Context:Non-communicable diseases, no longer a disease of the rich, impose a great threat in the developing nations due to demographic and epidemiological transition. This increasing burden of non-communicable diseases and their risk factors is worrisome. Adherence to hypertension (HT) medication is very important for improving the quality of life and preventing complications of HT.Aim:To study the factors determining adherence to HT medication.Settings and Design:A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted in a rural area of Kancheepuram district, Tamil Nadu, with a total population of around 16,005.Materials and Methods:This study was carried out over a period of 6 months (February-July) using a pre-structured and validated questionnaire. All eligible participants were selected by house-to-house survey and individuals not available on three consecutive visits were excluded from the study. The questionnaire included information on demographic characteristics, lifestyle habits, adherence to HT medication, blood pressure, and body mass index (BMI). Caste was classified based on Tamil Nadu Public Service commission.Statistical Analysis:Data were entered in MS Excel and analyzed in SPSS version 16. P value <0.05 was considered statistically significant. Ethical Consideration: Informed verbal consent was obtained prior to data collection. The patient's adherence to HT medication was assessed using the Morisky 4-Item Self-Report Measure of Medication-taking Behavior [MMAS-4].Results:We studied 473 hypertensive patients of which 226 were males and 247 were females. The prevalence of adherence was 24.1% (n = 114) in the study population. Respondents with regular physical activity, non-smokers and non-alcoholics were more adherent to HT medication as compared with respondents with sedentary lifestyle, smoking and alcohol intake (P < 0.005). Based on health belief model, the respondents who perceived high susceptibility, severity, benefit had better adherence compared with moderate and low susceptibility, severity, benefit.

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Except for the decrease in junk food intake, use of Facebook as an effective tool to promote healthy lifestyle could not be proved with confidence.

Background: India accounts for one-fourth of the global incident tuberculosis (TB) case load and tops the list of highburden countries. Initial default and loss to follow-up are important challenges in achieving the objectives of the Revised National TB Control Programme (RNTCP). Objective: A study was carried out to estimate the proportion of initial defaulters, reasons for initial default, and recommendations to reduce initial default. Materials and Methods: A record-based study was carried out to identify the initial defaulters among new sputumpositive TB patients diagnosed during 1 year (2013) in four medical colleges of Puducherry. On the basis of the completeness of recorded residential address and availability of the patients, 38 patients were contacted and enrolled in the study. A pretested and predesigned questionnaire was used to interview the patients and open-ended questions were used to elicit the reason for initial default. Results: The proportion of initial default among all the four medical colleges was 15.3%. Patient-related factors for initial default were long distance to the health facility, lack of support from the family members, being advised against alcohol consumption while taking treatment, monetary constraints, job constraints, not convinced about results by the health facility, stigma related to TB, and lack of awareness regarding TB. Health system-related factors were unpleasant experience with the health system, lack of dissemination of adequate information regarding further course of action to the patients, and nonavailability of the laboratory staff. Conclusion: The magnitude of initial default was found to be high in Puducherry and most of the reasons for initial default found in this study were preventable. Systematic methods to prevent initial default need to be chalked out by program managers in collaboration with various medical colleges under the RNTCP.

million people who are obese. [3] According to a report of the World Health Organization, 2.8 million adults die each year as a result of being overweight or obese. In addition, 44% of the diabetes, 23% of the ischemic heart disease, and 7-41% of certain cancers are attributable to overweight and obesity. [3] In the twenty-first century, obesity has reached epidemic proportions in India, with morbid obesity affecting 5% of the country's population. [4] India is following a trend of other developing countries that are steadily becoming more obese. According to National Family Health Survey (NFHS-3), the overall prevalence of overweight/obesity in India was 12.1% in men and 16% in women. There was a large difference in the prevalence of overweight or obese across various states. Punjab had the highest prevalence (men, 30.3%; women, 37.5%), and Tripura had the lowest prevalence (men 5.2%; women, 5.3%). [5] Aging is a normal, biological, and universal phenomenon that refers to various effects and manifestation of old age. It is described in terms of biological, psychological, and social aspects. [6] In recent decades, as life expectancy increases, the world's older population is growing in an accelerated phase. The elderly population in India increased from 20 million in 1951 to 57 million in 1991 and is expected to be 198 million in 2030 and 326 million in 2050. [7] Elderly populations are a subset of vulnerable population as they face various challenges; health issues emerge Background: Obesity has reached epidemic proportions in India, with morbid obesity affecting 5% of the country's population. Objectives: To measure the prevalence and determinants of overweight and obesity among elderly people in our urban field practice area of Puducherry, India.

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We assessed the feasibility of involvement of Accredited Social Health Activist (ASHA) in newborn care. All the ASHAs (n = 33) of PHC Dayalpur, Faridabad district of Haryana were trained for one day which was followed by two refresher trainings. The mean (SD) knowledge score (out of 11) of ASHAs were 6.45 (2.44), 6.50 (2.01), 7.45 (1.36) and 7.15 (1.27) at pre-training, immediately after training, and after three and six months, respectively. Four fifth (83%) of the newborns born at home were weighed within 3 days of birth. About half (44%) of ASHAs weighed the neonates within ± 250 grams of the weight recorded by the author. We conclude that ASHAs could be involved in providing care for newborn. However, such efforts should ensure a stronger focus on skill development and practical experience.