فهرست مطالب سیما قاسمی

Stress is an inevitable reality in life that can have a significant impact on one's physical and mental health and can suppress the immune system.The imperative need to examine the well-being of the elderly is that they are exposed to a lot of risks in the effects of events such as the end of employment and retirement, loss of spouses and friends, separation of children from their families, loneliness, rejection, and the pressures resulting from the industrialization of societies that leads to emotional detachment and psychological problems. Stress depends on the cultural and social aspects that vary from country to country. Nationality is one of the indicators of cultural difference. Culture includes ethnicity, race, religion, age, gender, family values, area in which a country is located and many other features that can affect psychopathology. This study aimed to determine the level of stress and related factors during the COVID-19 pandemic in the elderly and adults of the Zoroastrian community residing in Tehran.

This descriptive-analytical cross-sectional study was conducted on 123 elderly and 201 adult Zoroastrians residing in Tehran, using data collection through online questionnaires. The study gathered data through a two-part questionnaire comprising a demographic questionnaire and the Covid Stress Scale (CSS). The data were analyzed using the SPSS version 25 statistical software.

Findings indicate that the level of COVID-19 stress in the elderly, with a mean of 16.59 ± 47.16, is lower than in adults with a mean of 16.93 ± 56.93, showing a significant difference (t(322) = -4.908, p < 0.001). In both elderly and adults, stress is mild.

The study results suggest that in general, the elderly experience less stress compared to adults. Additionally, being female, married, having children, having a chronic illness, and exposure of relatives to COVID-19 or their death due to it contribute to increased COVID-19 stress.

This study was conducted to investigate the relationship between health literacy and the quality of life of hemodialysis patients.

The present study was conducted by descriptive-correlation and cross-sectional method in 1399 in Ardabil, Iran. The statistical population included 450 hemodialysis patients covered by Ardabil University of Medical Sciences, from which a sample of 140 people was selected based on Cochran's formula. Patients who were treated more than 3 a month, having hemodialysis one to three times a week were included. Failure to respond to all items of the questionnaire and reluctance and lack of motivation to respond to the questionnaires were the criteria for exclusion. Data collection tools included health literacy and quality of life questionnaires. The collected data were analyzed using SPSS software version 20.

39% of patients had low health literacy, 41% had moderate and only 20% of patients had high health literacy, also 35% of patients had low quality of life, 42% had a moderate quality of life, and 23% had a high quality of life. The results of the Pearson and Spearman tests showed that there is a significant relationship between health literacy and the quality of life of hemodialysis patients (P <0.05).

The results of this study showed that the level of health literacy is insufficient and there is a significant relationship between health literacy and the quality of life of hemodialysis patients; Therefore, due to the insufficient level of health literacy among patients, it is necessary to pay more attention to health literacy in quality of life improvement programs.

Care provision for Alzheimer's patients is associated with many challenges. Caregivers face high levels of care burden which leads to their reduced quality of life. Therefore, the current paper aims to investigate the relationship between care burden, care preparedness and the quality of life in the home caregivers of the elderly with the Alzheimer's disease.

This was a descriptive analysis research on 150 caregivers visiting Iran Alzheimer's Association, selected through simple random sampling and the table of random numbers. The instruments used in the study consisted of a care burden standard questionnaire, care preparedness questionnaire and caregivers’ quality of life questionnaire. Data was analyzed using SPSS V25 and statistical tests including independent t-test, one-way ANOVA, Pearson’s correlation and simultaneous multiple regression analysis, with a significance level of 0.05.

According to the descriptive findings, the mean score (standard deviation) was calculated to be 17.31 (6.05) for the variable care preparedness, 28.62 (7.66) for care burden and 28.23 (2.48) for caregivers' quality of life. The results showed significant direct relationships between the age of caregivers and care burden, and also between the care preparedness and caregivers' quality of life. Moreover, there were significant negative relationships between care preparedness and care burden, and also between care burden and caregivers’ quality of life (p-value < 0.05).

Care preparedness is a predictor of care burden. An increase in care preparedness reduces caregivers' burden. Moreover, care preparedness and care burden are significant predictors of caregivers' quality of life. An increase in care preparedness causes an increase in caregivers’ quality of life and an increase in care burden reduces caregivers’ quality of life.

Adherence to medication regimen in the elderly is of particular importance for improving medical care. By definition, the term health literacy is the degree to which individuals have the ability to find, understand, and use information and services to inform health-related decisions and actions for themselves and others. Therefore, the general purpose of this study is to determine the relationship between health literacy and adherence to medication regimen in the elderly with asthma in the pulmonary clinic of Imam Khomeini Hospital in Tehran.

The present study is a descriptive-analytical research and correlation type. A total of 240 people over 60 years old with asthma referred to the pulmonary clinic of the hospital and were selected by available sampling method. To collect data, TOFHLA adult health literacy tool, MMAS-8 medication adherence questionnaire, demographic information questionnaire and AMT test were used to determine the cognitive status of the elderly. Data were analyzed by independent-samples t-test and Pearson correlation method using SPSS 21 software.

Based on data analysis, there was a statistically significant and direct relationship between health literacy and adherence to medication regimen (r = 0.155, p <0.016).

According to study findings, as the health literacy increased, adherence to medication regimen increased as well.

 Despite the increase in the elderly population all over the world, our knowledge is not sufficient for the status of their health in Iran. A comprehensive understanding of the health problems of this vulnerable group will help health planners to intervene effectively. This study was conducted to determine the physical health of elderly people in Tehran City, Iran.  In a cross-sectional study, 450 eligible elders were selected through a multistage stratified cluster random sampling method from district 5 in Tehran City, Iran. In order to collect the study information, a comprehensive “need assessment” questionnaire for elderly people in Iran was designed and validated. After approval of the Ethics Committee of the university and obtaining informed consent from the elderly, the questionnaires were completed by the researcher at home of the participants. The obtained data were analyzed by logistic regression test in SPSS version 16.  About 90.9% of the studied elderly had at least one chronic illness with special treatment. The most prevalent reported disease was arthritis (62.4%) and the most commonly reported disorders and health problems were anxiety and fatigue, with a prevalence of 57.6% and 56.4%, respectively. Based on the multivariate logistic regression model, after controlling confounding variables, the frailty index had a statistically significant correlation with the physical health status  (OR=4.433, P<0.001).  Regarding the increasing prevalence of chronic diseases in older people, planning, and provision of services should be consistent with the current situation and changing needs of older people.

Increasing the lives of humans and adding elderly populations is one of the achievements of the 21st century, and aging is a phenomenon that some human societies encounter or will face. Choosing a healthy lifestyle in this age is important because of its ability to prevent diseases and improve the physical and mental health. This study was designed to determine the effect of health promoting behaviors on the life style of the elderly referred to Marvdasht health center. This quasi-experimental interventional study with 170 intervention and control groups referred to Marvdasht health center. It was performed in 1996-96. Sampling was done randomly from elderly patients referred to Marvdasht health center. The participants were randomly assigned to two groups of intervention (85 people) and control (85 people). The data gathering tool was a standard elderly lifestyle questionnaire. Individuals in the intervention group participated in planned training programs. Three months after the end of the intervention, post-test was performed in both groups. Data were analyzed using SPSS16 software, Chi-square, mean and standard deviation, independent t-test and ANOVA. Based on the findings, the mean age of the elderly in the intervention and control group was 65.3 and 65.9, respectively. The results showed that there was a significant difference between the three months after the intervention in the dimensions of exercise, prevention, nutrition, stress management, and interpersonal relationships in the elderly before and after the intervention (P = 0.001). The results of the research showed that education of health promotion behaviors is effective on improving lifestyle in the elderly. According to the results of this study, further interventions with the aim of increasing the awareness of the elderly regarding the improvement of lifestyle status seems necessary.