Psychological Impact of COVID-19 and Its Influence on Parental Willingness to Vaccinate Children: A Cross-Sectional Study at a Tertiary Care Hospital in Kolkata.

Background COVID-19 has affected the physical and mental health of people globally, and vaccination is seen as a crucial tool in controlling the pandemic. However, the readiness to vaccinate children remains a concern, particularly in India. Aim The study aimed to investigate the association between the psychological impact of COVID-19 and willingness to vaccinate their children among attendees of the COVID-19 vaccination clinic at Nil Ratan Sircar Medical College, Kolkata. Method The study used an observational, cross-sectional design and collected data from 356 participants between August and September 2022. The COVID-19 Perceived Stress Scale-10 was used to assess participants' psychological impact, and willingness to vaccinate was determined using a survey. Results Approximately 64% (n=227) and 71% (n=253) of the participants exhibited a high level of perceived stress and willingness to vaccinate their children. The vaccine acceptance was significantly associated with perceived stress level and other factors such as family type, presence of chronic illness, and history of acquaintances suffering from COVID-19. Conclusion The study highlights the importance of addressing parental stress and anxiety to enhance vaccination rates among children. To achieve this, population-level awareness of vaccine safety measures and benefits should be raised to alleviate stress and increase vaccine uptake.

Effect of educational intervention on risk factors of cardiovascular diseases among school teachers: a quasi-experimental study in a suburb of Kolkata, West Bengal, India.

OBJECTIVE: This prospective study aimed to evaluate the effects of a health education intervention on cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors among school teachers. METHODS: The study, conducted from August 2016 to May 2017, involved teachers from four schools in Baruipur, West Bengal, India. It was a multicentric, quasi-experimental study with an intervention group receiving tailored health education promoting lifestyle modifications, while the control group received no intervention. Baseline and endline assessments included behavioural and biological characteristics related to cardiovascular health and risk assessment. Data were analysed using JAMOVI. RESULTS: The intervention group showed significant improvements in physical activity levels [Cohen's d (Cd): 0.43, p = 0.006] and the consumption of fruits and vegetables (Cd: 1.00, p = < 0.001). Notably, there was a considerable reduction in the consumption of salt (Cd: -0.93, p = 0.039), oil (Cd: -0.98, p = < 0.001), fast food (Cd: -0.99, p = < 0.001), junk food (Cd: -0.99, p = < 0.001), and red meat (Cd: -1.00, p = < 0.001) among participants. However, there were no significant improvements in biological characteristics within the intervention group. In contrast, the control group exhibited no significant changes in behavioural and biological characteristics compared to baseline. The intervention group showed a minor non-significant reduction (3.0%) in their 10-year cardiovascular risk compared to baseline (Cd: -1.00, p = 0.50), while the control group had a negligible non-significant increase (0.7%) in their cardiovascular risk (Cd: 1.00, p = 1.00). CONCLUSION: Health education intervention positively influenced behavioural characteristics, such as physical activity and dietary habits, among school teachers. However, no significant improvements were observed in biological characteristics or cardiovascular risk factors.

An Epidemiological Study on Empathy and its Correlates: A Cross-sectional Assessment among Medical Students of a Government Medical College of India.

BACKGROUND: Empathy is a desirable quality in every clinician. It is a crucial determinant of patient-physician communication and relation. There are very few existent Indian studies on empathy of medical students and its correlates. AIM: The aim of the study was to assess empathy level of medical students and its correlates. METHODOLOGY: It was a cross-sectional, hospital-based, analytical observational study conducted from July to November 2017. In total, 249 undergraduate medical students of a medical college of Kolkata were interviewed with a structured schedule. The schedule comprised of the sociodemographic questionnaire, career satisfaction, future career choice, and Jefferson Scale of Empathy. RESULTS: The mean empathy score was 98.5 ± 12.5. Third-semester students had higher empathy scores (102.4 ± 12.4) compared to fifth (97.2 ± 12.9) and seventh semester (95.0 ± 10.9) students. The difference between the mean scores of different semesters was statistically significant. Female students were more empathic than male students. In the multivariable linear regression model, sex, semester, residence, career satisfaction, future career choice, and current place of living were significant predictors of empathy scores. CONCLUSION: Empathy level of medical students of our study was quite low compared to other studies conducted outside India. Empathy eroded with semester, which supports earlier pieces of evidence in this regard.

Urinary Incontinence, Its Risk Factors, and Quality of Life: A Study among Women Aged 50 Years and above in a Rural Health Facility of West Bengal.

CONTEXT: Urinary incontinence (UI) is a chronic debilitating disease which is often under reported, but laid significant impact on one's quality of life (QoL) thus is of public health importance. AIMS: The aim of this study is to find out proportion of rural women have UI, its associated risk factors and treatment-seeking behavior, QoL of affected women. METHODS: This was a cross-sectional clinic-based study conducted from October 2016 to January 2017 among 177 women aged 50 years or above attending a rural health facility with a structured schedule. Data were analyzed using appropriate statistical methods by SPSS (version 16). RESULTS: Forty-nine (27.7%) out of 177 women were found having UI. The most prevalent type of UI was stress UI (51.0%), followed by mixed UI (32.7%) and urge UI (16.3%). In bivariate analysis, study participants who were illiterate, having a history of prolonged labor, having a history of gynecological operation, normal vaginal deliveries (NVDs) (>3), diabetic, having chronic cough, having constipation, and having lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) had shown significantly greater odds of having UI. In multivariable illiteracy (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] - 2.41 [1.02-5.69]), NVDs (AOR - 3.37 [1.54-7.37]), a history of gynecological operation (AOR - 3.84 [1.16-12.66]), chronic cough (AOR - 2.69 [1.21-5.99]), LUTS (AOR - 2.63 [1.15-6.00]) remained significant adjusted with other significant variable in bivariate analysis. Those with mixed UI had 5.33 times higher odds having unfavorable QoL. Only 30.6% sought medical help. Treatment-seeking behavior shown negative correlation with QoL while fecal incontinence and LUTS shown possitive correlation. CONCLUSIONS: The study revealed that rural women are indeed at high risk of developing UI. Majority of them did not sought treatment for UI which is matter of concern. Generating awareness regarding UI may help to improve health-seeking behavior and QoL.