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Background: Homemakers are the backbones of families, but in rural India, females suffer from many musculoskeletal problems due to excessive workload in their houses. The objective of the present study is to compare body composition parameters as predictors of low back pain (LBP) in nonworking rural homemakers of North India. Materials and Methods: The study was conducted among 296 homemakers from rural areas of Lucknow district in Uttar Pradesh. Details of LBP and body composition parameters (body mass index, body fat, visceral fat) were taken. Results: The prevalence of LBP among homemakers was found to be 15.54%. BMI was found to be a better predictor of LBP than body fat and visceral fat. The risk of LBP is 7.24 times higher in BMI ≥23 than in women with BMI <23. The risk of LBP is 3.67 times more in visceral fat % ≥10% than in women with visceral fat % <10%. Conclusion: Age, type of family, socioeconomic status income was identified as risk factors in this population. Maintaining an adequate BMI is essential for the prevention of LBP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study entitled "Knowledge about indoor plants by homemakers in Hisar city". Air quality "refers to the condition of the air within surrounding. Air quality is one of the major environmental health concerns for India. Nowadays our lifestyle and work culture are also forcing us to be in the contact of the indoor environment for the long number of hours leading to coverage of various indoor pollutants. The study was undertaken to know the existing knowledge regarding the indoor plants adopted by homemakers in the house of Hisar city. The study was carried out in one phase, survey work. Survey work was carried out in five randomly selected locality of Hisar city. From each selected locality 30 homemakers were randomly selected from each thus making total sample 150 homemakers. The study revealed that level of knowledge regarding indoor plants was medium (68.6%). The maximum homemaker used seasonal plants (60.0%) and 94% use indoor plants for aesthetic purpose and the knowledge level of respondents about of indoor plant and it was found that two third of respondents had medium level of knowledge (68.6%) followed by high level (18.0%) and only 14.0% had low level of knowledge about the indoor plants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Stress is a major contributor to the physiology of hypertension (HTN) and is linked closely to mental well-being and overall quality of life (QoL). Health issues pertaining to women's health have usually focused on reproduction, while mental well-being has largely been neglected. Objectives: The objective of the study was to assess the perceived stress and QoL among homemakers with HTN. Materials and Methods: A community-based cross-sectional study was carried out, among 426 homemakers with HTN residing in Udupi, Karnataka. The sociodemographic and disease characteristics, Cohen's Perceived Stress Scale-10, World Health Organization QoL Brief Questionnaire (WHOQOL-BREF), anthropometry, and vitals were measured. Results: Of the study participants, 245 (57.5%) were aged ≤60 years and 317 (74.4%) had been diagnosed with HTN in the past decade. Low and high perceived stress was seen among 306 (71.8%) and 120 (28.2%) women, respectively. Among the four domains of WHOQOL-BREF, the physical domain had the highest mean (±standard deviation) score of 67.44 (±16.50), whereas the lowest score of 54.49 (±19.75) was observed in the social domain. The odds of high stress among single women and those with a pill burden of >2/day were 1.93 (P=0.004, 95% CI=1.228, 3.054) and 1.77 (P=0.038, 95% CI CI=0.962, 3.270) respectively. The QoL was significantly better among those aged <60 years, married, and literate women. Conclusions: Mental well-being among the hypertensive homemakers was good, with low perceived stress and high mean scores of QOL domains. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

If the structure is so designed that the positive forces override that the negative forces then there is beneficial release of bio energy which helps all the inmates to be healthy. If I put Vastu in simple words "it is the traditional Indian way how people should live in house or work at their workplace as yoga is for health." Every women workplace is started with her house and concludes her day in her house. The prior concern is her well-being's. Vastu is a hot topic of discussion these days on all the channels on T.V, internet etc. and other mass media approaches. Present study is planned to know about the knowledge of some aspects of Vastu Shastra principles and its extent of application in newly constructed houses of Hisar district. 200 homemakers were selected purposively, majority were found young 60.0% and working45.0%. Around 50 percent were having > 350 square feet house. Some miscellaneous aspects of vastu were choose to study and found that was found Usually people were interesting in application of certain aspects such as down ward slope of house should be in E and N side, rectangular house is good for living, Gomukhi house is not good for residence purpose, underground water tank should be in North East direction, no tall trees should be in North and East side and so on. Interestingly they have applied these principles on priority basis. Along with these aspects more than 90 percent of the respondents were found feeling highly satisfied by making water tank in North-East and trees in South and west side. By making central space open, eighty five percent respondents were found highly satisfied as it is the place where all energies can accumulate to make house pure, divine and peaceful. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Food decision-making is a complex process and varies according to the setting, based on cultural and contextual factors. The study aimed to understand the process of food decision-making in households in rural Kerala, India, to inform the design of a dietary behaviour change intervention. Methods: Three focus group discussions (FGDs) and 17 individual interviews were conducted from September 2010 to January 2011 among 13 men and 40 women, between 23 and 75 years of age. An interview guide facilitated the process to understand: 1) food choices and decision-making in households, with particular reference to access; and 2) beliefs about foods, particularly fruits, vegetables, salt, sugar and oil. The interviews and FGDs were transcribed verbatim and analysed using qualitative content analysis. Results: The analysis revealed one main theme: 'Balancing expectations amidst limitations' with two sub-themes: 'Counting and meeting the costs'; and 'Finding the balance'. Food decisions were made at the household level, with money, time and effort costs weighed against the benefits, estimated in terms of household needs, satisfaction and expectations. The most crucial decisional point was affordability in terms of money costs, followed by food preferences of husband and children. Health and the risk of acquiring chronic diseases was not a major consideration in the decision-making process. Foods perceived as essential for children were purchased irrespective of cost, reportedly owing to the influence of food advertisements. The role of the woman as the homemaker has gendered implications, as the women disproportionately bore the burden of balancing the needs and expectations of all the household members within the available means. Conclusions: The food decision-making process occurred at household level, and within the household, by the preferences of spouse and children, and cost considerations. The socio-economic status of households was identified as limiting their ability to manoeuvre this fine balance. The study has important policy implications in terms of the need to raise public awareness of the strong link between diet and chronic non-communicable diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The results of the study showed that 39.33 per cent respondents had work related problems and 59.33 per cent respondents had work related worries. Only 43.33 per cent housewives plan the order of events taking into account their own preference and 13.33 per cent plan according to urgency for completion of tasks. Unexpected guests were reported as most important reason for non completion of activities and postponement of work. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reports on Islamic course for girls in rural Muslim areas in western Uttar Pradesh, India. Purification of religious practice; Distancing the demure, self-controlled, respectable woman from the lower orders; Importance of women's role as competent homemakers.

The article presents the findings of a study on the physical and psychological stress experienced by working and non-working mothers in Calcutta, India. In the initial phase of the study, data on anxiety scores of two groups of working and nonworking mothers were collected. Each working mother selected her nonworking counterpart according to broadly similar socioeconomic, educational, and age characteristics. In Haynes and Feinleib's study, which sought to identify the precursors of heart disease among groups of working women, working men, and female homemakers, the working women did not have a significantly higher prevalence of heart disease than the female homemakers. The results of the study show a general trend toward higher anxiety scores for the nonworking mothers than for the working mothers at both time points. The lower mean anxiety scores found for the working mothers may have been due to the possible lack of role conflict among them. Moreover, being independent wage earners, they could use appropriate time-saving devices and/or afford to hire domestic help to reduce their time and labor inputs on household work. Among the working mothers, however, an increase in mean anxiety level was indicated. The observed increase may have been due to the worsening of conditions or to an increase in responsibilities at work, both of which were expected to increase psychological stress.