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

A Study of Health-Oriented Lifestyle and Its Relationship with Social Health among Infertile Women Attending the Reproductive Health Research Center in Shiraz

Roghayeh Khosravi

Background and Aim: Today, social health, as one of the four main axes of health, has gained a special significance in developmental and human-centered approaches, leading to the conduct of theoretical studies and extensive operational programs worldwide.
Materials and Methods: This study investigates the relationship between a health-oriented lifestyle and social health in infertile women, as reported by the Shiraz Reproductive Health Research Center. The overall design of this study is descriptive-correlational. 385 infertile women referring to reproductive health research centers in Shiraz were selected from infertility treatment clinics in Shiraz using a convenience sampling method and completed the research instruments. Then, the collected information was analyzed. Data analysis was examined in two parts: descriptive and inferential statistics.
Results: Data analysis showed that a health-oriented lifestyle has a positive and significant relationship with social health and its dimensions, and that health-oriented lifestyle dimensions predict social health of infertile women. There is a significant relationship between social health and age. Social health among infertile women varies significantly by education and employment status. Also, there is no significant difference in social health among infertile women in terms of the number of abortions and duration of marriage.
Conclusion: According to the research findings, it can be said that educating infertile women about a health-oriented lifestyle can be effective in increasing their social health and, as a result, increasing the likelihood of infertility treatment success.

Experiences of Challenges Faced by Employed Mothers Returning to Work after Maternity Leave, Staff of Zahedan University of Medical Sciences-1404; A Qualitative Study

Zeinab Khaledian

Background and Aim: The return of working mothers to the workplace after maternity leave is a critical and complex stage in women's career paths, influencing the balance between their familial and professional roles. Understanding the challenges at this stage is essential for improving policies and support systems.
Materials and Methods: This qualitative study, employing content analysis, was conducted in 2025 at Zahedan University of Medical Sciences. The study population included employed mothers after childbirth and health sector managers. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews and analyzed using conventional content analysis. Ethical principles and data validation were emphasized.
Results: A total of 30 participants, including 20 employed mothers’ post-childbirth and 10 managers, were included. The findings were categorized into five main themes: psychological, familial, organizational, cultural and social, and legal and supportive challenges, encompassing 13 subthemes and 34 distinct codes.
Conclusion: According to the findings, revising organizational policies, enhancing legal awareness, and providing a flexible and supportive work environment for employed mothers are essential. Given the unique cultural and social characteristics of Sistan and Baluchestan province, this study can guide policymakers and health managers in improving working conditions for mothers.

The Role of the SOST Gene in Identifying Postmenopausal Women at Risk for Low Bone Quality

Kourosh Holakouie-Naieni

Background and Aim: The Trabecular Bone Score (TBS) is a novel tool for assessing bone microarchitecture and identifying individuals at risk for osteoporotic fractures. This study aimed to evaluate the association between Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms (SNPs) of the SOST gene and TBS in Iranian postmenopausal women.
Materials and Methods: This study included 1/071 postmenopausal women from the Bushehr Elderly Health (BEH) Cohort study. Relationship between Seven independent SNPs in the SOST gene located on chromosome 17q21.31 were investigated with TBS L1–L4. Associations were tested using generalized linear models under additive, dominant, and recessive genetic models. A genetic score was also calculated by summing the weighted number of risk alleles based on the regression coefficients of the SNPs.
Results: After adjustment for age and Body Mass Index (BMI), SNP rs2023794-C showed a statistically significant association with TBS in the additive model (β = 0/ 03, P = 4/7×10⁻⁵, P_FDR = 0/0003) and the dominant model (β = 0/033, P = 2/5×10⁻⁵, P_FDR = 0/0003). Furthermore, higher genetic scores were positively associated with increased TBS values.
Conclusion: Our findings highlight the potential role of SOST gene variants and derived genetic score in predicting bone quality in postmenopausal women. These genes could aid in identifying individuals at higher risk of poor bone quality and in developing personalized osteoporosis prevention strategies.

The Impact of Domestic Violence against Women on Child Growth Status among Attendees of Comprehensive Health Service Centers in Zahedan

Hossein Ansari

Background and Aim: Domestic violence is a major social harm against women, with serious negative effects on the health and well-being of both mothers and children. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of domestic violence among women attending comprehensive health service centers in Zahedan and to examine its relationship with the developmental status of their children.
Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted in 2024 on 454 women who visited comprehensive health service centers in Zahedan with their children. Participants were selected through a multi-stage sampling method. Data were collected using the standardized Domestic Violence against Women questionnaire developed by Mohseni Tabrizi. Statistical analyses were performed using chi-square tests and logistic regression in Stata 14 software.
Results: The overall prevalence of exposure to domestic violence among women was 43%. Domestic violence showed a significant association with poor child development (CI: 1.39–3.00, OR: 2.06). Logistic regression analysis indicated that maternal exposure to domestic violence, along with factors such as parental history of childhood violence, paternal addiction, and maternal age, were significantly related to behavioral disorders in children (p ≤ 0.05).
Conclusion: The findings highlight the crucial impact of domestic violence on women’s well-being and the developmental outcomes of their children. These results can assist policymakers and social planners in designing effective strategies to reduce domestic violence and promote healthy child development.

Levels of Socialization of Pediatric Specialists and Residents in Child Health Advocacy; A Qualitative Study in Medical Universities of Region Six

Ahmad Kalateh Sadati

Background and Aim: Health advocacy is a learnable skill and professional attribute acquired through the process of professional socialization, in which health professionals, particularly physicians, play an active role in supporting patients’ rights. The aim of this study was to explore the professional socialization of pediatricians in advocating for children’s health.
Materials and Methods: This qualitative and exploratory study presents finding derived for the first time within the context of Iranian medical education, through the conceptualization of narrative data obtained from semi-structured interviews. Participants included 19 pediatricians and pediatric residents from medical universities in Iran’s Sixth Health Education Region, centered at Zanjan University of Medical Sciences. The sample size and data volume were determined by the criterion of data saturation, and participant recruitment followed purposive linear and exponential snowball sampling. Coding and conceptualization were conducted through an inductive–deductive thematic analysis using MAXQDA 20 software. The credibility and dependability of the findings were ensured through analytical comparison by the researcher and peer review.
Results: A total of three main themes, twenty subthemes, and 199 basic themes were identified, showing that pediatricians are socialized at micro, meso, and macro levels for child health advocacy. The main themes were: the active physician (micro-level or individual socialization within the doctor–child communication context), the advocate institution (meso-level or organizational socialization within the doctor–staff–organization context), and the structuring of the defending physician (macro-level or collective socialization within the doctor–structures–society context), all reflecting how pediatricians become socialized as child health advocates.
Conclusion: By strengthening the positive aspects and addressing the negative factors of professional socialization, the socialization of pediatricians as child health advocates can be enhanced at the micro, meso, and macro levels.

Qualitative Content Analysis of Experimental Science Textbooks for the First Year of Secondary Education in Terms of Reflecting Health Education Concepts and Assumptions

Shahram Ranjdoost

Background and Aim: The present study aims to qualitatively analyze the content of lower secondary school science textbooks in terms of the reflection of health education concepts and assumptions, with the goal of improving students’ comprehensive health development and quality of life through the prevention of social harms.
Materials and Methods: This study employed a qualitative and descriptive content analysis using a deductive approach. The units of analysis included pages (texts, questions, exercises, and illustrations). The statistical population consisted of all lower secondary school science textbooks used in the 2017–2018 academic year. Purposeful sampling was applied, and all three textbooks were selected for analysis. A content analysis checklist was used as the research instrument. To ensure validity, face validity, content validity, and expert opinions were applied, while reliability was confirmed using the retest technique, yielding a correlation coefficient of 0.89.
Results: A total of 698 instances of health education components were identified across the three textbooks. The most frequent component was “familiarity with body functions and organs” with 344 occurrences. In contrast, components such as “assertiveness and self-confidence”, “healthy communication with others”, “empathy and compassion”, “awareness of diseases such as AIDS”, “drug abuse”, and “consultation in life” were entirely absent from the analyzed content.
Conclusion: The findings indicated that health education components are distributed unevenly across the science textbooks of lower secondary education. Some components were underrepresented or completely missing. Therefore, educational policymakers and textbook authors should pay greater attention to the balanced and comprehensive inclusion of health education elements in lower secondary science curricula.