Journal of Behdasht dar Arseh (i.e., Health in the Field)

Background and Aims: Removal of low concentrations of petroleum hydrocarbons from water by physico-chemical methods encounters many limitations. The aim of this study was thus isolation and identification of bacteria from soils contaminated with total petroleum hydrocarbons (TPH). Removal efficiency of low concentrations of hydrocarbons from water using isolated bacteria was also determined.

Materials and Methods: TPH concentrations of 100, 500 and 1000 ppm in water were examined. Bacteria were identified and isolated from diesel-contaminated soil. Isolated bacteria were cultured separately in medium containing water with certain concentrations of TPH. At predetermined contact times (2, 5, 7 and 14 days), the total amount of TPH remained in the water was measured using standard methods.

Results: At 100 ppm TPH in water and within 48 hours, the highest removal efficiency of TPH about 65% was obtained by Alkaligenes faecalis. Likewise, the lowest removal performance of TPH, approximately 20%, was obtained by Pseudomonas aeruginosa at this concentration. The highest and lowest removal efficiency of TPH from water at 500 ppm by was achieved by Enterobacter (40%) and Alkaligenes (20%) following 48 h, respectively. At the highest concentration of TPH in water (1000 ppm) and after 48 h, the highest removal rate about 30% was obtained by Enterobacter. for the removal efficiency appeared to increase with the increase of contact time, in which the maximum removal efficiency was about 90% (at 100 and 500 ppm concentrations) and about 50% (at 1000 ppm concentrations) after 14 days.

Conclusion: Bacteria isolated from contaminated soil can be used to remove low concentrations of petroleum compounds from water.

Background and Aims: Paying attention to dairy food hygiene is very important and prevents the common diseases between humans and animals. Due to the fact that health care providers are a model of health in the community, this study was conducted to assess the knowledge, attitude and behavior of dairy foods hygiene among health care providers.

Materials and Methods: In this descriptive-analytical study, 300 health care providers working in health centers of Urmia in 2020 were selected by census method and entered the study. The data collection tool was a researcher-made questionnaire including three parts: demographic characteristics, dairy consumption status questionnaire, knowledge, attitude and behavior questionnaire. Optional participation in the study, the confidentiality of information and obtaining permission and code of ethics from the research committee were among the ethical considerations of the research. Data were analyzed by SPSS 20 software using analysis of variance, Tukey and Pearson correlation tests.

Results: The mean and standard deviation of age of health care providers was 36.76 ±7.61. The results showed that most health care providers had good knowledge (51.7%), moderate attitude (50.4%) and good behavior (45.2%) toward dairy food hygiene. On the other hand, a significant correlation was observed between knowledge, attitude and behavior of dairy foods hygiene (p<0.05).

Conclusion: According to the findings of this study, educational interventions in accordance with the educational content of dairy food hygiene should be performed to increase and sustain the knowledge, attitude and behavior of health care providers.

Background and Aims: Teaching is one of the world's most stressful jobs. Sources of stress in the teachers’ job are diverse and often specific. Due to the lack of an up-to-date and efficient questionnaire to assess the job stress of Persian-speaking teachers, the present study was designed to localize and assess the psychometric properties of job stress among Persian teachers.

Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional analytical study was conducted in 2017 in Tehran. Totally, 575 teachers working in governmental primary schools were randomly selected to participate in the study. Quantitative and qualitative approaches were used for face and content validity evaluation of the questionnaire. Cronbach's alpha was calculated to determine internal consistency. Exploratory factor analysis was applied to test the reliability. SPSS (version 16) was used for statistical analysis. All stages of the present study were carried out according to ethical standards.

Results: The overall CVI and CVR were calculated as 0.95 and 1, respectively. Cronbach's alpha was 0.93 and the ICC (intra-cluster similarity) was found to be 0.85. The final structure of the Persian teachers, job stress questionnaire included 24 items in 4 factors including workload, interpersonal relationships, technology-induced stress and professional recognition.

Conclusion: The Persian version of teachers, job stress questionnaire is recommended as a valid and reliable tool to assess and determine the level and sources of job stress among teachers.

Background and Aims: Job stress is one of the most common health-related problems all over the world, which is associated with many physical hazards. The aim of this study was to assess job stress in firefighters and to investigate its association with musculoskeletal disorders.

Materials and Methods: This work is a descriptive-analytical study and was conducted in one of the firefighting stations located in Tehran. HSE Job Stress Questionnaire and the Kernel Musculoskeletal Disorders Questionnaire were used to assess job stress and musculoskeletal disorders, respectively. Data analysis was performed using SPSS21 software. Ethical considerations were observed in all stages of the study.

Results: Mean age of employees and their working time were 32.66 ± 5.83 years and 9.14 ± 2.1 hours per day, respectively. The lowest and highest levels of job stress were 8.83 and 22.58 and the amount of total job stress was equal to 107.29. Musculoskeletal disorders were very common among firefighters and were in the knee, shoulder, back and neck areas, respectively. Overall score of job stress and role dimensions, support of officials, support of colleagues, demand and change were significantly associated with musculoskeletal disorders.

Conclusion: Job stress and musculoskeletal disorders were very common among firefighters and a statistically significant relationship was observed between job stress and musculoskeletal disorders. Therefore, job stress may be a factor in the development of musculoskeletal disorders in firefighters, so a care system for firefighters is needed to reduce job stress and prevent musculoskeletal disorders.

Background and Objectives: Occupational exposure to metalworking fluid mist causes respiratory irritation. This study aimed to assess the relative risk of irritating effects in occupational exposure to metalworking fluids of lathe process.

Materials and Methods: Sixty-five subjects exposed to oil mist as exposed group and 65 administrative staff of the same industry as control group were selected. Health and Safety Executive/Health and Safety Laboratory (HSE/HSL) questionnaire was used for irritating effects. The US National Institutes of Health and Safety (NIOSH) method 5026 was used to monitoring respiratory exposure to oil mist. We also calculated the relative risk of irritating symptoms using MedCalc software. The study was approved by the ethics committee and conducted with the consent of participants.

Results: The mean time-weighted exposure to mineral oil mist in lathe workers was 7.10±3.49 mg/m3. The amount of throat irritation in machinists was significantly higher than the control group (p-value = 0.044).The relative risk of irritating effects in the eyes, nose, mouth and throat in machinists is slightly higher than control subjects (p-value = 0.05).

Conclusion: In this study, the occupational exposure in 67% of lathe workers is higher than recommended exposure limit in Iran. Subjects by oil mists exposure represented a risk of irritating effects in the respiratory tract, especially the throat. For this reason, continuous assessment and control of exposure is are needed to reduce the risk of chronic diseases.

Background and Aims: Anxiety disorders are the most common mental disorders in children, which are highly prevalent in Iran. Identifying the causes and early diagnosis of this group of disorders can minimize its long-term effects. The aim of this study was to investigate the factors affecting in the incidence of generalized anxiety and anxiety disorders in children in Bushehr.

 Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted in Bushehr in 2019. The study population consisted of all children aged 4 to 6 years of preschool and kindergartens of this city, among whom a sample of 428 was selected by multi-stage cluster sampling method. The research instrument was the Spence Anxiety Inventory (Parent Form). In order to describe and analyze the data, descriptive statistics (frequency and percentage) and based statistics (one-way analysis of variance and Scheffe post hoc test) were used at a significant level of 5% in SPSS software version 24.

Results: The number of family members (p-value = 0.003), father's education (p-value = 0.001) and mother's education (p-value = 0.001), father's employment status (p-value = 0.03) and parental separation (p-value = 0.002), type of caregiver (p-value < 0.001) and unpleasant events history (p-value < 0.002) were effective in the incidence of generalized anxiety in children. Also, all types of anxiety disorders, parents' education level, unpleasant event history and number of family members (except in physical injuries) have played a role.

Conclusion: According to the findings of this study, social and cultural factors of the family play a major role in children's anxiety. Therefore, it is necessary that parents' education to be considered by health policy makers to prevent children from developing anxiety.