A Cross-sectional study on Out-of-Pocket expenditure towards Immunization and its consequences faced by families with under-five Children Residing at one of the Cities of Western India

Background: When immunization of under-five children results in Out-of-Pocket Expenditure (OOPE), it affects motivation of parents for vaccination inversely. Objectives: To assess determinants affecting preference for specific/mixed type of health facilities and to estimate out-of-pocket expenditure towards immunization of under-five children. To assess opinion of participants for prevention/decreasing OOPE towards immunization. Methods: A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted at one of zones of Ahmedabad city, selected by simple random sampling. Following technique of “30×7 cluster survey” with necessary house-hold information received from Municipal Corporation, selection of 7 children was pursued from each cluster reaching to sample-size of 210 (30 X 7). Results: Of 211 children included in study, 124(58.77%), 68(32.23%) and 19(9%) had taken immunization services from government, private and mixed variety respectively. Majority of families (110, 88.71%) preferring government healthcare-facility for immunization incurred expenses <5000 INR/child as while in other two groups, all beneficiaries had expensed>5000 INR/child. Conclusions: Determinants like child’s gender, parents’ education, Type of family, Socio-economic status, delivery place of child and occupation of father had statistically significant association with preferred place of vaccination. Fixation of upper ceiling-limit of vaccines which are recommended by pediatricians but not covered in government run program was one of suggestions

A Study on Internet and Gaming Addiction, Hikikomori Trait and Insomnia Status among Medical Undergraduates at one of Cities of Western India

Background: College students appear more vulnerable in developing a dependence on the internet. Individuals with hikikomori are frequently reported to have social contact predominantly via the internet. Objectives: To find the prevalence of Internet addiction, gaming Addiction, Hikikomori Trait and Insomnia amongst medical undergraduates and to study their association with various determinants. Methodology: The present Cross-Sectional study was conducted among first to final-year medical students studying at various medical colleges in Indian City from February to May 2021. Data collection was done after obtaining the ethical permission of the Institute. A total of 400 students who gave consent were sent an electronic questionnaire. Results: The mean age of study participants was 20 ± 1.58 years. Internet addiction was present in 189(47.2%) participants, gaming addiction in 128 (32%) students and Hikikomori Trait was found in 98(24.5%) students. There was a statistically significant association between different grades of insomnia and internet, gaming addiction, and hikikomori trait (<?0.0001) in the present study. Conclusion: Internet addiction was present in almost half of the medical students while gaming addiction was seen in nearly one third of the students. Male gender and hostel stay had a statistically significant association with internet addiction, gaming addiction, insomnia and hikikomori trait

Risk factors of occupation related back pain and neck pain among patients attending tertiary care hospital, Ahmedabad, India

Introduction: Neck/back pain is one of the common health problems associated with significant impact on health resulting in sickness absenteeism. Neck/back pain is one of important causes of disability adjusted life years worldwide. The Objectives of study were: To identify various occupations related risk factors and their possible role in occurrence of back pain/neck pain and Visual analogue scale(VAS) assessment of their perceived pain. Methods: The study was conducted at one of the tertiary care hospital at Ahmedabad city, India. All patients above age of 18 years attending physiotherapy department for treatment of back pain/neck pain and gave consent were taken as study participants. Information about certain body postures in their lifestyle or at workplace which can have effects on back pain/neck pain were asked. VAS for perceived pain was anchored by “no pain” (score 0) and “pain as bad as it could be” (score 100). Data were entered in MS Excel and analyzed by frequency, contingency coefficient and Goodman & Kruskal’s Gamma test. Result and Conclusion: Total of 512 participants were included in study, among which 53 & 392 participants had Neck pain and Back pain alone, respectively, while 67 participants had both Neck and Back pain. Age, Marital status, socioeconomic class, BMI and type of occupation revealed statistically significant association with severity of pain. Various body postures like prolonged sitting/ standing, frequent bending at waist/knee, Pulling/Pushing heavy objects, frequent weight lifting > 10 kg. and repetitive movement of back/neck revealed as statistically significant risk factors for back/neck pain

Screening of Gestational Diabetes and Hypertension Among Antenatal Women in Rural West India

Background: Hypertension and gestational diabetes are among the leading causes of maternal and perinatal mortality, especially in rural areas of developing countries with meager health facilities. With early diagnosis and timely treatment, these adverse events can be decreased. The primary aim of this study was to implement a screening program for gestational diabetes and hypertension, and to assess risk factors associated with these conditions among antenatal women in the rural area of the Gujarat province in India.Methods: A cross–sectional study was conducted at one of the rural areas of Gujarat province in India. Following a random  cluster sampling procedure, the village of Davas was selected. A multistage random sampling method was utilized, resulting in a sample of 346 antenatal women. Screening guidelines from the American Diabetes Association were followed for gestational diabetes screening.Results: The majority of antenatal mothers (55.50%) were between 21-25 years of age. 242 antenatal women were multigravida, and among them, 85.96% had institutional delivery at their last pregnancy. Of the total 346 women, 17.60% were prehypertensive. The prevalence of systolic hypertension was 1.40%, diastolic hypertension was 0.90%, and gestational diabetes was 1.73%.Conclusion: Socioeconomically upper class, a family history of hypertension, and BMI ? 25 were strong risk factors for hypertension during pregnancy and gestational diabetes. Health education should be made readily available to antenatal mothers by paramedical workers regarding symptoms of hypertension and gestational diabetes mellitus for early self identification

Assessment of quality of life among terminally ill cancer patients receiving palliative care at hospice centre, Ahmedabad City, India

Background: Cancer has been the leading cause of death worldwide, and palliative care is an approach that improves the quality of life (QoL) of patients and their families facing the problem associated with life-threatening illness. Hospice care helps patients and their family to cope with the change from treating the cancer to living life as fully as possible through their final days. This study aimed to (1) assess the sociodemographic and clinical profile of terminally ill cancer patients, (2) assess the QoL among terminally ill cancer patients receiving palliative care, and (3) study various determinants affecting their QoL. Material and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among terminally ill cancer patients receiving palliative care at the Hospice Centre, Community Oncology Centre, Ahmedabad. Based on previous years' admission data, a sample size of 360 was taken. Patients who are seriously ill up to the extent that they were unable to respond and had a previous positive history of psychiatric illness before the diagnosis of cancer were excluded. Institutional ethical committee (IEC) permission was obtained before the study. Statistical analysis was performed using the Chi-square test in Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) software. Results: The mean age of participants was 48.1 ± 13.0 years. The gender distribution of participants was males and females (226 (62.8%) and 134 (37.2%)), respectively. On studying, the involvement of various anatomical sites as “primary site of cancer” revealed that head and neck carcinoma had the highest (63.3%) involvement and hematological cancer had the lowest (0.6%) involvement. Of total, 62% of participants had “below-average QoL,” followed by 34.9% of participants having “significantly poor QoL.” There was a significant association between different age groups, time lag in cancer diagnosis, and treatment initiation and QoL. Conclusion: Spearman's rank correlations between the majority of factors fell in “low partially positive” category except for the physical well-being (factor 2) and psychosocial well-being (factor 3) with optimism and belief (factor 7), where they were in “low partially negative” category

An An epidemiological profile of women suffering from urinary incontinence residing at one of the cities of western India: A mixed method approach study

Introduction: Urinary incontinence (UI), a discomforting condition is predominantly seen in women. Affected women must modify their lifestyles to alleviate symptoms and associated complications. Objectives: To find the prevalence, determinants, and association of UI with Socio-demographic, obstetrical, gynecological, and personal history and its impact on quality of life. Methods: Research was conducted with a mixed method approach (quantitative and qualitative assessment) among women residing in urban slum of Ahmedabad city, India. Sample size calculated was 457. The study was conducted in urban slums served by one of the Urban Health Centres (UHC) of Ahmedabad city. A modified pre-evaluated standard questionnaire developed by International Consultation on Incontinence Questionnaire (ICIQ) was used for quantitative part. Qualitative part consisted of Focused Group Discussions (FGD) which was carried out amongst the women in batches of 5-7 per discussion. Results: Prevalence of UI was found to be 30% among study participants. A statistically significant relation was seen between the presence of UI and Age, Marital Status, Parity, past history of abortion, and occurrence of Urinary Tract Infection(UTI) in the last year (P<0.05). Comparison of severity of UI by calculating ICIQ score showed statistically significant relation of same with Age, Occupation, Literacy, Socioeconomic status, and Parity (P<0.05). More than 50% of women suffering from UI were having chronic constipation, reduced daily sleep, and diabetes. Only 7% of the total women suffering from UI had consulted doctor for their problem. Conclusion: Prevalence of UI was found to be 30% in study participants. Sociodemographic factors like age, marital status, and socio-economic class were found to have statistically significant effects on existing UI at the time of interview. ICIQ categories of UI were found to be influenced statistically by age, occupation, literacy, socio-economic class parity and obstetric factors like place of delivery and facilitator of delivery. Most participants (93%) had never consulted a doctor for various reasons/myths like it shall resolve on its own, Belief that it is a normal age-related phenomenon, shyness to discuss issues with male doctors/members of family, and financial reasons

Radar Vegetation Index for assessing cotton crop condition using RISAT-1 data

Periodic crop condition monitoring is of prime importance in cotton belt of western India for water stress management. In this article, vegetation water content (VWC) is assessed using Radar Vegetation Index (RVI) derived from the RISAT-1 data during July to September, vegetative to first picking phase, for utilizing its potential for large area cotton condition assessment. The RVI estimation from dual-polarized data has been demonstrated for regional applications. Prediction models of VWC for cotton crop using RVI and in situ ground measurements depicts significant relationship, with R2 varying from 0.5 to 0.6 and RMSE of 0.3–0.7 kg m−2. High correlation exists between RVI with crop age and crop biomass with R2 varying from 0.55 to 0.7, this proves useful for sowing date prediction. The results showed good validation (R2 = 0.8) for operational applications. The estimated VWC was found with 30–35% error above 4 kg m−2 biomasses as compared to 20–25% in lower ranges

Monitoring cotton crop condition through synergy of optical and radar remote sensing

Synergistic use of Optical and Microwave remotely sensed data for cotton condition based on biophysical traits, indices from ground measurements and satellite derived reflectance were assessed. Regression models derived for estimating LAI, biomass and VWC using ground based indices were applied to satellite products. LAI, biomass and VWC of cotton with optical VIs as input (R2= 0.42, 0.51 and 0.52) respectively were estimated. Correlation between RVI and plant height, crop age and VWC were found between 0.4 and 0.6. Fresh biomass from RVI ranged 100 –4000 gm−2, dry biomass from NDVI ranged 50–950 gm−2 and VWC 65–85%. Correlation between VIs and RVI was found to be non- significant. A multiple linear regression model using NDVI vs. LSWI and RVI were developed to assess LAI, biomass and VWC. The model predicted LAI with R2 of 0.5 but failed to estimate biomass and VWC

A study on epidemiology of unintentional childhood injury at one of the districts of Gujarat State: An Indian council of medical research task force study

Context: Childhood injuries are a less explored area of public health. In the presence of public health problems such as communicable and noncommunicable diseases, childhood injury has gained less attention from the health system. Aims: The aim of the study was to assess the prevalence of various types of unintentional injuries (UI) amongst children and to assess the factors associated with same. Settings and Design: The study was conducted at Ahmedabad District of Gujarat State, and this is a cross-sectional sStudy. Subjects and Methods: The current study was a part of a multicentric national level research supported by Indian Council of Medical Research. Total 11 sites were selected across India, which all followed a uniform methodology. One of the selected sites was Dholka taluka of Ahmedabad district, Gujarat. This cross-sectional study was conducted in 2341 households. The study participants were children aged from 6 months up to 18 years. A total of 3018 children and their caretakers were interviewed using software-based questionnaire. Statistical Analysis Used: Statistical analysis was performed by frequencies and Percentage, Chi-square Test, Z-Test. Results: The overall prevalence of injuries was 7.62%. Gender and area of residence were significantly associated with UI. Fall-related injuries had the highest prevalence (3.38%), followed by road traffic injuries (RTI) (1.62%). The prevalence of burn-related injuries and poisoning was higher among females compared to males. No mortality was observed due to UI. Conclusions: Majority of the injuries were of minor or trivial type. Fall-related injury and RTI were the most common types of UIs among children

Assessment of the relation between obesity, serum lipids, and dietary intake of vegetable oils

Introduction: The study was conducted to assess the association between consumption of particular variety of cooking oil and its effect on serum lipid profile and also on body mass index (BMI). Material and Methods: The study was conducted at one of the tertiary care hospitals, Ahmedabad city, India. Patients with ≥18 years age who were undergoing “lipid profile” test at central laboratory department of selected hospital and giving consent were the study participants. Details of serum lipid profile were taken from report along with which anthropometric measurements were done and details of diet were taken. Data were entered into MS Excel and were analyzed by frequency, contingency coefficient, and Fisher's exact test. Results: Total 1000 participants were included in the study, among which 274 (27.4%) had raised lipid levels and 729 (72.9%) were preobese or obese. Association between variety of cooking oil used and cholesterol-high-density lipoprotein ratio revealed contingency coefficient value of 0.042 with P value of 0.416. Association between BMI and variety of cooking oil used revealed Fisher's exact value as 83.015 with P < 0.001. Conclusion: Statistical association was not found between serum lipid profile and type of oil used for cooking. Obesity indices revealed significant statistical association with both variety of cooking oil used and serum lipid profile. Dyslipidemia was found to have statistical significant association with raised blood pressure and raised blood glucose