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Background & Objective: As life expectancy increases health promotion behaviours are even more important, particularly with regard to maintaining functional independence and improving quality of life (QoL). The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship
between health promotion behaviours and quality of life among elderly people in west region of Tehran.
Methods: This was a descriptive-correlational study. Through multi-stage sampling method, 410 participants over 60 years old and cognitively intact were selected to contribute in the study. The data-gathering tool consisted of a 2-part questionnaire Health Promotion Behaviour Checklist and Short Form Health Survey (SF12) that were used to measure QoL.
Results: The results of the study showed that there were statistically significant differences in QoL of the elderly related to 'exercise or walking and consumption of milk, dairy products, meat, vegetables and fruits and 'low salt diet', 'low fat diet', 'health check up', 'blood pressure (BP) (p< 0.05). The Elderly with high quality of life had more exercise or walking and consumption of milk, dairy products, meat, and fresh fruit and vegetables and the elderly with low quality of life, had better observed low salt diet, low fat diet, health condition control and blood pressure control.
Conclusion: Regarding the results we found that health promotion behaviours and the quality of life are related meaningfully, so, considering old people as a vulnerable group by health authorities, it is recommended to provide this group with programs and facilities to promote their health behaviours, social participation and to improve health care and provide consultation services.

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 Background & Objectives: The prevalence of diabetes and its different methods of treatment have significantly been increased in the last two decades. The actual effect of these treatments is a common topic in the patients’ health and quality of life among these patients has a considerable importance in the community medicine. This study was designed to indicate the quality of life in the diabetic type II patients.

  Methods: This was a cross-sectional, descriptive analytic study in 2004 on 110 type 2 diabetic patients who had referred to Bu Ali Hospital in Ardabil. The patients were randomly selected and took the SF-36 Questionnaire and in the end the data were analyzed by SPSS.

  Results: The average age of the patients was 52.5 with the standard deviation of 11.3 years. 73 of the patients were female (66.4%) and rest of them were male. The average period of sickness among diabetics was 8 years from the time of diagnosis with a standard deviation of 6.2 years. The average of duration of therapy was 7.7 years with 6.1 years standard deviation. 51 patients (46.36%) had the history of hospitalization. Vitality indicator was low in 39.1% of patients. Social functioning was low in 50% of patients. In general, by adding up the quality of life’s various indexes scores based on SF-36 questionnaires standard coefficients, 77% of patients had intermediate and low quality of life.

  Conclusion: According to this study most of the patients in this study had a low quality of life.

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Background & aims: The main purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of NEO personality dimensions on general health, quality of life and job burnout in a sample of faculty members of Iran University of Medical Sciences.

Methods: In this correlational study, data were collected by convenience sampling using General Health Questionnaire (GHQ), WHO Quality of Life- Brief (WHOQOL-FFI), Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI) and NEO-FFI. In order to analyze the data, statistical indices, including mean, standard deviation and Pearson correlation coefficient were used. 

Results: The results showed a significant correlation between  personality dimensions, including  neuroticism, extraversion, conscientiousness and agreement with any public health variables (correlation coefficients 0.435, 0.533, 334.513, 0.0) and quality of life (correlation coefficients 0.294, 0.438, 312.459, 0.0) and burnout (correlation coefficients 0.259, 0.351,       -0.302, -0.299, 0.0) , respectively in the Department of Surgery, but openness to experience had  no significant correlation with any of the above-mentioned variables. Also, there was a significant relationship between the three variables of public health, quality of life with burnout.

Conclusions: According to the findings, it can be concluded that in the participants of this study, increase of neuroticism scores was associated with decreased general health and quality of life scores and increased job burnout. Further, increased extroversion scores were associated with increase in general health and quality of life and decrease in job burnout scores.

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Background & objectives: Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) is accompanied by systemic inflammations and is characterized by irreversible airflow limitations. Leptin is a cytokine with pre-inflammatory effect. However, there have been no studies on the effect of conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) on the serum leptin concentration in COPD patients. Therefore, the present study aimed to explore the effect of CLA on the serum leptin level, lung function and quality of life in COPD patients.
Methods: This interventional study was conducted on 90 COPD patients. The patients were randomly divided into two groups (supplement and placebo) with 45 patients per group. After obtaining written consent from the patients and recording their demographic characteristics, the spirometry was performed and COPD assessment test (CAT) score was calculated. Moreover, a fasting blood sample was collected from each of them in order to analyze their serum leptin concentration. After that, the patients in the supplement group were administered with 3.2 g/day of CLA for 6 weeks. The patients in another group received placebo. After the intervention, spirometry, CAT score calculation and blood sampling were repeated for all of the patients and the obtained results were analyzed.
Results: after the intervention, a significant decrease both in the serum leptin level and in CAT score as a quality life marker  was observed in the supplement group (p<0.05). Moreover, the FEV1 levels as a lung function test, increased significantly in the supplement group after the intervention (p<0.05). Although, the difference between the two groups was not significant.
Conclusion: The use of CLA supplement can improve COPD patients’ quality of life through decreasing the serum level of leptin in their blood.
 

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Background & objectives: The 2019 coronavirus pandemic is a major threat to global public health due to unprecedented individual and social fear and anxiety and it puts significant stress on health-related quality of life and challenges health care professionals, including dentists, with increasing patient burdens, unprecedented disruptions in normal life and The high risk of being exposed to the disease has put them in stressful situations and therefore they are more exposed to stressful situations that can affect their quality of life. Therefore, this study was conducted with the aim of investigating the level of perceived stress and the quality of life of the students and professors of Ardabil Dental School in the face of the outbreak of the 2019 coronavirus disease in 2021 and the relationship between these two variables with the demographic characteristics of the participants.
Methods: To measure the level of perceived stress, Cohen's Perceived Stress Questionnaire was used, and to measure the quality of life, the World Health Organization Quality of Life Standard Questionnaire-Abbreviated (WHOQOL-BREF) was used. The statistical population in this study is all dental professors and dental students of the Faculty of Dentistry of Ardabil University of Medical Sciences. A significance level of less than 0.05 was considered.
Results: From the statistical population of this study, a total of 227 people including 33 professors and 194 students participated in the study. There was no significant relationship between demographic variables and perceived stress variables and quality of life. Perceived stress and quality of life were higher for professors than for students during the pandemic. There was a direct relationship between perceived stress variables and quality of life in both groups. The level of perceived stress in both groups was lower than the optimal level and the quality of life in both groups was higher than the optimal level.
Conclusion: Students and professors of Ardabil Faculty of Dentistry experienced moderate stress during the Covid-19 epidemic and had a good quality of life. By comparing between the two groups of participants, professors had more perceived stress.

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Background & objectives: Even though clinical empathy is one of the clinical competencies of medical students and there is a high emphasis on teaching and learning, it decreases during medical education. This study investigated the relationship between burnout, quality of life and clinical empathy in medical students.
Methods: this exploratory cross-sectional study used the Jefferson empathy questionnaire, WHO quality of life questionnaire and burnout inventory. All three questionnaires are standard, and their validity and reliability have been confirmed in various studies in Iran. The research population was the Ardabil University of Medical Sciences internship medical students, for which the census sampling method was used. Various statistical tests, such as Pearson and spearman correlation, Chi-square, etc., were used for data analysis.
Results: Out of 130 students, 128 (98.4%) completed all of the questionnaires. Data analysis showed that 98% of students suffered from moderate burnout and 2% of them had severe burnout. About 44% of students were satisfied or very satisfied with their health status and 33% of students were dissatisfied or very dissatisfied. The mean score of clinical empathy in students was 79.46±9.82. Data analysis showed a statistically significant inverse relationship between quality of life and burnout (p=0.0001).
Conclusions: Considering that the situation of students was not very favorable in terms of all three variables, non-curricular programs seem to be essential for improving student adaptation mechanisms to the job-related situations in medical students and promoting clinical empathy.
 

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Background & objective: The purpose of this research was to evaluate the effectiveness of self-compassion training on the resilience and quality of life of mothers with mentally retarded children.
Methods: The current research was practical in terms of purpose. The research method was experimental with a pre-test-post-test design in two groups. The statistical population of the research was mothers with mentally retarded children in Ardabil city in 1401 and also, the availability sampling method was used. Among the qualified volunteers, 100 people entered the study and were randomly replaced in two groups of 50 people (self-compassion training and control). The self-compassion training group received eight 90-minute sessions. Standard questionnaires on resilience and quality of life were used to collect information. The data collected in the pre-test and post-test stages were analyzed by multivariate analysis of covariance using SPSS version 26 statistical software.
Results: The findings of the present study showed, there is a significant difference between the control and experiment (p<0.01) groups in the post-test scores in terms of perception of individual competence (F=441.15), trust in individual instincts and tolerance of negative emotions (F=423.05), positive acceptance of change and secure relationships (F=399.82), control (F=261.60) and spiritual effects (F=241.62) variables. Also, in respect of individual physical health (F=66.60), mental health (F=157.29), social relations (F=146.62) and environmental health (F=135.45) variables in the post-test scores, there is a significant difference between control and experiment (p<0.01) groups.
Conclusion: Therefore, it can be concluded that self-compassion training has a positive effect on the dimensions of the resilience of mothers with mentally retarded children and improves individual competence, trust in individual instincts and tolerance of negative emotions, positive acceptance of change and safe relationships, control and spiritual effects. Also, self-compassion training has a positive effect on the dimensions of the quality of life of mothers with mentally retarded children and improves individual physical health, mental health, social relationships and environmental health.
 

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