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This study examined effects of a social marketing intervention to encourage people to donate blood in a southwest city of Iran. To design the intervention, the constructs of theory of planned behavior in 170 consistent blood donors were measured. Persuasive messages were developed, and some printed materials were prepared to transfer the message to the target segment. The trend of the percentage of consistent blood donors was measured during the first four months after the intervention. The percentage of consistent blood donors was increased significantly. The findings showed the effectiveness of the social marketing interventions for blood donation.

PURPOSE This study aims to compare the effectiveness of uphill walking and physical therapy versus physical therapy alone on knee pain, excursion ranges, stride length, and walking speed in individuals with knee osteoarthritis. METHODS In this randomized clinical trial, 30 patients with knee osteoarthritis participated. Both control and intervention groups received 10-session physical therapy. Moreover, the intervention group received an 8-degree treadmill walking at a speed of 1.1 m/s for 30 min in each session. Outcome measures, including pain, excursion ranges, stride length, and walking speed, were measured at baseline, post-treatment, and a 20-day follow-up. RESULTS Significant improvements in stride length and walking speed were observed just in the intervention group from baseline to post-treatment (p ≤ 0.001) and from baseline to follow-up (p ≤ 0.001). Furthermore, significant improvement in excursion ranges was observed just in the intervention group from baseline to follow-up (p

Purpose: This study aimed to compare the effectiveness of physiotherapy with uphill walking versus physiotherapy alone on the disability of patients with knee osteoarthritis. Methods: This study was a randomized clinical trial carried out on 30 patients (5 males and 25 females) with moderate knee osteoarthritis aged between 40 and 65 years. They were assigned to the intervention and control groups. Both groups received 10-session routine physiotherapy, and the intervention group received an 8-degree treadmill walking at a speed of 1.1m/s for 30 minutes in each session. The participants’ disability was measured before, immediately after, and 20 days after the 10-session treatment by the Persian version of Knee injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (KOOS). The data were analyzed through the repeated measures analysis of variance in SPSS V. 22. The significant level was set at 0.05. Results: Statistical analysis showed significant improvements in the activity of daily living (P≤0.01) and quality of life (P

Self-medication is a serious health problem in Iran. In this quasi-experimental study with a control group, four healthcare facilities were selected and divided into intervention and control groups. Based on the health files of women in healthcare facilities, 192 women were selected randomly and completed a self-reported questionnaire to measure Health Belief Model constructs and self-medication. After analyzing the data, perceived susceptibility was found as the main predictive factor for self-medication, and an intervention was developed to increase it. The intervention consisted of lectures and group discussions, along with distributing pamphlets and sending short messages for four weeks. Three months later, the data was collected again and analyzed. Perceived susceptibility was improved, and self-reported behavior was reduced significantly in intervention groups compared to the control groups.

Background Iran has a low incidence but higher rate of death from cervical cancer (CC). The country is in the process of implementing an organized screening program including HPV testing and cytology. Studies show high dropout in continued testing among eligible women. This qualitative study aimed to explore women’s awareness regarding CC and CC testing and the role of knowledge, perceived risk, and cues to action in this process. Method Through a qualitative study based on the Framework Method, we recruited 81 women aged 25–65 who participated in 15 focus group discussions (FGDs) and two in-depth interviews in Tehran. The interviewees were selected purposefully during January to May 2015 from households belonging to different socioeconomic classes until data saturation. The data were acquired through 11 open-ended questions and 32 related probe questions. All interviews were transcribed and independently analyzed by two researchers (Kappa and agreement testing respectively: 0.77, 97.11%). Results The coded texts were categorized under three themes and 13 subthemes. The three thematic areas referred to knowledge, cues to action, and perceived risks regarding CC and screening. The results showed that women had limited and unspecified knowledge about CC and screening, compounded by misconceptions regarding infection and cancer prevention measures. Social and cultural barriers hindered proper communication between health system/providers and clients and within communities on subjects related to CC and screening. The perceived risk of getting CC was low because of overestimating the role of hereditary factors for CC, difficulty in differentiating between cancer and sexually transmitted infections (STI), and the absence of visible symptoms. Conclusion The results indicate a strong need to invest more efforts to improve health education and communication in the current national health program to promote awareness of the need to screen for CC through, for example, establishing correct knowledge and risk perceptions among women. In addition, this intervention should address women’s social environment in order to prevent misconceptions being communicated to women.

Introduction. In Iran, the rate of cesarean section is three times more than the acceptable rate considered by the World Health Organization. This study aimed at reducing the selection of cesarean section by primigravida through an intervention based on social marketing in Boyer-Ahmad County, Iran, 2015. Methods. In this field trial, 39 of primigravida women were identified and selected as a target group. Formative research (a quantitative survey and a qualitative study) was done to achieve the social marketing mix. The tailored intervention was developed based on the findings of formative research. The intervention was implemented for one month for pregnant women who had cesarean section intention. Their intention for the cesarean section was studied again one month after the implementation of the intervention. The effectiveness of the intervention was evaluated by the proportion test. Results. The average age of the women was 25.82. All of the women 38.5 percent had a diploma degree and lower than and 61.5 percent had a university degree. Before the intervention, 39 women intended to do Cesarean. The intention of 30 pregnant women was changed significantly one month after the intervention. Conclusion. The study showed the effectiveness of an intervention based on consumer-oriented social marketing theory and could be used to reduce Cesarean intention. More studies about related factors of vaginal delivery selection especially from behavioral intention up to behavior are suggested.

Introduction: Although performing cesarean section in specific condition can save life of mother and neonate, but has considerable complications. Reducing cesarean among primigravida is one of the best strategies to reduce cesarean. Therefore, this study was performed with aim to develop a tailored intervention to promote normal vaginal delivery (NVD) among primigravida women. Methods: This formative research was done to develop an intervention based on assessment tools pattern and social marketing response to reduce cesarean section among primigravida women in Boyer-Ahmad city in 2015. The qualitative data were collected through individual interviews and focused group discussions. The quantitative data were collected by a questionnaire based on the constructs of Theory of Planned Behavior. Data was analyzed by SPSS software (version 16). The qualitative data were analyzed by content analysis method as manual and the quantitative data by routine descriptive statistics, logistic regression, Chi-Square and Mann-Whitney tests. Results: In qualitative part, the most important barriers for selecting NVD were: maternity being unpleasant, fear, others' recommendations, and negative experiences of referring to maternity and low level of knowledge among women. The main interventions recommended for increasing NVD were: education, counseling, making the process of NVD more pleasant. In the quantitative survey, we found that 25.2 of the women were intended to do cesarean. In quantitative part, 39 women (25.2) had intention to perform cesarean section. The median and interquartile range of attitude was 18±4, subjective norms 16.5±3, and perceived control behavior 16±3. Attitude, subjective norms, place of residence, and the spouse's job were the main predictors in selecting the mode of delivery. Conclusion: To design an effective tailored intervention to promote NVD among primigravida women, their wants and needs should be considered. Education, offering telephone counseling, and implement of brief interventions by physicians and midwives in health centers are the main elements of the tailored intervention.

Background and aim In social marketing, at the center of the program is consumer perception. The objective of this study was to explore the viewpoints of Iranian women for tailoring interventions so as to increase physical activity. Methods The social marketing model served as the framework of the study. Qualitative data were collected via six semi-structured focus group discussions (FGDs), in 2014 in Iran. Participants were 51 women, 20 to 60 years old, selected by purposive sampling, with a maximum diversity. Qualitative content analysis of the data was conducted by researchers. Results After data analysis and extracting initial codes, they were all categorized in four predefined categories of social marketing model (product, price, place and promotion) and related sub-categories. Most of the participants were inactive. Price was addressed by women as the dominant category of this study. The majority of participants emphasized the benefits of prevention of chronic diseases, fitness, staying young, and improving family relations. Most women preferred to do physical activity in a secure and enclosed female environment. And the majority of participants considered radio, television, face to face training, texting, and advertising billboards as promotional strategies. Conclusion This study provides a unique insight into consumers' values and motivations that affect consumers' decisions to adopt physical activity, in Iran. It could also help researchers to design and implement intervention programs to increase physical activity.

To determine the effect of an educational program based on the PRECEDE model to improve sexual function among women with hysterectomy.The present randomized trial, conducted in Iran during 2014, included 48 women with hysterectomy who were selected through convenience sampling and randomly divided into two equal groups. Women in the experimental group received an educational program based on constructs of the PRECEDE model. The control group received only routine interventions. Before the interventions, the women completed two questionnaires: one that measured the PRECEDE model constructs and the Rosen Female Sexual Function Index. The questionnaires were repeated 4 weeks after the intervention and the results were compared within and between groups.In each group, a significant improvement in sexual function was demonstrated after the intervention (P0.001). The mean sexual function score increased to a greater extent in the experimental group (difference 16.95±6.33) than in the control group (difference 4.35±1.94; P0.001).The findings confirm the effectiveness of an educational program based on the PRECEDE model in terms of improving sexual function among women with hysterectomy. Iranian Registry of Clinical Trials: IRCT2014122220401N1.

Background Despite recommendations, many middle-age adults neglect to check their blood cholesterol levels. Short message service (SMS, also known as texting) has been seldom studied for preventive education. We estimated how SMS can be a cost-effective method in encouraging people to check their blood cholesterol levels. Methods In a field trial, 3600 cell phone users (age > 30) were randomly assigned to the intervention (N: 1200) and the control groups (N: 2400). An SMS was sent to the intervention group for five rounds every two weeks, which targeted the cognitive and affective learning and finally advised the blood cholesterol level to be checked, if not checked during the past twelve months. Two weeks after the last round, both groups were asked for the time/level of their latest blood cholesterol, family history of early cardiac death and having a family member with coronary heart disease (CHD), and to report their attitude about whether annual blood sampling is worth the cost and time to prevent CHD. Moreover, the intervention group was asked if they remembered the SMS content. The cost-effectiveness was evaluated by estimating the “number needed to treat” (NNT) and calculating the cost of sending SMS to that number of people. Results In the intervention group, 629 individuals (72.0%) recalled the SMS content. The factors associated with cholesterol screening during the past two years were older age, diabetes, family history of coronary disease, higher education, female gender and being non-smoker. In both groups, women were significantly more aware of their blood cholesterol level (68.7% vs. 53.6%). The relative frequency of respondents who believed it was not worth checking their cholesterol annually was significantly lower in the intervention group (P

Background Given that mothers play a role in the sexual education of their daughters, it is important to understand their views of sexual health and related programs. This study was aimed at exploring mothers’ perspectives regarding sexual health education for their adolescent daughters in Mahshahr, Iran. Methods In this qualitative study, in-depth interviews with ten key informants and five focus group discussions involving 28 mothers with daughters aged 12–18 were conducted. All the discussions were audio-recorded and later transcribed. The data were classified, after which the main themes and sub-themes were manually extracted and analyzed. Results The five main themes determined were: the necessity of sexual health education for adolescent girls, the sources of information that mothers use, barriers to sexual health education, the need to empower mothers to provide sexual education to their daughters, and recommendations for developing special training programs for mothers. Most participants believed in limiting sexual health education for adolescent girls; nevertheless, they stated that trained mothers were best equipped to educate their daughters. The major barriers identified by the mothers were their own insufficient knowledge about sexual issues, embarrassment surrounding discussions of this issue with their daughters, fear of the arrogance and curiosity of girls, and a lack of skills for effective communication. Conclusion The results showed that empowering mothers to provide sexual health education is important. Tailored educational programs, based on mothers’ views, should be developed and implemented.

Cervical cancer is the fourth common cancer among women worldwide. Pap smear screening has resulted in deceasing incidence of cervical cancer in developed countries but low uptake of Pap smear screening among women in developing countries is still a public health challenge. The aim of this cross-sectional study was to assess the relationship between self-efficacy and timely uptake of Pap smear among Iranian women. A total of 580 married women referred to primary health care centers covered administratively by Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences in Tehran were administered a questionnaire by trained staff. Data were analyzed with SPSS (version 16) software, using univariate and multivariate logistic regression. The mean age for participants was 33.1±8.8 years. There was a significant association between self-efficacy and Pap smear screening (P