زهرا راهنورد

Numerous studies show that dietary behavior and the risk of various cancers (30 to 40%) are directly related, so changing dietary behavior could play an important role in preventing different cancers. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of the education of cancer preventing nutrition to the mothers of the students. In this quasi- experimental study, samples were 80 mothers of the students from two high schools of Tehran. They were divided into two groups with 40 persons in each group. They were selected by a multistage cluster sampling method. The data were collected in the control and intervention group by a self-administered questionnaire containing demographic and dietary behaviors parts (food frequency, purchasing, preparing and cooking, eating habits, health, and keeping behaviors) at base line (pre-test) and 3 months later. Educational content about dietary behaviors in order to prevent cancer has been presented by three sessions of lecture and question and answers in the intervention group, followed by the distribution of educational booklets and telephone follow up. The data were analyzed using SPSS-11.5. Based on the pretest results, the mean score of cancer preventing dietary behavior was low in both groups. Three months after educational intervention, the mean score of cancer preventing dietary behavior showed a statistically significant increase in the intervention group compared with the control group (P<0.001). The results showed that education of cancer preventing behavior could be effective in improving mother's dietary behavior.

Cigarette smoking is a common risky behavior among teenagers. Theories and models of health education aim to design effective educational programs. This study has been conducted to assess the effect of a health education program designed based on the health belief model on preventive smoking behaviors among female teenagers.Methods & Materials: In this quasi-experimental study, 176 female teenagers from the Educational Cultural Centers of 17 zones of Tehran Municipality were randomly allocated to two equal experiment and control groups (88 girls in each group). The designed educational program was presented to the experiment group through three lecture and question/answer 45 minute sessions. Data were collected using a questionnaire before and eight weeks after the intervention. Data were analyzed using the SPSS-16.

There was no significant difference between the two groups in the characteristics of the participants before the intervention. Comparison of the two experiment and control groups after education showed that the mean score of all studied constructs of the health belief model (i.e., susceptibility, severity, benefits and barriers, cues to action), as well as the preventive behaviors were increased significantly.

The results of this study showed that the program seems to be helpful in promoting the smoking preventive behavior among teenagers.

Micronutrients deficiency is one of the most common health problems among adolescents. Theory based educational interventions which address learner's preferences are among the solutions for the matter in hand. The aim of this study was to determine the effectiveness of the Transtheoretical model (TTM) based educational package on vitamin intake in female adolescents in Tehran.Methods & Materials: A randomized community trial was applied. Study samples were consisted of 80 female students from two middle schools of Tehran, district 17th. They were selected using a cluster-random sampling method and were randomly assigned to the intervention (n=40) and control groups (n=40). The intervention group received a TTM-based educational package. Changes in vitamin intake were assessed using standard food frequency & 24-recall questionnaires.

Based on pre-test results, intake of vitamin B2, B6, B9, B12, and C were lower than Dietary Reference Intake (DRI) in both groups. Based on the post-test data, a significant increase occurred in the mean score of vitamin intake in the intervention group comparing with the control group; and also with the intervention group at pretest (P<0.05).

TTM-based educational package could be effective in improving vitamin intake in urban female adolescents.

The Clinical Teaching Partner model (CTP) integrates theoretical knowledge with professional skills and brings the reality to workplaces. Closing educational and practical aspects in nursing discipline has been a challenging goal for nursing which requires cooperation between faculty instructors with nurse practitioners; such collaboration will led to development and promotion of nursing discipline. Therefore selecting an effective and efficient approach in order to integrate theoretical knowledge with practical experiences would be crucial for nursing profession. This study was conducted in order to investigate the effect of CTP on nursing student's clinical skills outcome.Methods & Materials: A quasi experimental, only post test design was applied. Study sample consisted of 1) three faculty instructors, 2) seven registered nurse practitioners who were staff nurses in three pediatric wards and voluntarily participated in the study and 3) fifty two nursing students which were in the 5th semester of nursing BSc. program and had eligible criteria to enter the study. Students were allocated randomly to the intervention (n=28) and control (n=24) groups. Participants in the control group, initially started their internship period in 3 pediatric wards and were evaluated by faculty instructors regarding their clinical skills at the end; students in the intervention group, then started their clinical training course in the same ward as control group, but their clinical education was conducted by the nurse practitioners who voluntarily participated in the study and trained initially in the nursing facultie's skill lab. Student's clinical skills were evaluated by nursing mentors via some instruments at the end of the educational period; in addition, clinical education outcomes and nursing student's satisfaction of achievement to apprenticeship goals were assessed at the end of the training period. Data were analyzed using the statistical tests including Chi square, Fisher exact test, Mann-Whiney U, and t-test in SPSS.

Considering students demographic characteristics, both groups were homogenous. There was a significant difference in the student's clinical skills between two groups (P<0.001). A significant difference was shown in the nursing mentors and faculty instructor's satisfaction of application of cooperative education method between both groups (P=0.004). No significant differences were found between student's satisfaction of reaching to educational outcomes between both groups (P=0.058). There were also no statistical differences between nursing mentors and faculty instructor's satisfaction of achieving to clinical education outcomes (P=0.109).

According to this study, CTP is an effective approach in clinical education and development of clinical skills for nursing students; therefore,application of this method is recommended in clinical nursing education.