Search

Background: Sustainable development goals (SDGs) 3.9.1 and 11.6.2 call for a reduction in deaths and illnesses from air pollution, improving the air quality of cities. The above goals motivate us to organize workshops to improve the health of traffic police, who bear the brunt of air pollution. The paper examines the effect of workshops on the health-seeking behavior of the traffic police in Bhubaneswar city. Methods: The study conducted two workshops as a quasi-experimental, single-group study at an academic institution in Bhubaneswar. It included 20 traffic police officers (11 male and 9 female). The Kirkpatrick 4-level model was used to assess the effectiveness of the workshops. A paired t-test was used to compare pre- and postworkshop scores. Results: Thirteen traffic police officers rated the workshop sessions as excellent. The score before the workshop ranged from zero to three, with a mean (standard deviation [SD]) of 2.81 (1.0). The postworkshop score had a minimum to maximum score of three to five with a mean (SD) of 4.41 (0.7) (P < 0.005). The effect size dcohen (confidence interval [CI]) was 1.87 (3.27-4.71). The mean (SD) of absolute and relative gain was 1.6 (1.0) and 0.93 (1.02), respectively. All 20 traffic police officers showed improvement in health-seeking behavior. The significant lifestyle changes after the workshops ranged between 5% and 75%. Conclusion: The test scores indicated statistically significant improvement as the P value recorded was smaller than 0.05. This concludes that the improvement in understanding of the session was statistically significant because of the training imparted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sudden cardiac death (SCD) is a leading cause of mortality worldwide and, in recent years, has become an urgent public health concern in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Data from LMICs, however, remains limited. As such, the aim of this article is to systematically review the current literature on the incidence of SCD in LMICs to inform policymakers and identify potential research gaps. A search of PubMed and Embase was utilized to capture the targeted condition, outcome, and setting. Only peer-reviewed cohort studies in LMICs reporting SCD incidence estimates in the general population of individuals aged ≥1 year were eligible for selection. Papers providing incidence data for specific types of SCD, including sudden coronary death or death from sudden cardiac arrest, were also included. After deduplication, 1941 citations were identified and screened. Seven studies representing four countries--Cameroon, China, India, and Iran--met the criteria for inclusion and were considered in our analysis. The crude incidence rate for SCD ranged from 19.9 to 190 cases per 100,000 person-years, while ageadjusted rates ranged from 33.6 to 230 cases per 100,000 person-years. There was notable variability in methods utilized to ascertain SCD cases. These findings suggest that the incidence of all-cause SCD in LMICs and may exceed that of high-income countries; however, observed disparities may be partly attributable to differences in case ascertainment methods. Additional research is needed to better understand the true incidence of SCD in developing countries. It is crucial that future studies across regions utilize standard diagnostic criteria and methodology for identifying SCD, which would provide a framework by which to compare outcomes between settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Depression is a major public health concern among Indian adolescents. Pre- and post-natal depression can often alter fetal development and have negative consequences on the physical and mental health of the mother. This paper aims to draw attention to the prevalence of depression and its correlates among currently married, ever-pregnant adolescents from two Indian States, i.e. Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. Methods: This study utilizes data from a subsample (n = 3116) of the prospective cohort study Understanding the Lives of Adolescents and Young Adults (UDAYA) among 10 to 19 year-old adolescents. Bivariate analysis was performed to assess the prevalence of depression by sociodemographic and behavioral characteristics. To further access the predictors associated with depression a logistic regression model was applied. Results: Around one-tenth (9%) of pregnant adolescents had depression. Regression analysis indicated that substance use, religion, autonomy, considering attempting suicide, premarital relationship, violence, dowry, adverse pregnancy outcome, menstrual problem, and parental pressure for the child immediately after marriage were significantly associated with depression. Conclusions: This study confirms the pre-existing annotation that teen pregnancy is linked with depression. Findings indicate that Adolescent mothers experiencing violence, and a history of adverse pregnancy outcomes are at increased risk of developing depression. These study findings call for an urgent need to address depression among adolescent mothers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Interactive teaching methods aid post graduate students in learning qualitative research. Four academic researchers from the United Kingdom had an opportunity to teach qualitative research methods, specifically consensus methods, to the Master of Public Health students (MPH) during a visit to India. This teaching formed part of a work package with All India Institute of Medical Sciences Rishikesh, India exploring the concept of family resilience among families with children under 6 years. Aims: To use the experiences of the MPH students to gain knowledge and create meaning about using the consensus methods. Participants: The participants were the MPH students. Methods: We used the workshop method to introduce the concept of family resilience by using the question, ‘What will be the three top public health priorities in India to support family resilience in the 21st century?’ as a central theme for all the workshops. Furthermore, we introduced qualitative research methods and hands on experience of consensus methods to the students. The students were introduced to Delphi and Group Concept Mapping (GCM) methods during workshop 1. Workshop 2 introduced Nominal Group Technique (NGT) through a short presentation followed by a practical hands on session using GCM data from workshop 1. The last workshop (3) focused on the World Café method. Results: The students evaluated the workshops highly and asked for online sessions on GCM, NGT, and World Café which will be planned in the future. Conclusion: We concluded that the post graduate curriculum for master’s in public health studies would benefit from teaching using interactive research methods which will enhance their critical thinking and autonomy. Second, although the MPH curriculum had quantitative methods in place, introducing qualitative consensus methods will open new avenues into future research. Finally, teaching using practical demonstration gives students a voice and makes learning effective and enjoyable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on the fundamental role of sexuality in shaping individual psychology, behavior, and interpersonal relationships, emphasizing its influence on various aspects of life. It explores the historical context of human sexuality, acknowledging its ancient roots in cultures and religions, while also highlighting the relatively recent scientific studies on sexuality initiated by scholars like Havelock Ellis, Sigmund Freud, and Alfred Kinsey.

Purpose: To quantifiably assess the diagnostic accuracy of Adven‑I, a proprietary artificial intelligence (AI)‑driven diagnostic system that automatically detects diseases from fundus images. The purpose is to quantify the performance of Adven‑i in differentiating a nonreferable (within normal limits) image from a referable (diseased fundus) image and further segregating diabetic retinopathy (DR) from the rest of the abnormalities (non‑DR) encompassing the wide spectrum of abnormal pathologies. The assessment is carried out in comparison to manual reading as the reference gold standard. Adven‑i is the only AI system classifying retinal abnormalities into DR and non‑DR classes separately, apart from predicting nonreferable fundus, while most existing systems classify fundus images into referable and nonreferable DR. Methods: The double‑blinded study was conducted on retrospective data collected over the course of a year in the ophthalmology outpatient department (OPD) at a top Tier II eyecare hospital in Chandigarh, India. Three vitreoretina specialists who were blinded to one another read the images. The ground‑truth was generated on the basis of majority agreement among the readers. An arbitrator’s decision was regarded final if all three readers disagreed. Results: 2261 fundus images were analyzed by Adven‑i. The sensitivity and specificity of Adven‑i in diagnosing images with abnormalities were 95.12% and 85.77%, respectively, and for segregating DR from rest of the retinal abnormalities were 91.87% and 85.12%, respectively. Conclusions and Relevance: Adven‑i shows definite promise in automated screening for early diagnosis of referable fundus images including DR. Adven‑i can be adopted to scale for mass screening in resource‑limited settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: COVID-19 has become a global pandemic, prompting lockdowns in practically every country. To prevent the spread of the disease, India has enforced a rigorous nationwide lockdown that commenced in March 2020. The lockdown imposed amid the pandemic ensured that most commercial activities and vehicle transportation ceased, resulting in a significant reduction in air pollution levels. Material and Methods: The value of air pollutants PM10, PM2.5, NO2, and SO2 from January to May 2020 was obtained from the Indian Central Pollution Control Board. Before lockdown and during lockdown, relative fluctuations in ambient concentrations of four air contaminants were investigated. The Box-Jenkins approach was used to estimate future air pollution data points using time series data analysis. Results: The PM10 level reduced by 61%, 30%, 68%, 37%, and 43% in the selected cities, respectively. Comparison of other pollutant concentrations before and after the lockdown also found a reduction in ambient pollutant concentrations, resulting in improved air quality. Inference of predicted model values to observed values revealed a significant increase in the concentrations of all pollutants. The percentage increases in AQImean from predicted to observed values were 206% in Ghaziabad, 148% in Delhi, 59% in Hyderabad, and 160% in Cochin. Conclusion: The strict lockdown has resulted in a significant drop in air pollutant levels. Upgrading present technologies could help keep pollution to a minimum of 37% under control. The findings would prompt the government to consider how to strictly reduce vehicle and industrial pollution to improve air quality and maintain improved public health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Objectives: Dental caries continues to be a major health concern for populations worldwide. In India, the prevalence is increasing at an alarming rate among child population. Assessing caries risk in children is more beneficial than treating the disease in terms of economic as well as public health outcomes. Hence, a study was conducted to assess caries risk in 13--15-year-old government and private schoolchildren in Guntur city using Cariogram model and to identify the particular risk factors that were most frequent among schoolchildren. Materials and Methods: A comparative cross-sectional study was conducted among government and private high schoolchildren in Guntur city. A total of 100 children aged 13--15 years were selected randomly. Data were obtained by means of questionnaire, intraoral examination, and salivary analysis. The information obtained was entered into Cariogram model to calculate the "percentage chance to avoid caries." Results: Of the total 100 schoolchildren, 43 were boys and 57 were girls. The government schoolchildren had a higher mean decayed, missing, and filled teeth (1.50 ± 1.669) compared to the private schoolchildren (0.40 ± 0.833), which was significant. The mean chance to avoid caries was significantly higher in private schoolchildren (70.56%) compared to government schoolchildren (57.32%). Conclusion: Diet incorporates a major role in assessing caries risk in the present study including its content and frequency. The Cariogram model could find out the factors contributing to the development of caries in the individual and help to plan targeted preventive actions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The epidemic of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and its metabolic effects present a serious public health concern. We hypothesized that the Ramadan fasting model (RFM), which involves fasting from dawn to dusk for a month, could provide potential therapeutic benefits and mitigate NAFLD. Accordingly, we aimed to validate this hypothesis using obese male rats. Methods: Rats were split into two groups (n = 24 per group), and they were given either a standard (S) or high-fat diet (HFD) for 12 weeks. During the last four weeks of the study period, both S- and HFD-fed rats were subdivided into eight groups to assess the effect of RFM with/without training (T) or glucose administration (G) on the lipid profile, liver enzymes, and liver structure (n = 6/group). Results: The HFD+RFM group exhibited a significantly lower final body weight than that in the HFDC group. Serum cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein, and triglyceride levels were significantly lower in the HFD+RFM, HFD+RFM+T, and HFD+RFM+G groups than those in the HFDC group. Compared with the HFDC group, all groups had improved serum high-density lipoprotein levels. Furthermore, HFD groups subjected to RFM had reduced serum levels of aspartate transaminase and alanine transaminase compared with those of the HFD-fed group. Moreover, the liver histology improved in rats subjected to RFM compared with that of HFD-fed rats, which exhibited macro- and micro-fat droplet accumulation. Conclusion: RFM can induce positive metabolic changes and improve alterations associated with NAFLD, including weight gain, lipid profile, liver enzymes, and hepatic steatosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article titled "How to read P-values and confidence intervals in public health studies" discusses the importance of understanding statistical testing in clinical research. The authors emphasize the need to interpret confidence intervals (CIs) as ranges of compatibility rather than relying solely on the significant vs. non-significant dichotomy. They explain that a P-value close to 1 indicates high compatibility with the target hypothesis, while a P-value close to 0 indicates low compatibility. The authors also highlight the importance of considering practical risks, costs, and benefits in addition to statistical analysis when making health consequential decisions. [Extracted from the article]

The article discusses the impact of digital technology on children's well-being. It acknowledges the positive aspects of technology, such as promoting hand-eye coordination, language improvement, and problem-solving skills. However, it also highlights the negative consequences of overuse, including developmental and behavioral problems, physical inactivity, obesity, communication difficulties, sleep disturbances, and exposure to cyberbullying and harmful online content. The article suggests that a multidimensional approach involving parents, teachers, and policymakers is necessary to address these issues. Strategies such as healthy e-discipline, outdoor activities, and creating screen-free zones are recommended to promote children's overall well-being. [Extracted from the article]