bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Learning healthcare needs when the body speaks: Insights from a 2016 Vietnamese survey on general physical examinations
Authors: Vuong Quan-Hoang , Vu Quang-Hoi
Published: June 2022

Background: General health examinations (GHEs) help Vietnamese detect early signs of illness and serve to be an important part of preventive medicine. Having GHEs can help reduce risks of poverty due to prolonged medical treatments in Vietnam, as 70% patients without health insurance face financial burdens caused by expensive treatments. Aims & Objectives: Does owning a medicine cabinet or having practical first-aid knowledge and skills have effects on people’s attitude towards GHEs? Materials & Methods: Analysis is performed on a 2,068-observation dataset, collected from a survey towards GHEs propensity collected in Hanoi and its vicinities. The methods of baseline-categorical logit model and ordinary least square are used to estimate the probabilities. Results: (1) There exist differences in the tendency of attending GHEs between those with and without a family medicine cabinet, and knowledge of using basic medical equipment; (2) The factors of age, gender, job and marital status are also proven related to body mass index (BMI). Conclusion: People who have common medical tools in the family and medical skills are likely to have GHEs more often. The likelihood of being over-weight is higher when people become older, especially among women.
An insight into hardiness status of medical undergraduates
Authors: Chincholikar Sanjeev Vasantrao , Kulkarni Surendra
Published: June 2022

Background: The construct of hardiness was first introduced by Kobasa and Maddi, who defined it as a resistance resource in encounter with stressful situations. Hardiness is related to three mutually related dispositions-commitment, control, and challenge. Aims and objectives: To explore hardiness status in medical undergraduates and to study the relationship between hardiness and psychological distress. Material and Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out among medical students of a private medical college in Maharashtra. A validated Hardiness Questionnaire of Kobasa was administered. Scores on control, commitment and challenge were calculated and then summed up to calculate total hardiness score. Psychological distress was measured by SRQ tool, as designed by Mari J.and Williams. Results: The study population comprised of 331 students out of which 39 medical undergraduates had hardiness score less than zero indicating that 12% of study subjects were non- hardy. Significant negative association was observed between hardiness level and psychological distress. Conclusion: It was observed that 12%medical undergraduates were non-hardy. From the analysis of the data, it has been found that there is a fair negative association in hardiness and psychological distress.
Perceived Barriers in Accessing the Reproductive Health Care Services in Odisha
Authors: Sahoo Madhulika , Som Meena , Pradhan Jalandhar
Published: June 2022

Background: The utilization of Reproductive, Maternal, and Newborn and Child health (RMNCH) services is often influenced by the socio-cultural, financial, access, political barriers acting at the community, family and individual level. Yet, very little attention has been given, either by policy makers or researchers for minimizing their effect. Aim and objective: To examine the demand and supply side barriers in accessing the maternity services and to understand the perception on maternal healthcare services. Material & Methods: The study was carried out in four districts of Odisha state, with a well representative sample of 1194 women, who delivered a child in last 2 years. Quantitative and qualitative study design was followed to collect the data. Results: The supply side barriers such as physical access and facilities were faced by the service providers. The demand side barriers such as socio-cultural, financial and access barriers were faced by the service receivers in order to avail the services. Conclusions: In order to overcome the barriers faced by the women of Odisha it is important to improve the access to services so that they get them easily. Some of the imperative actions such as strengthening community mobilization through inter-personal communication, dialogue with the key influencers in the community as well as continuous engagement with and sensitization of the service providers
A systematic approach for early identification of Syphilis Infection among Men having Sex with Men in Chennai City: - A Page Rank Based Approach
Authors: Annadurai Kabilan , Bagavandas M
Published: June 2022

Background: National surveillance conducted over 12 year period (2003 -2015) indicated that though the prevalence of HIV among Men having Sex with Men (MSM) has decreased in India, it is the second highest contributor in 2015. However, the prevalence of syphilis is an increase in the past 15 years. Under reach for screening; conscious hiding or withholding information due to stigma; limited resources and difficulty in screening vulnerable. Objective: The primary objective of the study is to explore the feasibility of using SNA for early identification of syphilis infection among MSM. Methodology: All MSM with newly identified syphilis infection in Chennai City during October and December 2015 were included in the study. A total of six samples were identified from the STI clinics lead by Government Hospitals in Chennai City, India and contact tracing at two levels (exponential snow-ball sampling method) were completed by the researcher. Unlike traditional screening program, the questionnaire used had indirect questions to avoid direct confrontation that helped to reach a total of 146 MSM during Jan to Oct 2016. Overall page ranking was completed for all MSM. All were followed up and encouraged to attend RTI/STI screening clinic through peers regularly. Results: 24 MSMs attended syphilis RPR screening test during this 10 months study period. 12 of 13 MSM were found to be positive for syphilis had page rank value of greater than one and 1 MSM had less than one page rank value. In the case of identified negative, all (n=11) except one MSM had page rank value less than one. Statistically, correlation of page ranking with syphilis reactive value showed a strong linear positive relationship (r = 0.732) with highly significance (p-value 0.000). Conclusion: This study proved that contact tracing and page ranking in SNA could be an effective measure to early identify syphilis infected MSM with its high positivity rate (54.2%).
A study on morbidity pattern among geriatric population of an urban slum, Dehradun, India
Authors: Pandita Ajay Kumar , Roy Debabrata , Saxena Vartika
Published: June 2022

Background: Ageing is a process of deterioration in the individual’s functional capacity that results from structural changes as age advances. India has acquired the label of “an ageing nation” with 7.7% of its population being more than 60 years old. Research on geriatric morbidity and related risk factors are required to improve the delivery of health care to the elderly. This study was an attempt to study the morbidity status of geriatric people that may serve as a baseline data and also help in planning the health services. Aims and Objectives: To ascertain determinants and predictors as potential socio-epidemiological correlates of the prevalent morbidity pattern and recommend appropriate measures / interventions to address felt and unmet needs in geriatric health. Material and Methods: An observational study conducted in field practice area of Department of Community Medicine, Himalayan Institute of Medical Sciences, HIHT, Dehradun. Study participants aged above 60 years were administered by pre tested, semi structured questionnaire after obtained informed consent. Descriptive statistics were calculated by using SPSS version 17. Results: Among 520 subjects most common morbidity in study subjects was arthritis (49.61%) followed by cataract (46.34%), chronic gastritis (44.23%), COPD (25%), diabetes (21.15%), skin lesions (19.03%), hypertension (11.39%). Conclusion: There is high morbidity rate identified in this present study so there is an urgent need to develop geriatric health care services at primary health centre level
A Cross-sectional study to assess knowledge, practice and self- reported morbidity symptoms of pesticide use among farm women
Authors: Medithi Srujana , Kasa Yogeswar D , Lari Summaiya , Nagaraju Raju , Kodali Venkaiah , Jonnalagadda Padmaja R
Published: June 2022

Background: Inevitable pesticide use in Indian agriculture has posed an increased risk of exposure to the farmers, which may lead to adverse health manifestations. Therefore, it is essential that the farmers must be aware of the harmful effects of pesticides. Aims and Objectives: To assess knowledge, practice and identify self-reported morbidity symptoms associated with pesticide use among farm women in the identified villages of Telangana, India. Materials and Methods: Community based cross-sectional study was conducted using a pre-tested questionnaire to carry out the survey among farmwomen. Results: 129 women working in agricultural farms were included in the study. Meagre knowledge regarding route of pesticide exposure was observed. Majority of them were not aware of toxicity symbols and never read the precautions on the pesticide containers. Inaccessibility was the main reason for insubstantial use of personal protective equipments (PPEs). Unsafe storage and disposal practices of containers were observed. Weakness (57.3%), headache (52%) and itching of skin (51.1%) were the common morbidity symptoms. Significant association was found between morbidity symptoms and use of PPE and hygienic practices, indicating importance of such practices. Conclusion: Improving knowledge which influences their practices and encouraging PPE use might be useful to remediate these issues. Monitoring studies may further aid to obtain the outcome of the awareness programmes and subsequently improved intervention methods can also be implemented.
Community based interventional study to assess the impact of health education on alcohol use among adult males in Bareilly, Uttar Pradesh
Authors: Singh Himalaya , Joshi Hari Shanker , Srivastava Rohit Kant , Singh Arun , Katyal Rashmi , Upadhyay Deepak
Published: June 2022

Background: Alcoholic beverages have been a part of social life for millennia, yet societies have always found it difficult to understand or restrain their use. Apart from the health concerns, chronic alcoholism is one of the greatest causes for poverty in the country. Objective: To assess the impact of health education on alcohol use among adult males in Bareilly District, Uttar Pradesh. Material & Methods: A community based interventional study conducted in the Bareilly district among males aged >15 years during November 2015 to April 2017 taking a sample of 699 by 30 cluster sampling with PPS. Data was collected by home visit using WHO-AUDIT (Alcohol Use Disorder Identification Test) questionnaire. After data collection, health education was given to study population in form of speech, posters, short films and focus group discussion. One year after providing health education, AUDIT questionnaire was re-filled by current alcohol drinkers to know the impact of health education. Results: Prevalence of drinking alcohol is 30.47% i.e. 213 current drinkers. AUDIT Scores before and after Health education were positively correlated (r=.768, p=0.0001). There was a significant average difference between AUDIT Scores before and after Health education (t178=2.973, p=0.003). Conclusion: Health education has a positive impact on alcohol use therefore research focus should be on primary prevention by health education/behaviour change communication in primary and secondary care settings.
Role of Quality Management in Multispecialty Hospitals: A case on Fire Mishaps in Eastern Zone of India
Authors: Ray Sushree Sangita , Tripathi Shruti , Ota Rachita
Published: June 2022

For a long time, healthcare service providers have depended principally on human resources playing out their role accurately to shield patients from unintended negative effects. Many years of research, has demonstrated that most mishaps are brought about by able yet questionable individuals working in useless frameworks. Healthcare associations are presently obtaining systems from different enterprises and utilizing frameworks in order to deal with and enhance the efficiency of the health care services. India to a large extent has been able to incorporate Quality Management tools in its Healthcare sector. This has helped India to attain competitive advantage over other Nations by providing Quality Services at an affordable price with continuous improvement of their Service quality.

Among all the attributes of Service Quality in Healthcare, the most important one is Patient Safety. India has moved ahead in creating a standardized Healthcare service by adopting many Patient Safety Standards by regulators, purchasers, and accreditation groups.  Even though we are abiding by lot many standards still there are many issues related to Patient Safety in India. Few cases have been discussed in this paper related to fire issues. The incidents which have been cited in this paper are taken because these are the hospitals which are quite famous among the patients and unfortunately have led to high number of life losses in their mishaps. With the help of Quality Management Model that is Cause and effect; the authors have tried to analyze the cause behind the mishaps and have tried to recommend few quality measures in the multispecialty hospitals.
Utilization of Antenatal services and concerning factors: A community based study
Authors: Sharma Arvind , Meshram Priyanka K , Pandey Dhruvendra , Kasar Pradeep Kumar , Tiwari Rajesh
Published: June 2022

Background: Antenatal and post natal care are important component of maternal mortality rate. Antenatal facilities provided to mothers form the base of their future outcome. The services provided to mothers are still poor in India. A proper and effective program implementation is depending on understanding of basic factors that affect maternal and child health services utilization. Considering all these facts, it is important to study the maternal health service utilization pattern among the beneficiaries living in urban area of Jabalpur and factors responsible for their under utilization. Material & Methods: A prospective study was carried out in urban area of Jabalpur district of Madhya Pradesh. Cluster sampling technique was used to select 396 Antenatal females in the 36 different clusters. Information about socio demographic factors and ANC services utilization was recorded. Results: This study showed that 50.50% of women were registered within 12 weeks of pregnancy, 58.80% women received four or more antenatal visits, 23.99% women consumed hundred and more Iron Folic Acid (IFA) tablets and 96.21% received 2 doses of Tetanus Toxoid (TT) injections. Only 22.72% women had complete ANC service utilization. Conclusion: Utilization of Antenatal Care (ANC) services was poor in the urban areas of Jabalpur district even though the physical accessibility was adequate. ANC services utilization is significantly associated with level of education of mother, education of husband, occupation of mother, type of family and time of registration of pregnancy.
Underweight as a Risk Factor for Nutritional Anaemia – A Cross-sectional Study among Undergraduate Students of a Medical College of Haryana
Authors: Khan Zahid Ali , Khan Tazeen , Bhardwaj Anu , Aziz Sheikh Junaid , Sharma Sunidhi
Published: June 2022

Background: Nutritional anaemia is the most common nutritional problem worldwide. Underweight and anaemia are associated and together constitute a serious problem in developing countries like India. Aim & Objectives: To estimate the prevalence of anaemia among medical students and determine its association with their body mass index (BMI). Material & Methods: Hemoglobin estimation was done in 140 MBBS students and anaemia status was determined by WHO criteria for anaemia. BMI was calculated and interpreted using cutoffs for Asian Indian population. Statistical analysis was done by Chi-square distribution and Binary logistic regression. Results: Overall prevalence of anaemia in students was 55.7% and 78.6% females compared to only 32.9% males were anaemic (p<0.001). Gender was associated with both the severity of anaemia (p=0.028) and BMI (p=0.036). Prevalence of anaemia was significantly (p=0.007) higher in underweight students (88.9%) compared to normal (54.2%) and overweight/obese (46%) students. However, no association was found between BMI and severity of anaemia (p=0.985). Conclusion: Anaemia is significantly associated with nutritional status. Prevalence of anaemia is higher in underweight students compared to normal and overweight/obese students and management of both undernutrition and anaemia is critical for optimal results.
Modified BG Prasads Socio-economic Classification-2018: The need of an update in the present scenario
Authors: Pandey Vivek Kumar , Aggarwal Pradeep , Kakkar Rakesh
Published: June 2022

Modified BG Prasad socioeconomic scale has been in use for determining the socio-economic status of study subjects in community-based health studies in India since 1961.It is an income-based scale and, therefore, constant update is required to take inflation and depreciation of rupee into account. For industrial workers (IW), the consumer price index (CPI) is used to calculate updated income categories at any given point of time, viz Jan 2018.These details of the calculations involved will help many researchers to calculate specific income categories for their ongoing and prospective research work in current calendar year. On the Department of Labour website (www.labourbureaunew.gov.in), state-specific CPI values are also available and should be used to determine more accurate income categories.The current exercise is a step towards increasing the validity of use of classification with relevance to the current price levels and enabling a real time update for a considerable time in the near future.The health behavior of an individual or a community is interdependent on their socio-economic status. The concept of socio-economic status is widely used in medical sociology. The social standing of an individual or a family in the society can be measured by it. Therefore, is an important factor affecting the health condition of an individual or a family. (1)Socio-economic status has been defined as “The position that an individual or family occupies with reference to the prevailing average standards of cultural and material possessions, income and participation in group activity of the community”. The social status may be inherited, but in modern society it is achieved on the basis of occupation, income, type of housing and neighborhood, membership of the certain associations and organizations, material, possessions, etc. (2)In India, several methods or scales have been developed for classifying different populations based on their socio-economic status, viz. Parikh scale 1964, Shirpurkar scale 1967, Jalota scale 1970, Kulsherestha scale 1972, Srivastava scale 1978, Bharadwaj scale 2001. (3-8)Modified BG Prasad’s classification that is used for both urban and rural areas. Modified Kuppuswamy classification is used in urban and peri urban areas which considers the education of the head of family, occupation of head of the family and per capita monthly income.(9,10) Another classification for rural areas is Uday Pareekh classification which takes into account following characteristics namely caste
Impact of Sociodemographic factors on prevalence of overweight and obesity among adolescents of urban Meerut
Authors: Jain Bhavan , Jain Seema , Chopra Harivansh , Garg Sunil Kumar , Singh Ganesh , Mittal Chhaya
Published: June 2022

Background: Adolescent obesity is becoming a major public health problem in urban areas of India and its prevalence is increasing in all socioeconomic groups irrespective of religion, region and caste. Aims & Objectives: To find out prevalence of overweight & obesity among adolescents and to study its association with sociodemographic factors. Material & Methods: This cross-sectional study was carried out in the area covered by Urban Health and Training Centre of Lala Lajpat Rai Memorial Medical College, Meerut. Sample size was estimated by keeping the prevalence as 10% with 95% confidence interval and relative precision of 20%. A total of 872 adolescents were selected randomly using proportional allocation method. Results: The prevalence of overweight was found to be 17.4% and obesity 6.9%. The prevalence was significantly higher among females and in those belonging to nuclear families as well as higher socioeconomic status. Conclusion: The prevalence of overweight and obesity is quite high in the urban area and there is a need to develop an effective programme for the prevention of obesity in these areas.
National expert group technical consultation on prevention and treatment of iron deficiency anemia
Authors: Sachdev H PS , Kurpad Anura , Saxena Renu , Kapil Umesh
Published: June 2022

A “National Expert Group Technical Consultation on Prevention and Treatment of Iron Deficiency Anemia” was held from 23rd to 24th April 2018 at All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi.  The Consultation was conducted under the aegis of Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India. The following were the Co-organizers i) Departments of Human Nutrition and Hematology, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi; ii) Sitaram Bhartia Institute of Science and Research (SBISR), New Delhi; iii) Public Health Foundation of India (PHFI), iv) Nutrition Society of India (NSI), v) Indian Association of Preventive and Social Medicine (IAPSM), vi) Indian Academy of Pediatrics (IAP) Nutrition Sub-specialty Chapter , vii) Federation of Obstetric and Gynecological Societies of India (FOGSI), viii) Indian Public Health Association (IPHA), ix) Indian Society of Haematology and Blood Transfusion (ISHBT), x) International Epidemiological Association - South East Asia Region (IEA-SEA), xi) Alive and Thrive India, xii) Knowledge Integration and Translational Platform (KnIT – BIRAC-DBT), and xiii) World Health Organization (WHO).
Doses of iron in prevention and treatment of anemia in pregnant women: an ongoing debate
Authors: Neogi Sutapa B.
Published: June 2022

Iron supplementation during pregnancy, both as a preventive and therapeutic measure has been a matter of debate. The guiding principles behind supplementation include availability of adequate iron stores before pregnancy, diet during pregnancy and concomitant infections. No country performs routine screening of iron stores by measuring ferritin and the decision to supplement iron is largely based on haemoglobin (Hb) levels. Evidence suggests that Hb content of the mother’s blood between 95 and 105 g/l in the third trimester correlates with the best clinical outcome. Effectiveness of routine iron supplementation during pregnancy for improving maternal hematological indices exists, but the clinical significance for both pregnant women and infants remains unclear. In the absence of conclusive evidence, several developed nations follow an individual based approach by evaluating the iron stores and then deciding on the course of treatment. On the other hand, in developing countries, where the baseline prevalence of anemia is high, existing data supports routine iron supplementation as a safe strategy to prevent maternal anemia. Controversies exist around the most appropriate dosage and frequency (daily v/s weekly) of iron supplementation for both preventive and therapeutic purposes because increased doses does not necessary yield better haematological and clinical outcomes. On the contrary, excess doses may be associated with more side effects and also may produce oxidative stress, release of free radicals, may interfere with the absorption of divalent cations, may block iron absorption by upregulating hepcidin and may result in hemoconcentration further leading to adverse outcomes. This document gives a snapshot of the existing evidence and provides a case for further deliberations on the most appropriate dosage for iron supplementation during pregnancy giving due weightage to epidemiological, physiological and clinical requirements.
Suitability of Enteric Coated Iron and Folic Acid Tablets in WIFS Program in India
Authors: Kapil Radhika
Published: June 2022

Weekly iron folic acid supplementation (WIFS) programme is being implemented by Government of India for Prevention and control of anaemia amongst Adolescents since 2013. Under this program, enteric coated Iron and Folic Acid (IFA) tablet consisting of 100 mg of elemental iron with 500 mcg of folic acid, is given every week to all adolescent girls. Evidence suggests that there is a low absorption of iron from the enteric coated (EC) IFA tablets. The poor clinical response of EC IFA compared to the conventional sugar coated has also been reported The, present review describes the WIFS programme, cost, composition, evidence on absorption, clinical response on Hb from EC IFA tablets. There is an urgent need to take cognizance of available scientific evidence in to consideration and discontinue the EC tablets from WIFS programme.
Use of Point of Care Testing (POCT) in measurement of hemoglobin
Authors: Yadav Kapil , Jacob Olivia Marie , Ahamed Farhad , Mandal Manisha , Kant Shashi
Published: June 2022

Point of care tests (POCT) are critical to success of public health programs like anemia control program which involve measurement of biomarkers; as they help in prompt decision making during first (and in many scenario the only) contact with the targeted beneficiary.  There are many methods currently in use for point of care testing for hemoglobin estimation and include manual methods like Sahli’s method, Indirect cyanmethemoglobin method, WHO Hemoglobin Color Scale method; digital hemoglobinometers including the newer non-invasive devices. The current background paper reviewed available published literature regarding performance of different POCT methods for hemoglobin estimation. Available literature indicates that invasive digital hemoglobinometers have shown a reasonable performance for use as POCT in facility and community settings both for clinical diagnosis as well as surveys. Adequate training of front line workers for use of digital hemoglobinometers and adherence to standard operating procedures (SOPs) is essential to reduce errors/biases. Non-invasive digital hemoglobinometers seem to be promising new option for POCT which obviates the need for drawing blood sample (either by venous or capillary method) but further research and development is required before their use in programs.
Point of Care Haemoglobin Estimation
Authors: Swaminathan Sumathi , Thomas Tinku , Bose Beena , Kurpad Anura V
Published: June 2022

The prevalence of anemia in India is still unacceptably high at 53.1 % in non-pregnant women, 50.3% in pregnant women, 58.4% in children 6 months and 22.7% in adult men(1) and remains a major public health problem. For screening, tracking as well as monitoring the progress of anemia in both in primary and community health care for public health programs, hemoglobin needs to be estimated accurately.
Treatment adherence among asthma patients attending a hospital of Ahmedabad.
Authors: Patel Nency S , Christian Donald S , Kamdar Deapali J , Patel Khushbu R
Published: June 2022

Background: The success of treatment in asthma requires long term commitment, adherence and a good self-management. Objectives: To study attitude and behavior related to adherence to medication by patients of asthma in a tertiary care institute and to assess their treatment seeking behavior. Study Settings: Tertiary care institute, Chest Medicine department, Design: Hospital based study. Materials and Methods: All the diagnosed asthma patients (N=100) were enrolled in the defined study period. Structured interviews were done of the diagnosed asthma patients using a predesigned questionnaire. The questions were related to the attitude and behavior towards medications, treatment seeking behavior of the patients and their adherence to treatment.  Results: The study shows that out of 100 respondents, sixty (60%) of the respondents had experienced the symptoms for more than 6 weeks before going to hospital. About half (49%) had learned the use of inhaler from their doctor. Sixty-one (61%) had rated their asthma as “well controlled”. The commonest reason (n=79) for missing dose was “symptoms were relived & it was not necessary to continue treatment”. Conclusion: It could be seen that patient-side delays proved important determinant for treatment of Asthma. The commonest reason for missing dose was temporary relief of symptoms.
Postpartum and Newborn Care - A Qualitative study
Authors: George Meera , Johnson Avita Rose , Basil Rosalind Clara , Murthy Sunayana N , Agrawal Twinkle
Published: June 2022

Community-based postpartum care of mothers and newborns is vital to achieve mortality reduction. This qualitative study explored cultural beliefs and practices regarding postpartum care of mothers and newborns in rural Karnataka. Focus group discussions with newly delivered mothers and their caregivers in a rural maternity hospital, and in-depth interviews with community level health workers revealed cessation of the practice of withholding colostrum and the barbaric practice of branding, but found persisting harmful cultural beliefs and practices like withholding nutritious foods considered “hot” or “cold”, inadequate postpartum ambulation, separating husband and wife for up to a year or more after the birth, application of various substances to the umbilical stump and eyes of the newborn and giving pre-lacteal feeds. Antenatal and postpartum mothers, their caregivers, including elders in the family should be targeted by community level health workers for counseling and behavior change.
Selection of good medical journals for publication -an innovative approach
Authors: Iyengar Madhusudan M
Published: June 2022

The Medical Council of India came out with the criteria of research publications for the promotions for the first time in 2009. Though this was done with the intention of promoting and encouraging research among faculties of Medical Colleges, this has given rise to the genesis as well as mushrooming of predatory journals. Hence MCI has been making attempts to refine the criteria of publications and make the criteria more stringent. The last such attempt was in its PG committee meeting in January 2018 where it decided to constitute a committee of experts in each subject to draw a list of standard journals in their respective subjects so that publications only in these journals would be considered for future promotions. In this context, this article makes an attempt to assist researchers and regulatory bodies in assessing the quality of journals by means of a score-sheet.
Domestic violence patterns and its consequences among married women in rural Mangalore
Authors: Nesan Shiny Chrism Queen , Maiya G Rakesh , Kundapur Rashmi
Published: June 2022

Background: One in three women experience domestic violence with global prevalence ranging from 10-69%. It has significant public health consequence and due to sensitivity of the problem women may not report. Aims & objectives: To determine the pattern of domestic violence among women and its association with age, age at marriage, decision making power, economic and educational status of both partners and to determine the legal and health consequences of it. Material & Methods: Observational cross-sectional study was conducted among 199 rural married women. Women who can read and write Kannada were included using convenient sampling. Pre-validated, structured and self-administered questionnaire was used. Chi-square test was done for significance. Results: Emotional violence reported to be 83.1%, physical violence 53.8% and sexual violence 21.1%. Domestic violence had significant association with decision maker, age of both the partners and income of both the partners. 63.8% suffered from depression and 58.8% visited doctor 4-6 times in the last year in relation to domestic violence. Conclusion: The prevalence of domestic violence recorded was high and depression was the serious health consequence. Moral support should be given, and necessary measures should be taken to empower them.
Stress and safe health behaviour among mid adolescent school going children in urban Bhubaneswar, Odisha, India
Authors: Mistry Chitrangada , Kar Sonali , Das Bhagawati Charan , Thakur Bhaskar
Published: June 2022

Background: During adolescence, that the child is heavily influenced by his surroundings and attempts to change his or her habits and take on to newer habits. This has made relevant the emphasis of safe health behaviour in school and incorporation of stress assessment and subsequent counselling among the adolescent age group. The current study was planned among mid adolescent age group boys and girls, both from government and private schools of Bhubaneswar. Aims & Objectives: To see the association of socio-demographic characteristics with perceived stress among the adolescent children and to find the association of safe health behaviour with perceived stress among the adolescent children and determine the significant factors. Material & Methods: A total of 480 students (240 boys and girls each) selected randomly from 4 government and private schools were included in the study and administered a self-marking questionnaire which elicited information regarding safe health behaviour and also stress scores by using the Perceived Stress Scale which is a 10 points item. Results: Type of school and mother’s education emerged most significant in the sample in terms of stress experienced by the children. Children who were verbal abused by the teachers had higher stress (28.9%) compared to who were not abused (p = 0.012). In terms of health history, any report of sickness or illness in the past 3 months accounted for significantly higher stress levels (37%) compared to the group with no such history (22.5). Conclusion: These findings hint that school environment has a major role to play on the adolescent’s stress levels.
Perception of Medical Students regarding “Swachh Bharat Abhiyan” a cleanliness campaign: a qualitative study
Authors: Nath Bhola , Yadav Shiv Kumar , Kumari Ranjeeta
Published: June 2022

Background: Swachh Bharat Abhiyan -A Cleanliness Campaign was launched all over India in 2014 to sensitize people to work in the direction of making India a clean country. Since youth constitute the future of the nation, their perception is very much important for the nation’s progress. Therefore, the present study was conducted among Indian medical undergraduate (IMUG) students regarding their perception about the current cleanliness drive going on in the country. Aims & Objective: To assess the perception of IMUG students about the cleanliness and innovative cleanliness practices. Study Setting & Design: A cross-sectional qualitative study was carried among IMUG students in a medical college of North India. Material & Methods: Study was conducted during the period of the Swachhata Pakhwara Abhiyan, celebrated all over the country to reinforce the cleanliness drive. IMUG students were invited to describe their perception on the topic “How can I keep My India clean”. Statistical Analysis: -Transcript was prepared and deductive coding was done and perceptions of students were categorized into four broad themes: -1. Behaviour change communication 2. Practicing cleanliness.3Interventions required for cleanliness 4. Legislation required in favour of cleanliness. Results: Majority of IMUG Students expressed that it is the behaviour change Communication and habit of practicing cleanliness everywhere, which will bring the change in cleanliness drive in the country with emphasis on innovative intervention and the role of legislation. Conclusion: -Proper direction and consistent motivation along with sound perception of cleanliness among citizens can contribute in reaching the desired goals of cleanliness.
Violence against resident doctors, its psychological impact and associated factors in accident & emergency department in a tertiary care institute of Haryana
Authors: Vaishali Vaishali , Chayal Vinod , Verma Ramesh , Khanna Pardeep
Published: June 2022

Background: Violence in the healthcare setting is very common with the emergency department (ED) having the highest rate of violence in the hospital. While on one hand, the physical violence at the workplace has always been well recognized, the existence of psychological violence has been long underestimated. Materials and Methods: The study was a descriptive type of cross-sectional study conducted in 6 months in a tertiary care center of Haryana among doctors in Emergency and casualty Department. Study subjects were junior residents and senior residents posted in the emergency department. The questionnaire is a predesigned survey questionnaire formulated by ILO/ ICN/ WHO/ PSI Joint. Results: Most of the physical violence was seen in Surgery & Orthopaedics department with respective frequency of 44% & 39% respectively; while most of the verbal abuse reported in Medicine department with frequency of 33%. Most of the physical violence and verbal abuse occurred in age group of 25-29; males were more predisposed to both physical and psychological violence. Only 63% of the subjects knew about the procedures of reporting existing in the health facility. Conclusion: The study concludes that physical violence and verbal abuse are high in our institute, but majority of doctors did not know about the procedures of reporting.
Psycho-social health problems: Prevalence and associated factors among students of professional colleges in Jammu
Authors: Kumari Rashmi , Langer Bhavna , Jandial Sonia , Gupta Rajiv Kumar , Raina Sunil Kumar , Singh Parveen
Published: June 2022

Background: Psycho-social health problems are an area of concern worldwide especially among students pursuing professional courses. The competition for grades, carrier insecurity often contribute to various emotional disturbances such as stress, anxiety and depression. Aims and Objectives: to determine the prevalence of stress, anxiety and depression in students of two main professional streams (medical & engineering) and to find out various factors associated with them. Material and methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among students of medical and engineering stream using DASS 42 scale. Further a self administered, pretested questionnaire was used to elucidate information on socio-demographic and personal characteristics. Results: Out of a total of 480 students (300 MBBS and 180 Engineering), prevalence of stress, anxiety and depression in medical & engineering students was 47.6 %, 68.6%, 43.7% and 41.1%, 71.1 % & 40.0 % respectively. On Multiple Regression analysis, relationship with family members emerged as a significant independent predictor for all the three psychogenic factors. Conclusions: A high prevalence of depression, anxiety and stress was found among students of both the streams. There is a need to introduce simple counselling and stress management techniques in curriculum to combat such morbidities
Probiotic and Lifestyle Modification in Obese Pediatrics with Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease
Authors: Goyal Pooja , Thapa Babu Ram , Sharma Neeta Raj , Bhatia Anmol
Published: June 2022

Background: Non alcoholic fatty liver disease is an upcoming causes of chronic liver disease in pediatric population in Asia. Aims & Objective: To evaluate the potential of probiotic VSL#3 and Lifestyle modification in obese pediatrics with Non alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Material & Methods: we conducted clinical trial in 106 obese children in age group of 5 to18 years and divided in to four groups;VSL#3 plus lifestyle intervention (n=26), VSL#3 (n=27), Lifestyle intervention (n=26) and Placebo (n=27) received interventions for four months. To identify NAFLD by ultrasonography, Body mass index (BMI), mid arm circumference (MAC), waist circumference (WC) and triceps skinfold thickness (TSF) were done. Serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol(LDL-c),high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-c), triglyceride (TG), cholesterol, fasting blood glucose(FBG), high sensitivity C-reactive protein (HSCRP), uric acid, obesity hormones were measured along with their dietary intake at baseline and post trial. Results: VSL#3 plus lifestyle intervention significantly the most pronounced therapy for reducing fatty liver grades, anthropometric with biochemical parameters and beneficial impact on obesity hormones (p<0.001) as compared to single therapy of VSL#3 and lifestyle intervention alone. Conclusion: Combined therapy of VSL#3 plus lifestyle intervention is promising treatment for management of NAFLD in Indian obese children.
Effects of playing violent video games on teenagers’ behavior – An experience from Malaysia
Authors: Marzo Roy Rillera , Ahmad Amaluddin , Bhattacharya Sudip , Mun Fong Yee , Rahman Johari Abdul , Anwar Batcha Shihnas Bte , Rajiswaran Sharveenie , Hon Lew Chin
Published: June 2022

Introduction: Violent behaviours among teenagers have increased significantly over the years and the mean age of the crime has become younger. Aim and Objective: Our objective was to determine the effects of video games on male teenagers’ behaviors among population in the 24 secondary schools Muar, Johor, Malaysia. Methodology: This was a cross sectional study. Our sample size was 380 and the age of the respondents were between 13-16 years. Data was collected by using 4 sets of questionnaires, which are demographic information (4 items), Multi-Dimensional Emotional Empathy Scale (24 items), Buss-Perry Aggression Questionnaire (29 items) and Self Report Altruism scale (20 items). Results: Our results showed that 78.41% students were violent video gamers. Out of 380 students, 156 students (40.1%) engaged with videogames less than 2 hours per day, 151 teenagers (38.8%) used to play between 2 and 4 hours per day and only 82 teenagers (21.1%) used to play for more than 4 hours per day. About 70% of respondents score was lower than standard in both physical and verbal aggression. Level of altruism is one of the objectives in this research. Discussion: Our results documented that there is a relationship between the video games and the aggressive behaviour even the prosocial behaviour as well. Though the assessment of the aggression, the participant showed more on the anger and hostility attitude. Video games not only related to aggression but also it is related to the diminishing the sense of empathy among teenagers. Conclusion: We concluded in our study that most of the participants showed that they prefer violent video games, most of them are not empathetic and they don’t have altruism attitude.
Analyzing Out of Pocket Health Expenses: An Assessment based on Cross Section Study in Assam
Authors: Devi Nirmala
Published: June 2022

Background: Increasing out of pocket health expenses is one of the major debates among the policy makers during the recent years. Out of pocket (OOP) health expenses above the catastrophic level leads to impoverishment of the rural poor. Aims & Objectives: To analyzes the impact of inpatient care in escalating OOP expenses and identifies the factors associated with catastrophic health expenditure in Assam, India. Material & Methods: The study is based on the household survey conducted during 2014 - 15 in Nagaon and Nalbari districts of Assam. The factors associated with catastrophic health expenditure are estimated using binary logistic regression model. Results: The households are afflicted with a larger burden of healthcare expenditure mainly in case of inpatient care. Due to severe shortage of medical personnel and equipment, residents are compelled to visit private health facilities. Huge costs are borne by the households due to outsourcing of services from government to private sector. Conclusions: Provision of protection from financial risk for health hazards and improvement of quality of health care in government hospitals is imperative to improve the existing situation.
Assessment of work-related musculoskeletal morbidity, perceived causes and preventive activities practiced to reduce morbidity among brick field workers
Authors: Khanam Najnin , Wagh Vasant , Gaidhane Abhay Motiramji , Quazi Syyed Zahiruddin
Published: June 2022

Background: Heavy load transportation, repetitive movements and abnormal posture are prevalent among brick field workers which lead to musculoskeletal morbidity. Aims & Objectives: Assessment of work-related musculoskeletal morbidity, perceived causes and preventive activities practiced by brick field workers. Material & Methods: It was a cross sectional study from July 2018 to April 2019. National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health recommendations was used to assess preventive activities practiced by workers. Results: Most common site of musculoskeletal symptoms was shoulder (82%). Lifting weight for long distance (79%), repetitive gesture (59.5%) and bending trunk for long duration (53%) were the causes of musculoskeletal morbidity. Conclusion: Majority of male workers worked in the field for six to seven days per week and minor burns among them was common comparing to female. Most of the workers perceived, lifting weight for long distance was the major cause of musculoskeletal morbidity.
An explorative study of the differences in feeding patterns of children with and without disabilities in a rural community in Karnataka.
Authors: Jacob Ankeeta Menona , Pruthvish Sreekantaiah , Sastry Nandakumar Bidare , Kunnavil Radhika , Shankarappa Mohanraju
Published: June 2022

Background: Children with disabilities are nutritionally vulnerable due to feeding difficulties associated with disabilities. Aim & Objective: To investigate factors associated with feeding difficulties in children with/without disabilities. Settings and Design: A cross-sectional analytical study was undertaken in the rural field practice area of a medical college in Karnataka. Methods and Material: Data collected on 145 children with disability and 145 neighbors/sibling/ classmates of the child using a pretested semi-structured questionnaire was analyzed using SPSS 20.0 Statistical analysis: Difficulties faced by feeding children with/without disabilities were expressed in percentages. Chi-square test was used to determine the association between feeding time, challenges encountered, and need for assistance p (<0.05). Results: The mothers mostly assisted feeding. Significant differences in need for support among children with disabilities 19 (13.5%) and without disabilities 3(2.1%) during meals and time taken to feed were seen. The most common difficulty was the improper position 13(9.0%) among children with disabilities. Conclusions: Mother is the significant person involved in feeding children with & without disabilities. Help in feeding, improper position of the child, vomiting tendency while feeding was more common with children with disabilities than without disabilities.

Disabled children, Intellectual disability, Vomiting, Caregivers.