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Background & Aim: Today, quality of life measurement is important in health care systems especially for patients with chronic diseases. Heart failure has several complications that affect patients&apos lives. The aim of this study was to investigate the quality of life and its dimensions in patients with heart failure.

Methods & Materials: It is a cross-sectional study. Two hundred and fifty patients with heart failure referred to Tehran medical centers were selected using convenience random sampling method. Data were collected using "Ferrans and Powers quality of life Index". Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, chi-square, and Pearson correlation coefficients.

Results: The study findings showed that 76/4% of the participants possessed undesirable and less desirable levels of quality of life. There was significant statistical relationship between quality of life with age, gender, education, marriage status, ejection fraction, length of heart disease, co-morbidity, and readmission.

Conclusion: Cardiac heart failure has negative effects on quality of life. So, it seems that if assessing the QOL of these patients becomes one of the nurses&apos duties, it will promote the major caring goals.

 

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Background & Objective: Physical activity is one of the main components of lifestyle. Lack of physical activity along with unhealthy eating result in chronic diseases such as heart diseases, diabetes, and osteoporosis. This study aimed to design an educational program for improving physical activity in secondary school female students in Tonkabon in 2008.
Methods & Materials: This study was an educational intervention in which 600 students enrolled in the study. The participants were allocated randomly in the intervention (n=300) and control (n=300) groups. Data were gathered using "International Physical Activity Questionnaire" and a standardized questionnaire -according to PRECEDE model- at baseline. The program was planned according to the PRECEDE model and was implemented in the intervention group students. Data were gathered two months after the intervention in both groups. Data were analyzed using Chi-Square, t-test, variance and regression analysis tests in the SPSS and STATA.
Results: Following the educational intervention, the mean scores of the predisposing factors (knowledge and attitude), enabling factors, and reinforcing factors as well as the behavior were significantly increased in the intervention group compared to the control group (P<0.001).
Conclusion: The findings showed that this structured program is useful in improving physical activity in female students.

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Background & Aim: In recent years, women's experience of disrespect and misconduct during childbirth has been raised as a significant problem around the world. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of disrespectful maternity care and its associated factors.
Methods & Materials: This is a cross-sectional study conducted in 2019 on 357 mothers who gave birth at hospitals affiliated to TUMS. The data collection tool included socio-demographic characteristics form, and the disrespectful maternity care questionnaire, measuring various domains of abuse. The questionnaire was completed by interviewing mothers. Data was analyzed using descriptive tests, Chi-square test and multivariate logistic regression through the SPSS software version 24.
Results: All participants reported at least one form of disrespect, of which “not allowing for mobility, fluid and companion” was the most prevalent (99.7%) and “stigma and discrimination” was the least prevalent (4.5%). Statistical analysis showed a significant relationship between older age, ethnic minority, primiparity, higher socioeconomic status, delivery time (night, day) and a history of illness with more experience of different forms of disrespect.
Conclusion: This study confirmed a relatively high prevalence of disrespectful maternity care in hospitals based on international standards, which requires serious and prompt attention of top-level managers to take action to eliminate or limit this type of behavior.