Vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin playing a vital role in human physiology. Vitamin D deficiency is prevalent worldwide. This deficiency has many consequences which are still being explored, apart from the well-known skeletal complications. With this review, we aim to summarize the existing literature on Vitamin D status in India and understand the enormity of the problem. The prevalence of Vitamin D deficiency ranged from 40% to 99%, with most of the studies reporting a prevalence of 80%–90%. It was prevalent in all the age groups and high-risk groups alike. With the consequences of Vitamin D deficiency, namely, autoimmune diseases, cardiovascular diseases, cancer, and tuberculosis being explored, we can imagine the burden it would cause in our country. We need to create awareness among the public and healthcare providers about the importance of Vitamin D and the consequences of deficiency. Our Indian diet generally fails to satisfy the daily requirement of Vitamin D for a normal adult. This stresses on the need for fortifying various food with Vitamin D, through the national programs. This silent epidemic should be addressed appropriately with concrete public health action.
Sodium, an element needed for the normal human physiology is known to be associated with high blood pressure and other consequences if consumed in excess. The assessment of knowledge and behavior related to sodium that is consumed in the form of salt plays an important role in the control of cardiovascular diseases. To control the intake of sodium, dietary sources of sodium need to be identified. To address this, a community-based cross-sectional study was conducted among women aged 20 to 59 years in north India, where knowledge, attitude, and behavior questionnaire given by the World Health Organization and 24-h dietary recall were used. The mean age of the participants was 34.5 years, and the majority of them were homemakers. Approximately, 80% of the participants believed that high salt diet causes serious health problems, and only 5% of the participants were aware of the existence of a recommendation for daily salt intake. Less than 20% of the participants took measures to control their salt intake. Vegetable-based dishes were found to be the major contributors to the daily salt intake followed by pulse-based and cereal-based dishes. This is because of the high quantity in which they are consumed. Food cooked at home contributed to 90% of the daily salt intake. To control the salt intake, we should cut- down the discretionary salt use. Dietary advice should be customized to the individual, and the family physician plays an important role in this. Behavioral change is the need of the hour to control the epidemic of non-communicable diseases.
Original Research ArticleVaccination has saved more lives worldwide than any other medical products or procedures. To accelerate immunization coverage, Mission Indradhanush was launched by Ministry of Health and Family Welfare in 2014. Under Mission Indradhanush, the immunization programme was strengthened and also newer vaccines like pentavalent, rotavirus and f-IPV vaccines were sequentially introduced. Mission Indradhanush was intensified in 2017 to further accelerate full immunization coverage. The present study was done for a period of 2 months in 2 urban areas, 2 rural areas and 2 tribal areas of East Godavari district of Andhra Pradesh with the objective to know the immunization coverage in children aged 1-2 years after launching Mission Indradhanush with the aim to evaluate the primary immunization coverage, coverage of newer vaccines after launching MI , assess the knowledge of mothers on routine vaccination with a special focus on newer vaccines and the reasons for delay or dropouts in vaccination. In the present study, the overall coverage of primary immunization was 94.8%. Overall immunization coverage is less in urban areas compared to rural and tribal areas. Literacy of mother, parity and place of delivery had significant association with complete immunization coverage. The main reason for high dropout rate of newer vaccines was nonavailability of vaccine. This study showed that Mission Indradhanush was successful in accelerating the overall primary immunization coverage in this area to a significant extent.
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