High-Risk Behaviors and Associated Factors among Iranian Adult Population: A National Survey

Abstract

Background: There is no official and representative information on certain health-risk behaviors in Iran. This national survey was performed to determine the prevalence of five high-risk behaviors among the adult population and underlying factors.
 Methods: This cross-sectional study was performed in 23 provinces of Iran in 2019 involving 10,957 participants. The following five risky behaviors were evaluated: (a) using illicit drugs in the past month, (b) drinking alcohol in the past month, (c) having extramarital sex in the past year, (d) having suicidal thoughts in the past month, (e) and attempting suicide in the past year. The logistic regression model was used for analyses and associations were reported using odds ratio (OR) with its 95% confidence interval (CI).
 Results: The prevalence of health-risk behaviors was as follows: illicit drug use 10.4%, drinking alcohol 16.8%, extramarital sex 9.9%, suicidal thoughts 8.8%, and suicide attempt 5.4%. Almost 27.6% of the participants were involved in at least one risky behavior. There was a strong association between illicit drugs use and male gender 2.51 (2.11-2.98) and using psychiatric medications 2.96 (2.46-3.55); between drinking alcohol and male gender 2.23 (1.93-2.58); between extramarital sex and divorced/widowed status 2.43 (1.72-3.44) and having an intimate friend of the opposite sex 3.75 (3.13-4.51); between suicidal thoughts and using psychiatric medications 2.23 (1.83-2.72); between suicide attempt and a history of running away from home 2.10 (1.64-2.68).
 Conclusion: More than one-fourth Iranian adult population is involved in at least one risky behavior. Engaging in any risky behavior may increase the possibility of engaging in other high-risk behaviors.

Exploring the Association Between the Healthcare Design Elements and Physician Well-Being: A Scoping Review

“…Four studies used mixed-methods designs, utilizing surveys and interviews, to explore how the built environment was linked to physician satisfaction (Folscher et al, 2015; Pleban et al, 2021; Silva et al, 2021; Waroonkun, 2020). Two studies used cross-sectional comparison design to compare well-being across two different built environments (Brambilla et al, 2020; Sen et al, 2018), and seven used cross-sectional correlations to evaluate the relationship between exposure to various built environment elements and well-being (Jalili et al, 2013; Lin et al, 2013; Lupo et al, 2021; Marques et al, 2018; Raffier-Peres & Estryn-Behar, 2015; Ratnapalan et al, 2011; Wu et al, 2008). One study used a longitudinal mixed-methods design with surveys and interviews, in which the evaluations were conducted before and after moving to a newly constructed hospital unit (Rice et al, 2008).…”

“…Of the sixteen studies that met the inclusion criteria, all had been found in peer-reviewed journals. Nine were conducted in Europe (Björndell & Premberg, 2021; Brambilla et al, 2020; Rice et al, 2008; Lupo et al, 2021; Pleban et al, 2021; Raffier-Peres & Estryn-Behar, 2015; Ratnapalan et al, 2011; Sen et al, 2018; Silva et al, 2021), three in East Asia (Lin et al, 2013; Waroonkun, 2020; Wu et al, 2008), two in the Middle East (Jalili et al, 2013; Kebapcı & Güner, 2021) and one each in Brazil (Marques et al, 2018) and South Africa (Folscher et al, 2015). Notably, none of the studies that met the inclusion criteria had been conducted in the United States, indicating a significant gap in the literature.…”

“…Similarly, the assessments of physician well-being varied greatly. Four studies assessed well-being via the three domains of burnout (emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and low personal accomplishment) through utilization of the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI; Jalili et al, 2013; Lupo et al, 2021; Wu et al, 2008) or Copenhagen Burnout Inventory (Raffier-Peres & Estryn-Behar, 2015). The two qualitative studies used semi-structured interviews to explore feelings of well-being (Björndell & Premberg, 2021; Kebapcı & Güner, 2021).…”

“…Wu et al (2008) found that self-reported physical environment was a significant predictor of emotional exhaustion. Jalili et al (2013) found that physical environment was reported as a stressor on most shifts and was ranked second for causes of stress among physicians. They also found correlations between physical environment and each of the three domains of the MBI.…”