Journal of Human, Environment, and Health Promotion

1-8

Authors: Mustafa Solgimoghaddam, Younes Khosravi *, Hossein Asakereh, Mehdi Doostkamian

Background: The present study aimed to validate the thermal regions in Iran with an emphasis on the identification of the climatic cycles during the recent half-century. Methods: Data on daily temperature were extracted for 383 synoptic stations of Iran Meteorological Organization. For the zoning of the temperatures of Iran, multivariate statistical techniques (cluster analysis and discriminant analysis) were applied. In addition, the verification of the areas that were identified by cluster analysis and discriminant analysis was performed using the silhouette analysis. Results: Discriminant analysis and silhouette analysis could properly identify the thermal regions in Iran, and this claim was confirmed with 2% error. Moreover, the spectral analysis of the thermal regions indicated that the temperature of Iran in the first and second regions had a medium-term cycle or an occasional short-term cycle, while fluctuations were observed in the third and fourth regions, as well as 2-5-year short-term cycles. Conclusion: According to the results, the temperature of Iran was affected by several factors in some regions with variable patterns, so that diverse short-term, long-term, and medium-term cycles were dominant in the thermal regions in Iran.

15-20

Authors: Mahnoosh Parsaeimehr *, Maryam Khazaei, Ashkan Jebellijavan, Hamid Staji

Background: Identification of the dominant lactic acid bacteria involved in the production of traditional cheese in Semnan could be the initiative to protect national genetic resources and produce industrial cheese with desirable texture and organoleptic characteristics similar to traditional cheeses. The present study aimed to determine the biochemical, physiological, and phenotypic properties of the dominant strains of the lactic acid bacteria (LAB) isolated from the traditional cheese in Semnan, Iran using 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis. Methods: In total, 14 cheese samples were randomly collected from the northern countryside of Semnan, Iran. The isolated gram-positive and catalase-negative colonies were analyzed in terms of morphology, culture, physiology, biochemical properties, and carbohydrate fermentation pattern. Following that, the LAB isolates were identified based on 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis, and a phylogenetic tree was drawn for the bacterial strains. Results: In this study, 105 isolates were determined, 58 of which (55.24%) belonged to the genus Lactobacilli, and 47 isolates (44.76%) belonged to the genus Enterococci. According to the biochemical tests and 16S rDNA sequencing, the identified dominant Lactobacillus species included L. plantarum (53.6%), L. paracasei (32.7%), and L. casei (13.7%). In addition, most of the Enterococcus species were E. faecium (74.47%) and E. durans (25.53%). Conclusion: According to the results, exploring the microbiological diversity of traditional cheese could contribute to the selection of proper bacterial strains for the manufacturing of products with consistent quality and original taste on an industrial scale.

26-31

Authors: Ali Ahmadi *, Fatemeh Salehi

Background: Health literacy promotion is considered to be an important goal in the healthcare strategic planning of every country. The present study aimed to evaluate the validity and reliability of the health literacy questionnaire (HLQ) in the participants of Shahrekord cohort study, Iran. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted on 400 respondents who were selected via systematic, random sampling from the participants of Shahrekord cohort study. The content and construct validity of HLQ were determined, and the internal consistency of the questionnaire was evaluated using the Cronbach's alpha coefficient. Data analysis was performed in SPSS version 21. Results: The internal consistency and test-retest reliability (ICC) of the factors were higher than 0.7. The construct validity of HLQ was investigated using exploratory factor analysis, Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin test (0.89), and Bartlett’s test (6908.425) (P ≤ 0.001) with VARIMAX rotation. Conclusion: According to the results, HLQ is a reliable and valid scale for the investigation of health literacy in Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari province, Iran. Since health literacy instruments should be revised regularly, further studies are recommended in order to evaluate health literacy using the HLQ to identify its possible deficiencies.

36-43

Authors: Maryam Mazaheri, Nastaran Keshavarz Mohammadi *, Hamid Soori, Ali Ramezankhani, Toraj Kordealivand

Background: Road traffic accidents are considered to be a leading cause of injuries across the world. Human factors have been reported to play a key role in road traffic accidents. The present study aimed to explore the approaches to the reduction of human errors and motorcycle accidents. Methods: A participatory multistage intervention was designed and implemented through team participation. In addition, campaign interventions were implemented on the urban and high school levels on 148 students who owned motorcycles. The campaign encompassed seven strategies on the urban level and eight strategies on the school level in 2015. Results: Compared to the same period in the past year, the rate of motorcycle accidents reduced from 56.91 to 47.32 (9.59%) and 65.34 to 51.77 (13.57%) in the one-month and three-month interventions, respectively. In addition, the human factors involved in motorcycle accidents (e.g., knowledge of students) improved significantly, while no significant differences were observed in the factors of attitude and behavior. Conclusion: According to the results, the cooperation of all the stakeholders of motorcycles accidents in the design and implementation of evidence-based interventions could significantly reduce the rate of motorcycles accidents on an urban level.