Showing 5 results for Montazeri
M Vahdaninia, A Montazeri,
Volume 2, Issue 1 (23 2006)
Abstract
The term "health inequalities" is not a descriptive one: it refers to discrepancies in morbidity and mortality, life expectancy, disability life adjusted years, etc that are due to differences in such factors as socioeconomic status, gender and race/ethnicity. Socio-economic inequalities are the differences in health status (e.g. disease prevalence and incidence rates) across various socio-economic groups.
In Europe, measuring socio-economic health inequalities has long been a major research topic. However, there have been relatively few experimental studies in Asia, especially in developing countries. In the social context, measurement of socio-economic status is based on income, educational level and employment status. Stratifying the socio-economic groups based on a hierarchy identifies the pattern of morbidity and mortality in each socio-economic stratum. It also shows the exact relationship between socio-economic status and health.
The main data sources for determination of population health status and measuring health inequalities are registries and cross-sectional surveys.
It seems that monitoring, prevention and evaluation of health inequalities, especially with a focus on socio-economic level has been neglected in developing countries, including Iran. Due to the lack of formal registries on population health status in these countries, designing cross-sectional and population-based studies would be a useful approach in the prevention and monitoring of health inequalities.
S Nedjat, A Montazeri, K Mohammad, R Majdzadeh, N Nabavi, F Nedjat, M Nabavi, K Holakouie Naieni,
Volume 2, Issue 3 (24 2006)
Abstract
Background & Objectives: For those with a chronic illness, suffering may result not only from physical limitations, but also from the psychosocial consequences of having a chronic condition. Therefore, simply measuring physical health is not enough anymore. It is necessary to evaluate quality of life as an important clinical outcome in these patients. We conducted the present study to measure quality of life (QoL) in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients and its predictors in comparison with the general population in Tehran, using a generic and overall QoL instrument, the WHOQOL-BREF (World Health Organization Quality of Life-BREIF). This questionnaire comprises four domains including physical health, mental health, social relationships, and environmental health. For each domain, scores range from 4 to 20, higher scores corresponding to a more favorable QOL.
Methods: This study was of cross-sectional type and involved 145 selected systematically patients registered in the Iranian Multiple Sclerosis Society. The WHOQOL-Questionnaire was filled in for these patients through telephone interviews. The results were compared with quality of life scores from the general population obtained from a population-based study in Tehran. Multiple regression was used for data analysis.
Results: The response rate was 97% 73.8% of participants were female, the mean age of participants was 36.5 (SD = 10.4) years, and the mean years of their formal education was 12.5 (SD=3.6). Mean scores for physical health, psychological health, social relationship and environmental health were 11.5 (SD=3.2), 11.8 (SD=3.2), 12.7 (SD=3.1), and 11.5 (SD=2.7), respectively. In comparison with the general population, the patients' scores in all domains were significantly lower than in the general population. Severity of disease and education level had a relationship with domain scores in regression analysis.
Conclusions: The WHOQOL-BREF questionnaire can discriminate between these patients’ quality of life and that of the general population and show the effect of disease severity and demographic variables on quality of life. Therefore the questionnaire can be used in this group of patients, although it may be necessary to add some specific questions to make the tool more sensitive in evaluating quality of life from a clinical perspective. Educational interventions are recommended to improve quality of life in this group of patients.
Sa Azin, A Shahidzadeh Mahani , M Abadi, S Omidvari, A Montazeri,
Volume 4, Issue 2 (20 2008)
Abstract
Background & Objectives: Self-poisoning is one of the oldest and most common forms of self-harm and a frequent incident of referring to hospital poisoning wards. Especially for cases involving suicidal intention, incidence and secular trends are closely related to the types of drugs and substances available.
Methods: This research was conducted in 2004 to examine the epidemiology of attempted suicide by poisoning and the total case load of hospital poisoning wards. The study involved 723 poisoning cases in major referral hospitals located in cities of Tehran, Shiraz, Tabriz, Kermanshah, Mashad, and Esfahan.
Results: Seventy-six percent of the cases were identified as suicide attempts the most common substances used for this purpose were medications (80.9%), chemical poisons (10.7%), psychotropic substances (5.1%), and other chemicals such as detergents and bleaching agents (3.2%). Notably, about a third of the cases were due to benzodiazepine ingestion. The most common cause of accidental poisoning was psychotropic substance overdose (44.2%), predominantly opioids.
Conclusions: Considering the prevalent use of medications and psychotropic agents in suicide attempts and the relatively high proportion of suicide cases in hospital poisoning wards indicating strategies for primary, secondary and tertiary prevention of this common and urgent problem.
As Sajadian, A Montazeri,
Volume 7, Issue 2 (19 2011)
Abstract
Background & Objectives: The experience of patients with breast cancer may vary in different cultures. The aim of this qualitative study was to explore the experiences of women with breast cancer in Iran.
Methods: Fifty one participants were recruited from a university-affiliated breast clinic in Tehran. In-depth interviews each lasting approximately one hour per participant were scheduled and conducted in a private room. The interviews intended to motivate the participants to reflect on their life experiences since the cancer diagnosis. The interviews were tape-recorded and were transcribed to elucidate the major themes encountered in the interviews.
Results: The mean age of patients was 48.8 years (SD = 10.5), 44 were married, one was single, and six were widowed or divorced. Forty-eight participants underwent radical mastectomy and 13 patients received breast-conserving surgery. Thirty-five (69%) patients received chemotherapy. Overall eight major themes emerged from the analysis. These were: importance of God and spiritual beliefs, importance of family support especially husbands and children during the diagnosis and treatment, difficult times during receiving mammography results, experiencing an ambiguous condition while losing their breasts, fear of recurrence, concerns about children, and chemotherapy as the worst experience during the course of treatment.
V Montazeri, F Jafarpour Sadegh , S Hosseinpour, Hr Mirzaei, E Akbari, M Ehsani, S Akbari, N Asadi, M Mahmoudinezhad, E Mirtaheri, Z Sanaat, S Pirouzpanah,
Volume 12, Issue 1 (Vol 12, No.1 2016)
Abstract
Background and Objectives: Reproductive factors are in close relationship with breast carcinogenesis. This matched case-control study was conducted to study the association of reproductive risk factors with the risk of breast cancer (BC) among women in Tehran and northwest of Iran.
Methods: This hospital-based case-control study was performed on a total of 432 patients diagnosed with BC with confirmed histopathology who were recruited from hospitals affiliated with Shahid Beheshti and Tabriz University of Medical Sciences between 2007 and 2012, and 543 regionally matched controls without a prior history of BC.
Results: The average number of pregnancy and breast-fed children were significantly higher in cases than controls (P<0.01). The duration of breast-feeding was longer in patients (18.0±8.4 months) than controls (16.0±9.1; P<0.001). Most of the patients were diagnosed with BC above the age of 48 years old which was higher than the mean age of the recruited matched controls. Older age was associated with a 3.87 higher risks of BC development (95% CI: 2.94-5.10). The higher frequency of lactation in patients was significantly associated with the elevated risk (OR=2.22, 95% CI 1.62-3.04). The duration of breast-feeding within14-24 months was correlated with OR=0.52 to protect BC development during the reproductive age
(<48 years) (95% CI: 0.32-0.86).
Conclusion: High frequency of pregnancy, lactation, and older ages at first pregnancy are associated with the risk of BC, while older age at puberty, menopause, and longer duration of breast-feeding (age above 48 years) have inverse associations with the risk of BC.
