---

Background: Self-medication is one of the existing problems in the treatment cycle of patients that with aging and increased drug use, its side effects increase. The purpose of this study was to assess the factors influencing self-medication among elderly urban centers in Zarandieh based on Health Belief Model Materials and Methods: This descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted on 180 elderly individuals (95 females and 85 males) over 60 in Zarandieh. Data collection tools were a questionnaire designed based on HBM model (perceived susceptibility/ severity, and perceived benefits/barriers) and self-medication checklist. Results: The prevalence of self- medication in the elderly was 31% (33% women and 29% men). The most common reasons for self-medication were previous experience of the disease and its recognition (61%), availability of drugs (60.5%), and good result of their previous treatment (56.7%). There was a significant difference in awareness, sensitivity, severity, perceived benefits and barriers among people with or without self-medication history (P< 001). Conclusion: Noticing the side effects of drugs and the high prevalence of self-medication among elderly, designing educational programs for changing the awareness and beliefs of elderly regarding self-medication is recommended.

---

Background: Brucellosis is a major zoonotic disease with worldwide distribution. The prevalence of this disease has decreased in developed countries however, in developing countries, it is still prevalent. The aim of study was to determine the effect of a health belief model (HBM) based educational program on the empowerment of rural women in Zarandieh in prevention of brucellosis. Materials and Methods: In a quasi-experimental study with a pre-test/post-test design, 141 rural women were randomly selected and assigned to experimental and control groups. The educational program was implemented for the experimental group. Data were gathered by a researcher-made questionnaire and analyzed by SPSS software version 16. Results: Demographic variables of the two groups were similar before education. In addition, there were no significant differences between the experimental and control groups with regard to mean knowledge, HBM constructs, and performance however, the post-test revealed significant differences in terms of the mean of variables between the two groups (P<0.001). Conclusion: The HBM based educational program is effective in women’s empowerment and also promoting women’s beliefs and performance regarding brucellosis therefore, the findings of this study may be used as a framework in designing zoonotic diseases prevention programs

---

Background and Aim: A lack of healthy nutrition first causes prediabetes and then overt diabetes, and every year about 5% to 10% of people with glucose intolerance develop type 2 diabetes. This study aimed to assess the factors affecting the consumption of healthy foods (CHF) based on the food pyramid among prediabetic women based on the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB).
Methods & Materials: This cross-sectional study was conducted in 2019 on 99 prediabetic women selected from comprehensive healthcare centers in Arak, Iran. A demographic questionnaire, a TPB-based questionnaire, and a food consumption Questionnaire were used for data collection. Data were analyzed through Spearman’s correlation and linear regression analyses.
Ethical Considerations: This study was approved by the Research Ethics Committee of Arak University of Medical Sciences (Code: IR.ARAKMU.REC.1398.07).
Results: The Mean±SD score of diet behavior was 1.34±0.28 (in the possible range of 0-2). Around 41% of participants consumed sugary foods such as sweets and chocolate at least once a week and 35% at least once a month. Regression analysis shows that by increasing a standard deviation in the behavioral intention score, the behavior score of a healthy diet will increase by 0.22 standard deviation (P<0.05).
Conclusion: To achieve a healthy lifestyle in the individual at risk for a diabetics education program to increase perceived behavior and motivation for decision making for adherence to healthy food can be attention for policymakers in a health system.