Social Factors Influencing Utilization of Old Age Homes by Elderly in Urban Area of South Chennai, Tamil Nadu.

Background: Currently, most old age homes in India are completely occupied. Nowadays, nuclear families are more than joint families, and due to various factors such as urbanization, the elderly are deprived of essential care at home and are moved from their own homes to old-age homes. With the increasing geriatric population, this study explored the various social factors influencing the elderly to reside in old age homes. Material and Methods: The study was conducted among 330 elderly in old age homes using simple random sampling. The study population included elderly above the age of 60 years and residing in old age homes, who were willing to participate. A pretested structured questionnaire with data on sociodemographic characteristics, family, financial support, and various other social factors was collected. Data were analyzed using SPSS. Results: Among the respondents, 20.6% were supported by children financially and 18.5% had a pension. Almost 70% of the elderly were left unattended by friends and family. Care and support through means of calls, letters, and visits when analyzed showed that 27.3% were provided care and support through children and 33.6% were left unattended. Conclusion: Family members, friends, and relatives should be encouraged to give regular visits and spend time with the elderly so that the bonding will have a positive effect on their mental health. Aging and geriatric health should be considered sensitively and should be made mandatory for schools and colleges to arrange visits to old age homes, thereby keeping the younger generation aware of the issues.

Knowledge, attitude, and health seeking behavior on leprosy among urban adults in Kancheepuram district of Tamil Nadu: A Community-based cross-sectional study.

INTRODUCTION: Although various measures are taken to create awareness about the epidemiological features of leprosy and encourage health-seeking behavior, they have seldom been able to tackle the high incidence of new leprosy cases in India. OBJECTIVE: To determine Leprosy-related knowledge, attitude, and health seeking behavior among the urban population in Kancheepuram district of Tamil Nadu. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This community-based cross-sectional study was conducted among a sample size of 640 people above 18 years of age residing in the study area, selected by multistage random sampling. A structured pretested questionnaire was used for data collection, and the data analysis was done using SPSS version 22. RESULTS: Among the study participants, 54.7% of the participants had adequate knowledge and 23.3% had favorable attitude towards leprosy. With regard to knowledge, 66% of the participants believe that leprosy is a serious disease, and 71.2% of them were aware of transmission of leprosy from person to person. With regard to attitude, 57.7% were afraid of being diagnosed with leprosy, and 57% felt compassion and desire to help those diagnosed with leprosy. With regard to health-seeking behavior, around 83% preferred treatment from government hospitals and allopathic treatment. Male sex, occupation, education, and marital status were found to be having statistically significant association with knowledge, while the latter two were found to be associated with favorable attitude towards leprosy. CONCLUSION: Unfavorable attitude and inadequate knowledge regarding leprosy was found among the study participants. Behavior change communication programs have to be enhanced at community level to improve the knowledge and attitude regarding leprosy among the population.

Dietary Habits and Obesity among Adolescent School Children: A Case Control Study in an Urban Area of Kancheepuram District.

BACKGROUND: Obesity is an important public health problem and is on the rise among adolescents in developed and developing nations. This case-control study was done to assess the dietary risk factors associated with obesity among school children of the adolescent age group. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study was done among age-matched 110 cases and 110 controls who were adolescent children between ages 10 and 17 years. Data were collected using a pretested, structured, interviewer-administered questionnaire and was analyzed using descriptive and analytical statistics. RESULTS: About 52.7% of children belonged to the age group 13-15 years. Adequate fruits intake was reported by 42.7% of obese adolescents and 60% of nonobese adolescents. Adequate intake of vegetables was noted in 20.9% of cases and 24.5% of controls. The risk factors which were found to be statistically associated with adolescent obesity were increased fast food intake, sweets consumption, inadequate fruit intake, and the liberty given by the parents in purchasing snacks. CONCLUSIONS: Since adolescent obesity is rising at an alarming rate, the dietary determinants of obesity need to be addressed at the level of schools, families, and community. School health services should include education on healthy food habits and regular monitoring of the health status of children. Parents need to be aware on the significance of balanced diet, avoidance of junk foods, and ensure adequate intake of fruits and vegetables for their children to prevent early onset of noncommunicable diseases.

Tuberculous meningitis in children: Clinical management & outcome.

Although the occurrence of tuberculous meningitis (TBM) in children is relatively rare, but it is associated with higher rates of mortality and severe morbidity. The peak incidence of TBM occurs in younger children who are less than five years of age, and most children present with late-stage disease. Confirmation of diagnosis is often difficult, and other infectious causes such as bacterial, viral and fungal causes must be ruled out. Bacteriological confirmation of diagnosis is ideal but is often difficult because of its paucibacillary nature as well as decreased sensitivity and specificity of diagnostic tests. Early diagnosis and management of the disease, though difficult, is essential to avoid death or neurologic disability. Hence, a high degree of suspicion and a combined battery of tests including clinical, bacteriological and neuroimaging help in diagnosis of TBM. Children diagnosed with TBM should be managed with antituberculosis therapy (ATT) and steroids. There are studies reporting low concentrations of ATT, especially of rifampicin and ethambutol in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), and very young children are at higher risk of low ATT drug concentrations. Further studies are needed to identify appropriate regimens with adequate dosing of ATT for the management of paediatric TBM to improve treatment outcomes. This review describes the clinical presentation, investigations, management and outcome of TBM in children and also discusses various studies conducted among children with TBM.

Genital tuberculosis in females.

The morbidity and mortality due to tuberculosis (TB) is high worldwide, and the burden of disease among women is significant, especially in developing countries. Mycobacterium tuberculosis bacilli reach the genital tract primarily by haematogenous spread and dissemination from foci outside the genitalia with lungs as the common primary focus. Genital TB in females is a chronic disease with low-grade symptoms. The fallopian tubes are affected in almost all cases of genital TB, and along with endometrial involvement, it causes infertility in patients. Many women present with atypical symptoms which mimic other gynaecological conditions. A combination of investigations is needed to establish the diagnosis of female genital TB (FGTB). Multidrug anti-TB treatment is the mainstay of management and surgery may be required in advanced cases. Conception rates are low among infertile women with genital TB even after multidrug therapy for TB, and the risk of complications such as ectopic pregnancy and miscarriage is high. More research is needed on the changing trends in the prevalence and on the appropriate methods for diagnosis of FGTB.