The health status of any country depends on the socio-economic status (SES) and the per capita income of its citizens. The SES also decides the affordability and utilization of the health facilities. Constant changes in the price of goods in the country due to inflation make it mandatory to constantly update the income-based socioeconomic scales. This paper attempts to provide updates in Kuppuswamy, B.G. Prasad and udai pareek socioeconomic scales for 2017.

Background: Injuries are a focus of public health practice because they pose a serious health threat, occur frequently and are preventable. Injuries affect people of all ages and range from minor cuts and bruises to major catastrophes that take thousands of lives. Objectives: This paper aims to find out the prevalence of injuries and to study the various epidemiological factors related to the injuries in Dharan. Materials and methods: A sample of 1398 households was taken as study sample. A systematic random sampling technique was used to select the 10% households from each 19 wards. A pre-tested questionnaire was used to collect demographic information and information related to injuries to the persons suffered from injuries. Result: The prevalence of minor injury in Dharan was 3.5% per month. The injury was common in the age group, 40-49 years (4.6%) and majority of injured persons were farmers (6.9%). Home was the common place (55.6%) for the minor injury. Cut/stab (32.8%) was the most common types of minor injury. The prevalence of major injury was 0.7% per year and occurred more among 50-59 years age group (1.7%). The commonest place for major injury was at road (53.1%) and service holders were at more risk (1.4%). Falls from the height (46.9%) were the most common types of major injury. Conclusion: The injuries related to lifestyle profession and road traffic accidents (RTA) is the commonest burden revealed in the study sample. Promotion of safety and education for protection at work and safe driving can prevent the major socio-economic loss to the family and community at large. Key words: Minor injury; Major injury; RTA; Epidemiological factors. DOI: 10.3126/kumj.v7i4.2762 Kathmandu University Medical Journal (2009) Vol.7, No.4 Issue 28, 402-407

No abstract

Background: Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis. More than 2 billion people are infected with TB bacilli worldwide. It is a leading public health problem particularly in the developing countries. The HIV epidemic has increased the global tuberculosis burden. TB is the commonest opportunistic infection and leading cause of mortality of People living with HIV (PLHA). Tuberculosis is a major public health problem in Nepal. The objective of the study is to determine prevalence of Pulmonary Tuberculosis among HIV positives attending HIV clinics in Eastern Nepal, and to assess the socio-demographic factors associated with TB and HIV/AIDS. Methodology: Cross-sectional prospective study was carried out among HIV positive attending different VCT and HIV clinics from Sunsari Morang and Jhapa district of Eastern Nepal. Face to face interview was performed and sputum sample were collected using convenience sampling technique. Data was collected from PLHA on related information on Socio-demographic profi le, risk taking behavior with the help of pretested semi-structured questionnaire. Univariate and bivariate analysis were performed using SPSS 15.0. Chi-squire test was performed to establish statistical signifi cance between dependent and independent variables. Results: Out of total 242 PLHA, 75.2% were males and 24.8% females; around half of them (48.8%) were in the age group of (30-39) yrs, 23% in (25-29) yrs, and 15.7% in (20-24) years. Prevalence of pulmonary tuberculosis was found to be 27.3% (n=66). PTB was high among IDU’s (48.6%), followed by clients of CSWs (21%), housewife (13.6%), highway truck drivers (10.6%) and CSWs (6%). Conclusion: Prevalence of PTB is very high among PLHA attending VCT & HIV clinics of Eastern Nepal. This study reveals that PTB is signifi cantly associated with increasing age, risk taking behavior and place of residence. There is urgent need of active case fi nding as well as periodic screening among people living with HIV/AIDS of this region to address HIV-associated TB morbidity and mortality. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3126/saarctb.v8i1.5885 SAARCTB 2011; 8(1): 1-8

The study focuses on the serious issue related to the adolescents' and adults' behavior and health. It aims to identify the risk factors for drug abuse from samples taken from a town of Eastern Nepal. This is a matched case-control study. The conditional logistic regression method was adopted for data analysis. The diagnosis cut off was determined by Receiver Operating Characteristic curve. A representative sample of 150 matched pairs was recruited from Dharan in 2006. The final model after adjusting 17 possible variables each other, detected some factors like education, occupation, short temper, depression, etc that were significantly associated with drug abuse, but shy behavior was not a significant predictor for drug abuse among the study sample. The level of education, occupation and depression were the strong predictors as identified by the model. The findings of the study may have implications to aware families and schools in developing countries like Nepal.

The study concludes that developmental delay is present in a sizable proportion of children <5 years of age and may be a significant factor in the overall achievement of life's potential in them.

Introduction:The risk of developing chronic diseases and general disability increases with aging, resulting in loss of functioning ability and decrease in performing optimally. Early diagnosis of impairment and disability may improve the quality of life of elderly and enable them to lead a full and productive life. The study is a part of a larger study done in an urban area of Delhi. Materials and Methods: Systematic random sampling was used to select a cross-sectional sample of the study subjects >20 years and above. Locomotor, Visual Hearing and Speech were assessed using the guidelines given in gazette of India, extraordinary, part II section. Visual disability was measured by the presenting visual acuity in the fi eld area using Snellens chart using WHO guidelines. Result and Conclusion:A total of 120 study subjects out of 1300 screened were in geriatric age group. The overall magnitude of the physical disability was 43.3% among elderly. Visual disability was most common form of disability (60%). Many study subjects were suffering from >1 disability, but treatment was sought only in 50% of disabilities. Treatment seeking for disabilities is an important and neglected issue leading to severe degree of disabilities that would be prevented if taken care of, in due time. A multidimensional approach for prevention is the need of the hour. BACKGROUNDIt has been projected that by the year 2025, there will be 1.2 billion older persons, with two out of three living in a developing country. [1] In the next few years, for the 1 st time, there will be more people in the world aged over 60 than children aged <5. By 2050, 80% of the world's older people will be living in low-and middle-income countries. [2] Abstract Access this article online Website: www.ijmedph.org

Background:Anemia of any degree contributes significantly to morbidity and mortality and has a significant effect on the quality of life of elderly women. Despite its clinical importance, anemia in the elderly women is underrecognized.Objectives:The objective of this study was to assess the magnitude and correlates of anemia in elderly women of a resettlement colony of Delhi.Materials and Methods:A community-based, cross-sectional study for the duration of 1 year was conducted among 512 geriatric women (≥60 years). Demographic characteristics, dietary assessment, and behavioral risk factors were determined by interview, and the participants underwent physical examination followed by hemoglobin estimation by HemoCue. Anemia was defined using the WHO criteria of hemoglobin <12 g/dl. Chi-square test was employed to study the association between sociodemographic factors and anemia followed by multivariate regression analysis.Results:The prevalence of anemia was 79.9% according to the WHO criteria of hemoglobin <12 g/dl in females. Age, education, marital status, financial dependence, diagnosed chronic disease, diet, calorie intake, history of worm infestation, and body mass index (BMI) were significantly associated with anemia on univariate analysis. In multivariate analysis, age, marital status, financial dependence, diagnosed chronic disease, diet, calorie intake, and BMI were significant explanatory variables for anemia.Conclusion:Our study points out high prevalence of and some of the major factors associated with anemia in elderly women. The need of the hour is to include our elderly women under the gamut of National Anemia Prophylaxis Program.