Showing 42 results for Epidemiology
A Ahmadi, H Soori, Y Mehrabi, K Etemad,
Volume 12, Issue 1 (6-2016)
Abstract
Background and Objectives: Determining and monitoring the age at myocardial infarction (MI) and its comparison in various regions is one of the vital and basic principles for the management of MI.This study was conducted to determine the age at the first MI in Iran.
Methods: In this cross-sectional, analytical study at a national level, the data of 20750 new MI patients registered in 2012 in 31 provinces of Iran according to the cardiologist’s diagnosis, World Health Organization criteria, and the codes ICD10: I21-I22 were used. The calculations were done using the Stata 12 software.
Results: The mean±SD of age at the first MI was 61.2±13.4 years in all patients in Iran. Moreover, 15033 (72.4%) patients were male with a mean age of 59.6±13.3 years. The mean age at MI in men was lower than women (65.4±12.6 years), showing a statistical significance (P<0.001).The mean age at MI was different among Iran provinces, with a statistical significance (P<0.001). The lowest mean age at the first MI was seen in the patients living in Semnan (59.1±12.9 years), followed by Tehran (60.4±13.5 years), Sistan va Balouchestan (60.3±13.9 years), and Lorestan (60.1±14.5 years), with a significant difference from the mean age of the patients in Ardabil (63.2±15.1 years) and Zanjan (64.4±112.8 years) (P<0.019).
Conclusion: Our study demonstrated that the age at MI was approximately five years younger in men than women. This studyprovided the ground for monitoring the age at MI, and more effective management of cardiovascular diseases in Iran.
A Salahi Moghaddam , A Heydari Hengami , M Heydari Hengami ,
Volume 12, Issue 4 (2-2017)
Abstract
Background and Objectives: Iran is classically located in the Palearctic zoogeographic zone, but southern pasts of Iran are drastically different from other parts in terms of fauna and flora. Nowadays, considering the technological advances and the ability to locate the zone border using aerial photos, and the need for comparing the prevalence of the diseases in different locations, it is necessary to identify the border of tropical-like zones as detailed as possible.
Methods: The shapefile of the political classification of Iran was used as the base map and metrological and terrestrial data were obtained from Iran Climatologic Research Center and literature review. Data were arranged in the Geospatial Information System and after geostatistical analysis, a raster map was generated and a probability map for all tropical conditions was calculated and generated as a raster map. Tropical areas were proposed in two layers.
Results: According to our study, between 113 to 125 districts from 8 provinces were located in tropical-like zones. Three of these districts had typical criteria of the Indo-Malayan zone and others resembled the Afrotropical zone. The table of the districts located in the tropical-like zones and the shapefile of these areas are available on the website of Iran Epidemiology Society.
Conclusion: Although Iran in located in the Palearctic zoogeographic area, there are some southern areas which resemble tropical regions and accurate definition of borders is a basic essential need for geo-referenced epidemiology and determining the disease pattern. This study provided a preliminary map for this field of study.
N , M Farajollahi, Z Esmaeili,
Volume 13, Issue 1 (6-2017)
Abstract
Background and Objectives: One of the most common anxiety disorders in children is social anxiety disorder (SAD). The purpose of the present study was to investigate the epidemiology and clinical characteristics of social anxiety disorder in students in Kermanshah, Iran.
Methods: The present study was a cross-sectional study. The statistical population was all school students aged 13-17 years old in the secondary schools of Kermanshah. According to Krejcie and Morgan Table and multi-stage cluster sampling, 760 students were selected who completed a questionnaire on demographic variables as well as the Social Anxiety Scales for Children and Adolescents (SAS-CA). The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, chi-square test, and logistic regression analysis with the SPSS-19 software. P values≤0.05 were considered significant.
Results: The results showed that the prevalence of social anxiety disorder in the whole population was 80.18%. The prevalence was higher in female students than male students. The severity of social anxiety disorder was moderate in 12.25%, severe in 4.90%, and very severe in 1.70% of the students. Parental education, parental occupation, number of family members, average household income, and family history of psychiatric disorders had a significant relationship with the prevalence of SAD in students (P<0.05) but this relationship was not significant for the mode of delivery (P>0.05).
Conclusion: This study shows that the prevalence of social anxiety disorder is significantly high among middle school students. Therefore, it is important to consider early anxiety prevention/intervention programs, especially for children in this age group.
Gh Moradi, M Sehat, Aa Haghdoost, M Karami, R Chaman, Z Khazaei, E Goudarzi, M Asadi Lari, E Mostafavi, K Holakouie Naieni,
Volume 13, Issue 2 (9-2017)
Abstract
Background and objective: Epidemiology is a tool and a field of Medical sciences which provides evidences necessary to make scientific decisions. This study aimed to identify strategies for the promotion of the epidemiology by Iranian Epidemiological Association (IrEA) so that people graduated in this field would become able to play an effective and positive role in different parts of the country.
Methods: This study was conducted in 2015. The views and opinions of the members of IrEA were collected by email. The views of the members were classified using qualitative methods.
Results: The results of this study helped to identify some of the strategies for the promotion of the position of epidemiology in Iran health system by the members of IrEA.
Conclusion: IrEA can play a more effective role in the promotion of this field of study in the health system. Effective communication with the members, holding group meetings, advocacy and negotiation, reporting the activities of the association continuously, identifying national problems and seeking solutions are some of the strategies that can help to enhance the role of the community and promote the position of epidemiologists in Iran.
M Khadem Rezaiyan , L Jarahi, F Moharreri, R Afshari, Sm Motamedalshariati , N Okhravi, M Khajedaluee,
Volume 13, Issue 2 (9-2017)
Abstract
Background and Objectives: Suicide is one of the public health challenges. It involves the individual, family, and even society. Epidemiological study of suicide is one of the most important measures in primary prevention and integration program for suicide in primary health care system. This study evaluated cases who attempted suicide in Khorasan Razavi Province in 2014-2015.
Methods: This cross-sectional study was performed on individuals who were visited at health care centers of Mashhad University of Medical Sciences from August 2014 to July 2015. Seventeen trained interviewers from 14 countries and three major referral centers collected demographic data, time, reason, and method of suicide. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, chi-square test and Mann-Whitney test. P-value<0.05 was considered significant.
Results: Totally, 893 individuals were evaluated which was equals to an annual incidence rate of 21.2 per 100000. Seventy-six percent (675) were female and 57% (496) were in the age group 15-24 years. In both genders, married individuals (61%, 543), high school degree (63%, 548) and a monthly income below 160$ were dominant (80%, 438). The most frequent reason and method for committing suicide was family dispute (47%, 380) and drug poisoning (81%, 632), respectively.
Conclusion: Suicide is mostly being dealt with caution. However, the very first step is to know the current situation completely, so epidemiological studies can elucidate different dimensions of this public health problem.
M Erfanmanesh,
Volume 13, Issue 3 (12-2017)
Abstract
Background and Objectives: The current research tries to investigate the position of Iran in regional and global research of epidemiology.
Methods: To conduct this applied research, scientometric indicators were utilized. The study population comprised 53300 papers published by different countries during 2011 to 2015 indexed in Scopus database.
Results: The results of the study revealed that Iranian Epidemiology researchers published 1196 international articles, making Iran the 16th country in the world and the first country in the Middle East region. Investigating the publication output of institutions showed that seven out of top ten institutions in the Middle East were from Iran. Iranian publications received 3.9 citations on average, while the mean number of citations for regional and global publications was 5.3 and 7.4, respectively. Moreover, the scientific output of Iranian researchers in epidemiology had a lower quality compared to the region and the world, based on three indicators: citedness rate, percentage of highly cited papers, and field-weighted citation impact.
Conclusion: Despite the notable position of the Islamic Republic of Iran in the quantity of the research output in epidemiology, the quality of these publications is relatively low in comparison with regional and global average.
F Norouzinezhad, H Erfani, A Norouzinejad, F Kaveh, F Ghaffari,
Volume 15, Issue 4 (1-2020)
Abstract
Background and Objectives: Kurdistan Province has always been one of the areas of interest in national disease control programs due to a high number of human brucellosis cases. This study was conducted to explore some of the epidemiological indexes and the trend of the incidence of human brucellosis in this area from 2009 to 2016.
Methods: The target population of this cross-sectional study included the human brucellosis patients living in Kurdistan Province whose disease was diagnosed between 2009 and 2016. The data of 6918 patients were analyzed. The incidence was calculated in 100,000 at-risk population.
Results: The highest incidence was 103.54 in 100,000 in 2014 and the lowest was 23.86 in 100000 in 2010. According to 8-year analysis, the highest incidence rate was seen in Bijar. Male gender, rural dwellers, farmers, ranchers, housewives, and those aged 24-25 years were at a higher risk of the disease based on the results. Most of the patients reported contact with livestock.
Conclusion: Comprehensive measures should be taken to control the infection transmission from domestic animals and their products to humans; moreover, preventing measures should be devised by health policy-makers, especially for villagers, housewives, and men.
M Karami, S Khazaei, F Shahbazi, M Mirzaei, A Biglarkhani, A Ataei, Seyed Jalalodin Bathaei, A Zahiri, M Shojaeyan, R Zamani, Ae Karshenas, F Heeders-Moghis, K Hamelmann, R Heidari Moghadam, I Khodadadi-Kahlan, S Bashirian, F Keramat, Sh Hashemi, E Jalili, F Azizi-Jalilian,
Volume 17, Issue 3 (12-2021)
Abstract
Background and Objectives: The aim of this study was to investigate the epidemiological characteristics of patients with Covid-19 in Hamadan Province.
Materials and Methods: In this descriptive cross-sectional study, demographic and epidemiological data of all people who presented to hospitals in Hamadan Province from February 2019 to December 2020 were extracted using two checklists. Data were then analyzed using the Stata software.
Results: In this study, 9674 covid-19 positive patients were examined. According to results, 49.11% of the cases occurred in the elderly over 60 years. The rate of involvement was higher in females than males (51.57% vs. 48.43%). Moreover, 72.05% of the definitive patients lived in the city and 0.76% reported traveling to areas with a high prevalence of the disease two weeks before the onset of symptoms. The highest incidence of this disease per one hundred thousand population was in Malayer, Hamedan and Nahavand counties and the highest fetality was in Razan and Dargazin, Tuyserkan and Asadabad counties, respectively. The data of suspected, probable, and definite outpatients with Covid-19 presenting to medical centers were not evaluated in this study.
Conclusion: Due to the high death rate in the elderly, males, those with underlying diseases, and people living in rural areas, it is necessary to design and apply precautionary measures in these groups. Attention should be paid to these high-risk groups in the shortest possible time to reduce the burden of this disease on individuals as well as the health care system.
S Heidari, M Karami, Sm Zahraei, I Sedighi, F Azimian Zavareh,
Volume 17, Issue 3 (12-2021)
Abstract
Background and Objectives: Given the importance of the early detection of any outbreak or change in the trend of meningitis, this study was conducted to estimate the fixed and dynamic alarm threshold levels of meningitis and its outbreak in Iran.
Materials and Methods: In this study, the data of all patients from 20¬ March 2016 to 20 March 2019 were extracted from the National Meningitis Disease Surveillance System. Alarm threshold levels were calculated separately for different seasons and provinces. To determine the alarm threshold levels, four methods of Upper Control Limit (UCL), relative increase, statistical cut off points, and recommendations provided by the World Health Organization were used.
Results: The alarm threshold levels for confirmed cases were determined for Iran according to the upper limits of cumulative sum (CUSUM) algorithm and the statistical cut off points based on the 90th percentile, 2 cases per day for Iran. The fixed amount was 3 to 5 cases per week in populations under 30,000 and 5 to 7 per week in populations between 30,000 and 100,000. According to the relative increase method, a 30% increase in one week compared to previous weeks was considered as the threshold level.
Conclusion: The use of alarm threshold levels reported in this study can be a basis for detecting meningitis outbreaks.
T Arian-Mehr, M Karami,
Volume 17, Issue 4 (3-2022)
Abstract
Background and Objectives: Timely dection of influenza outbreaks is very important for a better reponse to outbreaks. The aim of this study was to assess the moving epidemic method for determinating influenza outbreak threshold levels in Iran.
Methods: The moving epidemic method was applied to the WHO Flunet website data from January 2010 to December 2017 with the aim of determining outbreak alert thresholds. Therefore, the performance of the moving epidemic method in identifying the onset of the outbreak over eight periods was reported using sensitivity and specificity indices.
Results: A total of 69169 influenza-like illnesses were recorded in the Fluent website during the study period. The smallest number of influenza-like illnesses for the epidemic was 187 cases in the third period (2011-2012) and the maximum number was 1086 cases in the seventh period (2016-2015). The earliest epidemic occurred during the third and eighth periods of the 48th week, approximately in mid-February. The minimum duration of the epidemic was 8 weeks and the maximum was 13 weeks. The overall sensitivity and specificity of the moving epidemic method were 55% and 96%, respectively.
Conclusion: The moving epidemic method could be used as a complementary method to detection of influenza outbreks. It is recommended to apply the moving epidemic method on influenza and similar communicable diseses.
P Maroofi, , Z Cheraghi, L Tapak,
Volume 17, Issue 4 (3-2022)
Abstract
Introduction: Identifying the epidemiological features of reported measles outbreaks including the size, period, and generation of the outbreaks plays a significant role in preventing new outbreaks and estimating effective reproduction number (R) as an indication of measles elimination. This study was conducted to describe the reported measles outbreaks in the world in 2018.
Method: The PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Sciences databases were searched using related keywords to retrieve articles that reported 2018 measles outbreaks. From the full-texts of the articles that met the inclusion criteria, the data including gender, season, age group, country, genotype, and vaccination status as well as shape, size, period of outbreaks and number of generations of each outbreak were extracted and reported using the relevant epidemiological curves.
Results: The search results led to the retrieval of 2806 articles. After screening, 16 studies were used for final analysis. Most outbreaks were reported in the winter (56.25%) with genotypes B3 and D8. The sex female (38.64%, 308 cases) was mostly in Asia and Europe. On average, the minimum and maximum number of outbreaks size was 1 and 23, which spread to 3-4 generations. In terms of death, only one case of death was reported in Ethiopia.
Conclusion: The results of this study are useful for identifying measles outbreaks in other countries according to the at-risk groups. However, publication bias and non-reporting of all outbreaks should be considered as limitations in the generalization of the results.
M Bagbanian, M Momayyezi, H Fallahzadeh, M Mirzaei,
Volume 17, Issue 4 (3-2022)
Abstract
Background and Objectives: Drug use not only affects a person's physical and mental health, but also affects the health of others in the community. Various variables, including demographic and social factors, affect drug use. The present study was conducted to investigate the prevalence of drug use and related factors in the participants of Shahedieh Cohort Study.
Methods: A descriptive study was performed using the first phase of Shahedieh cohort study on 10194 adult residents of Shahdieh, Zarch, and Ashkezar in 2015-2016. The aim of the cohort study was to assess the prevalence of non-communicable diseases and their risk factors in adults aged 35-70 years. Data were analyzed with the SPSS 20 using chi-square and logistic regression.
Results: The prevalence of illicit drug use in the present study was 15.5% with a mean age of onset of 31.5 ± 9.2 years. The most common drug was opium (98.2%). The most common method of drug use was inhalation (98.1%). The logistic regression showed that male gender (P< 0.001), age 40 to 49 years (P<0.001), low education (below high school diploma) (P<0.001), positive history of smoking (P<0.001) and alcohol consumption (P<0.001) were the most important factors associated with drug use. In addition, a positive history of ischemic heart disease (P=0.007) and psychiatric disorders (P=0.02) were the diseases related to drug use.
Conclusion: The prevalence of drug use was high in the study population. There is an urgent need for intervention and preventive measures to solve this complex social problem.
Mahdieh Shojaei Baghini, Tahereh Naseribooriabadi, Mansooreh Rastgoo, Mahdieh Poornakhaei, Ali Mohammadpour,
Volume 18, Issue 2 (9-2022)
Abstract
Background and Objectives: Poisoning is one of the most common causes of hospitalization. The external causes of poisoning and toxic agents differ in age, gender, and occupational groups. It is essential to understand the epidemiological pattern of poisoning in each region to prevent it. This study was conducted to determine the epidemiological characteristics of poisoning in patients referred to the Kerman University of Medical Sciences teaching hospital.
Methods: This descriptive cross-sectional study was performed retrospectively. Medical records of poisoning patients were reviewed from October 2016 to October 2017. Data was gathered using a researcher-made checklist based on the minimum data elements needed to record the diagnostic expression of poisoning accurately. Data analysis was performed using descriptive and inferential statistics using SPSS software 24.
Results: Poisoning was higher in males (52.1%), the 20-30 years-old age group (28.5%), single (52.8%), urban regions (80.6%), and self-employed (29.8%). The mean age of the subjects was 26.9±17.21. The external causes of poisoning were associated with marital status, age, gender, occupation, addiction, season, a personal history of suicide attempts, a family history of suicide attempts, and a personal history of poisoning. The toxic agent was also associated with age, gender, occupation, location, and external poisoning causes.
Conclusion: According to the result, poisoning often happens intentionally, so providing a suitable and stress-free family environment might be useful to reduce the amount of intentional poisoning. Educating parents with young children more about child care and how to store chemicals is also necessary.
Kiumarss Nasseri,
Volume 18, Issue 2 (9-2022)
Abstract
Epidemiology is generally defined as the basic science and art of disease prevention and health promotion. Historically, it began with the accounting of death in major epidemics in the Middle Ages. Over the years, it has evolved into the basic science and art of dealing with mass phenomena of disease occurrence and public health. It is now gaining eminence in dealing with all kinds of mass phenomena beyond disease and public health.
Prior to the 1970s when teaching of epidemiology became a distinct training in academia, most epidemiologists were highly experienced practitioners of infectious and parasitic diseases and drew from their vast experiences in suggesting interventions for infectious disease control. With the prominence of non-infectious and chronic diseases, the need for special training with particular emphasis on biostatistics became apparent and has extensively developed to the present state. In Iran, epidemiological practice and training began with the national efforts in combating the main scourges of Malaria, Trachoma, Schistosoma infestation, cholera, and other diseases that impacted the country with high endemicity and regular epidemic outbreaks. This brief paper describes the development of epidemiology training in Iran in more detail.
Hamid Soori, Nahid Khodakarami, Alireza Zali, Alireza Noori, Samaneh Akbarpour, Fatemeh Sadat Asgarian,
Volume 18, Issue 3 (12-2022)
Abstract
Background and Objectives: COVID-19 pandemic caused a lot of severe problems in the world. This study investigated the epidemiology of the disease in Tehran in the first quarter of the epidemic's beginning.
Methods: The available information recorded for patients from 20 February 2020 to 20 May 2020 in Tehran was used. To prepare disease-related distribution maps, the addresses of patients' residences in Google Earth were called to ARC-GIS version 10-4. The methods used in GIS include IDW, Hotspot and also software development.
Results: Overall, 3699 individuals whose PCR results were positive in Tehran were included in the study. Out of the total number of them, 550 people died and the fatality rate of the disease in hospitalized patients was 14.9%. One thousand five hundred thirty patients (41.4%) have recovered, and the remaining 1619 patients were under treatment until data collection. Of the total, 1479 confirmed cases were women (40%). The average age was 57.4 years (SD=16.5). The density of cases in areas 4, 8 and 13, and the existence of some cluster diseases in neighborhoods such as Tehran Pars, Ayat and Pirouzi streets are noteworthy points.
Conclusion: The trend of the COVID-19 epidemic is dire and requires long-term measures. Nevertheless, to control this disease, the health system, the policy of isolating patients and suspicious people, wear masks especially in densely populated areas, are the most important controlling factors.
Elham Rahimi, Ebrahim Ghaderi, Ehsan Mostafavi, Mohammad Hossein Panahi, Manoochehr Karami,
Volume 19, Issue 1 (6-2023)
Abstract
Background and Objectives: The publication of outbreak investigation reports is critical for disseminating lessons learned from outbreaks. While there are existing reporting guidelines for outbreak investigations, there is a gap in specific guidelines for reporting food-borne and water-borne outbreaks. This study aims to introduce a specific framework and reporting guideline for food and waterborne outbreak investigations in Iran.
Methods: The initial draft of the framework for reporting food and waterborne outbreaks was derived from existing general reporting guidelines for outbreak investigations. Additionally, a systematic review of studies reporting outbreaks of waterborne and foodborne diseases from 2010 to 2022 was conducted without language restrictions to extract relevant information. Expert opinions were then sought to finalize and adapt the reporting guideline.
Results: The reporting guideline framework for outbreaks of waterborne and foodborne diseases consists of eight parts: title, abstract (background, methods, results, conclusion), introduction, methods (study characteristics, study type, variables under investigation), results (participant information, statistical results, laboratory results, environmental investigation results), discussion, conclusion, and conflict of interest.
Conclusion: This specific reporting guideline for food and waterborne outbreak investigations can be utilized by outbreak investigation teams, rapid response teams, and researchers to effectively report the results of outbreak investigations in this domain.
Ali Jafari-Khounigh, Morteza Haghighi, Alireza Razzaghi, Shahram Habibzadeh, Seyed Taghi Heydari, Rasoul Entezarmahdi, Dr. Alireza Ansari Moghaddam, Hamid Sharifi, Mostafa Farahbakhsh, Mahdi Rezaei, Mina Golestani, Ehsan Sarbazi, Naser Nasiri, Homayoun Sadeghi-Bazargani,
Volume 19, Issue 3 (12-2023)
Abstract
Background and Objectives: Masks play a crucial role in preventing and controlling viral epidemics transmitted predominantly through the air. This study aimed to develop and validate a tool to measure people’s attitudes and behaviors related to mask usage during highly contagious viral epidemics.
Methods: In this psychometric study, the initial questionnaire was developed and face validity and content validity were assessed by 17 experts and three lay experts. Reliability was evaluated through internal consistency using Cronbach’s alpha and test-retest reliability using the Intraclass Correlation Coefficient (ICC). Construct validity was measured using exploratory factor analysis (EFA) with the principal component extraction method and Varimax rotation.
Results: Based on a review of previous studies, an initial 27-item questionnaire was crafted. During the face validity stage, two items were excluded. Through calculating the Content Validity Ratio (CVR) and the Content Validity Index (CVI), three and one items respectively removed. The average scale level content validity index (S-CVI/Ave) was 0.95. Cronbach's alpha coefficient was found to be 0.76 for attitude and 0.66 for practice sections; the ICC was equal to 0.873. EFA revealed two factors explaining 63.98% of the total variance.
Conclusion: This questionnaire demonstrated sound reliability and validity in Persian, providing an effective means to assess attitude and behavior related to mask usage during highly contagious viral epidemics. It stands as a valuable tool for use in Iran and other countries.
Mostafa Talebi, Sareh Shakerian,
Volume 19, Issue 3 (12-2023)
Abstract
Background and Objectives: Cutaneous Leishmaniasis is a significant endemic diseases in Iran, leading to skin lesions, lifelong scars, and social stigma. This study aims to investigate the influence of climatic and ecological factors on the prevalence of cutaneous Leishmaniasis in Iran.
Methods: This study employed a narrative review approach. A comprehensive search was conducted using key terms such as 'skin Leishmaniasis', 'cutaneous Leishmaniasis', 'climatic factors,' and 'environmental factors' in both national and international databases. All relevant research was included without limitations on location, time, or research methodology.
Results: The initial search yielded 823625 articles. After refining the search keywords and conducting initial screening, 184 studies remained following the removal of duplicate articles. Subsequent screening for eligibility further narrowed down the selection to 30. The inclusion of 6 master theses brought the final number of studies for review to 36. A review of the studies showed a significant association between certain climatic factors, including temperature, humidity, hours of sunshine, and rainfall, and the incidence of cutaneous Leishmaniasis, across various geographical regions in the country. The relationship between factors such as vegetation, wind, and the number of disease cases had different results in different parts of the country.
Conclusion: The results of the present study show the effect of climatic and environmental factors on the rate of cutaneous Leishmaniasis in the country. Considering that the effect of these factors is not the same in all parts of the country, it is necessary to implement effective preventive measures to reduce the disease burden according to the needs of each geographical area.
Shoboo Rahmati, Reza Goujani, Zahra Abdolahinia, Naser Nasiri, Sakineh Narouee, Amir Hossein Nekouei, Hamid Sharifi, Ali Akbar Haghdoost,
Volume 19, Issue 3 (12-2023)
Abstract
Background and Objectives: The influential role of epidemiologists in improving health outcomes and conducting pertinent research becomes apparent when they are strategically positioned and available in sufficient numbers within a nation. This study aims to identify potential job positions in epidemiology within both governmental and non-governmental sectors while estimating the necessary workforce of epidemiologists in the country until 2027.
Materials and Methods: The present study was conducted as a combination in two quantitative and qualitative parts. In the qualitative part, interviews were conducted with experts, policy makers, graduates and students of this field in the field of job opportunities. In the quantitative part, the number of epidemiologists needed was estimated using modeling and parameters obtained from the review of the literature and the opinions of experts in this field. In this study, the current and near future needs up to 1406 have been considered.
Results: Based on the interviewes, job opportunities for epidemiologists in the country encompass diverse domains, including problem management and analysis, conducting applied research, data analysis, dashboard development, teaching, training, and future-oriented work (forecasting). Acounting for lost job opportunities, the estimated number of epidemiologists required in the country until 2027 is 1122 individuals, that most of them contribute to the country's health system if job opportunities are created. The highest demand for epidemiologists was identidied in units of the Ministry of Health, medical universities, research centers, and hospitals.
Conclusion: Estimating the number of epidemiologists needed using modeling in the country and paying attention to the current number of graduates, reveals that the growth of this field and the increase in graduates can only occur if job opportunities are clearly defined, created, and implemented across proposed job levels.
Elham Davtalab Esmaeil, Ali Hossein Zeinalzadeh, Leila R. Kalankesh, Alireza Ghaffari, Saeed Dastgiri,
Volume 20, Issue 2 (9-2024)
Abstract
Background and Objectives: The present study aimed to assess the prevalence and familial aggregation pattern of alcohol consumption among father-offspring, mother-offspring, siblings, and spouses in Tabriz city, and to investigate the associated risk factors.
Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted in 2023 on 860 individuals in Tabriz city. The heads of households were selected as proband individuals. Conveniently, probands were recruited from daily visitors, and upon agreeing to participate, their first-degree relatives (spouse and children) were also invited to join in. Data were collected using standard self-reported questionnaires. Generalized Estimating Equations (GEE) were employed to assess family aggregation among father- offspring, mother-offspring, and siblings.
Results: No significant of familial aggregation alcohol consumption was observed between spouses (OR=0.54 (0.16-1.8)). Although familial aggregation was observed between mothers and children, this was not statistically significant (OR=1.54 (0.8-2.94)). There was a significant familial aggregation of alcohol consumption between fathers and children (OR=1.98 (1.08-2.5)). Among siblings, familial aggregation was not statistically significant (OR=1.38 (0.41-4.63)).
Conclusion: Based on the findings of this study, family members play an important role in influencing the alcohol consumption behaviors of other family members. Additionally, individuals with lower socioeconomic status, those who are divorced, and singles may be more appropriate targets for alcohol consumption screening programs.
