Measuring the constructs of health literacy in the Iranian adult Kurdish population.

BACKGROUND: Health literacy is essential to self-care, which is an important precedence to improve the quality of healthcare services and a key factor in health. It also plays a pivotal role in decision-making in various health fields. Therefore, policymakers consider health literacy to be a primary tool to promote community health and enhance the proper use of healthcare services. The present study aimed to assess the health literacy status of the Kurdish population in Kurdistan province, Iran based on the nine constructs of the Iranian health literacy questionnaire (IHLQ) individually and collectively and determine the significant effects of demographic variables on health literacy. METHODS: This cross-sectional study was conducted on the Iranian adult Kurdish population living in the urban and rural areas of Kurdistan province, willing to participate during April 2017-September 2018. Data were collected using the IHLQ. The sample size was determined to be 980 people, with 490 in the rural areas and 490 in the urban areas. The researchers visited potential participants at their doorstep, asking them to complete the questionnaire. The willing participants were assisted in completing the IHLQ in case they were illiterate; the questions and answers were read by the researchers to the participants, and the responses were recorded. RESULTS: About 50.4% (n = 494) of the Kurdish population had poor health literacy, while 34.0% (n = 333) had average health literacy, and 15.6% (n = 153) had good health literacy. Meanwhile, 60.2% of the participants obtained poor scores in the construct of health information access, and 74.1% (n = 726) obtained poor scores in the individual empowerment construct. In addition, the analysis of the adjusted model indicated that education level (lowest ß = 7.42; P = 0.001) and in male participants (ß = - 1.10; P = 0.001) were significantly associated with higher health literacy. CONCLUSION: According to the results, the investigated Kurdish population mostly had average or low health literacy. Therefore, proper strategies should be adopted to enhance the health literacy of this population and increase their access to health information. Furthermore, effective training should be provided to these individuals (especially vulnerable social groups) to improve their individual capabilities to compensate for poor health literacy.

Neonatal bacteriemia isolates and their antibiotic resistance pattern in neonatal insensitive care unit (NICU) at Beasat Hospital, Sanandaj, Iran.

Bacteremia continues to result in significant morbidity and mortality, particularly among neonates. There is scarce data on neonatal bacteremia in among Iranian neonates. In this study, we determined neonatal bacteremia isolates and their antibiotic resistance pattern in neonatal insensitive care unit at Beasat hospital, Sanandaj, Iran. During one year, all neonates admitted to the NICU were evaluated. Staphylococcal isolates were subjected to determine the prevalence of MRS and mecA gene. A total of 355 blood cultures from suspected cases of sepsis were processed, of which 27 (7.6%) were positive for bacterial growth. Of the 27 isolates, 20 (74%) were Staphylococcus spp as the leading cause of bacteremia. The incidence of Gram negative bacteria was 04 (14.8%). The isolated bacteria were resistant to commonly used antibiotics. Maximum resistance among Staphylococcus spp was against Penicillin, and Ampicillin. In our study, the isolated bacteria were 7.5 % Vancomycin and Ciprofloxacin sensitive. Oxacillin disk diffusion and PCR screened 35% and 30% mec a positive Staphylococcus spp. The spectrum of neonatal bacteremia as seen in NICU at Beasat hospital confirmed the importance of pathogens such as Staphylococcus spp. Penicillin, Ampicillin and Cotrimoxazol resistance was high in theses isolates with high mecA gene carriage, probably due to antibiotic selection.

Measurement of the urinary lactate/creatinine ratio for early diagnosis of the hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy in newborns.

OBJECTIVE: Hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) is a major cause of permanent neurological disabilities. Perinatal asphyxia may induce neonatal mortality after birth or neurological impairment among survivors. There are no reliable methods for identifying infants at risk for this disorder. METHODS: We measured the ratio of lactate/creatinine (L/C) in urine by proton nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy within 6 and 24 hours after birth in 50 normal infants and 50 infants with asphyxia who developed hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy. The study was performed from September 2006 to May 2007. For statistical analysis, the SPSS software was used. Group comparisons were performed with chi-square and t-test(1, 5). FINDINGS: L/C ratio was 3.3±2 among asphyxiated neonates in the first six hours after birth which was 11 folds greater than in normal neonates (0.3±0.08, P=0.0001). This ratio decreased to 1.5±0.55 for asphyxiated cases in the first 24 hours after birth, which was 5 folds greater than in control group (P=0.0001). Asphyxiated neonates were subdivided into Group A with mild asphyxia and L/C ratio 2.5±0.5; Group B with moderate asphyxia and L/C ratio 4.2±1.5; and Group C with severe asphyxia and L/C ratio 3.4±3.3. The severity of asphyxia correlated with the greater L/C ratio among our cases and was significant (P=0.0007). The sensitivity and specificity of L/C ratio in cut off point of 0.48, was 96.1% and 100% respectively. CONCLUSION: Measurement of the urinary L/C ratio soon after birth maybe a promising tool to identify asphyxiated neonates and also to predict the severity of asphyxia.