Background: The past decade has witnessed a marked increase in elderly population of India. This rapid ageing will substantially increase the number of elderly individuals, who are affected by cognitive impairment. Recent studies suggest the association between malnutrition and cognitive impairment in elderly. This study aims to describe the nutritional status and cognitive impairment in elderly population in a rural area of Thrissur district, Kerala.Methods: A community based cross-sectional study was conducted in 100 elderly residents of Adat Panchayat, Thrissur, from January to April 2016. Data was collected using a pre-tested structured questionnaire, which included socio-demographic variables, self-reported physical morbidities, mini mental state examination (MMSE) scale and mini nutritional assessment (MNA) scale.Results: The prevalence of cognitive impairment and malnutrition in elderly was noted to be 55% and 12% respectively. Factors showing significant association with MMSE score included older age groups, female gender, elderly belonging to BPL families, financial dependence, single/widowed status and sleep difficulties. The association between cognitive impairment and nutritional status was found to be statistically significant with a p value of <0.001. A moderate to strong correlation was observed between MNA score and MMSE score (r=0.623).Conclusions: There is an association between cognitive impairment and nutritional deficit. Therefore it is essential to screen elderly for nutritional status while assessing cognitive impairment.
Background: Lifestyle changes have fuelled the epidemic of obesity, diabetes, hypertension (HTN), dyslipidemia and cardiovascular diseases. Hypertension is a global public health problem Even though it can be controlled by early diagnosis, lifestyle modifications and adequate treatment; many remain unaware of their hypertension, especially in rural areas where not many studies have been done. The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence and risk factors of hypertension among adults in rural Kerala.Methods: A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted from December 2011 to May 2012 in the rural field practice area of Amala Institute of Medical Sciences, Thrissur. 423 adults, aged 25–64 years, were selected by multi-stage sampling. An interview was conducted using a pretested proforma and anthropometric measurements were recorded using standard guidelines. Diagnosis of hypertension was based on Joint National Committee (JNC) VII guidelines that included both new and previously diagnosed cases (on anti-hypertensive treatment) of hypertension (Systolic BP >140mmHg and/or Diastolic BP >90mmHg).Results: Among the 155 males and 268 females in this study, the prevalence of HTN was 43.3%, of which 98 (53.6%) were previously diagnosed hypertensives and 85 (46.4%) new HTN cases. In the multivariate analysis, the significant risk factors of HTN were age {Adjusted Odds Ratio (AOR)=2.03, (95% CI=1.48-2.79), p=0.001}, male sex {AOR=3.65, (95% CI=1.55-8.62) p=0.001}, central obesity or waist-hip ratio {AOR=23.78,(95% CI =4.47-126.42), p=0.001}, sedentary lifestyle {AOR=2.96, (95% CI=1.48-5.90), p=0.001}, high salt intake {AOR=37.37,( 95% CI=18.04-77.45), p=0.001} and current smoking {AOR=3.25, (95% CI =1.15-9.24), p= 0.001}.Conclusions: In this study, the prevalence of hypertension was 43.3%. Pre-hypertension was found among 26.5% of the study population. The risk factors associated with HTN were male gender, increasing age, central obesity, sedentary lifestyle, excess salt intake and current smoking.
INTRODUCTION Globally, diarrhea accounts for 2 million deaths per year. Health is affected by environmental conditions and economic status. The public health importance of some practices like hand washing and food hygiene are important in reduction of diarrhea. Socioeconomic factors may directly or indirectly affect environmental, behavioral and nutritional risk factors. The prevalence of hand washing practice in Kerala was found to be 35%. 1 Low socioeconomic status, scarcity of potable water, behavioural factors such as unhygienic practices, inadequate sanitation, faulty feeding practices, all may cause diarrhoea in children. 2,3 According to WHO 2012 data, diarrhoeal disease alone amounts to an estimated 3.6 % of the total DALY global burden of disease and is responsible for the deaths of 1.5 million people every year. It is estimated that 58% of that burden, or 842 000 deaths per year, is attributable to unsafe water supply, sanitation and hygiene and includes ABSTRACT Background: Diarrhoea remains an important cause of morbidity and mortality among underfive children. Globally it accounts for 2 million deaths per year. Diarrhoea is the third most common cause of death in underfive children, responsible for 13% deaths in India each year. Behaviour can also depend upon the socioeconomic status. Socioeconomic factors affect environmental, behavioral and nutritional risk factors. Proper nutrition, especially exclusive breast feeding is one of the most important interventions for its control .Inadequate personal hygiene along with other environmental factors are responsible for 90% of diarrhea. The objective is to assess behavioral factors of mothers influencing diarrhoea in underfive children. Methods: Community-based cross-sectional study was conducted in a rural area among 103 mothers of underfive children with acute diarrhoea in the past six months. Results: Most mothers were in the higher income 80 (77.6%) group. Those who practised handwashing after toilet and before cooking was 96 (93.2%). Proportion of mothers using boiled water for drinking was 99(96.1%); bottle feeding 77(74.8%); and practised sanitary waste disposal methods 93(90.3%). The practice of using boiled water was statistically significant among higher income group (P =0.047). Occupation of the mother was significantly associated with the habit of child's eatingout (P=0.019). Conclusions: This study shows that the practice of handwashing and use of boiled water for drinking was lower among lower socioeconomic families. This warrants need to create awareness about it among low socioeconomic families in rural areas.
Background: Globally there is a move to reorient the medical education to suit the needs of the developing nations. Medical Council of India has made it is mandatory that all faculty need to attend Basic course in Medical Education Technologies (MET) to improve teaching effectiveness. In spite of their efforts in this regard many of the faculty is still unaware of this initiative and those who have already attended the course are not effectively practicing it. This study aimed at assessing level of awareness and practice of medical education technologies among the teaching faculty.Methods: Data was collected from the faculty by personal interviews using a validated semi-structured questionnaire and analysed using SPSS.Results: 219 faculty members participated in the study working in 26 departments. Mean age of faculty was 40.98 (SD: 12.36). 57.1% of them were males and 42.9% were females. The level of awareness among study participants about learning process related medical education technologies ranged from 57% (for psychomotor domain) to 74% (for setting up of educational objectives). The awareness and practice of ‘teaching process’ and assessment process related medical education technologies remained low. No statistically significant association was obtained between awareness and practice of SLO, Microteaching, and MiniCEX.Conclusions: Majority of teachers remain untrained in the medical education technologies at the time of the study. Of the non-clinical compared to the clinical stream of teachers, greater proportion of teachers in non-clinical section have been trained. The awareness and practice of ‘medical education technologies’ remain low among the study participants.
Background: Mosquitoes are one of the deadliest animals in the world. Their ability to carry and spread disease to humans' cause millions of deaths every year. Knowledge regarding the bionomics of mosquito is utmost important for developing control measures. Dengue is one of the most important and fastest re-emerging arboviral diseases, with 2.5 billion people living in areas of risk. The larval indices are easy to assess and gives the mosquito density.
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