bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Awareness level of general population regarding acute chest pain in Aseer region, Southern of Saudi Arabia
Authors: Shehata Shehata F. , Alkhairi Muhammed A. , Alzahrani Mohammed A. , Alqarni Mohammed A. , Aseri Yahya F. , Alwadai Mohammed I.
Published: July 2020

Background: Myocardial infarction is caused by sudden closure of a coronary artery due to plaque rupture. Symptoms include chest pain, which travels from left arm to neck, dyspnea, sweating, nausea, vomiting, arrhythmia, anxiety, fatigue and weakness. Complications of acute myocardial infarction include papillary muscle rupture and mitral regurgitation, ventricular septal rupture, free-wall rupture, and right ventricular infarction. Adequate awareness of acute chest diseases improves medical consultation for suspected cases by general population.Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional approach was used targeting all population in Aseer region. The study was conducted during the period from December 2019 to March 2020. Data were collected using structured questionnaire included person’s socio-demographic data, Participants’ family history regarding heart attack, participants’ awareness regarding acute chest pain.Results: A total sample of 1287 respondents was included in the study. About 54% of the respondents aged 30 years or more and 65.3% were females. Only 9.2% of the participants correctly defined heart attack. Regarding symptoms, 59.9% of the participants reported left arm pain, 57.1% reported difficulty breathing and 29% told about burning sensation in middle of the chest. Totally, nearly one quarter of the participants had good awareness level regarding heart attack.Conclusions: In conclusion, the population awareness regarding heart attack and stroke is poor. Also, population with high risk were more knowledgeable. More effort should be paid to improve the public knowledge of stroke, more effective community-based education programs should be organized constantly with screening for population at high risk.
Effectiveness of mobile short message service intervention to increase parental socio-demographic knowledge of drowning prevention in Bangladesh
Authors: Hossain Mosharaf , Mani Kulanthayan K. C.
Published: July 2020

Background: Drowning is the third leading cause of death for children aged 0–4 years in many Asian countries, and is a serious but neglected health problem in low and middle-income countries (LMICs) like Bangladesh. In Bangladesh, drowning rates are 10 to 20 times more than those in other developed countries. The aim of this study is the efficiency of mobile SMS intervention for increasing parental socio-demographic knowledge of drowning prevention in Bangladesh.Methods: A cluster randomized community trial with 788 parents of children aged under five in a rural community of Bangladesh. The intervention was the mobile short message service (SMS) for parents of children under five years concerning the prevention of drowning. The main outcome of this study was the differences in knowledge of parents with socio-demographic factors concerning the prevention of drowning between the baseline and immediate follow-up after the intervention, and after three months.Results: There was a significant improvement in knowledge in the intervention group compared to the control group at different time points. There is a significant association with parental age, education, gender, and income and to improve childhood drowning prevention knowledge of parents to compare control group of parents.Conclusions: Special programmes and training could be increase knowledge about childhood drowning prevention in Bangladesh and should be broadcast on the radio and television networks.
Socioeconomic characteristics of autistic children: a comparative study
Authors: Hamid Zoshita , Sultana Sarmin , Nizam Saika , Yasmin Rabeya , Faruquee M. H. , Ahmad S. K. Akhtar
Published: July 2020

Background: Prevalence of autism is increasing and growing as an important public health problem. Prevention of autism is still a complicated issue. Thus, the management and rehabilitation of autistic children socially could be the main option.  For which the role of socio-economic factors of the autistic children needs to be considered.Methods: This was a cross-sectional comparative study conducted among the autistic and non-autistic children to compare their socioeconomic characteristics. A total of 90 autistic children from two specialized schools and age-matched 180 non-autistic children from nearby schools were included in this study.Results: Overall the mean age of the children was 8.01±2.974 years. More than fourth-fifths (84.4%) of the autistic children were male. In comparison to non-autistic children, significantly (p<0.05) autistic children had small family size (4.79) and higher family income (Taka=34588). Higher education of both father and mother was also found to be significantly associated with autistic children. However, logistic regression analysis revealed that post-graduate education of the father had the strongest (6.4 times) ability to predict the occurrence of autism. The mean age of the mother at birth of autistic children was significantly higher (31.16 years) and logistic regression analysis revealed that higher age of the mother at birth had 1.3 times ability to predict the occurrence of autism. Moreover, the analysis revealed that mothers who were housewife 2.3 times more likely to predict the occurrence of autism.Conclusions: The study revealed that some socio-economic factors were significantly related to autistic children compared to those of non-autistic children.
The variation of health seeking behaviour in urban households: an assessment on two selected residential areas in Sylhet
Authors: Begum Parvin , Islam Mohammad Shafiqul
Published: July 2020

Background: The study of health seeking behavior is a useful research for developing society like Bangladesh. Many factors such as socio-demographic, socio-cultural, socio-economic and health service system influence health seeking behavior. This study assessed the health seeking behavior among the households’ areas in Sylhet city.Methods: This study has used multistage cluster sampling method for data collection. Using multistage cluster sampling, 150 were selected. A household survey questionnaire was used to collect data. Information about socio-demographic characteristics, socio-economic factors, socio-cultural factors by residential areas, and their influences on seeking health care have been gathered. Chi-square and uni-variate analysis has been applied in this study.Results: The association between socio-economic status and the status of residential area has a significant relationship. The p value (0.005) indicates most of the socio-demographic factors except sanitary system associated with the status of residential households. The association among income range, total expenditure, medical expense, income interfere by perceiving illness, health insurance, main source of health care, reason for choosing specific source of health care and the pattern of health seeking behavior of the residential areas are statistically significant. Uni-variate analysis is an interaction between residence and reason for choosing specific health care on main source of health care among the households of the residential areas under this study (p=0.001).Conclusions: Understanding of health seeking behaviour is essential to provide need-based health care services to the population. Many factors like gender, age, type of illness influences the health seeking behaviour.
Monitoring strategies on patient safety practices among healthcare providers at Nakuru county referral hospital, Kenya
Authors: Kipkech Fancy J. , Makindi Stanley M. , Juma Joseph
Published: July 2020

Background: Quality care is achieved through combined efforts which include integration of all the components within the healthcare delivery system. Patient safety is one of the dimensions of enhancing quality healthcare. It involves increasing the awareness about the errors made due to human factors in the process of delivering healthcare services that may lead to harm and other adverse effects.Methods: This study was on assessment of monitoring strategies on patient safety practices among healthcare providers at Nakuru County Referral Hospital, Kenya. The study was anchored on Donabedian model for assessment of quality of care. The study design was a descriptive cross-sectional study. The sampling technique was purposive, stratified random sampling and proportionate with a sample size of 310 healthcare providers drawn from various departments. Data collection tools were questionnaire, interview schedule and observational checklist. Quantitative data was analysed using descriptive statistics (mean, mode and standard deviation).Results: The results of the study indicated and concluded that there is adherence to standardized clinical care protocols and guidelines as well as continuous and constant surveillance with clear assessments and evaluation of patient safety practices, accurate collection, storage, analysis and sharing of information on patient safety issues.Conclusions: The paper recommends the need for policy reviews on healthcare so as to ensure that patient safety issues are reviewed so as to mitigate risks in handling patients. There is need to establish clear guidelines on monitoring and evaluation standards of patient safety practices.
Joint modelling of correlated binary outcomes regarding the misconceptions of HIV transmission: a study with reference to the tertiary and vocational education trainees in Sri Lanka
Authors: Samarakoon Thilini , Withanage Niroshan , Samarakoon Nimalakith , Lekamge Upul , Silva Nadesha De
Published: July 2020

Background: Currently, people infected with HIV are largely discriminated and discredited. Misunderstanding about the mechanism of HIV transmission has been identified as one reason for discrimination. This study assessed the socio-demographic and behavioral risk factors of the two misconceptions about HIV transmission, namely HIV is transmitted by sharing cups and plates with an HIV infected person (Myth 1) and HIV is transmitted by mosquito bites (Myth 2) among the trainees who were selected to the Tertiary and Vocational Education Training (TVET) Centers in Sri Lanka.Methods: This study applied stratified random sampling to select 955 respondents. A self-administered structured questionnaire was used to collect the data. Generalized linear mixed model (GLMM) approach was applied to find the associations between misconceptions about HIV and socio-demographic and behavioral risk factors of the trainees.Results: Level of education of trainees, family relationship, knowledge on sexual and reproductive health (SRH), knowledge about the risk of getting HIV after sexual intercourse, whether the trainee had participated in seminar or workshop on sexually transmitted diseases were identified as the possible factors to detect the knowledge about the misconceptions of HIV transmission.Conclusions: Even though the level of education among different social segments have not revealed remarkable differences in knowledge, the study convinced that the youth should be provided better awareness and education on STD and HIV through countrywide workshops and awareness programmes.
Health service utilization by a semi-urban community in Kedah, Malaysia, 2019
Authors: Kanna Mona Kanna Kodeesh , Chin Khoo Wei , Yik Khoo Chun , Rai Saraswathi Bina
Published: July 2020

Background: Socioeconomic development in Malaysia and the call for Universal health coverage has resulted in comprehensive health care being easily available and accessible at an exceptionally low cost to the people. The aim was to study the health utilization pattern of a semi-urban community to determine their health seeking preference, to understand the extent to which the medical facilities are being used by them and their level of satisfaction with the services received.Methods: We used a pre-tested structured questionnaire, with face-to-face interview of representatives of randomly selected households in 2 housing estates in Kedah. The questionnaire covered education level, income, and information relevant to health service utilization. Data, after verification was transcribed into excel and analysed using Epiinfo7.2.Results: Out of 112 households visited, 80.3% was in the B40 group. Of all, 96 (85.7%) individuals chose Government healthcare with no significant difference between the B40 and others (p=0.3). Currently 52.6% have children utilizing child health services and 47.1% utilizing the maternal health services. Most (70.5%), irrespective of education level do not go for general checkup. Those that do, have an underlying medical condition. Payments for hospitalization and medications were done by 38.4% and 30.3% respectively. Most frequent investigation was X-ray, ECG, and ultrasonography. Dental checkup accounted for 50.7% of type of service utilized. Overall, 63.4% of respondents were satisfied with the level of healthcare in the country.Conclusions: This community opts for Government health care and is generally satisfied with the level of care provided.
Human and environmental risk factors of leptospirosis in Gunungkidul, Indonesia: a case-control study
Authors: Sulistyawati Sulistyawati , Pradana Righa , Sugathan Sandheep
Published: July 2020

Background: Leptospirosis is a bacterial, zoonotic disease associated with environmental factors and human behavior related to occupation. This research aimed to investigate the association between human behavior and leptospirosis. Case mapping and topographical mapping were done for a comprehensive visualization.Methods: A matched case-control study design was conducted in Gunungkidul, Indonesia, from December 2017 to January 2018. Cases were selected from those reported as suspicious of leptospirosis by the Gunungkidul District Health Office during 2017 and controls were matched according to sex and age. Chi-squared, Fisher exact test, and Odds ratios were employed to find out the association between exposure and outcome for a significance level of 0.05. Quantum GIS-Web Map-Stamen terrain was used to overlay case and landscape.Results: Bivariate analysis showed that four exposure variables that enhanced the risk for leptospirosis though not significantly associated were history of injuries, habit of taking a bath or wash the clothes in the river, not using personal protection during work and presence of an animal fence surrounding the house. Most of the leptospirosis cases (>70%) resided in a hilly area. This finding assists in developing prevention strategies concerning leptospirosis infection.Conclusions: Human behaviour is vital in leptospirosis prevention. Accordingly, this study can broaden the understanding horizon, particularly for a decision-maker where and how to implement the Leptospirosis prevention program. Prevention should address the current situation in the field and based on population and local wisdom to result in the successful implementation.
Lifestyle and nutritional status of late adolescent in an urban area of Western Maharashtra: cross sectional study
Authors: Landge Jyoti A. , Khadkikar Gajanan D.
Published: July 2020

Background: Prevalence of overweight and obesity is rapidly increasing among adolescent age. One of the reasons is change in lifestyle and behavior practices. Adolescent population and health of adolescents have a special concern. In late adolescence there is transition from school to college or university. This transition to college life often worsens lifestyle and dietary habits among late adolescents. Present study was carried out to assess lifestyle and nutritional status of late adolescent.Methods: A cross sectional study were carried out involving 140 late adolescent students of 17-19 years after obtaining permission from college principle using preformed questionnaire. Subsequently anthropometric measurements like weight in kg and height in meters, waist and hip circumference in centimetre were measured using standard assessment measures.Results: Out of 140 students 51 (36.4%) were boys and 89 (63.6%) were girls. Mean age of the students was 18.13±0.79 years. Overall prevalence of overweight and obesity was 49 (35%) and 29 (20.7%) respectively. No significant difference in BMI for boys and girls. Waist circumference and waist hip ratio was more in girls compared with boys. More than half 53.6% had mixed diet pattern. Among study participants 55.7% have green leafy vegetables in their diet and 62.8% have fruit in their diet. Most frequent unhealthy diet practice was intake of junk food 85% followed by fast food.Conclusions: High prevalence of obesity and overweight in late adolescent indicate an urge to start primordial and primary intervention since childhood.
Assessment of knowledge of HIV and AIDS among tribal college students: a cross-sectional study
Authors: Ghodke Baliram , Mohite Amit , Shinkar Swapnil
Published: July 2020

Background: AIDS mainly affects people aged 15-40 years. The co-infection of HIV/AIDS with other infectious diseases is an escalating public health problem. Public health intervention tools are effective only when knowledge needs are ably assessed. The objective of this study was to assess knowledge regarding HIV, routes of transmission, prevention and treatment in tribal students.Methods: Questionnaire was used to carry out this study in 120 tribal students enrolled in BA (bachelor of Arts) course in a college of tribal district of Maharashtra.Results: Out of 120 students, 104 students 86.67% completed the self-administered questionnaire. Out of 104 the 62.50% were males and 37.50% were females. 99.03% were aware of the word ‘HIV/AIDS’. 58.65% were aware of all possible routes of HIV transmission. Only 12.5% knew that unprotected anal sex carries high risk for HIV transmission.70.19% knew that HIV infection was not curable. 75% students said that weight loss was the major symptom of AIDS. 49.03% knew that tuberculosis was the principal opportunistic infection. 25% were aware of the ELISA test and 21.03% knew the location of treatment centre. The main sources of this information were television and the internet (72% and 71%).Conclusions: Tribal students have inadequate knowledge regarding routes of HIV transmission and its prevention. It is imperative to increase awareness by various channels of communications such as the mass media.
Clinical profile of patients presenting with inhalational organophosphorus poisoning in central India: a retrospective study
Authors: Divekar Sachin , Bhelkar Sandeep M. , Hiwarkar Prabhakar , Masare Monika
Published: July 2020

Background: World Health Organisation (WHO) report through International Programme on Chemical Safety (IPCS), poisoning is a significant global public health problem. According to WHO data, in 2012 an estimated 193,460 people died worldwide from unintentional poisoning. Intentional and unintentional pesticide poisoning has been acknowledged as a serious problem in many countries, including India, Limited literature available on clinical profile of organophosphorus poisoning cases, with this background present study was attempted. Objective of the study was to know the clinical presentation of OP poisoning cases admitted in tertiary care hospital.Methods: A retrospective record based observational study was conducted.Results: A total of 535 patients presented in the emergency department with the clinical features of OP poisoning. Mean age of the persons presenting in the emergency was 33.3±10.1 years. Nausea and vomiting is the most commoner symptom reported by 60.7% of patients followed by giddinesss (41.3%), loose motion (28.2%) and secretions (9.5%). Signs like abnormal pupil size, fasciculations and inability to neck holding were common with 23.55% 19.3% and 21.1% respectively. Statistical significance was found between Serum acetylcholine esterase level and outcome of patients (p<0.01). 96.1% received treatment less than half an hours. 18 patients required ventilator and among these 13 were died.Conclusions: Majority of the patients were of young age with males outnumbering females. Nausea and vomiting was the most common symptom reported by the patients while abnormal pupil size was the most common sign observed at the emergency department.
Prevalence and correlates of low birth weight babies born in a tertiary care teaching hospital in Eastern India
Authors: Paul Tanaya , Chakraborty Kaustav , Sarkar Nayan , Chatterjee Moumita , Roy Suman Kumar
Published: July 2020

Background: Low birth weight (LBW) is one of the long-standing birth outcomes amongst all adverse pregnancy outcomes, which have lasting influences in the later life span. The objective of the study was to determine the prevalence of LBW babies; to examine the correlation between maternal socio-demographic, lifestyle, obstetrics, and clinical factors with LBW; and to compare the above factors between mothers with low and normal birth weight babies.Methods: All the pregnant women admitted for delivery in the inpatient Department of Gynaecology and Obstetrics and providing informed consent were interviewed with the help of the semi-structured questionnaire. The antenatal card and labour room log book were also scrutinized for relevant data.Results: The prevalence of LBW and VLBW were 33.8% and 2.8% respectively. A significant positive correlation was found between strenuous working environment, duration of standing, consumption of alcohol and smoking in pregnancy, previous history of premature birth and LBW babies, high blood pressure and pre-eclampsia during pregnancy, total weight gain during pregnancy and gestational age at birth and LBW. Mothers of LBW and normal birth weight babies significantly differed in their age, total weight gain during pregnancy, religion, level of education, history of premature baby and LBW baby, high blood pressure and preeclampsia during pregnancy. In the regression model, there was also a significant positive linear relationship between LBW and strenuous work environment & gestational age at birth.Conclusions: One third of the pregnant mothers delivered LBW child and various socio-demographic and clinical factors had significant correlation with LBW.
Health care utilization and out of pocket expenditure in a rural area of Kerala: a cross sectional study
Authors: Vijayan Sajna Mathumkunnath , Puliyakkadi Safa , Chalil Swathi
Published: July 2020

Background: Out-of-pocket expenditure in health has substantial negative side effects. They may lead to impoverishment. The knowledge of pattern of health care utilization and out of pocket expenditure is imperative for policy making in health care. Objectives of this study were to study utilization pattern of health care services of the population in a rural area of Thrissur district and study of the self-reported chronic morbidity profile and out of pocket expenditure for chronic diseases among the population.Methods: A community based cross sectional study was conducted in Tholur panchayath area of Thrissur district of Kerala. The calculated sample size was 552 households. House hold was considered as primary sampling units. All family members of the house hold were included in the study. Cluster sampling method was adopted. Data was collected using a pre tested semi-structured questionnaire.Results: A total of 809 individuals from 583 households were found to have chronic diseases. Among them, 54.8% were utilizing private health facility for their treatment. Majority (86%) were following modern medicine system for treatment. Health insurance was availed by 26.6 % of the study participants. Most common reported morbidity was combination of hypertension, diabetes mellitus, and hypercholesterolemia. The total median out of pocket expenditure for chronic diseases was found to be 5000 Indian Rupees. It was found that 41.6% of the total income of study participants was spent for health care of chronic diseases which indicate catastrophic health expenditure.Conclusions: The burden of chronic disease is high and the private hospitals are approached more by the study population for treatment rather than government hospitals. Health insurance coverage is low, and social assistance availed for treatment is marginal. These factors lead to high out of pocket expenditure amounting to catastrophic health expenditure.
A study to assess the treatment adherence among patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus in rural and urban population of Bengaluru, South India
Authors: S. Padmanabha Usha Rani , R. Maheswaran , Hiremath Shwetha , N. Puneeth , Prithviraj Renuka
Published: July 2020

Background: Globally, around 425 million adults are victims of diabetes with increased prevalence being noted in low and middle income countries. Diabetes was seventh leading cause of death leading to 1.6 million deaths in 2016 (WHO report). Management of diabetes is multifaceted which includes diet, physical activity, screening for complications and medications. Adherence to pharmacotherapy plays an important role in glycemic control. Hence, this study was done to assess the magnitude of treatment adherence and its associated factors among type 2 diabetics.Methods: A community based study was done on patients with type 2 DM in the rural and urban population of Bengaluru. A simple random sampling technique was followed. Medication adherence was assessed using 8 item Morisky's treatment adherence scale.Results: A total of 250 subjects were interviewed, among them 59% were male and 41% were female. The mean age of the subjects was 60.93±10.1 years. The mean treatment adherence scores was 25.9±3.1 years. Among the 250 diabetics, 62% were adherent and 38% were non adherent to anti diabetic medications. Forgetfulness to take medications was one of the reasons for non-adherence with mean scores of 3.12+0.6.Being illiterate, labourers, aged above 60 years, obesity, frequency and multiple dosage was found to be significant factors for non-adherence (p<0.05).Conclusions: Adherence to anti diabetic drugs was found to be 62%. Increased age, illiteracy, occupation, BMI, frequency and multiple doses of drugs were significant factors responsible for medication non adherence. There is a need for reinforcement of health education and motivation for diabetics to improve their medication adherence.
Treatment outcome of multi-drug resistant tuberculosis patients on second line anti-tuberculosis dugs at tertiary care hospital at Himachal Pradesh, India
Authors: Kumari Anita , Sharma Parveen K. , Bansal Rekha
Published: July 2020

Background: MDR-TB treatment defaulter are potentially harmful to community as these can relapse and spread infection, developed resistance to second line anti tubercular drugs and may result in to extensive drug resistant tuberculosis (XDR-TB) and major challenges for successful outcome. Objective was to study treatment outcome of multi-drug resistant tuberculosis patients on second line anti-tuberculosis drugs at tertiary care hospital at Himachal Pradesh.Methods: It was prospective observational study carried out after approval from institutional ethics committee. A total 104 MDR/RR-TB case enrolled for study from November 2012 to October 2013. Data were collected in predesigned proforma and entered in to Microsoft excel worksheet 2007 and analyzed with the help of SPSS software version 17. Chi-square test was applied to find out the association between independent variable and outcome of MDR-TB and p<0.05 was considered statistically significant.Results: Among all 104 patients initiated on treatment 73.07% patients were alive, completed intensive phase and switch to continuation phase of treatment, 14.42% patients were died, 5.76% defaulted, 0.96% patient was transferred out and 5.76% patients were turned out XDR-TB and switched to regimen of XDR-TB treatment.Conclusions: Treatment and control of MDR-TB require sound infrastructure and well equipped laboratory facilities to provide quality and prompt diagnosis. Lack of knowledge, awareness, long duration of treatment and defaulters are major challenges for successful outcome.
Efficacy of once a week versus daily supplementation of 200 mg of ferrous sulphate for control of anaemia in school going menstruating adolescent girls
Authors: Moreshwar Sangeeta A. , Naik Vijaya A.
Published: July 2020

Background: Anaemia is one of the most common global public health problem among adolescents affecting developing and developed countries with major consequences for health as well as socio-economic development. India accounts for high prevalence of anaemia in adolescent girls. The objective of the study was to find the efficacy of once a week vs. daily oral iron supplementation of 200 mg of ferrous sulphate, in terms of increase in haemoglobin levels, in mild and moderate anaemic menstruating adolescent girls.Methods: Total 588 menstruating adolescent girls studying in selected eight schools of Handignur PHC were included in the study. Structured questionnaire was administered. Haemoglobin estimation was done at baseline, one, two and three months of iron supplementation. Data was analyzed by SPSS 16.0 version. Intention to treat analysis was carried out.Results: Prevalence of anaemia in menstruating adolescent girls was 94.6% (95% CI 92.83 to 96.37). There has been statistically significant increase in mean haemoglobin in daily at the end of two and three months of supplementation (p<0.001). At the end of three months of iron supplementation haemoglobin values became normal at 75th percentile in daily group and at 90th percentile in weekly group.Conclusions: The present study concludes that daily iron supplementation results in much higher levels of haemoglobin at the end of three months when compared with once a week supplementation. All the adolescent girls need iron supplementation-daily for anaemic and once a week for non-anaemic girls.
Utilization of postnatal care services in a rural area of Nalgonda district, Telangana state, India
Authors: Jahnavi K. , Nirgude Abhay Subhashrao , Nagaraj Kondagunta
Published: July 2020

Background: Promoting women’s health improves not only individual health but also the health of the family, community and the nation. Less attention was given for postnatal period in developing countries; women and their newborns don’t receive postnatal care services from a skilled birth attendant during the first days after childbirth. The objective was to study utilization of postnatal care services by recently delivered mothers, to study the geographical accessibility factors influencing utilization of postnatal care services and to study healthcare provider factors influencing utilization of post natal care services.Methods: It was a community based cross sectional study conducted in Cherlapally and villages around, which constitute the rural field practice area of Department of SPM, Kamineni Institute of Medical Sciences, Narketpally Telangana from September 2012 to October 2014. A pre-designed and pre-tested questionnaire was used to collect the data. The data was compiled and analyzed using SPSS version 19.Results: Accordingly, 97.9% of the mothers received postnatal care and 2.7% mothers didn’t receive the postnatal care. In the present study post natal advice was received by 67.8%, 82.2% and 55.1% of mothers regarding family planning, breast feeding and baby care respectively. Majority (79.9%) of mothers travelled greater than 5 kms for delivery and only 20.1% of mothers travelled less than 5 kms for delivery.Conclusions: Number of institutional deliveries and deliveries assisted by skilled health personnel were more compared to other studies probably because of awareness created during antenatal visits, maternity benefit scheme and role of ASHA workers.
Prevalence and determinants of obesity among adolescent school children of North Kerala
Authors: Viswambharan Jaya Koothupalakkal , Bina Thomas , Raphael Lucy
Published: July 2020

Background: Obesity has emerged as one of the major health problems in recent years. This increasing prevalence has implications in health issues in later parts of life. Life style factors and diet practices are the attributed factors to the development of obesity.Methods: This cross sectional study was conducted among 1011 adolescent school children in Kozhikode corporation area, Kerala, South India after getting necessary permissions. A semi structured questionnaire which contained questions related to socio demographic characters, diet, physical activity and other known risk factors of obesity in adolescents was administered.Results: 76.8% of the study subjects were of normal weight, while 15.5% were underweight (thinness- 9% and severe thinness- 6.5%). 1.9% were obese and 5.8% were overweight. The combined prevalence of overweight and obesity was 7.7%. Nuclear family, better family education, better SES, skipping breakfast and consumption of more sweets were associated with obesity.Conclusions: Preventive and promotive measures to reduce the burden of obesity needs to be initiated from early childhood and must be insisted to the family members also. School based lifestyles and behavioural change measures, encouraging school teachers to actively participate in these measures, active involvement of school children in regular sports activities, periodic anthropometric assessment and intervention when needed along with sensitization of parents towards the consequences of obesity are some of the measures to prevent the rising epidemic.
Investigation of the food poisoning outbreak in girls hostel of medical college in Punjab
Authors: Prajapati Paresh , Kaur Prabhjot , Sidhu Tanvir K. , Singh Gurkirat , Mehra Shyam , Paul Sourabh , Malhotra Varun M. , . Rupali
Published: July 2020

Background: Food safety is intricately woven with food security and nutrition. The “in‑living personnel” constitute a high‑risk group for food poisoning because of community kitchen practices. Quick response and action are vital to limit the morbidity and spread of the disease.Methods: A retrospective cohort study was conducted to investigate the food poisoning outbreak in private medical college. After the initial information of the sudden cases of vomiting and diarrhoea from girls’ hostel, epidemiological case sheet was developed for collecting the information from students. A line listing of all the probable cases was done. Common food items were identified. An environmental data recording was done. Attack rate, attributable risk and relative risk with 95% confidence interval were calculated for each food item to establish an association with the illness.Results: Out of the 97 students, who consumed the dinner, 8 girls presented with severe symptoms of the gastrointestinal upset along with other bodily symptoms, 60 students showed mild symptoms and 29 students did not show any of the symptoms of the disease. After analysis, palak paneer was found to be the food responsible for outbreak with most probable cause of contamination with Staph auerus.Conclusions: It has been found out in this investigation that whenever the sanitation conditions of the cooking area were compromised and negligence was played at the part of food handlers - it has always increased the probability of such outbreaks and sufferings of the people.
Health seeking behaviour among construction workers in Kancheepuram district, Tamil Nadu: a descriptive study
Authors: Kumar P. Mohan , S. Gopalakrishnan
Published: July 2020

Background: Construction workers form the second largest working group in the un-organized sector and their life depends on the daily wages they earn. This study was planned to assess the health seeking behaviour of construction workers in an urban area of Kancheepuram District in Tamil Nadu.Methods: This descriptive cross-sectional study was done among 302 male construction workers by random sampling from four construction sites using a pre-tested structured questionnaire. Data collected was analysed using SPSS Version 21 software and the result presented using descriptive statistics. Institutional ethical committee approval and informed consent were obtained.Results: Among construction workers, nearly 55% belonged to less than 40 years age. Majority were illiterates and more than half of them were working as helpers for masons, painters and centring workers. About 63.9% were smokers, 62.9% consuming alcohol and 57.6% use other form of tobacco. Nearly 69.9% were pre-hypertensive and 15% were hypertensive. About 87.4% had normal BMI, 5.3% were underweight and 7% were overweight. Nearly 78.8% of workers sought medical care and they preferred allopathic system (97.7%) for treatment. 87.4% preferred treatment from private hospitals while 8.8% preferred to get treatment at the construction site itself and remaining goes to government hospitals for treatment. Most workers (95.0%) preferred outpatient’s treatment.Conclusions: Majority of construction workers prefer private allopathic medical facilities for their medical treatment, even though it adds to their out of pocket expenditure. There seems to be a knowledge gap, convenience and financial burden in their health seeking behaviour.
Factors associated with delays in seeking tuberculosis treatment among patients at Muhima district hospital, Rwanda
Authors: Nwankwo Chinenye Mercy , Omar Yasmin Umubyeyi
Published: July 2020

Background: Few studies exist in Rwanda to establish the reasons behind delays in seeking treatment in the health institutions which further affected timely diagnosis and case detection. The study investigated factors associated with delays in seeking treatment among tuberculosis (TB) patients at Muhima District Hospital, Rwanda.Methods: The study adopted descriptive cross- sectional study of 49 smear-positive TB patients derived using proportion estimation of case registry (November 2016 to January 2017) newly- diagnosed patients, first and second months treatment. Systematic sampling technique used to select 60 TB patients from target population. Data collected by researcher and trained research assistant, using a close- ended questionnaire through a translation in local dialect.Results: About 49% (24) of the smear- positive TB patients experienced delayed in seeking treatment for more than 180 days (6 months). Also 53% (26) were within the 36-45 age-cohort, while majority 75.5% (37) of the respondents was male. About 57% (28) of the respondents have poor knowledge of TB transmission. Similarly, about 51% (25) were the results on the perception of taking anti- TB medication, while median time interval from onset of symptoms and initiation of treatments was 45 days, average 71 days between 15 -180 days.Conclusions: Statistically significant relationship exist between initial source of treatment using home remedies (p=0.0) and private insurance cover (p=0.0) in relation to delay, which further contributed to delay among majority. Recommendations of the study are strengthening medical services utilization, improving case detection, medical infrastructures and collaboration with non- formal healthcare practices.
Comparative evaluation of internet addiction amongst arts, commerce, engineering and medical students
Authors: Soni Kartik , Alam M. N. , Joshi Prangyada R. , Kaore Navinchandra M. , Singh Sukhendra P.
Published: July 2020

Background: With the advancement of technology across the world web and information have been interlinked. Internet is one of the channels for communication at a large platform just with a click and scrolling by fingertip. It is an impulsive disorder, which does not involve use of an intoxicating drug. When need get converted to demand we get addicted. Addiction causes depression, anger, loneliness and other medical problems too. Considering its variable use among different professionals, present study has been conducted to assess the level of addiction among young professional students of Raipur Chhattisgarh.Methods: Ethical approval for this study (N– ADMIN/261-B/2019) was provided by the institutional ethical committee Raipur institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS) Raipur on 11/07/2019. This was a cross-sectional observational study done in Raipur which included 160 (Purposive samples) students of 18-30 years from arts, commerce, engineering and medical colleges. The study duration was of two months (15 July 2019- 15 September 2019). Predesigned pretested structured questionnaire (Young’s internet addiction test) was done using multistage simple random sampling.Results: Prevalence of addiction is 65% (104/160). Mild, moderate and severe are 38% (62/160), 21.9% (35/160), 4.4% (07/160) respectively. Among severely addicted maximum 12.5% (05/160) belong to engineering stream.Conclusions: Male are more addicted than female and engineering streams are affected more severely.
Knowledge and attitude about Nipah virus infection among medical students, Mysuru, India
Authors: George Preetha Susan , Mysore Ramaiah Narayana Murthy
Published: July 2020

Background: As the deadly Nipah virus, which took the life of 18 people in 2018, resurfaces in Kerala, Karnataka being nearby state is put on high alert, among which Mysore is one such district. Even with a case fatality rate of 94.7%, early treatment and prompt control activities by medical professionals can save more lives. So with this background and relevance, the study intends to assess the knowledge and attitude about Nipah virus infection among the medical students of JSS Medical College, Mysuru district, as medical students must have a good insight about the effect of diseases on communities and individuals.Methods: The study was conducted among 4th term and 8th term MBBS students of JSS Medical College, Mysuru, Karnataka. The study sample of 271 was obtained by convenient sampling method. The study was done over a period of 3 months (April 2019 to June 2019). Data regarding knowledge and attitude was collected using pretested semi-structured questionnaire. Data was analysed using SPSS-24. Appropriate statistical tests were applied to find out association and was expressed statistically significant at a p value<0.05.Results: Majority of the students were aware about the Nipah virus infection and 97% were aware about the recent outbreak in Kerala. 43.5% of the students had good knowledge regarding the epidemiology and treatment of Nipah virus infection and 47.20% had acceptable knowledge on Nipah virus. 33.60% of the students had good attitude regarding the preventive aspects of Nipah virus infection.Conclusions: Majority of the students 97% were aware about the recent outbreak of Nipah virus infection in Kerala. Around 43.5% of the students had good knowledge regarding the epidemiology and treatment of Nipah virus infection and 33.6% of the students had good attitude regarding the preventive aspects of Nipah virus infection. Students from previously affected places had good knowledge and attitude regarding Nipah virus.
Prevalence and factors associated with adherence to highly active anti-retroviral therapy among patients living with HIV and AIDS in a tertiary care unit in Kozhikode
Authors: Subbiah Suthanthira Kannan , Reddy Suganya Kuppovi , Thavody Jayakrishnan , Bina Thomas
Published: July 2020

Background: Adherence to therapy is central to the success of anti-retroviral treatment (ART) and one of the most important factors influencing long term prognosis of HIV infection. In order to achieve this, patients are required to maintain more than 95% adherence to achieve lasting suppression of viral replication. The objective of the study was to assess the adherence to highly active antiretroviral therapy among people living with HIV (PLHIV) and the factors associated with adherence.Methods: This was a cross-sectional study conducted among PLHIV patients attending ART clinic, government medical college, Kozhikode from June 2015 to 2016. Adherence was estimated using modified Morisky 8 items questionnaire. Pretested semi-structured questionnaire was used to study various associated factors by interview method.Results: Of the 265 patients, the majority 246 (92.8%) were found to be treatment adherent and 19 (7.2%) were non-adherent. Most of the study population were in the age group 31-45 years and majority of the PLHIV were taking first line fixed dose regimens. Factors such as the early stage of the disease, using a method to remember, disclosure status, involvement in social activities, regular visit to ART clinic, financial and emotional support, involvement in social activities and HIV in the family were found be positively associated with adherence.Conclusions: Our study had found that a cordial environment in the ART centre will improve adherence and factors such as strong patient-provider relationship, including trust and engagement with the provider, which helps in improving ART adherence.
Clinical features, laboratory profile and outcomes among dengue patients admitted in a tertiary care hospital, Delhi NCR
Authors: Tiwari Mohit , Tibrewal Abhishek , Pichika Varun S.
Published: July 2020

Background: Globally, dengue, a mosquito-borne viral infection, is the most rapidly spreading vector-borne disease. Dengue fever is endemic in >100 countries including India. Dengue has a variety of clinical presentations. The objective of the study was to understand the clinical features, laboratory profile and outcomes of dengue fever among patients admitted in a tertiary care hospital in Delhi, National Capital Region.Methods: This was a cross-sectional study among 75 dengue confirmed (NS-1 antigen and/or IgM antibody positive) patients with fever <1 week. The variables included were socio-demographic; clinical features; laboratory and radiological profile and outcomes. Descriptive analysis was used.Results: The majority of the patients were aged between 18-40 years 72% and predominantly males 68%. A total of 18.7% patients (malaria: 13.3% and chikungunya: 5.3%) had co-infection. Fever was present in all the patients, followed by myalgia (74.7% patients), retro-orbital pain/headache 69.3%, and vomiting 45.3%. The mean hemoglobin was 13.9 gm/dl, leukopenia 46.7% patients, thrombocytopenia 96.0% and elevated liver enzymes 69.3%. Radiological examination showed pleural effusion 6.7%, gallbladder wall thickening 6.7%, splenomegaly 4.0%, and hepatomegaly 2.7%. The outcomes included ICU care 17.3%, ventilator support 13.3%, blood transfusion 14.7%, and mortality 1.3% during the hospital stay.Conclusions: Dengue has become a major public health problem in India. The most common clinical features are fever, myalgia, headache and vomiting; laboratory abnormalities are leukopenia, thrombocytopenia and deranged liver enzymes. No specific treatment exists, but early detection and proper medical care lowers fatality rates.
Wearing of face masks while jogging during the COVID-19 pandemic: will my oxygenation decrease?
Authors: Ting Frederic Ivan , Villanueva Justine
Published: July 2020

Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, several guidelines recommend the wearing of face masks when outdoors. However, it is still widely debated if that recommendation is safe while exercising outdoors. Our paper shows that the wearing of face masks while jogging outdoors does not significantly affect the level of the person’s oxygen saturation.