No abstract

Background: Garment factories in India contribute to the economic growth and it is the second largest sector for employment. Many unskilled laborers from rural location work in this sector. The common jobs handled by them are sewing, ironing, packing and lifting heavy loads which are monotonous, continuous and prolonged. Working for a long period of time without rest, absence of personal protective equipment and inadequate provision of ergonomic facilities at workplace leads to major health-related issues among the workers. The objective of this study was to identify the pattern and prevalence of major health problems among garment factory workers. Materials and Methods: A comprehensive electronic search of PubMed, CINAHL, Scopus, Science Direct and Cochrane Library was carried out using the search strategy. All freely available studies with a full-text article in the database and detailed study methodology were included in this review. Results: Seventeen studies were included in this review. The studies revealed that the major health problems among the garment workers were musculoskeletal disorder, cardiovascular, respiratory, gastrointestinal, gynecological, ophthalmological and nutritional problems and mental illness. The musculoskeletal problems were the highest among all with a prevalence of 78.89%. The most common region affected were back, followed by shoulder. Conclusions:Review of health problems among garment factory workers revealed that the musculoskeletal disorder were more prevalent. The majority of the studies were carried among women. Therefore, it is necessary to organize specific programs aimed at prevention of musculoskeletal disorders among garment workers.

Background: Self-medication is a common practice worldwide and the irrational use of drugs is a cause of concern. Self-medication involves the use of medicinal products by the individuals to treat self-recognized disorders or symptoms, or the intermittent or continuous use of a medication prescribed by a physician for chronic or recurring diseases or symptoms. The objectives of the study were to find out the prevalence of self-medication practices in the community; to describe the common conditions where self-medication is practiced.Methods: A community based cross sectional study was conducted in a rural population at Kuthambakkam village, Tamil Nadu from February 2015 to July 2015. This village falls under the rural field practice area of Department of Community Medicine, Saveetha Medical College and hospital, Thandalam. There were 1175 households in this village of which 165 households were identified for the study purpose using simple random sampling technique. Statistical analysis: Data entry and analysis was done using SPSS version 16 software. Descriptive statistics were calculated for background variables, attitude and practices of self-medication. Results: The study was conducted in 165 households in Kuthambakkam village, the rural field practice area of Department of Community Medicine, Saveetha Medical College. The median age of the study participants was 38 years. The minimum age was 17 and maximum was 77 years. 73 (44.2%) of study subjects reported having health problems currently. Of them, 76.7% replied they consulted a doctor for their problem, 17.8% resorted to self-medication and rest 5.5% took native treatment at home. Conclusions: It is imperative to address the practice of self-medication among the people in the age of growing drug resistance being reported. Periodic studies on the knowledge, attitude and practice of self-medication may give an insight into the pattern of drug use among the people.

Objectives Post-COVID-19 symptoms and its features in many recovered patients are almost similar to post-severe acute respiratory syndrome. The study aims to assess the outcome and manifestations during post-COVID follow-up period in recovered patients. Methods Ambidirectional longitudinal study was conducted among recovered COVID-19 patients from a tertiary care hospital near Chennai through telephonic interview after discharge. Total admitted patients from June to November 2020 were 3496 and among those 183 died and 12 transferred to other hospitals. Totally 1354 consented for study and the rest were wrong numbers or not willing to participate. Chi-square test and multinominal logistic regression analysis were done. Results Majority of, that is, 27.6% and 18.7% were in 21–30 years and >60 years, respectively. Majority were admitted with fever (38.3%), cough (15.3), and body pain (10%). Post-COVID symptoms reported were fatigue (39.7%), stress and anxiety (27.6%), and mood changes (5.8%). Some patients were newly diagnosed with diabetes mellitus (10), hypertension (5), and TB (1) after discharge. Having diabetes mellitus is an independent risk to have neurological and cardio-respiratory symptoms and patients who were discharged with minimal support were to have an independent risk factor of renal symptoms on follow-up than other subjects. Conclusion The follow-up symptoms were associated with the patients’ comorbidities, age, severity of illness, and environmental factors.

Context: Adolescent health is a relatively new focus area of India's National health program. However, little evidence is available for the existing problems especially in adolescent slum population. A study was planned to explore the problems of adolescent pertaining to sexuality, physical health, tobacco and alcohol use in slums of Urban Meerut, and create evidence base for informed planning and decision making by the local health authorities. Aims:To study the adolescent health in the slums of Meerut City, India. Settings and Design:Entire slums of Urban Meerut, crosssectional study. Materials and Methods:Study was done in the slums of Meerut city, in Northern India. WHO 30 cluster sampling technique was used. Thirty slums were selected from the list of all the slums of Meerut, 210 adolescents were selected with 7 adolescents from each slum.Statistical Analysis: Proportions and Chi-square test.Results: More than one third of the (36.7%) adolescents reported to have a current health problem, however only half of these sought medical help for treatment. Tweleve percent of adolescents reported history of alcohol or tobacoo use. Nine percent adolescents complained of stressful atmosphere at home. About 10% adolescents in the surveyed population gave history of sexual activity, but only one third of them had used condom during their last sexual intercourse. Conclusion:This study reflects the high morbidity and poor treatment seeking behaviour among adolescents in urban slums. A significant proportion of adolescents indulge in high risk sexual behavior, tobacco and alcohol use. There were significant gender differences with regards to treatment seeking behaviour, sexual behaviour, tobacco and alcohol use. The gender nuances must be taken into account while planning interventions for this section of population.