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Background: Hookah, as a traditional method of smoking, is widely used in Iran, especially in Bushehr province. It is essential to identify the most important determinants of modifying hookah smoking behavior. This study aimed to investigate the predictors of the stages of change in quitting hookah smoking in 15-60-year-old individuals in Bushehr province, southern Iran, based on the transtheoretical model (TTM). Methods: This descriptive-analytical study was conducted on 1173 Hookah smokers in Bushehr province. The samples were selected by two-stage random sampling from 10 cities. Data were collected using a valid and reliable questionnaire consisting of 5 sections (demographic characteristics, stages of change, processes of change, decisional balance, and self-efficacy). Data were analyzed by R version.3.3.1 using analysis of variance and ordinal logistic regression at a significant level of 0.05. Findings: The data revealed 82% of the participants were in the preparatory phase (55.3% in pre-contemplation and 26.7% in contemplation stages). Marital status, family members smoking hookah, cigarette smoking, level of education, number of family members, number of quitting attempts, self-efficacy, self-reevaluation, counter-conditioning, reinforcement management, and stimulus control were predictors of quitting hookah smoking. Conclusion: Given that most study participants were in the inactive stages of quitting hookah smoking, it seems necessary to design and implement behavioral interventions based on the predictive TTM constructs in this population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This is a quasi-experimental study conducted on 200 men smokers living in Fasa City, Iran, in 2016. The data gathering tools consisted of five parts: demographical information; questions related to the construct of the stages of change model; assessment of behavioral and cognitive change processes; self-efficacy; the outcomes of smoking; and the obstacles in the way of continual use of smoking; and smoking cessation. The courses consisted of eight sessions each 55-60 min. After six months, data were collected once more by inviting the subjects to the clinics and asking them to fill out the questionnaires. Linear regression showed that the stages of change in variables, pros, cons, the age of starting smoking, experimental processes, and self-efficacy were the predictors of smoking. Moreover, comparison of the control and experiment groups with regard to the change stages before and after the intervention did not show a significant difference between the two groups before the educational intervention. However, we observed a significant difference between the two groups after the educational intervention. The findings revealed the efficiency of the educational intervention, based on stages of change model, in the form of increase in the number of cessation smoking attempts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mustard gas (MG) is one of the well-known chemical substances that have been used as chemical warfare agents. In the present study, the stage of change of physical activity and the total physical activity min/week of victims exposed to MG in Sardasht, Iran (1988) 20 years after exposure were measured. The aim of this study was to investigate the proportion of victims in each stage of change and the causative factors associated with reduced physical activity such as MG-related pulmonary complications in a sample of the victims. In a historical cohort study, 357 victims with a history of mustard gas exposure were studied. An algorithm was applied to evaluate the stage of change in physical activity, which was defined as being engaged in moderate to vigorous physical activity for at least 30 minutes on most days per week. Physical activity was measured using the Global Physical Activity Questionnaire (GPAQ). The distribution of the stage of change for physical activity was as follows: 60.5% in precontemplation, 20.7% in contemplation, 3.9% in preparation, 0.8% in action and 14.1% in maintenance. There was a significant difference between the control and exposed groups in pre-adoption stages (precontemplation stage, contemplation stage and preparation stage) and post-adoption stages (action stage and maintenance stage) of physical activity ( P < 0.001). The findings of the present study can contribute to improving health behaviors and to the administration of health promotion programs in the victim populations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]