Majid Rahimi

Introduction: Youth are now among the most at risk for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection. Approximately half of the indi­viduals with HIV diagnosis became infected before the age of 25 years. The current qualitative study was conducted to identify emotional aspects of HIV/acquired...

The increasing number of older adults and the burden of diseases in this age group have increased the need for health services, especially preventive services. The level of utilization of primary health services is a health challenge for older adults. This study aimed to investigate the experiences of older adults and primary health care providers regarding the factors affecting the utilization of these services. The present descriptive-explanatory qualitative study examined physicians and urban and rural healthcare providers in Isfahan province from October 2024 to March 2025. A total of 56 participants were selected through purposive sampling for the study. In-depth and unstructured interviews were conducted to collect data. Sampling continued until no new ideas emerged during interviews, indicating that data saturation had been reached. The content analysis presented by Graneheim and Lundman was used to analyze the data. The present study employed four strength criteria: credibility, confirmability, transferability, and dependability. Five themes emerged from 210 open codes. These codes were grouped into five interrelated themes: Personal determinants of healthcare utilization; structural and environmental determinants of access; policy and system-level determinants of service utilization; interpersonal communication and clinical conduct; and operational capacity and system performance. These themes together describe how older adults' healthcare services are experienced, delivered, and utilized in comprehensive health centers. According to the results, the provision of primary healthcare services for older adults has personal, interpersonal communication, structural, environmental, policy, and health system problems. In this regard, policymakers must review and improve primary health service programs for older adults.

Background and Aims: Frailty is one of the most common syndromes in old age. This syndrome, associated with adverse health outcomes and increased economic costs, can affect the quality of life of elderly people. This study investigates the prevalence and determinants of frailty in community‐dwelling Iranian older adults. Methods: This analytical cross‐sectional study was conducted over 5 months among the retired elderly people (> 60 years) in Isfahan. The tools used in this study included a demographic questionnaire, the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), an assessment of polypharmacy, and the Edmonton Frail Scale. Data were analyzed using statistical tests in SPSS software. Results: The prevalence of frailty, based on the Edmonton Frail Scale, was 17.4%. No statistically significant difference in mean frailty scores was observed between men and women ( p = 0.286). Logistic regression analysis showed that older age ( B = 0.067, OR = 1.07, 95% CI: 1.01–1.15), lower education ( B = −2.66, OR for MSc = 0.07, 95% CI: 0.00–0.74), polypharmacy ( B = 1.82, OR = 6.16, 95% CI: 2.8–13.50), and poor sleep quality ( B = 0.59, OR = 1.80, 95% CI: 0.88–3.78) were significantly associated with a higher likelihood of frailty ( p < 0.05). Conclusion: This study's results indicated that age, education, polypharmacy, and poor sleep quality are associated with an increased risk of frailty in Iranian elderly people. Therefore, timely screening and intervention are recommended to identify these factors and prevent their irreversible physical, psychological, and financial consequences.

Multimorbidity, polypharmacy, and potentially inappropriate medication use in older adults are prevalent and affect their quality of life. This study investigates the interrelationship between potentially inappropriate medication use, comorbidity, and quality of life among older adults in Iran. This cross-sectional study was conducted on 500 older adults in Isfahan City, Iran. The Beers Criteria for Potentially Inappropriate Medication Use in Older Adults, a health-related quality-of-life questionnaire for older adults, and the Charlson Comorbidity Index were used to gather data. Our findings related to older adults living in the Isfahan community showed that the prevalence of PIM was 61.6%, and the most common drug category was painkillers. The average quality of life score was (0.86 ± 0.08), and the worst category was related to sleep status. The average score of the CCI was 3.63 ± 1.40, with the most frequent diseases being hyperlipidemia, hypertension, and diabetes. After adjusting for confounding variables, a negative relationship between CCI (B = -0.009 [SE = 0.0027], P < 0.001) and PIM (B = -0.03 [SE = 0.007], P < 0.001) with quality of life was observed. Potentially inappropriate medication uses and comorbidities are high in our older population, and these variables are negatively associated with quality of life in this population. There are few family physicians trained in geriatrics in Iran. Policymakers should pay attention to these issues.

Objectives: Ageism can marginalize and discriminate against older people in healthcare services, and ageism among nurses and healthcare providers leads to unfavorable services. This study investigated the relationship between nurses' attitudes about old age and age discrimination in caring for hospitalized patients in Kashan hospitals. Materials and methods: This study ...

BACKGROUND: Functional constipation is prevalent among older people. It has major effects on the quality of life of them, as well as the high costs of treatment. This study investigated functional constipation and risk factors affecting older people living in Shahreza, Iran. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This cross-sectional study was performed on 200 older people in Shahreza. They were selected by simple random sampling. We used the Rome III Criteria, the Elderly Physical Activity Questionnaire (PASE), and related questions from the SIB system (integrated health system). After completing the questionnaires, the data were analyzed using the mean and standard deviation, Chi-square test, independent-samples t-test, Fisher’s exact test, and Mann–Whitney test. RESULTS: The prevalence of functional constipation was 45%. There are significant relationships between functional constipation with dental problems (P = 0.02), intake of fluid (P = 0.001), fruits (P = 0.001), and vegetables (P < 0.001), polypharmacy (P = 0.003), and antidepressants (P = 0.008), history of colon (P = 0.003) and anal (P = 0.001) diseases, stroke or mobility disabilities (P = 0.002), the level of physical activity (P = 0.002), and gender (P = 0.04) in older people living in Shahreza. CONCLUSIONS: According to the high prevalence of functional constipation in the studied older people, it is necessary to focus on controlling risk factors and planning to prevent the destructive effects of social restrictions on older people during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.

Background and Aims: Preventive behaviors against coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) are important, and messages that create a sense of danger are necessary to create these behaviors. One of the widely used models for designing risk messages is the Extended Parallel Process Model (EPPM). The present study was conducted to investigate the factors related to protective behaviors against COVID‐19 in the personnel of the health department based on EPPM.Methods: In this cross‐sectional study, 699 personnel of the deputy health department of Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari province were included in the study by census method. Data were collected online using valid questionnaires, including demographic questions and history of contracting COVID‐19 and the questionnaire of EPPM constructs. Data were analyzed in SPSS24 software, using descriptive and analytical statistics.Results: The results showed that there were positive correlations between the protective behaviors and the constructs of perceived severity (p < 0.001, r = 0.542), perceived susceptibility (p < 0.001, r = 0.260), self‐efficacy (p < 0.001, r = 0.594), response efficiency (p > 0.001, r = 0.522), and risk control (p > 0.001, r = 0.501). There was a negative correlation between protective behaviors and fear control (p < 0.001, r = 0.329). The results of multiple linear regression showed that these six constructs explained 49.8% of protective behaviors against COVID‐19, among which the role of the perceived severity construct was stronger than other constructs.Conclusion: Regarding the results, it is suggested that the results of this research be used in the development of training programs to improve protective behaviors in high‐traffic offices, and by focusing on fear and risk control.

Background and Aim: A comprehensive understanding of the current state of geriatric care in Iran is necessary in order to strengthen and align it for responding to the current and future needs of the elderly in the country. The purpose of this study was to identify the challenges and barriers in ...

Background: The increasing prevalence of COVID-19 affected all aspects of life, including education. Communication and interaction are vital in any form of education. This study explained health profession educators’ and students’ experiences regarding the challenges of communication and cooperation in exclusively online classrooms during the COVID-19 era.Methods: The present descriptive explanatory qualitative study examined health profession educators’ and students’ experiences with exclusively online classrooms during the COVID-19 era. They were included in the study by purposive sampling. In-depth and semi-structured telephone interviews were conducted to collect data. The content analysis presented by Graneheim and Lundman was used to analyze the data. The present study employed four strength criteria: credibility, confirmability, transferability, and dependability.Results: The results of the present study included communication and cooperation challenges in exclusively online classrooms related to the COVID-19 pandemic. Two themes emerged from 400 open codes: lack of students’ socialization and communication-related concerns, which each had subcategories.Conclusions: Lack of students’ socialization and communication problems were identified as the participants’ main experiences. Defects in teacher training due to the sudden transition to virtual education, acquiring a professional identity that is possible in in-person education was also flawed. The participants experienced challenges in their class activities, leading to a decrease in trust, a lack of motivation to learn from students, and teachers’ teaching. Policymakers and authorities should adopt new tools and techniques to improve exclusively virtual education outcomes.