bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Adiposity and hypertension associated risk factors in young (<40 yr) urban industrial men from Pune, India
Authors: Mankar Amol Prakash , Gaigaware Pooja Bhimshankar , Rao Shobha Suryaprakash 
Published: June 2022

Background: Prevalence of hypertension is not only on the rise in urban population, but its precedence is of concern. Aims & Objective: To identify risk factors associated with hypertension among urban young Indian males. (<40yr). Material & Methods: Young males (<40yr) working in Hinjewadi industrial area of Pune, Maharashtra were studied (n=254) for anthropometry, blood pressure and diet, lifestyle, and stress at work. Results: Prevalence of overweight was 72.5% and 48.4 % were obese while 38.2% were centrally obese (WC?90). Prevalence of hypertension (HTN) was high (25.6%) and showed significant association only with BMI. Non vegetarian diet was a risk factor (OR-1.94;p<0.05) for overweight while lifestyle factors increased risk for obesity (OR-2.1;p<0.05) as also central obesity (OR-1.91;p<0.05). Among subjects with high BMI, these factors became non-significant and stress alone showed independent influence on HTN (OR-4.43; p<0.05) indicating that their influence was mediated through adiposity. Conclusion: Promoting good dietary practices, healthy lifestyle and better work environment for reducing obesity and consequent risk of NCDs among young urban males is essential in India.
Assessment and comparison of nutritional status of government and private secondary school children of Muzaffarnagar
Authors: Sharma Sangeeta Jain , Muzammil Khursheed , Singh Jai Veer , Alvi Moh. Tauseef , Singh Rama Shankar , Siddiqui Sana 
Published: June 2022

Background: Malnutrition leads to poor cognitive performance and physical growth in children and is a major component of school health services. Imbalanced nutrition in adolescence can put them at high risk of chronic diseases particularly if combined with adverse lifestyle. Aims & Objectives: This study was designed to assess and compare the nutritional status of government and private school children of Muzaffarnagar city. Material and Methods: School based, comparative Cross-sectional study. One private and one government school was selected using unistage stratified random sampling. A total of 1960 (980 each from private school and government school) school children of class 6-12 were studied for socio-epidemiological details, dietary habits, and physical activity. Information on education status, occupation, monthly income of their parents was also collected. Required anthropometric measurements were taken. Results: Of 980 children from private school, 90 (9.18%) were underweight,138 (14.08%) were overweight, and 137 (13.97%) were obese. Majority of children from government school were underweight 215 (21.94%) except for 24 (2.45%) overweight children. Conclusion: This study shows the dual nature of nutritional problem, under-nutrition among the lower socioeconomic class of govt. school at one side and worrisome epidemic of obesity among the affluent of private school
Dietary beliefs among informal caregivers regarding common childhood diseases in rural north-west India
Authors: Gupta Rajiv Kumar , Verma Aruna , Raina Sunil K , Kumari Rashmi , Langer Bhavna , Gupta Chandni , Akhter Najma 
Published: June 2022

Background: Dietary practices among infants and children are predictor of their growth and development. India being a huge of diverse cultures, diversity in beliefs and practices regarding diet during childhood illnesses is expected. Harmful beliefs and practices can contribute to malnutrition among children. These beliefs can have adverse consequences in already sick children. Aims and Objectives: To assess the dietary knowledge, beliefs and practices of rural care givers during childhood illnesses. Material & Methods: This cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted among 271 rural informal (parent / family member) caregivers in one of the sub-health centres which was selected using simple random sampling technique. In the context of this study, the word informal care-giver was used for parent/family member of the child, preferably a mother with a child / children aged less than five years. The survey tool was an open ended and pretested questionnaire which was developed by public health expert’s familiar with the culture of the study setting and was pilot tested before administration. For the purpose of recruiting the study participants a house to house survey was conducted and the data thus collected was analyzed in percentages. Results: Informal Caregivers had low knowledge of common childhood illnesses as well as the reasons of their causation. Majority of them consulted a doctor in the event of child’s illness. 53.81% reduced feeding and 31.93% diluted diet during child’ illness but significantly 77.85% didn’t change breastfeeding practice during illness. As far as the beliefs regarding dietary practices were concerned, it found that egg, meat, chicken and jaggery were labelled hot foods while curd, butter milk and vegetables were labelled as cold foods. Rice water and khichadi were preferred in diarrhoea but spicy food and milk were restricted. Ginger and Tulsi tea were preferred in respiratory infections while ice-cream and curd / milk were withheld. Conclusion: Hot and cold beliefs regarding foods are firmly rooted in the study population, so dietary education has a key role to play but it has to be within socio-cultural milieu of the people. It is imperative to train medical and para-medical staff in nutrition curriculum to promote healthy eating habits in the population
Validation of Indian Diabetic Risk Score for detecting Undiagnosed Diabetics in A Semi-Urban Population of Mangalore-South India
Authors: Padmanabha Usha Rani S , Kundapur Rashmi , N Puneeth , Udayakiran Nalam 
Published: June 2022

Background: Diabetes is considered as an "iceberg disease". According to latest WHO estimates the number of people with diabetes worldwide in 2000 is 171 million which is likely to increase to at least 366 million by 2030.Indian Diabetes Risk Score is useful for identifying undiagnosed diabetic subjects in India and includes four risk factors: Age, Abdominal obesity, Family history of diabetes and Physical activity in predicting diabetes. Objectives: To Validate the Indian Diabetic Risk score for detecting undiagnosed diabetics in a Semi urban population. Material and Methodology: The study was a validation study conducted in the field practice area of K.S. Hegde Medical Academy, Mangalore in 2015. Universal sampling was done among 80 households to obtain a minimum sample size of 160 participants. Two from each household one being the highest age and one being the middle age among the households were enrolled. Individuals aged 20 years and above were included to validate the Indian Diabetic Risk score. Informed consent was taken before introducing the participants to the study and two Random blood sugars were checked. Results: Out of 160 participants 31.9% were male and 68.1% were female. Indian diabetic risk score >60 were 60%. Mean risk scores was 57.4±2x1.7. Out of 160 respondents, 86.9% were non-diabetic and 13.1% were detected diabetic. There was a significant difference in Indian diabetic risk score among diabetic and non-diabetics (p<0.001). Indian diabetic risk score >60 had sensitivity of 95.2% and specificity of 45.3% in predicting diabetes. Area under ROC was 0.719 (95% CI:0.62-0.81). Conclusion: Indian diabetic risk score can be used as a simple screening tool in predicting and detecting undiagnosed diabetics in the community.
Engaging Actors for Integrating Health Policy and Systems Research into Policy Making: Case Study from Haryana State in India
Authors: Prinja Shankar , Gupta Rakesh , Sharma Atul , Dalpath Suresh Kumar , Phogat Amit 
Published: June 2022

Background & objective: Good examples of evidence generation using Health Policy and Systems Research (HPSR) in low and middle income countries (LMIC); and its application in policy making are scarce. In this paper, we describe the experience of establishing a system of HPSR from the Haryana state in India, outline how the HPSR is being utilized for policy making and programmatic decision making, and analyse the key factors which have been critical to the implementation and uptake of HPSR.
Methods: Multiple methods are employed in this case study, ranging from unstructured in-depth interviews, review of the program and policy documents, and participatory notes from the meetings. The steps towards creation of a knowledge partnership between stakeholders are outlined. Four case studies i.e. development of a plan for universal health care (UHC), nutrition policy, centralized drug procurement system and use of RAPID appraisal method highlight the use of research evidence in agenda setting, policy formulation and policy implementation respectively.
Results: Our analysis shows that the most important factor which contributed to Haryana model of HPSR was the presence of a dedicated and motivated team in National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) at state level, many of whom were researchers by previous training. Overall, we conclude by highlighting the need for establishing an institutional mechanism at Central and State level where health service administrators and managers, academicians and researchers working in the field of health system from medical colleges, public health schools, management and technology institutions and social science universities can identify health system research priorities. Increased budgetary allocation for HPSR is required.
Ranking of districts in Andhra Pradesh using women and children nutrition and health indicators by topsis method
Authors: Meshram Indrapal I , Boiroju Naveen Kumar , Kodali Venkaiah 
Published: June 2022

Background: Wide variation exists in the nutritional status of under 5 years children among districts/states and more focus is needed on less developed districts in order to allocate resources. Ranking of districts provide baseline information for allocating resources to poor ranking districts and can be considered for comparison of progress in future studies. Aims & Objectives: To rank the districts of Andhra Pradesh state using a multi-criteria decision making method based on the major nutritional and health indicators. Materials and Methods: Data provided by NFHS-4 on nutrition and health indicators of women and children in the state was used to rank the districts in the state. A multi-criteria decision making technique called TOPSIS is used for ranking of the districts in the state based on the selected health indicators. Results: It is observed that Krishna district ranked first and Vizianagaram holds the last rank. The better performing districts include Krishna, Chittoor, East Godavari, Visakhapatnam and Guntur, whereas poor performing districts include Vizianagaram, Kurnool, Srikakulam and Prakasham. Indicators such as per capita income, urbanization, sanitation, use of clean fuel and maternal education were observed high, while infant and maternal mortality was low in in good performing districts. Conclusion: It is concluded that the district with poor nutrition and health indicator ranked last while those with good indicators ranked first. The priority should be given for the development of poor performing districts to improve the above indicators by allocating more resources.
Needle Stick Injuries among health care workers in a tertiary care hospital in District Bathinda, Punjab
Authors: Lal Dhruvendra , Sidhu Tanvir K , Coonar PP S , Singh Gurkirat 
Published: June 2022

Background: Because of the environment in which health care staff works, many they are at an increased risk of accidental needle stick injuries (NSI). NSI has been recognized as one of the potential occupational hazards for healthcare workers which results in transmission of blood borne pathogens such as HBV, HCV, and HIV/AIDS while performing their clinical activities in the Hospital. Aims & Objectives: To study the prevalence of needle stick injuries and knowledge and behavior of health care workers in a tertiary care centre. Material and Methods: A Hospital based cross sectional study was conducted among Health Care workers at a tertiary care hospital in 2016 at District Bathinda, Punjab. Results: A total of two hundred and eight (208) participants took part in the study from various departments. 58 health workers out of 208 i.e. 27% had NSI in the last 12 months. 84.1% of the health care workers were aware of the fact that HIV could transmitted by needle-stick injuries. While 55.8% and 83.2% knew that HBV and HCV respectively be transmitted through NSI. Only 46.6% of the health workers remembered that they had ever received HBV vaccination. Conclusions: The survey found out that the knowledge regarding the risk associated with NSI and use of preventive measures was adequate among the heath care workers but still there was a slight room for improvement in their attitude and practice and the same can be addressed through proper education and training
A cross sectional study on internet usage for health information among 18- 49 years in urban Chandigarh
Authors: Soni Tanu , Lakshmi PVM , Kaur Manmeet 
Published: June 2022

Background: Internet use for health information has increased over the years. However, how people use internet for health needs to be explored. Aims & Objectives: Our study aim was to determine the proportion of people who use internet for health information in the age group of 18-49 years in urban Chandigarh, to document the type of health information sought from Internet, and its association with socio-demographic variables. Material & Methods: Community based cross sectional study was carried out with multistage sampling using simple random and systematic random sampling. Data was collected using pretested semi-structured interview schedule. Results: Out of 262, 60.6 % of participants used the internet for health information. Availability of broadband connection at home and gender were significantly associated (p<0.05) with use of the internet for health information. Conclusion: Internet use for health information could have significant potential, particularly in terms of the general public decision-making and autonomy as has been reflected in the results of the present study. The Internet has become an important tool with the potential to improve information dissemination and health care delivery to consumers.
Public health emergencies in urban India
Authors: Acharya Bhabani Prasad , Daniel Roy Arokiam , Baridalyne Nongkynrih , Gupta Sanjeev Kumar 
Published: June 2022

Public health emergencies in urban India can be caused by natural or man-made disasters. Occurrence of a public health emergency adds to the already stretched health system. This paper looks into the public health emergency conditions in urban India, and our preparedness to tackle them. To address this composite threat to nation’s health and development, a concerted public health response is needed, that can ensure efficient delivery in emergency situations
Public health emergency is an occurrence or eminent threat of an illness or health condition caused by bio-terrorism, epidemic or pandemic disease, or novel and highly fatal infectious agent or biological toxin, that possess a substantial risk of a significant number of human facilities or incidents or permanent or long–term disability (1). It is a condition that requires the government to declare a state of public health emergency. The declaration of a state of public health emergency permits the government to suspend state regulations,and change the functions of state agencies (2).
Term “Urban” refers to perplexing variety of environments. Health circumstances of small cities and town differ in many ways from larger cities and metros. Within cities, change in lifestyle of residents is observed. The urban system is often present with full array of health providers ranging from traditional healer, street drug seller to highly –trained surgeons (3).
Diagnostic efficacy of digital hemoglobinometer (TrueHb), HemoCue and non invasive devices for screening patients for anemia in the field settings- a proposal
Authors: Neogi Sutapa B , Negandhi Himanshu , Sharma Jyoti , Ray Shomik , Saxena Renu 
Published: June 2022

It is important to diagnose anemia at an early stage for appropriate and timely management. There is a need to have a device with good diagnostic accuracy, that is reliable and less expensive. Several methods are available for estimation of Hb. These have been reported to be piloted in small settings with encouraging results. However, for the purpose of screening at the national and state levels, we need a method that has high validity and is cost effective. Our study proposes to establish the diagnostic accuracy of some such devices that are available in India against automated analyzers (gold standard) for screening of anemia in laboratory and community settings.
Measles & Rubella Vaccination Campaign in India: Why, How, When and Where
Authors: Chaudhary Priti , Saxena Sourabh 
Published: June 2022

Globally, in 2015, measles killed an estimated 1,34,200 children - mostly under-5 years of age and an estimated 49,200 deaths occurred due to measles in India. Most of these children were the ones who have not received two doses of measles vaccine. This is despite the fact that the Government of India is providing vaccines free of cost under the Universal Immunization Programme. Even today some of the children in the country are not protected against the deadly life-threatening diseases. Some of these children are left unvaccinated because their parents are hesitant to immunise, believes that vaccines are dangerous. (1)
There are many reasons for low vaccination coverage like lack of awareness or fear of side-effects of vaccination. Some of the times children are left unvaccinated because their parents receive wrong information about vaccination from a handful of people who keep trying to sabotage the vaccination programme in the country by giving factual figures and facts. (2) With digital age, social media and WhatsApp has become a new tool to spread rumours without even disclosing their identity. (3)
Economics of Smokeless Tobacco (SLT) in India
Authors: Monga Divya , Prinja Shankar 
Published: June 2022

Despite the high prevalence of Smokeless Tobacco (SLT) in India, cost-effective interventions to curb smokeless tobacco use are very low. Taxation is considered as one of the most cost-effective intervention to curb overall tobacco use but taxation on SLT product is very complex and is on ad-valorem basis. Further, Goods and Service Tax has increased the price from 0.8/gram to 1.06/gram, but still the impact of increasing the tax needs to be explored so that harmony between excise revenue generated from these products and decrease in demand of these products can be maintained. Therefore, we carried out a literature review, which involved literature search, data extraction, and synthesis. The evidence suggests that the price elasticity of SLT products has gone closer to the inelastic nature with the passing time suggesting the increasing affordability of these products. The macroeconomic impact of the disease burden resulting from these SLT products is far greater than excise revenue generated by these products. More research is required in this field with updated data. The agricultural aspect of SLT products also need to be explored to determine cost-effective alternative crops for tobacco farming. Also, as the use of SLT is culturally accepted in India, appropriate public awareness program and cost-effective interventions are required to curb SLT use along with increased tax and cessation services.
Prevalence of Dyslipidemia in Geriatric rural Population Residing in a Hilly District of Uttarakhand State, India
Authors: Khandelwal Ritika , Gupta Aakriti , Kapil Umesh 
Published: June 2022

Background: Dyslipidemia is a major contributing determinant in the development of ischemic heart diseases, stroke, and other vascular diseases. It increases the risk of mortality amongst the geriatric population.
Objective: To assess the prevalence of dyslipidemia in geriatric rural population residing in a hilly district of Uttarakhand state, India.
Methodology: A community based cross-sectional study was conducted during 2015-2016 in District Nainital, Uttarakhand. A list of all villages with their population in the district was developed. From this list, thirty villages were identified using population proportionate to size sampling method. From each village 30 geriatric subjects were selected. A total of 1003 geriatric subjects aged 60 years and above were included in the study. The data was collected on socio demographic profile and lipid profile from all the enrolled subjects. The prevalence of dyslipidemia was assessed using National Cholesterol Education Programme (NCEP) criteria.
Result: The overall prevalence of dyslipidemia was 50.6%. A total of 26.3% participants had hypercholesterolemia, 34.2% had hypertriglyceridemia and 23.5% had high LDL levels. The prevalence of dyslipidemia was higher in women compared to men.
Conclusion: High prevalence of dyslipidemia was found amongst geriatric rural population.
Level of physical activity and its relationship with tobacco use among youth: a cross-sectional survey in North India
Authors: Monga Divya , Goel Sonu , Padhy Susanta 
Published: June 2022

Background: Tobacco use and physical inactivity are major risk factors for NCDs. Adequate physical activity keeps one healthy but sedentary life style may contribute to other unhealthy practices like tobacco use. There is a need to identify if and how the two risk factors are interrelated so as to address them more strategically. Objectives: To assess the level of physical activity and to identify its association with tobacco use among college going youth in Chandigarh. Material & Methods: Data on physical activity and tobacco use was collected from 500 students aged 18-24 years studying in different professional and nonprofessional colleges of Chandigarh in year, through a multistage stratified random sampling technique. We used semi-structured, self-administered questionnaires-namely 78 item Global Adult Tobacco Survey (GATS) for assessing tobacco use status and GPAQ (Global Physical Activity Questionnaire) for assessment of physical activity. Binary logistics regression analysis was done to find association between tobacco use and physical activity. Odd’s ratio & 95% confidence interval (C.I.) was calculated. Results: Of the 500 individuals studied, 12.8% (n=64) were physically inactive, 10% (n=50) were active and 76.2% (n=381) were highly active. Females (15.8%) were more inactive as compared to males (12.1%). Highly active respondents were seen more in 18-20 years age group (77.6%) as compared to 21-22 years age group (76.1%). The odds of consuming tobacco is significantly lower among physically active respondents as compared to inactive respondents. Conclusions: Our findings indicate a significant relationship between physical activity and tobacco use among youth. Promotion of physical activity may be a useful educational tool for reducing tobacco use.