Prevalence, regional patterns and socio-demographic factors associated with poly-tobacco use in India: A secondary data analysis.

BACKGROUND: Tobacco use is associated with early, intermediate and long-term complications throughout the life course. With an influx of newer products containing nicotine, poly-tobacco use is slowly emerging as a public health concern, that is defined as existing tobacco users currently using two or more tobacco or nicotine products. While many studies have investigated single use tobacco, there is a paucity of research on regional patterns and socio-demographic factors associated with poly-tobacco use in India. OBJECTIVES: To assess prevalence of poly-tobacco use and determine the socio-demographic factors associated with poly-tobacco use in India. METHODS: Data from the Global Adult Tobacco Survey 2 (GATS, 2016-17) was analysed, which included information on tobacco use among people aged >15 years. The pattern of current tobacco status was described using descriptive statistics. Multiple logistic regression models were estimated to determine factors associated with poly-tobacco use. RESULTS: The prevalence of poly-tobacco use in India was found to be 9.8%. Among the current tobacco users, the prevalence was 33%. Significant socio-demographic factors associated with poly-tobacco use included younger age, male gender, religion and backward caste. North-eastern region reported highest prevalence of poly-tobacco use in the country, followed by the central region. CONCLUSION: The number of poly-tobacco users in India is considerably high and a matter of concern, more so in north east and central regions of the country. There is a need to create awareness about dangerous effects of all types of tobacco products and strengthen implementation of tobacco control policies with special focus on regions with high burden.

Weight, height, and midupper arm circumference are associated with haemoglobin levels in adolescent girls living in rural India: A cross-sectional study.

We aimed to explore the association of physical parameters with haemoglobin (Hb) levels to test the hypothesis that impaired physical development is associated with anaemia. A cross-sectional survey study recruited adolescent girls (13 to 17 years) living in rural areas of Maharashtra state of India. Data were collected on physical parameters include height, weight, and midupper arm circumference (MUAC). Hb levels were measured using Sahli's haemometer. Linear regression was conducted to test the hypothesis. Data were collected from 1,010 girls on physical parameter and Hb levels. The majority of the adolescent girls were diagnosed with anaemia (87%). The regression analysis adjusted for age gave a significant association of Hb levels with all three variables (MUAC, weight, and height). Hb increased by 0.11 g/dl with an each centimetre of increase in MUAC (95% confidence interval, CI, [0.08, 0.15], P < .001). Each kilogram of increase in the body weight showed an increase in Hb levels (0.02 g dl, 95% CI [0.01, 0.03], P = .001). With an each centimetre of increase in height, Hb increased by 0.01 g dl (95% CI [0.00, 0.02], P = .022). There was a consistent association between three measures of somatic growth and anaemia in the study population. It is likely that life-course exposures from conception onwards contribute to this, and the public health implications are that preventing anaemia is a challenge that requires a multifaceted interventional approach. Understanding the importance of the timing of these life exposures will help design interventions that can achieve optimal results.

An Investigation to Identify Potential Risk Factors Associated with Common Chronic Diseases Among the Older Population in India.

BACKGROUND: In India, chronic diseases are the leading cause of death and their prevalence has constantly increased over the last decade. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to identify risk factors associated with common chronic diseases among people aged 50 years and over in India. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Data from Wave 1 of the 2007/2008 Indian Study on Global Ageing and Adult Health (SAGE) was used to investigate the association between lifestyle choices and chronic diseases using logistic regression. RESULT: The fully adjusted model showed that significant independent risk factors for angina included area of residence, being diagnosed with diabetes, chronic lung disease (CLD) [highest odds ratio (OR) 4.77, 95% confidence interval (CI): 2.95-7.70] and arthritis. For arthritis, risk factors included having underlying diabetes, CLD diagnosis, or angina (highest OR 2.32, 95% CI: 1.63-3.31). Risk factors associated with CLD included arthritis, angina (highest OR 4.76, 95% CI: 2.94-7.72), alcohol use, and tobacco use. Risk factors associated with diabetes included level of education, area of residence, socioeconomic status, angina (highest OR 3.59, 95% CI: 2.44-5.29), CLD, arthritis, stroke, and vegetable consumption. Finally, risk factors associated with stroke included diabetes and angina (highest OR 3.34, 95% CI: 1.72-6.50). The presence of any other comorbidity was significantly associated with all five chronic diseases studied. CONCLUSION: The results show that within the older population, the contribution of lifestyle risk factors to the common chronic diseases investigated in this study was limited. Our findings showed that the major health issue within the study population was multimorbidity.

Parameters for the mathematical modelling of Clostridium difficile acquisition and transmission: a systematic review.

INTRODUCTION: Mathematical modelling of Clostridium difficile infection dynamics could contribute to the optimisation of strategies for its prevention and control. The objective of this systematic review was to summarise the available literature specifically identifying the quantitative parameters required for a compartmental mathematical model of Clostridium difficile transmission. METHODS: Six electronic healthcare databases were searched and all screening, data extraction and study quality assessments were undertaken in duplicate. Results were synthesised using a narrative approach. RESULTS: Fifty-four studies met the inclusion criteria. Reproduction numbers for hospital based epidemics were described in two studies with a range from 0.55 to 7. Two studies provided consistent data on incubation periods. For 62% of cases, symptoms occurred in less than 4 weeks (3-28 days) after infection. Evidence on contact patterns was identified in four studies but with limited data reported for populating a mathematical model. Two studies, including one without clinically apparent donor-recipient pairs, provided information on serial intervals for household or ward contacts, showing transmission intervals of <1 week in ward based contacts compared to up to 2 months for household contacts. Eight studies reported recovery rates of between 75%-100% for patients who had been treated with either metronidazole or vancomycin. Forty-nine studies gave recurrence rates of between 3% and 49% but were limited by varying definitions of recurrence. No study was found which specifically reported force of infection or net reproduction numbers. CONCLUSIONS: There is currently scant literature overtly citing estimates of the parameters required to inform the quantitative modelling of Clostridium difficile transmission. Further high quality studies to investigate transmission parameters are required, including through review of published epidemiological studies where these quantitative estimates may not have been explicitly estimated, but that nonetheless contain the relevant data to allow their calculation.