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Showing 5 results for Food Security

Behzad Damari, Abbas Vosoogh Moghaddam, Hossein Salarianzadeh,
Volume 10, Issue 2 (10-2012)
Abstract

Background and Aim: Improvement of national and provincial health indices requires intersectoral collaboration and community participation So, National High Health and Food Security Council and Provincial Health and Food Security Councils (PHFSC) have been implemented since 2006. The main responsibilities of PHFSCs are, assessment of province health situation and effects of executive organizations on it's improvement, to define and approve the province health strategic plan, developing of AIDS and HIV prevention and control plan and resolving intersectoral issues of health. The goal of this study is first 3 years performance assessment of the PHFSCs.
Materials and Methods:
This is a descriptive evaluation study which included all the PHFSCs. The outcome assessment indicators were determined by content analysis of "the approved tasks" and also "the essential aspects for promoting of PHFSCs" by focus group discussions. Situational analysis was provided by two researcher made questionnaires one for co Assessment of the contents of content analysis of PHFSCs all meetings minutes (from establishment year to the end of 2008) and another for gathering viewpoints of Secretaries of PHFSCs.
Results:
Data analysis shows that the meeting's agendas of the PHFSCs have less followed the prioritized major health issues of provinces and national burden of diseases most issues were in the domain of ​​communicable disease control and non-communicable diseases risk factors control included scarcely. Only in two Universities of Medical Sciences (UMSc) province comprehensive health plan were proposed. None of the UMSc approved a secretariat for PHFSC in its organizational top chart. PHFSCs secretaries believed that, the main obstacles of the PHFSCs' successes, are weak financial resources, and lack of decisions executive enforcements.
Conclusion:
PHFSCs performances are moderate and moderate to low due to lack of comprehensive strategic plan and no implementation model for intersectoral decisions, other organizations believe on the effectiveness of the PHFSCs less and the main burden of disease of the provinces not mostly included in the agenda of PHFSCs. Following proposals are highly recommended for PHFSCs promotion: training and empowerment of UMSc and organizations for developing comprehensive health plan in the province and defining the responsibilities of each organizations for, determining policy priorities of common health issues of the provinces by High Health and Food Security Council and publicizing them by the Ministry of Health and the other relevant ministries and approving the structure and working system of the PHFSC secretariat in UMS by the Board of Trustees of UMS.
Behzad Damari, Abbas Nasehei, Abbas Vosoogh Moghaddam ,
Volume 11, Issue 1 (8-2013)
Abstract

 Background and Aim: Definition of World Health Organization 1948 for Health includes social domain which two other domains of health, physical and mental, have counter effects on it. Quantity and quality of an individual relation to community in order to improve population welfare is a definition for social health. Social capital and security improvement and reduction of impoverishment and inequity is the impact of this relation and it's opposite side is increasing social problems. In this article, by reviewing social health situation of Iranian community and analysis of it's determinants, improvement strategies have been provided and role of Ministry of Health and Medical Education(MOHME) proposed.

 Materials and Methods : This is a descriptive and analytic study A conceptual framework were described based on a nationally committed definition of social health and used for description and analysis. Secondary data of reviewing existing research and documents were utilized for situational analysis Focus group discussion of steering/stakeholder committee members and review of the best evidences and international experiences made analysis and proposed interventions.

  Results: The evidences show that average increasing rate of social problems during recent years is 15% annually. Albeit, it is not possible to draw the increasing or decreasing trend of social health indices precisely since past 2 decades due to the lake of surveillance system. Several social problem reduction and social health improvement interventions are running by organization but, inadequate sensitivity of responsible persons, not to evaluate the current interventions, inadequate utilization and coverage of population from primary level preventive services, inappropriate selection of essential interventions, allocation of most available resources to tertiary level of prevention(after harm services), weakness of activity implementation system and intersectoral collaboration for executing interventions, disintegration of social health related financial resources and inadequate sensitivity and competencies of people in combating to social problems and risks are obstacle to effective interventions in improving social health indices. Economical, political, international and technological big changes should be added to these reasons.

  Conclusion: Social health progress will not be achieved without intersecotral collaboration Improvement of existing situation is not under duties and responsibilities of MOHME, so proposed direction including vision, strategic objectives and interventions, for social health should be implemented partially by MOHME Remaining parts required advocacy to be done by other sectors. It is essential that the proposed program be approved in health policy council of MOHME for implementation of this direction and achieving to it's objectives and then be approved by health and food security high council and social council of country after that the intersectoral collaboration agreements of social health improvement should be supervised deeply.


Behzad Damari, Abbas Vosoogh Moghaddam, Shirin Bonak Dari,
Volume 11, Issue 3 (1-2014)
Abstract

Background and Aim: Intersectoral Collaboration and Community Participation are two main strategies for sustaining equity in health. Based on the 4th 5years country development plan, Health and Food Security High Council(HC) as a strategy for developing intersectoral collaboration. Reviewing members' opinions of HC may show the clear way of improving intersectoral collaboration for health promotion of the population to senior officials of Ministry of Health and Medical Education. Materials and Methods: This was a descriptive and qualitative study. Information were gathered by structured interview to HC members and content analysis of the documents and gray materials related to initiation and performance of the HC since it's opening. Content analysis and adding up the interviews were done by hand after defining the main domains. Results: Most of HC members believed that the HC effectiveness is very low or low. For the 1st step, defining health priorities and then responsibilities and expectations of each organization were proposed. Organizations necessity to introduce a sustained representative, creating taskforces for deep working on the issues, regular meeting in secretariat, concurrent information sharing to the members, strengthening similar structure in provinces and giving more authority to them and connecting the council to the scientific committees of health elites are main improvement approaches. Conclusion: There is gap between the performance of the HC and the law makers' expectations. Implementing secretariat of HC including expertise and special working system of intersectoral collaboration will mostly cover the weakness. Defining periodical roles and expectations of organizations and capacity building of health collaborators of the ministries and organizations, and incentivizing organization which have effective contribution, will strengthen and continue the collaboration more.
Fatemeh Fallah Madvari, Halle Sadrzadeh Yeganeh, Fereydoun Siasi, Giti Sotoudeh, Seyed Mostafa Hosseini, Seyed Vahid Mahdavi Rad,
Volume 12, Issue 4 (3-2015)
Abstract

 

  Background and Aim: Food insecurity is a major public health problem in developing and developed countries , underlying developmental and psychological problems , nutrient deficiencies and chronic diseases . The aim of this study was to determine food security status and factors associated with food insecurity in households with children 4-5 years old under coverage of urban health centers and health houses in Mehriz, Iran.

  Materials and Methods : This cross-sectional study was conducted in 2013 on 500 households with children 4-5 years old under coverage of urban health centers and health houses in Mehriz, Iran. The subjects were selected by cluster sampling. To determine household food security, the USDA 18-item food security questionnaire was used. Economic and socio-cultural status were assessed using a general-information questionnaire. The data obtained were analyzed using the Chi-square and independent t-tests and multiple logistic regression.

  Results: The prevalence of household food insecurity was 39.6% (food insecurity without hunger 23.2%, and moderate and severe food insecurity with hunger 15% and 1.4%, respectively). Food insecurity was negatively correlated with parental education, parental occupational, monthly household income and maternal height ( p <0.008) and positively correlated with maternal age and family size ( p <0.004) . Based on the results of multivariate logistic regression , father's occupation and education level were predictors of food insecurity .

  Conclusion: The prevalence of food insecurity in the population studied is high. Based on the results of this study, promotion of parental education, family job security and improved economic status, and control of family size are essential measures that should taken to improve household food security.


Behzad Damari, , Narges Rostamigooran, Mohammad Hossein Salarianzadeh, Sheyda Malekafzali,
Volume 18, Issue 1 (5-2020)
Abstract

Background and Aim: For achievement of equity in the population health the implementation of health in all policies is essential. The most crucial intervention in this approach is inter-sectoral collaboration.
 Materials and Methods: This was a qualitative study based on the national policy framework. Data were collected using literature review, in-depth interviews and focus group discussions with the stakeholders. The results were categorized into three sections, namely, situational analysis and factors affecting it, developing goals and objectives, and requirements and interventions.
 Results: Currently inter-sectoral collaboration in the Iranian health system potentially allows to have health in all policies policy in terms of explicit legislative support, national macro-policies/upstream documents and organizational structure. It will require proper planning as regards designing and institutionalizing appropriate mechanisms for collaboration, as well as cultural and skills capacity building, for stakeholders within and outside the health sector.
Conclusion: The findings of this study can be used in annual operational planning of the High Council of Health and Food Security secretariat.

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