Iranian Journal of

Background & Objectives: Earthquakes cause thousands of deaths and injuries worldwide every year. Islamic Republic of Iran has a deadly history of earthquakes. The aim of this study is to describe injuries rate, causes of injuries, structural characteristics of buildings and occupant actions immediately after earthquake in Damghan in 2010.
Methods: This case-study was conducted one week after occurring the earthquake in five villages of Damghan city in Iran. We used the Physical Injuries Assessment Questionnaire which was particularly designed for injuries after earthquakes. Also for acquiring information about region and amount of losses, some interviews was conduct with local authorities.
Results: Four death and fifty six injuries occurred in five villages of Damghan city. There were three types of injuries including superficial injuries (50%), contusions (35%) and fractures (10%). The findings of this study indicating building structural failure (87.4%), nonstructural factors (7.1%) and trapping (5.3%) seems the most possible cause of injuries in this region.
Conclusion: This study showed that the building structural failure is the main cause of injuries (87.4%). Increasing structural resistance of building especially in village regions and education about earthquake preparedness should encourage in order decreasing the total number of people affected by earthquake.

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Background & Objectives: The world population is growing old. The rising proportion of the elderly is creating new health care challenges in the current century. This study aimed to determine the quality of life and the associated factors in the elderly population of Azerbaijan district in the city of Tehran, Iran.

Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted on 287 elderly persons aged 60 and older. Participants were selected through systemic random sampling. The WHOQOL-BREF questionnaire, the Activities of Daily Living (ADL) questionnaire, and a questionnaire for demographic characteristics were used for data collection. Each domain was given a score between 0 to100 based on the WHO manual. The final variables were determined in a multivariate linear regression model using SPSS16.

Results: The mean score of the 4 domains of quality of life (physical, psychological, environmental, and social health) of the elderly population living in Azerbaijan district was 58.41, 53.13, 59.53, and 42.82, respectively.

Conclusion: A variety of correlates affect the quality of life of the elderly. Recognizing and considering these factors are important for planning more effective programs for the elderly and empowering them.