Jorjani Biomedicine Journal

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Background and Objectives: Damages caused by accidents are accounted as a major cause of death for children under 5 years old. To design preventive programs, health education theories could be employed. This study aimed to determine the effect of educational intervention based on health belief model on the damage caused by accidents in children less than 5 years in 1392 in Qorveh city.

Methods: The present randomized field trial study was conducted on 120 mothers with children less than 5 years who were supported by four different health centers. These centers were randomly divided into two groups of intervention and control. The effect of intervention was investigated using a standardized questionnaire including 85 items of health belief model structures. The questionnaires were completed using interviews by trained interviewers. Statistical analysis was done using SPSS 19.0, independent and two-tailed samples t-test.

Results: We found that there were positive and significant differences in terms of knowledge, intensity, perceived barriers and self-efficacy between two groups after intervention (P<0.05). Average differences before and after the intervention and the average scores were significantly different in all cases (P<0.05). There was a significant difference regarding the mild injuries among children under five years between the two groups after intervention (P=0.023).

Conclusion: Our results showed that education on the basis of health belief model, as one of the theories of health education, has positive effects on the promotion of safety knowledge, attitude change and improving the function of mothers over damaged children lower than 5 years and consequently the promotion of health and safety among children.

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Background and objectives: Road accidents are one of the most important causes of mortality and severe physical and psychological damage which may lead to adverse social, cultural and economic consequences in the human community. Frequency and severity of road accidents in developing countries are noticeably higher in comparison to developed countries. In Iran, 25% of casualties are due to the abnormal deaths caused by road accidents. It is estimated that more than 22,000 people die due to road accidents every year. The present study aimed to epidemiologically investigate the mortality rate of suburban accidents in Golestan province, Iran.
Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted using a descriptive approach. Required data were obtained from the traffic police of Golestan province. In total, 2,922 cases of road accidents were investigated in Golestan province in 2015. The analyzed data included the demographic characteristics of the deceased and the environmental and geographical conditions of the accident. Data analysis was performed in SPSS version 20.
Results: Among 2,922 road accidents in Golestan province, 251 cases led to the death of 317 individuals. Most of the accidents leading to death were by automobiles (69.7%) and due to distraction from the road (33.1%), which occurred on main roads (47.8%). Moreover, 29.7% of guilty drivers had not fastened seatbelts. Motorcycle riders and car passengers accounted for the highest percentage of accident victims (30.6% and 25.5%, respectively).
Conclusion: Education and emphasis on the use of seatbelts and motorcycle helmets while driving seem essential to reducing the injuries caused by road traffic accidents. Considering that most road accidents occur due to the distraction of the driver from the road, changing traffic behaviors to improve discipline is of paramount importance.

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