Indian Journal of Community Health
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Urban Flood Relief Management in COVID-19 Pandemic
Get PDFIntroduction: Urban floods were addressed as a separate disaster after the historical 2005 Mumbai floods. Urban flood peaks are 2-8 times and volume 6 times when compared with rural floods. We are now handling multiple disasters simultaneously due to the Covid-19 Pandemic. The river plains of north India are prone to floods in the monsoon season and geographical location of Prayagraj doubles the damage because it faces wrath from two sides. Very few researches have been conducted on urban floods and evidence needs to be generated from the field. Methodology: This qualitative research was planned with an objective to identify the difficulties faced in operating an urban flood relief camp during superimposed burden of COVID-19 Pandemic and to suggest remedial measures from the public health aspect. We conducted in-depth interviews of nodal officers, health staff and beneficiaries of the identified camps. Informed consent was taken from participant after explaining them about the research. Results: The findings from the interviews were categorized into 3phases of flood relief i.e. before the floods, during floods and lastly post flood. The most crucial work before floods is to spread awareness about do’s and don’ts in detail. Next was identification of the local people actually affected by flood. The space and facilities at few centers was low for the population load. Urban flood management needs a major overhauling of public health infrastructure to handle such disasters in future. Conclusion: The officials were working hard to make the homeless feel as if they are on a picnic. The database of beneficiaries should be strengthened and should also include students and labourers, anyone who is a flood victim and not only local flood victims
Neglected Non-Communicable Diseases-Looking beyond the BIG FOUR
Get PDFIn the era of Sustainable Development Goal, we have gone to the next level for achieving SDGs by monitoring and evaluation of SDG indexes,(1) still we conceptualize that public health will face newer challenges in healthcare (SDG-3) in the form of Neglected Non-Communicable Diseases (NNCD) in the near future.(2) Poor nations are already facing the heat of double burden of communicable and non-communicable illnesses (NCDs), often known as chronic illnesses, which are characterized by a protracted course and are multifactorial in causation.(3)
Cardiovascular disorders, Cancers, Chronic Respiratory Diseases, and Diabetes are considered as the most common NCDs entitled as BIG FOUR. NCDs disproportionately impact persons in poor countries, where almost three-quarters (31.4 million) of all NCD-related fatalities occur. (2,4–6) The "BIG FOUR" NCDs (cardiovascular diseases, malignancies, chronic respiratory illnesses, and diabetes) are well-recognized as the leading causes of global health loss, in terms of morbidity and mortality. However, 55 percent of the worldwide burden of NCDs is caused by other NCDs, which are often overlooked in terms of increased premature mortality, increased Disability Adjusted Life Years (DALY) and reduced Quality-Adjusted Life Year (QALY). The share of disease burden caused by “Cancer, COPD, Cardiovascular disease, and Diabetes-the BIG FOUR” is the greatest among all NCDs. However, many additional non-communicable diseases cause a comparable fraction of disease burden but receive less attention than the "BIG FOUR."(2,6
Drug adherence to anti-tubercular treatment during COVID-19 lockdown in Haldwani block of Nainital district
Get PDFBackground: India saw one of the stringent lockdowns during the COVID-19 pandemic. In the wake of this period, the normal functioning of medical services was affected. People were reluctant to seek medical attention and notification of Tuberculosis dipped. The aim of the study was to estimate the proportion of non-adherence to anti-tubercular treatment and to identify the factors affecting the non-adherence to treatment. Methods: A retrospective community-based study was conducted among 284 tuberculosis patients. They were interviewed using a pre-designed questionnaire consisting of WHO dimensions of non-adherence and lockdown related questions. Results: The proportion of non-adherence to treatment was found to be 5.3%. Factors like chronic diseases, depression, without knowledge on how the disease is transmitted and that medication can be discontinued once the symptoms subsided, alcohol consumption, and trouble accessing medicine were found to be the determining factors in non-adherence to the treatment. Conclusions: Non-adherence to anti-tuberculosis treatment in our study was low but the various dimensions of adherence along with lockdown related factors had significant impact on it. To further minimize non-adherence during emergency like the lockdown due to COVID-19 pandemic, corrective measures must be explored and implemented
Comparative Effects of Dynamic Stretching and Ice Bag Application On the Physical Performance in Recreational Basketball Players: A Randomized Crossover Study
Get PDFIntroduction: Researchers found that cryotherapy at the ankle joint heightened adjacent muscle activity and reflex amplitude, which facilitated greater force production at the ankle complex. Furthermore, cryotherapy appears to increase musculoarticular stiffness, which has been associated with heightened muscular performance at a joint. Aim and objective: the aim of the study is to examine the influence of dynamic stretching and IBA technique on the physical performance. Methodology: Total 20 healthy male basketball athletes encompassing two groups participated in the current study. The study consisted of two groups, Group A (ice bag application) and Group B (dynamic stretching). Cold compress was applied over the anterior thigh, posterior thigh, and calf. Subjects were assigned to Group A, and Group B, using Convenience sampling method. Each candidate performed the 5 minutes of jogging before taking intervention. All subjects performed three functional performance tests: Vertical Jump Test, Agility T-test & 20-meter sprint. Each participant attended an orientation session to become familiar with the testing procedures. Subjects were randomly assigned into two groups and exposed to a crossover study design. The experiment was performed on two separate occasions whereby one group received the dynamic stretching in the first session, while the other group uses the cryotherapy first. After 48 hours, (cooling session) on the next occasion, the groups were changed and the second group receives the cryotherapy, while the first group performs dynamic stretching. On both occasions, the dynamic stretching and cryotherapy interventions were the same. Between the sessions, the subjects will not allow to participate in any kind of vigorous physical activity. Results: The present study showed an increase in performance of recreational Basketball players by the combination of 5 minutes of warm up plus 6 min of dynamic stretching on the vertical jump height and 20-meter sprint
Effect of COVID-19 pandemic on the well-being and training of medical interns: an experience from a university of Eastern India
Get PDFBackground: COVID-19 pandemic changed routines, with social distancing, quarantines, online classes, negatively affecting the mental health of the medical fraternity.Objectives: To assess the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on the mental well-being and training and identify stressors experienced by medical-interns.Methods: A cross-sectional study among 150 interns, from 1st June- 30th September 2021, using Google form with 3sections-demographics, stressors experienced during the pandemic and WHO well-being index; data analyzed using EPI INFO software en-US version7.2.3.1.Results: of the 150 interns, 138 responded. Mean-age was 25.19 ± 1.62SD years; 60.8% were males, 56.5% were hostellers,30% suffered from COVID-19. 78.9% stated “lack of supervision during postings”, 73.9%“postponement of NEET PG” and 60.8%“lack of learning opportunities” as reasons of stress. 65.2% had a good “WHO well-being index”. Their COVID-19 infectivity status had a statistically significant (p=0.004) association with WHO well being index. “Lack of learning opportunities”(p=0.02), “fear of contracting COVID-19”(p=0.03) & “limited time for PG preparation(p=0.01) were associated with their well-being.Conclusion: COVID-19 was associated with stress and poor mental health among the interns. Fear of disease, lack of regular duties and postponement of PG exams were factors leading to stress. Lack of learning opportunities, fear of contracting the virus were associated with poorer mental well-being
Power of Millets- Critical for addressing Ecological, Agrarian, and Emerging health crisis in Punjab
Get PDFThe state of Punjab is facing a major threat of ecological, agrarian as well as emerging health crisis. Continuously depleting water tables due to unregulated use of irrigation water and increased cultivation of water-thirsty, varieties of rice are posing major threat to water availability in the state. Indiscriminate use of chemicals in farming leading to soil infertility, polluted surface waters and air pollution are contributing to ecological catastrophe and eventually leading to many health problems in the population. Hence there is need to focus on environmentally friendly, economically viable and health benefitting solutions. Millets as climate change compliant crops score highly over other grains in terms of marginal growing conditions and high nutritional value are proposed as a solution for emerging challenges in Punjab
Prevalence and correlates of Depression, Anxiety and Stress among Nursing Students
Get PDFBackground: Nursing students experience significant amount of depression, anxiety and stress throughout their undergraduate education and there is limited evidence regarding magnitude of depression, anxiety and stress among them in India. Aims & Objectives: To assess the prevalence of depression, anxiety and stress and associated factors among nursing students. Materials & Methods: A web based cross sectional study was conducted among 214 nursing students of B.Sc. Nursing College, Dibrugarh in May 2021 using Google form containing structured questionnaire and DASS21 by convenience sampling. Logistic regression analysis was carried out to assess determinants of depression, anxiety and stress. Results: The prevalence of Depression, anxiety and stress was 55.1%, 63.1% and 29.9% respectively. On multiple regression analysis, mother’s occupation of the students was found to be significant predictor for depression and anxiety, getting less vacation was found to be significant predictor for depression and stress, satisfaction with nursing profession as a significant predictor for depression and caste as a significant predictor for stress. Conclusion: A high prevalence of Depression, anxiety and stress was found among nursing students
An analytical study about the operational effectiveness of the Covid Control Room in a Medical College of Northern India
Get PDFMuzzafarnagar Medical College (MMC), Muzzafarnagar was declared a designated covid hospital by the Uttar Pradesh State Government. A Covid Control Room (CCR) was hence established to manage the disaster. Aims & Objectives: The CCR worked as the operational brain of MMC. Study Setting: Muzzafarnagar Medical College, Muzzafarnagar, Uttar Pradesh, India. Study Design: A hospital record based observational study. Material Methods: A total of 1132 admitted covid positive patients in three months constituted the study population. The CCTV cameras were installed inside the isolation wards, and the ICUs with 24/7 video coverage. The DGME (Uttar Pradesh) developed the Patient Information System (PIS) wherein information was uploaded in a database and WhatsApp messages were sent to the relatives twice daily. Results: The CCR received on an average 200 calls per day. A total of 12,622 calls were received in two months. With, PIS in function the no. of calls received in CCR reduced drastically. 100% coverage of the patients’ information was achieved. Conclusion: The scope of the control room has expanded considerably to address various aspects of the covid-19 pandemic crisis. These findings will be helpful as a reference for future. It is one of the first studies and unique in nature
Direct Benefit Transfer Scheme for Tuberculosis Patients – Performance Challenges observed by the Providers and Patients
Get PDFIntroduction: Government of India launched an Aadhar-linked Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) scheme from 1st April, 2018. Under this scheme, all notified TB patients would receive Rs 500 per month (~US$7) throughout the course of their treatment for nutritional support. Aim and Objectives: To determine the challenges faced by the health providers and patients in the implementation of Direct Benefit Transfer scheme. Methods: This was a mixed method cross-sectional study conducted on all public and private TB patients notified during the year 2019 under RNTCP (now NTEP) in district Amritsar, Punjab. Quantitative data about the availability and validation of bank accounts was obtained from the Nikshay portal after having permission from the District TB Officer. Qualitative data was obtained from the focus group discussion and in-depth interviews with the involved staff members (17) and patients (20) registered in Tuberculin units of Amritsar. Results: From the Nikshay reports, it was observed that there was significant difference between the public and private sector and between rural and urban areas. Focus group discussion was done with the TB Health Visitor (TBHV) and Senior TB supervisors (STS) and asked about the hurdles they faced. Items were identified and tabulated. In-depth interviews were conducted on 20 patients, 10 each from public and private sector respectively. Data collected was transcribed and arranged as per the themes or questions and then the information was recorded under those sub-headings. Conclusion: The major challenges observed by the providers were lack of support from the private sector, lack of awareness among people, technical issues and more work burden. Patients mostly mentioned about confidentiality issues, lack of awareness, social stigma of the disease, less amount and long and complex process
Geospatial Epidemiology of chicken-pox disease in India between 2015-2021: A GIS based analysis
Get PDFIntroduction: In this paper, we introduce geographical information systems (GIS) as a tool to study trends in disease spread in time and space. Based on data gathered by the integrated disease surveillance programme (IDSP), we can see where outbreaks of Chickenpox have occurred. Objective: The aim of this study is to assess the trends in chickenpox diseases in India between January 2015 and April 2021 using GIS maps. Methods: For the collection of secondary data relating to chickenpox, a free app called collect 5 was used for collecting data weekly from the IDSP website and then storing them in an online server. In this project, variables that needed to be processed with QGIS were combined with table attributes of many shapefiles of India and presented as maps. Results: Between Jan 2015 and May 2021, 1269 chickenpox outbreaks (27,257 cases) have been recorded. Thirty-one deaths have been confirmed, with most occurring in Bihar and Uttar Pradesh. Nineteen states did not report any deaths. According to the seasonally adjusted trend, the number of cases was highest during the months of January and March. Conclusion: In summary, geographic information systems have become an invaluable tool for mapping the hotspots of acute epidemics and planning public health interventions to prevent the spread of these diseases