The association of the quality of life with Afghan households' food insecurity before and after the recent political change in Afghanistan: a comparative analysis.

The overreaching objective of the current study is to investigate the association of quality of life with Afghan households' food insecurity. The data was collected immediately after the Taliban took control of a large part of Afghanistan. About a total of 555 households' heads participated in a face-to-face interview, using the HFIAS and WHOQOL-100 questionnaires along with some questions related to their socioeconomic characteristics at two different times, before and after the Taliban's takeover. The comparative analysis showed that 98% of Afghan households were food insecure after the Taliban takeover, while 70% of them faced food insecurity before the Taliban's takeover. The quality of life in the Taliban era is worse than before the Taliban. All dimensions of quality of life have decreased, and this decrease was more pronounced for the psychological, environmental, and physical domains. It is recommended that international organizations, NGOs, and local agents focus on these dimensions of the quality of life to improve food security.

Factors associated with Afghan household food security pre- and post-Taliban regime.

To determine multifaceted determinants of household vulnerability to food insecurity in Afghanistan before and after the Taliban takeover, we randomly selected 555 households from 13 provinces, conducted in-person surveys, and applied the Household Food Insecurity Assess Scale (HFIAS) and Structural Equation Modeling (SEM). We collected data from January to April 2022. We observed an increase in both prevalence and severity of food insecurity among Afghan households after the Taliban takeover. Approximately, 98% and 70% of interviewed households were food insecure after and before the Taliban takeover, respectively. Similarly, households were more likely to be severely food insecure (81%) than before (40%). Our results showed that policy and political conditions contributed substantially to the food insecurity of Afghan households after the Taliban takeover. We recommend that the Taliban forces facilitate the presence of humanitarian organizations and NGOs to improve low-income households' food security, especially for women and children. We also recommend that international organizations enhance their attempts to negotiate with the Taliban to ensure freedom for women.

Religious Affiliation and Childbearing Preferences of Iranian Women.

Religious differences in fertility are one of the essential issues in health and demographic research in Western societies. However, they have received less attention in Muslim countries. This study aims to investigate Shiite and Sunni religious groups' childbirth preferences in Iranian society. It also seeks to analyze their differences based on socioeconomic and demographic factors. We used data from 1020 married women aged 18-44 surveyed as part of Iran's National Family Survey in 2018. The study was designed quantitatively with a cross-sectional approach, and samples were selected using multi-stage cluster sampling. SPSS26 was used to run logistics and Poisson regression models. The results revealed that the means (± SD) of ideal family sizes for Shiite and Sunni women were 2.6 (± 1.0) and 3.4 (± 1.3) children, respectively. Sunni women (49%) had a higher intention to have a (or another) child than Shiite women (35%). According to the multivariate analysis findings, religion alone significantly affected the ideal family size, even when other socioeconomic and demographic variables were controlled. However, it had no significant effect on the intention to have a (or another) child within the next three years. Therefore, it is possible to conclude that within the specific social structure and cultural context of Iran, religion has explanatory power regarding childbearing beliefs and values. Furthermore, regarding fertility intentions and behaviors, demographic and socioeconomic factors become more important than religion.

Challenging the stigma of premarital sex in urban Afghanistan.

Premarital sex is normatively unacceptable in Afghanistan, yet rapid social and cultural transformation in the country may be changing these traditional norms. In dialogue with cross-national scholarship, we examine attitudes toward premarital sex and experience of premarital sexual behaviours among urban Afghan youth. We use data from 1256 never married individuals aged 15-29 surveyed in ten Afghan cities. The results show that respondents, on average, have moderately liberal attitudes toward premarital sex and that almost one quarter of them had engaged in either sexual foreplay or penetrative intercourse. Multivariable results indicate that premarital sexual attitudes and behaviours were significantly associated with several individual-level characteristics, family and intergenerational relationships, and social ties and interactions. At the same time, instructive gender variations emerge. The findings illustrate the dynamics of premarital sexual relations in this and similar contexts where such relations are traditionally stigmatised but multifaceted, societal changes increasingly challenge this stigma.

Gendered Division of Domestic Labour and Childbearing Intentions in Tehran, Iran.

Objective: Changes in the gendered division of domestic labour are often assumed to influence childbearing intention, but existing evidence is varied and less examined in the Asian context. This paper aims to investigate the association between the gendered division of domestic labour and the intention to have another child. Materials and methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted in Tehran on 455 married women aged 18-40 years who were selected through a multi-stage cluster sampling. Results: Domestic labour is still a feminine role and the majority of women are satisfied with the division of domestic labour. Women's satisfaction with the division of domestic labour is a predictor of their tendency to have another child, but the actual division of domestic labour has not a significant effect on women's desire to childbearing, in the multivariate model. Conclusion: Women's desire for having another child is positively impacted by their satisfaction with the gendered division of labour in their household. To achieve more fertility, gender equality in the family and identifying the factors affecting women's satisfaction with the division of domestic labour is suggested.

The effect of collaborative care model training on diabetic foot ulcer patients' quality of life: a semi-experimental study.

PURPOSE: The aim of this semi-experimental study was the determination of collaborative care model training on diabetic foot ulcer patients' quality of life. METHODS: Demographic characteristics and life's quality questionnaires were used, and to implement the collaborative model that included (including four steps of motivation, preparation, engagement, and evaluation), 60 patients divided into two "experiment" and "control" groups. For the experimental group, the program was done by face to face education and pamphlet through one hour in seven sessions. Data were analyzed by descriptive and inferential statistical methods. SPSS 24 was used for data analysis. RESULTS: Findings showed the differences of the scores of life's quality dimensions (except the economic situation), which was significant between both groups after the implementation of the collaborative care model (p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: The implementation of collaborative care model can be effective to improve diabetic foot ulcer patients' quality of life.

Social Determinants of Health in Menopause: An Integrative Review.

Menopause is one of the most important reproductive health issues of women. Because of rising life expectancy, by the year 2030, the global population of menopausal women is expected to include 1.2 billion people. The purpose of the present study is to provide a comprehensive assessment of existing studies on the relationship between social determinants of health and menopause to attract the attention of researchers and health providers to this critical issue. In present integrative review, articles for menopause published from Jan 1990 to Jan 2019 in databases including MEDLINE, ISI Web of Knowledge, Scopus, Google Scholar, IranDoc, IranMedex, MagIran and SID in English and Persian languages were extracted. After the assessment of the inclusion and exclusion criteria, 40 articles were selected and reviewed. Some social determinants of health are related to the health of women in menopause. Cultural factors, lifestyles (nutrition, exercise, tobacco use, etc.), family support, educational level, employment, economic status, marital status, and the number of pregnancies and childbirth are among the social determinants of health that present research assessed them. The need for education, improving emotional and social support, planning for lifestyle enhancement, and improving socio-economic status is felt, which results in promoting women's health during menopause.

Food insecurity and its sociodemographic correlates among Afghan immigrants in Iran.

The study determined the prevalence of food insecurity and its sociodemographic determinants among Afghan immigrants in two major cities of Iran. This cross-sectional study was conducted on a sample of 310 adult females from immigrant Afghan households in Tehran (n=155) and Mashhad (n=155), who were recruited through multistage sampling. Data were collected through face-to-face interviews, using a questionnaire. Food security was measured by a locally-adapted Household Food Insecurity Access Scale. More than 60% suffered from moderate-to-severe food insecurity, 37% were mildly food-insecure while about 23% were food-secure. Food insecurity was significantly more prevalent in female-headed households, households whose head and spouse had lower level of education, belonged to the Sunni sect, and those with illegal residential status, unemployment/low job status, not owning their house, low socioeconomic status (SES), and living in Mashhad. Prevalence of food insecurity was relatively high among Afghan immigrants in Iran. This calls for the need to develop community food security strategies for ensuring their short- and long-term health.

Promoting survival: A grounded theory study of consequences of modern health practices in Ouramanat region of Iranian Kurdistan.

The aim of this qualitative study is to explore the way people using modern health care perceive its consequences in Ouraman-e-Takht region of Iranian Kurdistan. Ouraman-e-Takht is a rural, highly mountainous and dry region located in the southwest Kurdistan province of Iran. Recently, modern health practices have been introduced to the region. The purpose of this study was to investigate, from the Ouramains' point of view, the impact that modern health services and practices have had on the Ouraman traditional way of life. Interview data from respondents were analyzed by using grounded theory. Promoting survival was the core category that explained the impact that modern health practices have had on the Ouraman region. The people of Ouraman interpreted modern health practices as increasing their quality of life and promoting their survival. Results are organized around this core category in a paradigm model consisting of conditions, interactions, and consequences. This model can be used to understand the impact of change from the introduction of modern health on a traditional society.