Double burden of malnutrition among elderly population of Delhi

Background: Nutritional status is an important determinant for elderly, directly influencing their susceptibility to diseases, adversely affecting their quality of life.  Aim & Objective: To assess the nutritional status of elderly persons aged ?60 years residing in an urban resettlement colony of Delhi. Materials and Methods: A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted in a resettlement colony in Delhi. Cluster random sampling was used. Three out of ten blocks were selected randomly. All elderly persons present in the selected blocks were included.  Information on socio-demographic variables was collected. Arm span and weight were measured by trained investigators. Data was entered in MS Excel 2007 and analyzed in Stata 11.0. Multiple logistic regression was done to determine the association between nutritional status and socio-demographic variables Results: A total of 711 elderly persons were recruited. About half (53.2%) had normal nutritional status, 20.8% were underweight and 19.4% were overweight and 6.6% were obese. Under-nutrition was significantly associated with gender, while overweight/obesity was found to be significantly associated with age (p<0.001), gender (p<0.001), occupation (p<0.001) and economic dependency (p< 0.001). Conclusion: Dual burden of malnutrition was seen, so there is a need to promote healthy eating and lifestyle to address both spectrum of malnutrition

Evaluation of computerized health management information system for primary health care in rural India

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The Comprehensive Rural Health Services Project Ballabgarh, run by All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi has a computerized Health Management Information System (HMIS) since 1988. The HMIS at Ballabgarh has undergone evolution and is currently in its third version which uses generic and open source software. This study was conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of a computerized Health Management Information System in rural health system in India.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>The data for evaluation were collected by in-depth interviews of the stakeholders i.e. program managers (authors) and health workers. Health Workers from AIIMS and Non-AIIMS Primary Health Centers were interviewed to compare the manual with computerized HMIS. A cost comparison between the two methods was carried out based on market costs. The resource utilization for both manual and computerized HMIS was identified based on workers' interviews.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>There have been no major hardware problems in use of computerized HMIS. More than 95% of data was found to be accurate. Health workers acknowledge the usefulness of HMIS in service delivery, data storage, generation of workplans and reports. For program managers, it provides a better tool for monitoring and supervision and data management. The initial cost incurred in computerization of two Primary Health Centers was estimated to be Indian National Rupee (INR) 1674,217 (USD 35,622). Equivalent annual incremental cost of capital items was estimated as INR 198,017 (USD 4213). The annual savings is around INR 894,283 (USD 11,924).</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The major advantage of computerization has been in saving of time of health workers in record keeping and report generation. The initial capital costs of computerization can be recovered within two years of implementation if the system is fully operational. Computerization has enabled implementation of a good system for service delivery, monitoring and supervision.</p

Adolescent health in urban India

Adolescence is the period in human growth and development that occurs after childhood and before adulthood, from ages 10 to 19 years. It is a period of dynamic brain development. During this period, adolescents learn from the social behavior and environmental surroundings of their community. Because of rapid urbanization without accounting for the basic health-care amenities, health disparities tend to arise. In this review, we have tried to describe the health profile of adolescents in urban India. Relevant articles were extracted from PubMed and related websites. Adolescents in urban areas perceive their physical environment as very poor. Social capital and social cohesion are very important in their development. Increasing child marriage and poor antenatal care among adolescents are key challenges in improving the reproductive and sexual health. More than half of adolescents are undernourished. About 56% of adolescent girls are anemic. At this time of fighting against under-nutrition, burden of overweight and obesity is increasing among the urban adolescents. Mass media use and increased sedentary lifestyle increase the risk factors for noncommunicable diseases. Labile mental and emotional behavior makes them prone to suicide and intentional self-harm. Another avoidable key challenge among adolescents is addiction. Urban living and regular media exposure are positively associated with smoking and alcohol consumption. Among unintentional injuries, road traffic accidents dominate the picture. Various health programs targeting adolescent health have been launched in the recent past

Role of smartphone technology in medical education in India

Introduction: In this era of technology, a smartphone has become a powerful tool. It is often used in communication and entertainment. It has a significant role in medical education, too. Objective: The objective of this study was to discuss the use of smartphone in medical education, its advantages and disadvantages, and challenges to its widespread use in this field. Material and Methods: A review of the literature was done in PubMed and Google Scholar for the articles related to our objective. Results: A smartphone can help a student in acquiring the study material (books, videos and updates), making better notes/record and for searching answers. It has the advantage of easily fitting into the pocket, improving the accessibility to the internet, and can be used as a mini-computer to edit documents. In the field of medical research, a smartphone can ease the review of literature and data collection. It is beneficial in resource constraint settings; help in integration of specialities and uniformity in teaching. However, it has certain disadvantages like being a costly device with a limited lifespan, prone to theft or damage, can cause dependency, information overload, distraction during class, increase in screen time, and can cause straining of eyes or sleep disturbances. Several studies have shown medical students using it for studies and they have a positive attitude toward it. Conclusion: Smartphone technology can be revolutionary for medical education if used aptly. There are certain challenges in the implementation of a smartphone in medical education in India which can be addressed through certain measures

Electronic waste in India: Implications on health

Increase in production and consumption of electronic goods has resulted in a rapid rise in generation of electronic waste in India. It is the fifth largest producer of electronic waste in the world. Electronic waste is a mine of precious metals and also a sea of hazardous elements. Exposure to electronic waste has the potential to harm virtually any system of the human body. It can affect thyroid function, increased incidence of cancer, skin and lung diseases, damage to the central nervous system, kidney and bone. This paper provides an evidence-based insight into the status of electronic waste and its management in India, its effect on health, and possible control measures. Timely institution of control measures in this area shall prevent deleterious effects of this waste, and improve health of our people

How to Effectively Monitor and Evaluate NCD Programmes in India

Program monitoring and evaluation (M and E) are important components of any program and are critical to sound strategic planning. The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India, launched the National Programme for Prevention and Control of Cancer, Diabetes, Cardio-vascular diseases and Stroke (NPCDCS) with the objectives to prevent and control common noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) through behaviour and lifestyle changes, and to provide early diagnosis and management of common NCDs. M and E of program requires identification of indicators that measure inputs, process, outputs, and outcomes. The frequency of collecting information for these indicators will vary depending on the level of use and type of indicator as well as time interval over which we expect to see a change in that parameter. A group of indicators for different domains in the three major strategies has been proposed. For effective monitoring and evaluation of NPCDCS, the way forward is to finalize the list of indicators; evolve sustainable systems for surveillance; collect baseline assessment of the indicators at district level; fix targets for each indicator for different time frames; periodic review at state and national level for monitoring progress; and establish external review mechanisms. Monitoring and evaluation require complex set of co-ordinated action, responsibility for which has to be taken up by the NCD Cell within the Ministries of Health at state and national level. However, the routine data collection and compilation could be the responsibility of Central Bureau of Health Intelligence. Integrated population-based surveys with existing disease and behaviour surveillance could be undertaken by National Centre for Disease Control. The national NCD cell should compile all these information into a meaningful policy brief so that appropriate programmatic interventions can be identified. The launch of a national program to tackle the burden of NCDs is just the beginning, and the final success of the program will depend on how effectively we monitor and evaluate it