A pre-experimental study to evaluate the effectiveness of back massage among pregnant women in first stage of labour pains admitted in labour room of a selected hospital, Ludhiana, Punjab, India

Background: Labour is a health state that most women aspire to, at some point in their lives. The first thought that comes to the mind of an expecting woman regarding her delivery is the pain of labour. The major role and responsibility of the nurse is in identifying the problems of the woman in labour, providing appropriate information regarding the alternative modalities of pain relief during labour. A pre-experimental study was conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of back massage on pain among pregnant women in first stage of labour pains in a selected Hospital, Ludhiana, Punjab. The objectives of the study were to assess the pre-test level of pain in first stage of labour pains among pregnant women, to administer the back massage in first stage of labour pains, to assess the post-test level of pain and to compare the pre-test and post-test level of pain in first stage of labour pains among pregnant women and to determine the relationship of pre-test and post-test level of pain with the selected variables.Methods: Conceptual framework was based on General system theory by Ludwig Von Bertanlanffy. Modified Labour Pain Relief Tool and Participants Opinionnarie were used to assess the effectiveness of back massage.Results: Findings of the study were in the pre-test mean score was 5.83 and post-test mean score was 3.75 which was found statistically highly significant at p<0.01 level. Gravida had significant impact on level of pain. Back massage had impact on level of pain among pregnant women.Conclusions: Present study revealed that in the pre-test mean score was 5.83 and post-test mean score was 3.75 which was found statistically highly significant at p<0.01 level. Age, education, mother’s occupation, period of gestation and any history of abortion had no significant relationship with pain, and gravida had statistically significant relationship with pain. Back massage had impact on pain level. Therefore it was concluded that back massage was effective to reduce the level of pain

An epidemiological study to assess bone mineral density and its association with contributing factors among premenopausal and postmenopausal women in selected villages of District Shimla, Himachal Pradesh, India

Background: Development of peak bone mass and premenopausal bone loss is determined by the menstrual status of women. Decline in bone mass with age becomes accelerated during menopause. Menopausal bone loss refers to the accelerated bone loss that occurs during the BM) of premenopausal and post-menopausal women, to identify the contributing factors associated with BMD among pre and post-menopausal women, to compare the level of BMD and the contributing factors of pre-menopausal women with post-menopausal women.Methods: It was quantative research approach and epidemiological analytic research design was used. Total enumeration technique was adopted in this study.Results: Analysis of data was done in accordance with the objectives of the study. Findings show that among premenopausal women 45.10% of the women had osteopenia and 8.20% of the women had osteoporosis, among postmenopausal women 50.00% of the women had oestriopenic and 41.2% of the women had osteoporosis. The analysis shows that factors such as BMI, Health status, life style, age, economic status and dietary patter plays important role to accelerate the level of T-score more than -1 in both group either premenopausal women or post-menopausal women. It shows the significance at the level of p<0.001.Conclusions: The study was completed in July 2016, concludes that there are many factors that can lead to have risk of osteoporosis related fracture. As age is increased the risk is also increased to get the fracture. Every woman can go for screening of BMD test to control the risk of fracture

Partnering with women collectives for delivering essential women\u2019s nutrition interventions in tribal areas of eastern India: a scoping study

Background: We examined the feasibility of engaging women collectives in delivering a package of women\u2019s nutrition messages/services as a funded stakeholder in three tribal-dominated districts of Odisha, Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh States, in eastern India. These districts have high prevalence of child stunting and poor government service outreach. Methods: Conducted between July 2014 and March 2015, an exploratory mix-methods design was adopted (review of coverage data and government reports, field interviews and focus group discussion with multiple stakeholders and intended communities) to assess coverage of women\u2019s nutrition services. A capacity assessment tool was developed to map all types of community collectives and assess their awareness, institutional and programme capacity as a funded stakeholder for delivering women\u2019s nutrition services/behaviour promotion. Results: Limited targeting of pre-pregnancy period, delays in first trimester registration of pregnant women, and low micronutrient supplementation supply and awareness issues emerged as key bottlenecks in improving women\u2019s nutrition in these districts. Amongst the 18 different types of community collectives mapped, Self Help Groups (SHGs) and their federations (tier 2 and tier 3), with total membership of over 650,000, emerged as the most promising community collective due to their vast network, governance structure, bank linkage, and regular interface. Nearly 400,000 (or 20% of women) in these districts can be reached through the mapped 31,919 SHGs. SHGs with organisational readiness for receiving and managing grants for income generation and community development activities varied from 41 to 94% across study districts. Stakeholders perceived that SHGs federations managing grants from government and be engaged for nutrition promotion and service delivery and SHG weekly meetings can serve as community interface for discussing/resolving local issues impeding access to services. Conclusions: Women SHGs (with tier 2 and tier 3) can become direct grantees for strengthening coverage of women\u2019s nutrition interventions in these tribal districts/pockets, provided they are capacitated, supervised and given safe guards against exploitation and violence

Research priorities for nutrition of school-aged children and adolescents in low- and middle-income countries.

PURPOSE: A lack of data, intervention studies, policies, and targets for nutrition in school-age children (SAC) and adolescents (5-19 years) is hampering progress towards tackling malnutrition. To stimulate and guide further research, this study generated a list of research priorities. METHODS: Using the Child Health and Nutrition Research Initiative (CHNRI) method, a list of 48 research questions was compiled and questions were scored against defined criteria using a stakeholder survey. Questions covered all forms of malnutrition, including micronutrient deficiencies, thinness, stunting, overweight/obesity, and suboptimal dietary quality. The context was defined as research focused on SAC and adolescents, 5 to 19 years old, in low-and middle-income countries, that could achieve measurable results in reducing the prevalence of malnutrition in the next 10 years. RESULTS: Between 85 and 101 stakeholders responded per question. Respondents covered a broad geographical distribution across 38 countries, with the largest proportion focusing on work in East and Southern Africa. Of the research questions ranked in the top ten, half focused on delivery strategies for reaching adolescents and half on improving existing interventions. There were few differences in the ranked order of questions between age groups but those related to in-school children and adolescents had higher expert agreement than those for out-of-school adolescents. The top ranked research question focused on tailoring antenatal and postnatal care for pregnant adolescent girls. CONCLUSION: Nutrition programmes should incorporate implementation research to inform delivery of effective interventions to this age group, starting in schools. Academic research on the development and tailoring of existing nutrition interventions is also needed; specifically, on how to package multisectoral programmes and how to better reach vulnerable and underserved sub- groups, including those out of school

Are advertising policies affirmative in restricting the marketing of foods high in fat, salt and sugar (HFSS) in India?: Evidence from SWOT Analysis

The regulatory Indian environment for advertising high fat, salt, and sugar (HFSS) foods and non-alcoholic beverages, on various media was reviewed. Identified national-level policies were categorised as mandatory or self-regulatory based on legal content. For each mandatory regulation, Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats (SWOT) analysis was undertaken to determine how existing policies could be strengthened to safeguard children from unhealthy food advertisements. Thirteen policies (nine mandatory; four self-regulatory) relevant to advertising in India were identified. Of the nine mandatory policies, Guidelines for Prevention of Misleading Advertisements and Endorsements for Misleading Advertisements, 2022, is the only policy that restricts HFSS food advertisements to children across all media. There are key shortfalls, including limited scope of ‘child-targeted’ advertisements and lack of criteria to define HFSS foods. A robust regulatory framework is needed to protect children from HFSS food marketing, not just what is ‘directed’ at them, with clear evidence-based food classification criteria.Funding source: The work is supported by the UNICEF India Country Office, New Delhi, India

A pre-experimental study to evaluate the effectiveness of back massage among pregnant women in first stage of labour pains admitted in labour room of a selected hospital, Ludhiana, Punjab, India

Background: Labour is a health state that most women aspire to, at some point in their lives. The first thought that comes to the mind of an expecting woman regarding her delivery is the pain of labour. The major role and responsibility of the nurse is in identifying the problems of the woman in labour, providing appropriate information regarding the alternative modalities of pain relief during labour. A pre-experimental study was conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of back massage on pain among pregnant women in first stage of labour pains in a selected Hospital, Ludhiana, Punjab. The objectives of the study were to assess the pre-test level of pain in first stage of labour pains among pregnant women, to administer the back massage in first stage of labour pains, to assess the post-test level of pain and to compare the pre-test and post-test level of pain in first stage of labour pains among pregnant women and to determine the relationship of pre-test and post-test level of pain with the selected variables.Methods: Conceptual framework was based on General system theory by Ludwig Von Bertanlanffy. Modified Labour Pain Relief Tool and Participants Opinionnarie were used to assess the effectiveness of back massage.Results: Findings of the study were in the pre-test mean score was 5.83 and post-test mean score was 3.75 which was found statistically highly significant at p&lt;0.01 level. Gravida had significant impact on level of pain. Back massage had impact on level of pain among pregnant women.Conclusions: Present study revealed that in the pre-test mean score was 5.83 and post-test mean score was 3.75 which was found statistically highly significant at p&lt;0.01 level. Age, education, mother’s occupation, period of gestation and any history of abortion had no significant relationship with pain, and gravida had statistically significant relationship with pain. Back massage had impact on pain level. Therefore it was concluded that back massage was effective to reduce the level of pain

An epidemiological study to assess bone mineral density and its association with contributing factors among premenopausal and postmenopausal women in selected villages of District Shimla, Himachal Pradesh, India

Background: Development of peak bone mass and premenopausal bone loss is determined by the menstrual status of women. Decline in bone mass with age becomes accelerated during menopause. Menopausal bone loss refers to the accelerated bone loss that occurs during the BM) of premenopausal and post-menopausal women, to identify the contributing factors associated with BMD among pre and post-menopausal women, to compare the level of BMD and the contributing factors of pre-menopausal women with post-menopausal women.Methods: It was quantative research approach and epidemiological analytic research design was used. Total enumeration technique was adopted in this study.Results: Analysis of data was done in accordance with the objectives of the study. Findings show that among premenopausal women 45.10% of the women had osteopenia and 8.20% of the women had osteoporosis, among postmenopausal women 50.00% of the women had oestriopenic and 41.2% of the women had osteoporosis. The analysis shows that factors such as BMI, Health status, life style, age, economic status and dietary patter plays important role to accelerate the level of T-score more than -1 in both group either premenopausal women or post-menopausal women. It shows the significance at the level of p&lt;0.001.Conclusions: The study was completed in July 2016, concludes that there are many factors that can lead to have risk of osteoporosis related fracture. As age is increased the risk is also increased to get the fracture. Every woman can go for screening of BMD test to control the risk of fracture

Clear cell myoepithelioma of the hard palate

Salivary gland myoepitheliomas are rare tumours. We report the case of a 40-year-old female who presented to us with a hard palatal mass. The tumour was excised with a healthy rim of surrounding tissue. Histological and immunohistochemical analyses revealed the tumour to be a myoepithelioma of the clear cell variety

A Group Intervention for HIV/STI Risk Reduction among Indian Couples

Background: HIV in India is transmitted primarily by heterosexual contact. The present study sought to test the feasibility of a group HIV/STI risk re­duction intervention among heterosexual couples in India. Methods: Focus groups and key informant interviews were used in 2008 to cul­turally tailor the intervention. Thirty sexually active and HIV/STI negative cou­ples were enrolled and assessed regarding risk behavior and sexual barrier accept­ability. Gender-concordant group sessions used cognitive behavioral strategies for HIV/STI prevention. Results: At baseline, male condom use was low (36%); no participants re­ported use of female condoms or vaginal gels. HIV knowledge was low; women had more HIV knowledge and more positive attitudes towards con­dom use than men. Post-intervention, willingness to use all barrier products (t = 10.0, P< .001) and intentions to avoid risk behavior increased ( t = 5.62, P< .001). Conclusion: This study illustrates the feasibility of utilizing a group interven­tion to enhance HIV/STI risk reduction among Indian couples