 questions related to vailability of probiotic products. Scoring of 9 knowledge questions was divided to three sections 0-3, 4-6, 7-9 and classified as poor, acceptable and good, respectively. The Chi-square test was used to examine the differences in knowledge of the students across different gender, major and degree groups. Six percent of students had poor, 43% acceptable, and 51% good knowledge. Total mean±(SD) of knowledge was 6.25 ±1.6. Answers of students about the availability of probiotic products were 36.9% low,48.1% moderate, and 15% high. Comparison of knowledge result between different major and degree groups was statistically significant (P<0.05). Although students had approximately acceptable level of knowledge about probiotics and their health effects, their awareness about common available form of probiotic products was low. The use of efficient co-educational materials such as teaching new findings for students may be beneficial.

This paper discusses the corrosion and scaling potential of Tabriz drinking water distribution system in Northwest of Iran. Internal corrosion of piping is a serious problem in drinking water industry. Corrosive water can cause intrusion of heavy metals especially lead in to water, therefore effecting public health. The aim of this study was to determine corrosion and scaling potential in potable water distribution system of Tabriz during the spring and summer in 2011. This study was carried out using Langlier Saturation Index, Ryznar Stability Index,Puckorius Scaling Index, and Aggressiveness indices. Eighty samples were taken from all over the city within two seasons, spring, and summer. Related parameters including temperature, pH, total dissolved solids, calcium hardness, and total alkalinity in all samples were measured in laboratory according to standard method manual. For the statistical analysis of the results, SPSS software (version 11.5) was used The mean and standard deviation values of Langlier, Ryznar, Puckorius and Aggressiveness Indices were equal to -0.68 (±0.43), 8.43 (±0.55), 7.86 (±0.36) and 11.23 (±0.43),respectively. By survey of corrosion indices, it was found that Tabriz drinking water is corrosive. In order to corrosion control, it is suggested that laboratorial study with regard to the distribution system condition be carried out to adjust effective parameters such as pH.