Health and Development Journal
Volume:4 Issue: 3, 2015

Corruption is one of the economic, political and social tuberous phenomena that can be a threat for accessing health, equity and objectives. The aim of this study was to determine the dynamic impact of corruption on health. This longitudinal study was performed using the Panel VAR model. Moreover, the Johansen test was used to estimate the long-run relationship. Data of 43 countries during 1996-2011 were analyzed through EViews 6. Results showed that, corruption control, in long-term, has a significant positive effect on the health of the society and one unit improvement in corruption leads to 7.47 years increase of life expectancy. Also, corruption control affects the mortality of children under one year with the coefficient of -35.3. Economic inequity and increasing government intervention in the economy have negative impacts on health indicators. Considering the negative impact of corruption on health, fundamental measures for moving towards good governance are required. Moreover, with regard to the impact of economic inequity and the size of government, improving governments efficiency to achieve health goals is necessary.

Tehran is one of the most polluted cities in the world and the result is the incidence of different diseases. In this study data on the number of heart attacks, air pollutants and climatic factors during 2007 to 2011 were gathered to analyse the association between air pollution and heart attack.

In this analytic-descriptive ecological study the effect of mean daily concentration ​​of CO, O3, NO2, SO2 and PM10 on the daily number of heart attack admissions was investigated. Emergency admission data for heart attack was obtained from Tehran Emergency Center, pollutants data were inquired from Tehran Air Quality Control Corp and data for climatic factors were inquired from Tehran Meteorological Organization. Statistical analysis was performed using negative binominal regression and through Stata 12.

Results showed significant correlations between the number of heart attacks and daily concentrations of CO, NO2, SO2, O3 and PM10. Air pressure and mean minimum temperature were also significantly associated with the number of heart attacks admissions.

With regard to the relationship between elevated air pollution and number of heart attacks in Tehran, immediate measures to control air pollutants in Tehran are recommended.

Work related accidents are significant health problems in the world. Occupational accidents, in addition to the serious economic losses, cause adverse effects on the social life of people. The present study aimed to investigate the work-related accidents in the city of Rafsanjan. In this cross-sectional study all occupational accidents recorded in the job office in Rafsanjan from 2008 to 2012 were analyzed. Required information was collected by a checklist. The chek list had included demographic questions and specific questions such as type of job, causes of accidents, time of accident, body part injured and accident outcomes. Data analysis was done through SPSS 18. During the years of study, 201 accidents occurred. The mean and standard deviation of age of people who had accidents were 32.91±10.60 years. The construction industry with 29.4% and mining industry with 23.9% had the highest numbers of accidents. Falls with 29.9% and collisions with objects with 28.9% were of the main causes of the accidents. Most accidents occurred during the morning hours. According to the results, the implementation of workplace safety and job training programs for workers and managers is a priority. In order to create a more secure work environment, many industrial processes require engineering controls and use of protective equipment.

Chairs are one of the instruments in life that have a significant role in personal health. Therefore, anthropometric dimensions as well as ergonomic issues of the users should be considered in design of seats. The present study was performed to determine the impact of class seats on student's musculoskeletal problems and satisfaction. In this cross - sectional study, three different types of classroom seats in Birjand University of Medical Sciences were evaluated through using an ergonomics checklist. In addition, 316 students of the university were asked to complete the musculoskeletal problems and satisfaction questionnaires. Data were analyzed through SPSS 15 and using Chi-square, Mann-Whitney U and Kruskal Wallis tests as well as Spearman's correlation coefficient. The participating students included 122 boys and 194 girls. In whole, 21.5 % of the studied students had at least one musculoskeletal discomfort. Back discomfort was the most common complaint. Students’ satisfaction rate of different types of chairs was different (P<0.0001) and satisfaction showed significant correlations with age, weight and height of participants (P=0.002, P=0.024, P=0.025, respectively). The results of the present study show the prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders among the students and shortness of comfort during use of the chairs. Since these can adversely affect health, in designing classroom chairs the students’ anthropometric dimensions should be considered.

Traffic accidents are the first cause of death in Iran and due to its necessity in the fourth and fifth Socio-Economic Development plan, two laws (articles No. 92 and 37) were passed to provide immediate and free service to traffic victims. The current study was designed to explore the challenges and complexities related to health care financing for this victims and to provide solutions. In this applied research, the qualitative phenomenological approach was used. All interviews were conducted in 2013 by semi-structured questions with 36 people including the managers at the Ministry of Health, Medical Sciences Universities, trauma specialized hospitals and basic insurances. Sampling was done using snowball, targeted and quota techniques. Data analysis was done using framework method and through Atlas Ti 5.2 software. As a result of qualitative analysis, 3 main themes, 14 codes and 4 sub- codes were identified. The main challenges of health care financing for victims of traffic accidents included challenges of financial integration, accumulation, distribution of financial resources and service purchasing. Creating a process to collect more appropriate resources for article No. 92 at the Ministry of Health, compiling a services package and applying strong monitoring to improve the quality of services were found as mechanisms that can be used to obtain sustainable financing and quality in providing services to victims of traffic accidents.

Students of Medical sciences are exposed to various stressors threatening their health. This research was done to measure stressors by the Life Change Unit (LCU) among students of Tehran University of Medical Sciences. This cross – sectional descriptive, analytical study was performed on 189 students in Tehran University of Medical Sciences. The research tool was a self-made questionnaire consisting 54 items related to life change and also demographic information and stress symptoms during the last year. Data analysis was performed through SPSS 18 and using t-test and ANOVA. The most stressing factors were intrapersonal stressors. There was a significant correlation between LCU stressors and the respondents’ educational program (P=0.003), year of entrance (P=0.004) and gender (P=0.001). TUMS students, mostly, medical and nursing students, were seriously exposed to stressors. Benefiting from student advisory centers and improving the students’ self confidence to decrease the stress of students are recommended.

Although equity is a key motivation for providing hospital services to the public, resource distribution in governments, rarely focus on those who need the resources more. This study was done to investigate the distribution of general practitioners in the health system of Iran using Gini and Atkinson indices. In this cross-sectional study, data were gathered from the Statistics Center of Iran, Medical Council and statistics office of the Ministry of Health and Medical Education. Gini and Atkinson indices have been used to investigate the distribution of human resources. In order to find more accurate estimation of the distribution coefficients, the adjusted index was used. Stata 11 software was applied for data analysis. The range of Gini and Atkinson indices before adjusting needs during 2006-2011were respectively between 0.127-0.204; and 0.018-0.038 that shows a worse status after adjusting needs. Appropriate supply and distribution of medical manpower is the major key for improvement of the countries’ health status. Therefore, accurate estimation of required human resources and population-based distribution help to reduce the cost of health care systems as well as households’ cost.

Due to the lack of sufficient and valid studies on STD surveillance system problems, evidence based decision-making is impossible. Therefore, using a qualitative approach to evaluate the system in terms of its weak points, strengths, threats and opportunities as well as finding appropriate solutions is necessary. A Mixed Method approach was conducted. For a reciprocal evaluation of STD surveillance, participants were selected from two mutual groups of AIDS and STD experts and STD related practitioners through targeted and convenient sampling respectively. In-depth interview and filling checklist were applied for the first group while an open structured questionnaire was used for the second group. Qualitative data was classified and summarized through content analysis methods. Quantitative data was analyzed by descriptive statistics. A great number of patients did not seek care because of stigma, taboo, over the counter drugs, dissatisfaction with the services, and the cost of tests. STD surveillance in Iran is mostly affected by threats and weak points. Low participation of the private sector on one hand and mismanagement and budget constraints in the health system on the other hand were the most important weak points. Weakness in the current reporting system was the common weak point of the two groups. In order to empower and promote STD surveillance and to follow WHO recommendations, designing a road map based on the opinions and experiences of experts and stakeholders and systematic review of studies is suggested.