ArticleMedical journal of the Islamic Republic of Iran2026
Barriers and Facilitators to Participation in the Employees' Health Cohort Study of Iran (EHCSIR): A Qualitative Content Analysis.
Article in Medical journal of the Islamic Republic of Iran, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
3 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Background: Declining enrollment poses a threat to epidemiological validity. Despite the increasing number of occupational health cohorts, evidence regarding employee-specific determinants in Iran remains limited. This study examined the perceived barriers and facilitators to participation in the Employees' Health Cohort Study of Iran (EHCSIR) among staff at the Iran University of Medical Sciences. Methods: A qualitative study was conducted using purposive sampling to include 48 individuals: EHCSIR participants, non-participants, and coordinators. The data comprised 23 semi-structured interviews (12 participants, 7 non-participants, and 4 coordinators), four focus groups (14 participants and 11 non-participants), and narrative responses from 954 eligible employees outlining reasons for non-participation. Conventional qualitative content analysis was applied in eight stages, with thematic saturation guiding the termination of data collection. Analytic rigor was maintained through member checking, peer debriefing, and audit trails, adhering to established trustworthiness criteria. Results: The EHCSIR study identified barriers to employee participation across three domains: Organizational (insufficient managerial support, lack of replacement staffing, elevated mission costs, scheduling conflicts), Individual (family obligations, excessive workload, transportation challenges, distrust or fear of data disclosure, health limitations, inadequate information), and Cohort-specific (prolonged timelines, fatigue, lengthy questionnaires, lack of facilities, stringent requirements such as fasting or large-volume blood draws). Facilitators were also observed at three levels: Organizational (managerial endorsement and role modeling, paid leave, accessible transportation), Individual (health monitoring, cost savings, altruistic motivation, trust in the research team), and Cohort-specific (non-invasive methods, single-visit completion, extended assessment intervals, transparent in-person recruitment, organized management, supportive environment, systematic follow-up). Conclusion: Organizational, logistical, and perceptual factors significantly influence participation in occupational health cohorts. Improving management, infrastructure, communication, and institutional trust can enhance recruitment and retention in EHCSIR and inform similar strategies both in Iran and internationally.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.