Monireh Faghir-Gangi; Hadith Rastad; Saharnaz Nedjat; Afarin Rahimi-Movaghar; Kamran Yazdani; Ali Mirzazadeh
Volume 12, Issue 2 , Spring 2020, , Pages 98-108
Abstract
Background: This qualitative study was undertaken with the aim to identify the reasons for sharing syringesor needles among people who inject drugs (PWID) in Iran.Methods: We used purposive sampling to recruit 4 groups of participants, male PWID (n = 14), female PWID(n = 6), service providers (n = 8), ...
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Background: This qualitative study was undertaken with the aim to identify the reasons for sharing syringesor needles among people who inject drugs (PWID) in Iran.Methods: We used purposive sampling to recruit 4 groups of participants, male PWID (n = 14), female PWID(n = 6), service providers (n = 8), and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)/addiction experts (n = 9). Datawere collected through 2 focus group discussions (FGDs) among male PWID, and semi-structured interviewswith female PWID, service providers, and HIV/addiction experts. Using conventional content analysis,themes were extracted for reasons for sharing needles to inject drugs.Findings: We found 13 themes for barriers such as low perceived risk of HIV, high stigma around druginjection and use, low access to harm reduction education and prevention services due to their limitedworking hours as a well as uneven geographical distribution of services, some structural barriers likeincarceration, poverty, and homelessness, and several competing survival needs beyond the injection-relatedsafe behaviors.Conclusion: Our study was able to provide the perspectives of both PWID and health care authorities andproviders towards several barriers to accessing HIV prevention services that lead to needle sharing amongPWID in Iran. These barriers need to be addressed to achieve the target of HIV epidemic control.
Mehdi Noroozi; Ali Mirzazadeh; Alireza Noroozi; Hamid Sharifi; Peter Higgs; Zahra Jorjoran-Shushtari; Ali Farhoudian; Farbod Fadaei; Farahnaz Mohhamadi-Shahboulaghi; Bahram Armoon; Omid Massah
Volume 8, Issue 3 , Autumn 2016, , Pages 186-194
Abstract
Background: Few studies suggest that social network factors, including size of sexual network may associate with drug-related and sexual high-risk behaviors. The objective of this study is to investigate injecting and sexual networks and sociodemographic factors that might be associated with dual HIV ...
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Background: Few studies suggest that social network factors, including size of sexual network may associate with drug-related and sexual high-risk behaviors. The objective of this study is to investigate injecting and sexual networks and sociodemographic factors that might be associated with dual HIV risk (DHR) among people who inject drug (PWID).Methods: The data from a cross-sectional study of 455 PWID that were recruited through peer-referral sampling were used in this study. The data were collected using a structured questionnaire consisted of modules on sociodemographic characteristics, sexual and injection-related risk behaviors during 12 months before the interview. DHR was defined as engaged in both using a syringe previously used by other PWIDs and unprotected sex during last 12 months. Data analysis was performed with descriptive and logistic regression. In final model, we considered variables with P < 0.500 as statistically significant. Finally, reported adjusted odds ratio (AOR) and confidence interval (95% CI) for variables that were significant in the final model.Findings: A total of 455 men who injected drugs participated in this study. The mean age ± standard deviation was 33.2 ± 7.3 (range 19-58) years. Overall, the prevalence of DHR In the last 12 months, 38% (95% CI: 18.3-51.2%). Multivariate model showed that regular visit to needle, syringe programs (NSPs) reduced odd of HDR to 50% when adjusted for other covariates, but still remained statistically significant (P < 0.050). The odds of reporting DHR was significantly higher in those ≥ 2 sex partners and injection partner (P < 0.010). Odds of DHR was higher (AOR: 2.3) among participants who had more than 2 injection per day but was not statistically significant (P > 0.050).Conclusion: DHR was common in PWID in Kermanshah. Having multiple injecting and sexual partners increased the odds of engaging in dual risk behaviors, but regular visit of NSPs can reduce the DHR among PWID.
Hamideh Salimzadeh; Hamid Najafipour; Fatemeh Mirzaiepour; Soodabeh Navadeh; Mitra Shadkam-Farrokhi; Ali Mirzazadeh
Volume 8, Issue 1 , Winter 2016, , Pages 16-24
Abstract
Background: Smoking is one of the major modifiable non-communicable disease risk factors. Our aim was to report the pattern of active and passive smoking using the data collected through a population base household survey in Kerman, Iran. Methods: Given a cluster random sampling design, we recruited ...
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Background: Smoking is one of the major modifiable non-communicable disease risk factors. Our aim was to report the pattern of active and passive smoking using the data collected through a population base household survey in Kerman, Iran. Methods: Given a cluster random sampling design, we recruited 5900 adult populations (15-75 years old) into a survey. After consenting, every participant was interviewed by a trained interviewer. The section for smoking had questions about daily (smoking at least one cigarette/day), non-daily, past and passive cigarette smoking as well as the time of exposure to cigarette’s smoke. We used Kerman population distribution (as the target population) to adjust our estimates using direct standardization method. Findings: Overall, 8.3% of study participants (15.5% in men vs. 0.8% in women, P = 0.010) reported themselves as daily smokers and 1.7% (2.9% in men vs. 0.4% in women, P = 0.010) as non-daily smokers. The passive smoking was common in total (27.5%), while women experienced more exposure than men (30.1% vs. 25.0%, P = 0.010). 3.2% of daily smokers smoked more than 20 cigarettes/day. Among passive smokers, 62.6% were exposed to cigarette smoke more than 6 days/week. Conclusion: Smoking is pretty common among adult populations, particularly men. A majority of tobacco-free young adult women are exposed to passive smoking. Age and gender oriented interventions are required to change this risk pattern in our community to prevent from further smoking related morbidities and mortalities.
Mehdi Noroozi; Ali Mirzazadeh; Alireza Noroozi; Yadoallah Mehrabi; Ahmad Hajebi; Saman Zamani; Hamid Sharifi; Peter Higgs; Hamid Soori
Volume 7, 3-4 , Summer 2015, , Pages 164-173
Abstract
Background: Needle-syringe programs (NSP) have been running in Iran since 2002. However, the coverage of such program among the NSP clients at the individual level was not studies yet. This study aimed to determine the client coverage of NSP and its correlation with high injection-related risk behaviors. ...
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Background: Needle-syringe programs (NSP) have been running in Iran since 2002. However, the coverage of such program among the NSP clients at the individual level was not studies yet. This study aimed to determine the client coverage of NSP and its correlation with high injection-related risk behaviors. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted in Kermanshah province, Iran, in 2014. 230 people who inject drugs (PWID) recruited from two drop-in centers (DICs) from April to September 2014, participated in a face-to-face interview to provide information related individual coverage of NSP, demographic characteristics, and injecting behaviors 30 days prior to the interview. Findings: Overall, the average of syringe coverage was 158% [95% confidence interval (CI) = 65.7-205.5], while 56% (95% CI = 40-97) have individual converge less than 100%. Needle/syringe sharing was significantly higher among individual with low NSP coverage [adjusted odds ratio (AOR) = 2.6, 95% CI = 1.3-6.2]. About 85% participants with coverage of less than 100% reported reuse of syringe within the last 30 days (AOR = 3.2, 95% CI = 1.4-7.7). Conclusion: PWID are different regarding their NSP individual-level converges. There are certain clusters of PWID, who do not receive sufficient number of syringes. Given that insufficient individual syringe coverage level is highly associated with injection risk behaviors, reasons for such low converge need to be assessed and addressed carefully.
Mahmood Moosazadeh; Hassan Ziaaddini; Ali Mirzazadeh; Ahad Ashrafi-Asgarabad; Ali Akbar Haghdoost
Volume 5, 3-4 , Summer 2013, , Pages 140-153
Abstract
Background: There are numerous studies and documents regarding the prevalence of smoking in Iran. Thus, to provide suitable information for decision-making and policy-making in this regard, the prevalence of smoking in Iran was evaluated using the meta-analysis of the results of the existing researches. ...
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Background: There are numerous studies and documents regarding the prevalence of smoking in Iran. Thus, to provide suitable information for decision-making and policy-making in this regard, the prevalence of smoking in Iran was evaluated using the meta-analysis of the results of the existing researches. Methods: Data were collected by searching the keywords cigarette, smoking, tobacco, and nicotine in English databases, searching their Persian equivalents in Persian Databases, and in non-electronic resources. After studying the titles and texts of collected articles, the repeated and irrelevant cases were excluded. Cases which had the inclusion criteria of this meta-analysis were entered into the Stata software. According to heterogeneity results, random effect model was used to estimate the prevalence of smoking. Findings: In initial studies and non-communicable surveillance system, 274992 Iranian adults were studied regarding daily smoking. Among initial studies, smoking prevalence varied from 12.3% to 38.5% in men, and from 0.6% to 9.8% in women. Based on the meta-analysis of initial studies and risk factors of non-communicable disease surveillance system, smoking prevalence was estimated 21.7% and 19.8% in men and 3.6% and 0.94% in women, respectively. Moreover, smoking prevalence in all subjects was estimated 13.9% according to the meta-analysis of the initial study. Conclusion: The findings of this meta-analysis revealed that a significant part of the general population over 15 years of age, and one fifth of Iranian male adults smoke. Thus, concerning causal relationship confirmed between smoking and most diseases, if suitable guidelines are not employed the diseases related to this factor will increase in Iran. Keywords: Cigarette, Prevalence, Iran, Structured review, Meta-analysis
