Physical Activity and Well-being Status among Employees of University of Medical Sciences.

Background: Workplace physical activity plays an important role in employees' health. As university employees are a population at risk for a sedentary working pattern, this study aimed to investigate the physical activity status of employees of Iran University of Medical Sciences (IUMS) and its subsequent effects on their well-being. Methods: This cross-sectional study included 472 employees from different units of IUMS in Tehran. The participants were selected by a multistage sampling method. Interviews were conducted by using an international physical activity questionnaire, a questionnaire for stages of behavioral change, the World Health Organization Well-being Questionnaire, and a demographic checklist from July to October 2019. Analysis of variance, t test, and logistic regression analysis were used. Data were analyzed using IBM SPSS (Version 21.0). Results: Total physical activity in the study population was 6216.58 ± 5886.09 MET-minutes/week. The mean score of the well-being index was 54.72 ± 22.4; there was an association between sex and location of work with physical activity in domains (p<0.05). The highest prevalence rates for change of stage of physical activity were found in the maintenance stage for men and the contemplation stage for women. There was a significant difference between men and women's well-being index-men reported being more active and energetic than women (p<0.001). Results also revealed that having vigorous physical activity compared with a moderate level could increase the well-being index. Conclusion: Physical activity behavior at the workplace was associated with well-being level. It could, therefore, be postulated that enhancing physical activity may be beneficial to improving well-being in an academic environment.

Workplace interventions for increasing physical activity in employees: A systematic review.

BACKGROUND: There is scattered evidence of the impact of workplace interventions in improving employees' physical activity. This systematic review was performed to evaluate the strategies of workplace interventions and their effectiveness, as reported in primary studies. METHOD: Primary experimental trials, both randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and non-RCTs, which examined interventions to increase healthy adult employees' physical activity were included in this review. Studies in English or Persian published between 2009 and 2019 with access to full text of resources were considered. Google Scholar, PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus and Cochrane Library, ProQuest (Thesis) and World Health Organization Clinical Trial Registration Databases and Persian databases such as SID, Magiran, IranMedex, Irandoc were searched. All the stages of review were conducted based on PRISMA. RoB and ROBINS-I were used to assess the risk of bias of the primary studies. RESULTS: Thirty-nine studies, with a total of 18 494 participants, met the inclusion criteria. Of these, 22 were RCTs, 17 were non-RCTs. Effective interventions were reported in 15 RCTs and 14 non-RCTs. Four main strategies of interventions were identified, consisting of motivation and support; monitoring and feedback; information and education; and activity. Thirteen different behavior change techniques (BCT) were identified with self-determination theory (SDT) being the most frequent behavior change theory used. CONCLUSION: It seems that a multi-strategy intervention that one of the strategies of which is physical activity in the workplace (Activity), the use of behavioral change theories, especially SDT, may be indicative of a more effective intervention. It is recommended that BCTs be considered when designing physical activity interventions.

Community-Based Preventive Interventions for Depression and Anxiety in Women.

BACKGROUND: Depression and anxiety are the most common mental disorders and currently, they constitute one of the main causes of disability and death. The high prevalence of psychiatric disorders and their increasing burden are noteworthy. The aim of this study is to investigate the effectiveness of community-based preventive interventions for depression and anxiety in women. METHODS: We systematically searched for articles published up to the beginning of 2018, which addressed community-based preventive interventions for depression and anxiety in women. The studies were searched in PubMed, Scopus, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, PsycInfo, IranMedex, SID and EMBASE electronic databases. Articles that complied with our inclusion criteria (preventive interventions involving healthy adult women aged 18 to 65 years) were reviewed. Quality assessment of the articles was performed using standard tools. We extracted the required data and reported the results in a narrative form. RESULTS: Twenty-three articles were identified and entered into the final review. Depression and anxiety symptoms were decreased in more than 70% of interventions. Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and exercise were the most effective interventions. In addition, computer and internet-based programs had positive outcomes in both categories of depression and anxiety. CONCLUSION: Community-based preventive programs for depression and anxiety in women had promising and positive results. CBT and exercise were the most effortless, yet the most effective interventions to apply. Computer and internet-based programs had the benefit of covering many people simultaneously. These interventions are cost-effective and feasible among Iranian women.

Burden of Diseases and Injuries in Afghanistan, 1990-2016: Findings From the Global Burden of Disease 2016 Study.

BACKGROUND: Afghanistan is one of the low-income countries in the Eastern Mediterranean Region with young population and myriad of healthcare needs. We aim to report the burden of diseases and injuries in Afghanistan between 1990 and 2016. METHODS: We used the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) 2016 study for estimates of deaths, disability-adjusted life years (DALYs), years of life lost, years of life lived with disability, maternal mortality ratio (MMR), neonatal mortality rates (NMRs) and under 5 mortality rates (U5MR) in Afghanistan. RESULTS: Total mortality rate, NMR and U5MR have progressively decreased between 1990 and 2016. Mortality rate was 909.6 per 100000 (95% UI: 800.9-1023.3) and MMR was 442.8 (95% UI: 328.3-595.8) per 100000 live births in 2016. Conflict and terrorism, ischemic heart disease (IHD) and road injuries were the leading causes of DALY among males of all ages in 2016 with 10.9%, 7.8% and 7.6% of total DALYs respectively, whereas among females of all ages lower respiratory infections (LRIs), IHD and congenital birth defects were the leading causes of DALY with 8.7%, 7.0% and 6.5% of total DALYs respectively. CONCLUSION: Despite improvements in certain health indicators, our study suggests an urgent intervention to improve health status of the country. Peace and safety by means of stopping the conflict and terrorism are the mainstay of all other health interventions. Improving health infrastructures, boosting maternal and child health (MCH), battling infectious diseases as well as chronic disease risk factor modification programs can help to decrease burden of diseases.