Background: Poor nutritional status in primary school children can lead to several health problem... more Background: Poor nutritional status in primary school children can lead to several health problems such as easy susceptibility to common childhood diseases. Personal hygiene status is an important predictor of nutritional status and morbidity in children as water- and sanitation-related diseases are the leading causes of early morbidity and mortality in children. The present study was conducted to assess the nutritional status as well as personal hygiene practices of primary school going children. Method: The present study was a cross-sectional study conducted in selected urban and rural areas of Shillong in children 6–12 years of age. Two schools each from the rural and urban area were selected using simple random sampling. The total sample size calculated was 510. Height, weight, and BMI were taken for all the children following the standard procedures. WHO growth standards were used for grading of nutritional status. A questionnaire with scores was used for grading of personal hygiene status. Results: The overall prevalence of underweight in the children of 6–9 years was 74 (18.7%) and that of stunting was 68 (17.2%). The overall prevalence of thinness and stunting in children aged 10–12 was 38 (19.1%) and 46 (23.2%). The prevalence of nutritional deficiency syndromes was 192 (32.4%). Regarding the personal hygiene status, it was observed that 65 (11%) had very good personal hygiene, 292 (49.3%) were labeled as good, 200 (33.8%) were average, and 35 (5.9%) had poor personal hygiene. Conclusion: The primary school going children in Shillong had poor nutritional status but the majority of them had good personal hygiene practices. Mother's educational status played an important role in determining the nutritional and personal hygiene status of the children.
International Journal of Health Sciences and Research, 2015
Introduction: Self-rated health (SRH) is considered as the global indicator of health and quality... more Introduction: Self-rated health (SRH) is considered as the global indicator of health and quality of life. Diabetes is serious chronic disease and it is emerging as a major public health problem among urban population. We aimed to examine the association between SRH and diabetes among elderly population (≥60 yr)) in an urban setting of Assam. Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out among elderly individuals (≥60 yr) in two randomly selected wards of Dibrugarh urban area of Assam. Pre-tested questionnaire was used to collect data on self-rated health (SRH), sociodemographic and other information. Diabetes was defined as per criterion of American Diabetes Association (ADA). Results: A total of 300 eligible persons (Male-149, Female-151) were recruited into the study. Prevalence of diabetes was found to be 23% (Male-26.2%, Female-19.9%). Higher proportion of diabetic individuals (61%) rated their health as poor as compared to their non-diabetic counterparts (37.7%). Presence o...
International Journal Of Community Medicine And Public Health, 2021
Background: The current COVID-19 pandemic has forced us to adopt online teaching for medical lear... more Background: The current COVID-19 pandemic has forced us to adopt online teaching for medical learning. While there are undoubtedly benefits that online learning provides, the sudden transition to online teaching presented different challenges to the students as well as the teachers. The aim of this study is to explore the perception and experiences of medical undergraduates on online classes in the backdrop of COVID-19 pandemic.Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 166 medical students in NEIGRIHMS who had exposure to online teaching during the COVID-19 pandemic. A semi-structured questionnaire was distributed after getting informed consent. SPSS 21 version software for Windows was used for data entry and analysis.Results: Eight in 10 of the students do not prefer online learning. Moreover, they believe that practical skills will not develop through online learning. They cite internet connectivity, device-related and software- related issues as the main difficulties t...
International Journal Of Community Medicine And Public Health, 2021
Background: The incidences of some non communicable diseases like diabetes mellitus, obesity, hyp... more Background: The incidences of some non communicable diseases like diabetes mellitus, obesity, hypertension and cardiovascular diseases have been rising in the country since last few decades due to the unhealthy lifestyle of the people. Researches conducted among medical and nursing students shown that even though they are aware about the consequences of practicing unhealthy lifestyle but still they do not follow the suggested guidelines for healthy lifestyle. To assess lifestyle behaviour related to dietary pattern, physical activity, substance use, sleep, stress management, among MBBS and nursing students. NEIGRIHMS, a tertiary care institute in the capital city of the north-eastern state of Meghalaya, Shillong.Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 313 participants by using a pre-tested self-administered questionnaire. The data was analyzed using the software Statistical package for social sciences (SPSS) 21 version.Results: In this study, 189 (60.4%) students report...
INTRODUCTION: It has been perceived that there is a lack of community exposure and active learnin... more INTRODUCTION: It has been perceived that there is a lack of community exposure and active learning in the community for the first-year undergraduates in Community Medicine. This study is designed to evaluate an early community exposure given to the students to help overcome these lacunae. METHODOLOGY: In this study, the first-year students (n = 44) were provided an early community exposure and evaluated to understand their perceptions by a prevalidated, pre- and post exposure questionnaire. The community exposure was given to the students by allocating them families in community with designated tasks A core group of mentors monitored the students and scored the students on every visit. Attendance of students, scores marked by the mentors, and pre- and postexposure responses were used to evaluate the impact of community exposure. RESULTS: A total of 44 students were evaluated in this study. A total of 22 h (36.6%) were dedicated to community-based learning in the 1st year. A positive...
Background: Elderly population is growing rapidly in India. To direct public health actions to im... more Background: Elderly population is growing rapidly in India. To direct public health actions to improve quality of life among elderly, it is important to understand the sociodemographic factors associated with quality of life. The aim of study was to assess health-related quality of life (HRQOL) among urban elderly in a setting of Assam, India, and to examine how HRQOL varied across different sociodemographic groups among the elderly populations. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried among elderly aged ≥60 involving 300 participants. Eight domains of HRQOL of participants were measured using RAND SF-36. Analysis of variance test was used to examine sociodemographic differences in HRQOL. Results: The BP domain had highest (71.78 ± 22.25) and GH had lowest mean HRQOL score (48 ± 16.93). Males had significantly higher HRQOL score than females only in BP domain. Age gradients were observed with respect to HRQOl scores in five domains, with youngest age group having the best and oldest age group having the poorest HRQOL. Financially dependent subjects had lower HRQOL in five domains than those who were financially independent. Significant associations between education and HRQOL were found only in physical components of HRQOL, with lowest educated group being the most disadvantaged in terms of HRQOL. Marital status was found to be significantly associated with lower HRQOL scores. Conclusion: The study highlights sociodemographic inequalities in HRQOL among urban elderly in an Indian setting. The results may help reducing sociodemographic health inequalities among elderly in this region initiating public health actions paying more attention toward more vulnerable sections of populations.
International Journal Of Community Medicine And Public Health, 2017
Background: There is limited knowledge on the prevalence and correlates of sexually transmitted i... more Background: There is limited knowledge on the prevalence and correlates of sexually transmitted infections (STI) among women practicing sex work in the high HIV prevalence settings of northeast India, especially in Nagaland. We assessed the prevalence and risk factors of Chlamydia trachomatis (CT) and Neisseria gonorrhoeae (NG) among female sex workers (FSW) in Dimapur, Nagaland.Methods: 417 FSWs were recruited into this cross–sectional study using Respondent Driven Sampling (RDS) in 2009. Information on socio-demographic characteristics, sexual risk behaviours and exposure to prevention interventions were collected from them and urine samples were tested for NG and CT. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed to assess the factors associated with NG and CT.Results: The RDS-adjusted prevalence of HIV, NG and CT was 11.4%, 6.6% and 19.5% respectively. The reported condom use with clients and regular sex partners were only 29.1% and 9.6% respectively. Being in the sex t...
Background: Poor nutritional status in primary school children can lead to several health problem... more Background: Poor nutritional status in primary school children can lead to several health problems such as easy susceptibility to common childhood diseases. Personal hygiene status is an important predictor of nutritional status and morbidity in children as water- and sanitation-related diseases are the leading causes of early morbidity and mortality in children. The present study was conducted to assess the nutritional status as well as personal hygiene practices of primary school going children. Method: The present study was a cross-sectional study conducted in selected urban and rural areas of Shillong in children 6–12 years of age. Two schools each from the rural and urban area were selected using simple random sampling. The total sample size calculated was 510. Height, weight, and BMI were taken for all the children following the standard procedures. WHO growth standards were used for grading of nutritional status. A questionnaire with scores was used for grading of personal hygiene status. Results: The overall prevalence of underweight in the children of 6–9 years was 74 (18.7%) and that of stunting was 68 (17.2%). The overall prevalence of thinness and stunting in children aged 10–12 was 38 (19.1%) and 46 (23.2%). The prevalence of nutritional deficiency syndromes was 192 (32.4%). Regarding the personal hygiene status, it was observed that 65 (11%) had very good personal hygiene, 292 (49.3%) were labeled as good, 200 (33.8%) were average, and 35 (5.9%) had poor personal hygiene. Conclusion: The primary school going children in Shillong had poor nutritional status but the majority of them had good personal hygiene practices. Mother's educational status played an important role in determining the nutritional and personal hygiene status of the children.
International Journal of Health Sciences and Research, 2015
Introduction: Self-rated health (SRH) is considered as the global indicator of health and quality... more Introduction: Self-rated health (SRH) is considered as the global indicator of health and quality of life. Diabetes is serious chronic disease and it is emerging as a major public health problem among urban population. We aimed to examine the association between SRH and diabetes among elderly population (≥60 yr)) in an urban setting of Assam. Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out among elderly individuals (≥60 yr) in two randomly selected wards of Dibrugarh urban area of Assam. Pre-tested questionnaire was used to collect data on self-rated health (SRH), sociodemographic and other information. Diabetes was defined as per criterion of American Diabetes Association (ADA). Results: A total of 300 eligible persons (Male-149, Female-151) were recruited into the study. Prevalence of diabetes was found to be 23% (Male-26.2%, Female-19.9%). Higher proportion of diabetic individuals (61%) rated their health as poor as compared to their non-diabetic counterparts (37.7%). Presence o...
International Journal Of Community Medicine And Public Health, 2021
Background: The current COVID-19 pandemic has forced us to adopt online teaching for medical lear... more Background: The current COVID-19 pandemic has forced us to adopt online teaching for medical learning. While there are undoubtedly benefits that online learning provides, the sudden transition to online teaching presented different challenges to the students as well as the teachers. The aim of this study is to explore the perception and experiences of medical undergraduates on online classes in the backdrop of COVID-19 pandemic.Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 166 medical students in NEIGRIHMS who had exposure to online teaching during the COVID-19 pandemic. A semi-structured questionnaire was distributed after getting informed consent. SPSS 21 version software for Windows was used for data entry and analysis.Results: Eight in 10 of the students do not prefer online learning. Moreover, they believe that practical skills will not develop through online learning. They cite internet connectivity, device-related and software- related issues as the main difficulties t...
International Journal Of Community Medicine And Public Health, 2021
Background: The incidences of some non communicable diseases like diabetes mellitus, obesity, hyp... more Background: The incidences of some non communicable diseases like diabetes mellitus, obesity, hypertension and cardiovascular diseases have been rising in the country since last few decades due to the unhealthy lifestyle of the people. Researches conducted among medical and nursing students shown that even though they are aware about the consequences of practicing unhealthy lifestyle but still they do not follow the suggested guidelines for healthy lifestyle. To assess lifestyle behaviour related to dietary pattern, physical activity, substance use, sleep, stress management, among MBBS and nursing students. NEIGRIHMS, a tertiary care institute in the capital city of the north-eastern state of Meghalaya, Shillong.Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 313 participants by using a pre-tested self-administered questionnaire. The data was analyzed using the software Statistical package for social sciences (SPSS) 21 version.Results: In this study, 189 (60.4%) students report...
INTRODUCTION: It has been perceived that there is a lack of community exposure and active learnin... more INTRODUCTION: It has been perceived that there is a lack of community exposure and active learning in the community for the first-year undergraduates in Community Medicine. This study is designed to evaluate an early community exposure given to the students to help overcome these lacunae. METHODOLOGY: In this study, the first-year students (n = 44) were provided an early community exposure and evaluated to understand their perceptions by a prevalidated, pre- and post exposure questionnaire. The community exposure was given to the students by allocating them families in community with designated tasks A core group of mentors monitored the students and scored the students on every visit. Attendance of students, scores marked by the mentors, and pre- and postexposure responses were used to evaluate the impact of community exposure. RESULTS: A total of 44 students were evaluated in this study. A total of 22 h (36.6%) were dedicated to community-based learning in the 1st year. A positive...
Background: Elderly population is growing rapidly in India. To direct public health actions to im... more Background: Elderly population is growing rapidly in India. To direct public health actions to improve quality of life among elderly, it is important to understand the sociodemographic factors associated with quality of life. The aim of study was to assess health-related quality of life (HRQOL) among urban elderly in a setting of Assam, India, and to examine how HRQOL varied across different sociodemographic groups among the elderly populations. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried among elderly aged ≥60 involving 300 participants. Eight domains of HRQOL of participants were measured using RAND SF-36. Analysis of variance test was used to examine sociodemographic differences in HRQOL. Results: The BP domain had highest (71.78 ± 22.25) and GH had lowest mean HRQOL score (48 ± 16.93). Males had significantly higher HRQOL score than females only in BP domain. Age gradients were observed with respect to HRQOl scores in five domains, with youngest age group having the best and oldest age group having the poorest HRQOL. Financially dependent subjects had lower HRQOL in five domains than those who were financially independent. Significant associations between education and HRQOL were found only in physical components of HRQOL, with lowest educated group being the most disadvantaged in terms of HRQOL. Marital status was found to be significantly associated with lower HRQOL scores. Conclusion: The study highlights sociodemographic inequalities in HRQOL among urban elderly in an Indian setting. The results may help reducing sociodemographic health inequalities among elderly in this region initiating public health actions paying more attention toward more vulnerable sections of populations.
International Journal Of Community Medicine And Public Health, 2017
Background: There is limited knowledge on the prevalence and correlates of sexually transmitted i... more Background: There is limited knowledge on the prevalence and correlates of sexually transmitted infections (STI) among women practicing sex work in the high HIV prevalence settings of northeast India, especially in Nagaland. We assessed the prevalence and risk factors of Chlamydia trachomatis (CT) and Neisseria gonorrhoeae (NG) among female sex workers (FSW) in Dimapur, Nagaland.Methods: 417 FSWs were recruited into this cross–sectional study using Respondent Driven Sampling (RDS) in 2009. Information on socio-demographic characteristics, sexual risk behaviours and exposure to prevention interventions were collected from them and urine samples were tested for NG and CT. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed to assess the factors associated with NG and CT.Results: The RDS-adjusted prevalence of HIV, NG and CT was 11.4%, 6.6% and 19.5% respectively. The reported condom use with clients and regular sex partners were only 29.1% and 9.6% respectively. Being in the sex t...
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