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IntroductionShort interpregnancy interval (IPI) is a well-known risk factor for preterm births and low birth weights. However, research on the association between interpregnancy interval (IPI) and health outcomes in children under age 5 is limited in India. We examined the associations between IPI and five child health outcomes in India.MethodsWe used nationally representative cross-sectional data from three rounds of National Family Health Survey (NFHS) conducted in India during 2005-06, 2015-16 and 2019-21 to examine the associations between IPI [categorized as

Research on the association between experiences of intimate partner violence (IPV) and contraceptive use discontinuation in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) is limited. This study aims to fill this important gap using microdata collected from women aged 15-49 in the 2015-2016 National Family Health Survey (NFHS). Analyses used multivariable multinomial logistic regressions stratified by long-acting reversible contraceptive methods (LARC)/non-LARC and condom/pill to examine the association between experience of IPV and contraceptive use discontinuation while still in need (DWSIN). Experience of physical violence was associated with DWSIN among LARC/IUD users (RRR: 3.73, 95 percent CI [1.55-8.95]) Among condom users, DWSIN was higher among women who experienced emotional violence compared with women who did not experience any violence (RRR: 4.16, 95 percent CI [1.59-10.90]). Although we did not find an association between IPV and overall contraceptive use discontinuation, we did find compelling evidence of an association between IPV and IUD and condom use discontinuation in India. There is a need to understand women's experience of IPV as a part of a broader strategy to provide high-quality family planning services to all women while considering individual circumstances and reproductive aspirations to support the uninterrupted use of contraception in India.

Despite India having a high burden of infant deaths and preterm birth, there is a clear lack of studies documenting association between preterm birth and infant mortality in India. Additionally, existing studies have failed to account for unobserved heterogeneity while linking preterm birth with infant mortality. Hence, the present study examines association of preterm birth with early neonatal death (ENND), late neonatal death (LNND), and postneonatal death (PNND) in India. We used the reproductive calendar canvassed in the cross-sectional National Family Health Survey 2015-16 (NFHS-4) to identify preterm births. We used multivariable logistic regression to examine the associations for all births, most-, second most-, and third most- recent births occurred in five years preceding NFHS-4. We use mother fixed-effect logistic regression to confirm the associations among all recent births. Among all births, preterm births were 4.2, 3.8, and 1.7 times as likely as full-term births to die during early neonatal, late neonatal, and postneonatal periods respectively. Among most recent births, preterm births were 4.4, 4.0, and 2.0 times as likely as full-term births to die during early neonatal, late neonatal, and postneonatal periods respectively. Preterm births were also associated with risk of only ENND, LNND, and PNND among the second most recent births. Preterm births were associated with risk of only ENND and LNND among the third most recent births. Preterm births were also associated with ENND, LNND, and PNND in the mother fixed-effects regressions. This study establishes associations of preterm birth with ENND, LNND, and PNND in India using over 0.2 million births that occurred in 5 years preceding one of the largest population-based representative household surveys conducted in any part of the world. Our findings call for programmatic and policy interventions to address the considerable burden of preterm birth in the country.

Objective To assess missed opportunities for hypertension screening at health facilities in India and describe systematic differences in these missed opportunities across states and sociodemographic groups. Methods We used nationally representative survey data from the 2017-2018 Longitudinal Ageing Study in India to estimate the proportion of adults aged 45 years or older identified with hypertension and who had not been diagnosed with hypertension despite having visited a health facility during the previous 12 months. We estimated age-sex adjusted proportions of missed opportunities to diagnose hypertension, as well as actual and potential proportions of diagnosis, by sociodemographic characteristics and for each state. Findings Among those identified as having hypertension, 22.6% (95% confidence interval, CI: 21.3 to 23.8) had not been diagnosed despite having recently visited a health facility. If these opportunities had been realized, the prevalence of diagnosed hypertension would have increased from 54.8% (95% CI: 53.5 to 56.1) to 77.3% (95% CI: 76.2 to 78.5). Missed opportunities for diagnosis were more common among individuals who were poorer (P = 0.001), less educated (P < 0.001), male (P < 0.001), rural (P < 0.001), Hindu (P=0.001), living alone (P = 0.028) and working (P < 0.001). Missed opportunities for diagnosis were more common at private than at public health facilities (P < 0.001) and varied widely across states (P < 0.001). Conclusion Opportunistic screening for hypertension has the potential to significantly increase detection of the condition and reduce sociodemographic and geographic inequalities in its diagnosis. Such screening could be a first step towards more effective and equitable hypertension treatment and control. Objectif Evaluer les occasions manquees de depistage de l'hypertension dans les etablissements de sante en Inde et decrire les differences systematiques de ces occasions manquees entre les Etats indiens et les groupes sociodemographiques. Methodes Nous avons utilise les donnees d'enquete representatives au niveau national de l'etude longitudinale sur le vieillissement 2017-2018 en Inde pour estimer la proportion d'adultes ages de 45 ans et plus identifies comme souffrant d'hypertension et qui n'avaient pas ete diagnostiques comme tels malgre une visite dans un etablissement de sante au cours des 12 mois precedents. Nous avons estime les proportions ajustees selon l'age et le sexe des occasions manquees de diagnostic de l'hypertension, ainsi que les proportions reelles et potentielles de diagnostic, selon les caracteristiques sociodemographiques et pour chaque Etat. Resultats Parmi les personnes identifiees comme souffrant d'hypertension, 22,6% (intervalle de confiance (IC) a 95% : 21,3 a 23,8) n'avaient pas ete diagnostiques malgre une visite recente dans un etablissement de sante. Si ces occasions avaient ete concretisees, la prevalence de l'hypertension diagnostiquee serait passee de 54,8% (IC a 95% : 53,5 a 56,1) a 77,3% (IC a 95% : 76,2 a 78,5). Les occasions manquees de diagnostic etaient plus frequentes chez les personnes plus pauvres (P = 0,001), moins instruites (P < 0,001), de sexe masculin (P < 0,001), habitant en zone rurale (P < 0,001), hindoues (P = 0,001), vivant seules (P = 0,028) et travaillant (P < 0,001). Les occasions manquees de diagnostic etaient plus frequentes dans les etablissements de sante prives que dans les etablissements publics (P < 0,001) et variaient considerablement d'un Etat a l'autre (P < 0,001). Conclusion Le depistage opportuniste de l'hypertension a le potentiel d'augmenter significativement la detection de cette affection et de reduire les inegalites sociodemographiques et geographiques dans son diagnostic. Ce depistage pourrait etre une premiere etape vers un traitement et une prise en charge plus efficaces et equitables de l'hypertension. Objetivo Evaluar las oportunidades perdidas para el cribado de la hipertension en los centros sanitarios de la India y describir las diferencias sistematicas en estas oportunidades perdidas entre estados y grupos sociodemograficos. Metodos Se utilizaron datos de encuestas representativas a nivel nacional del Estudio Longitudinal del Envejecimiento 2017-2018 en la India para estimar el porcentaje de adultos de 45 anos o mas que fueron identificados con hipertension y que no habian sido diagnosticados con hipertension a pesar de haber visitado un centro sanitario durante los 12 meses anteriores. Se calcularon los porcentajes ajustados por edad y sexo de las oportunidades perdidas para diagnosticar la hipertension, asi como los porcentajes reales y potenciales de diagnostico, por caracteristicas sociodemograficas y para cada estado. Resultados Entre las personas identificadas como hipertensas, el 22,6 % (intervalo de confianza del 95 %, IC: 21,3 a 23,8) no habian sido diagnosticadas a pesar de haber acudido a un centro sanitario recientemente. Si se hubieran aprovechado estas oportunidades, la prevalencia de hipertension diagnosticada habria aumentado del 54,8 % (IC del 95 %: 53,5 a 56,1) al 77,3 % (IC del 95 %: 76,2 a 78,5). Las oportunidades perdidas para el diagnostico fueron mas comunes entre las personas mas pobres (P = 0,001), con menos educacion (P < 0,001), varones (P < 0,001), de zonas rurales (P < 0,001), hindues (P = 0,001), que viven solas (P = 0,028) y que trabajan (P < 0,001). Las oportunidades perdidas para el diagnostico fueron mas comunes en los centros sanitarios privados que en los publicos (P < 0,001) y variaron en gran medida entre los estados (P < 0,001). Conclusion El cribado oportuno de la hipertension tiene el potencial de aumentar de manera significativa la deteccion de la enfermedad y de disminuir las desigualdades sociodemograficas y geograficas en su diagnostico. Este cribado podria ser un primer paso hacia un tratamiento y control de la hipertension mas eficaz y equitativo. [phrase omitted], Introduction Hypertension that is undiagnosed, and so goes untreated and uncontrolled, raises the risks of cardiovascular diseases and premature death. (1-3) Failure to prevent ill-health and medical treatments arising from [...]

This study used a series of individual-level datasets from National Family Health Surveys conducted in 1998–99, 2005–06 and 2015–16 to assess the factors behind the reduction in childhood stunting and underweight in India between the years 1998–99 and 2015–16. A multivariable decomposition regression analysis was performed. Results showed that the prevalence of childhood stunting declined from 49.4% in 1998–99 to 34.9% in 2015–16. Over the same period, the prevalence of childhood underweight declined from 41.9% in 1998–99 to 33.1% in 2015–16. The reduction in the prevalence of stunting was found to be contributed largely by a reduction in the combined prevalence of stunting and underweight (60%), followed by stunted only (21%) and the combined prevalence of stunting, underweight and wasting (19%). Likewise, the reduction in the prevalence of underweight was contributed by a reduction in the combined prevalence of stunting and underweight and the combined prevalence of stunting, underweight and wasting. Results of the decomposition analysis showed that over the period 1998–99 to 2015–16, improvement in wealth status and maternal education led to 13% and 12% declines, respectively, in childhood stunting and to 31% and 19% declines, respectively, in childhood underweight. Furthermore, reductions in childhood stunting and underweight were due to an increased average number of antenatal care visits, lower average birth order, decreased share of children with below-average birth size, increased use of clean fuel for cooking and a reduction in the practice of open defecation. These findings suggest that further reduction in the prevalence of childhood stunting and underweight could be attained through more equitable household economic growth, investment in girl's education, greater access to improved toilet facilities, more widespread use of clean fuel for cooking, reduction in average birth order, increased antenatal care visits and greater consumption of IFA tablets by pregnant women. Policymakers need to prioritize these measures to further reduce malnutrition among Indian children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite widespread use of unclean cooking fuels (UCF) in India, evidence from nationally representative data on its association with visual impairment was lacking. We used a population-based nationwide survey of adults aged 45 years and older that included reported UCF and measured visual impairment. We estimated that 44.8% (95% CI: 42.6, 47.1) of older adults in India lived in households that used UCF. Age- and sex-adjusted prevalence of visual impairment was estimated to be 33.0% (95% CI: 31.0, 34.9) in the older population that did not use UCF and 9.0 percentage points (pp) (95% CI: 8.9, 9.1) higher among those who did. Among those who used UCF, age- and sex-adjusted prevalence of low distance vision was 4.3 pp (95% CI: 4.2, 4.4) higher, prevalence of low near vision was 8.0 pp (95% CI: 7.9, 8.1) higher, and prevalence of blindness was 1.0 pp (95% CI: 0.9, 1.0) higher. After controlling for a rich array of sociodemographic characteristics and state fixed effects, we estimated that use of UCF was associated with higher prevalence of visual impairment by 3.2 pp (95% CI: 1.4, 5.0), low distance vision by 1.8 pp (95% CI: 0.7, 2.9), and low near vision by 3.2 pp (95% CI: 1.3, 5.0). Doubly robust estimates of these differences were slightly larger. Blindness was not significantly partially associated with use of UCF (95% CI: -0.4, 0.6). We did not find support for the hypotheses that the visual impairment risk associated with use of UCF was even larger for females and in households without a separate kitchen or ventilation. The older population of India is highly reliant on UCF that is very strongly associated with visual impairment. Impaired vision should not be overlooked among the harms associated with UCF., (Copyright © 2022 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)