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Introduction: Malnutrition remains the most serious children health problem and the most main cause of children mortality in the World Health Organization (WHO) Eastern Mediterranean Region. Nearly one-third of children in the region are either underweight or stunted, and more than 30% of the population suffers from micro-nutrient deficiencies.The aim of this study is to determine the prevalence of malnutrition among school children in Kerman. Material and Methods: This is a cross–sectional study. The number of 1,056 students recurred in Kerman, in the age range of 7 to12 years were selected by multistage sampling. Children weight for age (W / A), height for age (H / A) and weight for height (W / H) indicators was calculated and were compared with NCHS standard index. Students' height and weight were measured with standard tools. Epi-info and Stata 11 software were used for analysis. Descriptive and chi 2 tests were used to provide a comparison according to (in) gender (sex). Results: Prevalence of Malnutrition based on weight-for-age, height-for-age and weight-for-height respectively are 6.06, 5.58 and 75.9 percent and the prevalence average of malnutrition with above indicators respectively are 24.43, 26.04 and 24.90 percent. Comparison of weight-for-age and weight-for-height indices in children showed higher prevalence of malnutrition in girls than boys (P-value<0.05). Conclusion: According to results, prevalence of malnutrition among school children was high in Kerman and must identify the factors creating it, and the necessary planning should be done to eliminate them.

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Background: Unintended or unplanned pregnancy has been a distressing reality among females in the reproductive age group particularly in developing countries. The current study aimed to determine the prevalence of unintended pregnancy among married women in an urban community in Kangavar city state, to determine the associated factors of unintended pregnancy and to verify the reasons behind unintended pregnancy as perceived by the married women in the area. Materials and Methods: This study was carried out on 248 mothers who referred to health centers of Kangavar, and they were selected randomly. Data was collected by valid and reliable questionnaire. Results were analyzed in spss17. Results: The prevalence of unwanted pregnancy was estimated to be 21/2 percent .About 21.2 of women stated that their pregnancy was unplanned, two fifth of these mothers mentioned that their pregnancy was mistimed and the other three-fifth reported that they had Unwanted. There was a significant relationship between age and type of pregnancy (p<0.001), contraception methods and unintended pregnancy (p<0.001). Also results showed that there was a significant between age of women and kind of contraception methods, which they had used (p<0.001). Conclusion: It can be concluded that age and contraception methods have main effect on unintended pregnancy. So that by increasing the awareness of women about these methods can reduce the occurrence of this type of pregnancy.

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Abstract

Introduction: Smoking is regarded as one of the major causes of death caused by chronic diseases which begins during adolescence. Considering the fact that the age of  smoking onset in both developed and developing countries is decreasing, the current study aimed to determine the prevalence of  lifetime smoking and its determinant factors in high schools of Shiraz.

Materials and Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 750 students (569 males and 181 females) participated who were selected via multi-stage cluster randomized sampling. The study data were collected using a checklist designed under the supervision of a team of specialists, that was responded by self-reports of the students. The collected data was statistically analyzed applying SPSS software (ver. 20), via χ2 and logistic regression tests.

Results: 85% of students mentioned they had not had smoking experience, and 15% reported experience of smoking. The prevalence of smoking among the boys was 15/3% and it was reported 12/2% within the girls. Most smoker students cited smoker friends and close relatives as the most important factor in encouraging them to smoke. In the present study, the relationship between smoking and the following parameters was examined: age, gender, educational status, field of study, and parents’ educational level; however, the sole significant relationship was observed between smoking, educational status (P=0.025), and field of study (P=0.032).

Conclusion: As the findings of the present study revealed, more attention to adolescents and related planning are needed to deal with the problem of cigarette smoking among this stratum of society.

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Introduction: With regard to the importance of the environment in sustainable development along with environmental literacy among citizens, the present study aimed to assess the levels of environmental literacy among citizens residing in the city of Yazd, Iran.
 Methods: In this descriptive--analytical study, the sample size was determined based on the Cochran formula of 410 individuals. The data selection tool was also a researcher-made questionnaire comprised of items on demographic characteristics information as well as levels of awareness, attitudes, and practices concerning the environment such as air pollution, waste management, etc. Face validity verified by 10 qualified individuals as the faculty members and Reliability was confirmed by Cronbach’s alpha coefficient of 0.93. The collected data was analyzed using the SPSS 22. In this study, significance level was considered as 0.05.
Results: awareness score was statistically significant in terms of age, level of education, and employment status (p<0.05). However, attitudes were only in a significant relationship with employment status (p=0.004). The relationship between practice score was also statistically significant with regard to age, marital status, and area of residence (p<0.05). A significant relationship was further observed between age and level of income and level of awareness, but there was no significant relationship considering attitudes (p>0.05). Moreover, a positive correlation was found between awareness, attitude, and practice scores (0.323≥ r ≥0.28, p<0.001).
Conclusion: Although awareness among Yazd citizens on some environmental issues was at low levels, in general, their awareness specifically regarding health issues stemming from air pollution was proper. In view of the importance of environmental factors, it is necessary to conduct various research studies to identify and control these factors and find proper solutions.