Search

Background: Micronutrient deficiencies such as iron, Vitamin A, and iodine are important public health problems in India. Objective: The objective of the study was to assess subclinical Vitamin A deficiency (VAD) and anemia among women and preschool children from Northeast India. Methodology: A community-based cross-sectional study was carried out by adopting systematic sampling in Phek district of Nagaland. Data were collected from women on sociodemographic particulars, and finger prick blood was collected for hemoglobin and free-flowing drop for Vitamin A estimation on Whatman no. 1 filter paper. Results: The overall prevalence of anemia was 27%, 40%, 44%, and 52% among preschool children, nonpregnant nonlactating women, lactating mothers, and pregnant women, respectively, whereas VAD was 37% among preschool children and 24%-32% among adult women. The prevalence of VAD was observed high among those living in kutcha house, illiteracy of head of households, big family size, and low per capita income. Conclusions: Anemia and VAD are important public health problems among tribal population in spite of the rich biodiversity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Social support has been considered an important social determinant of health because it assists individuals in reaching their physical and emotional needs. The current study was proposed to assess the social support status of the elderly in rural central India. Material and Methods: This observational cross-sectional study was conducted in selected four villages in central India on 460 elderly individuals for 5 months (Aug-Dec 2021) with the use of the MSPSS (Multi-dimensional Scale Perceived Social Support) questionnaire. Univariate analysis and multivariate analysis were carried out using R software. Result: Out of 460, 37 (8.04%) of the elderly were found to have low, 177 (38.47%) were moderate, and 246 (53.48%) were having high social support. The result showed age and education of the elderly were significantly associated with social support. Conclusion: Intergenerational activities, provision and strengthening of social platforms, and the addition social support components with comprehensive geriatric assessment can improve the current status. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Low participation in screening and poor follow-up are major challenges in implementing population based screening in developing countries. Determinants of participation in a community-based organized cervical cancer screening program are discussed here. Objectives: The objectives were to study factors determining compliance of women for cervical cancer screening in an urban low socioeconomic setting. Methodology: Community-based service program was conducted for screening uterine cervix cancers with a visual inspection of the cervix on the application of 5% acetic acid by trained primary health workers. The process involved the selection of clusters, household surveys, health education, and screening of eligible women for uterine cervix cancer. Logistic regression analysis was conducted to identify determinants of participation in cervical cancer screening. Results: A total of 138,383 population were surveyed, of which 21,422 eligible women were contacted and 16,424 (82.50%) complied for screening. According to the results of univariate and multivariate analysis, women belonging to the age group of 30–39 (80.69%), literate women with school level or education up to Senior College (78.97% and 80.86%) (odds ratio [OR], 1.323; P ≤ 0.001) and (OR, 1.402; P ≤ 0.001), belonging to Hindu religion (77.20%), speaking Marathi (77.07%), and with a family history of cancer (81.93%) had higher participation for screening, while women belonging to the Muslim community (73.95%) (OR, 0.743; P ≤ 0.001), speaking other than Marathi and Hindi language (73%) (OR, 0.872; P = 0.017), illiterate women (70.71%), and graduate women (70.78%) had lower participation. Conclusion: High compliance can be achieved by providing good-quality health education and setting up of screening clinics in vicinity of participating women. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Injuries are considered as an emerging public health problem in India. Globally every year, injuries kill more than 5 million people, and by 2020, injuries will be the third-leading cause of death and disability worldwide. The study aimed to assess the prevalence and characteristics of nonfatal home injuries among the elderly in Tamil Nadu. Methodology: A cross-sectional analytical study was conducted among 1139 elderly (60 years and above), sampled from three districts of Tamil Nadu, India. Probability proportional to size sampling technique was used for sampling; a pretested questionnaire was used to collect the data. Results: Prevalence of nonfatal home injuries among elderly within the past 1 year was 14.6% (12.5–16.7 at 95% confidence interval), (n = 1003), among those injured, 94.5% were unintentionally injured and 5.5% were of intentional nature. When classified according to the types of injuries, majority of them had fall injuries (6.7%) followed by minor domestic injuries (5.4%), animal-related injury (0.2%), burn injuries (1.1%), road traffic injury (0.4%), and suicide attempt (0.8%). Majority of the respondents were in the age group of young-old, 60–69 years of age (84%), and there was more number of males (55%) in the study. Conclusion: The study reveals that nonfatal home injuries among elderly are an emerging public health problem, unintentional injuries contribute to the majority of the injuries, fall was the single largest contributor for all injuries among elderly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Women from a society reflect the culture that they are a part of and tribal women are the most disadvantaged considering the levels of illiteracy and ignorance. As per the National Family Health Survey 4 reports, in Kerala, undernutrition is particularly common among women from scheduled tribes, 20%. This study was done to assess the nutritional status and its associated factors among tribal women in the reproductive age group at Wayanad. Materials and Methods: A hospital-based cross-sectional study was carried out during January 2017 at Amrita Kripa Charitable Hospital in Kainatty, Wayanad. The minimum calculated sample size was 186. Using systematic random sampling, every third tribal woman in the age group of 15–49 years attending the general outpatient department as patient or bystander was interviewed using a pretested semi-structured questionnaire and examined for height, weight, body mass index, and pallor. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 21. Results: Data were collected from a total of 223 study participants; 53.8% of them were undernourished (< 18.5 kg/m2) with 25% severe underweight and 3.1% and 2.7% preobese and obese women. Participants who were <30 years of age (0.001), those who used smokeless tobacco (0.008), and women from the Paniya tribe 0.001 had significantly higher odds of undernutrition. Conclusion: Almost one-fourth of the study participants were severely undernourished and 5.8% belonged to obese and preobese categories, thereby indicating the gravity of the nutritional difficulties among tribal women. A well-planned and coordinated effort is needed to address the scenario of malnutrition among tribal women. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]