فهرست مطالب neda soleimanvandiazar

Rapid Assessment and Response (RAR) is an approach that has been used in health research since the 1990s, and several guidelines have been designed for it. This study examines and compares different guidelines in this field.

This review study was conducted on the 6 guidelines published in PubMed and Scopus databases. After the initial review, the main dimensions of these guidelines, including the definition and target group, methods used, steps to conduct the research, and time planning were extracted in the form of a comparative table.

In six guidelines, the RAR approach has been defined in relation to the comprehensive and rapid investigation of a health-related problem. There are differences in terms of the number of 'steps' of rapid assessment and response, as well as in 'time planning'; a period of 12 to 16 weeks is considered. Among the methods used in the reviewed guides, the following can be mentioned: reviewing available information, conducting interviews (open, structured, and semi-structured), focused group discussions, and other methods such as observation, surveys, narrative methods, and mapping.

The rapid assessment and response (RAR) can be used as an approach, with high flexibility and consideration of scientific and practical aspects, to assess health problems and high-risk behaviors in hard-to-reach groups.

Workplace physical activity plays an important role in employees’ health. As university employees are a population at risk for a sedentary working pattern, this study aimed to investigate the physical activity status of employees of Iran University of Medical Sciences (IUMS) and its subsequent effects on their well-being.  

This cross-sectional study included 472 employees from different units of IUMS in Tehran. The participants were selected by a multistage sampling method. Interviews were conducted by using an international physical activity questionnaire, a questionnaire for stages of behavioral change, the World Health Organization Well-being Questionnaire, and a demographic checklist from July to October 2019. Analysis of variance, t test, and logistic regression analysis were used. Data were analyzed using IBM SPSS (Version 21.0).  

Total physical activity in the study population was 6216.58 ± 5886.09 MET-minutes/week. The mean score of the well-being index was 54.72 ± 22.4; there was an association between sex and location of work with physical activity in domains (p<0.05). The highest prevalence rates for change of stage of physical activity were found in the maintenance stage for men and the contemplation stage for women. There was a significant difference between men and women's well-being index—men reported being more active and energetic than women (p<0.001). Results also revealed that having vigorous physical activity compared with a moderate level could increase the well-being index.  

Physical activity behavior at the workplace was associated with well-being level. It could, therefore, be postulated that enhancing physical activity may be beneficial to improving well-being in an academic environment.

Injection of drugs is one of the most serious  health problems among Iranian living with HIV/AIDS. The injection of drugs, accounting for the transmission of more than two-thirds of HIV infections. HIV remains a major concern around the world and is expected to be the third leading cause of mortality worldwide. Thus, the aim of this study was to explore the predictors of injection drug use in the elderly patients living with HIV/AIDS.

This was a cross-sectional study executed in Tehran City, Iran, in 2018. A total of 160 individuals aged 60 years and older with HIV from different counseling centers were selected by convenience sampling. Data were collected using questionnaires including a positive state of mind, coping, social support, and a checklist of demographical variables. Bivariate analysis and multiple logistic regression using SPSS software version 21.0 were employed to determine factors associated with drug injection. The statistical tests were performed with a significance level of 5% (p≥0.05).

The study participants’ mean(SD) age was 65.6(±6.6) years. In total, 33 people (20.6%) of the samples reported injection drug use. The frequency of injection drug use was greater among men (AOR: 2.28, 95% CI 2.2-22.8; p=0.010), those reporting a monthly income of ≥30000000 Rials (AOR: 31.56, 95% CI 2.95-338; p=0.004), subjects with past experience of drug use (AOR: 7.11, 95% CI 2.18-23.2; p=0.001), those with ≥2 years past from their HIV diagnosis (AOR: 4.04, 95% CI 1.12-14.58; p=0.033), and those living with more than two people in one residential place (Household size AOR: 5.9, 95% CI 1.64-21.24; p=0.007).

It seems that the design and implementation of harm reduction programs among the elderly with HIV/AIDS who inject drugs are essential and should be considered as an agenda of policymakers and health professionals.

Health service utilization (HSU) is a significant health and political issue. Awareness of factors that affect HSU and the status of health service utilization can help health professionals improve their services. The aim of this study was to investigate the status of HSU and identify the factors affecting health service utilization among households residing in Tehran.

The present cross-sectional study included 1200 residing households from different regions of Tehran, the capital of Iran. They were selected by a multi-stage cluster sampling method in accordance with the zoning of Tehran concerning socio-economic development. Interviews were conducted by trained individuals using a health service utilization questionnaire introduced by the World Health Organization, Zimet’s social support questionnaire, and demographic checklist during winter 2018 and spring 2019. Simple and multiple logistic regression models were applied to analyze the data. In order to include the factors related to the status of outpatient health service utilization, a set of bivariate analyses was conducted, and then the factors with a p-value of ≤0.20 were included in the multiple models. Data were analyzed using Stata 12 software.

The results of the study indicated that the rate of outpatient HSU among households residing in Tehran was 63.61% (CI:60, 66.80). In addition, regarding the results of the study, asset index of family (OR=0.51, 95% CI: 0.28, 0.91), the level of awareness and knowledge of family members regarding health issues (OR=0.55, 95% CI: 0.34, 0.88) as well as the mother knowledge  on health issues (OR=0.64 , 95% CI: 0.45, 0.93), the level of social support (OR = 0.50, 95% CI: 0.37,0.68), family health expenditure (OR=1.20, 95% CI: 1.18, 4.06), having a member with a  sort of disability in family (OR=1.66, 95% CI: 1.01, 2.77), and having an alcoholic member in family (OR=2.44, 95% CI: 1.27, 4.68) were factors associated with outpatient HSU among households. Considering the adjusted values of odds ratios, the prevalence of the HSU varied according to the area of residence. It should be noted that the variables included in the model explained 15% of the changes in the prevalence of HSU.

According to the results of the study and in order to increase HSU in different classes, the level of social support, especially among women in the family due to their role in the general health of family members, should be enhanced. Also, policies should be adopted to increase the awareness, knowledge, and information of family members about health issues, lifestyle changes, nutrition, and health behaviors through social media.

Social resources help to adapt to stress and might positively affect the well‑being of individuals with severe conditions like human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS). The present study investigates the effect of social support, social capital, and coping in a positive state of mind of Iranian older people with HIV/AIDS.

This cross‑sectional study was conducted on 160 older people with HIV referred to AIDS clinics in Tehran in 2019. Samples were randomly selected from patients aged 50 years and older. Data were collected using a questionnaire, a positive state of mind, social capital, coping, social support, and a checklist of demographical variables. Data analysis was performed using SPSS software version 21.

A significant positive correlation was found between social support, social capital, coping, education, and a positive state of mind. A significant negative correlation was also found between age, several chronic diseases of the patient, and a positive state of mind. The linear regression results showed that social support, social capital, coping, and education improved the positive state of mind.

Based on our findings, we believe that social and psychological interventions effectively enhance patients’ positive state of mind with HIV and ultimately, improve their quality of life.

Increasing care needs for the elderly are of concern in different countries, especially in countries where their population is aging. It is important to understand the factors that influence the use of health services in the elderly for health policy making in identifying potential problems and developing appropriate interventions to improve their utilization and increase access. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to identify the barriers and facilitators of the outpatient health services utilization in the elderly.

In the current systematic review, published English studies from 1996 to 2018 were searched and reviewed electronically from the Web of Science, PubMed and Scopus databases using PRISMA guidelines and related keywords. After eliminating duplicate and irrelevant articles, the quality of articles was evaluated by two evaluators independently, based on STROBE checklist. Narrative synthesis method was used to combine the data.

Forty-four eligible studies were included in this review and the determinants of health service utilization were categorized into three categories as predisposing (age, gender, marital status, ethnicity), enabling (income, insurance coverage, education level, employment status, social network, social support), and need related factors (having chronic illness, self-assessment status, severity of illness, number of illnesses, having two or more diseases at the same time, physical disability and unhealthy lifestyle). Findings showed that over age 80, ethnic minority, unemployed and retired, low level of education, small and limited social network, disability were identified as barriers to accessing health services, and being female, married, having insurance, social support, having a companion, spouse or child, high income levels, shorter distances to the health care center were identified as facilitators of outpatient health services utilization in the elderly.

This systematic review revealed that a set of factors is consistently associated with health services utilization in the elderly. The present study identified the factors affecting the utilization of elderly health services in the framework of Anderson Health Services Behavioral Model. Overall, evidence has shown that single, male, over 80s, educated and low income, unemployed or retired people with chronic illness should be high on the health policy priorities of the elderly to prevent the burden of health services resulting from diseases.

The human life value is among the most important challenges of the health economic evaluation. This limitation has reduced the feasibility of applying the cost-benefit method in evaluations of health interventions and policies. Using the human capital approach and discounted value of future earnings, the present study calculated the human capital of different age groups.

The required data were obtained using “income and expenditures of Iranian households” data in 2015 from the Statistical Center of Iran, which included the information on 19380 urban households.

According to the calculation of human capital, the maximum value of a statistical life year in the high-income group was related to the age group of 30-34 yr old (223,286 US$ equals to 9378 million Iranian Rials). The lowest value in all three groups of high, medium and low income is related to the age group of 85 and older. In addition, the economic value of statistical life year for men has been calculated as higher than that of women, however, in older age groups, the human capital of both genders have been converging.

The economic value of life for young people aged between 20 to 30 yr was higher than other demographic groups. The findings of the research help to provide a more accurate base for the cost-benefit analysis of health and social policies. Considering the economic value of the statistical life for different age groups may change policy priorities in areas related to health and life of human beings.

The present review focuses on identifying factors contributing to health service utilization (HSU) among the general adult population according to Anderson’s behavioral model.

Published articles in English on factors related to HSU were identified by systematically probing the Web of Science, MEDLINE (via PubMed research engine), and Scopus databases between January 2008 and July 2018, in accordance with the PRISMA guidelines. The search terms related to HSU were combined with terms for determinants by Boolean operators AND and OR. The database search yielded 2530 papers. Furthermore, we could find 13 additional studies following a manual search we carried out on the relevant reference lists.

Thirty-seven eligible studies were included in this review, and the determinants of HSU were categorized as predisposing, enabling, and need factors according to Andersen’s model of HSU. The results demonstrated that all predisposing, enabling, and need factors influence HSU. In most studies, the female gender, being married, older age, and being unemployed were positively correlated with increased HSU. However, evidence was found regarding the associations between education levels, regions of residence, and HSU. Several studies reported that a higher education level was related to HSU. Higher incomes and being insured, also, significantly increased the likelihood of HSU.

This review has identified the importance of predisposing, enabling, and need factors, which influence outpatient HSU. The prediction of prospective demands is a major component of planning in health services since, through this measure, we make sure that the existing resources are provided in the most efficient and effective way.

Disability is a reduction in income due to a decrease in work ability resulting from an accident or illness, which is divided into two categories: Total disability and Partial disability, according to the degree of disability and according to medical commissions. In this study, we seek to compare Non-Work Related Disability Insurance in Iran and in fifty countries worldwide. 

This study is an applied, retrospective, descriptive, comparative study designed to describe the laws of coverage, how to finance, how to qualify, and the extent of disability benefits in countries around the world.
 Findings and

This study in a comparative table, consisting of basic law, current law, type of insurance system, people covered by disability insurance, how to finance,disability insurance, how to qualify for disability insurance, disability insurance benefits, and Other disability insurance programs have been cited by countries around the world.