RESUMO
Malnutrition is a public health problem globally. Gujarat is one of the states facing challenges in dealing with malnutrition and anemia. The NFHS-5 (National Family Health Survey-5) data reveals that the gains made in NFHS-4 (National Family Health Survey-4) were reversed in NFHS-5. Despite numerous schemes and policies in place, Gujarat has yet to reach the full potential of these mandated policies to showcase exponential results in malnutrition and anemia. This study presents an overview of the nutritional status of districts in Gujarat, compared with NFHS-4, by illuminating its potential determinants and inter-district variabilities. An increased prevalence was seen in children under five who are stunted and severely wasted; however, the prevalence of children under five who are wasted improved in Gujarat. The prevalence of anemia increased across all age groups, showing an immediate sign of caution. The study observed decreased prevalence of immediate determinants and increased coverage of nutrition-specific interventions in NFHS-5 compared to NFHS-4 for nutritional indicators in Gujarat. Underlying determinants like households with electricity and improved drinking water have improved drastically in Gujarat. Furthermore, it elaborates on the gaps and improvements observed in inter-district variabilities among determinants in their coverage. This study also consists of actions taken by states that have fared better concerning nutritional indicators instead of improving the nutritional indicators for Gujarat. The study has categorized the districts into top-priority, priority, average, and front-runner districts of Gujarat based on the prevalence of nutritional indicators.
RESUMO
CONTEXT: Rice bran oil, owing to its potential antioxidant benefits, could be an effective and novel alternative to sesame oil for oil pulling. As it is safe and a growingly popular edible oil, it may be acceptable during pregnancy, especially in the Indian context where women may be hesitant to use chemical plaque control methods for preventing halitosis. AIMS: The present study was conducted to compare the effects of oil pulling with rice bran oil, oil pulling with sesame oil, and oil pulling with chlorhexidine mouth rinsing on reducing halitosis among pregnant women. SETTINGS AND DESIGN: Thirty pregnant women who attended the Gynecology Outpatient Department (OPD) of Muslim Medical Hospital, Haran Khana Road, Pani Gate, Vadodara, Gujarat, India, were recruited in the present randomized double-blind interventional study. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: Eligible pregnant women individuals who gave consent for the study were randomly allocated to receive the interventions under investigation. Halitosis was measured at baseline and after 14 days of intervention using TANITA breath checker HC-212M-BL. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS USED: Data entry was done in Microsoft Excel 2007, and statistical analysis was performed using SPSS version 17. Wilcoxon signed rank tests were used to interpret the differences in baseline and postintervention halitosis levels. One-way ANOVA was done to compare the mean reduction in halitosis scores of the three intervention groups. RESULTS: There was a statistically significant reduction in the grades of halitosis at baseline and 14 days after intervention for all the three groups. There was no statistically significant difference between chlorhexidine mouth rinsing, oil pulling with sesame oil, and oil pulling with rice bran oil in halitosis reduction. CONCLUSIONS: Rice bran oil when used in oil pulling was effective in reducing halitosis. It performed comparably and marginally superior to other agents tested in the study when change in halitosis postintervention was considered.