Sexual health literacy level and its related factors among married medical sciences college students in an Iranian setting: a web­based cross­sectional study.

BACKGROUND: Sexual health literacy (SHL) leads to the development of personal ability, understanding, evaluation and use of information related to sexual health. The purpose of this study was to assess the sexual health literacy level and its related factors among married college students at Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences (MAZUMS). METHODS: A web-based cross-sectional online study was conducted on married college students at Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences between January and November 2020. All students were included in the study by census, and the study method was explained by telephone. If they agreed to participate in the study, the online link to the questionnaire, including sociodemographic and clinical information and Sexual Health Literacy for Iranian Adults (SHELIA), was emailed. The Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) software version 26 was used for data analysis. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression tests were used to assess factors related to sexual health literacy. RESULTS: The sample consisted of 277 male and 123 female students. Sexual Health Literacy Level and all subscales are at the sufficient level (66.1-88). Among the participants, 20.5% had limited sexual health literacy. Multivariate analysis found factors related to sexual health literacy among students: economic status (OR 0.03; 95% CI 0.0-0.55) and faculty (OR 0.07; 95% CI 0.01-0.52) is related to decrease and subscription to social media for sexual health (OR 3.27; 95% CI 1.53-7.01), information source of channels and cyberspace (OR 3.23; 95% CI 1.41-7.39), educational level (OR 16.39; 95% CI 2.16-32.70), Internet search information source (OR 1.91; 95% CI 1.00-3.64) is related to increase, were statistically significant factors. CONCLUSION: In Iran, medical sciences college students, who constitute a significant portion of the country's population, are responsible for sexual health education. Government agencies, with the collaboration of all stakeholders, should develop policies and programs for implementing and evaluating integrated and comprehensive sexual health literacy promotion programs for them.

Explaining sexual self-care status and its predictor factors in women referring to healthcare centers of Sari, Iran, 2021.

INTRODUCTION: With the increase in the prevalence of non-communicable diseases and chronic health problems along with population growth, one of the definitions that is expanding is the ability to adapt and self-manage against diseases and self-care. Although there are several studies to examine self-care in medical conditions, there are not enough concepts and data related to sexual self-care. Therefore, the present study was conducted with the aim of explaining the status of sexual self-care and its predictor factors in women of reproductive age referring to healthcare centers. MATERIAL AND METHODS: This research was a cross-sectional study that was conducted on 400 women of reproductive age that referring to healthcare centers affiliated to Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Sari in 2021. Data were collected using personal-obstetric characteristics and sexual self-care questionnaires in women of reproductive age. Pearson correlation coefficients, independent t-test, one-way analysis of variance and multiple linear regression model were used to analyze the data. RESULTS: The average total score of sexual self-care in reproductive age women participating in the research was 70.66% ± 12.52%. In addition, the prevention of women's cancers and the prevention of unintended pregnancies obtained the lowest and highest scores, respectively. Factors such as age, education, education related to medical sciences, history of HIV testing, history of HPV vaccination, source of sexual information, method of contraception and infection-related action in a person can affect the level of sexual self-care in women. Based on the final regression model, education related to medical sciences (B = 5.46, P = 0.035), family income (B = 5.58, P = 0.025), prevention method (B = 10.127, P = 0.000) and action related to infection in the person (B = 12.27, P = 0.047) were the final predictors of sexual self-care score in reproductive age women. CONCLUSION: Based on the findings of the study, development of self-care promotion programs for reproductive aged women are necessary in all areas of reproductive health, with a priority for women's cancer prevention, and focusing on promoting education and related economic assistance. The results of this study can be available to experts and policy makers to design programs to promote sexual self-care in women.

Psychometric Properties of the Persian Version of the Personal Meaning Profile in Iran.

The Personal Meaning Profile (PMP) is a widely used instrument to measure people's perceptions of personal meaning in their lives. This study aimed to evaluate the psychometric properties of the Persian version of the PMP. First, the researchers developed the Persian version of this scale using the forward-backward procedure. Then, they examined the face and content validities by both qualitative and quantitative approaches. To evaluate the construct validity, researchers administered the instrument to a sample of 482 medical sciences students and performed exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses. The reliability was assessed using loading factors, Cronbach's alpha coefficients, and composite reliability. An average scale-level of content validity index of the PMP with 57 items was 0.80. The findings revealed that the Persian version of the PMP comprises five factors explaining 50.57% of the total variance. The confirmatory factor analysis indices showed a moderate fit for the data. Reliability of the Iranian version of PMP was demonstrated with a Cronbach's alpha of 0.893. Consistency was established with test-retest reliability with an interval of 2 weeks (Intracluster Correlation Coefficient = 0.983, p < 0.001). Moreover, the criterion validity demonstrated a significant inverse relationship between the PMP and General Health Questionnaire (r = - 0.34, p < 0.001). This study indicated that the Persian version of the PMP is an acceptable, reliable, and valid measurement to evaluate the meaning in life in Iranian medical sciences students.

Pregnancy-related anxiety and its associated factors during COVID-19 pandemic in Iranian pregnant women: a web-based cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: Pregnancy is a risk factor for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Pregnant women suffer from varying levels of pregnancy-related anxiety (PRA) which can negatively affect pregnancy outcomes. The aim of this study was to assess PRA and its associated factors during the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS: This web-based cross-sectional study was conducted in 2020 on 318 pregnant women purposively recruited from primary healthcare centers in Sari and Amol, Iran. Data were collected using questionnaires (PRAQ, Edinburg, KAP of COVID-19, CDA-Q and Demographic questionnaire), which were provided to participants through the social media or were completed for them over telephone. Data were analyzed with the linear regression and the logistic regression analysis, at the significance level of 0.05 using the SPSS software (v. 21). RESULTS: Around 21% of participants had PRA, 42.1% had depression, and 4.4% had COVID-19 anxiety. The significant predictors of PRA were number of pregnancies (P = 0.008), practice regarding COVID-19 (P < 0.001), COVID-19 anxiety (P < 0.001), depression (P < 0.001), and social support (P = 0.025) which explained 19% of the total variance. Depression and COVID-19 anxiety increased the odds of PRA by respectively four times and 13%, while good practice regarding COVID-19 decreased the odds by 62%. CONCLUSION: Around 21% of pregnant women suffer from PRA during the COVID-19 pandemic and the significant predictors of PRA during the pandemic include number of pregnancies, practice regarding COVID-19, COVID-19 anxiety, depression, and social support. These findings can be used to develop appropriate strategies for the management of mental health problems during pregnancy in the COVID-19 pandemic.

Relationship between DMFT index and number of pregnancies: a cross-sectional study on enrollment phase of the Tabari Cohort Study.

BACKGROUND: People of all age and gender groups are at risk of dental diseases; however, some groups, such as pregnant women, are more vulnerable than others due to their specific physiological situations. The protection of maternal and fetal is critical. Therefore, the present study intended to investigate the relationship between the Decayed, Missing, and Filled Teeth (DMFT) index and the number of pregnancies. METHODS: The present cross-sectional study was performed using the Tabari Cohort Study (T.C.S.) data. Data of 5,496 women enrolled in the T.C.S. were included in the study. After obtaining the approval of the Ethics Committee, the related data on the variables of age, age at the first pregnancy, number of pregnancies, total number of teeth at the time of examination, number of DMFT, employment status, socioeconomic status, educational level, residence location, body mass index, and the status of diabetes mellitus, hypertension, and cardiovascular diseases were extracted. Finally, data analysis was performed in the STATA software (version 14). RESULTS: The mean DMFT index in women with 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and more than six pregnancies were obtained at 12.74 ± 7.11, 13.09 ± 7.06, 14.80 ± 7.81, 17.07 ± 8.11, 19.82 ± 9.02, 22.89 ± 8.98, and 26.17 ± 8.01, respectively (P < 0.001). Using the multivariate linear regression and adjusting the effect of potential confounding variables, it was found that the DMFT index increased by 34% for each unit increase in the number of pregnancies (ß = 0.34, P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: According to our results, there was a significant relationship between the DMFT index and the number of pregnancies. The DMFT index was increased with an increased number of pregnancies. Therefore, oral healthcare promotion should receive special attention in healthcare planning and related policies by raising awareness and providing easy access to dental services for women of childbearing age, especially pregnant women.

Diagnostic value of serum HER2 levels in breast cancer: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Measurement of serum human epidermal growth factor receptor-2 (HER-2/neu) levels might play an essential role as a diagnostic/screening marker for the early selection of therapeutic approaches and predict prognosis in breast cancer patients. We aimed to undertake a systematic review and meta-analysis focusing on the diagnostic/screening value of serum HER-2 levels in comparison to routine methods. METHODS: We performed a systematic search via PubMed, Scopus, Cochrane-Library, and Web of Science databases for human diagnostic studies reporting the levels of serum HER-2 in breast cancer patients, which was confirmed using the histopathological examination. Meta-analyses were carried out for sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, area under the ROC curve (AUC), positive predictive value (PPV), negative predictive value (NPV), positive likelihood ratio (PLR), and negative likelihood ratio (NLR). RESULTS: Fourteen studies entered into this investigation. The meta-analysis indicated the low sensitivity for serum HER2 levels (Sensitivity: 53.05, 95%CI 40.82-65.28), but reasonable specificity of 79.27 (95%CI 73.02-85.51), accuracy of 72.06 (95%CI 67.04-77.08) and AUC of 0.79 (95%CI 0.66-0.92). We also found a significant differences for PPV (PPV: 56.18, 95%CI 44.16-68.20), NPV (NPV: 76.93, 95%CI 69.56-84.31), PLR (PLR: 2.10, 95%CI 1.69-2.50) and NLR (NLR: 0.58, 95%CI 0.44-0.71). CONCLUSION: Our findings revealed that although serum HER-2 levels showed low se nsitivity for breast cancer diagnosis, its specificity, accuracy and AUC were reasonable. Hence, it seems that the measurement of serum HER-2 levels can play a significant role as a verification test for initial negative screening test results, especially in low-income regions due to its cost-effectiveness and ease of implementation.

Socio-demographic determinants of low sexual desire and hypoactive sexual desire disorder: a population-based study in Iran.

BACKGROUND: Various socio-demographic factors have been introduced as the determinants of Low Sexual Desire (LSD), but whether these variables can also contribute to the Hypoactive Sexual Desire Disorder (HSDD), remains uncertain. In this study, we sought to identify the socio-demographic determinants of LSD and HSDD in Iranian women of reproductive age. METHODS: This was a population-based, cross-sectional study of 1000 married Iranian women of reproductive age (16-49 years) who met the inclusion criteria. The participants were chosen using the systematic random sampling method from all the healthcare centres in the city of Sari, Iran. LSD was defined as a score no higher than 33 on the Sexual Interest and Desire Inventory-Female (SIDI-F). The sexually-related personal distress was considered as a score of at least 11.0 on the Female Sexual Distress Scale-Revised (FSDS-R), and HSDD was determined based on the sum of those scores. Descriptive statistics were used to describe the socio-demographic characteristics and a chi-square test was run for data analysis using grouping variables. Multivariate logistic regression test was also employed to adjust the effect of confounding variables. RESULTS: The mean score of sexual interest/desire among women was 30.6 ± 10.5. After adjusting the effect of confounding variables, logistic regression showed that socio-demographic variables including age at first intercourse, length of marriage and the level of satisfaction with income were significantly associated with both LSD and HSDD (P < 0.01). While advancing age (P < 0.001) and body mass index (P < 0.01) were just predictors of LSD. CONCLUSION: Some socio-demographic factors could predict LSD in women, while they were not associated with HSDD. In other words, some factors associated with LSD do not instigate sexually-related personal distress, which is one of the criteria necessary for the diagnosis of HSDD.

Reproductive health issues in female patients with beta-thalassaemia major: a narrative literature review.

ß-thalassaemia major (BTM) has a high prevalence worldwide and is associated with considerable morbidity and mortality. The aim of this review is to provide an illustrative overview of the reproductive health and pregnancy related issues in females with ß-thalassaemia. A literature search was performed in four international databases (1980-2018) to identify the potentially relevant articles. Common reproductive health disorders are hypo-gonadotrophic hypogonadism, infertility, delayed or absent sexual development, diabetes, hypothyroidism, hypoparathyroidism, osteopenia, preeclampsia, gestational hypertension, polyhydramnios, oligohydramnios, thrombosis, renal failure, peripheral vascular resistance, placenta previa, pleural effusion and pulmonary hypertension. Many of those aspects are related to iron overload and to ineffective erythropoiesis. Foetal complications include neural tube defects, abnormalities in different organs, spontaneous abortion, foetal loss, preterm birth, foetal growth restriction and low birth weight. Antenatal screening and accurate genetic prenatal examinations are effective measures to early diagnosis of thalassaemia and a detailed plan for management of pregnancies in BTM is important for favourable maternal and foetal outcome.

Effect of the EX-PLISSIT model on sexual function and sexual quality of life among women after hysterectomy: a randomised controlled trial.

Background After hysterectomy, most patients experience psychological problems and sexual dysfunction that can affect their sexual quality of life (QOL). This study determined the effects of counselling based on the Extended Permission-Limited Information-Specific Suggestion-Intensive Therapy (EX-PLISSIT) model on sexual function and sexual QOL after hysterectomy among women attending hospitals in Sari, northern Iran. METHODS: A randomised controlled trial was conducted between 2016 and 2017. Of 354 women undergoing hysterectomy, 80 women without anxiety, stress or depression who showed signs of sexual dysfunction were selected and, using blocked randomisation, were assigned to the intervention and control groups. The intervention group received two 1-h counselling sessions each week based on the EX-PLISSIT model. The control group received no counselling. Mood and sexual function and quality of life were measured using established tools (i.e. Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale, Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI), and the Sexual Quality of Life - Female (SQOL-F)). Eight weeks after completion of counselling, outcomes were compared between the intervention and control groups using independent t-tests and Chi-squared, Mann-Whitney U, Wilcoxon, and Fisher tests. RESULTS: There were no significant differences between the two groups in terms of demographics and most other outcome variables. However, there were significant differences between the intervention and control groups in terms of sexual functioning (median (interquartile range (IQR) FSFI score 32.45 (28.47-33.52) vs 23.85 (20.52-26.45) respectively) and sexual quality of life (median (IQR) SQOL-F score 107.50 (91-108) vs 87 (62.75-96.25), respectively) at the 8-week follow-up (P < 0.001 for both). CONCLUSION: Use of the EX-PLISSIT model is recommended to sexual health care professionals.

Seroprevalence of Toxoplasma gondii infection among Iranian pregnant women: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Toxoplasmosis is a great public health concern due to its capacity for prenatal transmission. Serologic studies have reported various estimates for seroprevalence of toxoplasmosis among Iranian pregnant women. Estimation of the pooled prevalence of this infection is necessary for policy-making. AIMS: The aim of this study was to estimate the prevalence of Toxoplasma gondii infection in Iranian pregnant women using systematic review and meta-analysis. METHODS: We searched national and international databases to identify relevant studies. To enhance the search sensitivity, we evaluated all references and interviewed relevant researchers and research centres. The final studies for meta-analysis were selected according to the quality assessment as well as inclusion/exclusion criteria. Because of the heterogeneity of the primary results, random effects models were used to estimate the pooled prevalence of T. gondii. We included 43 studies with a total sample size of 22 644 in the meta-analysis. RESULTS: The pooled seroprevalence of overall toxoplasma infection, IgG antibody and IgM antibody was estimated at 41.3% (95% CI: 35.8-46.8), 39.2% (95% CI: 33.3-45.1) and 4.0% (95% CI: 3.1-4.9) respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Our study showed that a considerable proportion of Iranian pregnant women are at high risk for toxoplasmosis.

The Effect of Hysterectomy on Women's Sexual Function: a Narrative Review.

BACKGROUND: Regarding the contradictions about positive and negative effects of hysterectomy on women's sexual functioning, this study was conducted to review the studies on the effect of hysterectomy on postoperative women's sexual function. METHOD: This study was a narrative review and performed in 5 steps: a) Determining the research questions, b) Search methods for identification of relevant studies, c) Choosing the studies, d) Classifying, sorting out, and summarizing the data, and e) reporting the results. FINDINGS: The review of the studies yielded 5 main categories of results as follows: The effect of hysterectomy on Sexual desire, the effect of hysterectomy on sexual arousal, the effect of hysterectomy on orgasm, the effect of hysterectomy on dyspareunia, and the effect of hysterectomy on sexual satisfaction. CONCLUSION: According to the studies reviewed in this study, most of the sexual disorders improve after hysterectomy for uterine benign diseases, and most of the patients who were sexually active before the surgery experienced the same or better sexual functioning after the surgery. An important solution for making these women ready to face with postoperative sexual complications is to train them on the basis of needs assessment in order that the patients undergoing hysterectomy be ready and capable of coping with the complications, and their sexual functioning improves after the surgery.

Psychometric Properties of the Patient Self-Advocacy Scale: The Persian Version.

BACKGROUND: Advances in science and technology and the changes in lifestyle have changed the concept of health in terms of etiology and mortality. The aim of this study was to test the psychometric properties of the original Patient Self-Advocacy Scale for use with an Iranian population. METHODS: In the current study, 50 chronic patients between the ages of 25 and 75 were selected as samples. This study was conducted in May 2013 at Bou Ali Sina Hospital in Sari. The translation process and cultural adaptation of the Patient Self-Advocacy Scale were conducted. The face validity and content validity of the instrument were formally verified by analyzing the feedback of patients and health professionals. In order to evaluate questionnaire's reliability, the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) was calculated for each item and each domain; and the Cronbach's alpha was calculated for the entire instruments and each domain. RESULTS: Of the 50 patients participating in the study, 36% were male and 64% were female. The mean age of the patients was 42.5. To comply with the Iranian culture and the study target population, slight changes were applied to the process of translation and validation. In the present study, intraclass correlation coefficient for each item was 0.8-1, which demonstrates excellent reliability of the questionnaire. The Cronbach's alpha value was 0.75 for overall scale. CONCLUSION: The Persian version of Patient Self-Advocacy Scale was valid and reliable. Hence, it can be used by public health researchers and health system policy makers for programming and offering patient-oriented health services based on patients' comments, needs, and preferences.

Adolescents' view of health concept and its risk factors: a literature review.

BACKGROUND: Adolescence is the important period in human life. It is an essential prerequisite for playing social roles. OBJECTIVE: The current study conducted a review on the concept, dimensions, and influential factors on health and risk taking, instruments and measurements of high-risk behaviors, risk factors, and high-risk behavior protective factors through adolescent perspectives. METHODS: This literature review was conducted by electronic searching and library study on health and adolescents using Wiley Interscience, ScienceDirect, ProQuest, and Springer (1990-2012). The keywords for searching data collection sources included health, youth, young, adolescents, risk behaviors, risk taking, related factors, protective factors, risk factors, adolescent perspectives, quantitative study, qualitative study, measurement, and instrument. RESULTS: This literature review led to the arrangement of subjects in nine general categories titled definition of health concept and its dimensions, adolescents and health in adolescence, risk taking in adolescence and its measuring tools, gender differences in adolescence health and risk taking, adolescents' health and relationships, socioeconomic conditions and health, adolescents and psychiatric health, religion, and health, educational facilities and health, non-governmental organizations and their role in adolescents' health. What has been achieved from a review of these articles is that several personal, social, and family factors are associated with health and risk taking in adolescents. CONCLUSION: Generally, adolescents cared more about the psychosocial aspects of health than the physical dimensions. They also considered factors such as independence, communication, socioeconomic conditions, mental health, religion, and educational facilities synonymous with the concept of health. Therefore, in formulation and implementation of health promotion programs for adolescents, the concept of health and its various dimensions must be considered from adolescent perspectives.

How do Iranian female adolescents express their health education needs? A needs assessment with qualitative thematic analysis.

BACKGROUND: Adolescent girls have little knowledge about health information, especially about more sensitive issues. We know little about the perspectives of adolescents about their educational health needs. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study is to explore the perceptions of Iranian female adolescents about their educational health needs. SUBJECTS: The study participants were 67 female adolescents aged 12-19 years currently in junior high and high schools in the city of Sari, located in northern Iran. METHODS: The present study is a qualitative study of thematic analysis. The 67 female adolescents participated in eight focus group discussions (FGDs). The participants were selected from schools in Mazandaran, Iran. The sampling methods were purposeful sampling and a maximum variance sampling method. All tape-recorded data was fully transcribed, and thematic analysis was performed to identify key themes. RESULTS: The findings of this research around adolescent health education needs emphasized four overarching themes, including appropriate content, suitable method, well-informed sources and an appropriate age for education. CONCLUSION: Our results show that the promotion of reproductive health knowledge and life skills are the most important health education needs. Education about these issues via parents, schools and health care providers could promote the health status of adolescents.

The effect of social network based motivational interviewing on health behaviors among infertile women with polycystic ovary syndrome: A randomized controlled trial.

Polycystic ovary syndrome is one of the commonest and complex endocrine disorders in females of reproductive age. Attention to self-care behaviors such as health-promoting behaviors can improve physiological and psychological conditions in women with PCOS. This study aimed to determine the efficacy of Social Network-Based Motivational Interviewing on health-promoting behaviors and quality of life of infertile women with polycystic ovary syndrome. In this randomized controlled trial, 60 infertile women with polycystic ovary syndrome were randomly selected and assigned to the interventio (n = 30) or a control group (n = 30). Participants in the control group received routine care. Those in the intervention group received five motivational group sessions in WhatsApp, which were conducted in five groups of six participants each. The data related to health-promoting behaviors and quality of life were collected through an online questionnaire. Both groups were followed up immediately and 2 months after the intervention. Data collected in the two stages were analyzed using the paired-samples t-test, Chi-square, and repeated measures analysis. No significant difference was observed between the two groups before the intervention means health-promoting behaviors and quality of life scores (p>0.05). Immediately and two months after the intervention, the mean scores of health-promoting behaviors and their domains increased in the intervention group. This increase is statistically compared to the first test, and the scores obtained by the control group in the second (p< 0.001, ES = 1.5) and the third test (p< 0.001, ES= 1.3) were significant. The score of the quality of life variable increase was not statistically significant compared to the first test and also to the scores obtained by the control group. However According to the Generalized estimating equations (GEE) test, the changes in quality of life score between the two groups in the three stages of measurement are statistically significant. WhatsApp support increases the health-promoting self-care behaviors rate and has favorable effects on follow-up.Trial registration: Iranian Registry for Clinical Trial (the link to trial: https://www.irct.ir/trial/48089 ). Registered August 11 2020.

Emotional risk factors before in vitro fertilization among infertile couples in daily clinical practice in Sari in 2020-2022.

BACKGROUND AND AIM: The relationship between psychological factors and treatment outcomes with assisted reproductive technology has sparked considerable debate. This study aims to investigate the emotional risk factors in couples seeking infertility treatment using assisted reproductive technology in Sari, Iran, from 2020 to 2022. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This research is a cross-sectional study and emotional risk factors and other related factors were examined using the Persian version of the SCREENIVF demographic, social, and clinical status questionnaire, social, and clinical status questionnaire before using Assisted reproductive technology in 460 infertile couples selected from infertility treatment centers in Sari City, Iran. The samples were randomly selected using a table of random numbers. Data analysis was performed using SPSS version 22 software. RESULTS: The mean age of the male and female participants were 31.70 ± 5.71 and 35.22 ± 5.48, respectively. The results regarding emotional risk factors and other related factors revealed that the variables of remarriage (P = 0.048) and exposure of spouse to emotional risk factors (P = 0.001), history of depression disorder (P = 0.007), and history of anxiety disorder (P = 0.009) were significantly correlated with the exposure of women to emotional risk factors. Furthermore, men's exposure to emotional risk factors was significantly correlated with primary education (P = 0.026) and diploma (P = 0.043) levels, age (P = 0.006), and wife's exposure to emotional risk factors (P = 0.001). CONCLUSION: By identifying infertile couples who are at risk of emotional risk factors, healthcare professionals can provide appropriate support and interventions to mitigate the emotional challenges associated with infertility. This proactive approach can significantly enhance couples undergoing infertility treatment's well-being and mental health.