Search

Background: The private sector has maintained its dominance in the healthcare industry despite numerous government measures to improve public services. Public sector is still not a choice for treatment, various reasons being large distance from residence, poor quality of care, shortage of drugs, poor attitude of health care provider. Enumeration of the factors that defines pattern of the utilization of health services become utmost important. Hence, this study is being conducted to understand the factors behind the utilization of government health services. Objectives: i)To find the prevalence of Reproductive Tract Infections, among married women of reproductive age group, seeking treatment among rural and peri-urban areas of Aligarh. ii) To find the determinants of utilization of reproductive health services among married women in Aligarh. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted between 2020-2021 Data was collected through a pretested, semi-structured questionnaire through simple random sampling from 500 married women of reproductive age group, in the field areas registered under Department of Community Medicine, JNMCH A.M.U. Data was analysed using IBM SPSS 20.0. Proportion, frequencies, chi square were used to interpret the data. Results: Among total females interviewed 201 (40.2%) were found to have symptoms of Reproductive Tract Infections, out of them 165, (74.1%) sought treatment. Among 165 females who started treatment, 62.4 % of females seeking treatment were literate.69% females who delayed treatment were illiterate. Self-motivation for treatment was seen among 60.2 % of literate females. Area of residence, social class and female’s role in decision making also determined the treatment seeking behaviour. Conclusion: In our study female literacy has been found as major factor influencing the health seeking behaviour. Factors like place of residence, socio economic status, female role in decision making were significant. There is no denying the significant health benefits of supporting women’s education. Education has a crucial role in family planning, from the earliest stages to caring for one’s own health and newborn children.

Background: Good communication skills are crucial for clinicians, influencing patient health and satisfaction. These skills build trust between patients and providers, preventing risks and conflicts. The 2019 introduction of the Attitude, Ethics, and Communication (AETCOM) module in MBBS curriculum by the Medical Council of India aims to enhance medical students’ communication skills, curb malpractices, and uphold patient’s trust in doctors. Methodology: It’s a cross-sectional study conducted in the Department of Community Medicine, J. N. Medical College, AMU, Aligarh. A total of 478 medical-graduates and PGs (divided into four groups of first (2023), second (2022+2021), third (2020+2019) MBBS-batch and fourth (Interns+ PGs) groups) were enrolled to fill up the communication skills attitude scale (CSAS) questionnaire online which consists of 13 positive and 13 negative, and also 13 affective, 5 cognitive and 4 respect attitude questions which was scored in five-point Likert’s scale. The data was analyzed using SPSS 20.0 software. Results: Overall score for positive, negative, affective, cognitive and respect domain were 36.6±7.0, 54.3±6.2, 43.5±4.6, 17.4±2.1 and 17.0±2.3 respectively. There is significant difference in score of negative attitude of first group with second and third group (34.4 vs 37.5, p=0.003 and 34.4 vs 37.8, p=0.001) respectively while positive attitude remained same. Also, significant difference in affective (42.6 vs 44.3, p=0.036) and cognitive (17.1 vs 17.9, p=0.034) component between first and fourth group while no such difference was found in respect attitude. Conclusion: Study reveals a positive inclination among medical graduates and PGs towards CSLP while a decrease in negative attitude of interns and PGs from final year students, may be due to increase in clinical exposure with the patients. The favorable attitude underscores the potential for successful integration of such programs into medical education, fostering effective communication, enhancing the quality of patient care.

Background: Anemia is major public health concern and mainly affects young children, pregnant and postpartum women, and menstruating adolescent girls and women. As reported by WHO, 40% of all children aged 6–59 months, 37% of pregnant women and 30% of women 15–49 years of age are affected by anemia globally. The situation is even worse in India with the prevalence being 67%, 52.2% and 57% respectively, as reported by NFHS-V. Objective: To estimate prevalence of anemia and its severity stratified by age and gender in patients attending Rural Health Training Centre (RHTC), Jawan, Aligarh. Methodology: A retrospective observational study using routine clinical data of 402 patients attending general OPD of RHTC from January 1, 2022 to December 31, 2022 was performed. Pregnant females and patients who had more than one determination of hemoglobin during the study period were excluded from the study. Anemia was defined according to WHO criteria. Data was analyzed using SPSS version 20.0., descriptive statistics and Chi Square test were applied. P value Results: 40.5% of patients were males while 59.5% were females. The overall prevalence of anemia was found to be 93.3%. Anemia was most prevalent in children

Background: Menstruation is a significant event during adolescence. It is often a challenging period for adolescent girls since it poses significant challenges. The stigma associated with menstruation, difficulties due to menstrual disorders, and period poverty can often lead to school absenteeism and school dropout among girls. Objectives: 1) To identify menstrual characteristics and explore the symptoms associated with menstrual cycles among adolescent schoolgirls of Aligarh. 2) To examine whether adolescent schoolgirls experience absenteeism during menstruation and to elucidate the reasons for such occurrences. Methodology: This is a cross-sectional study carried out among adolescent school girls of Aligarh. Two urban and two rural schools were selected randomly from the co-educational schools in Aligarh, with inclusion criteria comprising adolescent girls in grades six to ten who had experienced menarche at least six months prior. Parental consent and participant assent were obtained, resulting in the participation of 164 students. Data collection was conducted through a questionnaire method. Results: The respondents’ average age was 14.5±1.33 years, with 84.1% exhibiting regular menstrual cycles out of the 164 participants. The mean age at menarche was 12.7±1.02, and the average duration of menstruation was 4.90±1.54 days. Only 12% of students did not experience pain during menstruation, while the majority reported mild (35.4%), pain only on the first day (30.5%), or excessive (2.8%) pain. Predominant pre-menstrual symptoms included irritability, mood disturbances, and breast tenderness. Despite these challenges, a majority of students (84.1%) affirmed not taking leave during menstruation. Among those who did, the reasons included a lack of facilities for changing pads, insufficient disposal systems for pads, and dysmenorrhoea. Conclusion: This study sheds light on the menstrual characteristics and challenges faced by adolescent schoolgirls in Aligarh. Despite the challenges, the students attend school during menstruation which shows the importance of targeted interventions to address the challenges

Background: Child undernutrition is a global health concern. Malnutrition continues to be one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality worldwide, particularly in developing countries like India. As per the NFHS-V, the prevalence of stunting, wasting and underweight in under-five children stands at 35.5%, 19.3% and 32.1% respectively. Anthropometry has become a practical tool for evaluating the nutritional status of populations, particularly of children in developing countries & the nutritional status is the best indicator of global well-being of children. Objective: To describe the anthropometric profile and assess malnutrition using anthropometric measurements of under-five children attending pediatric OPD at Rural Health Training Centre (RHTC), Jawan under Department of Community Medicine, JNMCH, A.M.U., Aligarh (U.P.). Methodology: This is a retrospective study with secondary analysis of anthropometric data of 255 under five children attending pediatric clinic for the first time at RHTC, Jawan, under Department of Community Medicine from January 1, 2023, to June 30, 2023. Collected data were entered into Microsoft Excel and analyzed by using the software SPSS, version 20.0. Results: The median age of the children was 24 months. 52.2% of them were boys and 47.8% were girls. Severe wasting (weight-for-height

Background: Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) poses a significant global health threat, driven by factors such as irrational antibiotic use and limited healthcare infrastructure. Addressing knowledge gaps and promoting responsible antibiotic use among medical professionals is crucial to combat this growing problem. Objectives: This study aimed to assess the knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) regarding antibiotics and antimicrobial resistance among medical students at a medical college in North India. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted between October to December 2023, involving 201 medical students. Data was collected through a self-administered questionnaire covering demographic details, knowledge about antibiotics and antimicrobial resistance, attitudes toward antimicrobial resistance, and practices related to antibiotic use. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS 20.0. Results: Participants demonstrated a mean knowledge score of 7.9±1.3, with 131 students exhibiting poor knowledge and 70 showing good knowledge regarding antibiotics and AMR. While positive attitudes towards prudent antibiotic use were prevalent, some risky behaviours such as keeping leftover antibiotics and self-medication were observed. Practices varied, with most participants completing full treatment courses but some discontinuing prematurely. Conclusion: The KAP assessment highlighted mixed findings among medical students regarding antibiotic use and AMR. While positive attitudes and practices were evident, knowledge gaps and risky behaviours persisted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Reproductive Tract Infection (RTI) is a broad term that includes Sexually Transmitted Infections(STI). This is a major public health problem worldwide, affecting the quality of life and causing serious morbidity and mortality. They have a direct impact on reproductive and child health through infertility, cancers, and pregnancy complications, and they have an indirect impact through their role in facilitating the sexual transmission of the human immunodeficiency virus. Objectives: To find the prevalence and determinants of RTI/STI among married women of reproductive age group in rural areas of Aligarh. Methods: A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted in the peri-urban and rural field practice areas of the Urban Health Training Center(UHTC), and Rural Health Training Centre(RHTC), J N Medical College, Aligarh, for a period of 1 year. The data were collected by using a pretested, semi-structured with both open and closed-ended questionnaire from 500 married women of reproductive age group. Married females who had given consent and residing for more than 6 months in the field areas were included in the study. Those females having any chronic illness and not given consent were not included in the study. Statistical analysis used: Frequency, proportion and chi square test applied using 20.0 software. Results: Prevalence of RTI/STI symptoms was found to (42.8%) in rural areas. RTI symptoms were found in study subjects having lower educational status, who were not using any contraceptive method, not following good menstrual hygiene, early marriage age had husband history of RTI/STI, had a history of abortion, had a history of violence, and increased parity. Conclusions: Prevalence of symptoms found to be associated with these females having low educational status, early age of marriage, high parity, partner history of reproductive Tract Infections, history of violence etc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Making perinatal care accessible to women in marginalized periurban areas poses a public health problem. Many women do not utilize institutional care in spite of physical accessibility. Home-based care by traditional birth attendants (TBA) is hazardous. Inappropriate early neonatal feeding practices are common. Many barriers to perinatal care can be overcome by social mobilization and capacity building at the community level. Objectives: To determine the existing perinatal practices in an urban slum and to identify barriers to utilization of health services by mothers. Study Design: This is a cross-sectional descriptive study. Setting and Participants: The high-risk periurban areas of Nabi Nagar, Aligarh has a population of 40,000 living in 5,480 households. Mothers delivering babies in September 2007 were identified from records of social mobilization workers (Community Mobilization Coordinators or CMCs) already working in an NGO in the area. A total of 92 mothers were interviewed at home. Current perinatal practices and reasons for utilizing or not utilizing health services were the topics of inquiry. Statistical Analysis: Data was tabulated and analyzed using SPSS 12. Results: Analyses revealed that 80.4% of mothers had received antenatal care. However, this did not translate into safe delivery practices as more than 60% of the women had home deliveries conducted by traditional untrained or trained birth attendants. Reasons for preferring home deliveries were mostly tradition (41.9%) or related to economics (30.7%). A total of 56% of the deliveries were conducted in the squatting position and in 25% of the cases, the umbilical cord was cut using the edge of a broken cup. Although breast-feeding was universal, inappropriate early neonatal feeding practices were common. Prelacteal feeds were given to nearly 50% of the babies and feeding was delayed beyond 24 hours in 8% of the cases. Several mothers had breastfeeding problems. Conclusion: Barriers to utilization of available services leads to hazardous perinatal practices in urban slums.

Background: Reproductive Tract Infections (RTI) have a direct impact on reproductive and child health through infertility, cancers, and pregnancy complications, and they have an indirect impact through their role in facilitating the sexual transmission of the human immunodeficiency virus. Objectives: To find the prevalence and determinants of RTI/STI among married women of reproductive age group in rural and peri-urban areas of Aligarh. Methods: The data were collected by using a pretested, semi-structured with both open and closed-ended questionnaire from 500 married women of reproductive age group. The collected data were analyzed using IBM SPSS 20.0 Proportion, frequencies, χ², and logistic regression were used to interpret the data. Results: Prevalence of RTI/STI symptoms was found to (42.8%) in rural areas and 37.6 % in periurban areas. Strong association was found in study subjects having lower educational status, who were not using any contraceptive method, not following good menstrual hygiene, early marriage age had husband history of RTI/STI, had a history of abortion, had a history of violence, and increased parity. Conclusions: Prevalence of symptoms found to be associated with these females having low educational status, early age of marriage, high parity, partner history of reproductive Tract Infections, history of violence etc. So, there should be more focus on improvement in these factors to reduce the prevalence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Poliomyelitis (polio) is a highly infectious viral disease and mainly affects children under five years of age.Objective: The present cross-sectional study was conducted to assess the impact of social mobilization on families resistant to giving polio drops to their children. Materials and Methods: One round of polio drop administration during September, 2014 was selected randomly. Medical interns were trained as social mobilizers by the UNICEF. The social mobilizers visited the households that refused to give polio drops to their children because of certain rumors and misguided beliefs. They tried to convince the family members that polio drops were safe and it did not hurt any religious and cultural sentiments. Results: The total number of resistant families, identified during first day of house to house activity was 270. Out of these, 180 families were visited by Team 'A'. Rest of the houses were covered by other agencies. A large number of houses 106 (58.8%) were converted to 'P' houses and 74 houses (41.1%) remained resistant after the activity of Team 'A'. These resistant houses were again visited by Team 'B' members. Out of these 74 houses, polio drops were administered in 57 (77.0%) houses. However, after maximum efforts of both the teams, only 17 (9.4%) houses remained extremely resistant. Conclusions: Large numbers of resistant families were converted to 'P' houses. However, some of the families remained resistant even after maximum efforts of the teams. These extremely resistant families might be the potent sources of polio infection in the community and they should be followed up strictly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]