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

Background and Aims: Fluoxetine is widely used as a pharmaceutical agent, and its residues, whether present as solid waste or dissolved in wastewater, pose a significant environmental concern due to its distinct chemical structure. While most studies have focused on the removal of pharmaceuticals in their dissolved form, this study investigates the effectiveness of a combined mechanochemical process integrated with an advanced oxidation to degrade fluoxetine in its solid state.

Materials and Methods: Powdered fluoxetine was subjected to planetary ball milling in the presence of magnesium oxide and ammonium persulfate under various experimental conditions, including reaction time, rotational speed, ball-to-material ratio, and mass ratios of the reactants. The extent of fluoxetine degradation and mineralization was subsequently quantified. All procedures adhered strictly to relevant ethical guidelines.

Results: The results demonstrated that the enhanced mechanochemical process achieved near-complete (99.66%) degradation of fluoxetine. Under optimized conditions, mineralization reached 80.85%. The simultaneous use of magnesium oxide and ammonium persulfate significantly improved the process efficiency, exhibiting a pronounced synergistic effect in both the degradation and mineralization of fluoxetine.

Conclusion: The surface characteristics of magnesium oxide and its ability to generate reactive sulfate radicals contributed substantially to the enhanced degradation of the drug. Therefore, the integrated mechanochemical and advanced oxidation process can be considered an innovative and effective approach for the safe treatment of solid pharmaceutical waste.

Background and Aims: Given that healthcare work is considered a high-risk occupation for musculoskeletal disorders, this study aimed to examine selected observational and perceptual indicators related to musculoskeletal disorders during manual patient handling among healthcare workers caring for older adults.

Materials and Methods: In this descriptive study, 60 healthcare workers from nursing homes in Tehran were randomly selected and evaluated in 2025. The observational indicator included posture assessment using the Quick Exposure Check (QEC), while perceptual indicators comprised the Body Part Discomfort Rating (BPDR) questionnaire and the Borg Rating of Perceived Exertion (RPE 6–20) scale during five common manual patient-handling tasks. Descriptive data analysis was calculated using SPSS23. Ethical considerations were observed throughout the study.

Results: All evaluated postures (100%) were classified as being in a very high-risk condition during task performance. In all tasks, the mean perceived exertion was high. For each body region, at least 15% of participants reported moderate to severe discomfort in the body part discomfort assessment.

Conclusion: Based on the findings, manual patient handling requires effective approaches and interventions, including long-term training programs, use of patient-handling equipment, and environmental and organizational modifications to improve posture and reduce discomfort and perceived exertion among workers.

Background and Aims: Safety performance indicators play a crucial role in supporting managerial decision-making and evaluating control measures within safety management systems. Given the growing use of tower cranes in developing countries, this study aimed to develop a safety performance index for tower cranes during the operational phase.

Materials and Methods: In this study, tower crane safety performance measures were identified through expert judgment using the Delphi technique, and a checklist for assessing the safety performance of tower cranes was developed accordingly. In the next step, weights proportional to the impact of each safety measure on overall safety performance were assigned, and the safety performance index was calculated based on existing frameworks. Finally, the index was applied to two construction sites equipped with tower cranes in the city of Isfahan. All ethical considerations were observed throughout the study.

Results: A total of 56 safety performance measures were approved by the expert panel. The highest weights were assigned to “inspections by regulatory authorities”, “implementation of worker competency certification systems”, and “crane operating height”. A safety performance checklist for tower cranes was developed. The safety performance index ranged from 0 to 100, with scores of 81 and 91 obtained for the two studied construction sites, corresponding to moderate (yellow) and good (green) safety levels, respectively.

Conclusion: In this study, factors affecting the safety of tower cranes during the operational phase were identified through a comprehensive literature review and expert judgment, and safety performance measures with adequate coverage and high consensus were selected.

Background and Aims: Parental substance use disorder, particularly among mothers, poses serious psychological and behavioral risks to children. This study examined the effectiveness of cognitive–behavioral therapy (CBT) on self-esteem, mental health, and procrastination among adolescent children of mothers in recovery from substance abuse.

Materials and Methods: This study employed a quasi-experimental pretest–posttest design. Sixty adolescents (aged 15–18 years) with parents recovered from substance abuse were conveniently selected from two active addiction rehabilitation centers in Sari and then randomly assigned equally to the intervention and control groups. The intervention consisted of eight 90-minute CBT sessions covering skills such as identifying and modifying negative self-talk, correcting cognitive distortions, and strengthening problem-solving and effective communication skills. Descriptive statistics and analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) were performed using SPSS26 at a significance level of (P < 0.05) to compare the groups. Ethical considerations were observed throughout all stages of the study.

Results: The results showed that, compared with the control group, self-esteem significantly increased in the intervention group (η² = 0.782, P < 0.001), mental health improved markedly (η² = 0.473, P < 0.001), and procrastination significantly decreased (η² = 0.451, P< 0.001).

Conclusion: Cognitive–behavioral therapy markedly enhances adolescents’ self-esteem and mental health while reducing procrastination. This approach can be used as an effective intervention in family-based prevention and rehabilitation programs.

Background and Aims: Urinary tract infections (UTIs) can lead to irreversible complications, reduced quality of life, and increased healthcare costs. Therefore, the present study was conducted to investigate catheter- associated urinary tract infections (CAUTIs) among patients hospitalized in the intensive care unit (ICU).

Materials and Methods: This descriptive study was conducted on 86 patients with catheter-associated urinary tract infections admitted to the ICU of one of the hospitals affiliated with Qom University of Medical Sciences, using a census sampling method. Data were collected using a researcher-designed checklist. Data analysis was performed using SPSS23, applying descriptive statistics, the chi-square test, and the independent t-test. The study was conducted after obtaining approval from the Research Council and ethical clearance from the Ethics Committee of Qom University of Medical Sciences.

Results: The mean age of participants was 67.9 ± 13.9 years. Catheterization duration, antibiotic use, and catheter replacement timing were significantly associated with urinary tract infection (P < 0.001), whereas age, sex, marital status, BMI, smoking, corticosteroid use, and surgical history showed no significant association (P > 0.05).

Conclusion: Based on the study findings, ICU patients with longer catheterization duration, more frequent catheter replacement, and higher antibiotic use experienced a higher incidence of urinary tract infection. Therefore, enhancing staff awareness of proper care, adhering to standard catheter replacement protocols, facilitating earlier catheter removal, and educating clinicians about antibiotic resistance and its consequences are recommended to reduce the risk of urinary tract infections in ICUs.

Background and Aims: Freshwater resources and water infrastructure are vital to community health and are considered potential targets for sabotage. The preparedness of healthcare centers to deal with water contamination plays a significant role in enhancing resilience. This study aimed to design, validate, and apply a tool to assess hospital preparedness in dealing with water tank contamination resulting from sabotage.

Materials and Methods: The present study was conducted in several stages. The first stage involved designing the initial instrument through a comprehensive review of documents and eliciting feedback from an expert panel. In the second stage, the content validity of the instrument was determined by calculating the Content Validity Ratio (CVR). Subsequently, the third stage focused on assessing the reliability of the instrument, with inter-rater agreement assessed using Cohen’s kappa coefficient. Finally, in the fourth stage, the finalized instrument was utilized for operational implementation in a hospital in eastern Tehran. Ethical considerations, including maintaining the hospital’s anonymity, were observed.

Results: The final instrument consisted of 28 items and demonstrated acceptable validity (CVR > 0.49) and reliability (K = 0.636). The assessment results indicated that the hospital readiness score was 77.28, reflecting a high level of readiness.

Conclusion: Continuous monitoring of hospital water tanks, particularly during times of crisis, is essential. The developed tool can serve as a practical instrument for evaluating hospital preparedness and formulating strategies to enhance hospital resilience against water-related threats.

Background and Aims: With the prolonged course of the COVID-19 pandemic, human lifestyles were profoundly affected. This study aimed to determine the changes in lifestyle-related behaviors among students at Rafsanjan University of Medical Sciences during the COVID-19 pandemic compared with the period before it.

Materials and Methods: This descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted on 170 students who were randomly selected in 2024. Data were collected using a standardized lifestyle-related behavior questionnaire. Statistical analyses were performed using SPSS version 22, employing independent t-tests and one-way ANOVA. All ethical considerations were carefully observed throughout all stages of the study.

Results: The mean lifestyle change score among the students was 5.32 ± 0.432, with a range from –12 to 20. The findings indicated that lifestyle-related behavioral changes during the COVID-19 pandemic, compared with the pre-pandemic period, differed significantly by educational level (P = 0.004), father’s occupation (P = 0.001), and age (P = 0.045). Moreover, compared to the period before the pandemic, students reported increases in snack consumption (55.3%, n = 94), sedentary time (81.2%, n = 138), sleep duration (69.4%, n = 118), stress and anxiety levels (65.9%, n = 112), and intake of immune-boosting foods (62.4%, n = 106).

Conclusion: Therefore, appropriate planning aimed at reducing stress and anxiety and promoting students’ mental health is recommended. In addition, providing proper nutritional education and counseling, particularly for younger students, is strongly suggested.

Background and Aims: Cyberchondria is a term used to describe the excessive search for health care information on the web, which has many negative consequences. This study aimed to design and test a model of psychological antecedents of cyberchondria in students of Payam Noor University in Kermanshah province.

Materials and Methods: The research design was a descriptive correlational study with a structural equation approach. The statistical population of the study included female undergraduate students of Payam Noor University of Kermanshah Province, of whom 120 were selected as a sample using multi-stage cluster sampling. A questionnaire was used to collect data, and the collected data were analyzed using SPSS-28 software and structural equation modeling was performed using Smart-PLS-4 software. Ethical considerations were also taken into account in all stages of the study.

Results: The results of data analysis showed that the conceptual model of the study has a good fit and health anxiety with a path coefficient (R = 0.26, P ≤ 0.01), psychological distress with a path coefficient (R = 0.22, P ≤ 0.01), and psychological body image inflexibility with a path coefficient (R = 0.56, P ≤ 0.01) have the power to predict cyberchondria.

Conclusion: The results of this study showed that health anxiety, psychological distress, and psychological body image inflexibility can explain a large part of the changes in cyber self-harm, and by controlling the variables of health anxiety, psychological distress, and psychological body image inflexibility, cyber self-harm behavior was reduced in students.