Prevalence of disability and its association with sociodemographic factors and quality of life in a rural adult population of northern India.

Background: Globally, around 1 billion persons are disabled as per the WHO report on disability in 2011. The bio-psycho-social model of disability was developed by the WHO as the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health. We studied the prevalence of disability and its association with sociodemographic factors and quality of life among adults in a rural area. Methods: We did a community-based, cross-sectional study among 418 randomly selected adult participants aged 18 years and above in a rural area of Ballabgarh, Haryana. Participants were interviewed by administering WHO Disability Assessment Schedule 2.0 (WHODAS 2.0) for assessing disability and WHO Quality of Life-BREF (WHOQOL-BREF) scale for assessing quality of life. Multivariate analyses were done for the predictors of disability. Correlation was applied to find the association between disability and quality of life. Results: The prevalence of disability was 7.7% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 5.3%-10.6%) based on the cut-off > 40 summary score. More women (10.9%) than men (4.1 %) were disabled (p = 0.009). Being ≥60 years of age was independently associated with disability (adjusted odds ratio 12.3; 95% CI 4.45-33.97). The mean (SD) of the WHOQOL-BREF health-related quality of life (HRQOL) summary score was 67.6 (11.6) and the median was 66.43. HRQOL summary scores decreased as age increased. There was a negative correlation between summary scores of WHODAS 2.0 and WHOQOL-BREF (r -0.57, p<0.001). Conclusion: Prevalence of disability was higher than the estimate given by Census 2011. The elderly and women experience more disability. As age increases, quality of life decreases. Increase in the level of disability decreases the quality of life.

Use of web-based health information portals in primary health care: Experience from a rural Primary Health Centre in Haryana.

BACKGROUND: Health care informatics is the scientific field that deals with the data capture, storage, retrieval, and use of biomedical data, information, and knowledge for problem solving and decision-making. The objectives of the study were to describe the web-based portals used at the Primary Health Centre (PHC) and to appraise its utilization at the local level. METHODS: Various methodologies included observation of portal use, record review, interview of stakeholders using the portals. RESULTS: Health Workers workload increased because of physical record entry and time spent for entry in web-based health information portals. Web-based portals did not have options for utilization of the data generated at the PHC level. The options of feedback and helpline were not universally available. CONCLUSION: Web-based portals are integral part of health system at primary healthcare level. Adequate utilization of web-based health information portals may lead to efficient provision of health services at the primary health care level.

Awareness and utilization of social welfare schemes by elderly persons residing in an urban resettlement colony of Delhi.

BACKGROUND: Demographic transition increased the proportion of elderly in India. Elderly persons experience increased economic dependency for their day-to-day existence. The Government of India provides monetary benefit through social welfare schemes. Health outcomes of the elderly improve when they are economically independent. We aimed to assess the awareness and utilization of social welfare schemes among elderly persons in an urban resettlement colony of Delhi. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This was a community-based cross-sectional study conducted from February to May 2018. Two specially recruited interviewers administered the self-developed semi-structured interview schedule. It consisted of sociodemographic data, awareness, and utilization of various schemes. RESULTS: A total of 931 [416 (37.4%) males and 515 (55.3%) females] participants completed the interview. Of the total, 809 (86.9%) participants were aware of at least one social welfare scheme. Participants utilizing any of the social welfare schemes were 393 (42.2%). Females utilized the social welfare schemes almost twice as compared to males (AOR = 1.7, 95% CI: 1.1-2.6). Participants aged 75 years and above had four times higher utilization of social welfare schemes compared to 60-64 years age group (AOR = 3.9, 95% CI: 2.4-6.4). CONCLUSION: Although the awareness of social welfare schemes among elderly persons was good, their utilization has scope for significant improvement. Focus is needed on elderly males and among the younger elderly persons.

Correction: Health behaviors, outcomes and their relationships among young men aged 18-24 years in a rural area of north India: A cross-sectional study.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0220285.].

Health behaviors, outcomes and their relationships among young men aged 18-24 years in a rural area of north India: A cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: There is limited information related to health behaviors and their related factors among young men in rural setting of India. This study was conducted to investigate multiple health risk behaviors and outcomes among young men aged 18-24 years in rural India. METHODS: This was a community-based cross-sectional survey conducted in the Ballabgarh block of Faridabad district, Haryana, India. Information regarding socio-demographic details, substance use, injury & violence, mental health and sexual behaviors were collected using a semi-structured interview schedule. Age adjusted prevalence estimates of behaviors and outcomes are computed along with 95% Confidence Intervals. Mediation analysis was carried out to examine relationships between socio-demographic variables, select behaviors and outcomes reported in the study. RESULTS: A total of 836 young men participated in the study, with mean (SD) age of 20.6 (1.9) years. The age-adjusted prevalence (with 95% Confidence Interval) for ever use of tobacco, alcohol, and other substances was 34.2% (33.9, 34.5), 23.4% (23.2, 23.6), and 4.5% (4.4, 4.5), respectively. Loneliness and suicidal thoughts were reported by 237 and 35 youth men with age adjusted prevalence as 28.6%, 95% CI: 28.4-28.8 and 4.3%, 95% CI: 4.23-4.31, respectively. A total of 330 young men met serious injury in past one year (prevalence 39.3%, 95%CI: 39.01-39.67). Almost one-third of men (prevalence 30.6%, 95%CI: 30.34-30.85) had engaged in pre-marital sexual intercourse. Current substance use was found to be significant mediator for associations with socio-demographic variables studied for dependent variables viz. pre-marital sexual intercourse and serious injury. CONCLUSION: High prevalence of various risk behaviors and outcomes was found in young men aged 18-24 years in our rural setting. It is imperative that multi-component health intervention package be rolled out to address these.

Prevalence of disability and its association with sociodemographic factors and quality of life in India: A systematic review.

Disability is complex, dynamic in nature, multidimensional, and most contested. Quality of life is an abstract concept that is related to the level of disability in the population. Approaches to measuring disability vary across different regions, and purpose and application of the findings. We systematically reviewed the studies that have been undertaken to study the prevalence of disability and its association with sociodemographic factors and quality of life among the general population in India, between January 2000 and June 2018. The prevalence of impairment ranged from 1.6% to 43.3%. In major surveys, males had higher impairment than females. Studies that used the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health concept for measuring disability reported prevalence ranging from 70.0% to 93.2%. Most studies used semi-structured questionnaires for measurement of disability. Some studies have used Barthel Index for Activity of Daily Living, Instrumental Activities of Daily Living, Indian Disability Evaluation and Assessment Schedule, Rapid Assessment of Disability scale, and Standard Health Assessment Questionnaire. The quality of life was low among females. This review brings out the heterogeneity in the concepts for measuring disability and quality of life. Lack of standardization in the measurement of disability restrains any comparison between these studies.

Adolescent health in urban India.

Adolescence is the period in human growth and development that occurs after childhood and before adulthood, from ages 10 to 19 years. It is a period of dynamic brain development. During this period, adolescents learn from the social behavior and environmental surroundings of their community. Because of rapid urbanization without accounting for the basic health-care amenities, health disparities tend to arise. In this review, we have tried to describe the health profile of adolescents in urban India. Relevant articles were extracted from PubMed and related websites. Adolescents in urban areas perceive their physical environment as very poor. Social capital and social cohesion are very important in their development. Increasing child marriage and poor antenatal care among adolescents are key challenges in improving the reproductive and sexual health. More than half of adolescents are undernourished. About 56% of adolescent girls are anemic. At this time of fighting against under-nutrition, burden of overweight and obesity is increasing among the urban adolescents. Mass media use and increased sedentary lifestyle increase the risk factors for noncommunicable diseases. Labile mental and emotional behavior makes them prone to suicide and intentional self-harm. Another avoidable key challenge among adolescents is addiction. Urban living and regular media exposure are positively associated with smoking and alcohol consumption. Among unintentional injuries, road traffic accidents dominate the picture. Various health programs targeting adolescent health have been launched in the recent past.

SERUM magnesium levels as an indicator of status of Diabetes Mellitus type 2.

CONTEXT: Magnesium deficiency is commonly associated with endocrine and metabolic disorders, especially with Diabetes Mellitus type 2 though the mechanism of hypomagnesemia in Diabetes Mellitus is not completely known. There is a close association between metabolic control of Diabetes Mellitus and impaired magnesium balance. AIMS: To estimate the serum levels of magnesium in patients of with Diabetes Mellitus type 2 and to find a correlation if any, with the duration and control (by estimating HbA1c) of Diabetes Mellitus type 2. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Fifty patients of Diabetes Mellitus type 2 were included in the study. Blood samples were analyzed for fasting and post prandial glucose, HbA1c and magnesium. The patients were grouped into three categories based upon their HbA1c levels into those with good control, need intervention and poor control. The three groups were compared with reference to their mean levels of blood glucose and magnesium. Association of serum magnesium levels with HbA1c, Fasting and postprandial blood glucose and duration of Diabetes Mellitus was also done. RESULTS: Serum magnesium levels were found to decline with rise in HbA1c levels and with duration of Diabetes Mellitus type 2. CONCLUSION: Hypomagnesemia is linked to poor control of Diabetes Mellitus type 2 and depletion of serum magnesium occurs exponentially with duration of disease.