Designing Strategies for the Development of Health and Physical Activities of Women in Iran

: The current study aimed to design strategies to develop women’s health and physical activities in Iran. This study was drafted in the descriptive-correlational framework following an applied objective. The population of the study in the qualitative section consisted of 10 professors of sports management and sociology and in the quantitative section consisted of 160 experts (e.g., female sports managers and experts, women’s sports activists, and professors of sports management) selected through a purposive and comprehensive sampling method. Data collection was performed through a 20-items questionnaire drafted to examine the four fundamental factors of the study (e.g., management, social, economic, and cultural factors). The content validity and face validity of the questionnaire were confirmed by 10 university faculty members. The structural equation modeling in PLS software (version 3) was used to analyze the statistical data. The findings of the study indicated that among the study variables, the variable of management in the development of health and physical activities, with a correlation level of 75% and at a value of 5.696, was considered the most effective variable. Furthermore, among the essential elements of the study, in the cultural factor, the effect of the social values and beliefs in the participation of women in sports activities was reportedly at a correlation rate of 87%. In the management factor, the assignment of management roles to women in sports was at a correlation rate of 85%. In the economic factor, the element of budget allocation to women’s sports was at a correlation rate of 73%. In the social factor, the impact of the Ministry of Health and Education and the Ministry of Sports and Youth in creating sports events for the development of women’s health in the various provinces of Iran was at a correlation rate of 92%. All of the aforementioned items were among the most contributing factors in the essential elements of the study. In conclusion, it can be stated that the Ministry of Sports and Youth and the Federations of Public Sports succeeded to initiate programs in the development of Iranian women’s health and sports by employing a comprehensive plan that included allocating budget, highlighting the role of women in the sports management positions, and cooperating with different agencies and organizations.

Minilaparotomy Cholecystectomy: A Forgotten Art in Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy Era (Our Experience from a Peripheral Hospital in North India)

Background: This study aimed to report the experience of performing minilaparotomy cholecystectomy in a peripheral hospital by a single surgeon. Methods: Data collected from 50 consecutive patients undergoing minilaparotomy cholecystectomy by a single surgeon over 18 months at a peripheral hospital were reviewed and studied. The recorded data encompassed demographics, operating time, incision size, conversion rate to open cholecystectomy, perioperative complications, and hospital stay duration. Results: Fifty consecutive patients, who underwent minilaparotomy cholecystectomy for symptomatic cholelithiasis, were studied, among whom 48 patients were females. The participants’ mean age was 45 years. The length of the surgical incision was 4.5 - 6 cm, and only three patients required conversion to open cholecystectomy. The average operating time was 60 minutes; and the average postoperative hospital stay was 2.14 days. Conclusions: Minilaparotomy cholecystectomy is comparable with laparoscopic cholecystectomy in terms of postoperative morbidity, and it is ideal for peripheral hospitals lacking laparoscopic facilities.

Evaluation of Health Promoting Behaviors and Its Relationship with Mental Health in Elderly Military Veterans in Iran

Background: One of the effective factors in the healthy living of the elderly is health-promoting behaviors. Objectives: This study aimed to investigate the relationship between health-promoting behaviors and mental health in elderly military veterans in Iran. Methods: Using available sampling method, this descriptive-analytical study was performed on 280 elderly military veterans over 60 years old referred to a military health center in Urmia, Iran. We used a questionnaire comprising three sections as follows: (1) elderly demographic information; (2) health promoting behaviors; and (3) mental health assessment. The collected data were entered into SPSS software v.20 and analyzed by chi-square and Fisher’s exact tests. Results: The results showed that among the health-promoting behaviors, non-consumption of alcohol, controlling blood pressure, and not smoking had the highest frequency, and the injection of influenza vaccine had the lowest frequency. The relationship between health-promoting behaviors and the level of mental health showed that smoking, stress, alcohol consumption, and not exercising had a significant relationship with anxiety and stress (P < 0.05). Also, the individuals who consumed more fruits and vegetables had less stress than those who consume lower amounts of these foods (P < 0.05). Also, people who consumed low-salt, low-fat, and dairy-based foods, controlled their blood pressure regularly and had received the flu vaccine had a better mental health. Conclusions: According to the results, a special attention should be paid to these factors in planning to teach health-promoting behaviors to improve health and counseling services in the elderly.

On the Relationship Between Intimate Partner Violence and Quality of Life Among Menopausal Women

Background: This study aimed to assess the relationship between intimate partner violence (IPV) and quality of life (QOL) among menopausal women. Methods: The present cross-sectional study was conducted on 202 postmenopausal women admitted to different healthcare centers. The primary data collection tools were the revised Conflict Tactics Scale (CTS2) and Menopause-Specific Quality of Life (MENQOL). Results: The participants encompassed 202 postmenopausal women with the mean age of 52.14 ± 5.93 years. The analysis revealed that 70.8% of women were 45 - 55 years, 29.2% of women were 56 - 65 years, and 62.7% of the participants had more than two children. Compared to the non-smoking participants, the smoking women reported more injury violence (P = 0.008). In this study, the effect of the husband and wife’s level of education on IPV was not significant. The menopausal women or their spouses experienced more psychological (P = 0.008) and injury (P = 0.01) violence following their second marriage. The present findings suggested that three types of violence, including psychological (P < 0.001), physical (P = 0.003), and injury (P < 0.001), reported higher levels of psychological symptoms. The women experiencing psychological (P < 0.001) and sexual (P = 0.012) violence reported more severe physical problems than those with no history of violence in menopause. Conclusions: This study provided more profound insights into the relationship between menopause-related quality of life and types of violence among menopausal women. The quality of life in postmenopausal women is significantly declined under domestic violence. Healthcare providers are recommended to be trained on detecting and managing IPV and the corresponding physical and psychological problems.

A Survey of Perspectives and Factors in the Development of Medical Tourism in the Middle East

Context: One of the most important sciences in the tourism industry, which has numerous financial and social benefits, is health and medical tourism. The health tourism industry is an organized trip out of the living environment to maintain, promote, or restore the health of the mind and body of an individual through medical intervention. Evidence Acquisition: Firstly, 80 articles were identified in different sources. After removing duplicate copies, the number of articles relevant to the study title reached 58. After reviewing the abstracts or full-texts, 35 articles were included in the study based on defined criteria. Results: The gradual growth of medical tourism has numerous economic and social benefits for both the host community and guests. If medical tourism grows, numerous economic sectors will be directly and indirectly affected, providing ground for social cohesion and integration. The health sector is a critical sector for the development of countries in terms of income and employment, including numerous sub-departments, such as hospitals, medical devices, and clinical trials. Coastal tourism and natural resources are also crucial in terms of income and employment. Conclusions: Factors affecting medical and health tourism include medical travel agencies, the Internet and social media, political and economic conditions, commitment to post discharge services, regulatory standards, price transparency, confidentiality of patient medical records, and care costs. Medical issues are related to travel legal issues, residence and flight visas, quality and credibility of health care, and specialty of physician’s credentials.

Common-Source Outbreak of Hepatitis A in an Indian Himalayan Mountain Camp

Background: Hepatitis A is an emerging public health problem worldwide, with alerts issued in developed countries, although it remains under-reported, under-diagnosed, and under-investigated in the developing world. Prolonged epidemics can occur due to person-to-person transmission. The ongoing outbreak of hepatitis A reported in the United States is one of its largest-ever outbreaks of the disease. A public health emergency for hepatitis A was declared in Florida, with over 2000 cases across several regions of The United States, in the year 2019. Methods: The outbreak investigation was carried out on 30 travelers in an Indian Himalayan mountain camp. Clinical features were correlated with laboratory parameters for establishing diagnosis by standard case definition. Line listing and epidemic curve were plotted to corroborate outbreak variables. Clinicodemographic, clinical, laboratory, and outbreak variables were descriptively analyzed. Results: Most of the 30 patients with hepatitis A were young male patients within the age range of 20 - 30 years. The most common clinical features among the case-patients were anorexia and vomiting. The epidemic curve revealed a peak of 15 case-patients from June 22 to July 5, 2019. Liver function tests showed mild derangement in all the case-patients. All the patients required hospitalization, with a mean duration of hospital stay reported as 11.86 ± 2.53 days. All the patients fully recovered with no fatalities. Conclusions: Hepatitis A outbreaks can occur through the consumption of untreated mountain stream/river water due to upstream contamination with human/animal excrements. Strengthening surveillance systems, traveler education, vaccination, and intersectoral coordination for safe water supply remains a necessary public health measure.

COVID-19 in Southeast Asia

Background: The emerging disease COVID-19 was first identified in China in late 2019. It soon spread to most countries and continents. The symptoms of this disease range from asymptomatic to severe and fatal. This disease is now an important pandemic and has created an emergency in the world. Objectives: This study aimed to investigate the epidemiology of COVID-19 in Southeast Asia. Methods: This ecological study describes the epidemiological features of COVID-19 in southeastern Asia. Data related to identified definite cases and deaths due to this disease along with other information were extracted from the reports of the World Health Organization and imported to SPSS software. The case fatality rate was calculated separately for each country. Results: The highest number of reported cases of this disease was 30,458,251 in India, and the highest number of death was in this country with 400,312 cases, and the highest mortality rate was in Indonesia with 2.67%. Conclusions: Using masks and observing social distance and quarantine rules, as well as upgrading diagnostic and laboratory equipment to identify patients, are effective ways to prevent COVID-19 transmission.

The Impact of Four Interventions in Lower Back Pain Treatment: A Longitudinal Study

: To study the effect of four interventions on lower back pain (LBP) alongside time and to identify whether changes in nutrition and doing traditional Persian remedies (massage and rubbing white Lily oil) could relieve the LBP using a short-time treatment. The population of this study consisted of 89 subjects with chronic LBP collected in traditional Persian medicine clinics. The outcomes were two indices for LBP, Oswestry disability index (ODI), and numerical rating scale (NRS), measured three times with an interval of four weeks. Age was not an effective variable in both LBP indices. Effective interventions for both indices are almost the same. For ODI, sex (= male), nutrition, massage, using White Lily oil, and time had decreasing effects on ODI, but interactions of sex with nutrition and massage had increasing effects on ODI. For NRS, sex (= female), using White Lily oil, time, and interactions of sex with massage and nutrition had decreasing effects, but nutrition, massage, and interactions of sex with White Lily oil had increasing effects on NRS.

COVID-19 in Continental America

Background: In late December 2019, a coronavirus outbreak first occurred in Wuhan, China, and then spread worldwide, which became a major global emergency. This severe respiratory illness called coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is transmitted through respiratory droplets and contaminated surfaces. Objectives: This study aimed to investigate the epidemiology of COVID-19 in continental America. Methods: This study was an ecological study describing the epidemiological features of COVID-19 in the Americas. The data of identified definitive cases and deaths from this disease and other information were extracted from the reports of the World Health Organization and transferred to SPSS software (version 24). Furthermore, the case fatality rate was separately calculated for each country. Results: The highest number of COVID-19 reported cases and the highest COVID-19 mortality rate were in the United States, with 72,186,963 and 1,896,955 cases, respectively. Moreover, the highest case fatality rate was reported as 9.38% in Peru. Conclusions: The prevention of COVID-19 transmission in countries is possible with general vaccination and observation of social distancing. These measures reduce the transmission of COVID-19 and are effective ways to control this global health problem.

Evaluation of the Observance of the Charter of Rights of Patients with Mental Disorders from the Perspective of Nurses and Patients in Panj Azar Hospital in Gorgan in 2020

Background: One of the most essential indicators of quality evaluation of health services is to assess the status of patients' rights, especially in those with mental illness due to their physical and mental conditions, and how health care providers and recipients interact. Objectives: This study aimed to investigate the observance of the Charter of Rights of Patients with Mental Disorders from the perspective of nurses and patients in Panj Azar Hospital in Gorgan in 2020. Methods: This descriptive cross-sectional study was performed in 2020 among 100 patients admitted to the Psychiatric Ward and 200 nurses working in the psychiatric ward selected by simple random sampling. Data were collected using a demographic questionnaire and a self-made questionnaire. Data were entered into SPSS version 18 and analyzed using descriptive statistics, chi-square test, and independent t-test. Results: In this study, the results showed that the mean age of the subjects was 52.7 ± 22.4 years, and the highest age group of the study participants was 21 - 30 years. Overall, 196 (65.3%) participants were married, and 191 (63.7%) recommended others to return to this hospital. The mean scores of observance of the patient's charter from the nurses' and patients' points of view were 59.26 ± 6.26 and 57.98 ± 8.13, respectively. The subgroup with highest score was respect for the right to free choice and decision making in both groups. The level of compliance with the Charter of Patients' Rights was good and average from both nurses patients’ point of view. Furthermore, there was only a significant relationship between the views of nurses and patients in the subgroups of respect for patient privacy, compliance with the principle of confidentiality (P = 0.001), and access to an efficient grievance redressal system (P = 0.001). Conclusions: Overall, it is inferred that in most cases, nurses are aware of the extent of their compliance with their charter of rights, and from the patients' point of view, the level of compliance with the charter of patients was often moderate.