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This study examined the efficiency of the health belief model in understanding preventive behaviors of pregnant women in Iran. A cross-sectional descriptive-analytical methodology study was conducted of pregnant women who were referred to a healthcare center in 2021. The data were the responses to a questionnaire designed for this study. The data were analyzed with SPSS 24 software, Amos 22 software, correlation tests, regression analysis, and independent t tests. In terms of the health belief model, pregnant women with high perceived susceptibility showed the highest vaccination rate, while those with high perceived barriers had the lowest. The model predicted 20% variance in the preventive behavior from COVID-19, with perceived susceptibility and cues to action being the strongest and weakest predictors of behavior, respectively. The conclusion of the study was that the health belief model was an appropriate model to guide the care of pregnant women. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Physical activity in female employees is a healthy behavior and increases strength, endurance, improves flexibility, improves the feeling of vitality and freshness, improves health, and ultimately increases life expectancy. Health messages are one of the most effective ways to engage people and motivate them to perform healthy behaviors. The purpose of this study was to the study of the effectiveness of education based on message framing through mobile phone (whatsapp) on the physical activity of women employees of universities and higher education institutions in Ahvaz city. Method: In this interventional study, 90 of female employees of three universities and higher education institutions of Ahvaz city were selected by random sampling and randomly divided into three groups (30 participants) receiving gain framed messages, receiving loss framed messages and the control group. The tools of data collection were demographic information questionnaire and international physical activity questionnaire (IPAQ). The participants of the intervention groups received educational messages about physical activity behavior in two different gain and loss framed messages through whatsapp for one month. Data were collected from three groups at the beginning of the study, immediately and two months after the intervention, and were analyzed using SPSS version 26. Results: The results showed that there was a significant increase in the average physical activity score after the intervention in two interventional groups. by comparing the increase of this score, 53% improvement in physical activity is observed in the gain message group and 15% in loss massage group but there was no significant increase in the control group. Conclusion: The results of this study showed that the design and implementation of education programs based on message framing, especially gain framed messages through online education (Whatsapp) can improve and promote physical activity behavior in women employees. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Pregnant women are considered one of the high-risk groups during the COVID-19 pandemic, so paying attention to preventive behaviors among them is highly important. This study aimed to examine the effect of multimedia education based on the Health Belief Model (HBM) in preventing COVID-19 among pregnant women. Methods: This quasi-experimental intervention study was conducted on 120 pregnant women referring to Comprehensive Health Services Centers affiliated with East and West health centres of Ahvaz city, Iran, in 2021. Participants were divided into two control (n = 60) and intervention (n = 60) groups. A researcher-made questionnaire was used for data collection. The intervention group was given the required educational content using social networks virtually and multimedia in 12 sessions. Both groups were reinvestigated after two months. Data were analyzed using SPSS software version 24, independent t-test and paired t-test tests. Results: The mean age and mean gestational age of participants were estimated at 28 years old and 18 weeks, respectively. Before the educational intervention, there was no significant difference in mean constructs of HBM. In contrast, the mean of all constructs increased significantly in the intervention group after intervention. The greatest change was related to the constructs of self-efficacy and perceived susceptibility, and the lowest change was related to the perceived barriers construct. Conclusion: Our findings suggest multimedia education using the HBM to COVID-19 preventive behaviors among pregnant women can benefit behavior change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examined the effects of a nutrition education programme based on the Health Belief Model (HBM) on knowledge, attitude, and practice (KAP) of dietary calcium in female students. In this interventional study, 188 students were placed into intervention (95) and control (93) groups. The intervention group participated in a nutrition education programme. Students in both the groups completed KAP and food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) at baseline and after two and three months of follow-up respectively. The data were analyzed by independent and paired t-tests. Those who received the intervention were found to have better attitude (p=0.049) and practice (p=0.005) scores compared to the controls. The HBM constructs, including perceived susceptibility (p=0.006), perceived severity (p=0.001), perceived benefits (p=0.002), perceived barriers (p=0.001), and taking health action (p=0.02) scores, were also significantly higher. The findings support the effectiveness of nutrition education based on the HBM in improving the knowledge, attitude, and practice relating to calcium intake among adolescent students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Over 100 million women worldwide are using oral contraceptives pills (OCP) and mood changes were being as the primary reason for OCP discontinuation. The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence and predicting factors of mood changes in oral contraceptive pills users. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study of 500 women aged 15-49 years old using low dose (LD) pills attending family planning centers in Ahwaz, Iran. Data were collected via face-to-face interviews using a structured questionnaire including items on demographic, self-efficacy and mood change. Both univarate and multiple logistic regression analyses were performed to assess the relationship between reported mood change and the independent variables. Results: In all 406 women reported that they did experience OCP side effects. Of these, 37.7% of women (n =153) reported mood changes due to OCP use. The results of multiple logistic regression revealed that place of living (OR =2.57, 95% CI = 1.06-6.20, p =0.03), not receiving information on OCP side effects (OR =1.80, 95% CI = 1.15-2.80, p =0.009), and lower self-efficacy (OR = 0.87, 95% CI = 0.80-0.94, p =0.001) were significant predictors of mood changes. Conclusion: The findings from this study indicated that the prevalence of reported mood changes due to OCP use among Iranian women appeared to be consistent with other studies. In addition the findings showed that receiving information on OCP side effects from health care workers and self-efficacy were important predicting factors for mood changes. Indeed implementing educational programs and improving self-efficacy among women are recommended. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Objective: To determine the seroprevalence of hepatitis E virus (HEV) infection among volunteer blood donors in Khuzestan Province, Iran. Khuzestan is a war stricken area in the southwest of Iran, which shares a land, river, and sea border with Iraq. This region has suffered the heaviest public health system damage of all the Iranian provinces during a 25-year period of war and conflict. Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out among 400 urban volunteer blood donors of the regional blood banks, from May to December 2005. Serum samples from healthy blood donors were tested for IgG anti-HEV antibody using a specific enzyme linked immunoassay (ELISA) kit. Results: The prevalence of HEV infection was found to be 11.5% (46/400). All patients were negative for anti-HIV, anti-HBV, and anti-HCV antibodies. The data indicate that 14.6% (38/260) of HEV positive subjects were male, compared to 5.7% (8/140) of females; this difference is statistically significant (risk ratio=2.6, p <0.008). Conclusions: These findings demonstrate the high prevalence rate of anti-HEV among blood donors, particularly males. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

• A biofilter packaged with perlite, ripe compost, and oak woodchips was used to remove furfural from polluted air. • Totally, the mean values of removal efficiency and elimination capacity of the biofilter were 72 ± 12 % and 2.1 ± 1.5 g m−3 h−1. • The removal efficiency values under neutral and acidic conditions were 80 and 65 %, respectively. Furfural is a toxic compound that is widely used in various industries. Prolonged inhalation exposure to this pollutant, especially at workplaces, can induce detrimental health effects. Therefore it is important to remove it from the environment. The present study aimed to investigate furfural removal from polluted air streams using a biofilter system. In this regard, a 4-section biofilter packed with perlite, ripe compost, and oak woodchips was operated for a 108 day-period under different operating conditions. The effects of pH (natural and acidic), inlet concentration (18.8–81.6 mg m−3), the height of biofilter layers (4 sections), and empty bed residence times (EBRTs) of 120, 70, and 30 s on removal efficiency (RE) of the biofilter were evaluated. All sampling and measurements were performed according to standard methods. The RE values under neutral and acidic conditions were 80 and 65 %, respectively. At furfural inlet concentrations in the ranges of 18.8–21.3, 35.25–42.7, and 78.4–81.6 mg m−3, the RE values were 81, 68, and 57 %, respectively. Also, the RE values at EBRTs of 120, 70, and 30 s were 83, 73, and 61 %, respectively. About half of the total RE was related to the first section of the biofilter, where the number of bacterial (6.2 log 10 CFU g-1) and fungal (5.8 log 10 CFU g-1) were higher than the other sections. Due to the high RE (72 %) and low pressure drop (below 43 Pa m-1) of the biofilter, it can be concluded that biofiltration is a suitable process to remove furfural from the air. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]