Journal of School of Public Health and

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.

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.

Background and Aim: This study was conducted to evaluate the effect of an intervention based on modern communication technologies and the social cognitive theory on the lifestyle of the government employees in the City of Hamadan, Iran in 2014.

Materials and Methods: A randomized control trial [IRCT2014083118989N1] was conducted including a total 435 employees with overweight or obesity. They were divided into a control group receiving no education and two intervention (experimental) groups (IG1 and IG2) receiving a 6-month education under the title of “lifestyle program”. The educational intervention was “telephone-assisted” in IG1 and “web-assisted” in IG2. Six and nine months after the intervention the lifestyle and changes in in the constructs of the social-cognitive theory were determined and compared between the experimental and control groups. Data were collected and analyzed using SPSS-20.

Results: In both intervention groups, the lifestyle program resulted in promoting lifestyle status from “Good” to “Very good” (p=0.001). The intervention in the telephone-assisted group led to increases in the mean scores of the constructs of self-efficacy, environment, outcome expectations, and outcome expectancies, while in the web-assisted intervention group increases were observed only in the mean scores of the constructs of self-efficacy and outcome expectancies (p<0.05).

Conclusion: The results of the present study confirm the effectiveness of a lifestyle intervention based on modern communication technologies and the social-cognitive theory.

Background and Aim: Medicinal plants provide an excellent source of drugs and new drug combinations, including the basis for the development of drug resistance to common anti-malarial treatments. In this study we investigated and compared the effect of an alcoholic extract of saffron and its constituents with that of chloroquine on malaria in mice.

Materials and Methods: A total of 65 male mice similar as regards gender, weight and age were randomly divided into 13 groups of 5 each. Eleven of the groups were infected with Plasmodium berghei and treated with saffron extract and its constituents and chloroquine based on the proposed method of Ryley and Petrs. Upon detecting the parasite in peripheral blood of the infected mice, they were treated with an aqueous, alcoholic or ethyl acetate solution at a dose of 350, 700 or 1050 mg/kg body weight (BW), chloroquine at a dose of 20mg/kg BW, and an iron chelator (50mg/kg BW). The solutions with the most effective concentrations were determined. Oral treatment at every stage lasted for up to 4 days. Parasite reduction in the groups treated with the extract was determined on days 4 and 7 and compared with that in the control, placebo and chloroquine groups. The Group 13 mice had no parasite injection and received no drug and were kept in the animal house only to control accidental death.

Results: Data analysis (t-test; SPSS) showed the most effective concentrations to be 700mg/kg ethyl acetate solution and 350 and 700mg/kg saffron extract, causing a significant reduction of parasitemia in the infected mice on day 7 (p<0.05).

Conclusion: The findings of this study indicate the potential effect of the alcoholic extract of saffron on Plasmodium berghei and, therefore, should receive proper attention.

Background and Aim: The most important healthcare reform in Iran during the last decade has been implementation of the family physician and referral system in rural areas and small towns with a population of less than 20000. The program was expanded (as a pilot project), with small modifications, to rural areas of 2 provinces, namely, Fars and Mazandaran. This study was initiated to assess the achievements, challenges and weak points of the pilot project before deciding to expand it to other provinces.

Materials and Methods: This qualitative study was conducted in winter 2013. Data were collected using document desk reviews, semi-structured interviews with key informants, and focus-group discussions. Relevant family health policy makers, managers and service providers in the two provinces were invited to the meetings. The data were analyzed and categorized based on the content analysis method.

Results: The data showed that the family physician program is faced with several challenges regarding objectives; stewardship; service providing; and human, financial and information resources. It is to be noted, however, that the program has had achievements such as increased access to services, increased coordination among insurance organizations and medical universities, and organizing and managing health files.  

Conclusion: The program should not be expanded to other provinces before redesigning in order to assure that it is more complete and comprehensive and create commitment and adequate guarantee among stakeholders. It is essential that all the stakeholders agree on general and specific objectives of a 5-year program and prepare an operational plan for each specific objective. 

Background and Aim: Thalassemia major (ThM) is one of the most common autosomal recessive genetic disorders in the world. Its prevention and control is a priority in the disease prevention programs in the Iranian health system. The ThM screening program (screening at the time of marriage) has been an important step in its prevention in Iran. This study aimed to evaluate this program.

Materials and Methods: This was a descriptive-analytical study in Babosar District consisting of two phases. The first phase was a retrospective descriptive study aiming at finding the background causes of the diseases in subjects under 18 years old (born after March 1997). In phase 2, then, in an interventional analytical study, screening was repeated along with laboratory tests before, or at the beginning of, pregnancy (n = 5500).

Results: Phase 1(cross-sectional descriptive): There were 25 cases of ThM under 18 years old, parents of 15 of whom (60%) had married before 1997 and 4 (16%) had children suffering from ThM (S2). The parents of the remaining 10 (40%) had married after 1997 (S1). Phase 2: Considering the findings of Phase1, an interventional program called thalassemia screening was started in September 2006 including 9750 pregnant or pre-pregnanct mothers. The program led to identifying 20 new beta-thalassemia-carrier couples, including 10 couples married before 1997 and 10 married after 1997 (without official marriage registration, laboratory errors and hemoglobinopathies). All the 20 couples were quickly referred to the Genetic Center, which resulted in prevention of the birth of 4 ThM neonates. 

Conclusion: The 9-year intervention (2006-2015) resulted in timely action, preventing birth of 4 thalassemia major babies. Considering incidence of the disease during the previous 9 years (1997-2006), it can be concluded that the before-after randomized clinical trial is an effective way to reduce thalassemia major incidence.

Background and Aim: A New Health Reform Plan consisting of seven programs was initiated in Iran in mid-May 2015 aiming to reduce the out-of-pocket payments, improve the public’s health, and promote the public health indicators. This study was conducted to determine the effect of the Plan on the performance indicators of Hamedan university hospitals.

Materials and Methods: In this longitudinal descriptive-analytical study, based on the interrupted time series design, data related to hospital performance indicators were collected from all (15) Hamedan University hospitals for a period of 15 months (7 months before, and 7 months after, the implementation of the Plan, with a one-month interval in between). The SPSS software was used for data analysis.

Results: The data indicated changes in all the performance indicators after the implementation of the Plan. The largest changes were in the number of emergency and selective surgeries and the smallest in the ratio of active to total beds. Further analysis of the data showed that, as compared to the same months in the previous year, only a small number of these changes (number of emergency surgical operations and the ratio of active to total beds) were statistically significant.

Conclusion: Based on the findings it can be concluded that changes have occurred in all the selected indicators as a result of implementation of the New Reform Plan, indicating that the Plan has affected favorably performance of the hospitals. However, the effects observed should be judged cautiously, considering the possible negative consequences such as induced demand and hospital workload increase in the long run.

Background and Aim: Over 200 million pregnancies occur worldwide annually; one third are unwanted and half end up in abortion. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of unwanted pregnancies and induced abortions during women’s childbearing age over a period of 30 years (divided into 5-year intervals) in Tehran, Iran.

Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted in 2014 on 518 married women 15 to 55 years old living in Tehran with a history of at least one pregnancy. A questionnaire containing two sets of questions on individual and demographic characteristics and women’s abortion history was used to collect the data for a period of 30 years (divided into 5-year intervals). The data collected were analyzed using SPSS 16 (the significance level was a p-value of <0.05).

Results: Of the 966 pregnancies among the 518 women studied, 665 (68.4%) were planned and 307 (31.6%) unwanted. There were 249 abortions, 108 (43.4%) of which were miscarriages, 41 cases (16.5%) for medical reasons, and 100 cases (40.2%) induced (deliberate).  The proportion of induced abortions in unwanted pregnancies increased from 0.0% in 1981-1986 to 41.7% in 2011-2014.

Conclusion: Based on the findings it can be concluded that due to changes in family planning program effectiveness and accessibility of contraception methods in Iran unwanted pregnancies and the subsequent abortions have become more common.

Background and Aim: Substance abuse and risky sexual behaviors are intermingled. Both subjects, however, are highly sensitive issues culturally in some societies such as Iran, making assessment of sexual behaviors difficult and challenging. It is particularly difficult to assess and study risky sexual behaviors in the drug-using population. Thus, it seems essential to develop and validate a comprehensive native instrument specific for the Iranian drug-using population to screen their risky sexual behaviors and in treatment settings.

Materials and Methods: A thorough literature review was made to find a tool utilized in addiction treatment settings.  The Sex and Drug History Form (SDHF) was translated into Persian. Clients (n = 107) referred to the sexual health clinic in the Iranian National Center for Addiction Studies (INCAS) were selected randomly. Questionnaires were completed through face-to-face interviews by trained research assistants. Data analysis was done using the Cronbach`s alpha and exploratory factor analysis.

Results: Cronbach`s alpha was found to be 0.78. Using the principal component analysis, the Sex and Drug Screening Scale (SDSS) revealed 78.6 of the total variance in two main domains, namely, drug-use behaviors and sexual behaviors. The number of subscales in the original instrument, which was 3, increased to 6.

Conclusion: Substance abuse and addiction significantly affect one's sexual behaviors and safety. The Sex and Drug Screening Scale will enable health workers and therapists to assess the patients' sexual health and risky behaviors at admission, which will facilitate planning, implementing and evaluating intervention programs aiming at treating addiction.

Background and Aim: Nowadays, prioritizing problems and distribution of resources is determined according to the basic needs of the individuals in the population. Based on the study done by researchers in Tehran University of Medical Sciences School of Public Health in Golhesar Village, Tehran, taking action about "drug abuse" was ranked by the community as the first priority. Therefore, the present study aimed to estimate the size of the population of drug abusers using the network expansion method.

Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted on a purposive sample of 320 persons 15-65 years old. The study included two parts: 1. estimation of the social network based on 32 population subgroups using the frequency of network expansion approach; 2. estimation of the size of the hidden population. The relevant correction coefficients were used for adjusting errors usually observed in this method.                                                                                                                                                    Results: The mean of the social network was 160.79±16.68) 95% CIs: 128.78-194.30.(The frequencies of cigarette smoking, hookah smoking, alcohol consumption, opium use, meth use, crack use, heroin use, injecting drugs and ecstasy were 103.43, 88.25, 96.9, 76.46, 69.37, 30.03, 20.48, 7.36, and 4.23 per 1000; respectively. The percentage of drug abusers was higher among men.

Conclusion: As compared to results of previous reports, the size of drug abuser population in Golhesar Village is currently higher. In order to solve this problem an appropriate action plan should be implemented by the planners and policy-makers in partnership with community members.

Background and Aim: Sex education is an important health issue among adolescents. Mothers are the most reliable source of information for adolescents’ sex education so they should be equipped with proper knowledge, attitude, and practice to be able to educate their children properly. The present study aimed to investigate the effect of group education on knowledge, attitude and practice of mothers of adolescent girls as regards sex education in Tehran, 2015.

Materials and Methods: This was a randomized controlled trial including 30 mothers of adolescent girls randomly assigned to an intervention and 30 in a control group. The knowledge, attitude, and practice of mothers about sex education of their adolescnt girls were determined using valid and reliable researcher-made questionnaires. Based on the results, the intervention group, then, attended three educational sessions (active learning, group discussions) of 45-60 minutes duration each. The control group received only educational pamphlets. Three months after the intervention outcome variables were measured in both groups. Data were analyzed by the SPSS-22 using the Chi-Square, exact Fisher and T-tests.

Results: There were no statistically differences in the knoweldge, attitude and practice of sex education between the two groups at baseline (p>0.05). After the intervention, the mean scores of the study variables increased significantly (p<0.001) in the intervention group, while there were no statistically significant differences between the mean scores of the variables in the control group before and after the intervention (p>0.05).

Conclusion: It can be concluded that group education could bring about significant changes in the knowledge, attitude and practice of the mothers of adoloscent girls as regards sex education.  

Background and Aim: Communication is one of the oldest and greatest human achievements underlying our social life. Available literature show factors such as self-esteem, interpersonal skills, establishing desirable communication, goal setting and determining individual values have effective roles in the prevention and reduction of susceptibility to behavioral abnormalities and mental disorders (anxiety, depression, etc.), as well as in the promotion of mental health. The objective of this study was to determine associations between communication skills and mental health in Mashhad University of Medical Sciences (MUMS), Mashhad, Iran.

Methods and Materials: This was a cross-sectional analytical study conducted in 2011. The statistical population was all the MUMS students. A sample of 210 students was selected by stratified sampling and signed an informed consent. Data were collected using Communication Skills and General Health Questionnaires and analyzed using the SPSS 16 software, the statistical tests being Kruskal-Wallis, Mann-Whitney U and Chi-square. In all tests the significance level was 5%. To determine correlations between the variables the Spearman coefficient was used.

Results: The findings showed that 130 of the 210 students (61.9%) were suspected of having a mental disorder. Based on the Spearman correlation coefficient there were no statistically significant relationships between mental health and age (p=0.727) or skills such as listening (p=0.653), understanding verbal and nonverbal messages (p=0.857), awareness of the communication process (p=0.626) and assertiveness (p=0.477). However, a significant correlation was observed between mental health and emotion control skill (p=0.010). Furthermore, the Spearman correlation coefficient indicated no relationships between communication skills and age (p=0.228) or social dysfunction (p=0.074), while significant inverse correlations were found between communication skills and anxiety (p=0.043), physical symptoms (p=0.049) and depression (p=0.049). According to Mann-Whitney test no significant relationships were observed between communication skills and field of study (p=0.806), level of education (p=0.406), sex (p=0.404), place of residence (p=0.277), marital status (p=0.875) or employment status (p=0.274), but significant relationships did exist between mental health and sex (p=0.006), field of study (p=0.036)r and marital status (p<0.001). Finally, no significant correlations were found between mental health and level of education (p=0.080), place of residence (p=0.951) or employment status (p=0.978).

Conclusion: Based on the findings of this study, in an attempt to promote the mental health of the students it is recommended to make psychological assessments of the students, provide consultative services to them, and organize communication skills educational workshops for them.

Background and Aim: Considering the lack of information on the occurrence of the epidemic form of Kaposi’s sarcoma (KS) and the high prevalence of human herpesvirus 8 (HHV-8) infection among human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected patients (46%), it was decided to estimate the incidence of KS in this group. Based on the fact that active HHV-8 infection leads to KS development, it is essential to first assess the prevalence of active HHV-8 infection in these patients. Most of the Iranian HIV-infected patients are not aware that they are HIV-positive. If the prevalence of HHV-8 infection is high in these patients, they may spread HHV-8 in the community by high-risk sexual behaviors, which would lead to an increase in the incidence of classic Kaposi’s sarcoma. The objective of this study was to investigate the prevalence of HHV-8 among HIV-infected subjects.

Materials and Methods: One-hundred plasma samples from HIV-infected patients were collected. Genome was extracted and assessed by the nested PCR assay with specific primers for ORF26. Positive samples were amplified for the ORF K1 region by nested-PCR. Subsequently their products were sequenced and their phylogenic trees constructed.

Results: HHV-8 was detected in 8 of the patients (8%). No statistically significant associations were found between age and gender on the one hand and HHV-8 infection on the other (p > 0.05). Two genotypes, namely, A and C, were identified, the former in two patients and the latter in one.

Conclusion: Although the prevalence of HHV-8 infection is high among Iranian HIV-infected patients, active HHV-8 infection rate is low among them. Therefore, it seems that the incidence of epidemic KS is likely to be very low in this group. Certainly more research is needed in this area. As regards genotypes, genotypes A and C are found in the samples.

Background and Aim: Considering the increasing drug resistance to Aspergillus fumigatus,

search for genes involved in its pathogenicity and identifying alternative antifungal drugs is of utmost importance. The aim of this study was to determine the effects of diclofenac sodium on the growth and sidB gene expression in Aspergillus fumigatus.

Materials and Methods: In this study, Aspergillus fumigatus was cultured and a fungal suspension prepared, followed by determining the minimum inhibitory concentration of diclofenac sodium at a concentration of 25-1000 µg/ml. Then, RNA was extracted from the suspension at concentrations of 500,700 and 900 µg/ml of the drug. Finally, the extent of expression of the gene was determined by measuring different levels of mRNA-sidB by Real-time PCR.

Results: With increasing concentrations of diclofenac sodium, mycelium production decreased. Concentrations higher than 500 µg/ml had considerable inhibitory effects on the growth of Aspergillus fumigatus.

Conclusion: Findings of this study indicate that diclofenac sodium can cause a sharp reduction in the growth rate of Aspergillus fumigatus. Accordingly, it can be considered as one of the effective pharmacological agents for inhibiting the growth of this fungus.

Background and Aim: Group therapy is one of the selective approacheseffective in addiction treatment, although it is not used extensively.Therefore, it is essential to assessthe current group therapy situation and determine its barriers andreinforcing factors inaddiction treatment settings.

Materials and Methods: This qualitative study was a rapid assessment designed and conducted in 2014-2015. Formal and informal data were collectedfrom 6 selectedcenters (n=55) bya multi-disciplinaryresearch team,using a systematic and semi-structuredapproach. Data were analyzed using thematic analysis.

Results: Based on dataanalysis a descriptive model was obtained with two main items, namely, structure and implementation of group therapy and effectiveness process. These two main items were found to be composed of four descriptive sub-items, including structural determinants and effective determinants in group therapy, contextual features, content, acceptabilityand desirability of treatment.

Conclusion: The findings show that application and effectiveness of group therapy is desirable, but it is not used as a routine approach in addiction treatment centers. Barriers to expansion of group therapy include insufficient content, lack of a structured protocol, and lack of professionalcapacity building. The study also revealsthat group therapy is quite acceptableamong patients who have had the experience of being treated with this approach but less acceptable among those who are not familiar with it.

Background and Aim: Obesity is now recognized as the most prevalent metabolic disease worldwide.A decrease in resting energy expenditure (REE) may increase risk of obesity. This study was carried out to compare dietary, biochemical, anthropometric and body composition parameters and physical activity in obese women with a normal and those with a low REE.

Materials and Methods: A total of 49 subjects (women, 30-50 years old), were divided into three groups: group one (obese, n = 16) with a body mass index (BMI) of 28-39.9 and a normal REE, group 2 (obese, n = 17) with a BMI of 28-39.9 and a low REE, and group 3 (n = 16) with a normal BMI and a normal REE as the control group. Anthropometric measurements, body composition, REE and fasting blood lipid profile were determined in the 3 groups. In addition, dietary intakes and physical activity were assessed using valid questionnaires.

Results: There was no significant difference in body composition between the two obese groups. However, REE was significantly lower in the obese group with a lowREE than in the other 2 groups.Energy and macronutrient intakes and physical activity were not statistically different among the 3 groups. Neither was there any significant difference between the 2 obese groups (one with a normal and one with a low REE) as regards lipid profile.

Conclusion: The results of this study indicate that in some obese people the resting energy expenditure is much lower as compared to that in other obese people, although their body composition, age, sex, dietary intake, lipid profile and physical activity are not different.

Background and Aim: This study was conducted to assess the quality of life as an outcome of health services among high school students in Tehran, Iran.                 

Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study included 1500 high school students in Tehran, Iran. Data were collected using the health-related quality of life questionnaire “KIDSCREEN-27” and analyzed using SPSS software version 23. The level of significance was set at p < 0.05.

Results: The quality of life amongst the participants was found to be moderate. The highest and lowest scores were for the parents’ relations and physical and psychological wellbeing dimensions, respectively. Based on multivariate linear regression, gender was a statistically significant predictor of the physical wellbeing dimension. Further analysis of the data showed gender and choosing a family to live with to be statistically significant predictors of psychological wellbeing dimension, while maternal education and choosing a family to live with were statistically significant predictors of parents’ relations and autonomy dimension. Finally, father’s job and choosing a family to live with were predictors of peer and social support and school environment dimensions, respectively.

Conclusion: The quality of life of the participants was moderate, which is not acceptable. It is recommended to design and implement intervention programs to improve the quality of life of high school students with an emphasis on physical and psychological wellbeing dimensions.

Background and Aim: The role of physical activity in prevention of non-communicable diseases is now well known. The purpose of the present study was to find any possible association between physical activity and bone mineral density (BMD) in the hip and lumbar spine areas in women in postmenopausal years. 

Materials and Methods: This was a cross-sectional study including 254 postmenopausal women aged 46 to 78 years. Body composition and BMD were determined using the bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) and DEXA methods, respectively, and for physical activity measurement the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ) was used.

Results: The distribution (%) of  the subjects according to the level of physical activity ─  inactive, moderate and active ─ was 39.7%, 47.6% and 12.5% respectively. There was a positive association between physical activity level and lumbar spine BMD (P = 0.03) in the 55-year-old or younger women. No association was found between physical activity level and the hip BMD(P>0.05).

Conclusion: Based on the findings it may be concluded  that physical activity level can be used as a predictor of bone mineral density in the lumbar spine area in women in postmenopausal years (≥55 years old). 

Background and Aim: Sustainable development to address the global economic, environmental and social issues has been introducedby prominent scientists and is widely used by governments, international organizationsand NGOs. This study aimed to assess the current sustainable development situation influencing health and the future of health in Iran.

Materials and Methods: This was a descriptive study. The sample size was determined using the targeted intentional method and data were collected through targeted search, semi-structured interviews and focus group discussions.

Results: Sustainable development situation in the country has improved in terms of quantitative indicators of child and maternal mortality and Human Development Index.Have However, badair quality, unemployment, inflation and other social harms have had undesirable trends.The most important  causes of slow sustainable development have been reliance on oil revenues, unemployment, increased inflation, inequity in incomes,  poverty, and insufficient intersectoral coordination due to lack of a multi-ministerial secretariat. The health sector should have a comprehensive approach to promoting health of the population.

Conclusion: Based on the findings, it is recommended to include training courses for managers based on sustainable development principles, as well as management techniques in academic training and in-service training of managers. It is essential to create a multi-ministerial infrastructure and, even, a infrastructural power, for cohesion and coordination in order to ensure sustainable development.

Background and Aim: This study aimed to investigate the association between religiosity and depression among mothers of children hospitalized in the oncology wards of affiliated hospitals of Kerman University of Medical Sciences (KUMS), Kerman, Iran.

Materials and Methods: Data were gathered using a religiosity questionnaire  and a depression questionnaire. The sample consisted of 115 mothers of children admitted to the oncology ward, KUMS, among whom the questionnaires were distributed during a 6-month period.

Results: The findings showed that there was an inverse association between religiosity and depression. As regards demographic variables, a statistically significant association was observed only between depression and income. Further analysis of the data revealed significant associations between religiosity on the one hand and income and mothers’ occupation on the other. 

Conclusion: Based on the findings it can be concluded that with an increase in the mothers’ religiosity level the rate of depression decreases in them. We recommend researchers to conduct similar studies to investigate possible associations between religiosity and such variables as anxiety and mental disorders related to it.