Stages of Behavior Change for Physical Activity in Airport Staff: a quasi-experimental study.

OBJECTIVES: This work sought to determine the effect of an educational intervention based on the stages of change in promoting physical activity in employees in the Mashhad airport in Iran. METHODS: This was a quasi-experimental study conducted with the participation of 60 volunteers (30 in the intervention group and 30 in the control group) who were in the stages of contemplating or preparing for change in physical activity. The intervention consisted in educational activities provided during home visits, telephone calls, group training sessions, and delivery of printed material. To gather the information, the study used five questions on the stage in which they were for behavioral change in physical activity, according to the Theoretical Model by Marcus et al., (1. pre-contemplation, 2. contemplation, 3. preparation, 4. action, and 5. maintenance), and the International Questionnaire on Physical Activity. Changes in the stages were evaluated during three moments: upon entering the study, at the end of the intervention (8th month), and two months after the second evaluation (10th month). RESULTS: During the 10th month evaluation, it was noted that 26.7% of the subjects from the intervention group versus 3.3% from the control group improved their physical activity and were in the action stage (p < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: The educational intervention based on stages of change is effective in promoting physical activity in the participants and may be used in educational programs that seek to improve physical activity in the employees studied.

Stages of Behavior Change for Physical Activity in Airport Staff: a quasi-experimental study

Objective. This work sought to determine the effect of an educational intervention based on the stages of change in promoting physical activity in employees in the Mashhad airport in Iran. Methods. This was a quasi-experimental study conducted with the participation of 60 volunteers (30 in the intervention group and 30 in the control group) who were in the stages of contemplating or preparing for change in physical activity. The intervention consisted in educational activities provided during home visits, telephone calls, group training sessions, and delivery of printed material. To gather the information, the study used five questions on the stage in which they were for behavioral change in physical activity, according to the Theoretical Model by Marcus et al., (1. pre-contemplation, 2. contemplation, 3. preparation, 4. action, and 5. maintenance), and the International Questionnaire on Physical Activity. Changes in the stages were evaluated during three moments: upon entering the study, at the end of the intervention (8th month), and two months after the second evaluation (10th month). Results. During the 10th month evaluation, it was noted that 26.7% of the subjects from the intervention group versus 3.3% from the control group improved their physical activity and were in the action stage (p<0.01). Conclusion. The educational intervention based on stages of change is effective in promoting physical activity in the participants and may be used in educational programs that seek to improve physical activity in the employees studied.

Objetivo. Determinar o efeito de uma intervenção educacional baseada nos estágios de mudança na promoção da atividade física nos funcionários do aeroporto de Mashhad, no Irã. Métodos Estudo quase experimental realizado com a participação de 60 voluntários (30 no grupo intervenção e 30 no grupo controle) que estavam nos estágios de contemplação ou preparação para a mudança na atividade física. A intervenção consistiu em atividades educativas realizadas durante visitas domiciliares, telefonemas, sessões de treinamento em grupo e entrega de material impresso. Para a coleta de informações, foram utilizadas 5 questões no estágio em que se destinava à mudança de comportamento na atividade física, conforme o Modelo Transteórico de Marcus et al. (1. pré-contemplação, 2. Contemplação, 3. Preparação, 4. Ação e 5. Manutenção) e o Questionário Internacional de Atividade Física. As alterações nas etapas foram avaliadas em três momentos: na admissão ao estudo, ao final da intervenção (mês 8) e dois meses após a segunda avaliação (mês 10). Resultados. Na avaliação de 10 meses, observou-se que 26.7% dos indivíduos no grupo intervenção versus 3.3% no grupo controle melhoraram a atividade física e estavam no estágio de ação (p<0.01). Conclusão A intervenção educacional baseada nos estágios de mudança é eficaz na promoção da atividade física dos participantes e pode ser usada em programas educacionais que visam melhorar a atividade física dos funcionários.

Objetivo. Determinar el efecto de una intervención educativa basada en las etapas de cambio en la promoción de la actividad física en los empleados del aeropuerto de Mashhad en Irán. Métodos. Estudio cuasiexperimental realizado con la participación de 60 voluntarios (30 en el grupo de intervención y 30 en el grupo control) quienes se encontraban en las etapas de contemplación o preparación para el cambio en la actividad física. La intervención consistió en actividades educativas proporcionadas durante visitas domiciliarias, llamadas telefónicas, sesiones de capacitación en grupo y entrega de material impreso. Para la recolección de información se utilizaron 5 preguntas sobre la etapa en la que se encontraba para el cambio de comportamiento en la actividad física, según el Modelo Transteórico de Marcus et al. (1. pre-contemplación, 2. contemplación, 3. preparación, 4. acción y 5. mantenimiento), y el Cuestionario Internacional de Actividad Física. Los cambios en las etapas se evaluaron en 3 momentos: al ingreso al estudio, al finalizar la intervención (mes 8) y dos meses después de la segunda evaluación (mes 10). Resultados. En la evaluación de los 10 meses se apreció que el 26.7% de los sujetos del grupo de intervención versus el 3.3% del grupo control mejoraron su actividad física y se encontraban en la etapa de acción (p<0.01). Conclusión. La intervención educativa basada en las etapas de cambio es efectiva en la promoción de la actividad física en los participantes por lo que puede ser empleada en programas educativos que tengan como objetivo mejorar la actividad física de los empleados

Efficacy of a Persian Herbal Remedy and Electroacupuncture on Metabolic Profiles and Anthropometric Parameters in Women with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

BACKGROUND: The most prevalent endocrine disorder in women of reproductive age is polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). The purpose of this study was to evaluate the efficaciousness of a Persian herbal remedy, as well as electroacupuncture and the combination of them on metabolic profiles and anthropometric parameters in these patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Eighty overweight women with PCOS were randomly divided into four groups. All of them received metformin 1000 mg and the second group received 5 g of herbal medicine per day (main components: Foeniculum vulgare, Urtica dioica, and Daucus carota), the third group were subjected to 20 electroacupuncture sessions, and the fourth group received both therapies. RESULTS: After 12 weeks, the body fat and body mass index decreased the most in the herbal medicine+electroacupuncture group, and waist to hip ratio decreased the most in the electroacupuncture group. A significant decrease was also observed in fasting insulin, homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance. A significant increase was seen in the quantitative insulin sensitivity check index in all intervention groups, but there was no noteworthy difference in these parameters in the control group. Total cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol decreased significantly in the electroacupuncture groups and herbal medicine+electroacupuncture. Also, a significant decrease was observed in triglycerides, aspartate aminotransferase, and alanine aminotransferase in the herbal medicine groups and herbal medicine+electroacupuncture. CONCLUSION: It is advisable to use this herbal remedy and electroacupuncture for better treatment of metabolic complications and overweight problems in these patients.

Health providers' communication skills training affects hypertension outcomes.

OBJECTIVE: Hypertension is a common cardiovascular risk factor within the Iranian population, and this may be improved through changes in lifestyle. We aimed at improving hypertension outcomes and health literacy skills among hypertensive patients through communication skills training targeting health providers. METHODS: A randomized controlled trial method was used to enroll 35 health providers and 240 hypertensive patients attending community-based healthcare practices in the Mashhad, Iran. We evaluated the effects of a communication skills intervention for primary care providers compared to usual care controls, on the hypertension outcomes, patient medication adherence, and self-efficacy, assessed at baseline and post-intervention. Bivariate analysis and the regression model were used to assess whether the health provider training improved outcomes. RESULTS: Majority of participating patients were female (77.3%), less than high school education (80.3%), married (82.3%), and low income (82.3%), with mean age of 37 years. Following the educational intervention, there was a significant improvement (p < 0.05) in patient communication skills, self-efficacy, adherence to medication, and hypertension outcomes in the intervention compared to the control group. CONCLUSIONS: The brief communication skills training for health care providers appear to be an efficient way to improve patient-provider communication skills and hypertension outcome among patients with uncontrolled BP.