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Spatio-temporal analysisTuberculosis is a major public health problem in the world. The aim of the present study was to determine the incidence rate of tuberculosis through modeling and predict the disease incidence rate using spatio-temporal Kriging method in three endemic regions (Kashmar, Khalilabad and Bardeskan) in the northeast of Iran.This cross-sectional study was conducted during 2007-2012. The diagnosis of tuberculosis in patients who had signs and symptoms of infection was confirmed using sputum smear test. According to fitted variogram function and Kriging method, we predicted tuberculosis incidence for all spatial and temporal points of regions in the study area.Between 2007 and 2012, 155 cases of tuberculosis were observed. Among all patients, 70 (45.0%) were men and 94.0% were rural residents. Mean age of patients with tuberculosis was 64 years and 151 (97.5%) of patients were 55 years old and above. Based on the geographical coordinates, we identified the place of residence for each patient.Our study showed that the downward trend of the incidence rate of tuberculosis indicates good but inadequate progress with tuberculosis control. The findings of this study can be used for planning and evaluating interventions by considering the risk factors of tuberculosis infection in the northeast of Iran.Citation: Abbasi-Ghahramanloo A, Safiri S, Gholami A, Yousefpoor Y, Babazadeh S, TorkamannejadSabzevari J. Spatio-temporal epidemiologic mapping, modeling and prediction of tuberculosis incidence rate in northeast of Iran.

In Iran the prevalence of traffic injuries and death from vehicle collisions are high. Driver engagement in non-driving-related tasks has been previously identified as an important contributing factor to crashes. Therefore, the objective of the present study was to investigate the prevalence of drivers' engagement in potentially distracting activities in Kashmar, Khalilabad and Bardaskan, which are three Iranian International Safe Communities. Observations took place at 12 randomly selected roadside locations in each city, which were comprised of six main streets and six side streets. In total 7979 drivers were observed. The prevalence rates of potentially distracting activities in Kashmar, Khalilabad and Bardaskan were 24.3%, 26% and 24.9%, respectively. In both Kashmar and Khalilabad the most frequently observed secondary tasks were drivers talking to passengers (10.6% and 11.5%, respectively) followed by mobile phone use (3.4% and 4.0%, respectively). Although in Bardaskan the most commonly observed secondary task was also talking to passengers (12.7%), the second most common was reaching for an object (3.2%). In all three cities younger drivers were significantly more likely to be observed engaged in a secondary task while driving. Furthermore, involvement in secondary tasks while driving was significantly higher amongst females and those driving on a working day. The percentage of drivers identified as potentially distracted in these three Safe Communities was worryingly high. Thus, interventions should be integrated into the WHO Safe Community network in these cities, including: education regarding the risks associated with engaging in secondary activities while driving, law enforcement, tougher legislation, periodic assessment, raising public awareness, as well as attracting political and social support.

The rate of seat belt use in these 3 cities was found to be low, despite these cities being designated as International Safe Communities. Therefore, seat belt promotion programs, tougher regulations, stronger enforcement, public awareness campaigns, and more research are needed to promote seat belt use in these Iranian cities.

Background and aims: One of the most important problems of public health is illicit drug use. The aim of this study was to assess the status of illicit drug use and associated factors among hookah smokers in Khalil Abad city in 2015. Methods: The cross-sectional study was conducted in Khalil Abad city (northeast of Iran) in 2015. A sample of 161 hookah users was selected using 2-stage sampling. Structured questionnaires were distributed among the subjects and participants were included in the study after completing informed consent form. To analyze the data, we used chi-square, t test and logistic regression model. Results:The prevalence of illicit drug use was 36%. The result of final logistic regression model, with inclusion of confounders, showed that job status (odds ratio [OR] = 4.13), smoking in the last year (OR = 3.84) and prescription opioid drug use (OR = 3.77), were associated with illicit drug use. Conclusion: Our results showed high prevalence of illicit drug use, which was strongly associated with unemployment and other substances use. The results of this study can be used for planning for epidemiological studies in national scale in order to implement and evaluating interventions by considering the risk factors of hookah smoking in this type of individuals.