Background & Aim: Micronutrients deficiency is one of the most common health problems among adolescents. Theory based educational interventions which address learners&apos preferences are among the solutions for the matter in hand. The aim of this study was to determine the effectiveness of the Transtheoretical model (TTM) based educational package on vitamin intake in female adolescents in Tehran.

Methods & Materials: A randomized community trial was applied. Study samples were consisted of 80 female students from two middle schools of Tehran, district 17^th. They were selected using a cluster-random sampling method and were randomly assigned to the intervention (n=40) and control groups (n=40). The intervention group received a TTM-based educational package. Changes in vitamin intake were assessed using standard food frequency & 24-recall questionnaires.

Results: Based on pre-test results, intake of vitamin B2, B6, B9, B12, and C were lower than Dietary Reference Intake (DRI) in both groups. Based on the post-test data, a significant increase occurred in the mean score of vitamin intake in the intervention group comparing with the control group and also with the intervention group at pretest (P<0.05).

Conclusion: TTM-based educational package could be effective in improving vitamin intake in urban female adolescents.

Background & Aim: Cigarette smoking is a common risky behavior among teenagers. Theories and models of health education aim to design effective educational programs. This study has been conducted to assess the effect of a health education program designed based on the health belief model on preventive smoking behaviors among female teenagers.

Methods & Materials: In this quasi-experimental study, 176 female teenagers from the Educational Cultural Centers of 17 zones of Tehran Municipality were randomly allocated to two equal experiment and control groups (88 girls in each group). The designed educational program was presented to the experiment group through three lecture and question/answer 45 minute sessions. Data were collected using a questionnaire before and eight weeks after the intervention. Data were analyzed using the SPSS-16.

Results: There was no significant difference between the two groups in the characteristics of the participants before the intervention. Comparison of the two experiment and control groups after education showed that the mean score of all studied constructs of the health belief model (i.e., susceptibility, severity, benefits and barriers, cues to action), as well as the preventive behaviors were increased significantly.

Conclusion: The results of this study showed that the program seems to be helpful in promoting the smoking preventive behavior among teenagers.

Background & Aim: Rapid changes experienced after child birth expose mothers to unpleasant experiences such as disturbances in sleep pattern. These experiences threaten health of mothers and infants. Some studies have shown that exercise can be an effective and non-pharmacologic method in improving sleep quality. The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of exercise on sleep quality among postpartum mothers.

Methods & Materials: This was a randomized clinical trial. Eighty primiparous women aged 18-35 years were recruited from health centers in Rafsanjan in 2009. The inclusion criteria were singleton pregnancy, lack of any acute and chronic physical and mental illnesses, having healthy and term babies, and having vaginal deliveries. Participants were randomly allocated to the intervention (n=40) and control (n=40) groups. Women in the intervention group received five 30-minutes sessions of Pilates weekly for eight weeks. The PSQI instrument was used to measure the related variables at baseline, forth and eighth weeks after the deliveries. Data were analyzed using the repeated measures ANOVA.

Results: Significant improvement was seen in the intervention group within eight weeks follow-up the interaction within time and group was significant (P=0.02). Comparison of mean sleep quality between the two groups has shown that the intervention was effective (P<0.001).

Conclusion: The Pilates exercise was effective in improving quality of sleep in postpartum period.