N. Aghakhani, Shahin Izadi, Kazhal Mobaraki, J. Ahmadzadeh, Arash Aliasghari
{"title":"The Plague (Black Death) Is Still Around and May Come Back","authors":"N. Aghakhani, Shahin Izadi, Kazhal Mobaraki, J. Ahmadzadeh, Arash Aliasghari","doi":"10.34172/ijer.2022.02","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.34172/ijer.2022.02","url":null,"abstract":"Plague has been among the most devastating infectious diseases in human history. The decrease in the plague in recently reported cases and studies implies that the plague should not recur, but the fact is that it (Black Death) is still around and may appear again. The disease can be occult for many years. The reemergence of the plague epidemic with unusual clinical form, magnitude, and rapid expansion at any place and time without prior notice could pose a serious risk to public health. Plague outbreaks most likely result from the reactivation of organisms in local foci. The reemergence of foci suggests that environmental or climatic changes could be favorable for an epidemiological cycle of Yersinia pestis. Thus, countries harboring plague foci can be at risk of outbreaks in the future. Different epidemiological aspects of the plague must be emphasized in prophylactic medical plans and health education systems, and healthcare workers should be alert and aware of the natural cycle, as well as clinical symptoms and signs of plague. Finally, surveillance, education, and research are also suggested regarding this fatal infection and other emerging diseases.","PeriodicalId":73448,"journal":{"name":"International journal of epidemiologic research","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-02-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"44702606","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Comparison of Pattern of Alcohol Consumption and Related Factors in Patients Referred to Referral Hospitals in Shahrekord, Iran (2016-2017)","authors":"F. Ganji, A. Ahmadi, Salehe Zare, J. Nasiri","doi":"10.34172/ijer.2022.09","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.34172/ijer.2022.09","url":null,"abstract":"Background and aims: The aim of the present study was to investigate the pattern of alcohol consumption and its related factors in the patients referring to hospitals. Methods: A hospital-based case control study was carried out in Shahrekord during 2016-2017. A total of 150 individuals who had self-report of alcohol consumption and history of alcoholism entered into the case group based on the convenience sampling method. Likewise, 300 individuals who did not have self-report of alcohol consumption entered into the control group. Group matching was performed based on the date of admission to the hospital, type of disease, complications, and duration of the disease. This study explored the pattern of alcohol consumption variables, spiritual health, quality of life, and general health. Odds ratios (ORs) with a 95% confidence interval (CI) were calculated as well. Results: The causes of onset of alcohol consumption were curiosity (41.40%), social class and imitation of others (17.40%), and life problems (15.30%). Further, the causes of continued alcohol consumption were attributed to the interest in taste and smelling (23.30%), emotional problems (20%), as well as loneliness feeling and life problems (12.60%). The mean of general health scores in the case and control groups were 29.8± 5 and 29.3± 4, respectively (P=0.296). The mean of the quality of life in the case group and control group were 32.13± 7 and 32.11± 5, respectively (P=0.98). The differences in the scores of spiritual health in two groups were not statistically significant (P=0.96). Conclusion: An attempt should be made to improve the strategies to satisfy the emotional sense and health recreations of society.","PeriodicalId":73448,"journal":{"name":"International journal of epidemiologic research","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-02-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"45050872","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Maria Cecília de Souza Anacleto, Jessica Souza Lopes da Silva, Millena Venâncio Gonçalves, Mateus da Silva Matias Antunes, Diêgo Correia de Andrade
{"title":"Factors Associated with Mortality from Renal Failure in Brazil: A Descriptive Epidemiological Study","authors":"Maria Cecília de Souza Anacleto, Jessica Souza Lopes da Silva, Millena Venâncio Gonçalves, Mateus da Silva Matias Antunes, Diêgo Correia de Andrade","doi":"10.34172/ijer.2022.08","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.34172/ijer.2022.08","url":null,"abstract":"Background and aims: The incidence of renal failure (RF) is growing in Brazil, resulting in increased public spending and negatively affecting the public health, which can lead to patient death. Identifying factors associated with mortality from this condition can help to characterize susceptible populations; therefore, institutional and governmental measures can be adopted for prevention and treatment. Materials and Methods: Descriptive epidemiological study using secondary data from Brazilian database (DATASUS). Deaths from RF between 2009 and 2019 and characteristics such as color/race, gender, education, region, and age group of the individuals were analyzed. Results: Since 2016, there has been a reduction of approximately 2% per year in the RF case fatality rate. North, Northeast, and Southeast regions had the highest case fatality rate, 13.6%, 13.17%, and 12.84%, respectively, which may be associated with high prevalence of chronic-degenerative diseases. The elderly had the highest case fatality rates, ranging from 9.67% in individuals aged 50-59 years to 27.52% in the elderly over 80 years. Children under 1 year of age had a high case fatality rate of 15.03%. Moreover, the case fatality rate for individuals with education levels above 12 years of schooling was 0.50%, while the case fatality rate for individuals with 1 to 3 years of schooling was 3.52%, which is seven times higher. Case fatality rates of indigenous populations in the South and Southeast regions were 12.0% and 16.5%, approximately 20% higher than other populations. Conclusion: The presence of chronic-degenerative diseases, age above 50 and below 1 (elderly and preterm newborns), low level of education and being indigenous are factors associated with mortality from RF in Brazil.","PeriodicalId":73448,"journal":{"name":"International journal of epidemiologic research","volume":"1 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-02-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"41781908","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
N. Shigaeff, Marcus Vinicius Mariano de Souza, A. C. Campos
{"title":"Spatial and Epidemiological Analyses of COVID-19 in the Older Population of the Brazilian Amazon Region During 2020","authors":"N. Shigaeff, Marcus Vinicius Mariano de Souza, A. C. Campos","doi":"10.34172/ijer.2022.06","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.34172/ijer.2022.06","url":null,"abstract":"Background and aims: In December 2019, the disease associated with SARS-CoV-2 was identified as the new coronavirus (COVID-19). The older population is regarded as the greatest risk group. The objective of the present study was to investigate the epidemiological aspects of COVID-19 during 2020 in the older adults in the Brazilians Amazon region. Methods: The present study is a longitudinal study based on a national database from the Website of the State Department of Health of Para from January to December 2020. Medical, socio-demographic, and geographical data were analyzed to assess the epidemiological data to verify whether there was an association between these variables using logistic regression. Results: Official data published until December 31 indicated 293802 confirmed cases and 7199 deaths from COVID-19 in the state of Para, as well as a 12.5% rate of fatality. Para has demonstrated a linear curve in relation to the number of deaths since August. More cases of COVID-19 were found among the older people, men, and people who declared themselves brown, and a greater chance of death was observed among indigenous and yellow people. Conclusion: Brazil is among the five countries with the highest number of infected cases and deaths resulting from COVID19, possibly due to poor planning concerning social isolation and the lack of public health policies and guidance by government leaders, especially in this specific context.","PeriodicalId":73448,"journal":{"name":"International journal of epidemiologic research","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-02-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"47920771","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
G. Derashri, Shubhangi Nayak, A. Asati, N. Marathe, Tulsiram Jadhav
{"title":"Assessment of Pattern of Drug-resistant TB and Associated Factors in Rewa, Madhya Pradesh, India","authors":"G. Derashri, Shubhangi Nayak, A. Asati, N. Marathe, Tulsiram Jadhav","doi":"10.34172/ijer.2022.07","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.34172/ijer.2022.07","url":null,"abstract":"Background and aims: The emergence and spread of drug-resistant strains of Mycobacterium tuberculosis are greatly complicating tuberculosis (TB) control efforts in many countries. In India, in 2018, out of 2.4 million notified cases of TB, there were an estimated 66359 and 3,882 laboratory-confirmed cases of multi-drug resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) and extensively drug-resistant TB (XDR-TB) respectively. The main objective of this study was to assess pattern of drug-resistant tuberculosis (DR-TB) and factors associated with it in Rewa district of Madhya Pradesh, India. Methods: This descriptive-analytical cross-sectional study was carried out at a tertiary care center in Rewa district from March 1, 2019, to February 29, 2020 (12 months). Taking the census method into account, all of 186 DR-TB cases registered at District Tuberculosis Centre (DTC), Rewa district, with the age of 18 years and above were included in the study. All the patients were interviewed thoroughly using a pre-tested, pre-validated, and reliable pro forma which included information regarding socio-demographic profile and history of TB. For statistical analysis, chi-square test (with/without Yate’s correction) was applied and a P value less than 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: In the present study, 71.6% and 28.4% of the cases were reported to be male and female, respectively. Additionally, 78.4% of the study subjects belonged to the age group of less than 45 years. Besides, rifampicin-resistant TB (RR-TB) was found to be the most prevalent type (56.4%), followed by isoniazid-resistant TB (HR-TB) (13.4%), and mixed pattern (12.4%) of DR-TB. Conclusion: DR-TB was more commonly observed in males of the economically productive age group (45 years and below), which can affect the social and economic development of individual, society, and nation.","PeriodicalId":73448,"journal":{"name":"International journal of epidemiologic research","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-02-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"41828808","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Samaneh Torkian, A. Ahmadi, V. Khosravi, N. Khanjani, Z. Jaafari, M. Morowatisharifabad, Neda Malek Mohammadi
{"title":"Development and Psychometric Assessment of a Scale for Measuring Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice About COVID-19","authors":"Samaneh Torkian, A. Ahmadi, V. Khosravi, N. Khanjani, Z. Jaafari, M. Morowatisharifabad, Neda Malek Mohammadi","doi":"10.34172/ijer.2022.03","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.34172/ijer.2022.03","url":null,"abstract":"Background and aims: Knowledge, attitude, and practice (KAP) toward coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) are important factors for adherence to protection strategies. The aim of this study was to construct and validate a questionnaire about the KAP of Iranians regarding COVID-19. Methods: Initially, a questionnaire about the KAP with regard to COVID-19 was constructed in this cross-sectional study. The initial questionnaire was prepared based on a review of the extensive research literature and global and national guidelines. This researcher-made questionnaire was developed using the COVID-19-KAP questionnaire, which was originally used in China in 2020, and the influenza epidemic KAP Questionnaire (2015), the MERS KAP Questionnaire (2015), the H1N1 flu KAP questionnaire (2017), and the WHO KAP questionnaire about COVID-19. The applied questionnaire consists of three parts including knowledge- (n=26), attitude- (n=8), and practice-related (n=11) questions, respectively. Then, the face, content, and construct validity and the reliability of the questionnaire was determined, and analyzes were performed using SPSS v. 26 and AMOS v. 24 software. Results: In the face validity stage, 2 questions with an impact score of less than 1.5 were excluded from the questionnaire. In the content validity check, all questions had a content validity index (I-CVI) of more than 0.7. However, the content validity ratio (CVR) for 6 questions was less than 0.51, and these questions were removed accordingly. The compliance of the CVI with the chance agreement was close to one for all questions, indicating the lack of a chance agreement. In the exploratory factor analysis stage, the Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin (KMO) value of 0.90 was obtained, implying the adequacy of the sample size for factor analysis. The significance of the Bartlett test (chi-square: 5820.06, df: 630, P<0.001) indicated a strong correlation between the questions and the appropriateness of factor analysis. Finally, 34 items in 4 domains remained in the questionnaire. Conclusion: The validity and reliability of this questionnaire were confirmed based on the findings. This Farsi KAP questionnaire can be used to assess the level of knowledge, attitude, and practice of people about COVID-19.","PeriodicalId":73448,"journal":{"name":"International journal of epidemiologic research","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-02-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"49149540","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Razieh Rayanpour, Majid Movahed Majd, M. Iman, Darius Zifonun
{"title":"Exploring the Iranian Female Sandwich Generation’s Experiences of Multigenerational Caregiving Under the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Qualitative Study Using Situational Analysis","authors":"Razieh Rayanpour, Majid Movahed Majd, M. Iman, Darius Zifonun","doi":"10.34172/ijer.2022.04","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.34172/ijer.2022.04","url":null,"abstract":"Background and aims: Although female family caregivers, especially those who belong to the sandwich generation, are at the forefront of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) battle, little is known about their experiences. The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore the female sandwich generation’s experiences of multigenerational caregiving under the COVID-19 pandemic in Shiraz located in the southwest of Iran. Methods: Situational analysis (SA) was used as a methodological approach. It is a constructivist grounded theory (GT) developed by Adele Clark as one of the innovative extensions of the GT. In the current study, the multigenerational caregiving by the female sandwich generation under the COVID-19 pandemic is identified as \"the situation\" which is the key unit of analysis and the salient and diverse elements of this situation (e.g., the major human, non-human, discursive, cultural, political, and other elements) were laid out by the messy and ordered maps. In addition, each element on the messy map was analyzed in relation to all other elements, and the nature of the relations among them was examined by the relational map. These maps are derived from qualitative data including the ethnographic observations, discourse materials, and in-depth semi-structured interviews with 10 middle-aged female double caregivers of both dependent children and the elderly above 70 years old within the family. Three sampling methods were used across the full trajectory of the research, including purposeful, snowball, and theoretical sampling. Results: The analysis of the multigenerational caregiving situation showed that this situation consists of 95 elements classified under 15 categories and 2 situational maps, along with 2 relational maps that have been drawn from the qualitative data analysis. Based on the organized situational map, this situation occurred as a result of the power of the main discourses, as well as the existing cultural, traditional, and religious elements, and continues after interconnecting to the global COVID-19 pandemic. The first relational map displayed caregivers’ adopted information and communications technology (ICT) tool-based strategies such as remote caregiving, telehealth, online visiting, and online shopping, along with the voluntarily double quarantine in order to protect the elderly from COVID-19 infection. Finally, the second relational map depicted that emotional exhaustion is rampant among the caregivers influenced by the experiences that are related to the ICT tools and the voluntarily double quarantine. Conclusion: Overall, some strategies are suggested concerning the necessity of maintaining the mental and physical health of double caregivers and reduction of the negative consequences of the pandemic in them. They include accessibility of ICT tool-based strategies to all, the alternative approaches to severe social isolation, creation of a balance between work-home life and the care demands of two generations, ","PeriodicalId":73448,"journal":{"name":"International journal of epidemiologic research","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-02-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"43007235","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Modeling the Dynamics and Forecasting the fourth Peak of COVID-19 in Iran Using PSO Algorithm","authors":"Ebrahim Sahafizadeh, M. Khajeian","doi":"10.34172/ijer.2021.26","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.34172/ijer.2021.26","url":null,"abstract":"Background and aims: Iran had passed the third peak of COVID-19 pandemic, and was probably witnessing the fourth peak at the time of this study. This study aimed to model the spread of COVID-19 in Iran in order to predict the short-term future trend of COVID-19 from April 23, 2021 to May 7, 2021. Methods: In this study, a modified SEIR epidemic spread model was proposed and the data on the number of cases reported by Iranian government from February 20, 2020 to April 23, 2021 were used to fit the proposed model to the reported data using particle swarm optimization (PSO) algorithm. Then the short-term future trend of COVID-19 cases were predicted by using the estimated parameters. Results: The results indicated that the effective reproduction number increased in Nowruz (i.e., Persian New Year, 1400) and it was estimated to be 1.28 in the given period. According to the results from the short-term prediction of COVID-19 cases, the number of active confirmed cases in the fourth peak was estimated to be 516411 cases on May 2, 2021. Conclusion: Following the results from our short-term prediction, implementing strict social distancing policies was found absolutely necessary for relieving the Iran’s health care system of the tremendous burden of COVID-19.","PeriodicalId":73448,"journal":{"name":"International journal of epidemiologic research","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-11-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"45921664","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Epidemiology of Mental Disorder Symptoms in Students of University of Bojnord: The Role of Demographic Characteristics and Cognitive Emotion Regulation Strategies","authors":"K. Alavi","doi":"10.34172/ijer.2021.30","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.34172/ijer.2021.30","url":null,"abstract":"Background and aims: Mental health problems are considered as important public health issues. This study aimed, firstly, to investigate the epidemiology of mental disorders’ symptoms among the students of Bojnord University and examine the role of demographic characteristics in the prevalence of the given symptoms; and, secondly, to explore and compare the predictive role of adaptive and maladaptive emotion regulation strategies in identifying symptoms of different mental disorders. Methods: A total of 351 students from Bojnord University completing their 2018-2019 academic year were recruited using cluster sampling method and responded to Symptom Checklist-SCL90 and Cognitive Emotion Regulation Questionnaire. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics including mean, standard deviation, frequency and percentage, as well as multiple regression analysis. Results: According to the findings from this epidemiological study, 33% of the students suffered from moderate symptoms of mental disorders, while 14% of them suffered from severe symptoms. Demographic characteristics of gender, marital status, and place of origin (i.e., being indigenous/non-indigenous) were not found to exert a significant effect on the prevalence of symptoms of mental disorders. The results of multiple regression analysis also indicated that cognitive emotion regulation strategies were capable of predicting all nine dimensions of mental disorder symptoms. In this regard, the maladaptive strategies were discovered to play a stronger role in predicting mental disorders compared to adaptive strategies. Conclusions: Mental disorders were very common among university students. No significant relationship was detected between the prevalence of mental disorders’ symptoms and gender, marital status, and place of origin. The study findings were also found to support the trans-diagnostic role of the emotion regulation in mental disorders.","PeriodicalId":73448,"journal":{"name":"International journal of epidemiologic research","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-11-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"49389232","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}