Search

Background: The effect of poor psychosocial work conditions on health status has widely been discussed in occupational literature. Job Content Questionnaire (JCQ) is a widely accepted instrument for evaluation of psychosocial work conditions.Objective: To determine the reliability and validity of Persian version of JCQ.Methods: The questionnaire was translated into Persian and back translated. 490 Iranian health care workers completed the questionnaire. After 4 weeks, 196 participants completed the questionnaire once again.Results: Factor analyses revealed an acceptable level of structure validity for the questionnaire.Cronbach's α was more than 0.75 for all scales except for psychological demand(α=0.60) and job insecurity (α=0.27). reassessment of participants after 4 weeks revealed an acceptable level of reliability for all scales except depression.Conclusion: The Persian version of JCQ is reliable and valid for assessing work conditions among Iranian health care workers, although revision is needed for job insecurity and depression scales. INSET: TAKE-HOME MESSAGE. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The effect of health status on productivity has widely been studied and discussed in literature. Valid and reliable tools are needed to evaluate the levels of health and productivity and provide detailed information, before any intervention is implemented. World Health Organization Health and Work Performance Questionnaire (HPQ) is a widely used instrument in estimating the workplace costs of health problems in terms of reduced job performance, sickness absence, and work-related accidents and injuries. Objective: To assess the reliability and validity of Persian version of HPQ in Iranian health care workers. Methods: The questionnaire was translated to Persian and back translated. 102 health care workers completed the questionnaire. Absence and sick-leave data was extracted from administrative records. Results: Factor analysis revealed acceptable validity for the questionnaire in part A (health). Cronbach's alpha was >0.73 for all scales of Parts B (work) and C (demographic). Questions targeting days of absence and sick-leave had acceptable correlation with administrative records (Pearson's r >0.75), while questions on total hours worked showed lower correlation. Conclusion: Persian version of HPQ can be considered a reliable and valid tool in Iranian health workers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: To determine the incidence and risk factors of retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) in premature infants referred to a tertiary eye hospital during 2003-7 to provide preliminary evidence about HOP in Iran. Methods: In a cross-sectional study, data for premature infants screened for HOP in Farabi Eye Hospital including possible risk factors and eye exams' results were recorded and analysed using χ² univariate and multiple regressions. Severe HOP was defined as HOP needing treatment or stage 4 or 5 of HOP. Results: Among 953 premature infants, there were 329 (34.5%) different stages of HOP. Severe ROP was seen in 22.6% (215/953) of infants (16.5%: treatable, 6.1%: advanced untreatable). The mean gestational age (GA) and birth weight (BW) of infants with severe ROP were 28.8 (SD 2.4) weeks and 1256 (389) g respectively. Univariate analysis showed a significant relation between GA, BW, oxygen therapy, blood transfusion and HOP (p<0.001), while multiple-regression methods showed GA, BW and oxygen therapy as independent predictors of ROP (p<0.001, 0.019 and 0.033, respectively). Conclusion: The authors observed a relatively high incidence of HOP in this series, especially its severe form affecting relatively more mature infants, which merits further investigation. GA, BW and oxygen therapy were independent ROP determinants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]