BackgroundAmong the main elements of food security, in terms of food usage, are knowledge and attitude. These are particularly important during the initial two years of a child’s life. The present study was conducted in 2016 and aimed to assess the knowledge and attitude of infants’ mothers from Bushehr (Iran) towards food security using anthropometric indicators.MethodsThe present cross-sectional, descriptive-analytical study was performed on 400 mothers of children aged 1-2 years in Bushehr, Iran. Data were collected using a 20-item knowledge questionnaire (CVR = 0.95, CVI = 0.95, and reliability 0.7), a 26-item attitude questionnaire (CVI = 0.94, CVR = 0.91, and reliability 0.76), and a 16-item Radimer/Cornell questionnaire, which were completed by all mothers. Anthropometric indicators of children, including height-for-age, weight-for-age, and weight-for-height were also measured in accordance with the z-score benchmark of the World Health Organization.ResultsA positive and significant relationship was found between knowledge and attitude (r = 0.26, P = 0.0001) as well as between knowledge and household food security (r = 0.11, P = 0.02) in complementary feeding. Approximately 26% of the studied children fell under the risk category of overweight to obese. A significant relationship was found between inadequate knowledge of the mothers and height-for-age (OR = 4.87, P = 0.001) and weight-for-height (OR = 2.33, P = 0.04) indices, as well as between the negative attitude of the mothers and weight-for-height index (OR = 2.91, P = 0.03).ConclusionsThe knowledge of food security purely relates to the dimension of the household food security of a family and not to the individual/child level of food security. It seems that the knowledge of a mother, as a positive factor, does not support child’s food security when the severity of household insecurity triggers the child’s hunger and food inaccessibility. Also, inappropriate knowledge and negative attitude towards food security were associated with an increased risk of obesity. Increased weight, in addition to being affected by the knowledge and attitude of the mothers, is probably also influenced by the incorrect conduct of the mothers. Further investigation on this topic is recommended.

Purpose Professional communication and professional values are two basic concepts in operating rooms and should be studied more closely in view of the nature of work and the high circulation of patients in operating rooms. Methods The present work is a descriptive-analytic study with a cross-sectional design. The sample was 603 operating room physicians and personnel selected from the public hospitals of Shiraz. The data collection instruments were the 41-item professional communication questionnaire and the 26-item professional values scale. Results The results showed that the operating room nurses and physicians perceived the status of professional communication and professional values to be satisfactory. As for professional communication, the participants’ perception of the domains of mutual respect and trust (p ≤ 0.001), teamwork (p ≤ 0.001), ethical competence (p ≤ 0.017), and workplace conflicts (p ≤ 0.001) was significant. As for professional values, only the dimension of care (p ≤ 0.016) was perceived to be significant. Moreover, a significant positive relationship was found to exist between professional communication and professional values (p ≤ 0.001). Conclusion Considering the significance of the concept of professional communication and its connection with professional values, it is recommended that operating room personnel and physicians receive systematic education about professional communication and the harms of destructive attitudes as part of their academic education and afterwards.

bjective: Social distancing remains an effective solution to prevent Covid-19 and its new strains as approved by WHO and CDC. This study aims to develop and evaluate an attitude and practice questionnaire on the role of social distancing in the prevention of Covid-19. Methods: Based on a mixed-method exploratory approach, the study was conducted to develop a social distancing questionnaire using Waltz method in 4 steps. The preliminary items were developed based on semi-structured interviews with the target group and social distancing guidelines. After the face and content validity of the questionnaire was confirmed, the questionnaire was distributed among the target population via mobile-based social networks. Next, the reliability of the questionnaire was assessed by Cronbach's alpha. In the next step, EFA and CFA were carried out in SPSS-16 and IBM SPSS AMOS -24 software programs. Finally, the reliability was evaluated using the test-retest method. Results: The 33 preliminary items (15 attitude and 18 practice items) of the questionnaire were answered by 623 participants. The resulting attitude questionnaire after CFA consisted of 7 items and three factors with CVR = 0.77, CVI = 0.92 and Cronbach's alpha =0.73; the 8-item practice questionnaire had three factors and CVR=1, CVI=0.98 and Cronbach's alpha=0. 76. Conclusion: The 7-item social distancing attitude questionnaire with three factors and the 8-item social distancing practice questionnaire with three factors are valid and reliable tools to evaluate the status of social distance in Iranian societies during Covid-19.

Background: People's attitude and performance regarding social distancing during the COVID-19 pandemic plays a crucial role in determining the society's readiness to adopt new hygiene practices. Objectives: This study aims to evaluate the attitude and performance of the adult population regarding social distancing during the COVID-19 pandemic in the city of Gerash, Iran. Methods: This cross-sectional study 623 adults in Gerash who were recruited through convenience sampling. The data collection instrument was a self-designed social distancing attitude and performance questionnaire. The data were analyzed using SPSS v. 16. Results:The results showed that 66% of the participants were female, and 51% were aged between 18 and 29 years. The participants' mean (SD) scores for attitude and performance were 19.41 (2.36) and 14.76 (1.75), respectively. Approximately 16% of the participants had a negative attitude and 15% had poor performance with regard to social distancing. The mean (SD) score of attitude and performance was significantly higher in females, married and older participants (p<0.05). In addition, logistic regression showed that the performance of the subjects with a negative attitude was 0.26 times that the performance with a positive attitude (P= 0.001, OR= 0.265). Conclusion:According to the study findings, it is recommended that the healthcare authorities in the city of Gerash take effective measures to educate the age group under 30 years, the male population, and single individuals to change their attitude and improve their performance to better control the spread of COVID-19.