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An Exploratory Study of Units of Reporting Opium Usein Iran: Implications for Epidemiologic Studies Pubmed



Mohebbi E1 ; Kamangar F2, 3 ; Rahimimovaghar A4 ; Haghdoost AA5 ; Etemadi A2, 6 ; Amirzadeh S7 ; Najafi F8, 9 ; Shafeie F10 ; Fakhari A11 ; Ghaleban K11 ; Shahidsales S12 ; Hosseini ZS13 ; Honarvar MR14 ; Majnooni F15 Show All Authors
Authors
  1. Mohebbi E1
  2. Kamangar F2, 3
  3. Rahimimovaghar A4
  4. Haghdoost AA5
  5. Etemadi A2, 6
  6. Amirzadeh S7
  7. Najafi F8, 9
  8. Shafeie F10
  9. Fakhari A11
  10. Ghaleban K11
  11. Shahidsales S12
  12. Hosseini ZS13
  13. Honarvar MR14
  14. Majnooni F15
  15. Hadji M1
  16. Zendehdel K1, 16
Show Affiliations
Authors Affiliations
  1. 1. Cancer Research Center, Cancer Institute of Iran, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
  2. 2. Digestive Oncology Research Center, Digestive Diseases Research Institute, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
  3. 3. Department of Biology, School of Computer, Natural Sciences, Morgan State University, MD, Baltimore, United States
  4. 4. Iranian National Center for Addiction Studies (INCAS), Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
  5. 5. Modeling in Health Research Center, InstiMetabolic Epidemiology Branch, Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics, National Cancer Institute, MD, USAtute for Future Studies in Health, Kerman Medical Science University, Bethesda, Kerman, Iran
  6. 6. Metabolic Epidemiology Branch, Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics, National Cancer Institute, MD, Bethesda, United States
  7. 7. Social Determinants of Health Research Centre, Institute for Futures studies in Health, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran
  8. 8. Research Center for Environmental Determinants of Health, Institute of Health, Kermanshah Medical Sciences University, Kermanshah, Iran
  9. 9. Social Development and Health Promotion Research Center, Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences, Kermanshah, Iran
  10. 10. Treatment Affairs Deputy, Department of Substance Abuse Treatment, Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences, Kermanshah, Iran
  11. 11. Research Center of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran
  12. 12. Department of Radiation Oncology, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran
  13. 13. Student Research Committee, Islamic Azad University, Mashhad Branch, Mashhad, Iran
  14. 14. Management and Social Development Research Center, Golestan University of Medical Sciences, Gorgan, Iran
  15. 15. Public Health Deputy, Golestan University of Medical Sciences, Gorgan, Iran
  16. 16. Cancer Biology Research Center, Cancer Institute of Iran, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran

Source: Archives of Iranian medicine Published:2019


Abstract

BACKGROUND: Measuring the amount of opium use is a challenge in epidemiologic studies. Self-report of amount of opium use at each consumption, widely used in the literature, usually fails to provide a good estimate. The purpose of this study is to systematically study the perceived weight units of reported opium use in Iran, and compare them to the standardized units of weight measurement. METHODS: An exploratory descriptive study was conducted in six major cities of Iran. Study participants were interviewed and asked to use a Play-Doh-like material to demonstrate the amount of opium they use. To obtain an estimate of the weight of the material used, we multiplied the volume by the density of the opium product. We experimentally determined the density of the commonly used opium products. We used medians and inter-quartile ranges (IQRs) to report the typical amount of each unit. RESULTS: A total of 108 individuals participated in this study. The most frequently reported unit was gram; the median perceived weight for one gram (g) of opium was 0.24 (IQR: 0.16) g. The second most commonly used unit was nokhod with a median of 0.16 (IQR: 0.16) g, followed by mesghaal and hab/habeh, which were 1.28 (IQR: 0.81) and 0.16 (IQR: 0.16) g, respectively. The median perceived weight of mesghaal and gram in the studied cities was less than the expected standardized values. CONCLUSION: In conclusion, the reported amount of opium use is highly inaccurate and unreliable, and is mainly subject to underestimation. © 2019 The Author(s). This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.