Factors Affecting Preferences of Iranian Women for Breast Cancer Screening Based on Marketing Mix Components

Pourfarzi, Farhad,Fouladi, Nasrin,Amani, Firouz,Ahari, Saeid Sadegieh,Roshani, Zohre,Alimohammadi, Sara Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2016 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.17 No.8

Background: According to recent statistics, the breast cancer rate is growing fast in developing countries. In North West of Iran, the incidence of breast cancer after esophageal and gastric cancers has the highest rate. Previous studies have also indicated that women in this region show reluctance to do breast cancer screening. There is a great need for change to promote breast cancer screening among women. Social marketing is a discipline that uses the systematic application of commercial marketing techniques to promote the adoption of behavior by the target audience. Materials and Methods: In the present qualitative study, thirty-two women with breast cancer were interviewed about their experiences of breast cancer screening. A semi-structured interview guide was designed to elicit information specific to the 4 P's in social marketing. Results: Three main categories emerged from the analysis: price, service and promotion. Subcategories related to these main categories included factors effective in increasing and decreasing cost of screening, current and desirable features of screening services, and weakness of promotion. Conclusions: Screening programs should be designed to be of low cost, to meet patients' needs and should be provided in suitable places. Furthermore, it is essential that the cultural beliefs of society be improved through education. It seems necessary to design an executive protocol for breast cancer screening at different levels of primary health care to increase the women's willingness to undergo screening.

Decomposition of Socioeconomic Inequality in Cardiovascular Disease Prevalence in the Adult Population: A Cohort-based Cross-sectional Study in Northwest Iran

Farhad Pourfarzi,Telma Zahirian Moghadam,Hamed Zandian 대한예방의학회 2022 예방의학회지 Vol.55 No.3

Objectives: The incidence of cardiovascular disease (CVD) mortality is increasing in developing countries. This study aimed to decompose the socioeconomic inequality of CVD in Iran. Methods: This cross-sectional population-based study was conducted on 20 519 adults who enrolled in the Ardabil Non-Communicable Disease cohort study. Principal component analysis and multivariable logistic regression were used, respectively, to estimate socioeconomic status and to describe the relationships between CVD prevalence and the explanatory variables. The relative concentration index, concentration curve, and Blinder-Oaxaca decomposition model were used to measure and decompose the socioeconomic inequality. Results: The overall age-adjusted prevalence of CVD was 8.4% in northwest Iran. Multivariable logistic regression showed that older adults, overweight or obese adults, and people with hypertension and diabetes were more likely to have CVD. Moreover, people with low economic status were 38% more likely to have CVD than people with high economic status. The prevalence of CVD was mainly concentrated among the poor (concentration index, -0.077: 95% confidence interval, -0.103 to -0.060), and 78.66% of the gap between the poorest and richest groups was attributed to differences in the distribution of the explanatory variables included in the model. Conclusions: The most important factors affecting inequality in CVD were old age, chronic illness (hypertension and diabetes), marital status, and socioeconomic status. This study documented stark inequality in the prevalence of CVD, wherein the poor were more affected than the rich. Therefore, it is necessary to implement policies to monitor, screen, and control CVD in poor people living in northwest Iran.

Process of Coping with Mastectomy: a Qualitative Study in Iran

Fouladi, Nasrin,Pourfarzi, Farhad,Ali-Mohammadi, Hossein,Masumi, Atefeh,Agamohammadi, Masumeh,Mazaheri, Effat Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2013 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.14 No.3

Background: Breast cancer is the most prevalent cancer among Iranian women and mastectomy comprises 81% of surgeries for treatment of breast cancer. Mastectomy may create feelings such as deformation or impairment in patients, cause body-image disorder, and reduce sexuality and sexual activity which in turn may entail mental disorders. The study aimed to elaborate coping processes. Materials and Methods: A grounded theory method was used in conducting this study. Twenty Iranian participants undergoing mastectomy were recruited with purposive sampling. An open, semi-structured questionnaire were developed. Obtaining consent, conversations were recorded and immediately transcribed after each session. Data analysis was carried out with the constant comparative method using the Strauss Corbin approach. Results: Analyzing the collected data, the study came up with seven main categories which affected the coping process in patients with breast cancer, namely: reactions to mastectomy; loss and death contest; reconstruction of evaluation system; consent for undergoing mastectomy; reactions and troubles after loss; confrontation of loss and health; and reorganization and compatibility with changes. Conclusions: The results of the study indicated: when patients become informed of their breast cancer and the necessity of undergoing mastectomy as the treatment, they probably pass through seven categories to adapt after mastectomy. Having insight about them is likely to contribute medical personnel in leading patients to the highest degree of feeling healthy.

Breast Cancer in Ardabil Province in the North-West of Iran: an Epidemiological Study

Fouladi, Nasrin,Pourfarzi, Farhad,Amani, Firooz,Ali-Mohammadi, Hossein,Lotfi, Ilshan,Mazaheri, Effat Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2012 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.13 No.4

Breast cancer accounts for about 26% of all newly diagnosed cancers in women aged 20 to 59 years. As part of a basic program for cancer control, the present cross sectional descriptive study was conducted with the objective of determining the epidemiology of breast cancer in Ardabil province during 2003-2010. Necessary information on 469 recorded cases of breast cancer in the registry were collected by check list from patient's files and then analyzed by statistical methods with SPSS.16 software. Some 455 of the patients (97%) were female, 329 (70.1%) residing in Ardabil. The mean age was $46.8{\pm}13.6$ and most were in the age group of 40 - 60. The most prevalent pathologic form was infiltrative ductal carcinoma with 316 cases (67.4%), the largest proportion being grade II (30.6%), but very many belonged to grades III and IV (40.5%). Breast cancer in Ardabil province appeared to slightly increase over the period studied. The results were similar to other places in Asia. With regard to this, more widespread studies are required to determine factors influencing the prevalence at low age and also how to promote early detection.

Beliefs and Behaviors of Breast Cancer Screening in Women Referring to Health Care Centers in Northwest Iran According to the Champion Health Belief Model Scale

Fouladi, Nasrin,Pourfarzi, Farhad,Mazaheri, Effat,Asl, Hossein Alimohammadi,Rezaie, Minoo,Amani, Fiouz,Nejad, Masumeh Rostam Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2013 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.14 No.11

Background: Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women. All ages are susceptible and more than 90% of the patients can be cured with early diagnosis. Breast self-examination (BSE) and mammography can be useful for this aim. In this study we examined the components of the Champion health belief model to identify if they could predict the intentions of women to perform such screening. Materials and Methods: A total of 380 women aged 30 and above who had referred to health-care centers were assessed for use of breast cancer screening over the past year with a modified health belief model questionnaire. Logistic regression was applied to identify leading independent predictors. Results: In this study 27% of the women performed BSE in the last year but only 6.8% of them used mammography as a way of screening. There were significant differences regarding all components of the model except for perceived severity between women that underwent BSE. over the past year and those that did not. Findings were similar for mammography. Regression analysis revealed that intentions to perform BSE were predicted by perceived self-efficacy and perceived barriers to BSE while intentions to perform mammography were predicted by perceived barriers. Conclusions: This study indicated that self-efficacy can support performance of BSE while perceived barriers are important for not performing both BSE and mammography. Thus we must educate women to increase their self-efficacy and decrease their perceived barriers.

Exploratory Study of Factors Affecting Continuity of Cancer Care: Iranian Women's Perceptions

Fouladi, Nasrin,Ali-Mohammadi, Hossein,Pourfarzi, Farhad,Homaunfar, Nasrin Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2014 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.15 No.1

Background: Today, breast cancer is increasing in nearly all societies. Currently, cancers are the third leading cause of death in Iran after cardiovascular diseases and accidents. Of the cancers, breast cancer is spreading particularly rapidly among Iranian women. Negative effects of discontinuation of care on patient survival have been well documented. Inhibiting or facilitating factors affecting continuity of care at different stages of the patient care continuum should be identified. Materials and Methods: The current study implemented a qualitative method that provided tools to examine factors in detail. This study was conducted on 22 women, undergoing surgery and chemotherapy after being diagnosed with breast cancer. Content analysis was the technique adopted. Results: The effective factors in continuity of care from the patients' perception, based on the participant statements, were classified into three categories of evaluation of symptoms, psychological reactions, and care triggers with several subcategories. Conclusions: According to the outcomes of the current study, it can be noted that, the patient experiences can be brought into use by health-care professionals and assist them in providing patient sand their families with adequate consulting services. It can also provide an opportunity for making interventions tailored to the community culture, and closer adherence of patients to the prescribed treatments.

Macronutrients and Micronutrients Role during the SARS-CoV-2 Pandemic

Maryam Zare,Aziz Kamran,Farhad Pourfarzi,Negin Abediasl 한국간호과학회 2021 한국간호과학회 학술대회 Vol.2021 No.10

Aim(s): The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of nutrients on immunity levels during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. Method(s): In the absence of sufficient data on the effects of nutrients on SARS-CoV-2 patients, this narrative review was conducted using the terms "SARS-COV-2" OR "Covid-19" OR Corona AND Nutrient OR Vitamins OR Minerals from September 2020 to May 2021 in electronic databases (Scopus, PubMed, Springer, and Science Direct). Where articles or abstracts were published in English, all types of articles were included, as were references to previously published papers. The relevant keywords led to the identification of 80 studies. Result(s): Nutritional status is critical in developing, providing, and expressing immune responses against disease. Certain proteins have an inhibitory effect on ACE-I and result in decreased ANG-II. Omega-3 fatty acids have been shown to improve oxygenation in patients with SARS-CoV-2, whereas carbohydrates do not affect the recovery of patients infected with SARS-CoV-2. Furthermore, Vitamin A contributes to the immune system"s upregulation, and Vitamin D inhibited cytokine storms, specifically IFN-γ and TNF-α. Vitamin E may enhance the efficacy of vaccines, and Vitamin C inhibited the production of TNF-α and increased the production of IL-10. Vitamin B Complex promotes lymphocyte proliferation and evolution and protects against SARS-CoV-2 infection. In SARS-CoV-2, decreased serum Vitamin K levels are associated with decreased lung tissue elasticity. Conclusion(s): This study established that nutrients play a role in this disease. Nutrients can be critical in preventing SARS-CoV-2 infection and managing SARS-CoV-2-infected patients.