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The adult age occurs when somebody reaches 65 years of age. It consists of gradually destruction of the structure and organism of the body during a long period. It leads to transformation of structure and process of different organs, such as: turning the hair white, hair falling, skin wrinkling, visual and hearing reducing, back curving, muscle power reducing, memory and perception disordering and reducing in capacity and function of pulmonary and cardiovascular systems.Theories presented in the field of the adult age consisting of: A) biological theories classified by three groups: 1. Immunity theory 2. Cellular aging theory 3. Free radical theory B) psychological theories Qsociological theories that are classified by four groups: 1. Theory of non-commitment 2. Activity theory 3. Continuity theory 4. Interaction theoryEach of the above theories provides justifications regarding the aging process and it is of importance to be aware of those theories in order to establish an information network for practically determinations regarding the adult age.

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Background & Aim: Unwanted pregnancy is one of the most important causes of mother and child mortality. It may end up to illegal abortion and result in inevitable physical and psychological consequences. This study aimed to determine the correlates of unwanted pregnancy among pregnant women attending medical and health centers in Semnan.

Methods & Materials: In this cross-sectional study, we recruited 229 pregnant women using random sampling. Women with at least one alive child were recruited. Data were gathered using a questionnaire and analyzed using descriptive& analytical statistical tests.

Results: The mean age was 30.7. The mean age at marriage was 19.7. Of all women, 32.3% had unwanted pregnancy. The results showed that there were significant relationships between age of marriage (P<0.05), current age of women (P<0.05), level of education (P<0.05), No. of children (P<0.01), employment (P<0.05), and income (P<0.01) with unwanted pregnancy.

Conclusion: The prevalence rate of unwanted pregnancy was high in the studied population. Educational programs regarding correct methods of contraceptive usages are required.

 

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Background & Aim: Regarding the importance of determining the determinants of diabetes self-care, this study aimed to examine two major determinants of self-care activities, i.e. perceived barriers, and perceived self-efficacy among type two diabetic patients in Tehran, Iran.
Methods & Materials: In this cross-sectional study, 128 patients were recruited to the study using convenience sampling. The validated diabetes instruments were completed by the patients. The included participants aged older than 18 years. Data were analyzed using bivariate correlation and path analysis.
Results: The mean score of the perceived barriers and perceived self-efficacy were 3.05 and 2.18, respectively. The maximum score of self-care was 4.18. There was a positive correlation between self-efficacy and the self-care (r=0.22 P<0.01). Positive correlations were also found between education with self-efficacy and self-care (r=0.28 P<0.05), (r=0.29 P<0.05). There was a negative correlation between perceived barriers and self-care behaviors (r=-0.68 P<0.000). Using serial multiple regressions and path analysis, we had a final model (RMSEA=0.05 GFI=0.95 CFI=0.98 P=0.44 and Chi-Square=26.5). This model showed that perceived barriers were the strongest predictor for self-care behaviors. Perceived barriers mediated the effect of self-efficacy on the self-care behaviors.
Conclusion: The intervention efforts that address the studied determinants related to self-care behavior could potentially impact type two diabetic patients&apos self-care activities. These determinants should be mentioned in the program developing.

 

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Background & Aim: Poor oral care for the ventilated patients in intensive care units (ICU) can result in the accumulation of pathogens and respiratory infections. In this regard, in addition to the chemical methods, a mechanical method has been recommended to be added. However, concerning its effect on pneumonia, different findings have been reported. Therefore, this study was conducted to compare the effects of chlorhexidine solution with or without toothbrushing on the development of ventilator-associated pneumonia among patients in ICUs.

Methods & Materials: This was a single-blind, randomized controlled clinical trial conducted in two selected hospitals of Ahvaz city in 2014. A convenience sample of 68 ventilated patients was randomly allocated to the toothbrush group (34 patients) or the gauze swab group (34 patients) using R software. Both groups received 0.2% Chlorhexidine solution. The intervention was performed in both groups for 3 minutes twice a day for five days. At the end of the fifth day, the development of pneumonia was assessed using the Clinical Pulmonary Infection Score (CPIS). Data were analyzed by Chi-square and t-independent test through SPSS v.16.

Results: The two groups were similar for age, sex, cause of admission, level of consciousness, medication and tobacco use. The majority of patients (58.8%) were diagnosed with pneumonia (Group A: 55.9% and Group B: 61.8%). The Chi-square test showed no significant difference between the two groups for the development of pneumonia (P>0.05).

Conclusion: The use of Chlorhexidine solution with toothbrushing compared to using Chlorhexidine with swab could not reduce the development of pneumonia. However, due to its importance, further research is needed in this regard.

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Background & Aim: Due to repeat emergency patients, the high quality obstetrics and gynecology triage is essential in the obstetrics and gynecology department. Given the importance of improving the healthcare quality, clarifying the aspects and features of the concept of obstetric triage quality would be helpful for determining criteria and standardization of obstetric triage quality. Therefore, the aim of the study was to explain the quality index of obstetric triage.
Methods & Materials: This qualitative study was conducted using a directed content analysis method on 15 participants. Participants included obstetric triage service providers and key specialists in obstetric triage. The data were collected through in-depth, semi-structured interviews. Data analysis was performed using the MAXQDA software version 10.
Results: At this stage of the study, conducted with in-depth, semi-structured interviews, 824 initial codes and 97 merged codes were extracted. The quality of obstetric triage was explained by three main themes, including process quality, structure quality and outcome. The concept of process quality included 35 codes in two sub-categories: actions and care, interactions and communications. Structure quality included 51 codes in five sub-categories: routine and process of triage, pattern and standard, equipment, physical space, and manpower. Outcome included eleven codes in five sub-categories: waiting time, satisfaction, physical implication, psychological implication, and cost.
Conclusion: The index of obstetric triage quality is influenced by the quality of the process (actions and care, communications), the quality of the structure (routine and process of triage, pattern and standard, equipment, physical space, manpower), and outcome (waiting time, satisfaction, physical implication, psychological implication and cost).
 

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Background & Aim: Infectious diseases represent a significant health concern within human communities. Considering the importance of pregnancy, the present study was conducted with the aim of exploring the health behaviors exhibited by pregnant women during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Methods & Materials: This qualitative study employed the conventional content analysis approach to examine a cohort of 16 pregnant women in 2021. The research was conducted within the health centers of Ilam, employing the purposeful sampling technique and unstructured interviews to collect the data. Simultaneous to the data collection, conventional content analysis was employed to analyze the data. MAXQDA version 10 software was utilized for data management purposes.
Results: The participants had a mean age of 30 years, while the average gestational age was 30.38 weeks. Through analysis, three main themes and eight categories were derived from the collected data. The main themes identified were as follows: 1- self-care practices for disease prevention, 2-  the adverse effects of the pandemic on pregnancy, and 3- changes in the healthcare system.
Conclusion: The results of the present study highlight the emergence of a novel form of self-care among pregnant women as a consequence of the COVID-19 pandemic. The adverse effects of the pandemic, such as quarantine measures, were associated with the development of negative ruminations within pregnant women. Following the quarantine restrictions, significant modifications were observed in the ways through which women sought health-related information and engaged in daily activities. Moreover, alterations were made to care policies. Paying attention to the comprehensive health needs of pregnant women, including both physical and mental health, is imperative within the context of pandemic-related health services.