جستجوی مقالات مرتبط با کلیدواژه "demographic variables" در نشریات گروه "پزشکی"

Moral courage is a crucial aspect of the nursing profession that significantly influences the quality of healthcare services. Moral courage refers to the courage or inner strength that an individual exhibits in ethical situations, acting based on their ethical principles, values, and beliefs despite potential negative consequences for themselves. Enhancing moral courage in nurses can lead to better decision-making and improved healthcare quality, thus, the understanding of the various factors related to this characteristic is of great importance. This article aims to investigate the relationship between moral courage and the personal and occupational characteristics of nurses.

This is a cross-sectional descriptive study. The research population in this study consisted of all nurses employed in hospitals affiliated with Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences in the eastern province of Mazandaran. The sample size was determined to be 300 individuals. Sampling was conducted using the convenience sampling method. Data was collected through a questionnaire related to demographic characteristics (age, gender, marital status, education level, type of employment, years of service, service department, shift work, hospital of service, and history of attending ethics courses or seminars), and the Sekerka Ethical Courage questionnaire was utilized. Data analysis was performed using measures of central tendency, standard deviation, independent t-tests, analysis of variance, and multiple linear regression. SPSS 22 software was employed for data analysis, with a significance level of less than 0.05.

The average age of the participants was 32.85±7.54 years. The average score of nurses' moral courage was 60.24±4.37 out of (105), indicating a moderate level. The highest score of moral courage was commonly associated with the moral agent dimension (13.87±1.42) and multiple values (13.43±1.54), while the lowest score of ethical courage was related to the threat tolerance dimension (8.82±1.74). Participation in ethics courses had a significant effect on the moral courage score (P=0.004), where nurses with a history of attending ethics courses obtained higher scores in moral courage. Other variables did not have a significant impact on the ethical courage score. Regression analysis results also showed that only participation in ethics courses had a significant effect on the moral courage score, as nurses without a history of attending these courses scored lower (1.26 units).

Based on the findings of this study, it was revealed that participation in ethics-related training courses has a significant impact on nurses' ethical courage. These results indicate that ethics-related education (familiarity with professional ethics principles in nursing, values, and ethics in nursing decision-making, ethics in patient confidentiality and privacy, ethical collaboration and interaction with colleagues and other members of the healthcare team, patient involvement in ethical decision-making, ethical relationships with patient's families, and respect for their rights) can help strengthen and enhance nurses' ethical courage. Since ethical courage plays a crucial role in nurses' decision-making in challenging situations, designing effective and appropriate educational programs in this area can contribute to improving the quality of care and fostering a more ethical environment in the nursing setting.

 Women referring to health centers are one of the most important groups at risk of disease. Thus, in order to enjoy a high level of health, it is necessary for them to have health literacy. The purpose of this research was to find the demographic predictors of health literacy in women referring to comprehensive health service centers in Zahedan, Iran.

This was a descriptive-analytical study including 400 women selected by random cluster sampling from health centers under coverage of Zahedan University of Medical Sciences in 2022. The short form of the HELIA standard questionnaire was used to measure health literacy of the women. Data were analyzed using SPSS-22 software, the statistical tests being ANOVA, Kendall's correlation, and multiple regression.

The subjects were between 18 and 60 years old. They were found to have obtained most of the information related to health and disease by asking doctors and healthcare workers (about 52.25%). The scores of the components of the subjects’ health literacy were as follows: average health literacy 69.91±23.34, reading 72.17±29.80, access 34.73±27.91, understanding 71.41±29.43, assessment 62.10±25.51, and the scope of decision-making and behavior 71.49±20.27. The strongest predictor of health literacy was found to be education, such that with an increase in the level of education, the health literacy of a woman would increase by 0.53 units. In addition, education variables, income level, age and ethnicity would predict 55% of the health literacy of the women.

This study shows that the health literacy score is related to age, education level, marital status, occupation, economic status and ethnicity, the strongest predictor of health literacy being the a high level of education. Therefore, considering the available evidence on the importance of health literacy and factors related to it and the low level of health literacy of women in this study, it is clear that women need to acquire, process and understand the basic information on health and therapeutic services in order to be able to make appropriate decisions. Briefly, women need to receive simple and understandable information and have more time to communicate with the health service personnel to understand health information.

Islamization of lifestyle is one of the main ideals of Islamic revolution. Since the social status of students as an educated group can introduce them as role models for other members of the society, the present study was conducted with the aim of investigating the Islamic lifestyle of nursing students in Aja and providing ways to improve it.

This cross-sectional descriptive study was performed in Aja College of Nursing in Tehran. Convenience sampling was used to select all eligible nursing students from the 2nd to the 8th semester. Data collection tool was Kaviani’s Islamic lifestyle questionnaire. SPSS version 20 statistical software and descriptive statistics were used for data analysis.

The analysis showed that the average score of the Islamic lifestyle of the nursing students and the average score of most aspects of the Islamic lifestyle were above the average level.

Beliefs play a significant role in the formation of the Islamic lifestyle. Therefore, the use of various scientific-cultural-religious methods in order to revive the original religious, national identity and correctly introduce the Islamic lifestyle through appropriate tools, especially mass media, based on educational needs assessments is recommended.

Cosmetic surgery is considered a kind of voluntary or elective surgery to improve the appearance of people, which can lead to an increase in self-esteem and self-confidence. Rhinoplasty is one of the most challenging facial procedures, which is among the five most popular cosmetic procedures. In recent years, rhinoplasty has become more popular among Iranian people, and currently, Iran has the highest number of rhinoplasty in the world. Although thousands of people apply for rhinoplasty every year, only 10% of them have abnormal nose function, and other nose surgeries are performed to improve the shape of the nose and the overall beauty of the face. Psychological factors play an important role in cosmetic surgeries as well as post-operative satisfaction. Psychological problems including low self-esteem, anxiety, and personality disorders such as perfectionism, practical obsession, bipolar disorder, and even psychotic symptoms may lead people to undergo cosmetic surgery. In this regard, some researchers believe that a person's perception of his appearance plays a vital role in his self-esteem. Therefore, people seek rhinoplasty just to increase their self-confidence. On the contrary, other researchers consider these people to be completely psychologically healthy. They are eager for cosmetic surgery just for more beauty. Previous studies have shown significant psychological problems in cosmetic surgery volunteers, and about 70% of participants had a series of psychological disorders such as depression, neuroticism, and passive-aggressive personality. Women who underwent cosmetic surgery had a self-centered personality with childish, active, impulsive, competitive, reactive, perfectionist, seductive, and superficial emotions. Young people need to be noticed in society and therefore they try to improve their appearance with cosmetic surgeries. Therefore, the feeling of dissatisfaction with body image and anxiety leads to a tendency towards cosmetic surgeries. Psychological assessment of rhinoplasty candidates should focus on their self-esteem, body image, and satisfaction. Therefore, assessing the psychological health and motivation of people is the most important action after completing the patient history and physical examination. Therefore, the present study was conducted to investigate the psychological and psychosocial causes of the tendency to plastic nose surgery in the Iranian population. Psychological, social and behavioral factors can influence the applicants' willingness for cosmetic surgeries. This study aimed to investigate the socio-psychological causes of tendency towards cosmetic rhinoplasty.

This cross-sectional study was conducted on 100 participants planned to undergo rhinoplasty in Shahid Rajaee Hospital, Shiraz, Iran, during 2023-2024. Data were collected using the Millon personality questionnaire, the Likert scale questionnaire, the multidimensional body-self relations questionnaire (MBSRQ), and a researcher-made questionnaire on psychological aspects of rhinoplasty.

Single females with an education level higher than a diploma tend more to cosmetic rhinoplasty. Females earning less than 50 million Rials per month had more willingness to undergo cosmetic rhinoplasty than those earning more than 50 million Rials per month. The MBSRQ showed no statistically significant differences between the mean score of perfectionism, body satisfaction, others' opinions, and the media effects with respect to demographic factors (marital status, job status, education level, and income) (p>0.05). However, the MBSRQ showed a significant difference in the MBSR mean score between the low-income and high-income groups (p=0.013).

In general, older people may try to manage or change their physical appearance. They try to fight to age with cosmetic surgery. The results of this study showed that the age of applicants has no significant negative correlation with MBSR and perfectionism. In addition, the age of the applicants had no significant positive correlation with the opinions of others and satisfaction with their bodies. Also, with increasing age, the influence of the media on the desire for rhinoplasty increased, but this correlation was not statistically significant, which does not agree with the findings of previous studies. This study has limitations due to important methodological flaws such as the lack of prior estimation of the sample size, although the researchers used the maximum possible number of subjects. However, due to the relatively small number of participants in this study and limited reports from Iran, conducting future studies with a larger sample size and using more comprehensive questionnaires seems necessary. Regarding the role of socio-psychological factors in a tendency towards cosmetic rhinoplasty and its effects on the general health, preoperative psychiatric assessment and psychological counseling of applicants before cosmetic rhinoplasty is highly recommended.

By identifying the factors affecting the knowledge, attitude, and performance of health workers concerning the Zika virus, a considerable step could be taken to fight against this virus.

The present study aimed to determine the relationship between demographic variables and knowledge, attitude, and performance of the health services staff regarding Zika virus.

This descriptive-analytical cross-sectional study was conducted among the staff of health service centers in Shar-e-Rey, Iran, in 2020. A total of 354 people were entered into the study by proportionate stratified sampling. The data collection tool included demographic questions and questions related to the knowledge, attitude, and performance regarding Zika. The collected data were analyzed in SPSS software using descriptive and analytic statistics (e.g., Chi-square and Fisher's exact test).

A significant relationship was observed between knowledge and educational level (P>0.001), occupational status (P>0.001), participation in Zika-related educational programs (P=0.010), reading or hearing about Zika (P>0.001), and receiving information about Zika from primary sources (P>0.001). In addition, there was a relationship between attitude and reading or hearing about Zika (P>0.001), internet access at the workplace (P=0.014), and receiving information from primary sources (P=0.004). Moreover, a significant relationship was observed between performance and marital status (P=0.032), participation in Zika-related educational programs (P=0.002), reading or hearing about Zika (P>0.001), and receiving information from primary sources (P>0.001).

Based on the findings of this research, it is suggested that when implementing educational interventions related to the Zika virus the individuals with following charachteristics should be given priority: Staff who are single, with a low level of education, non-clinical, no history of participation in Zika-related educational programs, have no history of reading or hearing about Zika, as well as the staff who do not have access to the internet at their workplace and are not interested in reading medical journals or watching health-related TV shows.

Human immunodeficiency virus/Acquired immune deficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) is an emerging disease that has a close relationship with high-risk behaviors and affected different age groups, gender, race, culture, and social and economic classes. The aim of the present study was to investigate the mediating role of demographic variables in the relationship between high-risk behaviors and HIV/AIDS.

This descriptive study was conducted using the census method on 3838 people referred to behavioral disease counseling centers of Shiraz University of Medical Sciences in 2020. The data collection tool was the national software for registering behavioral diseases consultation, including demographic variables and high-risk behaviors in two groups of HIV/AIDS identified as positive and negative. Structural equation modeling was used to analyze the data.

According to the final model, demographic variables explain 13.46% of disease cases, but high-risk behaviors explain 44.40% of disease cases. Therefore, the explanatory power of demographic variables in contracting the disease is lower than high-risk behaviors, so demographic variables do not play a mediating role. The relationship between demographic variables and high-risk behaviors and HIV/AIDS was statistically significant (p<0.001).

According to the findings, demographic variables do not play a mediating role, and considering the significant relationship between demographic variables and high-risk behaviors and AIDS, demographic variables play a confounding role. Therefore, continuous educational programs in the field of prevention and control of high-risk behaviors will be very helpful in reducing the incidence of AIDS. 

Human beings are inherently different and this fact can affect his/her behavior in work environments. The aim of this study was to examine the individual differences of employees (personality traits, biological and demographic factors) as a predictor of unsafe behaviors in a turbine manufacturing company.

In this cross-sectional study, safety behavior sampling technique, NEO-FFI questionnaire, demographic information questionnaire, BMI and cell type method were used to determine unsafe behaviors, personality traits, demographic variables, body mass index and blood group system, respectively. The statistical sample of the study was 260 employees of a turbine manufacturing industry. The SPSS software version 20 was used to analyze the data.

The results showed that 44.5% of employees’ behaviors were unsafe. There was a significant relationship between the occurrence of unsafe behaviors with smoking, BMI, blood type and neuroticism and agreeableness dimensions measured by NEO-FFI (p < 0.05). BMI was the most important predictorof unsafe behaviors in the present study.

Due to the role of individual differences in people’s tendency to unsafe behaviors, the results of this study can be considered in job design, screening of personnel according to their individual differences, and perform better interventions to prevent accidents at work.

The aim of this study was to investigate the moderating role of demographic variables in the effect of the four-factor integrated psychotherapy package on the psychological symptoms of HIV patients.

The research method was quasi-experimental pre-test and post-test with a control group. At this stage, 32 men and women living with HIV in two referral centers and AIDS support groups were purposefully selected and randomly placed in two experimental and control groups. The research tool was the Checklist of Symptoms of Mental Disorders (SCL90) which was performed in the pre-test and post-test stages in the two experimental and control groups. Integrative treatment intervention was performed in 12 weekly sessions in the experimental group and the control group did not receive any intervention. Data were analyzed using one-way analysis of covariance.

The results showed that four-factor integrated psychotherapy package is effective in reducing psychological symptoms regardless of demographic variables. In other words, the variables of gender, age, education and marriage of the subjects have no effect on the effectiveness of four-factor integrated psychotherapy package on the psychological symptoms of HIV patients

Emotional intelligence has a crucial role in organizational performance, especially in the health domains facing high levels of emotions and challenges. Given that emotional intelligence is a skill based on competency that can be learned, it provides training in specific competencies causing the expansion and improvement of quality performance. In this regard, the present study aimed to investigate the effect of emotional intelligence on the quality of service delivery of health care providers.

The present descriptive-analytical study was conducted in regions supported by Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran, in 2019. A total of 500 individuals (including 250 health care providers and 250 clients of the health centers) were selected using random cluster sampling. Two valid questionnaires were used for data gathering, namely Schering’s Emotional Intelligence and SERVQUAL. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, two-way analysis of variance (ANOVA), and correlation and regression analyses in SPSS software (version 21).

 The results of the present study showed a significant positive relationship between emotional intelligence and quality of services (r=0.45; P=0.001). The dimensions determined the relationships respectively between self-awareness with responsiveness, assurance, reliability, empathy, and tangibles. Regression results also showed that 20% of the changes in the service quality variable based on the emotional intelligence of health care providers can be explained. Two-way ANOVA demonstrated that the interactive effect of age and experience on emotional intelligence was significant (P<0.01).

Considering the impact of the quality of service delivery in the health system on all aspects of personal and social life, paying attention and providing training of emotional intelligence dimensions for health care providers can improve the quality of service delivery and satisfaction.

Recent developments in current societies have brought about changes in the age of marriage, so that the number of single people is increasing. These conditions are unpleasant for some people and they experience the fear of being single.

The aim of this study was to predict the fear of being single based on personality types, emotional intelligence and demographic variables.

The research method was descriptive-correlational studies. The statistical population of the study included all students of the University of Tehran in the academic year of 2019-2020, who were selected by available sampling method and answered online questionnaires by calling online. Demographic questionnaires, fears of being single (2013), Myers-Briggs personality traits (1987), and Bar-onchr('39')s emotional intelligence (1997) were used to collect data. The data collected were analyzed through SPSS-22 software.

The results showed that there was a significant relationship between personality types, emotional intelligence and demographic variables (age, income and education) with fear of being single (P<0.05). Moreover, personality types, emotional intelligence and demographic variables were able to predict 28%, 16% and 9% of the variance of fear of being single, respectively.

The results of the present study can be used to identify variables related to fear of being single in individual and premarital counseling and accordingly used appropriate preventive and interventions methods.

Emotional relationship with opposite sex is an important matter during university ages and affects studentschr('39') function.

This study aimed at surveying the relationship between demographic variables of students with emotional problems and their attitude toward it.

As a descriptive-survey study, among Kurdistan university students, through in-access sampling method, those who signed informed consent were selected as the sample of study. The asked-questions were about the experience of emotional relationship, failure and their attitude toward them. Using SPSS version 20, the raw data were analyzed by Ki-square and Spearman correlation coefficient tests.

Finally 405 students (171 girls, 232 boys, 2 missed) with the mean age of 22 years old and 3.49 SD, completed the necessary data and questions. Results showed that emotional relationship is a popular experience among students. Beside its consequences, it is not necessarily negative. And along with problems it may be caused, the students have an acceptable attitude toward it. Also, there were not any gender differences in the severity of experienced symptoms after a failure experience, and the failure rate in these relationship decreased by the age.

Emotional relationship can make some bad experiences for students temporarily, but it seems that we have to note the other side, which seems to development stage that inevitably has its positive and negative sides.

Activities of daily living allows older adults to maintain their independence. Moreover, demographic variables can affect their ability to perform these activities. The present study was conducted to assess the status of activities of daily living of older adults and associated factors in the city of Bojnurd (urban and rural).

In the present cross-sectional study, a total of 450 older adults were selected by cluster sampling method. Data were collected using a demographic questionnaire, basic and instrumental life activities questionnaires. Open questions were used to assess advanced activities of daily living. Data were analyzed by SPSS-24 using non-parametric tests.

In assessing necessary activities of daily living, 95.4% of older adults were independent, 3.9% somewhat dependent, and 0.7% dependent, with a mean (standard deviation) of 15.49(1.74), which showed significant relationships with age, chronic diseases, and constant use of medications (P < 0.05). About instrumental activities of daily living, 71.5% of older adults were independent, 16.4% dependent, and 12.1% total dependent, with a mean (standard deviation) of 11.3(3.36), which showed significant relationships in terms of age, gender, education, marital status, chronic diseases, and constant use of medications (P < 0.05). Of participating older adults, 77.9% took part in social activities. These activities had significant relationships with age, gender, education, marital status, income, chronic diseases, and constant medications (P < 0.05).

Demographic factors affect the level of activities of daily living in older adults. Proper planning may improve older adultschr('39') activities and their lifestyle.

The prevalence of multiple sclerosis (MS) has been on the rise, especially among the youth in Iran. MS is more common in the individuals in their 20s and 40s, while women are also twice as likely to develop MS compared to men. Statistics suggest that there are 2.5 million MS patients worldwide, and this figure has been reported to be 15-30 cases per 100,000 in Iran. According to the Iranian MS Association, approximately 50,000 Iranians have MS, including 9,000 registered cases, and the rate is constantly increasing. Some of the main symptoms of MS are neurological, sensory, motor, and balance disorders, and fatigue is considered to be the most debilitating and common symptom; about one-third of MS patients report fatigue within the first three years of the disease diagnosis. Fatigue is an early symptom in 40% of MS patients, and 38% experience fatigue as the first diagnostic symptom. Extensive research has assessed the correlations between MS and various demographic variables, including individual factors (age, gender, education level), familial factors (family history of the disease), social factors (support of social institutions), economic factors (monthly income), emotional factors (family support), and disease-related factors (age at onset, length of hospital stay, medication). The present study aimed to measure fatigue in a large population of MS patients and determine its association with demographic variables.

This correlational study was conducted on 296 MS patients referring to the Iranian MS Association in Tehran, Iran during June-August 2019 via computation within a specific period. Fatigue was measured using Krupp fatigue intensity (1989), which has been used in extensive medical research. The minimum and maximum possible scores in this scale are nine and 63, respectively. Scores 9-18 indicate low fatigue, scores 18-45 indicate moderate fatigue, and scores above 45 show high fatigue. In Iran, Shahvaroughi Farahani et al. (2009) have measured the internal consistency of the items in this scale, which has been confirmed at the Cronbachchr('39')s alpha coefficient of 0.96, showing that the items of this questionnaire measure a concept. In addition, the intraclass correlation-coefficient test has been applied to evaluate the relative reproducibility of the Persian version of the questionnaire, with the value reported to be 0.93. The inclusion criteria of our study were the ability to communicate, basic literacy, dealing with MS for a minimum of one year, and not being in the acute stage of the disease. Participation was completely voluntary and free. The patients were assured of confidentiality terms regarding their personal information, which was only disclosed to the research team and used for scientific purposes. Data of the patients were collected anonymously, and a code was assigned to each questionnaire to prevent the disclosure of information. Data analysis was performed in SPSS version 16 using independent t-test, ANOVA, Pearsonchr('39')s and Spearmanchr('39')s correlation-coefficient, Dchr('39')Agostino-Pearson omnibus test, a correlation matrix, and Wilcoxon matched-pairs signed ranks test.

In total, 296 MS patients were enrolled in the study with the mean age of 37.15 ± 8.85 years and mean disease duration of 29.95 ± 22.06 years. Regarding the treatment costs, 18 patients reported low treatment costs, 74 cases reported moderate costs, while 102 and 63 patients reported high and extremely high treatment costs, respectively. Notably, the variable of medical expenses was correlated with the type of patient insurance (P=0.009), and the patients with armed forces insurance paid the least expenses for their treatment. The mean exercise duration of the MS patients was 4.34 ± 2.91 hours per week, and the mean total fatigue score was 39.18 ±14.56. According to the obtained results, 31 patients (10.5%) had low fatigue, 157 patients (53.3%) had moderate fatigue, and 108 patients (36.2%) had high fatigue. A significant association was also observed between the involved organs of the patients and fatigue (P=0.004), so that fatigue was higher in the patients whose four limbs were affected by MS and those with visual impairment in addition to the four affected limbs. In the general classification of disorders in the MS patients (sensory, motor, and sensorimotor disorders), motor disorders were most prevalent (41.89%), followed by sensorimotor disorders (41.71%) and sensory disturbance (35.66%). Furthermore, a significant correlation was observed between the number of hospitalizations due to MS and fatigue (P=0.001), so that with the increased number of hospitalizations, the patients expressed more fatigue. On average, our participants had three hospitalizations, and a significant association was denoted between marital status and fatigue (P=0.042). Compared to the single patients, fatigue was more common among the married, divorced, and widowed patients. In addition, monthly income was significantly associated with fatigue (P=0.001), and the patients with inadequate income expressed more fatigue. Exercise was also significantly correlated with fatigue (P=0.018), and less fatigue was observed in the patients who had physical exercise.

Considering that fatigue is a common symptom in MS patients, special attention should be paid to the influential factors to identify, eliminate or reduce the factors that are changeable. According to the results, fatigue is one of the most debilitating and common symptoms experienced by MS patients. Therefore, these patients, their families, and the treatment team (especially nurses) must recognize the influential factors in fatigue in order to increase patient awareness and reduce fatigue in these patients. We attempted to identify and report some of the influential factors in fatigue, such as individual and psychological, environmental, and disease-related factors, in the MS patients. It is recommended that proper measures be taken to reduce the debilitative factors and strengthen the factors that reduce fatigue. Moreover, healthcare officials should plan to increase income and create suitable job opportunities for MS patients who experience the limitations caused by the disease. The family members of these patients (especially spouses) could also provide great support, which plays a key role in adapting to the disease, taking measures to reduce fatigue, adherence to the treatment regimen, and reducing the number of hospitalizations in MS patients.

Mental disorders are one of the main causes of disability and increase the use of health care services. Due to the increasing number of psychiatric disorders in Iran, the present study aimed to examine the prevalence of psychiatric disorders and their relations to demographic variables in clients attending Jiroft’s comprehensive health services centers in 2017.

This descriptive-analytical study is a cross-sectional survey. Clients attending Jiroft’s comprehensive health services centers in 2017, formed the statistical society of the study. Convenience sampling method was employed to select 280 of these clients who were asked to answer the demographic questionnaire and SCL-90-R. The data was then analyzed using SPSS software, Chi-Square Test, and T Test.

According to the Global Severity Index (GSI), 39.2 % of the clients had psychiatric disorders. The categories of SCL-90-R revealed that somatization disorders (13.1), phobia (12.7), paranoid ideation (12.7), interpersonal sensitivity (11.6), anxiety (7.5), depression (6.0), obsessive-compulsive disorder (5.6), hostility (5.2) and psychoticism (3.0) were highly prevalent. Mental health proved to be significantly correlated with some demographic variables. The results of Chi-square test also showed a significant correlation between mental health and the income level (p<0.01), mental health and suicidal ideation (p<0.01), mental health and marital status (p<0.05), and mental health and occupational status (p<0.01).

The prevalence of psychiatric disorders in clients referring to urban comprehensive health services centers is remarkably higher than the reported statistics in the public population and hence, requires more attention and priority to mental health issues in this area.

The elderly people, as one of the most groups at high risk for diseases, need to have a high level of health literacy to having an improved level of health. The aim of this study was to investigate the predictors of health literacy among elderly at health centers affiliated to Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences.

In this descriptive-analytic study, 270 elderly people were selected via cluster random sampling from health centers affiliated to Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences in Tehran. To collect data, a short form of the S-TOHFLA standard questionnaire was used to measure health literacy. Data were analyzed by SPSS software version 16 via independent t-test, ANOVA, Kendall correlation and multiple regressions.

The mean (SD) age of participants was 67 (5/6). The health literacy of the elderly with university education with a mean (SD) 28.2 (7) and the age group of 60-65 years with a mean (SD) 32.6 (4.9), was significantly higher than the other groups (P<0.001). The strongest predictor of health literacy was education, as with an increase in the level of education, the individual’s health literacy increased by 0.4 units. In addition, variables such as education, age, economic status and occupation in the regression model were able to predict 45% of health literacy.

The study showed that the health literacy score positively correlated with age, female gender, education, education of spouse, employment status, and economic status. The level of education was the strongest predictor of health literacy.