Indian Journal of Community Health
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Perception about Community Medicine as a subject and career preference among undergraduate students
Get PDFBackground: In the pursuit of cultivating primary physicians, the Department of Community Medicine (CM) emphasizes value-based education for undergraduates, aiming to shape the foundation of a first-contact doctor. Despite this, only a minority ultimately selects CM as their specialty. Aim & Objectives: The objective of this study was to evaluate how undergraduates perceive CM as both a subject and a career choice. Additionally, the study aimed to identify the factors influencing students\u27 decisions to either choose or not choose CM as a career path. Methods and Material: We conducted a cross-sectional survey among medical college undergraduates, utilizing a pre-tested, self-administered questionnaire with a Likert scale through Google Forms, ensuring informed consent. Results: Among 411 students, 259 participated, with a mean age of 21.23 ± 1.39 years. While participants generally held a positive perception of CM, only 1.1% considered it as a career choice. Top reasons against opting CM were "unpopularity compared to clinical subjects," "lack of clinical exposure," and "insufficient information on future prospects." Conclusion: Students recognize the significance of CM and possess a positive opinion, yet there exists reluctance in choosing it as a career
Nutrition related practices of mothers of under-five children
Get PDFBackground: Childhood nutrition; a term which rings the bell in everyone’s mind especially the mothers of a child. Good nutrition for a child is a fact that cannot be denied for a healthier growth of a child. Individual families or communities have their own practices and belief and their own choices regarding their dietary practices. Aims & Objectives: The objectives of the study were to assess the nutritional knowledge of mothers of under-five children, assess the nutrition related practices of mothers of under-five children and develop multicomponent program for mothers of malnourished children. Methods & Material: An exploratory survey was carried out among 146 mothers of malnourished children. The instruments used were socio-demographic profile, knowledge questionnaire on Nutrition of children and structured questionnaire on Nutrition related practices of mothers. Results: The results revealed that 129 (88.3%) mothers had average knowledge. About 71 (48.6%) mothers had moderately adequate practices and 51 (35%) had inadequate practices regarding nutrition for children. Conclusion: Mothers knowledge and dietary practices they adopt for their child has an invariable effect on their nutritional status
Navigating the Ethical Landscape: Implementing Machine Learning in Smart Healthcare Informatics
Get PDFThe integration of Machine Learning (ML) into healthcare informatics holds immense promise, revolutionizing patient care and treatment strategies. However, as this technology advances, it brings forth ethical challenges crucial for careful navigation. ML offers unprecedented abilities to analyze vast healthcare data, leading to personalized medicine and improved outcomes. Yet, ethical concerns emerge, notably in privacy protection, algorithm bias, transparency, informed consent, and data quality. Transparency, explainability, and patient autonomy in decision-making processes are crucial to foster trust and accountability. Striking a balance between innovation and compliance, ensuring data quality, and promoting human-AI collaboration are essential. Addressing these challenges demands adherence to ethical frameworks, continuous monitoring, multidisciplinary governance, education, and regulatory compliance. To fully harness ML\u27s potential in healthcare while upholding ethical standards, collaboration among stakeholders is imperative, ensuring patient welfare remains central amid technological advancements. Ethical considerations must be embedded at every stage of ML implementation to maintain an ethical, equitable, and patient-centered healthcare system
The unresolved urban dilemma of self-medication practices and its association with various socio demographic factors among adults in urban slum
Get PDFBackground: Self-medication has grown increasingly in developing countries, such as India, perhaps causing drug addiction and microbial resistance. Without proper medical supervision, self-medication can cause ineffective or excessive treatment, a delay in treatment, misdiagnosis, resistance to antibiotics, medicine abuse, and an increase in morbidity. Methodology: The population-based cross-sectional analytical research done in urban slum. We questioned 400 individuals over the age of 18 at their homes. Data were acquired from individuals using a predesigned, pretested questionnaire as an interview tool. Objective: To determine self medication prevalence and its connection to various demographic risk factors. Results: Self-medication was prevalent, with 51% in selected urban slums. The most commonly self-administered drugs were analgesics (59.8%) and antacids (46.07%). Body discomfort (60.29%), Headaches (55.78%), feverish (53.43%), cough (41.01%), were among the most common conditions when participants used medication on their own. There was a significant relationship with self-prescribed medication use and healthcare professionals in the household (p = 0.00001) and among working participants (p = 0.009). Conclusion: Lower socioeconomic groups often use medications without consulting doctors, and chronic illnesses require continuous follow-up. Education on the dangers of self-medication is crucial
Size Matters: Cigarette Size and Quitting Behaviour Among Male Smokers in An Urban Slum Of West Bengal
Get PDFIntroduction: Tobacco kills half of its users and globally every year around 8 million deaths are attributable to tobacco use. All forms of tobacco are harmful and there is no safe level of exposure to tobacco but cigarette smoking is the most common and notorious since it kills not only its users but also the innocent passive bystanders. Objectives: The study was conducted to determine the prevalence of cigarette use, minimum length of cigarette (nicotine portion) to quench the craving, level of nicotine dependence along with their stage of change (in behaviour to quit tobacco use) and also to find out its determinants among males above 15 years residing in the urban field practicing area of a Public Health Institute. Materials and methods: A community based observational, cross-sectional study was conducted in a slum of West Bengal. Data was collected as per a pre-designed and pre-tested schedule adapted from GATS India Questionnaire. Males above 15 years of age residing in the study area were interviewed during house-to-house visit. Results: A total of 352 study participants were interviewed. 38.4% of study participants consumes cigarettes on a regular basis. Study participants with a positive family history of tobacco use are 2.1 times (95% CI: 1.3, 3.4) more probable to use cigarettes. Half of the population are in stage of precontemplation and 43.7% of them are having high level of nicotine dependency. 66.7% of them do not need to consume the full length of a cigarette to quench their craving. Those with younger age of initiation (OR 5.35 95%CI:2.5,11.2) and consume full length of cigarette (OR 2.72, 95% CI: 1.3,5.7) are having more probability of high nicotine dependency than their counterparts. Odds of willingness to quit is significantly more among those who don’t require full length of a cigarette even when adjusted with various covariates found significant in univariate regression. Conclusion: Length of the cigarettes (nicotine portion) may be reduced to at least half the size of present standard length to not only decrease the nicotine dependence but also to encourage quitting behaviour among the users
Drone Technology to Enhance Healthcare Delivery Access
Get PDFUttarakhand, a northern state in India is known for its rugged and mountainous terrain. This challenging landscape makes it difficult to deliver medical supplies, especially to the remote and hilly districts. Drones also referred to as unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) are increasingly being adopted in healthcare systems worldwide significantly improving access to medical services in remote and underserved areas. AIIMS Rishikesh has implemented drone technology in medical practice and organized a capacity-building program for health authorities, medical officers and other healthcare professionals to integrate drones into healthcare. Training health authorities to utilize drones in the healthcare system in challenging landscapes could enhance clinical and diagnostic services across the state
Knowledge, Attitude and Practice of Reading Food Labels among Students of Health Profession Education
Get PDFBackground: The increasing rates of NCDs and the younger age of onset mandates immediate action with regard to prevention and health promotion. One of the major reasons attributed is the unhealthy dietary choices and increased consumption of ultraprocessed food and its mindless consumerism. Aim and Objectives: The aim of our study was to determine the Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice (KAP) of reading food labels among students of health professions education. Methodology: A total of 487 students were enrolled in our study by means of convenience sampling. All consenting students were given a standardized questionnaire and data was analyzed using R studio. Results: A logistic regression analysis of KAP scores revealed that gender, program of study, diet preferences and food allergies play a significant role in food label reading practices and that only 20% of the students had a good KAP score. Commonly prioritized information when reading food labels included expiry date, price, and if the food was vegetarian. Conclusion: Although health profession students are aware of the importance of reading food labels, practice of the same was found to be relatively unsatisfactory emphasizing the need for awareness
Clinical and Laboratory Characteristics of Diabetic COVID-19 Patients with High Risk of Mortality: A Single-Center Study from Central India
Get PDFBackground: Diabetes is a common comorbidity and risk factor of mortality in COVID-19 in India but data on characteristics of diabetic COVID-19 is scarce. Objectives: We aimed to study clinical and laboratory characteristics, and mortality of diabetic COVID-19 patients. Methods: This study included 235 COVID-19 patients presenting to our Center, from February, 2021 to May 2022. The demographics, clinical features, laboratory results were collected from the hospital records. Results: Out of 235 eligible COVID-19 patients, 107 (45.5%) were diabetic and 128 (54.5%) were non-diabetic. The diabetics compared to non-diabetics had higher frequency of hypertension (62.6% vs 34.4%; p<0.001), cardiovascular disease (8.4% vs 1.5%; p<0.05) and mortality (27.1% vs 13%; p<0.001). D-dimer (8.9+3.1 vs 1.2+ 5.1; p<0.01), CRP (269.2+136.0 vs 49.8 + 63.4; p<0.001), neutrophils (10.6 vs 7.2; <0.001], HbA1c (8.3 + 1.6 vs 5.2± 0.5%; p<0.05) and Troponin-T (1.8+17.6 vs 0.02 +1.2; <0.05) were higher while AST (48.9+79.6 vs 77.0+88.4; p<0.01) and lymphocytes (0.9 vs 1.3); <0.01) were lower in diabetics than non-diabetics. Mortlaity in diabetics was associated with hypertension (p<0.01), cardiovascular disease (p<0.001) and elevated D-dimer (p<0.0001) and neutrophils (p<0.05) but lower lymphocyte counts (p<0.001). Conclusion: The diabetic COVID-19 patients had higher mortality associated with hypertension, cardiovascular disease, elevated D-dimer, neutrophilic leukocytosis and lymphocytopenia
Study of maternal and infant factors affecting under nutrition in less than six months
Get PDFBackground: Under nutrition in infants is a critical public health concern with irreversible consequences on child growth and development, particularly during the crucial first six months of life. Maternal under nutrition has been associated with poor fetal growth which may result in low birth weight. Aims & Objectives: To understand the clinical profile and management of under nutrition in less than six months. This study aims to explore into the various factors of under nutrition in infants less than 6 months of age, identifying key factors that contribute to the problem and proposing practical solutions to address it. Methodology: This observational cross-sectional study was carried out in a tertiary care hospital with sample size of 194 infants.The pre validated questionnaire and structured proforma was used. Results: The infants aged between 0 and 6 months (average age 2.7± 1.5 months), a total of 194 infants,70.1% required NICU admissions,15.5% had congenital anomalies, 69.6% had weight for age, 39.2% length for age and 46.9% HC for age below -3 standard deviations and Weight for length <-3SD was observed in 57% of infants. Conclusion: Maternal parity, consanguineous marriages, and lower socioeconomic status shown to be associated with the congenital anomalies and low birth weight
Intra-natal Care Practices in Rural Areas of Gaya District, Bihar
Get PDFContext: Antenatal care (ANC) effectively reduces infant and maternal mortality rates mainly by promoting institutional deliveries. In view of this, the Government of India introduced Janani Suraksha Yojna (JSY) in 2005 and Janani Shishu Suraksha Karyakram (JSSK) in 2011.
Aims: To estimate the proportion of home and institutional deliveries in the district, assess the impact of JSK and JSSY on institutional deliveries, and identify the different intranatal care providers.
Settings and Design: This cross-sectional study was conducted in the Gaya district, Bihar. A total of 657 females of the reproductive age group (15-49 years) were included in the study.
Methods and Material: Predesigned, pre-tested & semi-structured questionnaire was used to collect information on place of delivery, type of delivery, knowledge regarding JSY and JSSK schemes and source of information Statistical analysis used: Data was entered into excel sheets and analyzed using SPSS version 23 utilizing appropriate statistical methods.
Results: Out of 519 deliveries, 63% were institutional and 37% were home deliveries. About 91 and 11.4% of respondents were aware of JSY and JSSK schemes. There was a significant association between those who opted for institutional delivery and awareness regarding JSY and JSSK services.
Conclusion: Despite awareness and running of various government programs, the percentage of institutional deliveries is still less. An increase in institutional deliveries at primary care level through JSY and JSSK will not only decrease the Out of Pocket expenditure of the population but also help build faith in the government health facilities