Background: Worldwide, there is an increase in the incidence of suicide each year. Suicide attempts are estimated to be more frequent than actual suicide mortality. One potential contributor to suicide risk is the presence of sensory impairments (visual or hearing impairments). The present review aimed to assess the direction and strength of the association between visual impairment (VI) and the risk of suicidal behavior. Methods: A systematic search was carried out on the literature published up to July 2021 in PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, and clinicaltrials.gov. The association between VI and suicidal ideation/attempt was summarized by pooled odds ratio with 95% CI. Results: Six studies with a sample size of 1,64,752 were included in the final quantitative synthesis. The pooled odds ratios (95% CI) for suicidal ideation and attempt among persons with VI were 1.53 (1.30–1.79) and 4.55 (2.39–8.67), respectively. On subgroup analysis, the odds of suicidal ideation were higher in persons with additional sensory impairment, 2.07 (1.21–3.53), than in the group with VI only, 1.63 (95% 1.34–1.98). Conclusion: This study found a significant association between suicidal behavior and VI, more so in persons with dual impairment. Structured assessment for psychological health and appropriate management should be an integral part of managing people with visual and other sensory impairments, to prevent this serious adverse consequence.

Background: Patient satisfaction and the out-patient waiting time denotes the extent to which general health care needs of the patients are met to their requirements. This study assesses the quality of health care delivery in three primary health care centres in south Chennai. The main aim was to assess the levels of patient satisfaction and its relation to various components and the waiting time among the patients visiting the primary health centres in south Chennai.Methods: This is a cross sectional study conducted in three primary health centres in the rural part of south Chennai. This study is conducted by face to face interview method using a structured questionnaire on 120 random patients visiting the OPDs of these health centres. The questionnaire included timing pattern associated with the patients visit in the health centre. The collected data is analysed using Chi-square test and is conducted to assess the relationship between different categorical variables.Results: Most of the respondents (66.6%) were highly satisfied with the service provided, treatment and physician care, facilities inside the hospital, and the care of paramedical staff. Hospital cleanliness and Physician care were found to be significant in terms of overall satisfaction, and large number of patients visiting the centre was the most quoted reason for long waiting times with a mean of 45.2 minutes.Conclusions: The longer waiting times can be effectively reduced by employing more doctors and paramedical staff wherever it is required. A proper feedback system by assessing the satisfaction and waiting time is needed in any tertiary health centre to improve the health care delivery.

Background: Adherence to healthy diets favouring seafood, poultry, whole grains, fruits and vegetables, are related to better fertility in women and better semen quality in men. Along with pharmaceutical treatment, the role of a proper diet and lifestyle has been highlighted in many diseases like hypertension and diabetes. Likewise, the role of diet in fertility is a less explored area which holds great potential. The first step towards implementation of this fact will be increasing the awareness about the same among healthcare professionals, mainly doctors. Methods: A cross-sectional study including medical practitioners in 3 hospitals each in Tamil Nadu and Kerala. Assuming 50% prevalence and 8% allowable error, sample size was calculated to be 156. Data collection was done using a semi-structured and self-administered questionnaire. Results: Among the total, 80.1% of the medical practitioners responded that diet played an important role in boosting fertility of an individual and 72.1% had faced questions regarding the foods to improve fertility. In terms of knowledge, 28% of the respondents were able to score more than 60 out of a maximum score of 100. Conclusions: Future efforts should concentrate on solidifying emerging evidence and to jointly consider female and male diets along with other interventions for infertility management.

BACKGROUND Breast cancer is the second major cause of cancer mortality in women and is one of the important public health concerns of modern era. This suggests that the methods for early detection of breast cancer needs to be communicated to the general population. Breast self - examination (BSE) is one of the simplest ways of screening in breast cancer and this study intends to find the knowledge regarding breast cancer and BSE. METHODS This is a cross-sectional study conducted in women of reproductive age group belonging to an urban slum of Chennai. A sample of 170 women above 20 years of age were interviewed randomly using a pretested questionnaire in the local language. Ethical clearance was obtained from the IHEC of the Institution and proper informed consent was taken from the women included in the study. RESULTS In the study, we have identified that majority (84.7 %) of the women had awareness about breast cancer, but only 49 out of 170 were not aware that prevention is possible. Only 38.8 % of the subjects had heard of breast self-examination and among them, only 5.3 % had performed the BSE for cancer screening. Less than 2 % of the study population were fully aware about the procedure. Awareness regarding the disease is significantly associated with factors like age, education, and socioeconomic status. (P < 0.001) CONCLUSIONS Based on the study findings, poor knowledge about BSE and the breast cancer prevention methods was observed in this study suggesting the need to educate the high-risk age groups of women especially in low socioeconomic group. KEY WORDS Breast Cancer, Breast Self - Examination, Mammography, Reproductive Age Group, Cancer Awareness, Cancer Prevention, Risk Factors

Introduction: Binge eating disorder (BED) was underdiagnosed, underestimated eating disorder known to be responsible for obesity in both children and adults. Sedentary behavior estimated by measuring the sitting time was one of the major contributing factors in the development of metabolic syndrome in adults. People working in Information Technology (IT) sector possess both of these determinants in a significant capacity and thereby might be at risk for obesity, which in turn can be responsible for various cardio-metabolic events in their life. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted on 513 working adults belonging to the IT sector, using a face-to-face interview with a pre-tested questionnaire along with anthropometric measurements to measure BMI for obesity. Binge-eating disorder screener-7 for adults was adopted to assess the disorder, and the Marshall Sitting Questionnaire was used to evaluate their sitting behavior. Results: The study found that the prevalence of BED (23%) was higher in unmarried individuals, and moderate BED is significantly associated with higher BMI among them. Conversely, sitting time (Mean=8.83 hours/day) was seen mostly in married adults, and is also associated with higher BMI. As a risk cluster, both BED and sitting time combined had higher odds of resulting in Obesity than existing separately. Conclusion: Several lifestyle factors such as binge-watching TV, late working hours, higher salaries, etc., have contributed to developing Binge eating disorder and higher sitting time, which pose a significant risk for metabolic disorders like obesity.