INTRODUCTION The present study aimed to determine factors associated with hookah smoking among women on a global scale based on a systematic review of related literature. Intervention Mapping was the guiding framework for this review. METHODS Searches were performed in Web of Science, PubMed, Iranian databases, Elsevier, Embase, Scopus, Medline, Google Scholar, and the World Health Organization (WHO) website, using keywords related to hookah and associated terms. Studies in English or Persian, published between 1990 and 2018, were included in this review if they were available in full text and had a target population of women. Determinants of hookah smoking at the intrapersonal, interpersonal, institutional/organizational, community, and political levels, were extracted. RESULTS Positive attitude, social-psychological needs, low perceived risk, socialcultural acceptance of hookah, easy access and lack of laws were among the reasons given for consuming hookah. Because hookah smoking is a multifactorial issue, the qualitative method alone was not sufficient to identify the determinants of hookah smoking among women. The opinions of experts in the field of smoking control had been largely neglected in the obtained studies, and most quantitative studies lacked a theoretical framework. CONCLUSIONS To reduce the rate of hookah consumption, actions to be taken include changing women's positive attitude toward hookah, learning to resist friends' pressure to smoke, highlighting the unpleasantness of hookah smoking by segregating places with transparent walls within public places, showing in the virtual world that hookah smoking is socially unacceptable, limiting access to hookah tobacco products, and effectively implementing rules that restrict hookah smoking in public places.

Abstract:The aim of this study was to recognize factors associated with cancer of oral cavity considering socio-demographic characteristics. The cases were 350 with squamous-cell carcinoma of oral cavity diagnosed between 2005 and 2006 in Morbai, Narandia, Budharani Cancer Institute, Pune, India. Similar number of controls match for age and sex selected from the background population. Cases and controls were interviewed for tobacco related habits and general characteristics; age, gender, education and possible socio-demographic factors. Chi-square test in uni-variate analysis and estimate for risk showed that education, occupation and monthly household income were significantly different between cases and controls (P , 0.001). Irrespective to gender, relative risk, here odds ratio, (OR) of low level of education (OR = 5.3, CI 3.7-7.6), working in field as a farmer (OR = 2.5, CI 1.7-3.7), and monthly household income less than 5000 Indian Rupees currency (OR = 1.7, CI 1.2-2.3) were significant risk factors for oral cancer. While, there was no significant relationship between religious and or marital status either in males or females.

IntroductionTraffic injuries are among the leading causes of death and disability in many countries. The knowledge, attitudes, and practice of drivers towards traffic regulations are key factors in decreasing traffic injuries and deaths. The objectives of this research were to study the knowledge, attitudes, and practice of taxi drivers towards traffic regulations in Bandar-Abbas, Iran, and to determine the relationships between demographic features and knowledge, attitudes, and practice of taxi drivers towards traffic regulations.MethodsThis cross-sectional study was done in 2014 in Bandar-Abbas, Iran (Hormozgan Province). To study the knowledge, attitudes, and practice of 241 intra-city taxi drivers towards traffic regulations, researchers developed questionnaires and a checklist. The chi-squared test was performed to determine the relationships between knowledge, attitude, and practice of drivers towards traffic regulations and demographic features.ResultsAmong the 241 drivers, 50 of them (20.7%) thought that the seat belt could cause discomfort while driving, and 107 (44.4%) did not wear a seat belt while driving. The study determined that there was a significant difference between the knowledge and work experience of the drivers (p = 0.014). The 94 drivers (43.5%) in the 31–40 year age group had positive attitudes towards traffic regulations (among 216 drivers expressed positive attitudes) and 92 (44.4%) of the drivers in this age group had safe practices towards traffic regulations (among 207 drivers with safe practice).ConclusionMany of the taxi drivers in Bandar-Abbas had inadequate knowledge, less positive attitudes, and risky practices towards traffic regulations. Implementation of effective intervention programs may increase the taxi drivers’ knowledge, attitudes, and practices towards traffic regulations.

Objective: This systematic review and meta-analysis was conducted to assess the level of health literacy (HL) in the Iranian population. Data Sources: Persian and English-language articles were identified through Embase, MEDLINE, CINAHL, PsycINFO, SID, Web of Science, and hand-searching (search dates for articles on health literacy, 1990 to February 2016). Study Selection: Two reviewers independently selected studies that directly measured health literacy levels. Data Extraction: Abstracted article information were categorized into evidence tables by one reviewer; information accuracy was checked by a second reviewer. Two reviewers independently evaluated the study quality by using predefined inclusion criteria, and jointly the overall strength of evidence evaluated by the research team. Results: Twenty-eight relevant good-or fair-quality studies amongst 102 articles were identified, and 44 publications were assessed in full text. The researchers excluded 16 studies: Nine were reports with inadequate results and seven had low quality. Results of meta-analysis showed that better level of HL existed among 66 adults (62.47 to 69.53), 61.62 patients (53.40 to 69.84), 58.88 female (51.68 to 66.07), and 40.98 elderly (17.71 to 64.26). Conclusions: Health Literacy of the Iranian population was inadequate and borderline. Therefore, the need to increase awareness and intervention to reduce poor HL in the Iranian population is crucial.

Context:The importance of research is revealed by the fact that the top seven science producing countries in the world are the same seven countries worldwide in terms of the research facilities.Aim:To explore the barriers to research activities among the students of the Hormozgan Medical University.Settings and Design:A total of 400 students affiliated with the Hormozgan University of Medical Sciences participated in this cross-sectional study.Methods:The sampling method was proportional stratified, and the data collection instrument was a tripartite questionnaire that comprised demographic information, personal barriers, and organizational barriers.Statistical analysis:The data were statistically analyzed by the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) software (V.16.0, SPSS Inc., Chicago, IL, USA) using descriptive statistics as well as the independent sample t-test, one-way analysis of variance, and Pearson’s correlation coefficient. The level of significance was set at P < 0.05.Results:The most prevalent personal barriers were inadequate knowledge of research methodology (2.91±1.24) and inadequate skill in research conduction (2.89±1.36). In the realm of organizational barriers, limited access to information sources was the most prevalent barrier (2.75±2.27). The results showed that researcher students encounter more of the organizational barriers (56.13±13.90), whereas non-researcher students faced more of the personal barriers (53.80±10.95).Conclusion:Establishing access to high-speed Internet system, raising students’ awareness of research methodology through workshops, encouraging and motivating students for research work, and using online sources can help in removing the barriers to research activities.