Background: Crosswise, as an indirect questioning method, is not applied to the general population. The current study aimed at assessing the feasibility of crosswise among Iranian general population to estimate the frequency of sexually transmitted infection (STI) symptoms. Methods: To estimate the frequency of STI-associated symptoms among the general population of Kerman, Iran, in 2014, participants were inquired to specify whether their "yes or no" answers to a set of paired questions (sensitive/non-sensitive) were the same (concordance) or different (discordance). Based on the frequency of concordance response and known prevalence of positive response to non-sensitive questions, the frequency of positive responses to the sensitive questions was estimated. The estimations were compared with the results of a population-based survey, conducted at the same time and setting, in which participants directly responded to the sensitive questions. Results: The current study recruited 128 people aged 18 -60 years (50% male). The estimated frequency for genital ulcer in crosswise method was 53.1% and 34.9% in males and females, respectively. The estimated frequency of urethral discharge in crosswise method was 72.3%. The crosswise method outcomes were significantly different from those of the survey (P > 0.05). Conclusions:The estimated frequency of STI-associated symptoms in crosswise was unexpectedly higher than that of obtained by the population-based survey. Hence, experts in the field of STIs did not accept the crosswise estimations. This overestimation could be a result of differences in the ability of people, with various socioeconomic levels, to understand conceptually how to answer the questions along with the influence of study setting and administration method of questionnaires on the participants self-reports.
Background: Increasing the level of physical activity (PA) is an important strategy for reducing the burden of non-communicable diseases. Objectives: This study aimed at addressing the level and related factors of PA among adults in Kerman. Methods: This cross-sectional study was performed among 1000 adults, using a multistage sampling method. The short form of the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ) was used. Chi-square, one-way ANOVA, and ordinal regression tests were used to assess the correlation between independent variables (age, gender, level of education, income, employment, marital status, and living in deprived areas) and level of PA. Results: The median of PA was 1584 MET-minutes/week. The level of PA was low in 25.6%, moderate in 44.4%, and vigorous in 30% of participants. Participants with higher ages (OR = 0.98; P = 0.008), those with pre-college education (OR = 0.63; P = 0.027), and students (OR = 0.50; P = 0.019) had a lower probability to be in a high level of PA. Men (OR = 2.17; P < 0.001) and those with an average income (OR = 1.53; P = 0.027) had a higher probability to be in a high level of PA. Conclusions: The level of PA is relatively low in Kerman. It seems that increasing awareness of the benefits of PA, creating a positive attitude towards PA, providing healthy transportation options, increasing PA facilities including sports spaces and enhancing social support are the most important strategies for increasing the level of PA in the Iranian society.
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