Publications by authors named "Saber Azami-Aghdash"
Introduction: In recent years, Professional Oral Health Care (POHC) has received serious attention for improving Oral Health Indicators (OHIs) in older people. Therefore, the present study aims to evaluate the impact of POHC on the oral health of older people through a systematic review and meta-analysis of existing studies and evidence.
Methods: Published articles until August 1, 2023, were searched in databases such as Scopus, PubMed, and Web of Science.
Background: Pandemics can lead to mental health problems such as depression. This meta-analysis of meta-analyses aimed to estimate the precise prevalence of depression during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Methods: Web of Science, PubMed, Scopus, and Embase were searched for published meta-analyses using relevant keywords, such as depression, prevalence, COVID-19, and meta-analysis up to March 18, 2024 according to the PRISMA guidelines.
Article Synopsis
- Health literacy (HL) involves an individual's ability to access and understand health information, making it crucial for appropriate health decisions, especially in older adults.
- A review of 21 studies indicated that interventions in high-income countries and community settings are more effective, with educational approaches outperforming lifestyle modifications.
- The findings recommend focusing on community-based, technology-driven, one-dimensional interventions to enhance HL in older people.
Article Synopsis
- An umbrella review and meta-analysis was conducted to determine the prevalence of anxiety during the COVID-19 pandemic, revealing that about 30.4% of people experienced anxiety symptoms.
- 75 meta-analyses were included in the study, showing the highest prevalence of anxiety in patients (41.3%), followed by students (30.8%), pregnant women (30.6%), and healthcare workers (30.5%).
- The study emphasizes the need for targeted support for these vulnerable groups, especially in potential future pandemics, as stemming from the significant social and economic impacts of quarantine measures.
Article Synopsis
- Road Traffic Injuries (RTIs) are a major global health issue, prompting a study in Iran to evaluate public trust in traffic safety policies aimed at reducing accidents.
- A cross-sectional survey with 681 respondents from Tabriz utilized a detailed questionnaire to assess their perceptions of traffic safety, yielding a relatively low overall trust score of 46.9%.
- The results highlight the need for targeted interventions to improve public confidence in specific traffic safety areas, which could guide policymakers in developing more effective strategies.
Background And Aims: Injuries from Road Traffic Accidents (RTAs), particularly among vulnerable groups such as the elderly, are considered a significant public health concern. The aim of this study was to show epidemiology of RTIs among the elderly people in the Eastern Azerbaijan province of Iran.
Method: This cross-sectional study included all patients over 60 years old who admitted to the Shohada Hospital from 2006 to 2016.
Examining the quality of life among pregnant women diagnosed with gestational diabetes mellitus: A systematic review and meta-analysis for women's health promotion.
Health Promot Perspect
July 2024
Background: Quality of life (QoL) of women with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is one of the fundamental issues and public health challenges. This study examines the QoL among pregnant women with GDM through a systematic review and meta-analysis.
Methods: A search was conducted in Scopus, PubMed, and the Web of Science databases for articles published until Jan 30, 2024.
Background: Attitudes toward childhood disability have historically focused on biomedical efforts on 'fixing'. The introduction of WHO's ICF framework for health and Canadian researchers' 'F-words' (functioning, fitness, fun, friends, family and future) have significantly changed the field. To explore whether the F-words ideas influenced parents' perspectives on their child's abilities and rehabilitation goals, this qualitative pilot study introduced the F-words to Iranian parents with a child with a developmental disability.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFArticle Synopsis
- Breast cancer is the most common cancer and leading cause of cancer deaths among women globally, but screening rates in low and middle-income countries (LMICs) are low.
- A systematic review of 174 studies indicated self-reported screening mammography, clinical breast exams, and breast self-examinations were at 22.7%, 23.1%, and 14.6% respectively, with the lowest rates found in Africa and lower-income countries.
- Factors such as living in rural areas, being single, and having lower income or education were associated with lower screening uptake, highlighting the need for tailored strategies by governments to improve cancer screening in these regions.
Background: Universal Health Coverage (UHC) is one of the most important strategies adopted by countries in achieving goals of sustainable development. To achieve UHC, the governments need the engagement of the private sector.
Objective: The aim of this study was to identify factors affecting private sector engagement in achieving universal health coverage.
Reforms and innovations in primary health care in different countries: scoping review.
Prim Health Care Res Dev
April 2024
Article Synopsis
- * A study looked at changes and new ideas in primary health care from 2000 to 2022 by searching different research databases and followed a special six-step method.
- * They found 39,426 studies on PHC reforms, but focused on 106 of them, sorting the results into nine categories to understand what needs to be improved for better health care.
Background: Online reporting systems can establish and maintain the community-authority connection for safety promotion initiatives and their sustainability. The aim of this study was to report the development, implementation, and evaluation of an online community safety reporting system in safe communities in Iran.
Methods: In the first place, the life cycle approach and software systems development were used for design and implementation, which included 7 steps.
The National Mental Health Services (N-MHSs) in Iran was integrated with Primary Health Care (PHC) in 1988. This study aimeds to analyze the policy of integrating N-MHSs in PHC, focusing on the analysis of the current situation, pathology, and the existing challenge. This qualitative research was conducted in 2020 using a case study approach.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Medical services are among the most urgent needs of the disaster-affected population. Consequently, hospital preparedness -as the main health services provider- is one of the vital factors in effective response to disasters. The present study aims to explore the perspectives of study participants about the influential factors of hospital functional preparedness in a lower middle-income country.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe roles and challenges of the primary health care systems in epidemic management: a scoping review.
Prim Health Care Res Dev
September 2023
Background And Aim: During the early stage of pandemics, primary health care (PHC) is the first point of contact with the health system for people. This study aimed to find the leading roles and challenges of the PHC system in dealing with the outbreak of infectious diseases.
Methods: The current scoping review was conducted in 2022 using the Arkesy and O'Malley framework.
Objective: This study aimed to comprehensively determine the factors that affect the hospitals' functional preparedness in response to disasters.
Methods: A systematic review of studies published in English and Persian up to the end of 2022 was performed by searching PubMed Central, Web of Science, Scopus, ProQuest, SID, and Elmnet databases. Articles that assessed hospitals' functional preparedness were searched by using a combination of medical subject heading terms and keywords including disaster, emergency, preparedness, hospital preparedness, health care facilities preparedness, hospital functional preparedness, health care facilities functional preparedness, readiness, and effective factors.
Hospital waste poses numerous concerns for both human health and the environment. Using an action research technique, this study attempts to improve waste management at the Farabi Hospital in Malekan city-Iran. In 2020, integrated (quantitative-qualitative) action research was done.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Desired health outcomes are more achievable through strong Primary Health Care (PHC). Using comprehensive and scientific tools, decision-makers are guided to formulate better PHC reforms and policies. This study introduces a sub-national framework based on the World Health Organization (WHO) proposed frameworks for the PHC performance measurement.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPublic-private partnership in primary health care: an experience from Iran.
Prim Health Care Res Dev
January 2023
Aim: The aim of this paper is to introduce the experience of applying public-private partnership (PPP) in providing primary health care (PHC) in East Azerbaijan Province (EAP), Iran.
Background: Moving toward the Universal Health Coverage (UHC) involves using of all health-related resources. Certainly, one of the key strategies for achieving UHC is PPP.
Background: This study has been conducted to analyze the processes, models, and policies to assess fitness to drive and improving driving in the elderly in the world.
Methods: The Arkesy and O'Malley frameworks were employed. Articles with at least one aspect of driving eligibility in the elderly were included.
Background And Objective: People with fibromyalgia (FM) often report having difficulty with emotional identification and expression, and this "alexithymia" may contribute to their pain and other symptoms. Multiple studies have assessed alexithymia in FM, and we systematically reviewed and meta-analyzed this literature to: (a) describe the prevalence of alexithymia in people with FM; (b) compare the level of alexithymia in FM to both healthy controls and controls with other pain conditions; and (c) determine the association of alexithymia to pain intensity, depression, and anxiety in people with FM.
Databases And Data Treatment: Following PRISMA guidelines, we searched multiple databases (Scopus, PubMed/MEDLINE, Embase, Web of Science, PsycINFO and Google Scholar) from inception to May 31, 2022.
Background: Since the COVID-19 outbreak, preliminary research has shown that some risk-associated conditions increase death and severe complications of the disease, hypertension being one of them. Thus, numerous meta-analyses have been conducted to explore this issue. Therefore, this umbrella review aims to perform a meta-analysis of the meta-analyses to estimate the prevalence and associated risks of hypertension in patients with COVID-19.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Public trust is a crucial concept in the COVID-19 pandemic, which determines public adherence with preventive rules as a success factor for disease management. This study aimed to develop and validate a tool to measure public trust in COVID-19 control and prevention policies (COV-Trust tool).
Methods: This is a psychometric study that was conducted in 2020 (March-August).
Background: Developing an effective system for measurement and improvement of primary health care (PHC) based on the conditions and characteristics of the countries' health systems is one of the World Health Organization (WHO) recommendations.
Aims: This study will aim to develop a framework to assess the Iranian sub-national PHC system performance using the WHO measurement framework for PHC.
Methods/designs: This is a mix-method study with a triangulation design.