fazllolah ahmadi

The purpose of this qualitative study is to explore Iranian women’s perceptions, behaviors, and beliefs related to breast cancer screening readiness, with a focus on the role of religion.

Our sample consisted of 25 women, 35 to 65 years old, who resided in Tehran, Iran. It included 15 at-risk women (self-reported history of breast cancer before the age of 40 in their family) and 10 others with a history of breast cancer. All interviewees were Muslim who spoke Persian (Farsi). The women were chosen using purposive sampling. We used a qualitative content analysis design with a constant comparative analysis approach, which is appropriate for obtaining reliable and valid results from textual data.

The overarching theme apparent from transcript analysis was that of “Clergywoman Can Play a Role in Increasing Awareness”. Four categories, namely, (1) Lack of information regarding breast cancer screening, (2) Awareness can improve self-care, (3) Religious outlooks of participants can influence early detection behaviors, (4) Clergywoman can play a role in increasing awareness, were identified. However, we found that the majority of interviewees lacked information about breast cancer screening and prevention. This was often both the cause and the effect of fear and misunderstandings about the process. Furthermore, we found that religious authorities, particularly clergywomen, who speak from a religious perspective, could play a significant and effective role in convincing women to pursue prevention measures. Additionally, we found that many women emphasized that religious gatherings, or framing health messages in a religious narrative, could be a significant step forward in advocating early detection behaviors.

Our study shows that religion is a motivating factor in breast cancer early detection behavior and offers new insight into women’s perceptions of self-care. It highlights a potentially significant role of clergywomen in encouraging women in Tehran, Iran to pursue breast cancer screening.

Nurses often have to care for the patients of the opposite gender. This can be challenging for both nurses and patients in Iran due to the Iranians' cultural and religious beliefs. The aim of this study was to compare nurses' and nursing students' attitudes toward care provision to opposite-gender patients. This cross-sectional study was conducted in 2018 on a random sample of 107 nurses who worked in four teaching hospitals, and 95 bachelor's and master's nursing students from the Hamadan University of Medical Sciences, Hamadan, Iran. A 21-item researcher-made self-report questionnaire was used for data collection. The data were analyzed through the independent samples t-test and the linear regression analysis. The mean scores of nurses' and nursing students' attitudes were 72.54 ± 15.47 and 66.87 ± 14.80, respectively (P = 0.02). The significant predictors of nurses' and nursing students' attitudes were their educational degree, history of care provision to opposite-gender patients, and clinical work experience. Many nurses and nursing students have moderate attitudes toward care provision to opposite-gender patients. Nursing students' poorer attitudes compared with nurses highlight the need for revisions to the nursing academic curriculum to prepare them for quality care provision to the patients of both genders.

Adherence from treatment-care regimens is very essential to achieve health promotion and improve quality of life as well as affordable healthcare. Nevertheless, broaden of chronic diseases is still growing in the world because of lack of adherence. Understanding the perceived challenges can facilitate planning to increase adherence. This study aimed to explain the perceived challenges in non-adherence from the prescribed regimen among patients with chronic diseases.
This qualitative study was done in 2015 by using the conventional content analysis approach. Thirty four participants with the most common chronic diseases were recruited purposively and they were entered in the study. Data was collected through semi-structured interviews and simultaneously with data collection; a comparative analysis was conducted by using the conventional qualitative content analysis method.
Four main themes extracted from the data included: flaw in the possibility of observing the recommended regimensafter devotion for family; frustration in facing the conflict between work and recommended regimens; inability in self-adaption with the recommended regimens; broaden cost of prescribed regimens; and limiting and inductive enclosure of beliefs. These themes indicate the nature of challenges in personal, family, and social dimensions of patients with chronic diseases in terms of adherence with treatment regimen.
The findings show that the perceived challenges has special complexity and diversity. Although they are sometimes internal and personal, some others are external and beyound the will and control of individuals. Therefore, it is necessary that health system policy-makers and planners intervene and plan according to the nature, diversity, and complexity of these perceived barriers in order to facilitate in the adherence of patients process from the treatment care regimens.

Studies have shown erectile dysfunction is a common problem in men which has negative impact on both man and his partner. This dysfunction causes sexual and marital relationship difficulties. Efforts are not effective until relationship has not been improved. Thus the purpose of this study is to design a model for improving relationship of wives with men with erectile dysfunction. This is a qualitative study; data collecting method was unstructured interview with 16 female partners of men with erectile dysfunction. Field notes were also used as data. Constant comparison analysis was done simultaneously using Strauss and Corbin method. Sexuality in female partners of men with erectile dysfunction was explained using grounded theory. The model which improves the relationship between wives and men with erectile dysfunction was composed using the findings of grounded theory and literature review based on the Walker and Avant theory synthesis method. results of this grounded theory indicted that loss of intimacy was the main concern of female partners of men with erectile dysfunction. And main strategy in facing with sexuality was preserving the family unity. In this model, unlike the existing models, the starting point for sexual dysfunction treatment is the female partner. This model designed through three phases: first phase was aimed to identify the status of marital relationship, second phase was aimed to empower women participation of spouses, and third phase was aimed to perform holistic interventions to stabilize desirable marital relationship. Using this model, in sexual problem condition, at first woman, then couple will be empowered. Thus the overall marital relationship will not be damaged or the intensity of damage will be reduced.

Any shortcoming and deficiency in training has direct impacts on clinical knowledge and skills of nurses. Such impacts will eventually affect community health. The purpose of the present study was to explore nursing instructors’ perceptions about challenges of effective education in Iranian nursing. A qualitative content analysis approach; in-depth Semi-structured interviews and purposeful sampling were conducted in 2011 with 15 participants to better understand their perceptions of the effectiveness education In Ahvaz and Tehran University of Medical Sciences. The data analysis resulted in three main themes achieved: ‘Non-care-centered education، inadequate technical competence ‘Evaluation not conducted، were considered as important challenges of in effectiveness education in Iranian nursing. The findings can be helpful for international nurse instructors and educational planners to be exposed to the unheard perspectives of nursing faculties and reconsider the weakness of effective education in nursing planning and evaluation process conducted by them. We suggested that educational goals in nursing are designed base on “care”. If the weaknesses have improved، it can lead to achieve technical competency of nurses and community health will promote.

Managing diabetes requires changes in the patients’ life style and health habits which in turn need the comprehensive understanding of the disease and its impact. To understand the explanatory model of diabetes in Iran, a qualitative study was performed using the grounded theory method.Patients and Thirty persons were interviewed: fifteen patients, eleven nurses, three physicians and one dietitian. The semi-structured interviews were transcribed and analyzed in three stages of open, axial and selective coding. The findings showed that patients’ personality can shape their self-care behavior; however, curing, caring and supporting systems are also necessary. The interactions between personality, curing, caring and supporting systems and society makes the outcome, which is the core variable in the designed explanatory model of diabetes. This paper reflects an explanatory model of diabetes management. Understanding the factors that affect self-management behavior is important for nurses as key providers in the health care system.

Spirituality is an important aspect of health of people with chronic health conditions such as diabetes. Awareness from adolescents’ perception about life quality and its effective factors is useful for controlling blood glucose in adolescents and causes motivation in adolescents for self care. The aim of this study was to explore spirituality effects on life quality in diabetic adolescent girls. A qualitative design using content analysis was applied in order to seek the purpose. Data were collected using in-depth semistructured interviews and focus groups with participation of 28 adolescent girls with type 1diabetes. The participants were recruited by purposeful sampling of "West Azerbaijan Diabetes Association" members as well as some patient's referral to Urmia city hospitals diabetes clinics. Following data analysis, participants in this study were categorized in four general groups; people with religious attitude and satisfied from their life, people who perform religious etiquettes and satisfied from their life, people with spiritual beliefs and adaptation with diabetes, and finally people with spiritual beliefs and self care. Spirituality is an important factor that influences on the life quality of diabetic adolescent girls. In addition, spirituality helps adolescent girls with diabetes to cope with stressful situations and needs to be considered in management and care from these patients.

Osteoporosis and the fractures associated with are a major public health concern, because of related morbidity and disability, diminished quality of life, and mortality. Evidence suggests that to adopt changes on some life styles can prevent or delay development of osteoporosis. Most important modifiable risk factors of osteoporosis are receiving inadequate calcium intake and not doing weight-bearing exercises such as walking. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of an educational program based on health belief model on preventive factors of osteoporosis among postmenopausal women.

This study was a quasi-experimental research with two groups, experimental (n=43) and control (n=41) selected from 4 mosques situated in ray city. The subjects in experimental group participated in a 6-week educational program (each session 60-90 minutes) based on health belief model. Data collection tools included demographic information form, knowledge questionnaire, health belief scale and food frequency questionnaire which were completed by the subjects of two groups before and after intervention. The authors declare that they have no conflict of interests.

Before intervention, there was no statistically significant difference between two groups regarding demographic characteristics, knowledge, health belief constructs, calcium intake and walking. After intervention, t-test showed a statistically significant difference between two groups in perceived susceptibility and severity (P<0.0001), barriers of calcium intake (P<0.0001), and barriers of exercise (P<0.0001). Perceived benefits of calcium intake and exercise were not significantly different between groups after intervention (P=0.06). Dietary Calcium intake increased to 906.55 ± 282.45 mg/day in experimental group, but there was not tatistically significant difference between two groups (P=0.40). Changes in frequency of weekly walking was statistically significant (p=0.005) between groups, but the total time of walking wasn’t statistically significant between them (P=0.07).

Educational program based on health belief model was effective in increasing health belief constructs and walking frequency but not in dietary calcium intake.