ABSTRACT
Introduction: Mid-upper arm circumference (MUAC) measures the arm muscle and fat area. The use of MUAC as a screening measure for assessing undernutrition has the following advantages; it makes use of a simple equipment, is easy to carry at the field sites, and requires minimal training. In India, "mid-upper arm circumference" is widely used and accepted in many nutritional programs. Objectives: This study was conducted with the primary objective to compare different anthropometric parameters of children and to validate the usefulness and limitations of MUAC to screen out undernourished children. Subject and Methods: Anthropometric measurements were recorded for all the anganwadi centers of the selected sub-center that comes under the field practice area of our department. The measurements like weight, height, MUAC were done according to the standard guidelines as per WHO, and further, calculations were done with the help of "Anthro software 3.2.2." Comparisons were done between categorization of MUAC tape and Weight-for-Height Z-scores (WHZ), and hence, the sensitivity and specificity of the MUAC tape to screen the malnourished child were found out. Results: Sensitivity of MUAC to categorize a child in red/yellow was only 9.03%, negative predictive value (NPV) was 40.75%, specificity came 95.10%, and positive predictive value was 73.68% on taking WHZ as the gold standard. Conclusion: MUAC has a limited role in screening out an undernourished child (red/yellow category), whereas it has a good role in screening healthy children (green category).
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: With the wide variation in sexually transmitted infection (STI) services, it is a challenge to devise strategies for ensuring effective service delivery. The objectives of this study were to develop a standard tool for STI services evaluation and use the Delphi method to derive a weighted factor for each parameter of the tool. METHODS: A review of existing guidelines for quality care STI services were conducted, and parameters were selected to form the content of the measurement tool. Delphi technique was used to derive weighted factor for each STI service delivery parameter by using the Likert scale of 0-7. A heterogeneous group of 18 anonymous experts was invited to rate the parameters. All the responses were collected online. Cronbach's alpha level ≥0.8 was selected to define consensus the experts. RESULTS: The STI service evaluation tool (SSET) was created including ten parameters to evaluate the performance of clinic with the help of standard National guidelines. The SSET was standardized by deriving weighted factor for each evaluation parameter. Three rounds of Delphi were required to achieve consistency. Response rates for each Delphi round were 77.78%, 100%, and 78.57%, respectively. Each parameter, such as workforce, materials, consumables, consultation, counseling, coverage, referral, records, information education and communication, and supervision, was assigned weighted factor derived by converting the final score into the total standard score of 100. CONCLUSION: The Delphi method represents a novel approach to develop standardized tools to evaluate the performance of service delivery.
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OBJECTIVE: To develop and validate domains to assess attendee's gain at sexually transmitted infection (STI) clinic and their understanding after utilizing services at STI Clinic. METHODS: Study was done in two phases. In-depth interviews were conducted to explore attendee's perception. Domains generated through the first phase were validated by conducting another 50 structured interviews. RESULTS: Major domains developed were perceptions on STI, the source of information, treatment seeking behavior, understanding of treatment, laboratory test, and follow-up. Friends and counselor played an important role as the source of right information, while elder family female played a role in delayed seeking care. CONCLUSION: Developed domains can be used to assess STI clinic attendee's perspective on STI. Poor understanding of STI care component especially prevention, partner treatment, and referral was noted after the clinic visit.
ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION: In India, girl is raped every 20 min. The majority of reports reveals youth is vulnerable group for rape victimization. A set of prejudicial, stereotyped, or false beliefs about rape, rape victims, and rapist exist in the community. AIMS/OBJECTIVES: To study the attitude and myths toward rape among college going students of Surat City. MATERIALS AND METHODS: College students of various streams were participated in the study based on attitude toward rape scale (21 items) and updated Illinois Rape Myth Acceptance Scale (22 items). A total of 332 participants from three different colleges of the city took part in the survey. Data analysis was done with the SPSS version 19. RESULTS: Among the responders, 61.75% were female. Mean age of participants was 20.22 ± 1.27 years. Almost two-third (73%) of female participants and 42% of the male participants disagreed with the myth that "When a woman says 'no' she really means 'yes'." Around 30% of the participants were uncertain about the myth that "A woman cannot be raped by someone she previously knew or had sex with." While almost 35% of participants believed that "Most rapes are carried out by strangers." Strong sexual desire of guys, drunkenness, and girl's clothes were reported to be factors that provoke rape by 50%, 40%, and 33% of respondents, respectively, around 95% of female and 92% of male participants think that 7-year imprisonment for rape is not enough. CONCLUSIONS: Rape myths are found to be highly prevalent among youth and higher among males.