Nutritional assessment of under-three years children availing Anganwadi services from rural areas of Puducherry, India.

AIM: Undernurition stands as a significant contributor to childhood mortality, particularly in developing nations such as India. At the grass root level, anthropometric monitoring indicators such as stunting, underweight and wasting take place within Anganwadi centres (village courtyard). The scrutiny of growth records, utilising these markers, not only quantifies the burden but also informs corrective measures. This study aimed to assess the prevailing growth monitoring records within the rural vicinity of Puducherry. METHODS: A community-based cross-sectional study design was implemented to examine the health condition of children below 3 years of age, who were enrolled and utilising services in Anganwadi centres. The anthropometric data, such as weight and height, were collected from growth monitoring records maintained in Anganwadi. The proportions of undernutrition indicators such as stunting, underweight and wasting were presented with a 95% confidence interval (CI). RESULTS: Within our rural service area encompassing 13 Anganwadis, a total of 572 children aged 3 or less were registered. Notably, approximately 14.2% (95% CI: 11.5-17.3) of these children experienced underweight, 16.4% (95% CI: 13.6-19.7) were stunted and 13.3% (95% CI: 10.8-16.3) were wasted. In terms of gender disparities, the prevalence of undernurition was notably higher among boy children, with 15.4% being underweight, 16.9% stunted and 14.7% wasted. CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of childhood undernurition is a public health concern, demanding the enhancement of existing nutritional initiatives to ameliorate the healthy well-being of these children. The timely identification of malnourished children holds paramount importance, as intensified interventions can be promptly employed to uplift the health status of these vulnerable individuals.

Roles, Responsibilities, and Functions of Village Health, Sanitation, and Nutrition Committees in India: A Qualitative Evidence Synthesis.

National Health Mission instituted the Village Health, Sanitation, and Nutrition Committees (VHSNCs) in 2005, with an aim of ensuring health and well-being for local communities in India. There is a lack of concrete evidence on the functioning of VHSNCs at a national level. Thus, this study was undertaken to outline the roles, responsibilities, and functions of VHSNCs in India. We conducted a comprehensive data search in Medline, Cochrane Library, ScienceDirect, EMBASE, and Google Scholar between 2005 and August 2021. All peer-reviewed qualitative studies that reported the roles, responsibilities, functions, and good practices of VHSNCs from India were included in our review. Critical Appraisal Skills Programme checklist was used to assess the quality of individual studies. In total, we included 15 studies (including 1100+ VHSNCs) from various states of India. Our review highlighted that the majority of the VHSNCs functioned without a clear-cut definition of roles and responsibilities had irregular meetings and workforce shortage. There was a lack of inclusivity, accountability, and delay in the processing of untied funds. The included studies have showed that VHSNCs were involved health promotional activities such as formulation and implementation of village health plans, delivery of services through public distribution systems, ensuring safe drinking water and sanitary supervision, and identification and referral of malnourished children. Our review highlights the crucial role that VHSNCs play in improving the health outcomes of rural populations and underscores the need for continued support and capacity-building efforts to ensure their effectiveness.

Non-pharmacological Interventions for Tobacco Cessation in India: A Systematic Review and Network Meta-analysis.

INTRODUCTION: Non-pharmacological management of tobacco cessation has been reported to yield a high level of abstinence from tobacco usage. However, it is unclear which type of non-pharmacological intervention to be adopted in national tobacco control program. Hence, we undertook this review to identify the best non-pharmacological tobacco cessation therapies for tobacco cessation. AIMS AND METHODS: Systematic literature search was performed in EMBASE, SCOPUS, PubMed Central, CENTRAL, MEDLINE, Google Scholar, ScienceDirect, and Clinicaltrials.gov from 1964 until September 2022. Randomized controlled trials assessing the effectiveness of non-pharmacological intervention for tobacco cessation in India were eligible for inclusion. Comparative intervention effect estimates obtained from network meta-analyses were represented as pooled odds ratio (OR) with 95% confidence interval (CI). RESULTS: 21 studies were eligible for the analysis. More than half of the studies had high risk of bias. E-Health intervention had the highest OR (pooled OR = 9.90; 95% CI: 2.01 to 48.86) in terms of tobacco cessation rate followed by group counseling (pooled OR = 3.61; 95% CI: 1.48 to 8.78) and individual counseling (pooled OR = 3.43; 95% CI: 1.43 to 8.25). Brief advice or self-help intervention or comparison between each of these interventions against each other (both direct and indirect network) did not yield any significant results. CONCLUSIONS: E-Health intervention was the best intervention followed by group intervention and individual face-to-face counseling intervention for tobacco cessation in India. Nonetheless, more high-quality large-scale RCTs either individual or by combining the e-Health, individual, or group counseling interventions are required to provide conclusive evidence and subsequent adoption into the national health programs in India. IMPLICATIONS: This study would aid the policymakers, clinicians, and public health researchers in choosing the right tobacco cessation therapy to be offered across various levels of the healthcare delivery system, including major health facilities providing drug therapy (ie, concurrently with pharmacological treatment for tobacco cessation) in India. The study findings can be adopted by the national tobacco control program to decide the appropriate intervention package and identify the areas of focus to perform tobacco-related research in the country.

Prevalence of hypertension and determinants of treatment-seeking behaviour among adolescents and young adults in India: an analysis of NFHS-4.

BACKGROUND: Previous evidences have reported that almost three-fourth of young hypertensives are not seeking care for their condition leading to severe complications. This study was conducted to assess the determinants of treatment-seeking behaviour among the young hypertensives in India. METHODS: The National Family Health Survey-4 data were analysed. Sampling weights and clustering was accounted using svyset command. Screening, awareness, prevalence and control status were reported with 95% confidence interval (CI). Poisson regression was done to identify the determinants of treatment-seeking behaviour. RESULTS: In total, 13.8% of younger adults had hypertension, 51.1% were aware of their status and 19.5% sought treatment. Participants in 15-19 years (adjusted Prevalence Ratio (aPR) = 0.70) and 20-29 years (aPR = 0.63), male gender (aPR = 0.84), Muslim religion (aPR = 1.14), urban region (aPR = 0.87), secondary (aPR = 0.88) and higher education (aPR = 0.86), residing in Northern (aPR = 0.79), Central (aPR = 0.76), Southern region (aPR = 0.65), preferring home treatment, medical shop or any other care (aPR = 0.63) were significant determinants of treatment-seeking behaviour. CONCLUSION: More than 1 in 10 younger adults in India have hypertension and only half of them were aware of their status and one-fifth sought treatment. Adolescents, males, Hindus, urban population, higher education and residing in Northern, Central and Southern region had poor treatment-seeking behaviour.

Development of prognostic scoring system for predicting 1-year mortality among pulmonary tuberculosis patients in South India.

BACKGROUND: Development of a prediction model using baseline characteristics of tuberculosis (TB) patients at the time of diagnosis will aid us in early identification of the high-risk groups and devise pertinent strategies accordingly. Hence, we did this study to develop a prognostic-scoring model for predicting the death among newly diagnosed drug sensitive pulmonary TB patients in South India. METHODS: We undertook a longitudinal analysis of cohort data under the Regional Prospective Observational Research for Tuberculosis India consortium. Multivariable cox regression using the stepwise backward elimination procedure was used to select variables for the model building and the nomogram-scoring system was developed with the final selected model. RESULTS: In total, 54 (4.6%) out of the 1181 patients had died during the 1-year follow-up period. The TB mortality rate was 0.20 per 1000 person-days. Eight variables (age, gender, functional limitation, anemia, leukopenia, thrombocytopenia, diabetes, neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio) were selected and a nomogram was built using these variables. The discriminatory power was 0.81 (95% confidence interval: 0.75-0.86) and this model was well-calibrated. Decision curve analysis showed that the model is beneficial at a threshold probability ~15-65%. CONCLUSIONS: This scoring system could help the clinicians and policy makers to devise targeted interventions and in turn reduce the TB mortality in India.

Association between behavioural risk factors and metabolic syndrome among adult population in India: A systematic review and meta-analysis of observational studies.

AIMS: The impact of behavioural risk factors on the metabolic syndrome has not been well understood by the researchers. This information is important to the policymakers for developing effective strategies and implement relevant policies or programs. Hence, we undertook this meta-analysis to estimate the effect of behavioural risk factors on the burden of metabolic syndrome. DATA SYNTHESIS: We conducted a search in the databases, such as PubMed Central, EMBASE, MEDLINE, and Cochrane library, and search engines, such as ScienceDirect and Google Scholar, from inception until March 2021. We used the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale (NOS) to assess the quality of published studies. We carried out a meta-analysis with random-effects model and reported pooled odds ratio (OR) with 95% confidence interval (CI). In total, we analysed 30 studies with 41,090 participants. The majority of the studies had good to satisfactory quality as per NOS. Physical activity had a statistically significant association with the prevalence of metabolic syndrome (pooled OR = 1.57; 95%CI: 1.28 to 1.93, I2 = 91%). However, smoking (pooled OR = 0.96; 95%CI: 0.75 to 1.23, I2 = 90.5%) and alcohol (pooled OR = 1.00; 95%CI: 0.75 to 1.33, I2 = 90.8%) did not reveal a statistically significant association with the burden of metabolic syndrome. CONCLUSION: Physical inactivity was found to be a significant risk factor for metabolic syndrome. Given the evidence, it is important that the clinicians and policymakers are alike to recommend regular physical activity among the patients and general population.

Association between indoor air pollution and cognitive function among nationally representative sample of middle-aged and older adults in India-A multilevel modelling approach.

We have used a nationally representative sample of middle-aged and older adults in India to study the association between indoor air pollution and cognitive function. Longitudinal aging study in India (LASI) Wave-I data was utilized for this study. A two-level mixed-effects linear regression model was used to study the association between indoor air pollution and cognitive function and interpreted as adjusted beta coefficient (ꞵ) with 95% confidence interval (CI). In total, 56,179 participants aged ≥45 years were included in the analysis. The proportion of participants living in households with indoor air pollution were 30.6% (95%CI: 30.0%-31.3%). After adjusting for all the potential confounders (age, gender, education, region, religion, separate kitchen, socioeconomic status, marital status, residence, smoking, alcohol consumption, body mass index, self-rated health, and sleep problems), participants living in households with indoor air pollution had significant decline in the cognitive function when compared to those living in households without indoor air pollution (ꞵ = -0.57; 95%CI: -0.69 to -0.45). Since the LASI survey is being conducted as a biennial panel survey, assessing the impact of indoor air pollution on cognitive decline using the follow-up data can provide further insights into the pathogenesis of condition.

Association Between Anthropometric Risk Factors and Metabolic Syndrome Among Adults in India: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Observational Studies.

INTRODUCTION: Several studies have explored the effect of anthropometric risk factors on metabolic syndrome. However, no systematic effort has explored the effect of overweight and obesity on the prevalence of metabolic syndrome in India. Thus, we undertook a meta-analysis to estimate the effect of anthropometric risk factors on the prevalence of metabolic syndrome. METHODS: We searched databases PubMed Central, EMBASE, MEDLINE, and Cochrane library and search engines ScienceDirect and Google Scholar, from January 1964 through March 2021. We used the Newcastle-Ottawa scale to assess the quality of published studies, conducted a meta-analysis with a random-effects model, and reported pooled odds ratios (OR) with 95% CIs. RESULTS: We analyzed 26 studies with a total of 37,965 participants. Most studies had good to satisfactory quality on the Newcastle-Ottawa scale. Participants who were overweight (pooled OR, 5.47; 95% CI, 3.70-8.09) or obese (pooled OR, 5.00; 95% CI, 3.61-6.93) had higher odds of having metabolic syndrome than those of normal or low body weight. Sensitivity analysis showed no significant variation in the magnitude or direction of outcome, indicating the lack of influence of a single study on the overall pooled estimate. CONCLUSION: Overweight and obesity are significantly associated with metabolic syndrome. On the basis of evidence, clinicians and policy makers should implement weight reduction strategies among patients and the general population.

COVID-19 Severity and Mortality Among Chronic Liver Disease Patients: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

INTRODUCTION: Pre-existing comorbid conditions in COVID-19 patients are risk factors for developing severe disease and death. We aimed to determine the association of chronic liver disease (CLD), a comorbid condition, with severity of disease and death among COVID-19 patients. METHODS: We searched for studies reporting COVID-19 outcomes among CLD and non-CLD patients in databases including Medline, EMBASE, ScienceDirect, Google Scholar, and Cochrane Library from inception of the pandemic until February 2022. Risk of bias assessment was conducted by using the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale for assessing the quality of nonrandomized studies in meta-analyses. We conducted a meta-analysis with a random-effects model and reported pooled odds ratios (ORs) with 95% CIs. RESULTS: We included 40 studies with 908,032 participants. Most studies were conducted in China and the US. COVID-19 patients with CLD had significantly higher odds of having a severe form of COVID-19 (pooled OR = 2.44; 95% CI, 1.89-3.16) and death (pooled OR = 2.35; 95% CI, 1.85-3.00) when compared with COVID-19 patients without CLD. CONCLUSION: The presence of CLD is significantly related to adverse clinical outcomes among COVID-19 patients in terms of severity and mortality. Clinicians should develop a comprehensive intervention plan to manage these high-risk patients and reduce COVID-19-related deaths.

Spatial pattern and determinants of HIV infection among adults aged 15 to 54 years in India - Evidence from National Family Health Survey-4 (2015-16).

OBJECTIVE: To assess the spatial pattern and determinants of HIV infection in India. METHODS: We conducted a secondary data analysis using the National Family Health Survey-4 data obtained from the Demographic Health Survey programme. We accounted for clustering and stratification in the sampling design using the svyset command. Spatial analysis was performed by generating the Moran's I statistic and local indicators for spatial association (LISA) maps. Logistic regression was performed to identify the determinants of HIV infection. RESULTS: 230 213 individuals were included. Prevalence of HIV infection in India was 0.24% (95% CI: 0.21%-0.28%). Being separated/widowed/divorced (aOR = 2.58, 95% CI: 1.22-5.40), living in an urban area (aOR = 2.46, 95% CI: 1.79-3.37), being resident in the North-Eastern (aOR = 4.25, 95% CI: 2.60-6.93), Southern (aOR = 3.13, 95% CI: 1.99-4.91) or Western region (aOR = 2.17, 95% CI: 1.08-4.33), having a history of multiple sexual partners (aOR = 1.99, 95% CI:1.42-2.79), a suspected STI (aOR = 2.32, 95% CI: 1.38-3.90) or self-reported TB (aOR = 7.80, 95% CI: 2.52-24.05) were significantly in association with HIV infection. Moran's I was 0.377, suggesting positive spatial autocorrelation. The LISA cluster map indicated 60 hotspot districts in India, mostly in southern states such as Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana followed by north-eastern states such as Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram, Tripura and Assam. CONCLUSION: HIV infection among adults aged 15-54 years in India is spatially clustered with the majority occurring in southern and north-eastern states. Hence, region- or district-specific strategies with focused interventions should be adopted.

Prevalence and risk factors associated with latent tuberculosis infection among household contacts of smear positive pulmonary tuberculosis patients in South India.

OBJECTIVE: We aimed to determine the prevalence and find the risk factors associated with latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI) among the household contacts (HHC) of pulmonary TB patients. METHODS: This cohort study was conducted from 2014 to 2019. Pretested standardised questionnaires and tools were used for data collection. The prevalence of LTBI among HHCs of TB patients was summarised as proportion with 95% confidence interval (CI). Mixed-effects generalised linear modelling function (meglm) in STATA with family Poisson and log link was performed to find the factors associated with LTBI. RESULTS: In total, 1523 HHC of pulmonary TB patients were included in the study. Almost all HHC shared their residence with the index case (IC) for more than a year; 25% shared the same bed with the IC. The prevalence of LTBI among the HHC of TB patients was 52.6% (95% CI: 50.1-55.1%). In an adjusted model, we found that among HHC belonging to the age group of 19-64 years (aIRR = 1.2; 95% CI: 1.1-1.3; p-value: 0.02), to the age group >65 years (aIRR = 1.4, 95% CI: 1.1-1.9, p-value: 0.02) and sharing the same bed with the IC (aIRR = 1.2, 95% CI: 1.1-1.3, p value: 0.04) were independent determinants of LTBI among the HHC. CONCLUSION: One in two household contacts of TB patients have latent tuberculosis infection. This underscores the need of targeted contact screening strategies, effective contact tracing and testing using standardised methods in high TB burden settings.

Prevalence of malnutrition and its associated sociodemographic and clinical factors among adolescents in selected schools of Urban Puducherry, India.

BACKGROUND: In India, adolescents constitute 21% of the total population. Majority of boys and girls in developing countries enter adolescence as undernourished, making them more vulnerable to several diseases. OBJECTIVE: Among adolescents in selected schools of urban Puducherry, we determined the prevalence of malnutrition and also assessed the sociodemographic and clinical factors associated with undernutrition. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A cross-sectional analytical study was conducted among adolescents (10-18 years) in selected public schools of Urban Puducherry. Data were collected using semi-structured and pre-tested questionnaires. The data collection period was between September and October 2019. Malnutrition was assessed by the World Health Organisation recommended Height-for-age and body mass index-for-age cut-offs using AnthroPlus software. RESULTS: A total of 144 (28.9%) boys and 355 (71.1%) girls were included in the study (N = 499). The prevalence of malnutrition was 46.8% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 42.5-51.3). The prevalence of undernutrition was 33.3% (Stunting [21.6%] and Thinness [15%]). The prevalence of overweight and obesity were 10.2% and 5.8%, respectively. Male gender was found to be an independent risk factor of undernutrition (annual percentage rate = 1.4; 95% CI: 1.0-1.9); and known risk factors such as socio-economic status, parental education were not significantly associated with undernutrition. CONCLUSIONS: One in every two school-going adolescents was malnourished. Despite the high prevalence of undernourishment, over nourishment was also commonly observed. Educating parents and students about growth monitoring and dietary habits might help in bringing down the burden of malnutrition.

Prevalence of anaemia and compliance to weekly iron-folic acid supplementation programme amongst adolescents in selected schools of urban Puducherry, India.

CONTEXT: Adolescents constitutes 21% of total Indian population. Iron deficiency anaemia has remained as a major nutritional problem amongst adolescents. To overcome this problem, Government of India started weekly iron-folic acid supplementation (WIFS) in 2012. AIMS: Amongst adolescents in selected schools of urban Puducherry, to determine the prevalence of anaemia, proportion of those compliant to WIFS and to assess the sociodemographic and clinical factors associated with anaemia and compliance to WIFS. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: A cross-sectional analytical study was conducted amongst school-going adolescents (10-18 years) in selected schools of Urban Puducherry. Data were collected using semi-structured, self-administered and pretested questionnaire. Haemoglobin estimation was done using a digital haemoglobinometer. Details regarding intake of iron and albendazole tablets were recorded. The anaemia status was evaluated as per World Health Organization guidelines. RESULTS: The prevalence of anaemia was found to be 62.7% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 58.2-67.0). Proportion having mild, moderate and severe anaemia were 27.3%, 32.5% and 2.8% respectively. The proportion of adolescents compliant to WIFS was 67.7%. Late adolescents were significantly more associated with anaemia (adjusted prevalence ratio [aPR]: 1.7 95% CI: 1.0-3.0) as compared to early adolescents. Males were more compliant to iron-folic acid (IFA) tablets (aPR 1.4 95% CI: 1.0-1.8). CONCLUSIONS: More than half of adolescents were anaemic. This study emphasises on the fact that stricter supervision by teachers will result in better compliance to WIFS program. Strategies to improve WIFS compliance, imparting knowledge regarding IFA intake and involvement of school teachers will help to tackle anaemia amongst adolescents.

Worldwide trends in breast cancer incidence from 1993 to 2012: Age-period-cohort analysis and joinpoint regression.

BACKGROUND: Breast cancer is the most common cancer accounting for about one-fourth of total cancer cases and 15% of all cancer deaths among women worldwide. It is important to determine its trend across the regions in the world to find the high-focus regions. Hence, the current study was done to assess the global trends and deviations in the incidence of breast cancer. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A descriptive trend analysis was done using the data on breast cancer incidence from the WHO Cancer Incidence Data of Five Continents plus database. Joinpoint regression was performed to determine the average annual percent change (AAPC), and age-period-cohort analysis was done to obtain age-, period-, and cohort-specific deviations and rate ratio. RESULTS: All the regions showed an increasing trend in breast cancer incidence, with an exception of America. Maximum increase was observed in Asia (AAPC = 2.6%; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 2.4%-2.9%) followed by Europe (AAPC = 0.7%; 95% CI: 0.5%-1%). There was consistent rise in the breast cancer incidence across the age groups in all the four continents with maximum burden in elderly (P < 0.001). Except in America, all other regions showed consistent rise in the incidence of breast cancer through the periods 1998-2002 to 2007-2012 (P < 0.001). There was consistent increase across the cohorts from 1923-1927 to 1978-1982 in continents such as Asia and Oceania (P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: To summarize, the incidence of breast cancer shows an increasing trend globally with a maximum increase in the Asian region. This makes a strong need for newer strategies irrespective of current prevention and control interventions.

Prevalence and socio-demographic factors associated with double and triple burden of malnutrition among mother-child pairs in India: Findings from a nationally representative survey (NFHS-5).

Introduction: Improper consumption of food leads to various forms of malnutrition such as undernutrition, overnutrition and micronutrient deficiency. The coexistence of various malnutrition forms in the same household is a public health concern in developing countries. Very little research has been done on exploring the burden and risk factors associated with double (DBM) and triple burden of malnutrition (TBM). Methods: Secondary analysis was done using data from India's National Family Health Survey-5 (NFHS-5), 2019-21. Mothers and under-five children were paired at the household level as a unit of analysis. DBM and TBM were interpreted from children's height-for-age, weight-for-height, weight-for-age and anaemia status and mothers' body-mass-index. Stratification and clustering in the sample design were accounted for during the analysis in STATA v14.2. DBM and TBM were summarized as weighted proportions with 95 % confidence interval (CI) and the risk factors associated were reported as adjusted odds ratio (aOR) with 95%CI using mixed effects logistic regression. Results: We included 167,380 mother-child pairs for analysis. In India, the prevalence of DBM was 7.7 % (95 % CI: 7.5-7.9 %) and TBM was 5.1 % (5.0-5.3 %) at the household level among mother-child dyads. Mothers' age, age at first birth, educational levels, current breastfeeding habits, mode of delivery, child's age, gender, twin birth, birth weight, geographical region, residence, caste and religion, and wealth index were associated with both DBM and TBM. Conclusion: Both DBM and TBM are public health concerns in India. Thus, scaling-up of health intervention, effective implementation of nutritional programmes and life-course approach are needed to control malnutrition.

Diagnostic Accuracy of Optic Nerve Sheath Diameter Using Ultrasonography for Raised Intracranial Pressure in Pediatric Patients - A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

PURPOSE: Detecting increased intracranial pressure early in pediatric patients is essential, as early initiation of therapy prevents morbidity and mortality. The objective of this study was to determine the diagnostic accuracy of the optic nerve sheath diameter (ONSD) measured via ultrasound for the prediction of increased intracranial pressure. METHODS: Four databases, namely, PubMed, EMBASE, Scopus, and CINAHL, were searched for this systematic review and meta-analysis. The study's predefined inclusion criteria considered diagnostic accuracy, cross-sectional, prospective observational, and retrospective studies with a focus on children with elevated intracranial pressure from causes such as traumatic brain injury and cerebral edema, the diagnostic accuracy of the optic nerve sheath diameter measured using ultrasound was assessed. The primary outcome measures included sensitivity and specificity. The study included invasive monitoring (external ventricular drain) and noninvasive measures as the gold standards for increased intracranial pressure. Two authors extracted and reviewed the data. Baseline data, outcome measures, and diagnostic accuracy data were extracted. RESULTS: Twenty-five studies with 1591 patients and 3143 ONSD measurements via ultrasound were analyzed. The pooled sensitivity and specificity of the ONSD measured via ultrasound for the prediction of increased intracranial pressure were 92% (86%-96%) and 89% (77%-96%), respectively. The pooled positive and negative likelihood ratios were 8.6 and 0.08, respectively. CONCLUSION AND RELEVANCE: Optic nerve ultrasonography stands out as a precise and valuable diagnostic tool applicable across diverse patient populations and clinical scenarios. We recommend routine ocular ultrasound for optic nerve sheath diameter measurement in pediatric patients to increase the accuracy of diagnosing increased intracranial pressure.

Equity and extent of financial risk protection indicators during COVID-19 pandemic in rural part of Tamil Nadu, India.

Catastrophic health expenditure [CHE] in India is on a rise. This situation would worsen even further when resources are disproportionately distributed across various socioeconomic classes. Hence, we conducted this study to determine the equity and extent of out-of-pocket [OOP] payments, Catastrophic health expenditure and impoverishment among rural households during COVID-19 pandemic in Tamil Nadu, India. A cross-sectional survey covering 2409 households was conducted during November 2021 across six districts in rural part of Tamil Nadu. Information on out-of-pocket payments, Catastrophic health expenditure (based on 40% capacity-to-pay [CTP] method) and impoverishment was obtained through World Health Organization standard criteria. Point estimates were reported as proportions with 95% Confidence Interval [CI]. Our results showed that the proportion of households with out-of-pocket payments on health and Catastrophic health expenditure in the month preceding the survey was 82.8% (95%CI: 81.2%-84.3%) and 26.9% (95%CI: 25.1%-28.7%) respectively. Nuclear (couple with dependent children only) and joint family type (extended family), presence of under-five children and lower socioeconomic status were significant determinants of Catastrophic health expenditure. The prevalence of impoverishment was 6.4% (95%CI: 5.4%-7.5%). To conclude, more than three fourth of the rural households in Tamil Nadu has out-of-pocket payments for health with one-fourth having Catastrophic health expenditure. Almost one in fourteen non-poor households faced impoverishment during the COVID-19 pandemic. This shows the disproportionate distribution of health expenses especially in the rural areas. Hence, appropriate financial risk protection measures should be taken in order to progress towards universal healthcare in our country.

Spatial Patterns and Determinants of Diabetes Mellitus in Indian Adult Population: a Secondary Data Analysis from Nationally Representative Surveys.

INTRODUCTION: Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a major public health challenge around the world. It is crucial to understand the geographic distribution of the disease in order to pinpoint high-priority locations and focus intervention on the target populations. Hence, this study was carried out to determine the spatial pattern and determinants of type-2 DM in an Indian population using National Family Health Survey-4 (NFHS-4) and Longitudinal Aging Survey in India (LASI). METHODS: We have adopted an ecological approach, wherein geospatial analysis was performed using aggregated district-level data from NFHS-4 (613 districts) and LASI survey datasets (632 districts). Moran's I statistic was determined and Local Indicators of Spatial Association (LISA) maps were created to understand the spatial clustering pattern of DM. Spatial regression models were run to determine the spatial factors associated with DM. RESULTS: Prevalence of self-reported DM among males (15-50 years) and females (15-49 years) was 2.1% [95% confidence interval (CI) 2.0-2.3%] and 1.7% (95% CI 1.6-1.8%), respectively. Prevalence of self-reported DM among males and females aged 45 years and above was 12.5% (95% CI 11.5-13.5%) and 10.9% (95% CI 9.8-12%). Positive spatial autocorrelation with significant Moran's I was found for both males and females in both NFHS-4 and LASI data. High-prevalence clustering (hotspots) was maximum among the districts belonging to southern states such as Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh. Northern and central states like Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, and Haryana mostly had clustering of cold spots (i.e., lower prevalence clustered in the neighboring regions). CONCLUSION: DM burden in India is spatially clustered. Southern states had the highest level of spatial clustering. Targeted interventions with intersectoral coordination are necessary across the geographically clustered hotspots of DM.

Status of Substance use among Undergraduate Medical Students in a Selected Government Medical College in Puducherry - An Explanatory Mixed Method Study.

Background: Studies have shown increase in health-risking behavior and a decline in health-promoting behavior among medical students during their stay in medical school. This study aims to determine the prevalence and reason for substance abuse among the undergraduate medical students in a selected medical college in Puducherry. Material and Methods: This was a facility-based explanatory mixed method study conducted from May 2019 to July 2019. Assessment of their substance abuse was done using ASSIST questionnaire. Substance use was summarized as proportions with 95% CI. Results: A total of 379 participants were included in the study. The mean age of the study participants was 20 years (± 1.34). The most prevalent substance use was alcohol (10.8%). About 1.9% and 1.6% of students surveyed consume tobacco and cannabis, respectively. Conclusion: Facilitating factors for substance use as perceived by the participants were stress, peer pressure, easy availability of substances, socialization, curiosity, and awareness knowledge about safe limits of alcohol and tobacco.

Evaluation of National Patient Safety Implementation Framework in Selected Public Healthcare Facilities of Tamil Nadu: An Operational Research.

BACKGROUND: The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has introduced the "National Patient Safety Implementation Framework" to ensure the patient safety at different levels of healthcare delivery system. However, there is limited effort made in evaluating the implementation status of this framework. Hence, we have performed the process evaluation of National Patient Safety Implementation Framework across the public healthcare facilities in Tamil Nadu. METHODS: This was a facility-level survey conducted by research assistants who visited 18 public health facilities across 6 districts of Tamil Nadu, India, for the purpose of documenting the presence of structural support systems and strategies to promote patient safety. We developed a tool for data collection based on the framework. It comprised a total of 100 indicators under the following domains and subdomains: structural support, systems for reporting, workforce, infection prevention and control, biomedical waste management, sterile supplies, blood safety, injection safety, surgical safety, antimicrobial safety, and COVID-19 safety. RESULTS: Only one facility (subdistrict hospital) belonged to the high-performing category with a score of 79.5 on the implementation of patient safety practices. About 11 facilities (4 medical colleges and 7 Government Hospitals) belonging to medium-performing category. The best-performing medical college had a score of 61.5 for patient safety practices. Six facilities (2 medical colleges, 4 Government Hospitals) belonged to low-performing category in terms of patient safety. The least-performing facilities (both subdistrict hospitals) had scores of 29.5 and 26 for patient safety practices, respectively. Because of COVID-19, there was a positive effect on biomedical waste management and infectious disease safety across all facilities. Most performed poor in the domain with structural systems to support quality and efficiency of healthcare and patient safety. CONCLUSIONS: The study concludes that based on the current situation of patient safety practices in public health facilities, it will be difficult to perform full-fledged implementation of patient safety framework by the year 2025.