Journal of Education and Health Promotion

Abstract BACKGROUND: The present study was aimed to investigate the effects of managers’ good
character traits and perceived organizational support (POS) of employees in one of the therapeutic
and educational centers of Kermanshah, Iran.
MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this applied, descriptive, correlational, and cross‑sectional study,
the statistical population included the employees of one of the therapeutic and educational centers of
Kermanshah. Besides, Cochran’s formula was employed to determine the sample volume (n = 166),
and the samples were selected using simple random sampling. As for data collection, the standard
questionnaires of managers’ good character traits and POS of employees were utilized. To analyze
the collected data, the Kolmogorov–Smirnov test and Pearson’s correlation coefficient test were used
using the SPSS Statistical Software Version 18.0. Moreover, the structural equation approach was
employed using SPSS 22 (version 22.0, SPSS Inc., Chicago, IL, USA).
RESULTS: The results of the present study demonstrated that managers’ good character traits and
POS of employees positively and significantly correlated (P = 0.81). In addition, there were positive
and significant relationships between each of the components of managers’ good character traits
and POS of employees, and all hypotheses were supported.
CONCLUSION: Overall, the results of the present study showed that managers’ good character traits
significantly contributed to increasing the POS of employees, thereby increasing the satisfaction with
the performance of the therapeutic and educational center.

Abstract BACKGROUND: Employees spend most of their time at work, and hence, it is important to pay
attention to health‑promoting behaviors. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the
status of health‑promoting behaviors of employees in the Medical University of Ilam‑Iran.
MATERIALS AND METHODS: This cross‑sectional, descriptive study has been conducted by
the participation of 208 employees, whom selected through the simple random sampling method.
In the present study, participants completed Walker’s Health Promoting Life Style Profile II in the
self‑report form. The gathered data were analyzed using software at the significant level of 0.05.
Data were analyzed by the independent samples t‑test, one‑way analysis of variance, and Pearson
correlation coefficients.
RESULTS: The highest correlation of health‑promoting behaviors was related to spiritual
growth (r = 0.785), stress management (r = 0.777), interpersonal relationships (r = 0.767), health
responsibility (r = 0.730), nutrition behaviors (r = 0.641), and physical activity (r = 0.611) were in
the next places (P < 0.001), respectively. Among sub‑scales, the highest correlation was observed
between spiritual growth and stress management (r = 0.676, P < 0.001) and the lowest correlation
between physical activity and interpersonal relationships (r = 0.253, P < 0.001).
CONCLUSIONS: The score of physical activity was lower compared to other dimensions of health
promoting behaviors. Therefore, it is necessary to make more effective interventional measures for
improving physical activity status.

Abstract BACKGROUND: Bibliotherapy is defined as using dynamic interaction along with reading a book in
order to help the people to increase their cognitive understanding. This study aims to investigate the
effect of bibliotherapy on the psychological capital of the employees of the Department of Management
and Medical Informatics of Isfahan University of Medical Science.
MATERIALS AND METHODS: This is an applied study using a semi‑empirical method. The
statistical population consists of all nonfaculty employees of the target department (70 people).
Twenty eight people were randomly selected and divided into experiment and control groups and
answered the psychological capital questionnaire. The data gathering tool was the psychological
capital questionnaire of Luthans. The experiment group underwent six 2‑h sessions of bibliotherapy
where the control group underwent no interference. Both groups answered the questionnaire again
1‑month after the final bibliotherapy session. The information was analyzed using descriptive
(average and frequency distribution) and analytical (independent t‑test, paired t‑test, Chi‑square
test, and Mann–Whitney U‑test) with the help of SPSS 20 software.
RESULTS: The findings showed no meaningful distinction average scores of the physiological capital
of both groups before interference. However, the average physiological capital score and an average
score of each factor in the experiment group was meaningfully higher than that of the control group
after the bibliotherapy sections.
CONCLUSION: The results showed that bibliotherapy is a suitable method for increasing the
psychological capital of the employees of different organizations which will in turn provide both the
employees themselves and the organization with material and spiritual gains.

Abstract Information Technology (IT) is known as a valuable tool for information dissemination. Today,
information communication technology can be used as a powerful tool to improve employees’
quality and efficiency. The increasing development of technology-based tools and their
adaptation speed with human requirements has led to a new form of the learning environment
and creative, active and inclusive interaction. These days, information is one of the most
important power resources in every organization and accordingly, acquiring information,
especially central or strategic one can help organizations to build a power base and influence
others. The aim of this study was to identify the most important criteria in job empowerment
using IT and also the advantages of assessing empowerment. This study was a narrative review.
The literature was searched on databases and journals of Springer, Proquest, PubMed, science
direct and scientific information database) with keywords including IT, empowerment and
employees in the searching areas of titles, keywords, abstracts and full texts. The preliminary
search resulted in 85 articles, books and conference proceedings in which published between
1983 and 2013 during July 2013. After a careful analysis of the content of each paper, a total
of 40 papers and books were selected based on their relevancy. According to Ardalan Model
IT plays a significant role in the fast data collection, global and fast access to a broad range
of health information, a quick evaluation of information, better communication among health
experts and more awareness through access to various information sources. IT leads to a
better performance accompanied by higher efficiency in service providing all of which will
cause more satisfaction from fast and high-quality services.