Indians have high rates of cardiovascular disease. Hypertension (HTN) is an important modifiable risk factor. There are no comprehensive reviews or a nationally representative study of the burden, treatments and outcomes of HTN in India. A systematic review was conducted to study the trends in prevalence, risk factors and awareness of HTN in India. We searched MEDLINE from January 1969 to July 2011 using prespecified medical subject heading (MeSH) terms. Of 3372 studies, 206 were included for data extraction and 174 were observational studies. Prevalence was reported in 48 studies with sample size varying from 206 to 167 331. A significant positive trend (P<0.0001) was observed over time in prevalence of HTN by region and gender. Awareness and control of HTN (11 studies) ranged from 20 to 54% and 7.5 to 25%, respectively. Increasing age, body mass index, smoking, diabetes and extra salt intake were common risk factors. In conclusion, from this systematic review, we record an increasing trend in prevalence of HTN in India by region and gender. The awareness of HTN in India is low with suboptimal control rates. There are few long-term studies to assess outcomes. Good quality long-term studies will help to understand HTN better and implement effective prevention and management programs.
The result of various process strategies on the nutrient and phytochemical composition of corn samples were studied. Fresh and cooked baby corn, sweet corn, dent corn and industrially processed and cooked popcorn, corn grits, corn flour and corn flakes were analysed for the determination of proximate, minerals, xanthophylls and phenolic acids content. This study revealed that the proximate composition of popcorn is high compared to the other corn products analyzed while the mineral composition of these maize products showed higher concentration of magnesium, phosphorus, potassium and low concentration of calcium, manganese, zinc, iron, copper, and sodium. Popcorn was high in iron, zinc, copper, manganese, sodium, magnesium and phosphorus. The xanthophylls lutein and zeaxanthin were predominant in the dent corn and the total polyphenolic content was highest in dent corn while the phenolic acids distribution was variable in different corn products. This study showed preparation and processing brought significant reduction of xanthophylls and polyphenols.
Regular intake of 19 mg Fe/d in MFPP supplied through extruded rice kernels improves iron stores and reduces iron deficiency among schoolchildren in India.
Objective: To develop a psychometrically valid questionnaire for testing knowledge on micronutrients and to assess the relationship between knowledge and biomarkers of micronutrient status among adolescents. Design: Cross-sectional, institution-based, validity and reliability study. Setting: Seven higher secondary schools were covered in the limits of Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation, Hyderabad, India. Subjects: Students aged 15-19 years, n 92 for the pre-test, n 108 for test-retest and n 109 for studying the relationship between knowledge and biomarkers of Fe, retinol, ascorbic acid, a-tocopherol, folic acid and vitamin B 12 status. Results: From an item pool of 106, thirty-one items were selected based on content validity. Statistical tools to obtain a valid and reliable questionnaire among adolescent boys and girls resulted in eighteen items with a difficulty index of 0?11-0?86, discrimination index of 0?20-0?72 and validity index (point bi-serial correlation) of 0?10-0?62. Reliability as measured by Cronbach's a was 0?71 and the intra-class correlation coefficient was 0?80. A Bland-Altman plot showed good agreement between test and retest scores. The mean response score to the eighteen-item questionnaire was 5?2 (SD 2?68). The mean values of serum retinol were significantly different (P 5 0?022) between groups below (24?8 (SD 6?64) mg/dl) and above (28?0 (SD 7?67) mg/dl) the 50th percentile of knowledge score. The relationship persisted after controlling for economic status as a covariate using analysis of covariance (P 5 0?018). Other micronutrients did not show any significant relationship. Conclusions: A valid and reliable eighteen-item knowledge questionnaire was constructed and found to have a significant positive relationship with plasma retinol status alone.
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