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Introduction: Hypertension is a major risk factor for coronary heart disease. Truck drivers are more exposed to hypertension due to sedentary life style and consequent obesity, improper food, job stress and high prevalence of cigarette smoking.

Materials and Methods: In this study, after completing a questionnaire by interview, the blood pressures of 122 members of ::::union:::: of truck drivers of Sari, Northern Iran, were measured in two separate occasions. Measurement of blood pressure in all drivers was performed from right arm by using a digital automatic OMRON sphygmomanometer. In order to measure correctly, guidelines of American Heart Association were noted. Analyze of data was performed by SPSS software and descriptive statistics such as mean, standard deviation and Pearson correlation were used.

Results: Analyze of data showed that most of truck drivers (59.1%) were overweight and 14.8% of them were obese. Mean of BMI was 25.5 (standard deviation 4.65). Around 48.3% were smoker, 61.5% didn’t have physical activity and 36.9% had hypertension, which was mostly mild to moderate. Mean systolic blood pressure was 135.08 (standard deviation 17.44) and mean diastolic blood pressure was 82.86 (standard deviation 8.16). Seventy seven percent of hypertensive patients were not aware of their problem. Statistical tests showed that there was a significant correlation between job history, BMI and hypertension.

Conclusion: Regarding high incidence of hypertension in truck drivers, it seems that similar studies must be done in other long-distance drivers, such as bus drivers, and their blood pressures must be assessed at least once a year.

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Background & Aim: Post cesarean ileus is a common complication that induces abdominal distention, delays feeding, and increases hospitalization. Multiple studies showed that false nutrition increases the bowel movement. This study aimed to investigate the effect of gum chewing as false nutrition on the bowel movement and prevention of post cesarean ileus.

Methods & Materials: In this randomized controlled trial, a total of 400 patients who were hospitalized in Mashhad Zeinab hospital were divided into two 200-patient groups. The groups were matched for age, gravity and duration of surgery. In the intervention group, gum chewing was started after surgery, 3 times/day until the regular diet was initiated. In the control group, patients underwent routine care by restricting oral intake until the bowel function was returned. The outcomes were time of the first bowel sound, flatus passage, defecation, ambulation of patients post cesarean, initiation regular diet, and hospitalization. Statistical analysis was performed using unpaired t-test and fisher^&aposs exact probability test.

Results: The mean age, parity and operation time were similar in the two groups. All patients in the intervention group tolerated gum chewing immediately after surgery. The results showed the followings among the intervention group vs. control group, respectively: post operative time intervals to bowel sounds (14.7 hours vs. 16.6 hours P=0.569), time intervals between surgery and abdominal distention (16.59 hours vs. 14.21 hours P=0.01), first post operative defecation (28.16 hours vs. 32.21 hours P=0.000), post operative time interval to onset diet (19.3 hours vs. 16.54 hours P=0.000), post operative time interval to ambulation (20.14 hours vs.17.58 hours P=0.000), post operative lengths of ileus (31.13 hours vs. 30.35 hours P=0.5), hospitalization (1.84 days vs. 1.92 days P=0.02).

Conclusion: Gum chewing after cesarean section is safe and well tolerated and reduces post operative ileus, shortens mean duration of first defecation, decreases the time of returning to regular oral diet, shortens the time of patient ambulation and hospital discharge. Gum chewing is offered as a physiologic and inexpensive method to prevent or reduce post cesarean ileus.

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Background & Aim: Maternal-fetal attachment plays an important role in maternal identity forming. The attachment behavior is different between mothers and most of the reported studies are from Western countries. The aim of this study was to assess maternal-fetal attachment behavior and some related factors among Iranian mothers.

Methods & Materials: This cross-sectional study was carried out in 12 health and medical centers, affiliated to Tehran University of Medical Sciences. Four hundred pregnant women were selected for the study. Data were gathered using two questionnaires. The first one was a self-structured questionnaire and the second one was the maternal-fetal attachment scale. Data were analyzed using the Pearson, Anova and t-test statistical tests. The P<0.05 denoted statistical significance.

Results: Findings showed that the mothers had good attachment toward their fetuses (M=84.72). The race, higher maternal age, higher education, gestational age, planned pregnancy, sex of fetus, and assessing health of fetus had positive effects on prenatal attachment (P<0.05). Tobacco use, multiparity, and high risk pregnancy had negative effects on attachment. There were no relationships between attachment and previous marriage, infertility, abortion, number/type of ultrasound, participation in prenatal classes and healthy baby (P>0.05).

Conclusion: Understanding maternal-fetal attachment behavior could play an important role in quality of prenatal care. Midwives can assess and promote attachment behavior as well as recognize factors influencing maternal-fetal attachment.

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Background & Aim: Caring viewpoint is a requisite of high quality nursing care. It must be operational through the nursing education program. The present study was conducted to compare the viewpoints of undergraduate nursing students at the first, fifth, and eighth semesters about the importance of caring behaviors during their nursing education.

Methods & Materials: The present study is a descriptive-analytical study. In this study, three groups of 40 nursing students (semester one, five and eight) were selected by random sampling from Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences in 2014. Caring Behavior Inventory completed through self-report by the students, was used for collecting data. Data were analyzed by the descriptive and inferential statistics (with the significance level<0.05) using SPSS software (version 20).

Results: The mean scores based on Caring Behaviors Inventory in three groups were: semester 1: 148.2, semester five: 123.6, semester eight: 122.05. ANOVA showed statistically significant differences between the mean scores for three groups of students (P<0.001). Also, the scores of students’ viewpoints were different in all instrument domains included respectful deference to the other (P<0.001), assurance of human presence (P<0.001), positive connectedness (P<0.001), professional skills and knowledge (P=0.004), attentiveness to the other’s experience (P<0.001). Considering the lack of homogeneity in the groups in terms of age and sex, analysis of covariance was used to eliminate their confounding effects on main variable, and despite controlling for the confounding role of age and sex, differences were significant (P<0.001).

Conclusion: The viewpoints of the higher-year students about the importance of caring behaviors not only had not promoted but also it had decreased compared to the lower-year students. Considering the fact that caring viewpoint is the requisite of high quality nursing care that must be operational through nursing education programs, and due to the fading of emotional aspect of care, more emphasis on clinical instructors and nurses and using mentors in clinical practice are needed to practically and concretely show nursing students the emotional aspect of caring.

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Background & Aim: The premenstrual syndrome (PMS) is a set of physical and psychological symptoms that occurs periodically and affects women’s social and individual functionings. This study aimed to investigate the effect of stress management group counseling on the symptoms of premenstrual syndrome.
Methods & Materials: This semi-experimental study (IRCT2016052127994N1) was conducted on 44 students with PMS (22 in the intervention group and 22 in the control group) from Zanjan University of Medical Sciences in 2016. Data were collected using a demographic characteristics form and premenstrual symptoms screening test (PSST). Descriptive and inferential statistics including independent t-test, Chi-square, ANCOVA and repeated measurement test were used for data analysis via the SPSS software version 21.
Results: Before treatment, the mean scores of mood-behavioral symptoms, physical symptoms and the impact of symptoms on life had not any significant differences between the two groups. At the first month after treatment, mood-behavioral symptoms (P<0.001) and the impact of symptoms on life (P=0.007) were different between the two groups. Two months after the intervention, the mean scores of mood-behavioral symptoms in the intervention group (53.2±4.84) were significantly different from those in the control group (70.2±4.81). There was a significant difference in the mean score of physical symptoms between the intervention group (36.7±5.87) and control group (64.9±7.84). Also, the mean score of the impact of symptoms on life had a significant difference between the intervention group (36±4.73) and control group (58.3±2.73) (P<0.001).
Conclusion: Stress management group counseling is effective in reducing the symptoms of premenstrual syndrome, and it can be used as a non-pharmacological method with no side effects.
 

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Background & Aim: Osteoporosis is a common condition in the elderly, contributing to fracture incidence and associated pain. This study aims to analyze trends in osteoporosis-related fractures within the elderly population from 2017 to 2021.
Methods & Materials: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted in 2024 involving 448 elderly people over 60 who experienced pelvic, hip, distal hand, or spinal injuries during 2017-2021 in Kashan. Data were extracted from the National Trauma Registry of Iran, including demographic information, injury severity, and frequency of fractures. The data were analyzed using analysis of variance and chi-square tests, with a significance level set at P<0.05.
Results: Among the 448 participants, 244 were female (54.5%), with an average age exceeding 75 years among those diagnosed with osteoporosis. The most common fracture types included hip and pelvic fractures, affecting 331 individuals (73.9%), followed by distal hand fractures in 71 individuals (15.8%), and spinal fractures in 65 individuals (14.5%). The average injury severity score increased from 8.43±2.80 in 2017 to 8.96±2.77 in 2021. No significant changes were observed in the age distribution of the elderly population during this period; however, the proportion of males increased by approximately 6%.
Conclusion: The study results indicate a rising trend in hip fractures among the elderly in Kashan. To reduce fracture incidence, it is recommended to implement proactive screening for osteoporosis risk factors in this population.