Health Education and Health Promotion

Abstract Aims: Regular engagement in physical activity is a prerequisite for physical and mental health and reduces the risk of several diseases and psychological disorders. This study aimed to investigate the status of physical activity among female students aged 13-17 years in Khoy County.
Instrument & Methods: This descriptive cross-sectional study was designed and conducted during the winter of 2021-2022. The Global School-based Student Health Survey (GSHS) was provided online to all female students aged 13-17 in Khoy County, with 2,225 students completing it. The data were entered into SPSS 22 software, and descriptive statistics (frequency tables) and the chi-square test were used for analysis.
Findings: Over 58% of the students had not participated in any sports teams in the past 12 months. More than 43% of the surveyed participants had not engaged in any sports to strengthen their muscles in the past week, despite more than 75% reporting that the benefits of physical activity had been discussed with them in at least one of their classes.
Conclusion: The level of physical activity among female students in Khoy is low.

Abstract Aims: In Iran and many countries of the world, breast cancer is the most common cancer among women. This qualitative study aimed to explain the effects of physical and psychological changes following breast cancer and its treatments on the sexual function and sexual relationships of survivors.
Participants & Methods: A qualitative study based on Woods' sexuality theory was conducted from October 2019 to May 2020. Participants included married female breast cancer survivors (aged 20-49) with stage one to three breast cancer who had undergone primary treatment. Data were collected through in-depth and semi-structured individual interviews with 17 patients and an oncology nurse in a teaching hospital affiliated with the Tehran University of Medical Sciences in Tehran. Sampling continued until theoretical data saturation happened. Data analysis was done by Maxqda 10 software.
Findings: Sexual function in women surviving breast cancer included four categories: sexual desire and arousal, orgasm, sexual pain, and the sexual function of spouses. Sexual relationship included two categories: relations and intimacy with spouses; and satisfaction with relations with spouses.
Conclusion: Breast cancer and its treatments generally affect sexual function and relationships and, as a result, the sexual health of the survivors.

Abstract Aims: This research aimed at designing and psychometric properties of a questionnaire for health-worker skills evaluation to obtain a self-care program for pre-diabetic patients.
Instrument & Methods: The questionnaire's psychometric properties were evaluated utilizing face validity by 15 health workers, content validity was evaluated by ten experts (5 health education and health promotion experts, three diabetes experts, and two general practitioners), and construct validity, internal consistency, and stability were assessed by 400 health workers who were randomly selected.
Findings: Due to the results of investigating the texts and interviews, the initial questionnaire, including 54 phrases, was presented. In the face validity section, eight expressions were removed quantitatively. Then, in identifying content validity, three other words were deleted, and the questionnaire was reduced to 43 phrases in general. This questionnaire's exploratory factor analysis revealed four factors: self-efficacy, attitude, reinforcing factors, and enabling factors. These four factors explained 57.51% of the total variance of the test. The confirmatory factor analysis results also confirmed the factors of the PRECEDE-PROCEED model. Cronbach's alpha and intra-cluster correlation index for questionnaire structures ranged from 0.87-0.88 and 0.87-0.88, respectively.
Conclusion: The designed questionnaire has good validity and reliability.

Abstract Aims: Spirituality can be an important source of coping with the disease, reduce feelings of suffering and improving the quality of life in patients with chronic diseases. The purpose of the current study was to determine the relationship of spirituality with the perception of suffering and quality of life in patients with type 2 diabetes.
Instruments & Methods: This was a descriptive-correlation study. Participants were 145 patients with type 2 diabetes of rural health clinics and the valley hospital in Khorramshahr city which were selected via stratified random and available sampling methods. Data collection tools were version of 29-item of the spiritual questionnaire (Parsian and Dunning), experience and perception of suffering questionnaire (Schulz) and version of 26-item of the quality of life questionnaire (WHO). Data were analyzed using SPSS 16.0 software and Pearson's correlation, T-test, ANOVA, Post Hoc, and stepwise regression analytical statistics.
Findings: The spirituality average scores were 79.41±15.82, perception of suffering average scores, 54.89±2.14, and quality of life 74.44±1.65. There was a significant negative relationship between spirituality and feelings of suffering (p<0.05) and a significant positive relationship between spirituality and quality of life (p<0.0001).
Conclusion: A strong correlation between spirituality with quality of life and suffering in patients with type II diabetes demonstrates the roles and responsibilities of healthcare providers, including physicians and nurses and the patient's family in meeting the varied spiritual and religious needs of patients along with therapeutic actions. Paying attention to improve spiritual health is also important in education programs for these patients.

Abstract Aims: Cardiovascular Diseases (CVDs) are the main causes of death and have the first place among other diseases throughout the world. Studying the situation of risk factors for CVDs seems necessary in Iran at various periods. The aim of this study was to determine risk factors for cardiovascular diseases (CVD) among the employees of Ilam University of Medical Sciences in order to design appropriate educational interventions.
Materials and Methods: In this descriptive cross-sectional study, which was conducted in 2017, 294 employees of Ilam University of Medical Sciences participated after presenting written consent forms. To collect data, a researcher-made questionnaire was designed and applied after verifying the validity and reliability (Cronbach’s alpha greater than 0.8). Eventually, the data were analyzed, using SPSS 16 and appropriate statistical methods.
Findings: Generally, 46.3% of the participants had a history of CVDs, 21.8% had a history of death caused by these diseases in their family, and 69.4% had a history of death caused by CVD among their relatives; 72.4% of the participants did not exercise daily and the mean daily exercise of participants was 8.08±1.51 minutes. Totally, 41.5% of the participants were taking solid oil, 78.6% were high-fat dairy consumers, and 41.2% consumed red meat more than twice a week.
Conclusion: Performance of the participants in terms of physical activity and consuming fruits and vegetables, fish, red meat, and fatty foods is undesirable, indicating the unhealthy lifestyle of people and their exposure to CVDs.

Abstract Aim: One of the influential factors in maintaining health is nutritional status. As a meal that is prepared quickly and easily and sold in restaurants and eateries, fast food has been popular in many communities. The aim of this study was to assess the effect of health education on the knowledge, attitude, and practice of fast food consumption among primary students in Tehran.
Materials and Methods: In this semi-experimental study, 120 primary school students were selected by simple random sampling method during 2015-2016 academic year in Tehran and they were randomly allocated to intervention and control groups. The data were collected from schools in district 6, Tehran, using a valid and reliable questionnaire before and after the intervention in the areas of knowledge, attitude, practice, and demographic variables. The data were analyzed by SPSS 22 software, using descriptive statistics and independent & paired t-tests, Chi-square, and Mann-Whitney tests.
Findings: Regarding the knowledge, attitude, and practice scores, there were no significant differences between the two groups (intervention and control) before the intervention, but during ``3 months after education``, a significant difference in knowledge, attitude, and practice scores was seen (p<0.01). In the intervention group, the mean score for knowledge, attitude, and practice, 3 months after intervention was increased by 7.13, 12.96 and 0.87 scores, respectively (p<0.001).
Conclusion: Increasing the awareness of educational health in terms of knowledge, attitude, and practice is effectivein the reduction of fast food consumption in primary students.