Objectives:To study the knowledge and practices related to newborn care in urban slums of Lucknow city, UP, and to identify critical behaviors, practices, and barriers that influence the survival of newborns.Materials and Methods:A cross-sectional study in urban slums of Lucknow city, UP, included 524 women who had a live birth during last 1 year preceding data collection. Data were analyzed using statistical software SPSS 10.0 for windows.Results:Study findings showed that about half of the deliveries took place at home. Majority (77.1%) of the mothers believed that baby should be bathed with warm water and dried with clean cloth and 79.7% mothers practiced it. Only 36.6% mothers initiated breast-feeding within 1 h of birth and 30.2% initiated after 1 day. The mothers who have not given colostrum to their baby, in majority the reason was customs.Conclusion:In majority of cases, correct knowledge and correct practices regarding newborn care were lacking among mothers and this should be promoted through improved coverage with existing health services.

Context:Amidst the uncertainty in childhood blood pressure (BP) thresholds, besides the ambiguity in levels and duration of BP elevation causing organ damage, hypertension is present in substantial number of asymptomatic children and adolescents with only a few studies disclosing the setup. With projection of deaths due to noncommunicable diseases in 2030 rising to 52 million, it is necessary to know about the knowledge of present adolescents about BP and its modifiable risk factors.Aims:(1) To assess the prevalence of elevated BP among adolescents and to ascertain the associated risk factors. (2) To assess adolescent's knowledge about BP and its modifiable factors.Settings and Design:A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted on school going adolescents of Lucknow, from September 2014 to August 2015.Subjects and Methods:BP, height, and weight were measured following standard protocols, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention charts for finding respective cut-off values and oral questionnaire for assessing lifestyle risk factors were used.Statistical Analysis:Chi-square, unpaired t-test, and logistic regression were used.Results:Of the 1041 participants, elevated BP (BP percentile ≥90) was prevalent in 24.2%. On regression, factors such as obesity (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] = 5.8, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 3.6–9.4), low fruit diet (aOR = 3.3, 95% CI = 2.1–5.4), and frequent junk food consumption (aOR = 1.9, 95% CI = 1.3–2.8) raised the odds of elevated BP while it was lowered by being physically active (aOR = 0.67, 95% CI = 0.46–0.97). Of 86.3% of children (n = 898) who were fathomed of BP, only less than third (33% and 21.9%) acquainted of BP raising and lowering practices, respectively.Conclusions:Prevalence of high BP is colossal with only a few children knowing its amendable nature. Strenuous efforts targeting detrimental behaviors and imparting the sense of healthy lifestyle enhancing practices are vital to control this epidemic.

Context: Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are the number one cause of death globally, with low- and middle-income countries being affected disproportionately. By 2020, it is projected that there will be 25 million deaths from CVD worldwide, 19 million of which would be from middle- and low-income countries. Aims: The aim of this study was to estimate the 10-year risk of cardiovascular events among adults aged ≥40 years in a rural population of Lucknow district using the World Health Organization (WHO)/International Society of Hypertension (ISH) risk prediction charts for SEAR-D region. Settings and Design: This was a community based cross-sectional study, conducted from September 2017 to August 2018, in the rural areas of Lucknow district. Methods and Material: This study was conducted on 397 subjects aged ≥40 years. The two sets of the WHO/ISH risk prediction charts, with and without cholesterol, for WHO SEAR-D region were used in the study. Statistical analysis used: SPSS, version 23 was used for data analysis. Results: Using the risk assessment tools, with and without cholesterol, 78.5 and 76.8%, respectively, of the study population were in the 10-year cardiovascular risk category of <10% risk, while 11.2 and 10.4%, respectively, were in the category of ≥20% risk. Risk categories were found to be concordant in 86.3% of the population. Conclusions: The WHO/ISH risk prediction charts can be used at low-cost resource setting as a tool to predict CVD risk among asymptomatic individuals, thus, helping in early detection and prevention of CVDs in resource-scarce settings.

Introduction:Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and Reproductive tract infections RTIs are important public health problems in India. The prevalence of these infections is considerably higher among high risk groups (HRGs) ranging from 20-30%. It is high time that a study should be conducted to explore different factors and conditions responsible for the practice of unsafe sex among female sex workers (FSWs) in Uttar Pradesh (UP) and the impact of this on social life and health of FSWs. As Lucknow provides a comprehensive opportunity in terms of tourism, occupation, and economy, it becomes a potential hub for sex work. Studying FSW in Lucknow can thus be considered as a yardstick for the entire FSW population of UP population. The present study was thus planned with the objective of knowing the STI prevalence and its determinants among FSWs.Materials and Methods:A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted on FSWs registered with Targeted Intervention-Non-government Organization (TI-NGO), registered with Uttar Pradesh State Acquired Immuno Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) Control Society (UPSACS) of Lucknow city. Total 288 subjects were studied.Results:The average age of FSWs was 31 years. FSWs were mostly Hindus and illiterate. The overall prevalence of STI as per Syndromic diagnosis was found to be 35.8%. However, the percentage of FSWs with STI was higher in street-based (50.6%) than home-based (29.8%). Majority (42.7%) of sex workers with STI had non-regular partners only while majority (52.4%) of sex workers without any STI had only regular partners. Condom usage with regular partners was poor. However, with the non-regular partners the condom usage was better. On multivariate analysis being single, having sex work as a sole means of earning, duration of sex work > 2 years, having pallor, and giving in to client's demand for unsafe sex were found to be significant in causing STI.Conclusions:Prevalence of STI among the female sex workers as per Syndromic diagnosis was found to be 35.8%. Unemployment, anemia, and having sex without condom for extra money, failure to persuade the client and not doing anything were found to be important predictors for presence of STI.

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The prevention, control, and management of sexually transmitted infections/reproductive tract infection (STI/RTI) are well-recognized cost-effective strategies for controlling the spread of human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immune deficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS). A cross-sectional descriptive study was done over a period of 1 year to assess the prevalence of STI, knowledge level about STI, and the STI-HIV link among the female sex workers (FSWs) of Lucknow city, Uttar Pradesh, India along with their biosocial characteristics. Most of the FSWs were illiterate, married, Hindus, and belonged to general category. The prevalence rates of STI among street-based and home-based FSWs were 50.6% and 29.8%, respectively. Knowledge about the role of condom in prevention of STI and the STI-HIV link was significantly less among home-based FSWs than those who are street-based. There is a great lack in the awareness among FSWs regarding STI and their prevention. Behavior change communication (BCC) and advocacy strategy were developed, especially for the home-based group, to strengthen their knowledge regarding the STI-HIV link.

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Background: Dengue fever is the most critical mosquito-borne disease in the world caused by one of any of four serotypes of dengue virus. There has been a 30-fold increase in global incidence over the past fifty years. Epidemics of dengue result in human suffering, strained health services and massive economic losses.Methods: Quasi experimental one group pre-test-post-test research design was adopted to conduct the study among forty adults aged between twenty to 40 years residing in Janta Nagri, Urban slum, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, who matched the inclusion criteria were selected through non-probability purposive sampling technique. On day one pre-test followed by planned teaching programme was conducted and after seventh day post-test was taken. The data was analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics.Results: The results revealed that the mean post-test knowledge score was higher than mean pre-test knowledge score with standard deviation 20.15±4.02 and 7.67±3.11 respectively. The improvement of knowledge score is the mean difference of 12.5 which shows that there was a significant change in knowledge level of adult population.Conclusions: The study concluded that the planned teaching programme was effective in improving the level of knowledge regarding dengue fever and its preventive measures.