Journal of School of Public Health and

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Bromide which is present in many water resources has the potential to create adverse health effects after water disinfection by oxidizing agents, and it is considered to be the most important mineral in this respect. Bromide removal is not feasible in conventional water treatment plants. This survey with the aim of removing Br" from water has been accomplished by performing pilot tests in which a GAC fixed - bed contactor and two different resins have been employed. Synthetic water samples of known concentrations of Br" (1-10 mgL -&apos) and TDS (250 - 1000 mg/L-1) have been treated, at the first phase of this study.
Results showed that the best efficiency of GAC treatment was for samples having more than 1 mgL"1 Br" and less than 1000 mgL-1 TDS.
At the second phase of the study, a strong anionic-cathionic resin had been used for Br" removal. Either low or high concentrations of Br", in the influent a considerable reduction in Br" content was always observed at the first 5 minutes of contact.
At the third phase of the study a weak anionic resin (WBA) has been employed. Using this resin in the treatment of synthetic samples proved that WBA is also very effective for Br" removal during 10 min contact while , Br- was reached less than 0.4 mgL"1 . Simultaneous removing of TDS was also showed well efficiency. However, TDS has never decreased to near zero as it was possible for the strong resins.
Finally in the 4th phase of this research, natural samples from four water resources supplying potable water for the city of Qom have been chosen to continue the process of Br" removal by above-mentioned pilots. Despite of high levels of TDS of the samples, there was no important problem in the process of Br" treatment. The acceptable removal efficiencies of bromide were minimum 50% and maximum around 100% .

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The purpose of this study was to measure ambient lead concentrations in Tehran's 12th Municipal District and also Pb concentrations in urine samples from municipal workers assigned to the same region. In this research workers from the 12th District were matched and compared with a control group who were doing the same type of work in another region in northern Tehran with lighter traffic and comparatively clean air.Air samples were analyzed by atomic absorption techniques. Results showed the mean air concentration of lead to be higher than standard (1.5ug/m3) except on Fridays and Thursdays (1.9±0.32). The end-shift urine samples were prepared and analyzed using the HSE method. Lead levels in 77.1% of the urine samples were higher than HSE-recommended limits (643.86±353.73). The independent t-testindicated that the mean urine Pb concentration in the case group was significantly higher than in controls (p<0.001). Mean urine lead levels in smokers were significantly higher than non-smokers in case group (p^0.043). The Pearson Correlation test showed a significant relationship between urine Pb concentration and age, duration of employment, and smoking habit in case workers (r=0.427, p= 0.011, r=0.385, p=0.632 and r=0.632, p=0.009 respectively). Also, the Kruskal-Wallis test indicated that urine lead levels were independent of the workers'education level and work shifts.

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In a survey from 1999 to 2001, a total of 354 samples of soil and water were colleted from different areas and examined for the presence of AcanthamoebaandNaegleria spp. After sieving, filtration and centrifugation, samples were examined for the free living protozoa ( amphizoic amoeba ). Concurrently, a sediment of each sample was cultured in the non-nutrient agar medium enriched by E.coli. In the end, 10 Acanthomoeba spp. and 3 Naegleria sp. were isolated. Besides, we diagnosed one case of human Acanthomoeba infection in a person residing in the area.

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On the basis of recent retrospective and prospective studies, it is now widely accepted that increased total plasma homocysteine is a strong, independent risk factor for cardiovascular disease. Some studies have detected hyperhomocystememia in more than one - third of patients with coronary vascular disease. With an increase in total homcysteine (tHcy) concentration of 5 janol/L, the relative risk of cardiovascular disease has been estimated to increase by 60% for men and 80% for women. In a cross-sectional study we investigated tHcy concentration in 35-65 year-old ischemic heart patients (n=348, 157 men and 191 women) in a clinic in Tehran.
Fasting total homocysteine level was measured by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and using the internal method. The data were analyzed statistically using one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) and the independent t-test. The results showed that while 18.96% of the patients had a normal tHcy level (<8 /imol/lit), in 27.52%, 50.52%, and 2.8 % of them the level was almost high (8-<12 /imol/L), high (12-<25 /imol/L), and abnormally (>25 /imol/L), resapectively. The mean tHcy concentration in men was significantly higher than in women ( P= 0.02). More extensive studies should be conducted to assess the tHcy status in the Iranian population at large.

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Many studies indicate that the nutritional knowledge and practice of adolescent girls are inadequate. Few surveys were performanced about effect of nutrition education on knowledge, attitude and practice in this vulnerable group. The purpose of this study was to compare the effect of two nutrition education methods (guidebook and group discussion) on the nutritional knowledge, attitude and practice of first-grade guidance school girl students in Tehran ’s 8th district, in 2003.A total of 300 students were selected from 11 guidance schools by simple random sampling and divided into three 100-student groups: 1-guide-book, 2-group discussion, and 3-control. Data on the nutritional knowledge, attitude and practice were collected using pretest and posttest questionnaires. The students in group1 were given the guide-book and required to study it at home, while group 2 students were told to discuss among themselves the contents of the guide-book. The control group were given nothing to study or to do. The pre-test showed that the mean scores of nutrition knowledge (K), attitude (A) and practice (P) were not statistically different among the 3 groups. The scores for the 3 variables increased in the guide-book and discussion groups significantly at the end of the study period (in all cases, p<0.001), while the inter-group comparisons also showed that the K and A scores were statistically different among the 3 groups the P, however, was not different among them. Conclusion: Both methods (guide-book and group discussion)increased the level of nutritional knowledge and attitude as compared to (a) – the control group,and (b) – the initial values. Also both methods increased the level of nutritional practice as compared to (b) – the initial values. The group discussion method was more effective than the guide-book method in the promotion of the nutritional knowledge of the students.

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The traditional methods is used to inspect based on the end-products in manufactures , yet. The Global movement is more commonly reffered to use HACCP system which its main characteristics is preventing contorl of hazards at all stages of food productions. The main goals of implementation of this project was based on three following points: 1-Preparation of a guidelines for application of HACCP system . 2-Familizariation of quality control officers and manufacturers with HACCP concepts,its principle,and establishment of HACCP in different food industries. 3-Establishment of HACCP in a selected Dairy plant as a pilot. To implement of this project, central and administrative groups were formed and 15 workshops were organized for introducing of system during 39 days. Then concerning to prerequistics and G.M.P, HACCP system established in selected plant successfully. This plant has been able to get the HACCP certification from a certification body. The result of this project indicated that establishment of HACCP system is possible in food industries.Preparation and implementation of HACCP has an effective movement in improvement of food safety quality management, food hygien, upgrades of food safety and consumer protection. In addition to above subjects , developing of this system throughout the country, could make a good oppourtunity for ability of competition in export fields and international trade such as join to WTO (World Trade Organization).

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In this study, parameters affecting on SPE of trance trance muconic acid (t,t-MA), including sample pH, sample concentration, sample volume, sample flow rate, washing solvent, elution solvent, and type of sorbent were evaluated. After sample preparation of muconic acid as urinary metabolite of benzene, it was determined by HPLC-UV. In chromatographic analysis, column was C18 (250 cm × 4.6 mm id, 0.5 µm), UV wave length was 259 nm, mobile phase was H2O/methanol/acetic acid (69:30:1 v/v/v) was run at flow rate of 1 ml/min. Through experimental evaluation, a strong anion exchange silica cartridge (SAX) has been found successful in simplifying sample preparation compare to C8 and C18. There were significant difference between recoverie of muconic acid when different washing solvent, sample volume, and sample flow rate were used (p< 0.001). An optimum recovery was obtained when sample pH was adjusted at seven. Other optimum conditions were: sample flow rate 1 ml/min washing solvent acetic acid 1% , and acetic acid 10% as elution solvent. In this study, there was no significant difference when different sample concentrations were used (p>0.05). Recovery of spiked urine sample at concentrations of 0.1, 1, 10 µg/ml were more than 95%. The limit of detection of the optimized method was 0.01 µg/ml, showing 20 times less than biological exposure index (BEI). The optimized method was then validated with three different pools of samples at above mentioned concentrations and showed a good reproducibility over six consecutive days as well as six within-days experiments.

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The population of most countries in the word has been growing older during the last 30 years. This trend is important because it leads to a predictable increasing burden of diseases, political, social and economic challenges. The objective of this study was to assess health related quality of life and relating factors in institutionalized elderlies living in “Kahrizak Charity Institution for elder people, in Tehran, Iran”. In this cross sectional research 202 persons aged 65 years and above who were residing in the institution for at least 6 months and able to answer our questions were studied. We used the Iranian version of the SF-36 questionnaire to measure quality of life. Data were collected by face to face interviews. For comparing quality of life between different groups we used non-parametric tests. The mean age of participants was 76.8 (SD=±7.6) years and 58.5% were female.The results showed significant relation between the participants’quality of life scores and variables such as gender, educational level, working in the institution’s workshop, receiving pension, having different types of fractures, deformities, and arthrosis. The study findings indicated that quality of in this group of elderly people was poor and it needs to be improved.

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There is a need for simple and inexpensive water supply systems in small communities, mainly because of high costs and water resource shortages. Ceramic filters used as a Point-of-Use (POU) system could serve as a safe and inexpensive means for supplying water. In this research we looked at the possibility of using Iranian traditional ceramics as filters for drinking water, bearing in mind the importance of ceramic filters as a POU system. A number of parameters relating to water quality were measured before and after filtration through a ceramic pipe wall. We used ceramic pipes made of clay (with 90% purity). It turned out that ceramic filters are capable of eliminating indicator microorganisms and turbidity to a considerable degree. They can also remove 70% of the water's color. But this system could not eliminate Dissolved Solids, Electrical Conductivity, Hardness and the Nitrate ion content of water. Using Mann-Withney U Test and T- Test, it is confirmed that increasing the thickness and number of ceramic pipes is not effective for improving some water parameters. This research showed ceramic filters can be useful for household water treatment in places where there is microbial pollution or high turbidity.

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The exposure index was used to obtain integrated and concise assessment of the various risk factor analyzed and to classify occupational scenarios featuring significant and diversified exposure to risk factors. In this study, an integrated procedure from four data gathering methods include observational methods (for jobs and tasks analyzing featuring repetitive movements) interview method (for asking about upper limbs musculoskeletal disorders), Nordic musculoskeletal questionnaire (NMQ) method and Occupational repetitive actions method (OCRA) were used . A 385 persons group was studied, working in 33 various jobs in a textile factory. The results showed that, 0.86% of work tasks had low risk level, 87.93% of work task were located in moderate risk level and 11.21% of work task had a high risk level. Mean of exposure indices in four jobs include primary of spinning, spinning, primary of weaving, and weaving had significant difference (p=0.003). Also, the weaving job had a highest risk of occurrence upper extremity musculoskeletal disorders. Mean of right and left hand exposure indices showed a significant different (p<0.001). There was significant relationship between UEMSDs with age (p<0.05). It was concluded that, the OCRA methods can be a useful method for evaluation of UEMSDs in repetitive activities.

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Background and Aim: Domestic violence against women is a major public health problem throughout the world. Feelings of shame, guilt and fear on the part of women, together with an unresponsive health care system continue to silence and isolate women who suffer abuse and negligence- with major effects on their physical and mental health. Mental health consequences include depression, anxiety, stress disorders, and somatization. This study estimates the prevalence of domestic violence and its associated effects on the victims' mental health.
Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study used data from 1189 married women over the age of 15, selected randomly among the residents of Tehran.
Results: The overall prevalence of domestic violence was 35.7%. Thirty percent of the subjects had experienced physical violence, 29% suffered mental violence and 10% had been victims of sexual violence many of these women had suffered all the three types. The most frequent types of physical violence included beating in the form of kicks, punches, and slaps (91%) common types of mental abuse included humiliation, verbal abuse and insults (93%), and threats of violence (83%). Data on mental health status indicate that overall, as many as 34.1% of women could be suffering from disorders such as depression and anxiety. The risk of psychiatric disease was 3.5 times higher in victims of violence compared to other women (OR = 3.5, CI 95% = 2.72 - 4.58). Major factors contributing to domestic violence were husband addiction, low economic status, and the number of children (P<0.001). These results are consistent with the current literature on domestic violence and illustrate the high prevalence of this phenomenon. Victims are commonly depressed and have a higher rate of anxiety.
Conclusion: Violence is an important indicator of women’s health. Screening programs for domestic violence could be effective, along with community support and referral to health care and legal facilities. It is also crucial to promote knowledge and awareness of violence among health care providers. This study shows that a community-wide effort to establish links between health care settings and community services may be important in addressing the needs of victims.

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Background and Aim: Infectious complications after renal transplantation are associated with significant morbidity and mortality. We evaluated post-transplant complications due to infections and their relationship with graft function, immunosuppressive drugs and mortality.
Materials and Methods: Over a 2-year period (2002-2004), 179 renal transplantations were performed in our center. Of these, 142 cases were followed for a period of one year. The immunosuppressive regimen included cyclosporin A, mycophenolate mofetil and prednisolone. Each patient was assessed through regular visits and according to the ward protocol. Results of the investigations (infections and their relationship with age, sex, donor type, creatinine level, acute rejection, immunosuppressive drugs, graft and patient survival) were recorded and analyzed.
Results: The overall incidence of infection was 54%. The most common sites were lower urinary tract (42%) and respiratory tract (6%). The most frequent causes were Klebsiella (24%) and Cytomegalovirus (18%). Wound infection occurred in 5% of the patients. The overall mortality was 7.7%, and almost half of the death cases (3.5%) involved sepsis development. Graft loss occurred in 16 (11%) of the cases: 2 developed Cytomegalovirus infection, 2 experienced urinary tract infection (UTI) and 5 developed sepsis (and expired). Mycobacterial and hepatitis C infections were noticeably low compared to other studies. The hazard rate in occurrence of UTI, CMV, acute rejection and mortality were higher in cadaveric transplant recipients than in others.
Conclusion: This study identifies infections as a major cause of morbidity and mortality in the post-transplant period. Patients having higher creatinine levels and those receiving high doses of drugs at discharge are considered to be at high risk and should be evaluated thoroughly.

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Background and Aim: At the outset of the third millennium, vitamin D deficiency is still a common and serious health problem among women of reproductive age and their infants in developing countries. Precise information on the vitamin D status of urban lactating women in Islamabad -Gharb is not available. But it seems that, like in other areas of Iran, vitamin D deficiency may be common in this region. The aim of this study was to determine the vitamin D status in urban lactating women and its association with the following variables: number of pregnancies, total duration of lactation, length of exposure to sunlight, and literacy.
Materials and Methods: Using a simple random sampling technique, a total of 155 lactating women with children under the age of 1 year were selected from 8 urban health clinics. In the interview, the subjects answered questions on the above-mentioned independent variables and fasting blood samples were taken for analysis. The concentration of 25-hydroxyvitamin D in serum was measured by a chemiluminescence method. Normal status was defined as concentration of 25-Hydroxyvitamin D serum ≥ 10 ng/ml, moderate deficiency as concentration ≥ 6ng/ml and <10 ng/ml, and severe vitamin D deficiency as concentration of 25-Hydroxyvitamin D < 6 ng/ml.
Results: The results indicate that only 8.4% of women were normal, 18.7% had moderate deficiency, and 72.9% had severe vitamin D deficiency. The vitamin D status had a statistically significantly negative association with the number of pregnancies and the total duration of lactation.
Conclusion: The vitamin D status of urban lactating women is very poor and needs immediate attention.

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Background and Aim: In 1991, the world health organization initiated a project to simultaneously develop an instrument for measuring quality of life in 15 countries. The study yielded two questionnaires, namely WHOQOL-100 and WHOQOL-BREF. These were intended as generic QOL measurement tools to be used in a broad range of diseases, for different degrees of disease severity, and in various cultural subgroups. The objective of the current study was to evaluate the Iranian version of the WHOQOL-BREF. This 26-item instrument comprises four domains: Physical Health, Psychological, Social Relationship, Environment and the overall QOL/health.
Material and Methods: We administered the questionnaire to 1167 adults in Tehran. The stratified sample consisted of 476 diseased subjects and 700 healthy ones. We tested the instrument's reliability (internal consistency, test-retest), discriminant validity and factorial structure.
Results: The participants had an age mean of 36.3 years (SD = 13.2) and had an average 11.5 years of education. Using Cronbach's α and intraclass correlation, all domains met the minimum reliability standards, with the exception of social relationship domain (α = 0.55). The latter could be attributed the small number of questions in this domain and the sensitive nature of the questions themselves. Since 83% of the questions show maximum correlation with their original domain, the factorial structure of the questionnaire was regarded as acceptable. The questionnaire has the ability to discriminate different groups after adjustment for confounding factors in regression analysis.
Conclusion: This study demonstrated good to excellent reliability and acceptable validity in various groups of subjects in Iran. The instrument may be used in future studies, albeit with minor modifications in the domain of social relations, as determined by expert opinion.

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Background and aim: The chromium mist generator is an essential tool for research and for making evidence-based recommendations in evaluating air pollution and its control systems. The purpose of this study was to design and construct a homogeneous chromium mist generator and to look at the effects of factors such as sampling height and distance between samplers in side-by-side sampling on the chromium mist sampling method.
Material and Methods: First we developed a mist generator, using a chromium electroplating bath in pilot scale. Concentrations of CrO3 and sulfuric acid in plating solution were 125 g L-1 and 1.25 g L-1, respectively. To set up permanent air sampling locations, a Plexiglas cylindrical chamber (75 cm height, 55 cm i.d) was installed as the bath overhead. Sixty holes were made on the chamber in 3 rows (20 in each row). The distance between rows and holes was 15 and 7.5 cm, respectively. Homogeneity and the related factors were studied using a side-by-side air sampling method. Forty-eight clusters of samples were collected on polyvinyl chloride (PVC) filters contained in sampling closed-face cassettes. Cassettes were located 35, 50, and 65 cm above the solution surface with < 7.5 and/or 7.5-15 cm distance between heads. All samples were analyzed by the NIOSH method 7600.
Results: ANOVA tests showed no significant differences between locations in side-by-side sampling (P=0.82) or between different sampling heights or sampler distances (P=0.86 and 0.86, respectively). However, there were notable differences between means of coefficients of variation (CV) in various heights and distances.
Conclusion: We conclude that the most chromium mist homogeneity could be obtained at a height of 50 cm from the bath solution surface and with a distance of < 7.5 cm between samplers.

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Background and Aim: The Razi Petrochemical Complex is one of the greatest factories producing nitrogen and phosphate fertilizers and various other chemicals. The site, comprising 17 production units with a total surface area of around 100 hectares, is located on the outskirts of Imam Khomeini port. The ammonia (1) section of the plant, with its production capacity of 1000 tons/year, was selected as the setting for this research on the feasibility of waste minimization programs.
Material and Methods: This study was conducted form October 2003 to May 2005, and it involved more than 20 visits to the site to gather data. We covered areas such as quality and quantity of liquid waste, reasons for waste generation and the production period. We also studied the current system of waste management. The materials were subsequently classified according to method proposed by the United Nations. Finally, strategies were proposed to minimize waste production.
Results: Results showed that the unit produced 305509.38 cubic meters of liquid waste annually, and water used for cooling accounted for 62.35% of the total volume. The main reasons for the production of liquid waste were problems with the production. Over 95% of the waste was produced on a permanent basis. After classification, it emerged that 18.02% of the material was dangerous. Currently, 85.65% of the liquid waste in this factory is disposed of in the surrounding environment, and 14.35% is recycled.
Conclusion: The proposed strategies for minimizing the liquid waste production materials in the factory are: recycling and re-use (95%), production process modifications (4.79%), and volume reduction (0.01%). With the use of waste minimization methods, we can avoid the dumping of huge amounts of waste into the environment, reduce the loss of raw material, and make out a strong case for the efficiency of waste minimization efforts.

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Background and Aim: Toxoplasma gondii is a protozoan parasite infecting humans and warm-blooded animals. Toxoplasmosis in pregnancy could cause neurologic disorders in the fetus. In immunocompromised hosts, the infection can be reactivated with life-threatening consequences. Detection of the parasite or its components would constitute a better definition of acute infection.

Material and Methods: To detect T. gondii antigen and DNA, twenty serum samples in the acute phase of infection were tested. Polyclonal antibodies were isolated from immunized rabbits and SDS-page and immunoblotting were performed. Also, PCR was done with amplification of the B₁ gene with two primers.

Results: In one patient T. gondii antigen band with a molecular weight of 30 kDa was detected. Parasitemia was detected in the same patient and the 570 bp amplified DNA fragment was isolated. Others had negative results in both immunoblotting and PCR. The patient with positive results had been infected accidentally with a rather virulent C56 strain in the laboratory.

Conclusion: The results indicate that antigen and DNA of T. gondii can be detected during the short acute phase of infection.

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Background and Aim: Hexavalent chromium (Cr⁶⁺) is a known occupational carcinogen. Over the recent years, the increasing number of exposed workers and the emergence of serious health effects have led to considerable lowering of permissible exposure levels for Cr⁶⁺. Moreover, a number of methods have been developed for rapid and precise measurement of Cr⁶⁺concentrations. Given the importance of accurate measurements, this study was carried out to compare the performance of different samplers in relation to factors such as sampling height, sampling duration, and electroplating solution concentration.

Material and Methods: We used a hexavalent chromium generator fitted with a special sampling chamber and with proven ability to produce homogenous atmospheric concentrations. The performances of 4 samplers including IOM and CIS (as inhalable particle samplers) and Open and Closed-face cassettes (as total particle samplers) were examined through a simultaneous sampling technique. Sampling was done using the NIOSH 7600 method (samples were collected on PVC membrane filters with a pore size of 5.0 µm, at an air flow rate of 2.0 ± 0.1 l/min). Variables investigated with regard to their effects on sampler performance were sampling height (heights from bath solution: 35 and 50 cm), duration (30 and 180 min) and solution concentration (125 and 250 g/l).

Results: The measured concentrations ranged from 2 to 2725 µg.m^-3. Analysis of the results in a completely randomized block design showed significant differences in performance between different samplers (P< 0.001). There were also differences between samplers at different heights and electroplating concentrations (P=0.0007). Multiple comparisons by Scheffe's method showed that the difference detected was due to the superior precision of the IOM (P<0.05).

Conclusion: Overally, there were statistically significant differences between the performances of the studied samplers Cr⁶⁺ concentrations at the studied heights (4.09, 8.68 µg.m^-3), sampling duration (5.90, 6.88 µg.m^-3), and bath concentration (2.73, 11.88 µg.m^-3) had no significant effects on sampler performance. The CIS sampler underwent corrosion during acidic mist collection and thus can not be recommended for Cr⁶⁺ mist collection.

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Background and Aim: Public-private partnership is a type of privatization in which the public sector continues to participate in the provision of services. Based on an agreement between the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Cooperatives, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences started the process of creating health cooperatives in the Eastern Azerbaijan Province. In this study we compare the function of various health service processes between public health centers and health cooperatives.

Material and Methods: This study looks at coverage, quality and continuity of primary health care in 9 health centers handed over to cooperatives as compared to 18 current public health centers. Data were collected over a period of three months and analyzed by the SPSS-10 statistical package. Chi-Square and t tests were used for data analysis.

Results: Family planning coverage rates, infant health care, 1- to 6-year-old health care, prenatal care and the number of households covered by volunteers were all higher in cooperatives compared to public health centers. The mean care delivery volume was smaller in health cooperatives. The mean numbers of screening visits, outpatient visits, control visits, consultations, injections and dressings as well as follow-ups were higher in health cooperatives. Despite the greater numbers of family planning visits, vaccinations, health certificates issued and water chlorimetry tests in the public sector, the differences were not statistically significant. Concordance of data between forms and registers was higher in health cooperatives in the case of child health care, periodic visits and vaccination forms.

Conclusion: Compared to the public sector, health service delivery through cooperatives not only functions well but also yields better indices in many health domains. This is an example that a private institutions functioning under the supervision of the public sector can implement nationwide health care programs better than the public sector itself.

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Background and Aim: Food and nutrition is one of the most essential needs of human societies and gaining sufficient and suitable food for all people is based on food security. Children are one of the most volnurable groups, so researchers and nutritionest emphasize on studying and analyzing of different aspects, effects and associated facters on prevalence of food insecurity and obesity among children. This study aimed to determine the association between obesity and food security and some related family factors inYazd primery school children.

Materials and Methods: Using two stage cluster sampling from 35 Yazd primary schools, a total of 3245 students aged 9-11y (1587 boys & 1658 girls) were randomly selected. Then 187 students 9-11y who had a BMI 95th percentile of Hosseini et al. (1999) reference, were identified as obese and 187 same age and gender pupils (having 15th<85th percentile) were studied as controls. Data were collected by demographic and USDA questionnaires.

Results: We found that the prevalence of obesity among student aged 9-11 years was 13.3% and the prevalence of food insecurity was 30.5%. Data analysing indicated that with adjusting variables such as "paternal education and occupation, economic status" there was a significant association between obesity and food insecurity in these levels: father's educated by secondary school, self-employment and low and moderate level of economic status. However, no significant association was observed between obesity and food insecurity when family size and maternal education were adjusted.

Conclusion: Paternal education and occupation, and family economic status were recognised as associated factors with food insecurity but other factors didn,t show significant relationship. There is lack of published information regarding some factors affecting food security therefore, it is necessary to performe such studies in other regions too.