Background: Diabetes self-management education is necessary to improve patient outcomes and reduce diabetes-related complications. According to the theory of behavioral reasoning, the likelihood of performing a behavior is predicted by the link between beliefs, motivation, intention, and behavior. This study aimed to investigate the effect of an educational intervention based on the Behavioral Reasoning Theory (BRT) on self-management behaviors in patients with Type 2 Diabetes. Methods: A randomized controlled trial based on BRT was conducted on 113 patients with type 2 diabetes, with a control group and an intervention group followed for 3and 6 months. Data were collected using a researcher-made demographic questionnaire based on the constructs of BRT and behaviors related to self-management in patients with type 2 diabetes. In the intervention group were provided, 8 sessions of diabetes self-management education based on BRT. The control group only received the usual training of the center. Data was analyzed using SPSS26 software. Results: After the educational interventions in the intervention group, there were statistically significant changes observed in the mean scores of all constructs, fasting blood sugar, and glycosylated hemoglobin. On the other hand, no statistically significant change was observed in the mean grades of the control group. All the observed changes were significant at the 0.05 level. Conclusions: The results of this study were in favor of the effectiveness of an educational intervention that promotes diabetes self-management behaviors, using the principles of the behavioral reasoning theory. Which can be used in the design of health promotion programs for patients with diabetes. Trial registration: Iranian Registry of Clinical Trials (IRCT), IRCT20131014015015N21.

Background: Uncontrolled diabetes is an important public health problem that endangers the quality of life of patients. Promoting self-management through well-planned training is an essential strategy to control diabetes effectively. This study aimed to examine the effects of a training program based on social cognitive theory (SCT) on self-management behavior, glycemic index, and quality of life among patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus. Methods: This is a quasi-experimental study with a pretest–posttest design. The statistical population included 106 adults with type 2 diabetes mellitus assigned to the intervention and control groups [n₁ = n₂ = 53], who received services from two urban health centers. A multi-method, SCT-based training program consisting of six 60–80-min sessions was run, followed by 2–3 follow-up home visits [once a month for each participant] for the intervention group. The data were collected before and three months after the intervention and were analyzed in SPSS 19. Results: Before the intervention, there was no significant difference between the two groups regarding the main variables. After the intervention, there was a significant increase in the intervention group's mean scores of knowledge, self-efficacy, social support, outcome expectations, self-regulation, self-management behavior, glycemic index, and quality of life. There were no significant changes in these constructs in the control group after the intervention. The regression analysis results indicated that social cognitive theory and self-management could explain the variance in quality of life [adjusted R-squared = 0.476]. Conclusions: The findings support the effectiveness of the multi-method, SCT-based educational intervention in improving self-management behaviors, glycemic index, and quality of life among patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus. It is suggested that the quality of type 2 diabetes care programs should be promoted. However, further research is needed to evaluate the long-term outcomes.

Correctly, performing breast self-examination (BSE) has an important role in the early diagnosis of breast cancer and prevention of women's mortality due to it. The present study aimed to investigate the effect of virtual education programs on breast self-examination, self-efficacy, and skills. This quasi-experimental study was conducted on 146 women who were 18–59 years old (73 in each intervention, and control group) working in Fars Oil Industry. Data collection tools included the researcher-made knowledge questionnaire (10 items), the self-efficacy questionnaire of Champion and Scott (10 item), and Wood’s breast self-examination skill questionnaire (23 items). The participants were selected by systematic random sampling and divided into intervention and control groups through Permuted blocks randomization. A four-week virtual educational interventions were conducted for the intervention group through the WhatsApp messenger by sharing educational videos, booklets, and posters. The control group received no education. The questionnaires were completed by both groups, before and two months after the intervention. Data were analyzed in SPSS version 22 using frequency descriptive statistics, independent t-test, and paired t-test. The knowledge mean scores showed no significant differences in participants in the two groups before and after the intervention. The mean score of self-efficacy increased significantly, in both the intervention (p < 0.001) and control (P = 0.025) groups. After the intervention, the mean scores of BSE skills in the intervention group were significantly (p < 0.001) higher than the control group. Virtual education using social networks alone is not able to increase and improve all aspects of BSE skills sufficiently.

Introduction. The outbreak of COVID-19 has led to various challenges for healthcare workers, including nurses. Nurses play a critical role in the fight against this disease, and their communication of self-efficacy and job satisfaction has garnered significant attention. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between communication self-efficacy and job satisfaction of Iranian nurses during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods. This study was conducted using a cross-sectional design. A total of 500 nurses working in hospitals in Iran were selected using a convenience sampling method. The communication self-efficacy scale and the job satisfaction scale were used to collect data. Results. The study found that nurses with higher communication self-efficacy exhibited better performance and job satisfaction in various work challenges (r = 0.56, ). However, nurses holding a master’s degree or higher reported the lowest average communication self-efficacy and job satisfaction scores during the COVID-19 epidemic. The study also explored the impact of shift work on job satisfaction among nurses and found that nurses working exclusively on the morning shift reported the highest average job satisfaction score. Conclusion. The findings of this study suggest that communication self-efficacy is an important factor in predicting job satisfaction among Iranian nurses during the COVID-19 pandemic. Therefore, it is recommended that healthcare organizations provide effective communication training sessions and mental health interventions to enhance nurses’ communication self-efficacy and job satisfaction. This can ultimately lead to improved performance and better patient outcomes.

Background: Cosmetics use is universal and Iran is the 3rd biggest user of cosmetic products among the Middle East countries. Using cosmetics can be associated with multiple adverse reactions from less severe local reactions to systemic reactions and serious complications. Objectives: The aim of the study was to explore the knowledge, attitudes, and practices of women in the city of Yazd about adverse effects of cosmetics. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted on 200 women in the city of Yazd in 2011. Data were collected through a researcher-designed questionnaire for assessing participant’s knowledge, attitude, and practice. Data were tabulated and analyzed by SPSS, using descriptive analysis and Pearson’s correlation coefficient. Results with a P value of less than 0.05 were considered statistically significant. Results: The mean score of participants’ knowledge about using cosmetics was 5.95 ± 2.47 (ranging 0 to 14). The mean score of attitude and practice about using cosmetics were 31.80 ± 3.96 (ranging 21 to 40) and 12.92 ± 2.83 (ranging 4 to 18), respectively. There wasn’t a significant correlation between participants’ knowledge and practice, however, there was a positive significant correlation (P = 0.01, r = 0.248) between their knowledge and attitude. Results showed a positive statistically significant correlation between attitude and practice with age (r = 0.168 and 0.139, respectively). Conclusions: Women had low level of knowledge about adverse effects of cosmetics. Practice of women was also unfavorable. Therefore, there is a need to educate women about the possible risks of cosmetics through formal channels. Keywords: Knowledge; Attitudes; Practice; Cosmetics; Women; Yazd

Background: The skill of communicating with the patient is one of the basic clinical skills and part of the necessary competencies for medical doctors. The present study aimed to evaluate the knowledge, attitude, and performance (KAP) of medical students, assistants, and professors of Shahrekord University of Medical Sciences regarding clinical communication skills with patients. Method: This cross-sectional study was conducted at the hospitals of Shahrekord University of Medical Sciences in Iran. The study included a total of 289 participants, consisting of 51 professors, 72 assistants, 90 external staff, and 76 interns who work at these hospitals. The participants were selected through a convenience sampling method. The data-gathering tools used included a questionnaire to collect demographic characteristics, a researcher-made questionnaire to assess knowledge, a communication skills attitude questionnaire, and a communication skills survey questionnaire. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics such as mean, standard deviation, and frequency, as well as statistical tests that included one-way ANOVA and Pearson’s correlation test. The significance level for the study was considered to be 0.05. Results: The mean scores of knowledge of professors were higher compared to other groups (P = 0.002). All participating groups had a positive attitude toward learning communication skills. There were statistically significant differences between the mean scores of the communication performance of the study groups (P < 0.001). There was a positive relationship between positive attitude and communication performance, and a significant negative relationship was observed between negative attitude and communication performance. Conclusion: The results indicate the relatively favorable attitude and performance of the groups and their low knowledge. It is suggested that the doctor-patient communication skills courses be included as one of the necessary courses in the medical education curriculum.