A Longitudinal growth study of weight among Lodha and Non-Lodha infants and young children of Lodhasuli, West Bengal, India

Abstract This is the first community based longitudinal study among the Lodha tribals and nonLodha children of Lodhasuli, West Bengal, India. The objective of the present longitudinal growth study was to compare the growth in weight of Lodha (tribal) children with the nonLodha children of two different nearby villages of Midnapore. The weight of 44 boys and 55 girls, from poor-class families in tribal and rural part of the Lodhasuli, Midnapore, were taken at one month interval over periods of up to 24 months. Independent sample ttest were used to compare the weight between sex and caste. Significant differences (p<0.001) in weight among both boys and girls were observed. Significant deviations (p<0.001) in weight were also observed from the NCHS data

2011), “Anthropometric assessment of nutritional status among college women of Midnapore

ABSTRACT A woman's nutritional status has important implications for her health as well as the health of her children. The present cross-sectional study was undertaken to determine the overall prevalence of undernutrition among young adult women of Raja N. L. Khan Women's College, Midnapore, West Bengal, India. Our study measured data on height and weight of adults aged 18-20 years. A total of 491 females were measured. One commonly used indicator i.e., body mass index (BMI; kg/m 2 ), was used to evaluate the nutritional status of the subjects. Based on BMI, chronic energy deficiency (CED) was used as a measure of undernutrition. The mean (SD) BMI of the subjects was 20.05 kg/m 2 (SD = 2.63). Results revealed that there was a significant (F = 4.085***, p < 0.001) increasing age trend in mean BMI. The overall age combined prevalence of CED was 28.3 %. Overall, only 4.5 % belonged to the overweight category. A significant (chi-square = 31.439; p < 0.001) age relationship existed in the prevalence of CED. According to the WHO classification of low BMI, it is clear that studied college girls of Midnapore, India are in serious situation for all ages and the youngest (18 years) among them are experiencing the most serious situation (32.7 %) with respect to their health and nutritional status. Overall prevalence of CED was (28.3 %). Conditions of the young women's were more severe and this severity decreases with increasing age of these women's. Results have been compared with recent reports from 18 states of India

AGRICULTURAL WORKERS AND BURDEN OF MORBIDITY: A COMMUNITY-BASED CROSSSECTIONAL STUDY IN A RURAL BLOCK OF WEST BENGAL

Objective: Agriculture is one of the most hazardous occupations in developing and industrialized countries. Most agricultural workers in developing countries have poor housing conditions and an inadequate diet and are exposed to both general and occupational diseases. The study was undertaken to find out the prevalence of occupational morbidity and its associated risk factors among agricultural workers in a rural Block of West Bengal. Methods: The study was conducted among agriculture workers of Habra Block-I of the state of West Bengal. Multistage random sampling method was followed to select a total of 302 individuals who were distributed among the four villages according to the Probability Proportional to Size (PPS) method. Results: The majority of workers (58.6%) were suffering from nutritional pallor/anemia and dental carries/dental stains were 45.4%. Among other morbidities, 42% of workers were suffering from respiratory morbidity, 26.8% of workers were suffering from cardiovascular diseases, and 26.5% were suffering from hypertension. Duration of work (more than 8 h/day) was significantly associated with morbidity also other covariates such as age, sex, type of family, smoking status, and alcohol consumption had significant effects on morbidity among agriculture workers in both bivariate and multivariable linear regression. Conclusion: This research revealed not only the high prevalence of morbidities among the study population but also the occurrence of a large population with modifiable risk factors such as alcohol consumption, smoking, high load and long duration of work, poor personal hygiene, and non-use of personal protection equipment; the latter, if taken care, will reduce the morbidities of the agriculture workers

The use of Medicinal Plants for the treatment of Gonorrhoea and Syphilis in South West Bengal of India

Gonorrhoea and Syphilis as Sexually Transmitted Infections occur throughout the world. In India the prevalence of these diseases are in alarming situation due to the rapid spread of the diseases, high cost of treatment and the increased risk of transmission. Current therapies available for symptomatic treatment are quite expensive beyond the reach of common people and associated with the emergence of drug resistance. Many patients seeking help from the alternative systems of medicines for treatment. In our country several crude plants are used as medicine since Vedic period. Herbal medicines provide rational means for the treatment of many Sexually Transmitted Infections. The herbal medicines have many advantages: have no side effects, better patient tolerance and relatively less expensive. Locally available herbal practitioners or healers have practiced since past in this direction. Furthermore the acceptability of herbal medicines are greater to control these infections due to the social stigma associated with them and in case of women it is much more acceptable to discuss their problem with the traditional healers or herbal medical practitioners. In the present study thirty seven medicinal plants have been recorded for the treatment of Gonorrhoea and Syphilis and documented from South West Bengal of India

The use of Medicinal Plants for the treatment of Gonorrhoea and Syphilis in South West Bengal of India

Gonorrhoea and Syphilis as Sexually Transmitted Infections occur throughout the world. In India the prevalence of these diseases are in alarming situation due to the rapid spread of the diseases, high cost of treatment and the increased risk of transmission. Current therapies available for symptomatic treatment are quite expensive beyond the reach of common people and associated with the emergence of drug resistance. Many patients seeking help from the alternative systems of medicines for treatment. In our country several crude plants are used as medicine since Vedic period. Herbal medicines provide rational means for the treatment of many Sexually Transmitted Infections. The herbal medicines have many advantages: have no side effects, better patient tolerance and relatively less expensive. Locally available herbal practitioners or healers have practiced since past in this direction. Furthermore the acceptability of herbal medicines are greater to control these infections due to the social stigma associated with them and in case of women it is much more acceptable to discuss their problem with the traditional healers or herbal medical practitioners. In the present study thirty seven medicinal plants have been recorded for the treatment of Gonorrhoea and Syphilis and documented from South West Bengal of India

Geriatric Disability and Associated Risk Factors: A Community Based Study in a Rural Area of West Bengal, India

Background: Similar to developed countries, aging is increasedin India. Because of the epidemiology and demographictransition phase, chronic diseases and disabilitiesalong with health costs are increasing day by day. As socialfactors and chronic diseases are the major reasons for geriatricdisability, the present study was done with the following objectives:to assess and compare the socio-demographic characteristicsamong the disabled and non-disabled geriatric population,and to find out the association between sociodemographicand chronic diseases with functional disabilityamong the study population.Methods: A cross-sectional study was done in a rural communityof West Bengal, India. House to house visit, clinicalexamination, observation, and interview were done with a predesigned,pre-tested proforma. Epi Info and SPSS softwarewere used for statistical analysis.Results: A total of 458 people had chronic conditions and theprevalence of disability was 17.47%. Among the sociodemographicvariables, age, female sex, marital status, literacystatus, and family composition and among the chronic diseases,tuberculosis, chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases, ischemicheart disease, osteoarthritis, neuropathy, acid peptic disorder,prostatic hypertrophy, and osteoporosis were found as risk factorsof disability in binary logistic regression analysis. 71.2% ofthe disabilities were explained by these risk factors.Conclusion: The data highlighted the different risk factorsassociated with disability. No single measure rather multidimensionalapproach should be the model for the preventionof disability

THE PATTERN OF SKIN DISEASES OF PATIENTS ATTENDING THE OUT PATIENTS DEPARTMENT IN A MEDICAL COLLEGE IN A DISTRICT IN WEST BENGAL

Introduction – The pattern of skin diseases are different in different places. The pattern depends on environmental conditions. It also depends on the socioeconomic conditions. General conditions of living, hygiene, nutritional status can affect the types of skin diseases that are occurring. Aim --  To find out the pattern of skin diseases among the patients attending the Dermatology outdoor of a Medical College located in a district in West Bengal. Materials & Methods – This is an observational study. Patients attending the dermatology outdoor were included following the Inclusion & Exclusion criteria. Results – In this study we found that Infective diseases (51.09 %)  were more than Non Infective diseases (44.31 %). Among the Infective diseases Dermatophyte infection (15.22 %) & Scabies (12.31 % ) were the highest. Eczema (11.68 % )& Contact Dermatitis (10.07 % ) were the highest among the Non Infective diseases. Conclusion – This study shows the pattern of skin diseases among the patients attending the dermatology outdoor. This gives a good idea about the skin diseases prevalent in this region. This knowledge will help to formulate policies regarding healthcare. It will also help to have an idea about the medicines & human resources required to deliver service to the people.&nbsp