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Background: Cervical cancer is one of the most common gynaecologic neoplasms. PAP smear and colposcopy are used for its early detection. This study aims to find the correlation of colposcopic evaluation with Pap smear in cervical cancer screening and with histology.Methods: All women attending the OPD with unhealthy cervix and abnormal symptoms, who gave written informed consent were included in the study. Pap smear cytological grading, colposcopic findings were recorded. Pap smear and colposcopy findings was compared with histopathology.Results: The study included 73 patients. Pap smear was negative in more than half of the patients (56.2%), followed by atypical squamous cells of undetermined significance in 12 (16.4%), low-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion in 17 (23.3%), high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion in 2 (2.7%) and squamous cell carcinoma in 1 patient (1.4%). The histopathology showed normal findings in 46 patients (63%), followed by CIN 1 in 11 (15.1%), CIN 2 in 6 patients (8.2%), CIN 3 and squamous cell carcinoma in 5 patients each (6.8%). Pap smear’s predictability of cervical malignancy showed that it had a sensitivity of 48.15, it’s specificity for identifying patients without cervical malignancy was 84.78%. Colposcopy’s predictability of cervical malignancy showed that it had a sensitivity of 88.89%, it’s specificity for identifying patients without cervical malignancy was 95.65%.Conclusions: Colposcopy does seem to be better than Pap smear in diagnosing cervical carcinoma and also identifying patients without it.
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Fusarium oxysporum (Schletend: Fr) f. sp. ciceri (Padwick), referred to as Foc, is a soil-borne fungus that poses a constant threat to chickpeas (Cicer arietinum L.) by causing wilt disease. Typical wilt symptoms were observed in chickpea plants collected from 24 different locations across three southern Indian states. The process involved isolating Fusarium species from the roots of these wilted plants, resulting in the identification of various strains exhibiting diverse cultural and morphological characteristics on potato dextrose agar medium. All twenty four isolates were subjected to Koch's postulates using the standard method, which yielded varied responses in terms of disease incidence. After analyzing cultural, morphological, molecular traits, and conducting pathogenicity tests, the fungus was definitively identified as F. oxysporum Schlechtend. Fr. f. sp. ciceri (Padwick) Matuo and K. Sato. Among the 24 isolates tested on the chickpea wilt susceptible cultivar JG-62, one was non-pathogenic with zero percent disease incidence (PDI), while one isolate was highly pathogenic showed 100 percent PDI. Highly pathogenic four isolate was further used for molecular identification with secreted in xylem primers (SIX). Comparative studies of cultural traits and conidial morphology among different isolates revealed variations in growth patterns, pigmentation, sporulation, and the size and structure of macro and micro conidia, as well as chlamydospores.
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Introduction: Millions around the globe were directly or indirectly affected by COVID-19 pandemic. The COVID-19 epidemic has harmed the lives of children with special needs in many ways, whether directly or in-directly. Few studies have evaluated the Impact of covid-19 lockdown among children with disability. Howev-er, the Impact of COVID on parents dealing with special children was scarcely studied in detail. Investigating parental stress, worries, and morbidity during the lockdown is particularly important for assisting these par-ents during further outbreaks. The aim is to assess the Impact of covid-19 lockdown among parents handling disabled children, parenting stress, their concerns, and morbidity during the COVID-19 lockdown.Materials And Method: The study was done among the parents of disabled children attending special schools in Chennai, using a cross-sectional study design. Parents with any recent trauma, mental disorders, or major diseases and undergoing treatment for themselves were excluded. After obtaining ethics approval, a semi-structured questionnaire was used to assess the Impact of the covid-19 lockdown. Collected data were ana-lyzed using SPSS v.21.Results: The study includes 305 parents, predominantly mothers (58%) and the mean age was 38.9+8.2 years. We observed that the COVID-19 lockdown impacted 149 parents (48.9%). The significant predictors for the Impact of COVID-19 lockdown were being a single parent [AOR-2.91(95%CI- 1.05-8.08)] and having a part-time job [AOR-0.36(95%CI- 0.14-0.93)]. Conclusion: The COVID-19 outbreak and lockdown significantly impacted the parents of disabled children. It is high time we give importance to these parents of children with special needs during this pandemic to help them during similar occasions in the future.
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Background: Ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) is one of the major hospital-acquired infections and the emergence of bacterial resistance is common among patients in the intensive care units (ICUs). The aim of the study is to identify the common bacterial pathogen isolated from an endotracheal (ET) aspirate and its antibiotic susceptibility pattern. Materials and methods: A prospective analytical study was carried out in a tertiary care hospital for a period of 1 year. All ET aspirate sample sent to the microbiology laboratory was processed and identified by standard biochemical tests and antibiotic sensitivity was by disk diffusion method as per Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI) guidelines. Results: Of the total 217 samples studied, 85 (39.17.1%) were culture sterile and 132 (60.82%) showed culture positive. Among 132 isolates, the predominant organism was Acinetobacter baumannii (36.36%) followed by Klebsiella pneumoniae (24.24%) and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (20.45%). We have reported a higher percentage of resistance among the isolated gram-negative bacilli to carbapenems, aminoglycosides, and third-generation cephalosporins, with increased sensitivity to piperacillin-tazobactam and cefoperazone-sulbactam. Conclusion: In our study, A. baumannii was the predominantly isolated gram-negative bacilli followed by K. pneumoniae and P. aeruginosa. One of the rising concerns to hospital-acquired respiratory pathogens is the surge of multidrug resistance patterns. Hence, strict adherence to antibiotic policy and appropriate use according to the guidelines will save the use of drugs in the future in life-threatening conditions.
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Background: Stress is a non?specific response of the body to any demand. Professional education has a certain level of stress inherent in it. Dental students have been reported in the literature to experience more stress than medical students. Objective: To evaluate the stress levels of dental students: first?year undergraduates, house surgeons, and final?year postgraduates, using salivary cortisol as a stress biomarker. Materials and Methods: Dental students above 18 years of age and without any systemic illness were included in the study. Those students with a drug history of corticosteroids, anti?depressants, and oral contraceptives were excluded from the study. Female participants experiencing pre?menstrual symptoms, pregnancy, and familial stressor issues were excluded from the study. First?year undergraduates, house surgeons, and final?year postgraduates were enrolled in the study. Unstimulated whole saliva was collected in the morning and evening between 9:00 and 10:00 am and between 3:00 and 4:00 pm. Salivary cortisol levels were assessed by chemiluminescence immuno?assay (CLIA). Results: Paired sample t?test was used to compare the diurnal variation among morning and afternoon samples within the groups. The salivary cortisol levels were found to be significant within the groups. One?way ANOVA was used to compare the salivary cortisol levels between the groups. The salivary cortisol levels within the groups were not statistically significant. Conclusion: Salivary cortisol is a non?invasive biomarker of stress. Postgraduates had higher salivary cortisol levels than other study groups.
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Background: Pandemic has affected people physically, mentally and economically. India being a growing economic power house, spends only around 1.2% of GDP on health which thereby leads to high OOP spending. This study aims to estimate out of pocket health expenditure and proportion of financial risk protection. Methods: Cross sectional study conducted among Covid-19 affected individuals in Chennai. It was a questionnaire-based study with questions about covid-19 management status, cost and insurance utili-zation. Descriptive statistics and regression analysis was used for analysis. Results: Total of 47 were treated at hospital and 85% of them were treated at private hospital. The mean cost investigations for patients treated at hospital was of Rs. 50000+11547 and for medicines was Rs. 110000+57735. 53% of study participants had health insurance. 29 (54.72%) of them had Covid-19 treatment cost covered under insurance. The multiple regression analysis showed a statistically signifi-cant association between total OOPE incurred and age, religion and socio-economic status. Conclusion: Majority of participants spent for their treatment through savings and borrowing money. OOPE was compensated by reimbursement through health insurance. Provision of quality health care in government hospitals, increase public health spending and creating awareness about health insurance are ways to reduce OOP costs.
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Background: Ageing is an irreversible, unavoidable, universal phenomenon accompanied by gradual reduction in functional capacity of the elderly. The number of elderly populations in India is expected to triple reaching 2 billion. This study aims to estimate the prevalence of cognitive impairment and evalu- ate the association between various socio demographic and behavioural risk factors. Methodology: This descriptive cross-sectional study was carried among 330 senior citizens living in old age homes by using a two-stage multistage sampling method. A standardized pretested structured ques- tionnaire containing Brief Interview for Mental Status (BIMS) scale was used. Data was analysed using SPSS (Version 22). Results: Among 330 study respondents, around 44% had mild -to- moderate cognitive impairment and 36% had severe cognitive impairment. Nearly 74.8% have their habit of regular physical activity. Among the study subjects approximately 4% of them were current smokers, 5.2% had the habit of regular alco- hol consumption previously. Conclusion: Integration of NPHCE and NMHP can be beneficial in early diagnosis of mild cognitive im- pairment during weekly outpatient visits at PHC. Level of attention given towards Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is more when compared to screening for cognitive impairment which is an early precursor for AD.
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Background: Acute diarrheal diseases remain a leading cause of global morbidity and mortality in young children. The effective implementation of provision of zinc in addition to low osmolarity ORS remains very poor.Methods: A prospective observational study was done to determine compliance with zinc therapy on 103 children aged between two months to five years with acute gastroenteritis. They were started on WHO ORS and zinc in the form of syrup (20 mg/day in those >6 months of age and 10mg/day in those <6 months of age) and advised to continue for 14 days. Further episodes of diarrhea was considered as the primary outcome variable. Number of days zinc taken was considered as the primary explanatory variable. p-value <0.05 was considered statistically significant.Results: The mean age was 19.49'14.41 months. The compliance to complete 14-day zinc therapy was 62.14%.' The mean number of days zinc was taken was 11.28'3.81 days. In 11.65% of participants, there was further episodes of diarrhea. The main reasons for discontinuation were diarrhea stopped (45%), Ignorance (37.5%), URI (12.5%).Conclusions: Findings indicate that the syrup formulation is acceptable, but further efforts are required to enhance adherence. These findings also highlight the importance of guiding in ensuring adherence to zinc duration while also addressing the tendency of caregivers to terminate treatment once a child appears to have recovered from an acute diarrheal episode.
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Background: Typhoid fever is a serious public-health problem in many developing countries including India. There is a wide spectrum of clinical presentation and with the emergence of multidrug resistant typhoid now a days, the treatment has become still more complex. The present study authors describe the clinical profile and antibiotic sensitivity pattern of typhoid fever in children from a tertiary care in Mahabubnagar, Telangana, South India.Methods: This hospital based prospective observational study was done in Department of Pediatrics, SVS Medical College, Mahabubnagar, Telangana over a period of 3-year period from January 2017 to December 2019. The study was approved by institutional ethics committee. Written informed consent was obtained from children's parents. All pediatric patients diagnosed as typhoid fever if presented with fever (temperature >38'C) for at least 3 days with positive blood culture for S. typhi or paratyphi were included in the study. The demographic profile and clinical data were recorded and tests including antibiotic sensitivity and resistance were done.Results: A total of 136 patients were included in the study. Majority of the children were between 8 to 12-year age group (38.2%). Out of 136 children, 78 were males and 58 were females. Majority of the cases were from rural areas accounting for 69%. Drinking water source was tap water in 63% cases and bore well water in 37% cases. Majority (65%) belonged to lower socioeconomic class and 68% were during rainy seasons. The clinical findings observed were fever (100%), vomiting (98, 72%), diarrhea (55.8%), headache (45.5%), and splenomegaly (42.6%). Other clinical features found were coated tongue, abdominal pain, hepatomegaly, constipation, and dehydration. Six children had complications, 3 had enteric hepatitis, 2 had shock, and 1 had encephalopathy. Ampicillin, amoxicillin and chloramphenicol resistance was observed in 76%, 71% and 22% of patients with typhoid fever respectively. Maximum sensitivity was observed with ceftriaxone (95%), followed by aztreonam (92%), ciprofloxacin (84.5%), and azithromycin (77%).Conclusions: Clinical presentation in the study subjects was similar to available reports from literature. Increasing resistance of salmonella to Ampicillin and amoxicillin were observed.
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Background: Dengue fever has become one of the major public health problems in all developing countries. It is essential to create awareness among people as it can be prevented by simple practices. The study was conducted to find the awareness among the people thus determining the need to educate the people regarding the preventive measures of dengue fever.Methods: This was a cross-sectional community-based study conducted among the outpatients and their attenders visiting a Rural Health Training Center of private Medical College and Hospital, belonging to Alandur block in Kancheepuram district, Tamil Nadu during January 2019 to March 2019. 260 subjects within the age group of 18 to 82 years were selected by convenient sampling method. The data was collected by interviewing and by using questionnaires. Analysis of the structured data was done using SPSS software version 16.Results: The study included 260 respondents who gave their consent for the study. 60.8% of the study group were males. Mean age of the study group was 35.36 years. 58.1% of the individuals were educated more that 10th standard. Knowledge about the mode of transmission was correctly stated by 85.8%. Around 15% were not aware of breeding places of mosquitoes.Conclusions: From this study it was evident that there is a definite gap in understanding the various aspects of dengue fever. Thus, we conclude that regular awareness programs should be conducted in the form of campaigns and house visits to create awareness among all individuals.
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Background: Anaemia, which is defined as a low oxygen carrying capacity of blood, is a major public health problem. It is a condition in which there is a decrease in the total number of red blood cells in the blood, either due to decreased production or increased destruction or both. Anaemia, one of the most prevailing nutritional disorders, has a worldwide prevalence of approximately 52%. The burden of anaemia is high especially among females of reproductive age group where India ranks the top. The study is aimed to establish the prevalence of anaemia among female patients of reproductive age group (15-49 years).Methods: A cross sectional study was conducted among 254 females of reproductive age group, attending Anakaputhur, an urban field practice area of Sree Balaji Medical College. Convenient sampling method was used. Data was collected by discussion using a pretested semi-structured questionnare and haemoglobin estimation was done by venous sampling method.Results: The mean age of the study participants were 34.6±12.4 years with 9.05% uneducated and 8.6% graduate females. 26% gave history of symptoms of anaemia and prevalence of anaemia was reported to be 42.12% with 24.4%, 12.2% and 5.5% of mild, moderate and severe anaemia, respectively.Conclusions: Prevention and its treatment in women is much essential at this point, hence programmes and policies should be implemented based on the needs of the community, and health education should be imparted with respect to measures that can prevent and help in early diagnosis of anaemia.
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Background: To find out the incidence of meningitis in neonatal sepsis and antibiotic sensitivity pattern in term neonates.Methods: This prospective observational cohort study was done in a tertiary care hospital located in rural South India for a period of 2 years. Blood culture and lumbar puncture were performed for all term babies with clinically suspected sepsis. Growth, if detected was followed by antibiotic sensitivity testing.Results: Of a total of 50 neonates investigated with blood culture, 32(64%) were found to be culture positive for neonatal septicemia, 16 were diagnosed to have meningitis. Meningitis was present in 4(25%) early onset sepsis cases and in 12(75%) late onset sepsis cases (p-value: 0.008). Blood culture showed growth in all of the 16 cases of meningitis, but Cerebro Spinal Fluid (CSF) culture was positive in 5 cases. The most common presenting features are lethargy, seizures, decreased acceptance of feeds, instability of temperature regulation, vomiting, respiratory distress, and apnea. The most common organism in blood culture was Coagulase Negative Staphylococcus (CONS) (20%) followed by Klebsiella spp. (16%). CONS was most sensitive to Linezolid (100%), Vancomycin (90%). Of the 8 cases of Klebsiella, 62.5% cases were sensitive to Colistin and Tigecycline, 50% to Cotrimoxazole. CSF culture was positive in 5(31.25%) cases. CONS and Enterococci spp. were the most common organisms isolated in CSF.Conclusions: Clinical manifestations of meningitis overlap with those of sepsis and are nonspecific. Significant number of neonates with sepsis have meningitis. Hence, it is necessary to rule out meningitis in neonates presented with clinical features of sepsis. CONS was the most common agent isolated in both blood and CSF culture. Routine bacterial surveillance and study of their resistance patterns must be an essential component of neonatal care which helps in implementation of a rational empirical treatment strategy.
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Background: Oral health is fundamental to general health and well-being. To organize community oriented oral health promotion programs, systematic analysis of oral health is mandatory which includes information on oral health knowledge, attitude and practice (KAP). The study was done with the aim to assess the KAP on oral hygiene among primary school children in an urban area of Kancheepuram district, Tamil Nadu.Methods: A sample of 250 primary school children in the age group of 8-10 at Anakaputhur, an urban field practice area of Sree Balaji Medical College and Hospital, Kancheepuram district was chosen by multi-stage sampling technique.Data on oral hygiene was collected by using a pre-tested semi-structured questionnaire by personal interview method. The data obtained was subjected to statistical analysis using SPSS version 22.Results: Among the study participants, 65.6% of children had good knowledge on oral hygiene with only 33.6% of children with positive attitude and 10.8% of children had good practice of oral hygiene. Around 96 % of the children knew that they should brush their teeth twice daily, 92% of the children knew that having sweets/fizzy drinks causes oral health problems and 96% of the children think that maintaining healthy teeth is an individual responsibility.Conclusions: Health education services at school regarding oral hygiene practices targeting the children, teachers and the parents have to be conducted at regular intervals to empower them on the benefits of the same.
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Background: The use of mobile phones especially smart phones have become an integral part of everyone’s life leading to addiction. Most of the studies conducted earlier were focused on youngsters. Hence this study was conducted to find out the prevalence of smart phone addiction in the study area.Methods: Community based cross sectional study carried out in Anakaputhur, Tamil Nadu from November 2018 to January 2019. Sample size of 400 was calculated using the formula 4PQ/L2. The respondents were selected by systematic random sampling. Subjects 18 years and above who are using mobile phones were included in the study. Data was analyzed using SPSS 16 version and presented using descriptive and analytical statistics.Results: Out of 405 participants 191 participants were non smart phone users and 214 were smart phone users. Overall prevalence of smart phone addiction was 27.6%. Male respondents were more addicted than the female (OR-1.94, 95%CI: 1.12-3.77, p=0.01). There was a statistically significant association between subjects <45 years of age and smart phone addiction (OR-2.33, 95% CI: 1.31-4.13, p=0.003) compared to older age group. Likewise respondents who were class III (modified BG Prasad Scale) and above were more addicted compared to subjects below class III (OR-2.29, 95% CI: 1.32-3.98, p=0.002).Conclusions: The prevalence of smart phone addiction is high that has to be addressed seriously. This can be tackled by better life style modification, awareness creation and attitudinal changes
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Background: Tuberculosis remains a major global health problem with 10.4 million incident cases in 2016. Although Mycobacterium tuberculosis is the causative agent, many environmental factors play a role in disease progression. Several respiratory hazards including smoking and indoor air pollution were suggested to increase the risk of tuberculosis, but only fewer studies has been conducted on the association between ambient air pollution and tuberculosis.Methods: Data on ambient air quality levels (annual mean concentration of particulate matter 2.5 µg/m3) for the year 2016 was collected from the World Health Organization (WHO) data base for 190 countries which comprises of 6 WHO regions. Similarly data on incidence and mortality rate of tuberculosis for the year 2016 was collected for the above countries from the WHO data base. The data were tabulated and statistical analysis was performed using Pearson’s correlation coefficient model to examine the association of annul mean concentration of particulate matter 2.5 with incidence and mortality rates of tuberculosis.Results: Incidence and mortality rates of tuberculosis were found to be increasing with increasing levels of air pollution. It was correlated using scatter plot. Pearson’s correlation coefficient for air pollution level and incidence of tuberculosis was 0.331 (95% CI: 0.435-0.883), (p<0.001), and for tuberculosis mortality was 0.39 (95% CI: 0.525-0.906) (p<0.001).Conclusions: The study suggests there is a significant positive relationship between ambient air pollution level and tuberculosis incidence and mortality rates.
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Background: Tobacco is the leading global cause of preventable death which kills millions of people and causes huge economic damage every year. Smoking form of tobacco is a major modifiable risk factor for number of chronic non-communicable diseases. In spite of various statutory warnings, smoking still remains a major Public health problem especially in young males. In order to reduce the magnitude and for effective control, the risk factors and distribution should be well known. This study was planned with the objective of assessing the prevalence and determinants of smoking among rural young males of Kancheepuram district, Tamil Nadu, India.Methods: This community based cross sectional study was carried out between March and May 2018 among rural young males aged between 18 to 29 years. Sample size of 431 was calculated by using 4PQ/L2 and the respondents were selected from sampled households using systematic random sampling. Data were collected using a pre-tested, structured questionnaire, which were analyzed using SPSS version 16.0 and presented using descriptive and analytical statistics.Results: Among 422 participants interviewed, the prevalence of smoking was 23%. Factors found to be protective against smoking were employment status and sedentary type of jobs. Factors found to be significantly associated with smoking were individuals with smoking friends and family members, habit of alcoholism, employment and low education status.Conclusions: Since smoking is a preventable cause of morbidity and mortality, efforts should be made to control its use by intensive health education, implementing counsellingfacilities and rigorous enforcement of anti-tobacco legislation
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Background: Amniotic fluid is an indicator of placental function on the fetal development. It is regulated by several systems, including transmembraneous pathway, fetal production (fetal urine and lung fluid) and uptake (fetal swallowing), and the balance of fluid movement via osmotic gradients. The amniotic fluid index is the most commonly used method of measuring amniotic fluid. An AFI between 5 to 8 cms is borderline oligohydraminos. To compare the fetal and maternal outcome in pregnancies with borderline amniotic fluid index (5 to 8 cms) and normal AFI.Methods: This prospective cohort study was carried out on 94 pregnant patients attending the antenatal clinic of MES Medical College, Perinthalmanna between January 1st and December 31st 2016. Women with a singleton pregnancy in the third trimester were enrolled into the study. Of these 47 cases were in the normal AFI group and 47 cases in the borderline group. Adequate information was obtained from the patient’s medical record and the groups were compared on maternal and fetal complications.Results: The study results showed that more cases with borderline AFI had their non stress test to be nonreactive (59.6% versus 23.4%) and was associated with more fetal heart rate abnormalities (51% versus 17%). The number of meconium stained amniotic fluid (48.9% versus 19.1%) and caesarean deliveries (51.1% versus 21.2%) were also more among the borderline group.Conclusions: Findings indicated that there are more adverse fetal and maternal outcome among the borderline AFI group.
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Problem: Areca nut (AN) chewing is common among Southeast Asian population. Use of AN products (with or without tobacco) have a multifaceted effect on physical health, especially on cardiovascular, nervous, gastrointestinal, metabolic, respiratory, and reproductive systems. AN is a known group 1 carcinogen and carries addictive potential. Varying degrees of AN-related substance use disorder (SUD) have been reported among AN chewers. There is a lacuna in awareness of the health risk of AN use, prevention, and cessation programs among AN users, particularly in those who have developed SUD. Existing Lacunae: The dynamic interaction of factors that promote AN use and later the risk of developing SUD at individual and community level has not been studied in depth. Understanding of the bio-psycho-socio-economic-cultural factors is necessary to identify the factors that prelude, promote, and reinforce AN usage. For managing AN-related conditions, including the several systemic disorders, there is a knowledge lacunae, among health care providers with respect to the pathophysiology of AN-related health issues, SUD, and nonavailability of structured, evidence-based cessation protocols. Solutions/Recommendations: This manuscript presents a model-map to study the dynamics of AN use and the impact of AN on health and health care system at individual as well as community level. The model proposed can help the health policymakers to create evidence-based awareness and cessation protocols for AN.
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Background: Menstruation is a normal biological function in females and in the society, the practices followed are highly variable across different regions. This study aimed to determine the practices followed during menstruation by rural women in Kancheepuram district, Tamil Nadu, India.Methods: This community based cross sectional study was carried out between August and October 2018. Sample size of 400 was calculated by using formula 4pq/d2 and female respondents were selected from sampled households using systematic random sampling. Data were collected using a pre-tested, structured questionnaire, which were analysed using SPSS version 16.0 and presented using descriptive and analytical statistics.Results: A total of 395 women were included in the study. About 54% of females belonged to the age group of 26-35 years and 82.5% were married. Use of sanitary pads during menstruation was reported by 28.6% of the females. Other absorbents used were disposable cloths (46.3%) and reusable cloths (25.1%). About 79% of females practiced some form of restriction during menstruation. Females aged <35 years (OR: 2.55, 95% CI: 1.48-4.39) were more likely to use sanitary pad compared to older females. Females who used sanitary pad as absorbent were less likely to have symptoms of reproductive tract infections compared to those who didn’t (OR: 0.51, 95% CI: 0.28-0.94).Conclusions: Menstrual hygiene practices were found be unsatisfactory among the rural women and various restrictions during menstruation were also in practice. Women should be educated about the importance of use of sanitary pads and the harms of using cloths. Awareness also needs to be created to abolish the unnecessary restrictions that are imposed on women to be followed during menstruation.
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Background: The goal of teaching Community Medicine in undergraduate medical curriculum is to ensure that medical graduates acquire competencies needed to solve common health problems of the community. This study aims to determine the perceptions of medical students in learning Community Medicine as part of their MBBS curriculum and to assess their preference of the subject for post-graduate studies.Methods: This study was conducted among third year MBBS students of a private Medical College. Universal sampling method was adopted and data was collected using a pre-tested, self-administered questionnaire. A three-point Likert scale was used to assess the perceptions of the medical students in learning Community Medicine. Data analysis was done using SPSS version 16.0.Results: Out of 183 students, 166 students participated in the study of which 42.8% were males and 57.2% were females. Nearly 89% of students agreed that learning community medicine during MBBS is very essential. About 83.7% felt more field visits or practical assignments need to be added to the curriculum to enhance students’ interest in the subject. Community medicine was preferred for post-graduation by only 12% of students. Interest in clinical specialties, limited career growth and less social recognition was the main reasons quoted by the students for not choosing the specialty for post-graduation.Conclusions: Learning Community Medicine is essential to produce community oriented primary health care physicians. Community Medicine as a future career option was found to be limited among the medical students. More exposure is needed on the wide career opportunities available after post-graduation. Community Medicine learning should be made more interesting, highlighting its importance in public health, primary health care & family medicine services.