Evaluation of an Educational Intervention Based on Theory of Planned Behavior to Reduce Suicidal Ideation and Attempts in Drug Addicts Receiving Methadone: A Quasi-Experimental Study.

BACKGROUND: Drug addiction can lead to suicidal ideation or suicide attempt so that half of those who attempt suicide have a history of substance abuse. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of educational intervention based on Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) on reducing suicidal ideation and suicide attempt of addicts. METHODS: A longitudinal quasi-experimental educational intervention was conducted on 200 methadone-treated addicts with suicidal ideation under the auspices of government addiction centers of Shiraz city from 2021 to 2022. Baseline data on demographic characteristics, suicidal ideation, and TPB questionnaire were collected from two groups at the beginning of the study and then three months after the intervention. The experiment group received educational intervention including sessions of individual and group counseling, training and organizational supports. The questionnaire was completed by both the experimental and control groups before the educational intervention and three months after the educational intervention. Data were analyzed using SPSS 22 software through independent t-test, Chi-square and paired t-test (p = 0.05). RESULTS: The mean age of addicts in the experimental and control groups was 38.80 ± 11.64 and 39.41 ± 11.18 years, respectively (p = 0.206). 22% of the experimental group and 18% of the control group had a history of suicide. According to the results, there was no significant difference between the experimental and control groups in terms of knowledge, attitude, subjective norms and perceived behavioral control before the educational intervention, however, the mentioned variables increased significantly in the experimental group three months after the educational intervention. There was no significant difference in suicide attempt and suicidal ideation between the experimental and control groups before the educational intervention, however, there was a significant change in the experimental group after the educational intervention. CONCLUSION: The results of the present study showed the effect of educational intervention on the knowledge, attitude, subjective norms, perceived behavioral control, suicidal ideation and suicidal attempt of addicts, thus confirming the effectiveness of the TPB-based intervention on reducing suicide of addicts.

Effect of educational intervention based on health belief model on mothers monitoring growth of 6-12 months child with growth disorders.

BACKGROUND: Maternal education is one of the main ways to improve children's nutritional behaviors and development. The purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of educational intervention based on Health Belief Model (HBM) on mothers monitoring growth of 6-12 months child with growth disorders in Ghirokarzin city, Fars Provonce, Iran. METHODS: This quasi-experimental study was conducted on mothers of 6-12 months children with growth disorders of Ghirokarzin city, Fars province, Iran in 2021-2022. One hundred twenty mothers of 6-12 months child with growth disorders in Ghirokarzin city were selected using random sampling method and were divided into two groups of intervention (60) and control (60). The experimental group received training on the HBM constructs. Both groups completed the questionnaire before and three months after. INTERVENTION: A questionnaire beased on Health Belief Model constructs were used to collect information. The data was analyzed with SPSS 22 software using paired t-tests, Chi-square tests, and independent t-tests, with a significance level of 0.05. RESULTS: Three months after the educational intervention, the experimental group showed a significant increase in terms of knowledge, HBM constructs, weight of the children and feeding behavior. CONCLUSION: This study showed the educational intervention based on the HBM improved the knowledge and feeding behavior of mothers and improved Growth Disorders of child. Hence, this model can act as a framework for designing and implementing educational interventions for prevention of growth disorders in children.

Validation of the Persian version of the 9-item Berg Balance Scale Among Older Iranians.

Objectives: Old age is often associated with a progressive decline in the capacity of individuals to maintain dynamic and static balance, leading to falls and fear of falling. This study aimed to validate the 9-item Berg Balance Scale (BBS-9) for the older Iranian population. Methods: The current psychometric study involved translation of the BBS-9 to Persian language and its validation among a cohort of Persian-speaking elderly people. Confirmatory factor analysis, exploratory factor analysis, internal consistency, construct validity, test-retest reliability, receiver operating characteristic analysis, inter-rater, and convergent validity of the BBS-9 (Persian) were investigated and statistically analyzed. Results: The participants were 9117 Iranians with an average age of 64.3±2.45 years. The cohort was 54.1% female. Nearly three quarters of the subjects (72.4%) lived alone, 92.9% needed help with activities of daily living, and 93.0% sustained falls in the previous two years. Internal consistency was confirmed using intraclass correlation coefficient and McDonald's Omega (≥ 0.75). The receiver operating characteristic analysis represented the exact cut-off values for male and female and with or without fear of falling with good specificity and sensitivity. Analysis of variance revealed that fear of falling was significantly related to age, Aging in Place, loneliness, hospitalization rate, frailty, and sense of anxiety (effect size ≥ 0.130, p ≤ 0.050). Conclusions: The Persian version of BBS-9, a psychometrically sound self-reported measure of fear of falling, retained the original's satisfactory psychometric properties. It has the potential to be used among older Iranians in community-based and clinical settings.