Social factors influencing diabetes mellitus in adults attending a tertiary care hospital in Nagpur: a cross sectional study

Background: Social determinants of the health are the conditions in which individuals are born, grow, live and age. Increasingly, these are being recognized for their relationship to the soaring incidence of diabetes mellitus. So, we conducted a study to find the social factors of diabetes mellitus.Methods: A cross sectional study was conducted in adults having type 2 diabetes in outpatient department of tertiary care institute in Nagpur from July to September 2015. Socio demographic factors, health care access factors, stress related factors and self-care behavior of these patients were studied. Data was analyzed using Epi Info 7.1 software.Results: Out of 140 diabetic patients studied females were predominant (55.71%). Most of them were married (92.85%), were Muslim by religion (47.14%), were from nuclear families, (53.57%) and lower middle class (40%). 50% said that they have health care facilities nearby their house and 50.71% do not get drugs regularly in that health care facility. and only (27.14%) were insured. 64.28% of study subjects said that they were accompanied by relatives to hospital. The financial stress (73.57%) and family stress (72.85%) was more in the patients than work stress (49.28 %). 75.72% and 71.42 % checked their blood sugar levels every 6 monthly and blood pressure every monthly and very less patients kept follow up for complications.Conclusions: Our study showed that in spite of having health care facility nearby, the irregularity of drugs was a major concern. Very less study subjects were insured for their health, this implicates higher stress related factors. They had less compliance towards follow-up of complications of diabetes mellitus

A conceptual study on Charakokta Nidana of Visarpa with special reference to present day Ahara and Vihara

The aim of Ayurveda is “Swasthasya Swasthya Rakshana” and “Aturasya Vikara Prashamana,” it is achieved on the bases of various concepts of Ayurveda. Nidana is one of them. To cope with the fast developing field of medicine many Ayurvedic concepts are to be reviewed, also must be updated and presented so as to fulfill the lacunae in diagnosis and treatment of the disease. With this background, the study “A conceptual study on Charakokta Nidana of Visarpa with special Reference to present day Aharaja and Viharaja” was carried out. All the skin diseases including Visarpa can be prevented if effective care is taken in terms of avoidance of predisposing factors. Since it is not very sure about the exact causative factors of Visarpa, so this Observational study may help to identify the most commonly involved Nidana. Nidana in causation of Visarpa which in turn may help for initiating preventive measures. Nidana of Visarpa explained in Charaka Samhita still holds good in present day life style

Depression and its associated factors among people living with HIV/AIDS: Can it affect their quality of life?

Introduction: Depression, being the most common neuropsychiatric complication of HIV, is also associated with increased health-care utilization, decreased quality of life (QOL), and poor adherence to antiretroviral therapy (ART). Depression is a multidimensional disorder affected by a variety of biological, psychological, and social determinants and this relation becomes more complicated in HIV patients. The current study therefore aimed to investigate the sociodemographic and clinical determinants of depression and assess difference in the QOL of HIV patients not having depression and those suffering from depression. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted at an ART center in a tertiary care hospital in HIV/AIDS patients of 18 years of age. Sociodemographic and clinical characteristics were studied, depression anxiety and stress scale-21 was used to assess depression, and QOL assessment was done using WHOQOL-HIV BREF questionnaire. Results and Conclusions: Out of 754 study subjects, 377, i.e., 50% suffered from depression and nearly 75.9% of them were in the age group of 25–44 years. The prevalence of depression was higher in females, illiterates, and unemployed HIV patients as compared to males, literates, and employed subjects, respectively. HIV patients who were depressed had significantly lower QOL than the subjects not suffering from depression, more so in the environment and social relationships domains

Do Gender Differences Influence the Quality of Life of People Living with HIV/AIDS?

Introduction: Given the longevity achievable with the current Antiretroviral Therapy (ART) for People Living with HIV/AIDS, quality of life (QOL) has emerged as a significant measure of health outcome. Also, younger age, higher socioeconomic status and employment have been associated with improvement in QOL. Hence, the present study has made an attempt to examine gender differences in QOL of People living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA). Material and methods: It was a cross sectional study carried out on 754 HIV positive patients attending the anti-retroviral treatment clinic of the IGGMC, Nagpur from March 2010 to June 2011 .Socio-demographic characteristics of the patients were studied and quality of life was assessed by WHOQOL-HIVBREF scale. Chi-square test, z-test and multiple logistic regressions were used for analysis. Results: Out of 754 study subjects, 461(61.1%) were male and 293(38.9%) were female patients. It was observed that92.2% males and 80.2%females were literate, 50.8%females were widowed, divorced or separated and only 41.6% females were employed. Females had poor nutritional status as indicated by haemoglobin levels (9.3 gm% ± 1.33) and Body Mass Indices (19.3 Kg/m2 ± 2.95). They had lower total QOL score than male patients. Women had significantly lower scores in social relationships (11.5±3.55) and environmental domains (10.6 ± 2.19), (p<0.001) of Quality of Life. Conclusions: Women had a poor quality of life as compared to men. Poor living conditions, lack of social support, illiteracy are the factors along with the fact of being HIV positive which could be incriminated towards these findings

Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice on Brucellosis among the Rural Population in Nagpur, Maharashtra, India

Introduction: Brucellosis is a disease that can have severe consequences for both humans and animals, resulting in considerable economic losses due to its impact on human health and animal productivity. To prevent the transmission of this disease from animals to humans, it is essential to improve the community’s knowledge, attitude, and practice (KAP). This study aimed to evaluate the KAP and associated risk factors for human brucellosis among rural populations in Nagpur, Maharashtra, India. Materials and Methods: Using closed-ended questionnaires, a cross-sectional study was conducted to collect data on demographics and risk exposure variables from 382 participants. The collected data were entered into Microsoft Excel and analyzed using SPSS. Descriptive statistics were used to evaluate demographic features and KAP. Results: 78.5% were male, and 21.5% were female. Their ages ranged from 18 to 90 years, and 92.1% were married. Only 4.5% of respondents had heard of brucellosis, 21.5% consumed unpasteurized milk, 3.9% used protective gloves while assisting during calving, and 15.4% milked the animal. Furthermore, 21.2% buried animal birth products, 10.9% burned animal birth products, and 13.6% threw animal birth products in the dustbin. Overall, the respondents’ attitude was average to poor. Conclusion: This study revealed that the rural population has poor knowledge and high-risk self-reported practices and behaviors for brucellosis. Therefore, enhancing public health education and local organizational involvement is imperative to increase the community’s capacity to prevent brucellosis as an integral part of the National Control Program on Brucellosis in India