Indian journal of public health最新文献

Summary: Many caregivers of children admitted for inpatient treatment of Severe Acute Malnutrition at the Nutritional Rehabilitation Centre (NRC), experience mental health issues. Identification of these caregivers using WHO Self-reporting questionnaire 20 score to screen for common mental disorders (CMD) was done. This was carried out in an NRC situated in an urban tertiary children's hospital, revealing a total of 29.1% of the caregivers who screened positive for CMD. Maternal mental health is widely neglected, especially in an NRC setting and underlying mental stressors can be significant contributors to the child's malnourished state and should be addressed.

Background: Anemia is diagnosed based on the hemoglobin (Hb) concentration. Sysmex automated hematology analyzer is accepted as the gold standard technique. The introduction of a digital hemoglobinometer is an important addition of testing device under the Anemia Mukt Bharat program.

Objectives: The objectives of this study were to determine the precision and validity of the digital hemoglobinometers in measuring Hb concentration among nonpregnant women of reproductive age who received intravenous iron sucrose (IVIS) for moderate anemia during pregnancy 6 and 12 months ago.

Materials and methods: Nonpregnant women of the reproductive age group were recruited from the IVIS register available at two primary health centers in rural Haryana. Paired capillary and venous blood samples were collected simultaneously for the estimation of Hb concentration by digital hemoglobinometers and hematology analyzer, respectively.

Results: A total of 150 and 129 participants were included for measuring Hb concentration by HemoCue 201 and HemoCue 301, respectively. Both the digital hemoglobinometers underestimated the Hb concentration compared to the hematology analyzer. The bias (level of agreement) was -0.38 (-1.81-1.04) for HemoCue 201 and -0.15 (-1.19-0.89) for HemoCue 301 compared to hematology analyzer. Lin's concordance coefficient was higher in HemoCue 301 (0.79) than in HemoCue 201 (0.68). Kappa statistics showed strong (0.81) and moderate (0.77) agreement for HemoCue 301 and HemoCue 201, respectively. Both digital hemoglobinometers showed excellent diagnostic precision (AUC of receiver operating characteristic: HemoCue 201: 0.92 [95% confidence interval (CI) 0.86-0.98], and for HemoCue 301: 0.92 [95% CI 0.86-0.97]).

Conclusion: Both the digital hemoglobinometers had acceptable precision and validity. Therefore, either of these two digital hemoglobinometers could be used for the screening of anemia.

Background: The efficacy of antiretroviral therapy diminishes without addressing comorbidities, particularly the heightened incidence and mortality of cervical cancer among women with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV).

Objectives: This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to evaluate different cervical cancer screening methods for women living with HIV, given the scarcity of evidence.

Materials and methods: Systematic searches of electronic databases yielded relevant original research published before August 2019, with additional studies identified through cross-referencing.

Results: In a pooled analysis, visual inspection with Lugol's iodine (VILI) demonstrated superior sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy (0.89, 0.88, and 0.88, respectively) compared to cytology testing (0.67, 0.79, and 0.77). VILI outperformed visual inspection with acetic acid (VIA) by 22% in sensitivity and 11% in specificity. Cytology lagged behind VILI by 22% in sensitivity and 9% in specificity. Human papillomavirus (HPV) DNA testing showed a 3% lower sensitivity and 2% lower specificity than VILI. Sequential VIA and cytology testing exhibited lower sensitivity for cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) 2 + detection than VILI and HPV testing, resulting in more missed cases. HPV testing, in combination with other modalities (VIA, VILI, and cytology), maximized the possibility of CIN2 + detection.

Conclusion: VILI as a standalone test meets criteria for good sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy. The choice of screening modality should consider factors such as cost, geographical location, population type, professional training, and laboratory capacity.

Background: One of the most important factors of Global Health Competence, which is an important and current issue, is self-efficacy. When the literature is examined, it is seen that there are very few scales developed to measure individuals' Global Health Competence Self-Confidence.

Objectives: In this study, the Turkish adaptation of the Global Health Competency Self-confidence Scale (GHCSCS) developed by Stuhlmiller et al. (2018) was carried out.

Materials and methods: The study group of the research comprised 438 people. The study group was selected using the appropriate sampling method. Turkish to English and English to Turkish translation, back translation was done.

Results: The data set was suitable for factor analysis since the Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin coefficient was close to 1 and the Bartlett sphericity test significance level was <0.05. To the construct validity of the scale, confirmatory factor analysis was performed. The Chi-square fit indices of the scale were found to be significant (χ2/standard deviation = 2.460). Other fit indices were found to be Root Mean Square Error of Approximation = 0.058 CFI = 0.922, adjusted goodness-of-fit index = 0.877, and goodness-of-fit index = 0.903. The Cronbach alpha value of the total internal consistency coefficient used to specify the reliability of the GHCSCS was found to be 0.94. It was detected that the Turkish version of the scale comprised 22 items and 4 subdimensions.

Conclusion: With all these obtained findings, it can be said that the Turkish Form of the GHCSCS is a reliable and valid measurement tool with acceptable values.

Background: India tops the list with 46.6 million stunted children, as per the National Global Report 2021. Many studies focus on the correlation of stunting in India but the contextual influences on stunting were less explored, particularly in Northeast India.

Objectives: The current study aimed to determine the prevalence of stunting and the contributing factors of stunting among under-five children in the East Khasi Hills (EKH), District of Meghalaya.

Materials and methods: An explanatory sequential mixed method design was adopted. A cross-sectional study (n = 1200) covering anthropometric data, rates of feeding practices, delivery status, and previous illness among under-five children. These findings were triangulated through the qualitative focused group discussions (FGDs) (n = 12), which were conducted with mothers from the communities to provide deeper insights into the contributing factors of stunting and understanding the region's knowledge, attitude, and practices toward attaining good nutrition for under-five children. The survey was analyzed descriptively, while the FGDs were analyzed thematically.

Results: The prevalence of stunting in the rural areas was 59.17%, while in the urban areas was 28.83%. This study critically identified many gaps like the deficiency in nutrition intake, insufficient illness management, and inadequate implementation of Infant and Young Child Feeding (IYCF) practices programs due to geographical constraints and a lack of motivation to avail of Anganwadi Center (AWC) services.

Conclusion: There is a need to incorporate sociocultural relevant strategies for the IYCF program, such as the inclusion of culturally acceptable nutrient-rich food in complementary food and encouraging mothers to support new mothers.

Background: There is an increase in the use of visual digital devices among young adults more so during the COVID-19 pandemic. Very little research is available in the literature regarding its effect on the Indian population, especially in students pursuing medical courses.

Objectives: The objective of the study was to study the occurrence of digital eye strain (DES) among medical and nursing students and the contributing risk factors.

Materials and methods: An observational, cross-sectional questionnaire-based study was conducted on medical and nursing students who were using visual display terminals such as computers, mobiles, and tablets on a daily basis. They were assessed by a semi-structured questionnaire and symptomology by the computer vision syndrome questionnaire. Univariate and multivariate regression analysis was conducted for the assessment of risk factors.

Results: The overall prevalence of DES was found to be 70.4% (medical students 74.3% and nursing students 57.6%) with 96.5% of the students having at least one symptom of DES. The most common symptom was headache of moderate intensity (74.8%) followed by eye pain (66.4%), dryness (62.4%), redness of eyes (60%), and burning sensation (58.8%). Multivariate analysis revealed the course of study, use of glasses, years of device usage, interval of breaks between usage, distance from the screen, brightness of the screen, and ignorance of the 20/20/20 rule to be independent risk factors for DES.

Conclusion: DES is common among students pursuing medical sciences. Awareness programs regarding proper use of digital devices and ergonomic practices are recommended.

Background: The major modifiable risk factors for noncommunicable diseases are physical inactivity, food habits, alcohol, and smoking. The risk factors typically emerge during adolescence and extend to the later years of life. Even though several structural and proximal elements decide these health-related behaviors (HRBs), the thoughts and feelings attributed to the behavior mediate the interaction between the external environment and behaviors and are amenable to change.

Objectives: The current study aimed to assess whether the school-based intervention improved health cognition such as knowledge, self-efficacy, intention, and locus of control of HRBs of adolescents.

Materials and methods: We used a quasi-experimental research design. One hundred and ninety-six students from four schools in an urban district were recruited into the intervention group (n = 112) and waitlist group (n = 84). The researchers developed questionnaires to assess knowledge, self-efficacy, and intention and used the Multidimensional Health Locus of Control Scale to evaluate the participants' locus of control. Outcomes were assessed at baseline, 1 month, and 3 months after the intervention.

Results: Out of 196, 181 students completed the study. The intervention group had 106 students and waitlisted group had 76 students. Even though both groups showed improvement, Kendall's W analysis showed that the intervention group had a higher quantum of changes in the health cognitions than the waitlisted group over time.

Conclusion: School-based intervention effectively changed the adolescents' health cognition.