Body image perception, eating attitude and influence of media among undergraduate students of medical college in Delhi: a cross sectional study

Background: Body image perception is being shaped by unrealistic ideals portrayed in the media. Body dissatisfaction is one of the most consistent and robust risk factors for eating disorders, low self-esteem, depression, and obesity. Therefore, the objective of the current study is to ascertain the body image perception, abnormal eating attitudes and the role of media among undergraduate students of a medical college in Delhi, India.Methods: Cross-sectional study on 370 undergraduate medical students of Vardhman Mahavir Medical College and Safdarjung Hospital, New Delhi, India selected using stratified random sampling. India. Students completed a self-administered questionnaire which consist of demographic information, perceived body image, Eating Attitudes test (EAT-26) to assess eating attitudes, Socio Cultural Attitude Towards Appearance Questionnaire 3(SATAQ-3) scale for the role of media on body image perception. Data was analyzed using SPSS v21.Results: A total of 370 students (57.6% males and 42.4% females) aged 17-30 years, mean age of 20.30 years±2.02(SD). Abnormal body image perception was seen in 35.4%, 21.1% had abnormal eating attitude (EAT-26≥20), 36.5%, 40.5% agreed to be influenced by models and athletic figures in media respectively, 42.2% accepted that media was their source of information regarding standards of attractiveness, 27.6% felt pressured to be attractive according to SATAQ-3. Males more than females had disordered eating attitudes and felt media pressure to achieve an ideal body image. Significant association was observed between age and perceived body image (p=0.033), gender and EAT-26 score (p=0.039), EAT 26 and perceived body image (p=0.006), general internalization of media and perceived body image (p=0.003), internalization-general, internalization-athlete, media as source of information and EAT-26 score (<0.001, 0.001, 0.003 respectively).Conclusions: The media should take more responsibility to not represent unrealistic ideals of body image concerning both males and females. Educational and preventive efforts at institutional levels should be made to promote a healthy body image and eating behaviours

Current status of immunoglobulin M seroprevalence in women with adverse reproductive outcomes in current pregnancy: experience in a teaching institution

Background: During pregnancy, the immune system is suppressed, making the individual susceptible to infections. One of the most common causes of perinatal mortality in developing countries is TORCH infections. Screening for TORCH agents during pregnancy identifies high risk mothers thereby providing the clinician with opportunity to intervene.Methods: A total of two hundred women with adverse pregnancy events in current pregnancy formed the study group while 150 women with normal pregnancy outcome formed control group. Presence of IgM antibodies against TORCH agents were detected by ELISA and results expressed qualitatively as positive or negative.Results: Our study revealed 45.56% women in current pregnancy were positive for IgM serology while in controls it was only 14.67 % (p value <0.0001). The percentage frequency of TORCH agents in terms of IgM seropositivity for toxoplasma was as 14.63%, 15.86% for rubella, 23.17% for CMV, 46.34% for HSV.Conclusions: It may not be possible to screen all patients with adverse reproductive outcome for TORCH but all women with adverse reproductive outcome in current pregnancy should be subjected to TORCH testing, especially to safeguard future pregnancies. The affected females should be counseled regarding continuation of pregnancy but remain under observation and treatment. Positive serology findings as supportive evidence to clinical diagnosis, if kept in consideration, may help manage future pregnancies more effectively

Assessment of groundwater quality status by using water quality index (WQI) and geographic information system (GIS) approaches: a case study of the Bokaro district, India

Abstract One hundred two groundwater samples were collected from the Bokaro district of Jharkhand state, India, during the pre-and post-monsoon seasons of the year 2014–2015. In the present study, groundwater samples were analysed for pH, TDS, TH, Ca2+, Mg2+, Na+, K+, Cl−, SO4 2−, HCO3 −, F− and NO3 − to evaluate the suitability of the groundwater for drinking purposes through geographic information system (GIS)-based water quality index (WQI) model. For quality assessment, values of analysed parameters of the groundwater samples were compared with the Bureau of Indian standards (BIS) and World Health Organization (WHO) water quality standards. The analytical results indicate slightly acidic to slightly alkaline nature of the groundwater in the study area. Concentrations of Ca2+, Mg2+, HCO3 −, F−, NO3 −, TDS and TH exceeded the desirable as well as permissible limits of drinking water quality standards recommended by the BIS (Indian Standard Drinking Water Specification, 2012) and WHO (Guidelines for drinking water quality: training pack, WHO, Geneva, 2004) in the study area during the pre- and post-monsoon seasons, respectively. However, Na+, K+, Cl− and SO4 2− concentrations were within the permissible limits during both seasons. The hydrochemical analysis of the studied groundwater samples documented with ternary and Durov diagram revealed that most of the groundwater samples belong to HCO3 − type of anions facies and no dominant type of cation facies. The GIS-based WQI maps for the study area indicate that the poor quality of water was found the maximum in the pre-monsoon season as compared to the post-monsoon season in the study area, respectively. The high values of WQI in the several groundwater samples of the Bokaro district indicate that water is not suitable for direct consumptions and it required sustainable treatment before its utilization for drinking uses

Safe Journey to Motherhood: Awareness of Pregnant Women regarding Transport Facility for Delivery in India

Background: Majority of maternal deaths occur during labor, delivery and within 24 hours post-partum. Care-seeking is delayed because of the delay in Identifying the complication, deciding to seek care, identifying and reaching a health facility, and receiving adequate and appropriate treatment at the health facility. Transport to health facility plays a crucial role in birth preparedness and complication readiness. Methods: Review of literature was done with the help of search engines like Pub Med and Google Scholar which were searched for relevant articles published after 2008. Results: It was found that few people have knowledge regarding transport services available for delivery through government. So, delay in reaching health facility during labor or during complications due to pregnancy occurs. It also plays a major role for maternal morbidity and mortality. Conclusions: Despite facility available at health centre for transportation of pregnant women, people are not aware of these facts. Repeated and intensive IEC campaigns need to be organized at the community level to increase awareness regarding this. At Sub centre and PHC level locally available vehicles should be identified and can be hired on contractual level to fill the gap and to reduce the delay in reaching the health facility in case of delivery or in case of emergencies arising due to pregnancy

Prevalence and gender differences in risk factors for noncommunicable diseases in an urban village of Delhi, India: A community-based cross-sectional study

Introduction: About 60% of all deaths in India occur due to noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) and their complications. Early screening for the risk factors can result in a significant reduction in morbidity & mortality. The study was conducted to assess the risk factors for common NCD in an urban village of Delhi, India. Material & Methods: A house-to-house survey was conducted in the study area and risk assessment was done for apparently healthy individuals ≥30 years of age using Community-Based Assessment Checklist by the National Program for Prevention and Control of Cancer, Diabetes, Cardiovascular Diseases, and Stroke. Participants with a total risk score of more than four were categorized as being at risk of development of NCDs. Descriptive analysis was performed and Chi-square was used to find out gender-related differences in risk factor scores. Results: A total of 478 adults participated in the study with a mean age of 40.3 ± 9.7 years and 54.6% were females. Majority (93.1%) of study participants had at least one risk factor. Approximately 17.2% of study participants had a total risk score of more than 4. There was a high prevalence of modifiable risk factors with more males being tobacco (P < 0.001) and alcohol users (P < 0.001) and more females being inactive (P = 0.007) and having abdominal obesity (P < 0.001). Conclusion: One in six study participants with age ≥30 years was found to be at high risk of having NCDs. This calls for heightened screening activities in this age group along with gender-specific approaches to address the risk factors

Satisfaction among patients seeking services at an urban health training center during the COVID-19 pandemic in South Delhi, India

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has posed challenges to the provision of routine health services. As we continue providing non-COVID services, it is essential that the community perceives them to be satisfactory and safe to ensure optimum uptake. The objective of the study was to determine the satisfaction and perceived safety among patients availing services at an urban health training center (UHTC) during the COVID-19 pandemic in South Delhi. Methods: UHTC, Aliganj caters to a population of over 6000, in an urbanized village of South Delhi. A pre-designed, semi-structured questionnaire incorporating the North Indian OPD Satisfaction Scale along with questions on sociodemographic details and perception of safety was used. Systematic random sampling was used to select the patients from the study population which included those above 18 years attending UHTC from November–December 2020. Exit interviews were done by a trained independent interviewer to reduce bias. Data were analyzed in SPSS using Chi-square and Fisher's Exact tests. Results: Out of 218 patients, 161 (73.7%) were satisfied, 174 (79.8%) felt safe to visit UHTC during the pandemic and 143 (65.6%) felt both satisfied and safe. Patients were dissatisfied with screening for COVID-19 (29.5%), amenities (47.1%), cleanliness (51.8%), and waiting and registration (62.9%). Conclusion: The majority of patients were satisfied and found the UHTC services safe. A large proportion of patients found location, doctor–patient interaction, and COVID-appropriate behavior at the center to be satisfactory, but there was scope to improve waiting and registration, cleanliness, and effectiveness of screening for COVID

Advanced glycation end-products inhibitors isolated from <i>Schisandra grandiflora</i>

<div><p>Free radicals scavenging and advanced glycation end-products (AGEs) inhibitory potentials in crude chloroform extract of <i>Schisandra grandiflora</i> were evaluated. Bioassay-guided isolation of the chloroform extract led to the identification of 24 compounds. Among the isolates, ( ± ) gomisin M₁, arisantetralone C and D, macelignan, saurulignan B and SZ-MO displayed potent-free radical scavenging as well as AGEs inhibitory potentials. This is the first report identifying the presence of AGEs inhibitory activity and assigning AGEs inhibitory activity to these compounds. Therefore, our research finds new application of traditional medicinal plant <i>S. grandiflora</i> having capacity to reduce formation and accumulation of AGEs in diabetes.</p></div