Cancer health literacy, which is the ability to search, understand, and use health information to make appropriate health decisions, plays an important role in the use of preventative and screening information. The present study aims to evaluate cervical cancer health literacy in women of reproductive age and its related factors. In this cross-sectional study, 231 women of reproductive age who referred to health centers of Khuzestan Province, Iran, were selected via convenience sampling. A valid and reliable measure was employed to collect information about various dimensions of cervical cancer health literacy, including having access to, reading, understanding, appraising, using, and communicating it. The data collected were analyzed using SPSS 16. Data analysis was conducted by independent sample t test, one-way ANOVA, Spearman's correlation, chi-square, and linear regression. The participants' average health literacy score was 97.88 ± 12.7 (from 135 points), and 47.2% of the participants had limited health literacy. Health literacy was associated with education, employment, income, searching, mothers' and young friends' counseling, and duration of the study time (p < 0.05). In linear regression model, there was a significant association between income (p = 0.011), searching (p = 0.01), study time (p = 0.009), and young friends' counseling (p = 0.002) and cervical cancer literacy scores. In this study, no significant association was observed between age and health literacy. This study indicated that the cervical cancer literacy in women of reproductive age was not at good levels. Health workers should pay more attention to groups who are at greater risk of having low health literacy. Moreover, targeting and tailoring educational interventions with respect to different levels of cervical cancer literacy might increase cervical cancer screening.

BackgroundSocial support is emotional and instrumental assistance from family, friends or neighbors, and has an important but different impact on individuals, mainly depending on contextual factors.ObjectiveTo determine the status of perceived social support and related personal and family characteristics of medical sciences students in Ahvaz, Iran.MethodsIn this cross-sectional study, the target population included the students of Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences in the second semester of 2013–2014, of whom 763 were selected by cluster random sampling method. The study tool was a two-part questionnaire containing 48 self-administered questions including 25 questions of measurements of personal and family characteristics and a Persian modified version of Vaux’s social support scale (Cronbach’s α=0.745). Data were analyzed with T test, ANOVA and chi-square and using SPSS version 16 and 0.05 was considered as the level of significance.ResultsThe mean score of the perceived social support was 17.06±3.6 and 60.3% of them reported low social support. There was a significant relationship among the perceived social support and sex (p=0.02), faculty (p<0.0001), ethnicity (p=0.034) and the duration of weekly residence in dormitory (p=0.031). But no significant relationship was found between this variable and other individual and familial characteristics.ConclusionBased on students’ low social support and importance of social support in reducing stress and academic failure, the planners need to provide efficient supportive interventions for students.

Extended Abstract 1. Objectives ging causes different physical and mental health problems and diseases in the elderly [1]. One of these problems is sleep disorder [2] such that about 50%

Nutrition is one of the essential determinants of health in the elderly so that in older age, malnutrition and chronic diseases become prevalent, and one leads to another and vice versa.Objective: This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of malnutrition and its association with general health and multimorbidity among older people living in nursing homes in Ahvaz City in 2016. Materials and Methods:This analytical cross-sectional study was conducted on 184 older people living in nursing homes located in Ahvaz. The participants were assessed using a demographic form, mini nutritional assessment tool, and the 12-item general health questionnaire. The collected data were analyzed in SPSS V. 18 using descriptive statistics as well as the Spearman correlation coefficient, independent t-test, and one way ANOVA.Results: Of 184 participants, (66.2%) were female and (33.8%) male with a Mean±SD age of 68.9±7.8 year. Also, (19.2%) had malnutrition, (52.17%) risks of developing malnutrition, (28.8%) normal nutritional state, and (99.26%) undesirable general health status. There was no statistically significant relationship between their general health and nutritional status. About (35%) of the elderly had 3 or more diseases, where their most common disease was depression. Based on the results, their nutritional state had a significant correlation with multimorbidity (r=0.92, P=0.02) and between high-protein food intake and skin problems (r=0.71, P<0.001). Conclusion:Regarding the undesirable nutritional status and the low level of general health in the elderly, nutritional, and psychological interventions for this group seems necessary.

Introduction:The rate of caesarean delivery is increasing worldwide. Maternal beliefs may be influential on the mode of delivery. This study aimed to validate pregnant women's preferences for mode of delivery questionnaire among pregnant women.Materials and Methods:This was a cross-sectional study which was done in Ahvaz Public and Private Health Care Centers. A total of 342 low-risk pregnant women were included in a study conducted in spring 2011 in Ahvaz, Iran. After careful consideration and performing content and face validity, a 62-item measure was developed and subjects completed the questionnaire. Reliability was estimated using internal consistency and validity was assessed by performing face, content and structure and discriminate validity. Data were analyzed using explanatory factor analysis, t-test, and correlations in SPSS 16.Results:The findings of content and face validity showed almost perfect results for both content validity ratio = 1 and content validity index = 1. The explanatory factor analysis indicated a 7-subscale measure (Eigenvalue >1, factor loading >0.4), and discriminate validity revealed satisfying results P < 0.05 for 6 out of 7 subscales. Internal consistency as measured by the Cronbach's alpha coefficient was acceptable for subscales.Conclusions:In general, the findings suggest that this newly generated scale is a reliable and valid specific questionnaire for assessing pregnant women's preferences for mode of delivery. However, further studies are needed to establish stronger psychometric properties for the questionnaire.