Showing 6 results for Culture
J Adl, M Jahangiri, M Rismanchian, H Mary Oriad, A Karimi, Mr Ghaderi,
Volume 9, Issue 1 (8-2011)
Abstract
Background and Aim: Safety climate is a psychological phenomenon and a sub-component of safety culture, which is usually reflected in the shared workforce's perceptions about the state of safety at any particular time. It can provide an indication of the priority of safety in an organization with regard to other priorities such as production or quality. The objective of this study was to assess the safety climate profile in a steel manufacturing plant in Iran and using the results to improve the level of safety.
Materials and Methods: In this cross-sectional study, the UK Loughborough University Safety Climate Assessment Toolkit was used to assess the safety climate in a steel-manufacturing industry in Iran. Information was collected through interviews and questionnaires, focus group discussions, and direct observations in the filed. Safety climate scores were calculated in 17 themes.
Results: A graphic representation of the safety climate scores obtained showed that safety climate in the company is at the medium level (4.80 ± 2). The highest and lowest scores were for dimensions of personal priority and need for safety (8.6± 0.8) and accidents and incidents (1±0.00). A non-significant correlation was found between worker's education and work experience on the one hand and their attitude towards safety on the other hand (p>0.05). Both management commitment and personal priority were associated with the workers' age (p= 0.03 and 0.02, respectively), while work environment was associated only with employment status (p = 0.04).
Conclusion: Safety climate assessment can be a proactive safety performance indicator used to improve the level of safety in an organisation.
Shahnaz Rimaz, Effat Merghati Khoii, Fatemeh Zareie, Neda Shamsalizadeh,
Volume 11, Issue 1 (8-2013)
Abstract
Background and Aim: Women perceive menopause differently. Beside biological changes, women experience menopause based on the cultural scenarios. The qualitative research presented here is about how Iranian women perceive menopause within cultural scenarios.
Materials and Methods : Data was collected during 4 focus group sessions and 6 individual in-depth interviews of women aged 40 years and older. Informants were selected from the Tehran University of Medical Sciences. The sessions were facilitated by using a semi-structured inventory focus group. Content analysis was adopted using combined free and analytical coding to reduce data, to extract meanings, to categorize domains and to obtain themes .
Results: We categorized our findings into four main domains: gender role, the changes in socialization, social interactions and supporting resources. Descriptions of the later domain are going to be reported in subsequent manuscript.
Conclusion: The women's understandings of menopause are shaped based on the specific cultural scenarios. Menopause recognized as a factor which changes women’s life line. Meanings as 'Loosing femininity' and 'changes in women's roles in the community' describe women's gender role, social interactions and changes in the socialization throughout the menopause years. The women’s misconceptions, accumulated myths, and ignorance about femininity were evidenced based on narratives. The majority of women raised ‘role change’ as an important determinant in social interactions. Gender role changes as well as women's socialization patterns have forced women to accept loosing femininity as a reality. Developing comprehensive and culturally sensitive health services to address women's needs in the climacteric years is suggested .
Kamelia Davoodzadeh, Somayeh Borjali, Ali Mohammad Safania,
Volume 13, Issue 4 (3-2016)
Abstract
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.
Narges Rostamigooran, Abbas Vosoogh-Moghaddam, Mohammadhossein Salarianzadeh, Hamid Esmailzadeh, Behzad Damari,
Volume 14, Issue 3 (12-2016)
Abstract
Background and Aim: Considering the key role of the Ministry of Health and Medical Education (MOHME) in the implementation and follow-up of the health system reform, its organizational culture can play an important role in the success of this transformation. The aim of this study was to determine the dimensions and orientations of the current organizational culture of the MOHME headquarters.
Materials and Methods: This was a cross-sectional descriptive and explorative study. The study population was the central staff of MOHME. Data were collected using a questionnaire and analyzed by SPSS version 11.5. Descriptive statistical methods (mean, standard deviation, coefficient of variation and interval) were used to describe quantitatively the cultural dimensions, followed by a qualitative analysis as well.
Results: Analysis of the data showed the following: 1. Organizational cultural dimensions existing at a high level include self-supervision and identity; 2. Organizational cultural dimensions existing at a moderate level include authority and freedom in operations, clear goals and expectations, communication, coordination and coherence; and 3. Organizational cultural dimensions existing at a low level include innovation, learning, fair reward system, acceptance of change, management support and criticism.
Conclusion: Considering the key role of the MOHME headquarters staff in designing and implementing health promotion programs, bringing about changes in the organizational culture should be a top priority of the ministerial high authorities.
Esmaeil Fattahi, Naser Ostovar, Hami Kaboosi,
Volume 15, Issue 1 (6-2017)
Abstract
Background and Aim: Chlorpyrifos is an organophosphate pesticide used in agriculture for pest control. It is a relatively persistent poison and an environmental pollutant with adverse effects on human health. This study was conducted to isolate and characterize chlorpyrifos-degrading bacteria from rice field soils in Amol City, Iran.
Materials and Methods: In this experimental study, soil samples were collected from rice fields with a history of toxic pollution. A minimal salt broth (Msb) medium containing 100 mg/l chlorpyrifos as the carbon and energy source was used for isolating pesticide-degrading bacteria. The colonies were characterized by Gram staining and biochemical tests and sequencing was done using the PCR method.
Results: Four chlorpyrifos-degrading bacterial strains were isolated from the soils. They included Bacillus licheniformis strain IARI-M-12, Bacillus pumilus strain MS42, Bacillus cereus strain ESB15, and Delftia tsuruhatensis strain SJ113. The effects of temperature and pH on the bacterial strains were investigated. The Bacillus strains showed the fastest growth at a temperature of 35o C and a pH=7 in a Msb medium containing chlorpyrifos.
Conclusion: The results of this study demonstrate that bacteria in the farmland can degrade the chlorpyrifos poison. Thus, these bacteria can be used to reduce the environmental problems resulting from soil contamination with chlorpyrifos in the ecosystem.
Ali Ahmad Rafiei-Rad, Ali Akbar Haghdoost, Hamid Sharifi,
Volume 16, Issue 4 (3-2019)
Abstract
Background and Aim: Condom use in extramarital sexual relations is a major tool, protecting the two partners against venereal diseases. Therefore, it is essential to investigate this matter. This study aimed to determine the reasons for using and not using the condom by the Iranian youth
in their extramarital sexual relations and the related cultural issues.
Materials and Methods: This was a national cross-sectional survey using multistage sampling in 13 provinces in Iran, including 3246 participants 19-29 years old, conducted in 2014, using a questionnaire to collect data.
Results: The proportion of males in the sample was 51% and that of females 49%. On the whole, 19.5% of the participants (31.7% of the males and 6.9% of the females) had had extramarital sex relations. The proportions of the participants with a history of extramarital sex using the condom at every intercourse, almost at every intercourse, sometimes and never were 21.7%, 15.4%, 35.3% and 27.6%, respectively. The reasons for not using the condom regularly were unavailability of the condom, not liking it, its high price, it not being necessary and using other tools.
Conclusion: The major reasons for not using the condom had cultural roots or were related to personal and cultural preferences. Encouraging condom use widely would require appropriate cultural policy-making
