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Introduction: Recent studies highlight the negative impact of social isolation and involvement in leisure activities on enhanced well‐being of individuals. However, there is dearth of evidence on relationship between social isolation and leisure activities on cognitive abilities and depression of older adults in the Indian context. The paper reports the impact of social isolation and leisure activities on cognitive functioning and depression of older adults. Methods: Data were collected from the Longitudinal Ageing Study of India (LASI), and 63,806 participants aged 45 years or above were considered for the study with adherence to the exclusion criteria. Multivariate analysis was carried out to analyse the group‐based differences. Results: Social isolation (F = 102.09, p < 0.01; η2 = 0.09) and leisure (F = 224.54, p < 0.01; η2 = 0.07) had a statistically significant impact on the cognition and depressive symptoms of participants. Socially isolated older adults with little involvement in leisure activities had the worst cognitive functioning (M = 32.76, SD = 4.41), whereas middle‐aged adults who were actively involved in leisure activities and experienced the least social isolation exhibited the best cognitive functioning (M = 32.76, SD = 4.41). However, leisure and age as independent factors did not have a significant impact on depression. Conclusion: Socially isolated participants, irrespective of age, and involvement in leisure activities exhibit poor cognitive functioning and are more likely to suffer from depression as compared to their counterparts. The findings of the study can be used to design intervention strategies aimed at reducing social isolation by incorporating leisure activities to ensure the optimal functioning of middle‐aged and older adults. Key points: Socially isolated older adults with least involvement in leisure activities reported the worst cognitive functioning.Socially isolated participants reported a positive association with depressive symptomatology.Both middle‐aged and older adults who engaged in leisure activities reported better cognitive functioning as compared to their counterparts who did not engage in any form of leisure activities.Leisure as an independent factor is not significantly associated with depressive symptoms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: Diabetes is a significant public health concern in India, with Kerala being labeled as the diabetes capital of the country. The study aims to evaluate the prevalence, treatment, and management of diabetes to examine the unmet need for care to propose cost-effective strategies. Design: A cross-sectional study was conducted on a geographically defined cohort population in Ernakulam. Sample: This paper presents diabetes data of adults ≥30 years enrolled from the community cohort. The interviews were conducted with 997 participants at their residence. Measurement: Random blood glucose was assessed for each participant using a finger prick test. Results: The overall prevalence of diabetes was 30.1%, of which 4.1% of participants had undiagnosed diabetes. Among those with diabetes, 86.3% were aware of their diagnosis; among those aware, 86.5% were on treatment. Among those on treatment for diabetes, 54% achieved controlled blood sugar. Conclusion: The challenge in diabetes management is controlling the blood glucose levels of people who adhere to treatment. Younger employed females from lower-income quartiles have the highest risk. The study also raises questions about quality and strategies for medication compliance. The findings inspire future research on care needs, policies, and program responses to reduce the diabetes disease burden. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Intellectual disability in India is substantially under-reported, especially amongst females. This study quantifies the prevalence and gender bias in household reporting of intellectual disability by estimating the age-and-gender specific prevalence of the intellectually disabled by education, Socio-Demographic Index (SDI) score, place of residence, (rural/urban) and income of household head. We estimated prevalence (per 100,000) at 179 (95% CI: 173 to 185) for males and 120 (95% CI: 115 to 125) for females. Gender differences declined sharply with increased education, was higher for lower ages and low income and varied little by state development. Under-identification and under-reporting due to stigma are two plausible reasons for the gender differences in prevalence that increase with age. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Anaemia control programmes in India are hampered by a lack of representative evidence on anaemia prevalence, burden and associated factors for adolescents. The aim of this study was to: (1) describe the national and subnational prevalence, severity and burden of anaemia among Indian adolescents; (2) examine factors associated with anaemia at national and regional levels. Data (n = 14,673 individuals aged 10–19 years) were from India's Comprehensive National Nutrition Survey (CNNS, 2016–2018). CNNS used a multistage, stratified, probability proportion to size cluster sampling design. Prevalence was estimated using globally comparable age‐ and sex‐specific cutoffs, using survey weights for biomarker sample collection. Burden analysis used prevalence estimates and projected population from 2011 Census data. Multivariable logistic regression models were used to analyse factors (diet, micronutrient deficiencies, haemoglobinopathies, sociodemographic factors, environment) associated with anaemia. Anaemia was present in 40% of girls and 18% of boys, equivalent to 72 million adolescents in 2018, and varied by region (girls 29%–46%; boys 11%–28%) and state (girls 7%–62%; boys 4%–32%). Iron deficiency (ferritin < 15 μg/L) was the strongest predictor of anaemia (odds ratio [OR]: 4.68, 95% confidence interval [CI]: [3.21,6.83]), followed by haemoglobinopathies (HbA2 > 3.5% or any HbS) (OR: 2.81, 95% CI: [1.66,4.74]), vitamin A deficiency (serum retinol <20 ng/ml) (OR: 1.86, 95% CI: [1.23,2.80]) and zinc deficiency (serum zinc < 70 μg/L) (OR: 1.32, 95% CI: [1.02,1.72]). Regional models show heterogeneity in the strength of association between factors and anaemia by region. Adolescent anaemia control programmes in India should continue to address iron deficiency, strengthen strategies to identify haemoglobinopathies and other micronutrient deficiencies, and further explore geographic variation in associated factors. Key messages: The Comprehensive National Nutrition Survey (CNNS) 2016–2018 is the only nationally representative survey to measure haemoglobin, haemoglobinopathies, biomarkers of micronutrient deficiencies, diet and social factors in Indian adolescents aged 10–19 years.Using CNNS data, we found that 28.5% of adolescents (girls: 39.6%, boys: 17.6%) were anaemic, with variation by region or state.Our prevalence estimates translate to 72 million adolescents being anaemic, with Uttar Pradesh having twice as many anaemic adolescents as any other state.Iron deficiency, haemoglobinopathies, vitamin A deficiency and zinc deficiency were associated with an increased risk of anaemia; these associations may vary subnationally. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background  Various risk factors for tumors such as smoking, alcohol consumption, diet, and radiation, etc., were already identified. ABO blood group antigens are also present on epithelia, endothelia, and neurons. Recent evidence suggested the role of ABO antigens in the pathogenesis of certain malignancies. Materials   and Methods A retrospective observational study was conducted in a tertiary care neurosurgical center in North India from January 2016 to December 2018. The hospital information system was used to obtain patient information while the blood center information system was used to collect blood group information. Brain tumors were majorly divided into cavernoma, glioma, meningioma, neuroma, pituitary adenoma, schwannoma, and others. Results  We found a total of 1,970 patients with brain tumors admitted during our study period. Most patients had glioma (33.55%), followed by pituitary adenoma (20.05%) and neuroma (2.23%). B blood group individuals had more prevalence of cavernoma, glioma, meningioma, pituitary adenoma, schwannoma, and others followed by O, A, and AB. Only association of O blood group with neuroma tumor was found statistically significant. Conclusions  Our patient population had blood group distribution similar to our general population and no significant association was observed by blood group antigens and brain tumors. Although neuroma was significantly associated with blood group O but the prevalence of neuroma in our patient population is very low hence large sample study is required to draw a firm conclusion regarding this association. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: Current tobacco use (CTU) and secondhand smoke (SHS) exposure among older adults in India (≥60 years) are prevalent in India and indicate the importance of addressing associated factors. Methods: Pooled Global Adult Tobacco Survey India 2009–2010 and 2016–2017 data (n = 17,299) for older adults examined prevalence of CTU and SHS exposure at home and/or in public places and associated socioeconomic and demographic correlates. Results: CTU among older adults in India was 44.6%, and SHS exposure at home and public places were 20.0% and 30.0%, respectively. Men, younger age-group, rural, lower education, lower wealth index, and lower knowledge were independently associated with CTU. Men, rural, lower education, lower wealth index, CTU, and lower knowledge were independently associated with SHS exposure at home. Men, younger age, and rural residence were associated with SHS exposure in public places. Conclusion: CTU and SHS exposure among older adults in India suggest targeted interventions to address associated social and demographic factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]