journal Of Advanced Research

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 The International Journal of Hygiene

Current Issue

Vol. 4 No. 6 (2025): New Findings in the East Mediterranean Region
View Vol. 4 No. 6 (2025): New Findings in the East Mediterranean Region

 

Issue Title: New Findings in the East Mediterranean Region

 Public Health

This section presents recent research that sheds light on diverse aspects of public health in the East Mediterranean region. Topics include changing disease patterns, evaluations of health service delivery, and the impact of health policies on population outcomes. The featured studies reflect both proactive and evidence-based approaches to addressing current health challenges and optimizing preventive strategies in the region.

  Epidemiology

This section highlights recent epidemiological investigations that explore disease outbreaks, risk factors, and the geographic and temporal distribution of both communicable and non-communicable diseases. For example, studies have revealed a decline in anemia prevalence among children in the region—from 40.6% in 2000 to 34.3% in 2019—underscoring the importance of data-driven interventions and surveillance efforts.

 Environmental & Occupational Health

This section focuses on research examining the links between environmental exposures, occupational risks, and health outcomes. Topics include air pollution, climate change, extreme heat, and workplace hazards. Recent studies have shown how climate change poses significant health risks through increased temperatures, water scarcity, and degraded air quality. The included research also emphasizes risk assessment tools and predictive models aimed at protecting both workers and the general public.

  Why This Issue Matters

This issue compiles a wide range of high-quality, data-driven studies that collectively define the current and emerging landscape of health in the East Mediterranean. These findings offer crucial insights for guiding policy, improving healthcare systems, and supporting regional collaborations aimed at strengthening evidence-based public health interventions.

 

Published: 2025-08-06

Articles

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Causes of Death and Disease Burden in Iran- Across sectional Study 

 

Abstract

       Healthcare providers and policymakers require reliable, up-to-date data on causes of death (COD) to improve healthcare infrastructure, guide primary prevention, allocate resources, and enhance public health initiatives. In Iran, the leading causes of death and their overall burden remain insufficiently identified. Previous studies in this area have been local, outdated, or lacked comprehensive national representation. This study aims to evaluate the major COD and their burden in Iran.                

Introduction       

Healthcare professionals and policymakers need accurate, up-to-date information on mortality causes to enhance healthcare infrastructure, guide preventive measures, allocate resources, and improve public health initiatives. However, in Iran, comprehensive national data on major mortality causes remain scarce. Given the global shift in mortality patterns, where non-communicable diseases (NCDs) are projected to contribute to 70% of all deaths by 2030 (WHO), reassessing mortality trends in Iran is crucial.           

Methods     

A cross-sectional study was conducted from February to March 2014 on graduate students and their families. Using a two-stage random sampling method, data from 11,315 individuals were collected. Information on age at death, gender, and year of death was obtained. Causes of death were classified into nine categories, including cardiovascular diseases, cancers, motor vehicle accidents, unintentional injuries, intentional injuries, stroke, lower respiratory infections, diabetes, and other causes. The disease burden was assessed using Years of Life Lost (YLL) and person-years of life lost (PYLL) as primary indicators.

                

Results       

Among 360 reported deaths, 66.9% were male. The leading COD were cardiovascular diseases (26.4%), motor vehicle accidents (17.8%), cancers (11.4%), and injuries (both intentional and unintentional, 12.5%). The average YLL for all COD was 34.4 ± 18.5 years, with motor vehicle accidents and injuries contributing to the highest YLL (p < 0.001). PYLL was highest for motor vehicle accidents (2613.1 years), followed by cardiovascular diseases (2159.4 years) and cancers (1321.0 years).

                

Conclusion       

The findings highlight cardiovascular diseases, motor vehicle accidents, cancers, and injuries as the major causes of death in Iran. Motor vehicle accidents account for the highest years of life lost, followed by cardiovascular diseases and cancers. These results emphasize the urgent need for targeted public health interventions, road safety improvements, and preventive strategies to reduce premature mortality and improve life expectancy in Iran.

                Keywords: Cause of death, mortality, life expectancy, cardiovascular diseases, traffic accidents, public health policies
   

 

Table 1: Cumulative Incidence of Death in the Studied Population

Cause of Death Frequency in Dead Cases (n=360) Cumulative Incidence in Dead Cases (%) Cumulative Incidence in Samples (n=11315)
Male Female Total Male Female Total Male Female Total
Cardiovascular diseases 65 30 95 18.1 8.3 26.4 0.57 0.27 0.84
Motor vehicle accidents 52 12 64 14.4 3.3 17.7 0.46 0.11 0.57
Cancers 25 16 41 6.9 4.4 11.4 0.22 0.14 0.36
Unintentional injuries 14 9 23 3.9 2.5 6.4 0.12 0.08 0.20
Intentional injuries 20 2 22 5.6 0.6 6.1 0.18 0.02 0.19
Stroke 8 2 10 2.2 0.6 2.8 0.07 0.02 0.09
Lower respiratory infections 5 3 8 1.4 0.8 2.2 0.04 0.03 0.07
Diabetes 4 2 6 1.1 0.6 1.7 0.04 0.02 0.05
Other 48 43 91 13.3 11.9 25.2 0.42 0.38 0.80
Total 241 119 360 66.9 39.8 100 2.13 1.05 3.18