Determinants of depression in Indian tribal adults: Evidence from the Longitudinal Ageing Study in India Wave-I survey.

BACKGROUND OBJECTIVES: The tribal populations are vulnerable to mental health issues owing to various reasons. However, limited research has been conducted to assess depression and related determinants among tribal adults aged ≥45 yr (45 years and older). The present study aimed to assess the prevalence and sociodemographic and health determinants of depressive symptoms among the scheduled tribe (ST) population aged ≥45 yr in India. METHODS: The present study analyzed the Wave I data of the Longitudinal Ageing Study in India conducted between April 2017 to December 2018. The outcome variables in the present study were self-reported depressive symptoms. Two internationally recognised tools, the Centre for Epidemiologic Studies Depression scale (CES-D) and Composite International Diagnostic Interview-Short Form (CIDI-SF), were used to obtain the data, however, only the CES-D data are utilized in this study. The present study focused on 12,215 ST individuals aged ≥45 yr from whom information about depressive symptoms was collected and analyzed. RESULTS: Nearly 25 per cent ST population aged 45 yr or older experienced depressive symptoms. The likelihood of experiencing depressive symptoms among the ST population aged ≥45 yr was negatively associated with 10 or more years of education and living with children and others and positively associated with experiencing multiple morbidity conditions. INTERPRETATION CONCLUSIONS: Given the substantial burden of depression among the adult ST population, the present study lays emphasis on raising the awareness about depressive symptoms and strengthen the availability of mental health services among the ST community through intensive campaigns and engagement of ST individuals along with other key stakeholders. Higher education, living with spouse and children and a physically active lifestyle can play a crucial role in limiting depressive symptoms among the tribal adults (≥45 yr). It is paramount to regularly screen depressive symptoms and conduct more microlevel studies to evaluate socioeconomic and health determinants of depressive symptoms among ST communities living in different geographic regions.

National guidelines for data quality in surveys: An overview.

Good quality health, nutrition and demographic survey data are vital for evidence-based decision-making. Existing literature indicates system specific, data collection and reporting gaps that affect quality of health, nutrition and demographic survey data, thereby affecting its usability and relevance. To mitigate these, the National Data Quality Forum (NDQF), under the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) - National Institute of Medical Statistics (NIMS) developed the National Guidelines for Data Quality in Surveys delineating assurance mechanisms to generate standard quality data in surveys. The present article highlights the principles from the guidelines for informing survey researchers/organizations in generating good quality survey data. It describes the process of development of the national guidelines, principles for each of the survey phases listed in the document and applicability of them to data user for ensuring data quality. The guidelines may be useful to a broad-spectrum of audience such as data producers from government and non-government organizations, policy makers, research institutions, as well as individual researchers, thereby playing a vital role in improving quality of health, nutrition and demographic data ecosystem.

Predictors of smokeless tobacco use among the adult population of north-east India during 2009-2017: A decomposition analysis.

Background & objectives: Contrary to overall declining trend in smokeless tobacco (SLT) use in India, an increase is observed in north-east (NE) India. This study examined the predictors of daily SLT use by gender and assessed the demographic and socio-economic characteristics that contribute to gender differences in SLT use in NE India. Methods: Data collected from 15,259 and 13,574 adults in the two rounds of Global Tobacco Adult Survey 1 and 2 for NE India during 2009-2010 and 2016-2017 were analyzed. Relative change, multivariable binary logistic regression and Blinder-Oaxaca decomposition analysis were used for analysis. Results: The findings suggest that among women in NE India, the daily SLT use significantly increased by 58 per cent between 2009-2010 to 2016-2017. Women residing in Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram and Tripura were 3.5 and 2.5 times, respectively more likely to be daily SLT users compared to those in Assam. While age, education and wealth were the significant predictors of SLT use in both women and men, increased odds of SLT use were observed with women's type of occupation and the State of residence. The majority of the gender differences in daily SLT use was explained by differences in work status (44%), age (26%), education (14%) and wealth status (9%) between men and women. Interpretation & conclusions: Increasing prevalence of SLT use amongst women in the NE States necessitates integration of gender-specific messages on harmful effects of SLT in the ongoing tobacco control programmes and development of culturally appropriate community-based interventions for cessation of SLT use.

Pattern of socio-economic and health aspects among TB patients and controls.

BACKGROUND: Socio-economic and health-related factors have a significant impact on tuberculosis (TB) incidence among population residing in resource-scare settings. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the pattern of socio-economic and health-related factors among TB patients and control in Delhi, India. METHODS: The present cross-sectional study was performed among 893 TB patients (or cases) and 333 healthy disease-free controls. The data for the present study was obtained from several district TB centres in north, west and south Delhi. The collected data was edited, coded and statistical analysed with the help of SPSS 20.0 version. RESULTS: Illiteracy and primary education were significant risk factors being associated with a TB. Rented housing condition had an odds ratio (OR) of 1.4 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.09-1.89) compared to owned housing condition. 3-5 individuals per room were 3 times more likely to be associated with a case of TB (95% CI: 2.49-4.41). Migrant individuals were 13 times more likely to be associated with a case of TB (95% CI: 8.77-19.78) in comparison to settled population. Daily consumption of non-vegetarian food also significantly contributed to case of TB with an OR of 3.4 (95% CI: 2.51-4.72). Loss of appetite and family TB served as significant health-related factors associated with TB risk. CONCLUSION: Lower educational status, rented household, individuals per room (as a measure of overcrowding) and migratory status served as prominent risk factors for TB disease. Preference and frequency of non-vegetarian food being consumed, night sweating, weight loss, loss of appetite, earlier TB and family TB were principle health-related risk factors associated with TB disease.