Injury morbidity in an urban and a rural area in Tanzania: an epidemiological survey

BACKGROUND: Injuries are becoming a major health problem in developing countries. Few population based studies have been carried out in African countries. We examined the pattern of nonfatal injuries and associated risk factors in an urban and rural setting of Tanzania. METHODS: A population-based household survey was conducted in 2002. Participants were selected by cluster sampling. A total of 8,188 urban and 7,035 rural residents of all ages participated in the survey. All injuries reported among all household members in the year preceding the interview and resulting in one or more days of restricted activity were included in the analyis. RESULTS: A total of 206 (2.5%) and 303 (4.3%) persons reported to have been injured in the urban and rural area respectively. Although the overall incidence was higher in the rural area, the incidence of major injuries (≥ 30 disability days) was similar in both areas. Males were at a higher risk of having an injury than females. Rural residents were more likely to experience injuries due to falls (OR = 1.6; 95% CI = 1.1 – 2.3) and cuts (OR = 4.3; 95% CI = 3.0 – 6.2) but had a lower risk of transport injuries. The most common causes of injury in the urban area were transport injuries and falls. In the rural area, cuts and stabs, of which two thirds were related to agriculture, formed the most common cause. Age was an important risk factor for certain types of injuries. Poverty levels were not significantly associated with experiencing a nonfatal injury. CONCLUSION: The patterns of injury differ in urban and rural areas partly as a reflection of livelihoods and infrastructure. Rural residents are at a higher overall injury risk than urban residents. This may be important in the development of injury prevention strategies

PERSONAL HYGIENIC PRACTICES OF SCHOOL GOING ADOLESCENTS – A CROSS SECTIONAL STUDY IN CHENNAI

As per World Health Organization estimates, acute diarrhoeal diseases and respiratory infections are the leading causes of death among children1. Diarrhoeal diseases kill nearly 2 million children every year2. Repeated diarrhoeal episodes during childhood and adolescence can lower the fitness and productivity during adulthood3. The main source of diarrhoeal pathogens is the human faeces and for transmission of these faecal pathogens from one infected host to other contaminated hands plays an important role. Hygiene education and hand washing with soap are proved to be cost effective primary preventive measure for diarrhoeal diseases4

National health programs in the field of endocrinology and metabolism - Miles to go

The endocrine and metabolic diseases of childhood obesity, diabetes mellitus, hypertension, iodine deficiency disorders, vitamin D deficiency, and osteoporosis are major public health problems. Different programs including National Program for Prevention and Control of Cancer, Diabetes, Cardiovascular Diseases, and Stroke address these problems although some are yet to be addressed. National surveys have shown high prevalence of these disorders and their risk factors. Most of the programs aim at awareness raising, lifestyle modification, (primary prevention) and screening (secondary prevention) for the disease conditions as these are proven to be cost-effective compared to late diagnosis and treatment of various complications. Urgent concerted full scale implementation of these programs with good coordination under the umbrella of National Rural Health Mission is the need of the moment. The referral system needs strengthening as are the secondary and tertiary levels of health care. Due attention is to be given for implementation of these programs in the urban areas, as the prevalence of these conditions is almost equal or even higher among urban poor people where primary and secondary prevention measures are scarcely available and treatment costs are sky-high

Does a nutrition education programme change the knowledge and practice of healthy diets among high school adolescents in Chennai, India?

Background: Nutrition education is used as a way of promoting lifelong healthy eating practices among school adolescents. There is limited published information on the impact of nutrition education programmes in India. Objectives: To assess the knowledge and practices of high school students with respect to healthy diets before and after a nutrition education programme. Design: Pre- and post-intervention questionnaire survey. Setting: Two private schools in Chennai city. Method: This study was conducted among adolescents studying in standard VIII and IX in two private schools in Chennai city. Nutrition education as lectures and interactive discussions were given to students one hour every week for a period of 10 weeks. Information on knowledge and attitude on healthy eating and dietary practices was collected before and after the nutrition education intervention using a questionnaire. Differences in knowledge, attitude and practice of students on healthy diet were measured using the X2 test with the level of significance p&lt;0.05. Results: A total of 181 students were involved in the study (response rate 92%). Following the nutrition education programme, satisfactory dietary knowledge significantly improved from 37% to 67% ( p&lt;0.001). Similarly, students showing a positive attitude towards healthy diet increased from 18% to 40% ( p&lt;0.001). The proportion of students taking soft drinks reduced from 20% to 10% ( p&lt;0.01) and ingestion of fast food items through fast food restaurants reduced significantly. Conclusions: This short-term nutrition education programme brought significant improvements in dietary knowledge and reductions in soft drinks and fast foods consumption. </jats:sec