bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Household food safety practices in a rural area of Kancheepuram District, Tamil Nadu- A cross-sectional study
Authors: Mani Geetha , William Roseline Fatima , Thirunaaukarasu D
Published: October 2022

Introduction: Food safety is a public health priority. Though contamination of food could occur at any point from production to consumption, a substantial proportion of foodborne diseases occur due to inadequate food safety practices at home. This study was undertaken to assess food safety practices in rural households in the field practice area of our college and identify any association between food safety practices and occurrence of food-borne illness in the family. Materials and methods: This was a descriptive, cross-sectional study conducted among woman above thirty years of age attending the rural training and health centre of a medical college in Kancheepuram district between January to March 2016. A pre-tested schedule was used to obtain information of foodborne illness in the family in the past three months and food safety practices at home. The results were tabulated and appropriate statistical tests performed. Results: Among the 100 women participated, 28% reported that at least one person in their family has suffered from foodborne illness in the past three months. Significant statistical association was identified between occurrence of food-borne illness and absence of separate kitchen, inadequate hand washing practices, storing food for more than 1 day, reheating of stored food and housefly breeding in household (p < 0.05).Conclusion: This study highlighted inadequacies in food safety at household level and the association with foodborne illnesses and need for similar studies in different parts of the country. The information obtained will help us develop an effective health education programme appropriate to target population.
Socio-demographic factors for early marriage and early pregnancy â€“ A community based study
Authors: Udgiri Rekha
Published: October 2022

Background: Early marriage is one of key factor for dropping out the education and personal development, usually girls discontinue their schooling if a good marriage alliance is made. At the same time adolescent pregnancy remains a major contributing factor for maternal and child mortality. Objectives : To know the magnitude of early marriage and young pregnancy in the field practice area and to assess the socio-demographic factors of the participants. Materials and methods: Present study was community based cross-sectional study, no intervention was done. A total of 128 women were participated in the study. House to house survey was done for period of 6 months in both the rural field practice and urban field practice area. Results and Conclusion: The present study observed the significant difference between rural and urban area with response to age at marriage, duration of married life, number of children, knowledge about contraception, reason for early marriage and pregnancy. Traditional practices and family pressure, lack of contraception usage after marriage and after child birth was found to be reason for early marriage and young pregnancy in this region.
Knowledge of food groups among mothers of preschool children in a rural area of Villupuram district, Tamilnadu.
Authors: Johnson Abel K Samuel , Abraham Sherin Billy , Muthukumar T , Bazroy Joy , Purty Anil J , Singh Zile
Published: October 2022

Introduction: Nutrition is defined as the process by which the organism utilizes food. Malnutrition is a major public health problem as both under nutrition and obesity has serious negative health implications. Childhood malnutrition adversely impacts the overall lifelong health of individuals by affecting growth and development. Materials and Methods: A cross sectional study was conducted among the mothers of under five children in Anaichikuppam, a rural area of Villupuram district during the month of November 2013. A total of 157 mothers of pre school children were interviewed in the study. The mothers were asked to fill six food groups in the appropriate boxes based on the requirements per day in the â€œThe food guide pyramidâ€. The food items present in the food pyramid were given in the questionnaire and asked to mark in the appropriate boxes based on their priority. Results: A total of 157 mothers were interviewed in the study. Maximum number of mothers marked fats and oils (66%) against the appropriate box in the food pyramid. Majority of the mothers (92%) had wrong perception about cereals and marked it wrongly in the food pyramid. Conclusion: The knowledge of the mothers regarding nutrition is fairly acceptable in our study population. More emphasis needs to be given to fruits, vegetables and cereals since least priority has been given to these food groups.
Exploring the Application of Colour Coding For Quality Health Care
Authors: Annadurai Kalaivani
Published: October 2022

Colour coding is defined as the systematic, standard application of color to aid in classification and identification.1 Colour coding in health care is mainly used for better enhancement, differentiation, systematic classification. Colour coding is used in various fields of medicine for different purpose. Techniques used commonly are colour differentiation and colour matching.2Colour coded growth chart is an important tool for the classification of malnutrition and used as a diagnostic aid for Health care workers and educational tool for mother in child care.3 Rapid categorization of victims during mass casualties follows colour coding and decides medical action required. Red tag indicates critical patients demanding immediate action, yellow tag indicates non-ambulatory patients between critical and minor categories requiring urgent action, green tag for ambulatory patients who need minor care and black tag implies expired patients.4
Climate Change: Impact on Vector borne diseases
Authors: Mandal Nirmal Kumar
Published: October 2022

Vector borne diseases (VPDs) are big threats for the world population, particularly for the poorest segments of society in developing and least-developed countries. Every year more than one billion people are infected and more than one million people die from VPDs including malaria, dengue, leishmaniasis, yellow fever, lymphatic filariasis and many others. Vector-borne diseases contribute to one sixth of the illness and disability suffered worldwide, with more than half the worldâ€™s population currently estimated to be at risk of these diseases.1VBDs are dynamic systems with complex ecology, which tend to adjust continually to environmental changes in multifaceted ways.2Â Although diverse factors such as seasonal weather variation, socioeconomic status, vector control programmes, environmental changes and drug resistance, impact the distribution of VBDs; climate change and variability are likely to influence more on current vector-borne disease epidemiology.2, 3Breeding of these vectors, its survival, capacity to bite, transmission of diseases, as well as survival of disease agent like parasite, bacteria or viruses, which these vector carry primarily depend on many environmental factors like rainfall, humidity, temperature etc.
Awareness and preventive practices related to hypertension among government school teachers in rural Tamil Nadu
Authors: Annadurai Kalaivani
Published: October 2022

Background: Being in the stressful profession of teaching, awareness about hypertension is very important in the prevention and early detection of hypertension and thereby reducing its morbidity and mortality. Objectives: 1) To assess the awareness of risk factors, symptoms and complications of hypertension among government school teachers. 2) To find out the preventive practices related to hypertension among government school teachers. Methods: A cross sectional study was carried out among 103 government school teachers with pre tested semi-structured questionnaire at Nandhivaram town of Kancheepuram district in Tamil Nadu. This study was done between August to October 2013. Results: Only 7.8% of the participants had high awareness score on hypertension. Prevalence of smoking among school teachers was found to be 2.92% (95% confidence interval -0.34 to 6.14%). About 19.41% were doing one or other form of physical activity in our study. Most of the participants (92.2%) checked their blood pressure at least once in the past and 37.9% were cautious about their daily salt intake. Conclusion: Most of the participants were not aware of effect and complications of hypertension and the preventive practices were low despite being teachers. Efforts should be made to implement comprehensive public health awareness programs to highlight the facts regarding hypertension and importance of lifestyle modifications.
Assessment of the Reasons for Specialization in Public Health among Students of All India Institute of Hygiene & Public Health Kolkata
Authors: Sadhukhan Sanjoy Kumar
Published: October 2022

Background: The reason(s) and motivation of the medical graduates opting for specialization in public health disciplines, the primary pillars of public health in India, is largely unknown. Objectives: Present study was conducted among newly admitted students of All India Institute of Hygiene & Public Health (AIIH&PH), Kolkata to identify the reasons for joining post graduate public health courses. Methods: Self-administered anonymous questionnaire was used to collect information from all students admitted in 2013 after briefing and informed consent. Results: Total 42 students participated in the study, 10 MD (community medicine) and 32 DPH (Diploma in Public Health). The major primary reasons for specialization were to add some qualification after MBBS (30.9%) and no chance in other subjects (21.3%). Favourable reasons were only 28.6%. Conclusions: Similar studies need to be conducted in different parts of India to know the national situation and a serious thinking by the policy makers is required to improve the situation.
Prevalence of Gastro Intestinal symptoms and its determinants among rural population of Kancheepuram district, Tamil Nadu,India
Authors: Kumar T Muthu , Kamal Raj , Bazroy Joy , Kumar Prahan , Singh (Brig.) Zile
Published: October 2022

Background: Water is the most common yet the most precious resource on earth without which there would be no life on earth .The most predominant water borne disease is diarrhoea of which 88% is attributed to unsafe water supply, inadequate sanitation and hygiene. Diarrhoea causes 4% of deaths worldwide. Objective: To measure the prevalence of Gastro Intestinal (GI) problems and its determinants in rural area of Kancheepuram district, Tamil Nadu. Materials and methods: A community based cross sectional study was conducted in the rural area of Chunampet, Kancheepuram district. The study area includes ten villages, out of which 2 villages were selected. The study was conducted on January 2014. Sample size was calculated as 1200. Data was collected using questionnaire containing details on socio demographic profile, drinking water, and details of family members with Gastro intestinal symptoms. Results & Conclusion: During the last 3 months, 11.8% (58) of the houses had GI problems. 55.7% households use pipe water for drinking purpose, 64.4% household members donâ€™t consume chlorinated water, 59.3% household members donâ€™t consume boiled water and 68.7% households donâ€™t have proper latrine facility. The study showed that the reported GI problems were high among the houses who consume water which is neither boiled nor chlorinated and donâ€™t wash their hands before eating ,which were the most likely risk factors for acquiring GI illness.
The unwanted second line: Unmet needs of contraception
Authors: Kumar T Muthu , Raja T K
Published: October 2022

Sir,About 214 million women of reproductive age in developing countries who want to avoid pregnancy are not using a 1 modern contraceptive method. These women are at risk of getting a second line (Positive) in a urine pregnancy test (UPT). Family planning refers to practice that help individuals or couples to avoid unwanted birth, to bring about wanted births, to regulate the Intervals between pregnancies, to control the time at which births occur in relation to the agesof the parent and to determine the number of children in the 2 family. It is achieved through use of contraceptive methods and the treatment of infertility. A woman's ability to choose if and when to become pregnant has a direct impact on her health and wellâ€being. By reducing rates of unintended pregnancies, family planning also reduces the need for unsafe abortion.
Why India urgently and dearly needs population norm for establishing medical college; - A case study of Madhya Pradesh
Authors: Pandey Pavan
Published: October 2022

A good medical college transforms quotidian 12th pass students into an outstanding surgeon, paediatricians, or physicians who collectively lay the foundation of an effective health system. It is an open secret that the Medical Council of India (MCI) is solely responsible for the broken medical education system of India. On multiple occasions, MCI has been criticized for its corrupt practices and several newspapers have even called MCI by a variety of names.[1-4] The deteriorating quality of medical education in India is secondary to the establishment of substandard medical colleges due to the nexus between various stakeholders. The indifferent attitude of the medical fraternity has led to this situation. However, only a few people know about the other felonies that the MCI is silently committing. The MCI has catalysed the deterioration of the medical education system by formulating flawed policies, which are not evidence-based. One such policy-related misdemeanour is discussed in this article.
Assessment of level of cognition and their relation with functional status among geriatric population in Raipur city, Chhattisgarh, India
Authors: Naushad Md. Alam , Bhawnani Dhiraj , Verma Nirmal , Umate Laxmikant
Published: October 2022

Background: Increasing longevity and transition of family from joint to nuclear have made aside to graying population, in context of that study have made to assess the relation between level of cognition and functional status. Objectives: Assessment of level of cognition and their relation with functional status. Methods: Community based cross-sectional observational study. Structured questionnaire was used for assessment of level of cognition MSQ (Mental status questionnaire) and for functional assessment Katz index was used. Results and conclusion: Dependency was positively associated with advancement of age and female sex. Male had more severe confusion than female. Cognitive impairment was shown to be statistically positively associated with disability.
Assessment of Nutritional and Socio-Demographic Status of Tuberculosis Patients of an Urban Slum of Tuberculosis Unit in Mumbai
Authors: Hedaoo Sandeep Shankar , Badge Vijay L. , Acharya ShrikalaM.
Published: October 2022

Background: TB has been found to coexist with malnutrition among patients at diagnosis in both developed and developing countries. Malnutrition is considered as an important risk factor for tuberculosis and it is also a common consequence of tuberculosis. Aims: To estimate the proportion of malnutrition among tuberculosis (TB) patients at diagnosis and to determine factors associated with malnutrition.Materials and methods: It's a Cross sectional study conducted in a slum under one of the Tuberculosis Units, of Malvani, Mumbai for the duration of 9 months in total 200 diagnosed tuberculosis patients fulfilling inclusion criteria. An interviewer administered schedule consisting of questions regarding their socio-demographic status, economic status, body mass index (BMI) and type of tuberculosis at diagnosis.All responses tabulated in Microsoft-Excel 2010 Software. Data is analysed using Epi data analysis Version 2.2.2 build 177.Results: The mean body mass index was 16.8 Kg/m2. Malnourished patients were 79%, including 35% having severe thinness (<16 Kg/m2). Severe thinness was seen more among patients with availability and colour of ration card (36.4%), patients with low education (38.4%) and among dependent patients (41%). Nutritional status was significantly associated with the type of tuberculosis (p=0.01) Conclusions: Proportion of malnutrition including severe malnutrition among TB patients was found to be very high. National Program should include nutritional assessment of TB patients to reduce the risk of mortality and relapse.
Food safety profile of street food vending units in Chennai, Tamil Nadu: A cross-sectional study
Authors: Mani Geetha , Kathirvel Arulanand
Published: October 2022

Background:

The burgeoning street food sector despite being an affordable source of fast, tasty meals, pose significant challenges to food safety. This study was conducted to assess knowledge of foodborne diseases among food handlers in street food units of Chennai, Tamil Nadu and describe their food safety profile.

Materials and methods:

A descriptive, cross-sectional study was conducted among street food units of Chennai, Tamil Nadu between August and October 2016, using multi-stage sampling method. A pretested schedule with following sections was employed in local language: sociodemographic and food business characteristics; knowledge on foodborne diseases; personal habits and hygiene of food handlers and an observational checklist for environmental and work surface hygiene.

Results:

Majority food handlers (62%) were aged 26 to 45 years; 26.5% lacked formal education. Among 200 units studied, 62% functioned part-time; 89% were unregistered. Three- fourth of food handlers had heard about foodborne diseases; 9% used hair cover while cooking; 35% wore aprons; 51% had trimmed nails; 5.5% wore gloves while serving; 34.5% washed hands with soap before cooking. Eighty percent units had own water source for cooking and 61% for washing; 23.5% had nearby restrooms; 59.5% had hand washing facility; 52% had solid waste disposal facility; 66% units stored raw and cooked foods separately. Knowledge on foodborne diseases showed significant association with age and educational status of participants (P<0.05).

Conclusion:

Our study observed an unsatisfactory level of knowledge on foodborne diseases, inadequate individual hygiene, environmental safety and food handling practices, underscoring the necessity for targeted educational and regulatory measures.
Study of menstrual hygiene and awareness of Udita corners among adolescent girls in Indore district
Authors: Banseria Ruchita , Saroshe Satish , Bansal S.B , Khatri A.K , Yesikar Veena , Dixit Sanjay
Published: October 2022

Introduction:

Menstruation is a normal physiological process indicating beginning of reproductive life but sometimes it is considered as unclean phenomenon in the Indian society. The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has introduced a Scheme for Promotion of Menstrual Hygiene among Adolescent Girls in the age group of 10-19 years in rural areas. In Madhya Pradesh, Directorate ICDS and Water Aid India started the Udita Project on Menstrual Hygiene Day.

Methodology:

This is a Cross-sectional study done for a period of 12 months. Sampling method used is Multi-stage random Sampling. Semi structured open ended questionnaires was used as a study tool to interview adolescent girls. Questionnaire consists of questions related to knowledge attitude and practice regarding the menstruation.

Results:

Out of 150 girls from urban AWCs 54.6% belonged to 11-14 and 45.3% to 14- 18. In rural AWCs out of 150girls 57.3 were from 11-14 years while 42.6% were from 14-18 years. Mean age for Ills years was 14.31. There was significant difference between beneficiaries of urban and rural AWCs with regards to knowledge and practice of menstruation and its hygienic practices. Significant difference (P-0.001) was noted between beneficiaries from rural and urban AWCs regarding awareness of Udita corners.

Conclusion:

Although, schemes similar to Udita project are started in some states, if implemented effectively across the country, it would contribute greatly to create increased awareness of menstrual hygiene and ultimately healthy population of women in the future.
Validation of Community Based Assessment Checklist for Diabetes Mellitus in tertiary care setting, Himachal Pradesh, India.
Authors: Kumar Dinesh , Kalia Richa , Sharma Satya Bhushan , Raina Sunil Kumar
Published: October 2022

Background:Â Government of India has developed a Community Based Assessment Checklist (CBAC) as a screening tool for Hypertension, Diabetes, and Cancers (Oral, Breast, Cervix). The objective was to assess the validity of the CBAC checklist for type-2 DM at a suggested cut off score of four.Â Methods:Â Cross-sectional study was carried out in the central laboratory of medical college in the northern state of India. Total 120 already known cases of DM or had Fasting Blood Glucose (FBG) ofÂ >126 gm/dl and 120 individuals with FBG ofÂ >126 gm/dl, considered as negative for type-2 DM, were recruited. Simultaneously, CBAC checklist was administered to all the 240 participants.Â Results:Â High risk CBAC score (>4) was present in 27.5% patients with diabetes and 12.5% without diabetes (p=0.004). Risk criteria of<4 had a diagnostic accuracy of 80.5% (Sensitivity: 42.9%; Specificity: 87.5%) with positive and negative predictive value of 37.5% and 89.7% respectively. Area under curve based on Receiver Operator Characteristic (AUC-ROC) curve was observed to be 0.62 (95% CI: 0.55-0.69) (p=0.001).Â Conclusion:Â Questionnaire based CBAC risk assessment criteria as a screening tool for blood sugar assessment had poor sensitivity, good specificity and poor discriminatory ability.
Assessment of Mass Drug Administration for Elimination of Filariasis in ‘Tribal’ Blocks of Bankura District, West Bengal
Authors: Sadhukhan Sanjoy Kumar , Saren Gautam
Published: October 2022

Introduction:

Independent evaluation of MDA for Filariasis elimination In ‘tribal’ blocks of Bankura district, West Bengal was not available. In the event of likely elimination of Filariasis in forthcoming year(s), it was thought a necessity.

Objectives:

To assess coverage and compliance to MDA with factors associated and awareness regarding filariasis and MDA in 'tribal' blocks of Bankura district of West Bengal.

Methods:

Cross sectional observational community based study on 120 families (600 people) selected by standard (WHO) 30 cluster techniqueduring January-March 2017 in 06 'tribal' blocks the district [total population = 793176, tribal population = 213412). House to house survey was done with a pre designed pre-tested questionnaire.

Results:

In spite of a large (32.2%) illiterate population, the overall coverage (95%) and compliance (90.8%) were satisfactory although directly observed compliance (7%) was poor. These were not statistically significant (p≥0.05) for age, sex, caste, education and occupation. Primary reason for non coverage, non compliance and non directly observed compliance were absence from home (100%), forgetfulness (64%) and empty stomach (66.7%) respectively. Although there was satisfactory awareness on Filariasis (84.2%), for MDA, it was poor (3.3% only).

Conclusion:

Very good level of coverage and compliance of MDA was observed in line with NVBDCP in spite of very poor awareness of MDA. To make it universal, Improved IEC for filariasis and importance of drugs consumption and change of timing of drug distribution to ensure directly observed compliance should be considered.
Verbal Autopsy - Concept and Role in Indian Scenario
Authors: Ray Soumalya , Das Dilip Kumar
Published: October 2022

Mortality statistics plays a very important role in creating an information pool about the prevalent diseases in the community.1,2 Life and Death - are two universal events of life with a defined and clear outcome which is easy to understand2 even for people with no medical background. Enumeration of births and deaths in the community within a defined time period helps us to have an idea about the crude birth rate and crude death rate, respectively. In absence of a well developed, reliable health information system, often, these are the only reliable health information available to us.3,4Enumerating the births and deaths in the community has a very long history - both nationally and globally. There is a tradition among Hindus - to record the death of near and dear ones while completing the religious ceremony in memory of the passed ones in Haridwar.5 This provides a geneaology tree of family members died. In Europe, church members used to enumerate the births and deaths in the community and usually considered as a reliable source of information.6,7
Forecasting of Malaria in India Using Time Series Analysis
Authors: Muthukumar T , Karnaboopathy R , Annadurai K , Raja TK
Published: October 2022

Background: Although there has been marked reduction in the number of malaria cases in India under National Vector Borne Disease Control Programme (NVBDCP), malaria still is the leading cause of infectious diseases with the development of drug resistant Plasmodium species and insecticide resistant mosquitoes. Keeping this in view, the present study attempts to forecast the malaria cases in India. Methods: We adopted an Auto Regressive Integrated Moving Average (ARIMA) models on the data collected on the number of malaria cases from 1990 to 2017 .The same has been used to predict the number of cases till 2025 without any additional intervention. Results: The results also showed a decreasing trend in the actual and forecasted numbers of malaria cases. The appropriate ARIMA (10, 1, 9) model was selected based on Bayesian Information Criteria (BIC) values. Conclusions: Hence, to achieve the target of Sustainable Developmental Goal by 2030, additional interventions with an increase in the intensity of existing interventions and support of the international community along with WHO is essential.
Assessment of Nutritional Status of Under-5 Children in A Slum of Kolkata, West Bengal: A Community Based Study
Authors: Roychoudhury Nivedita , Pan Tania , Roy Keya , Paul Bobby , Dasgupta Aparajita , Bandyopadhyay Lina
Published: October 2022

Background: The nutritional status of under-5 children in slums is an important health indicator for assessing the health status of entire population. Reduction in malnutrition is a Millennium Development Goal (MDG) to improve child welfare. The study was conducted to assess the nutritional status of under-5 children in a slum of Kolkata and its associated factors.Materials and Methods: It was an observational, cross-sectional study among under-5 children in a slum area of Kolkata, West Bengal, India to determine nutritional status and its determinants using WHO Z-score and Composite Index of Anthropometric Failure (CIAF). A total of 129 under-5 children were included by simple random sampling. Data entry was done in SPSS. All ethical issues were addressed.Results: Out of total 129 children assessed, 31.8% were found to have anthropometric failure using CIAF. However, with standard anthropometric indices such as weight-for-age, weight-for-height, height-for-age, and mid upper arm circumference,17.8% were underweight, 9.3% were wasted, 16.3% were stunted and 14% were undernourished respectively. About 40.3% children had morbidity within last 2 weeks (acute respiratory infection 25.6%, diarrhoea 3.9%, fever 10.9%). Literacy of mother [AOR-3.79 (1.39-10.33)], exclusive breast feeding [AOR-6.1 (1.80-8.79)], personal hygienic practice [AOR-3.17 (1.02-10.02)] and morbidity profile [AOR-2.95 (1.13-7.72)] were significantly associated with nutritional status.Conclusion:The study identifies maternal education and care and infant and child feeding practices to have a bearing on the nutritional status of the children. Further large scale studies are warranted to determine the alleviation in the situation after addressing these factors.
Insufficient Physical Activity: a Global Public Health Concern
Authors: Sinha Rabindra Nath
Published: October 2022

Physical activity is one of the essential prerequisites to enjoy sound health and quality of life. Insufficient physical activity is a well-documented risk factor of the leading non-communicable diseases (NCDs) like coronary heart disease, stroke, diabetes and cancers of breast and colon, depression and risk of falling in adults.[1,2,3] Newer evidences indicate that participation in regular physical activities can reduce risk of cancer of bladder, endometrium, esophagus, kidney, lung, and stomach also][4]. These NCDs are the leading causes of premature death and disability, prevalence of which are rising very fast globally. World Health Organization estimates that in 2016 NCDs accounted for 71% of global mortality equivalent to as high as 41 million deaths of which three quarters occurred in low and middle-income countries [5]. Deaths due to NCD have now surpassed the total mortality due to combined causes of the communicable, maternal and perinatal nutrition-related deaths. [6].Apart from being a modifiable risk factor of the major NCDs, regular physical activity also reduces the risk factors associated with NCDs such as overweight, obesity, hypertension, and high blood cholesterol and is also found to be associated with improved mental health, delayed age-related cognitive decline and improved quality of life and well-being.
Childhood Pneumonia: a Community Based Interventional Study in Slums of Dibrugarh, Assam
Authors: Nirmolia Nabanita , Mahanta Tulika Goswami , Gogoi Pranab
Published: October 2022

Introduction: Pneumonia, leading cause of child morbidity and mortality globally, which is concerning as proven interventions exist. Objective: to assess effect of community based interventions on occurrence of pneumonia in slums of Dibrugarh town. Methods: Community based before- after intervention study using mixed method between 2015-2017; where quantitative part by using predesigned format filled by house to house visit done in baseline and endline and qualitative by focus group discussion conducted during end line study. Social and behavior change communication package was given as intervention. Results: A total of 420 in baseline and 300 participants enrolled in end line study. Pneumonia prevalence reduced from 16.9% to 9.3% following intervention. Exclusive breast feeding and complimentary feeding initiation at 6 month significantly increased from 42.9% to 60% and 9.8% to 77.7% respectively. Type of family, socio economic status, motherâ€™s education, complementary feeding practices, immunization and indoor air pollution were significantly associated with pneumonia. Conclusion: Implementation of community based social and behavior change communication package was effective.
Awareness and Utilization of Social Security Schemes by the Elderly Population of District Faridabad, Haryana, India
Authors: Goswami Shweta , Singh Mitasha , Ranjan Prabhat , Dhaka Rohit
Published: October 2022

Background: The currently young and productive country will be growing old in near future. The burden of elderly dependents is increasing and on the other side the informal care givers number is projected to decrease. Hence the responsibility of providing the social security to our elderly dependents lies on the government. Objectives: To assess the level of awareness and utilization of social security schemes among elderly of rural and urban Haryana. Methods: A descriptive observational cross sectional study was undertaken in the urban and rural field practice area of medical college in Haryana, India. A sample of 234 elderly (>=60 years) was interviewed regarding awareness and utilization of country and state specific social security schemes. The data is presented in descriptive format. Results: The awareness in the study population ranged from 6.8% to 85.5%. The majority of population had awareness about old age pension schemes (85.5%) and this was higher among rural as compared to urban but utilization was 41%. 32.1% of elderly utilized travel concession provided to the geriatrics in public transport and this was higher among urban area. Majority (94.7%) of economically independent elderly was aware of and utilizing any of the scheme. Conclusion: The awareness and utilization gives a picture of demand side evaluation of any services. Even if the awareness is good the utilization decreases for any security scheme due to delayed administrative procedures and decreased mobility of geriatrics.
COVID-19 Containment: Legal Framework for Regulatory Approach
Authors: Banerjee Bratati
Published: October 2022

Legal instruments and frameworks authorize the Government to exercise its powers for enforcing regulations to contain the situation at the time of any health emergency. During the present pandemic of COVID-19 the International Health Regulations 2005 is being implemented globally, in addition to individual country legislations. Several countries have also framed new Acts, Rules and Regulations or amended the existing ones, to fight the battle.With the onset of the pandemic, India has invoked its two existing laws, the Epidemic Diseases Act 1897 and the Disaster Management Act 2005. While the former lays down the public health measures required to be implemented, the latter gives the authorities the power to do so. Using both the laws together is an innovative and comprehensive way to deal with the situation.
Infant Feeding Practices in a Rural Muslim Community in Malda District of West Bengal
Authors: Yeasmin Nasima , Mandal Nirmal Kumar
Published: October 2022

Introduction:

Exclusive breast-feeding for first six months of life and semi-solid food after six months in addition to breast feeding is recommended as optimal feeding for infant and young children. There is dearth of data about infant feeding practices among mothers of Muslim Community.

Objectives:

To study infant feeding practices of Muslim mothers and identify feeding problems.

Methods:

A descriptive observational cross-sectional study was conducted on 280 infants in the rural area of Chanchal 2 block of Malda district of West Bengal.

Results:

Ninety one per cent mothers of infants below 6 months were currently breast feeding their babies, whereas only 76% were giving exclusive breast feeding. About Seventy-nine per cent infants above 6 months were on exclusively breastfed up to 6 months, 98% continuing breast feeding. Only 42% of children between 6-8 months started complementary feeding, which was raised to 96% among children of 9-11 months. Cause of discontinuation of EBF before six months was stated to be inadequate milk and mothers' ill health.

Conclusion:

Appropriate interventions are required to train grass-root level workers, involve family members & counsel mothers on infant & young child feeding.
Qualitative Inquiry into Determinants of Decision Making for Therapeutic Mastectomy Amongst Pre and Peri- Menopausal Women, at Urban Gujarat
Authors: Shah Shailja , Saxena Deepak , Zope Anagha
Published: October 2022

Introduction :

Breast Cancer (Ca Br) is one of the most common cancer amongst women globally as well in India. Amongst various available modalities of treatment, the most common treatment being advised in Ca Br is mastectomy which is commonly associated with a lot of emotion and mental challenges. For Ca Br patients, any decision in this regard forms an integral part in the diagnosis, confirmatory and treatment phase. The present study aims to explore the psychosocial determinants to undertake surgical decisions.

Objective:

To explore the psychosocial determinants and dilemma of undertaking decision for surgical intervention in Ca Br cases amongst pre and peri-menopausal women.

Methods:

The participants of pre and peri- menopausal women with Ca Br were selected purposively from a tertiary care hospital. The inclusion criteria included patients with Ca Br who underwent a therapeutic mastectomy and willing to be a part of the study were included. Qualitative Inquiry method was used for data collection and Content analysis was done using Atlas.ti.

Results:

Five themes emerged from the content analysis. It was observed that patriarchy dominates as decision-makers; surgical decision - is it a 'No -brainer' thing?, the big emotional burden on shoulder, motivators & demotivators, and inspiration. Women's passivity as decision-makers along with emotional distress conditions like fear of loss of feminity was always accompanied. Strong support system and will power were the major motivating factor for participants.

Conclusion:

The study gave a prominent and complex view on determinants of undertaking surgical decisions. Findings from the study would contribute to better strategizing the management of patients in a local context from all aspects and not just from the clinical lens.
Structural Vulnerability and Epidemiology of COVID-19 in India- A Socio-epidemiological Approach for Health Promotion
Authors: Sahu Monalisha , Dobe Madhumita , Yadav Kartikey
Published: October 2022

Introduction:

COVID-19 (2019 Novel Coronavirus) pandemic is an outcome of a "complex system" of interactions occurring within and between individuals and their environments. The individual-level models, which give sole or primary emphasis to individual choice with their "victim blaming" tendency is insufficient as determinants of risk and risk behaviour. There are 'structural vulnerabilities' that are likely to lead to increased exposure to the contagion, risk of basic human needs not being met, insufficient support, or inadequate treatment

Objective:

To explore various structural vulnerabilities affecting spread and responses to COVID-19 pandemic.

Method:

We have conducted a scoping review of secondary data and statistics on COVID-19 from January 2020 to July 2020 in context of various structural vulnerability across various states and Union Territories of India.

Result:

It was observed that individuals had dynamic and reciprocal association with their physical social, political and economic environments significantly modifying their vulnerabilities to the disease. We classified the various social vulnerabilities majorly faced by individuals into three domains: a) Socio demographic composition b) Spatial distribution across various States and Union territories and c) Migration. It was observed that elderly and male gender were more prone to death by COVID-19 whereas children were found to be less susceptible to the disease. Individuals with underlying illnesses such as cardiovascular diseases (death rate 13.2%), diabetes (death rate 9.2%), high blood pressure (death rate 8.4%), and chronic respiratory diseases (death rate 8%) were at significantly higher risk of mortality. Though the states and cities with maximum connectivity and population density (like Mumbai, Delhi) were afflicted most in the early days of pandemic, but with reverse migration the virus manged to reach even the deepest hinterlands of the country.

Conclusion:

For an efficient response towards the COVID-19 pandemic it is important for policy makers to look through the lens of structural vulnerability and formulate relevant Socio-epidemiological approach.
Psychological Impact among Healthcare Workers during COVID-19 Pandemic
Authors: Rajasekar Vedapriya Dande , Danasekaran Raja
Published: October 2022

COVID-19, is a disease which has put entire world in a panic state. This disease is considered as public health emergency of International concern on 30th January 2020 by World Health Organization [1],. It has a high transmission rate and affects people of all the age groups. Case fatality rate is high among people in the age group more than 70yrs and those with co-morbid conditions.[2,3] The rate of infection among front line heath care workers is considerably high and they are more prone to develop psychological illness.[4,5,6] Among health care workers psychological wellbeing is as important as physical health. Hence at this present situation we need to address the gap among health care workers and should provide timely psychological support as well as manage the consequences arising due to COVID-19 effectively.Health care workers are at risk of contracting the disease as they provide direct care for the patients affected with COVID-19. Rapid spread, severity of illness, uncertainty about the treatment, shortage of resources like personal protective equipments which can aggravate the fear of acquiring the disease.[4,5,7,8] The Psychosocial and economic factors like feeling of inadequate support, possibility of transmitting disease to the family, job loss, stigma, economic slowdown can lead to concern and worries.[8] Places of recreation is important for better quality of life. But these non-essential services has been restricted to use as lock down was implemented to contain the spread of infection. [4,5,] All these factors can act as a major stressor among health care workers.
Public Health Dimensions of Autism Spectrum Disorder in India: An Overview
Authors: Tiwari Richa , Purkayastha Kakali , Gulati Sheffali
Published: October 2022

The global prevalence of an early-onset of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is ~1% and is a priority for the global mental health agenda (1). 78 million people worldwide are affected by autism and the impact on the individuals and families are enormous (2). Autistic Spectrum Disorder is a pervasive neurobehavioral disorder characterized by qualitative impairment in social interaction, communication and repetitive and stereotypic patterns of interests and activities (3). INCLEN study suggests that ASD prevalence across five States in north and west India was as high as one in 125 children between 2-6 years age group and one in 80 among children in 6-9 years age; overall the prevalence in India is estimated to be 1in 89(4). Autism was first described in 1943 among children born in 1930s and prevalence of autism is on the rise as reported from all over the world. Early intervention can ameliorate the morbidity significantly (5). Autism Spectrum Disorder is a neurodevelopmental disorder which poses a great challenge to individuals and to societies not just in early ages but across lifespan due to its pervasive nature.
Cholera outbreak in Kamarhati municipality of West Bengal: Secondary data analysis of a rapid epidemic response
Authors: Ray Soumalya , Mukherjee Tanmoy , Das Avijit , Chattopadhyay Barenya , Mukhopadhyay Dipta Kanti , Misra Raghunath
Published: October 2022

Introduction:

In September, 2021, an outbreak of acute diarrhoeal disease affected different wards of Kamarhati municipality of West Bengal. An epidemic investigation was conducted with the objective of identifying the time, place and person distribution of the epidemic.

Methods:

In this institution based cross-sectional study, an epidemic response team of College of Medicine and Sagore Dutta Hospital (CoMSDH) visited the patients admitted in the infectious diseases ward of the institute and enquired them using a pre-designed proforma. Stools samples were collected and sent for analysis to National Institute of Cholera and Enteric Diseases (NICED), West Bengal. The team also visited the affected wards and collected water samples for laboratory investigations. Collected data were collated in Google sheets and requisite analyses were done in Google sheet, online spreadsheet software. Spatial distributions of cases were shown using QGIS v2.38.

Results:

208 patients admitted in infectious diseases ward of CoMSDH, Kamarhati, Kolkata in between 2nd - 13th September, 2021 were interviewed. The epidemic curve showed a rapid rise on 07th September, 2021 (57 cases) followed by a gradual fall over next 5 days. Majority of cases were clustered in Ward 1,2 and 3 of Kamarhati municipality. The attack rate was highest among the geriatric age group (>60 years) followed by 19-60 years age group. Abdominal Pain (35.71%) and vomiting (28.57%) were commonly associated symptoms. Majority of the respondents (172, 87.76%) used intermittent tap water supply from local municipalities, followed by purchased mineral water (20, 10.20%) and water from Tala tank (4, 2.04%) for their drinking purpose. Stool and water samples revealed the presence of Vibrio Cholerae, O139 ogawa serotype.

Conclusion:

On the basis of the interim analysis, health education was initiated on the domestic treatment of water by boiling or using chlorine solution. Additionally, steps were taken for water treatment at the water treatment plants. This assisted in controlling the outbreak.
Is Life losing its Worth in the eyes of today’s Children? A review on Suicidal tendencies
Authors: Agarwal Shreya , Yadav Radhika , Diwan Naveen , Yadav Sweta , Kumar Saurabh , Aggarwal Pradeep
Published: October 2022

Suicidal attempts and suicides among children & teenagers are on rise in past few years. Suicide is the second leading cause of death among those aged 10-24 years. Modern era has witnessed that the children have the ability to plan and execute a suicidal act. Considering such valuable loss of lives by suicide, it is of serious public health concern. Suicide by a child causes significant grief and depression for siblings, parents, and near ones exposed to suicide. Mental health and social distress among children must be paid great attention to reduce suicidal behaviour.
Assessment of knowledge and apprehensions regarding COVID-19 vaccine among Health Care Workers attending a COVID vaccination centre of a Private Tertiary Care Centre, Kolkata: A cross-sectional study
Authors: Kole Saurabh , Haldar Debdutta , Dey Arijit , Ghosh Rwitika , Dutta Sanjil , Sinha Shawansikta , Chowdhury Nasreen
Published: October 2022

Background:

A massive global human disaster has been created by a contagious respiratory infectious disease caused by SARS CoV-2, which was classified as a pandemic by World Health Organisation (WHO). During this second wave of COVID-19, vaccination is utmost important for the healthcare workers to reduce the severity of the disease.

Objective:

The present study was done to study the socio-demographic profile of the health care workers attending a COVID vaccination centre and to assess the knowledge and apprehensions regarding COVID-19 vaccine among them.

Methodology:

An observational, descriptive, cross-sectional study was conducted for 6 months. All the health care workers getting COVID-19 Vaccine in the chosen time span and health care workers giving consent for the study were included in the present study while those being sick or giving no consent were excluded.

Results:

In this study, around 33.8% of the study population were aged between 21—30 years, 84.6% resided in urban areas, 58% have taken the 2nd dose of vaccine in last one month, which showed a positive attitude and acceptance regarding COVID-19 vaccine among them. Around 97% have taken Covishield vaccine rather than Covaxin. None of the health care workers have reported AEFI, but some of them (14%) have suffered from mild fever, headache and body pain after taking the vaccine. Around 23% of them suffered from COVID-19 before vaccination but after vaccination 14% have reported about being infected. After vaccination, 58.5% of them thought they were “less likely” to get COVID-19. Most of the them (77%) know that only vaccination cannot end the disease. Almost all health care workers (97%) take the responsibility of encouraging other people to take the vaccine without any fear.

Conclusion:

The study shows that there are diminished worries among the healthcare workers regarding acquiring the Covid-19 infection after receiving the vaccines. All of them are quite familiar with the term ‘COVID Appropriate Behaviour’. Most of them are encouraging their colleagues, friends, relatives to take the vaccine as soon as possible which reveals their acceptance of Covid-19 vaccine.