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Introduction: Social networks are the most important means of communication in the societies as well as in the world.social networks among students is very essential. This study was conducted to investigate the relationship between the use of social networks with the motivation of academic achievement among students of Kurdistan University of Medical Sciences. Methods: In this cross-sectional study 270 students of Kurdistan University of Medical Sciences during the academic year of 2017-18 were selected through stratified random sampling. Data were collected using demographic information form, social networks questionnaire, and Hermann's academic achievement motivation. Data was analyzed using SPSS software version 22. Result: The mean age of the participants was 21.9 ± 3.2 years. In general, the average score of motivation for progress in the samples was 78.0 ± 8.0, indicating that the motivation for academic achievement was high among students. However, the results of the Spearman test showed that there is not a significant statistical relationship between the time spent using virtual social networks and the motivation for academic achievement in students. Conclusion The results indicate that considering the majority of students are members of social networks, the use of virtual social networks did not affect students' achievement motivation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Due to the importance of holding effective scientific Olympiads for medical sciences students, this study aimed to evaluate experts’ viewpoints in regard to their necessity, costs, achievements, barriers and solutions. Methods:In this qualitative study, required data were collected using open-ended questions through self-development questionnaires, which were filled out by experts. Data were analyzed through content-analysis methods. To select participants, a purpose-based sampling method was applied up to the point of information saturation. Thus, this study was performed with 20 individuals. Results:The main necessity and philosophy of holding Olympiads expressed by the experts were: promoting health sector performance, extension of interrelationships between universities, development of scientific competition and incensement of students’ creativity. The majority of participants believed that the achievements of holding these Olympiads are negligible versus their costs. The most important barriers were: absence of appropriate relationships between universities, lack of proper support for holding these Olympiads, the low motivation of professors, noninterested students and the shortage of resources and facilities. Furthermore, the most important solutions included: performance evaluation of previous Olympiads, increasing incentives and motivations as well as suitable planning. Conclusion: According to experts’ viewpoints, although holding scientific Olympiads is necessary for medical students, during past years, the achievements of such Olympiads versus theirs costs seem negligible and there are lots of barriers in the path of achieving their goals and philosophy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and objective: Health promotion and providing health for the whole population is an important factor of progress in societies. Students of medical sciences have a significant role in the health promotion as health promoter and professional health care providers. Therefore, the health-promoting behaviors among these students have noticeable importance. Methods: In this cross-sectional descriptive-analytical study,400 students were assessed by HPLP II questionnaire through two-stage stratified sampling. This questionnaire has six dimensions:responsibility, physical activity, nutrition, spiritual growth, Stress Management, and interpersonal relationships. Descriptive statistics and T-test was used for data analysis through SPSS11.5. Results: The mean age of students was 21.36±1.6. The total mean score of health-promoting behavior was 113.08±25 (total score 208). The highest score was gained by spiritual growth (20.81±6.2), and the lowest score was by responsibility domain (19.26±6.8). Interpersonal relations between two sexes was statistically significant (p<0.05). Conclusion: Due to the state of the health-promoting behaviors among students of medical sciences (intermediate levels),educational planning in health promoting behaviors is recommended for students. Paper Type: Research Article. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Health sciences research (HSR) is an essential part of improving health care which plays a critical role in the field of medicine and clinical practice. The aim of the current study was to assess barriers to the research by students of medical sciences as well as to find out effective strategies for management of student researches in Iranian universities. Materials and Methods: This study utilized a hybrid design with quantitative and qualitative analytical approaches conducted on 627 students in six schools of medical sciences in two universities in Central Province in Iran from April to December, 2012. Questionnaires were distributed among researcher and non-researcher students to find barriers to the research. These barriers were approved and validated by similar studies and strategies using the Delphi technique on 36 students. Results: The most important barriers among researcher students were institutional barriers (3.3 ± 1.3), but in non-researcher students they were individual barriers (3.6 ± 1.7). The majority of barriers to involvement in the research among researcher students appeared to be time, lack of access to electronic resources and prolongation of the process of buying equipment. In addition, the greatest barriers among non-researcher students included the lack of time, scientific writing skills, and access to trained assistants. Conclusion: The results showed the issue of attitudes towards compulsory research as a component of critical scholarship in the curriculum of medical courses. Moreover, employment of the research experts can be helpful for research training in schools of medical sciences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]