Journal of School of Public Health and

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  Background and Aim: Current traditional research methods for solving social problems were challenged due to limited participation of community . The health companion project was carried out with the aim of determining effective model of community participation for solving health problems in Boyerahmad and Dena township. .

  Materials and Methods : This study is a community based participatory research performed in Kohgiloyeh and Boyerahmad province 2005-2009.The study population was the entire rural and urban households of Boyerahmad and Dena county.The strategic committee of project including academic researchers, managers of health and health related sectors was formed and this committee selected six regions for research activities. In each region local directing group "health companion " was established with participation of stakeholders: academic researchers, local leaders, health providers and public representatives to guide all aspects of project. The members of the group empowered and enabled by attending training workshops for need assessment, priority setting, research methodology that through these activities the health problem priorities of the regions were recognized, the research area determined and intervention programs were designed and implemented according to these research area.

  Results: The most important achievement of this project is the methods of activities to reaching goals. Implementation of six participatory interventional proposal for solving health problems and needs are the other achievement. The frequency and means of health problems and their risk factors significantly reduced after the completion of intervention program in each region.

  Conclusion: Establishing and activities of health companion groups followed model of Planned Approach to Community Health (PATCH) that help community to form health promotion team, collecting and organizing of data, choosing health priorities, developing a comprehensive intervention plan and evaluation .

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Background and Aim: Salmonella species is one of the important pathogens causing food poisoning and gastroenteritis. The aim of the present study was to assess the quality of traditional creams as regards bacterial contamination.
Materials and Methods: This was a cross-sectional study including a total of 250 traditional cream and 50 pasteurized cream samples collected in the south of Tehran retail shops. The samples were diluted in a phosphate-buffered saline, transferred to a rappaport-vassiliadis salmonella (rvs) enrichment broth according to the CDC procedures and incubated at 37° C in Hektoen enteric agar and bismuth sulfite agar media for 24 hours. Antimicrobial susceptibility testing was done using the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI) procedures. On the following day the suspected colonies were examined for phenotype and finally confirmed by the API 20 E test.
Results: Of the 250 unpasteurized cream samples 15 (6%) were contaminated with Salmonella. Of the 7 serotypes identified, the most frequent Salmonella serotype was the infantis serotype with 7 cases (33.3%). Furthermore, Coliform bacteria such as Escherichia coli, Enterobacter, Klebsiella and Citrobacter were also isolated. The highest antibiotic resistance was to nalidixic acid (93.3%), tetracycline (73.3%) and trimethoprim (66.7%). None of the pasteurized cream samples was contaminated with Salmonella.
Conclusion: The results confirm the need for more effective control and monitoring of the traditionally prepared cream marketed in the city by the Food Control Authority. In addition, educating the public about the consumption of pasteurized cream can play a good role in reducing foodborne illnesses.

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Background and Aim: Nowadays foodborne diseases are a serious concern globally. Due to unsound use of antibiotics various pathogens are involved in foodborne diseases, S. aureus being the most common cause of food poisoning. Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) strains are a serious threat for the public’s health worldwide. The objective of this study was to determine the extent of contamination of foods offered in the South of Tehran, Iran with MRSA strains in 2018-19.
Materials and Methods: In this descriptive study, 560 food samples were collected from different regions in the south of Tehran, Shahr-e-Rey and Islamshahr between June 2018 and May 2019 and sent to a laboratory to determine the presence of S. aureus according to the Iranian National Standard No.1194 methods. In addition, the antibiotic sensitivity of the S. aureus species was determined using the Disk Diffusion Test.
Results: Of the 560 samples, 49 (8.7%) were found to be contaminated with S.aureus. Pastry, traditional ice cream and raw protein foods were the most contaminated foodstuffs. Four 4 (8.2%) of the 49 S. aureus isolates were found to be resistant to methicillin.
Conclusion: Considering the importance of S. aureus in causing food poisoning and the possibility of transfer of species resistant to antibiotics, especially methicillin, through foods, it is vital to pay special attention to sound use of antibiotics.