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Biomedical subjects

A Rashidi

Publications and source records attributed to A Rashidi.

10 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2005

Social factors and pregnancy weight gain in relation to infant birth weight: a study in public health centers in Rasht, Iran.

OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to examine the relationship between total pregnancy weight gain, maternal educational level, working status and infant birth weight among mothers and infants in urban health centers in Rasht, Iran. DESIGN: Pregnant women from six different public health centers in urban areas were studied in a prospective design. Data on women's age, parity, level of education, working status, infant birth weight, mothers' height, and prepregnancy weight and total weight gain during pregnancy were collected. The subjects were grouped based on their prepregnancy BMI and according to Institute of Medicine (IOM) recommendation for total pregnancy weight gain. The subjects were also categorized based on their years of schooling as less, intermediately and highly educated. In this study women were considered as either housewives or employed. SETTING: Public health centers in urban areas in Rasht, Iran. SUBJECTS: A total of 1914 pregnant women were studied. RESULTS: These data showed that pregnancy weight gain was not different between women with normal prepregnancy weight and underweight when educational levels and working status were taken into account. Besides, pregnancy weight gain was positively related to the level of education. Analysis of variance showed that infant birth weights were not similar in mothers who gain weight less, within and above recommended ranges. In all, 60% of the normal weight women and 56.7% of the underweight women had weight gain less than the lower cutoffs of IOM recommendation. Results of logistic regression analysis showed that low level of mother's education was the only predictor for low birth weight (LBW) (>12 y education OR = 0.27(0.10-0.69)) and 5-12 y education OR = 0.62 (0.2-0.94). CONCLUSION: These results showed that pregnancy weight gain lower recommended ranges are highly prevalent in Iranian women in public health centers in urban areas in Rasht. Moreover, mother's level of educational level may be considered as the most important determinant of birth weight and LBW in this population.

Adult↗
PubMed2005

Prevalence of obesity in Iran.

Recent descriptive studies suggest that Iran has geared in the nutrition and epidemiological transition processes. Therefore, while the problems of undernutrition (e.g. growth retardation and micronutrient deficiencies) still exist, the burden of overweight/obesity and diet-related chronic diseases is increasing. The prevalence of overweight (body mass index > or = 85th reference percentiles) among urban 15-39 and 40-69 year olds is estimated at about 22% and 40% respectively. Corresponding values in rural areas are 16% and 26%. The transition seems faster among female population at national level. There are however, great differences between different provinces. Urgent preventive strategies are needed to simultaneously tackle both forms of malnutrition in the country.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2004

Prevalence of overweight and obesity in adolescent Tehrani students, 2000-2001: an epidemic health problem.

OBJECTIVE: Overweight has become a public health problem in most developing countries. Evidence suggests that adolescence is a critical period in determining adulthood obesity and its complications. The present study was carried out to assess the prevalence of overweight and obesity among secondary school students. DESIGN AND SETTING: This descriptive study was conducted in Tehran city, 2000-2001. Body weight and height were measured and body mass index (BMI) values were calculated. Underweight, overweight and obesity were defined as <5th, > or = 85th and > or = 95th percentile, respectively, of age- and sex-specific BMI values from the National Center for Health Statistics/Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2000). SUBJECTS: Using a multistage sampling method, 2321 students (1068 males and 1253 females) aged 11-16 years were assessed in Tehran, the capital city of Iran. RESULTS: The overall prevalences of overweight and obesity were 21.1 and 7.8%, respectively. The prevalence of overweight among girl students (i.e. 23.1%; 95% confidence interval (CI) 20.8-25.4) was significantly higher than that among boys (i.e. 18.8%; 95% CI 16.5-21.1, P=0.01) even after adjustment for age (odds ratio 1.26, 95% CI 1.03-1.55, P=0.02). No significant risk of obesity associated with age was found in girls or boys. In both sexes, median values of age-specific BMI in this study were statistically higher than corresponding values collected in Tehrani adolescents 10 years ago (P=0.03). Similarly, a significant difference was seen between girl students in this study and the reference population (P=0.03). CONCLUSION: According to this study, overweight, especially in girls, should be considered an epidemic health problem among adolescent students in Tehran.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2003

Is systolic blood pressure sufficient for classification of blood pressure and determination of hypertension based on JNC-VI in an Iranian adult population? Tehran lipid and glucose study (TLGS).

The purpose of this study was to determine if systolic blood pressure (SBP) by itself is sufficient for the JNC-VI (Sixth Report of the Joint National Committee on Detection, Evaluation, and Treatment of High Blood Pressure)-based classification of blood pressure of Tehranian adult population. Clinically, SBP and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) are sometimes at different stages in the same individual and the higher stage is considered to classify blood pressure level. The prevalence of disparate levels of SBP and DBP has only recently been noticed. Some researches have reported the importance of SBP level, and not DBP, in determining the appropriate classification of hypertension even in those undergoing treatment. Data were collected for 3823 men and 5159 women aged 20-69 years who were not using antihypertensive medication, in the Tehran Lipid and Glucose Study (TLGS), a cross-sectional phase of a large epidemiological study first established in 1999. The study used the mean of two separate blood pressure measurements in each individual. High blood pressure is defined according to the highest level of SBP or DBP. In 86.3% of the subjects, blood pressure stage was determined according to SBP and in 90.0% of them according to DBP. In 77.4% of the subjects (75.7% of men and 78.7% of women), SBP determined blood pressure in the same stage as DBP did. The role of SBP was the most prominent in age groups 20-29 and 60-69 years (91.4 and 90.8%, respectively) and the least in age group 40-49 years (80.4% of the subjects). DBP had a more prominent role in younger ages and the least significance in older ages. In conclusion, SBP has a more prominent role than DBP in determining blood pressure stage according to JNC-VI only in the 60-69-year-old group. The role of DBP is more prominent in other age groups.

Adult↗
PubMed2001

Culture care conflicts among Asian-Islamic immigrant women in US hospitals.

Muslims follow their Islamic traditions as they integrate into the US society. Islamic beliefs are reflected in everyday life, and care is viewed within a holistic context. A lack of understanding of Muslims and their cultural and religious traditions contributes to potential conflicts in health care. The five concepts of Islamic beliefs from the religious texts of the Qur'an, Sunnah, and Hadith will be discussed followed by the implication of these beliefs for clinical practice. Knowledge of these Islamic cultural and religious beliefs will help reduce potential culture care conflicts among Asian-Islamic immigrant women in US hospitals.

Asia↗
PubMed2000

Middle Eastern Asian Islamic women and breast self-examination. Needs assessment.

This exploratory, descriptive research study examined the knowledge and frequency of breast self-examination (BSE) among Middle Eastern Asian Islamic immigrant women residing in a major metropolitan U.S. city. The purposive sample consisted of 39 Middle Eastern Asian Islamic immigrant women ranging in age from 20 to 48 years (mean, 33; SD, 8.29). The sample was recruited from women who attended a local mosque. Data was collected by asking a list of seven questions based on Champion's BSE tool that assessed knowledge and frequency of BSE. Sociodemographic information also was collected. The results indicated that 33 women (85%) had heard of breast self-examination, and 29 women (74%) had not examined their breasts for lumps. None of the participants had examined her breasts monthly for lumps during the past year. Most of the women had not learned about BSE from a health professional, nor had they undergone a clinical breast examination (CBE). The results of this research show that Middle Eastern Asian immigrant women may be a population overlooked by health care professionals in the education of BSE. Suggestions to improve breast cancer screening practices among this population are provided.

Adult↗
PubMed1999

Asian-Islamic women and breast cancer screening: a socio-cultural analysis.

This article explores religious and socio-cultural issues relevant to breast cancer screening practices among older immigrant Asian-Islamic women in the U.S. Some of the Islamic tenets that facilitate breast cancer screening include cleanliness, prevention and individual responsibility in health promotion, diet and eating habits, and exercise, and those that hinder screening practice include gender and modesty considerations and patriarchal marital beliefs. Socio-cultural barriers include patient-physician communication and beliefs about cancer and cancer prevention. Recommendations to increase knowledge and practice of breast cancer screening within a religious and socio-cultural context are provided.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Minority women and breast cancer screening: the role of cultural explanatory models.

Mammography and clinical breast exams are effective secondary prevention techniques for reducing the morbidity and mortality due to breast cancer. Although minority women have higher mortality rates due to breast cancer, they are less likely than white women to use screening procedures. This paper provides a complementary understanding of the use of breast cancer screening among minority women by drawing attention to the role of women's cultural explanatory models (CEMs). CEMs stem from the sociocultural context and involve cultural beliefs and values, personal life experiences, and both biomedical and popular explanations of health and illness. Although women's CEMs may not accord with those of health professionals, they do have an impact on screening behavior. This paper discusses suggestions for addressing these issues in an effort to improve breast cancer screening rates through adopting a cultural relativistic approach.

Breast Neoplasms↗