Measles Epidemiology in Sistan and Baluchistan Province During April 2006-March 2011

Abstract

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. 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.Keywords: Health Literacy, Health Literacy Questionnaire, Iranian Population, Systematic Review ContextAs a new concept, HL was introduced in 1974 for the first time in scientific publications related to health education. However, it did not receive significant attention for two decades. The term entered the health promotion domain in 1997 by Kick Busch (1). By definition, HL is one's capacity of achievement, interpretation and comprehension of primary healthcare information and services required for proper decision-making (2). It involves a collection of reading, listening, analysis, decision-making, and ability of applying these skills in health-related situations. It does not necessarily correlate with one's education level or general literacy (3-5). Health Literacy has been introduced by the World Health Organization (WHO), as a key determiner of healthcare. It has been recommended globally to create an association to constantly monitor and coordinate strategic activities, especially with the aim of promoting healthcare (6).Although it is not yet clear how HL affects healthrelated outcomes, there is plenty of evidence that many undesirable health consequences are due to inadequate HL (7). According to the investigations of the U.S. healthcare strategy center, those with low HL have fewer chances of comprehending health staff's oral or written advice. They, therefore, experience a lower health state and pay more for doctors' visits and are hospitalized more often (8, 9). They are less successful in performing self-care acts (10) as well as preventive acts (11) and, therefore, pay higher medical costs (12).The primary goal of developing HL is facilitating communicative healthcare and HIT strategies to promote health status and achieve equality in health service provision (13).Si...

The Challenges of the Malaria Elimination Program in the South East of Iran, a Qualitative Study

“…One way to prevent malaria and reduce the risk of death in patients with this disease is early detection and proper treatment (11–13). One of the expected outcomes of the malaria elimination program for 2025 is diagnosis in less than 24h after the onset of symptoms and starting the treatment within 24h after diagnosis (7).…”

“…A negative blood smear does not mean the patient does not have malaria. Therefore, whenever a person is suspected of having malaria but the blood test is negative, his test should be repeated in the next few days (13) rather than assuring the patient that he does not have malaria.…”

“…Diverting mosquitoes from humans to animals reduces the mosquito-human contact and has a protective role (12) but in case of incomplete and inaccurate spraying, or only spraying outside places and leaving the indoors intact, it will divert the mosquitoes to indoor spaces (13). In order to just satisfy the health authorities, some people allow pesticide spraying in areas such as baths, toilets, animal barns and other places.…”

“…If the spraying is done properly in place, the abundance of vectors is reduced (28, 29). One of the main features of successful spraying is its comprehensiveness (spraying at-least 70% of all places in the foci), completeness (covering all eligible surfaces) and sufficiency (using the necessary amount of insecticide on surfaces) and repetition at regular intervals (13).…”