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This qualitative study was conducted to explain the reasons for the tendency of young people to smoke hookahs in Iran. This was a qualitative content analysis study. The research population comprised of young people living in Sirjan, Iran. This study was conducted from March 2019 to June 2020. Twenty-two participants were selected using purposeful sampling. After gaining consent, semi-structured interviews were conducted for data collection. Three main themes were identified including: "Misconception about hookah smoking" including thinking it is harmless, it should be consumed at happy times and is a reason for being together, and it reduces anxiety and fatigue; "Accessibility" including easy access to hookah, hookah pipes being sold without age restrictions, hookah pipes being available in coffee shops, public places and homes, the cheapness of smoking hookahs; and "Achieve a better feeling" including feeling good while or after smoking hookah, boosting confidence, thinking it is a tool for forgetting problems and getting rid of stress and anxiety. In this study, a variety of factors which contribute to hookah smoking among young people have been identified. Hookah smoking prevention programs and community interventions can be designed based on the results of this study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background. During the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, most hospitals have faced a heavy load of patients. In this situation, it is very important to consider the resilience and endurance of medical staff, as well as to identify and investigate the relevant factors which can increase their resilience. Objectives. The aim of this study was to identify the factors affecting the resilience of hospital medical staff during the COVID-19 pandemic. Material and methods. The present study is a qualitative study using a semi-structured interview. Participants included doctors, nurses, clinicians and managers working in tertiary referral hospitals during the COVID-19 pandemic. Interviews were conducted as needed until data saturation was reached using the purposive sampling method. A total number of 20 people, including 6 physicians, 2 hospital managers, 7 nurses, 1 radiologist, 3 laboratory technicians and 1 clinical psychologist, were interviewed in 7 educational hospitals of the Kerman Province. Results. After data analysis and coding, 127 initial codes were identified. By reviewing the codes, 127 initial codes were merged by the research team, and 23 codes in 6 main categories, including Personal Factors (7 codes), Family-Related Factors (2 codes), Community Related Factors (2 codes), Virus-Related Factors (2 codes), Organisational Factors (7 codes) and Economical Factors (3 codes) were extracted. Conclusions. Paying attention to the identified factors on the maintenance of medical human resources in the form of the “Surge Capacity Programme” can increase the resilience of medical staff. Such measures pave the way for a better response to other threats similar to the COVID-19 pandemic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Aim: Difficulty in perception of speech in noise is one of the main complaints of hearing-impaired people. Due to profound hearing loss in cochlear implant (CI) users, they need higher signal-to-noise ratio for a better perception. Bimodal fitting is a preferred way for CI users because it prevents auditory nerve degeneration, is a complement of frequency range at the opposite ear, an is less invasive to provide binaural hearing. Acceptable noise level (ANL), as a reliable test to assess noise tolerance, has not yet been used in comparing children with bimodal hearing and CI. This study aimed to determine whether bimodal fitting can help CI children tolerate more noise. Methods: This descriptive-analytical study was conducted on 13 children with unilateral CI and bimodal hearing. Audiometry test was performed at aided and non-aided conditions. Then, their noise tolerance was assessed by the Persian version of ANL test. Results: Bimodal hearing resulted in statistically significant increase in ANL. The mean of ANL at unilateral CI and bimodal hearing conditions were 6.15±2.90 and 4.77±1.70, respectively. Conclusion: Bimodal fitting lead to more noise tolerance in unilateral CI children due to the combination of binaural summation and binaural release from masking. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Smoking is one of the most important risk factors for chronic diseases in the world and its use is growing rapidly among the adolescents and youth. Health literacy is one of the major personal abilities in order to acquire, interpret and understand health information to prevent and control health problems. This study aimed to determine the association between health literacy and smoking among the young men in Sirjan, Iran. Methods: The present study was a descriptive and analytical cross-sectional study done on 200 males aged 18–24 selected by stratified random sampling. Demographic and health literacy questionnaires were used for data collection. Data were analyzed by SPSS 18 and by chi-square test and logistic regression. Results: The mean age of the subjects was 20.7 ± 2.4 years, 38% did not smoke, 16% used cigarettes and 46% used hookah. Only 16% of those who used hookah had adequate health literacy. All variables except father's occupation and residence showed a significant correlation with health literacy. Based on logistic regression, there was a significant association between smoking and health literacy and its constructs (accessing, reading skill, perception, evaluation, and usage). Conclusion: The findings indicate that young men in Sirjan have inadequate health literacy about the dangers of smoking. Therefore, proper education based on the health education model is recommended to enhance health literacy and promote healthy behaviors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Providing health care services has always been considered as a hazardous job due to a number of reasons. The risk of blood-borne viruses and the importance of their prevention has led to the formulation of principles called standard precautions (SPs). The goal of this study was to investigate the impact of an educational intervention based on the Health Belief Model constructs on the behavior of nurses in emergency centers regarding observing SPs in Sirjan, Iran. This was a quasi-experimental study. The study population included 100 emergency personnel working in health centers in Sirjan city (of Iran), who were randomly divided into two intervention (n = 50) and control (n = 50) groups. The educational intervention was conducted over two sessions each lasting for 60 min. Information was collected by a questionnaire (with 64 questions), completed in an interview conducted directly before the intervention and 3 months later. Data were analyzed using the χ 2 test, t -test and paired t -test.The results showed nurses did not have enough information about SPs, but after the intervention, knowledge scores increased in both groups. In the Health Belief Model (HBM) constructs, significant differences were observed in perceived susceptibility, perceived severity, perceived benefits and barriers, cues to action and self-efficacy, after the intervention, in the intervention group (P < 0.001), but not in the control group (P > 0.05). HBM was effective in educating SPs among emergency personnel. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Objectives: Women comprise a small yet rising prison population whose health needs have been disregarded in most communities. Spiritual health represents a health aspect and therefore should be studied. The aim of the current study was to compare spiritual health between female prisoners and nonprisoners. Methods: This descriptive-analytical study was conducted on 300 women (150 prisoners and 150 nonprisoners). Paloutzian & Ellison's Spiritual Well-Being Scale was used to measure spiritual health. Demographic characteristics were gathered using a researcher-developed demographic questionnaire. Data analysis was conducted using independent t-test and ANOVA in SPSS 16. Results: The mean age of the participants was 33.42 (9.9) years. According to the findings, Physical health, religious, and spiritual health levels were significantly lower among the prisoners than the nonprisoners. One-way ANOVA results demonstrated that spiritual health was statistically significantly associated with marital status, economic status, and history of neurological diseases in both groups. Conclusion: Female prisoners represent one of the vulnerable populations of the community and have low levels of spiritual health that is the most important human aspect and helps achieve meaning and purpose in life. It is necessary to adopt evidence-based, gender specific policies to promote female prisoners' spiritual health so that other health aspects of this population can be promoted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]