Journal of School of Public Health and Institute of Public Health Research

Implementation of the Action Plan for the prevention and control of children head lice (Pediculus humanus capitis) after the implementation of Community assessment in the Chahestaniha region in the City of BandarAbbas

Kourosh Holakoie naieni

Background and Aim: Nowadays, in health promotion and disease prevention great emphasis is put on participatory community-based approaches. These approaches are considered as the main strategy of health promotion by using multiple interventions. Community assessment is a participatory research approach in which problems prioritization and resource distribution are done using information collected in a region aiming at promoting health of the community.

Materials and Methods: In this applied research community assessment was made in the Chahestaniha region in the City of BandarAbbas with the objective of identifying and prioritizing the main problems. The assessment consisted of eight phases, namely, the formation of a community assessment team, Primary and secondary data collection, data analysis and interpretation, combining district-level health statistics with community assessment data, reporting to the community, prioritizing health problems, and prepared a community assessment document. In the eighth phase, after considering all risk factors that cause high prevalence of Children head lice, the action plan was designed and implemented to solve the problems.

Results: The Chahestaniha community assessment led to identifying 52 problems. The priority problems were classified. High prevalence of lice on children’s head was chosen as the top major problem to be solved, an action plan for solving it was developed and implemented.

Conclusion: The full cycle of community assessment methodology can be applied, with only some small changes, in most communities with different sizes, cultures, traditions and social habits. The method can obtain participation of the people in conducting the study and implementing interventions.

The effect of health behvarz’ education level on blood pressure control among hypertensive patients in the rural areas of Qazvin city, Iran

elliyeh Hojjatzadeh

Background and Aim: Hypertension is a major risk factor for cardiovascular diseases. Its control decreases the risk of likely complications. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of behvarz’ education level on blood pressure control among hypertensive patients in the rural areas of Qazvin city, Iran.

Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study, including 300 hypertensive patients and 18 behvarz selected by multi-stage sampling, was conducted in health houses of the rural areas of Qazvin city in 2010. Usning standard methods and technics, weight, height and blood pressure were measured. Data were collected by interviews (using questionnaires) and observations and anlyzed using the SPSS software and the Chi Square test as the statistical test (level of sinnificance 0.05 ).

Results: The prevalence of hypertension was 13.2% and 8.7% in the populations under coverage of the health houses manned by community behvarz with a high school diploma and those with an education level below high school diploma, repectively. Only 14.7% of the patienes studied had their blood pressure controlled. There was no statistically significant association between the extent of patients’ blood pressure control and behvarz’ educationl level.

Coclusion: It can be concluded that education level of the behvarz has no effect on hypertensive patients' blood pressure control. In any case, it is recommended to pay more attention to the education and literacy of peripheral health workers and put emphasis on the personnel in-service training, regular monitoring and supervision, as well as health indices assessment.

Determination of the fauna of forensically important Arthropoda in the North of Iran

Rahman Babapour

Background and Aim: Availability of preliminary data on fauna and distribution of forensically important insects in a region is very important. Considering absence of such data in the north of Iran, this was study was undertaken with the aim of finding the fauna of insects on rabbit carcasses as an animal model in Babol, a city in the north of Iran.

Materials and Methods: This study was conducted in three areas, that is, urban, semi-urban and rural, in summer and autumn in 2014. Using Schoenly traps, samples were collected once daily until the decomposition of the rabbit carcasses was complete.

Results: A total of 1978 adult flies from 17 species were identified. The main fly families included Calliphoridae, Sarcophagidae, Muscidae and Fanniidae. On the whole, the families with the highest and lowest numbers were Muscidae and Phoridae, respectively. Some families of minor medical importance, such as Anthomyiidae, Sepsidae, Phoridae and Stratiomyidae, were collected in small numbers. The Sarcophaga melanura was introduced in Iran for the first time.

Conclusion: The main finding of this study is identification of some of the most important flies and other anthropoda, which can be very helpful and useful in forensic investigations – finding time and place of death. Classification of the data on species based on their ecosystems is another important finding emphasized in this study, something of practical importance in scene of crime investigations.

An Urban Health Management Center in cosmopolitan Tehran: A participatory system to promote health equity

Abbas Vosough Moghaddam

Background and Aim: One of the main functions of municipalities, as a social institution, is providing, maintaining and improving health of citizens. Scattered attempts have been made with the objective of expanding equitable health service networks in cities, particularly suburban areas. The present study aimed at designing an integrated system for urban health managent center.

Material and Methods: This was a descriptive-analytical study. Based on the viewpoints of experts and relevant stakeholders, global evidence, national experience, and existing legislations, a conceptual framework for designing an urban health management center was developed and requirements for its implementation were determined. On the basis of the conceptual framework, regulations for designing model for a regional urban health management center (RUHMC) was prepared.

Results: The proposed model has 5 important characteristics which would provide an excellent opportunity as a response to the existing challenges of the health network in cities through active participation of the municipality, as a social institution, and other organizations:

1. Facilitating intersectoral collaboration, as against individual movements of the

governmental health sector;

2. Defining and providing social health services and influencing the social determinants of health components;

3. Providing active, rather than passive, services;

4. Decentralization by forming a board of trustees and/or coordination council;

5. Direct community participation in all phases, from decision-making (membership in the coordination council) to service provision.

Conclusion: Pilot implementation and evaluation of the proposed RUHMC model is recommended before expanding it to other parts of the city. In addition, it is essential that, before expanding the model to the other cities, the final regulations be examined and ratified by the High Council of Health and Food Security.

Prioritization of factors influencing use of the Internet to expand sports in a university environment

Ali Mohammad Safania

Background and Aim: Exercise is one of the major factors influencing health. Modern media such as the Internet can play an important role in shaping an individual’s attitude towards physical exercise and behavior. This study aimed to identify priority of factors influencing use of the Internet to expand physical exercise in a university environment.

Materials and Methods: A 23-item questionnaire (Cronbach’s alpha = 0.98) was designed to test the effect of virtual environment on expanding physical exercise among the university staff, faculty and students (Likert scale; 1, fully disagree to 5, fully agree). A sample of 500 individuals were selected by cluster-sampling and completed the questionnaire.

Results: The data showed that, based on the Friedman test, priority factors were not similar among the different categories of university audiences (p<0/001). While among the students and the staff the communication network factor ranked first, with an average rank of 3.56 and 3.46, respectively, among the faculty members it was information that ranked first, with an average rank of 3.64. Further analysis of the data showed a statistically significant difference among the three groups of university audiences – students, faculty and staff – as regards the total score of cyberspace application in university sport (F= 9.776, p < 0.05). There was no difference between the two genders. (t=0.78, p<0.5).

Conclusion: The findings show that the Internet can be quite effective in expanding university sport. It can provide an appropriate tool or substrate for expanding physical exercise/sport due to its popularity among university audiences. Hence, it is essential that university sport managers and planners use this cyberspace substrate to expand university sport by adopting appropriate relevant strategies.

The evaluation of naphthalene bioremediation in crude oil contaminated soils by Bacillus consortium

Abbas Akhavan sepahi

Background and Aim: The petroleum contamination is one of the inevitable consequences of population increase and energy consumption. In this study, the method of Bioremediation and Bacillus bacteria have been used in order to remove the petroleum contamination.

Material and Methods: The samples of soil were collected and the bacteria were isolated and identified.Then, the production of Biosurfactant, the rate of naphthalene degradation and appropriate growth conditions of them were examined.

Results: The Bacillus sp. included Bacillus cereus, Paenibacillus lactis, Bacillus fusiformis and Bacillus subtilis. The pure cultures and consortium have surface tension values less than 40 mN/m. Therefore, they were considered biosurfactant producers. The consortium had the tolerance ability of naphthalene up to 1000ppm.The appropriate conditions for the growth of Bacillus consortium was pH equal to 6, shaker rate 150 rpm, nitrogen source of Yeast extract and the concentration of naphthalene equal to 200ppm.

Conclusion: Bacillus consortium had more ability compared to single strains for reducing the surface tension, production of Biosurfactant, growth in culture media containing naphthalene and its degradation. It has indicated in several of the similar researches that Bacillus consortium or other bacteria have more ability in Biodegradation of organic contaminants.

The antifungal effect of Pistacia Atlantica subsp.Kurdica on the growth of Aspergillus parasiticus

Sasan Rezaei

Background and Aim: Aspergillus arasiticus species can contaminate agricultural products both on the farm and in storage in tropical regions. In recent years much research has been conducted on extracts of, and chemical compounds derived from, plants to be used potentially to reduce growth of toxin-producing microorganisms. Not much information is available in this area, so this study was conducted to determine the antifungal effect of Pistacia Atlantica subsp. Kurdica on the growth of Aspergillus parasiticus.

Materials and Methods: According to the microdilution method, based on the latest version of the Clinical Laboratory and Standards Institute (CLSI) Document M27-A3, modified M38-A2 protocol, minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) at different concentrations of Pistacia Atlantica subsp. Kurdica against the standard parasiticus species (ATCC15517) was determined.

Results: Pistacia Atlantica subsp. Kurdica could inhibit growth of Aspergillus parasiticus; the minimum concentration with an inhibitory effect on the growth of the fungus was 125mg/ml.

Conclusion: The Pistacia Atlantica subsp. Kurdica can potentially have a pronounced growth-inhibiting effect on A. Parasiticus. It is recommended to conduct more studies in this area to getinformation on expression of genes involved in the phenomenon.

Identification of spiritual needs and skills related to them among the students of public health

Arezoo Falahi

Background and Aim: To succeed in study and deliver service to community, training spiritual and related skill is urgent need in public health students. The aim of study was to explore spiritual needs and related skills in public health students of Kurdistan University of medical sciences.

Materials and Methods: This research was done through content analysis approach in Kurdistan university of medical science in 2015 year. Public health 15 students’ needs and perspective investigated via purposeful sampling. Inclusion criteria were including willingness to participate in the study, public health students, and ability to speak fluently. Data was gathered using individual and group in-deep sim-structural interviews and field note. Interviews recorded, typed, and analyzed using content analysis method. credibility, dependability, confirmability and transferability were employed to rigor and trustworthy of data.

Results: from Analysis of data were extracted 4 main categories: “individual interaction with superior existence”, “individual’s interaction with surrounding”, “strengthen individual characteristics”, and “improvement of study”.

Conclusion: the results of the study showed that acquiring of spiritual and life skills is an urgent need for students. Earning these skills not only is not an individual factor but also is multi-factorial and this is regarding to educational organizations, ministries, universities and families.