Utilization pattern of antenatal health care services among married women of reproductive age group in the rural area of Surendranagar district, Gujarat, India: a community based cross sectional study

Background: Maternal mortality continues to be a major public health problem. Inspite of the existence of national programmes for improving maternal and child health in India, maternal mortality and morbidity continue to be high. High quality antenatal care is the most important way to reduce the maternal morbidity and mortality. Utilization of Ante natal care (ANC) services is poor in the rural areas, causing significant impact on the health of the mother and ultimately leads to increased maternal morbidity and mortality.Methods: It was a Community based Cross-sectional study. The study was carried out through oral questionnaire method using pre-designed and pretested performa. All the information was collected, compiled and analysed by applying suitable tests. The data was analysed by Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) and Microsoft word and Excel have been used to generate graphs, tables etc.Results: A total of 403 women were included in the study. Pregnancy registration was done by 88.77% of the women at either government facility or private doctor. Out of total registered women, majority i.e. 54.25% had registered their pregnancy during 2nd trimester. In response to frequency of antenatal visits, study showed that, 59.18% (216) women had availed three or more than three antenatal visits. It was found that 81.92% (299) had taken complete (2 doses) tetanus immunization. About 47% of women had completed full course of iron and folic acid tablets. It was observed that only 46.03% women had availed complete ANC package.Conclusions: Although Antenatal services in India have been created, strengthened and expanded over the years, their output in terms of utilization particularly in rural area is still limited. The present study has brought out many significant socio cultural barriers like caste, women’s literacy, husband’s literacy, occupation of women, socio-economic class and parity of women affecting the utilization of services

A study to evaluate the effects of nutritional intervention measures on children admitted in the nutritional rehabilitation center (Bal Sanjeevani Kendra) of Surendranagar district

Background:The life cycle dynamics of the causes and consequences of malnutrition demand a holistic and all inclusive approach to prevent and treat under-nutrition and nutritional deficiencies. In response, Government of Gujarat launched “Mission Balam Sukham” in the year 2012 which focuses on both preventive and curative aspects. Curative aspect consist of three tier approach for integrated management of malnutrition at three different levels. Nutritional rehabilitation Center is a unit in a district health facility where children with severe acute malnutrition are admitted and provided with the nutritional & therapeutic care.Methods: Analysis of data of all the children admitted to Nutritional Rehabilitation Centre of Surendranagar district from June-2012 to November 2013. Statistical analysis was done using SPSS.Results: A total of 280 children were included in the study. The overall mean weight at admission was found 8.30 kg with standard deviation of 2.09 kg and the mean weight at the time of discharge was 8.97 kg with standard deviation of 2.16 kg. Average weight gain among 141 boys was 6.63 g/kg/day and among girls was found 7.60 g/kg/day. Out of total 280 children, 103 (36.79%) children had weight gain as per the standard criteria (8 gm/kg/day). Diarrhoea was found to be the associated medical condition in majority of the children. Out of total 184 children without medical complications, 97 (52.72%) children had weight gain as per the standard criteria.Conclusions: Present study reflected that Nutritional Rehabilitation Centers have been playing a key role to cope with malnutrition as demonstrated by high weight gain rate as well as high recovery rate.

Utilization pattern of child health care services in the rural area of Surendranagar district: a community based cross sectional study

Background: Infant and child mortality continues to be a major public health problem all over the country. Despite the existence of national programmes for improving child health in India, child mortality and morbidity continue to be high. Utilization of child health care services is poor in the rural areas, causing significant impact on the health causing increased morbidity and mortality.Methods: It was a Community based Cross-sectional study carried out in the rural area of Surendranagar district through oral questionnaire method which was pre-designed and pretested. Data on demography, history of colostrum, initiation of breastfeeding, prelacteal feeds, exclusive breastfeeding, introduction of complementary feeding, immunization, respiratory infections etc. were collected, compiled and analyzed by applying appropriate tests using SPSS.Results: Out of 154 participants, 43.51% were offered breastfeeding within one hour of birth. Association was observed between initiation of breastfeeding, exclusive breastfeeding, time of introduction of complementary foods and duration of breastfeeding and utilization of health education services. Educational level of mothers and immunization status of the children had a significant statistical association. The overall prevalence of ARI was 31.82% & of Diarrhoea was 39.61%.Conclusions: A positive association was observed between nutritional status and utilization of nutritional services. Significant impact of health education services given during the antenatal period was observed on initiation of breastfeeding as well as exclusive breastfeeding. Although child services in India have been created, strengthened and expanded over the years, their performance in terms of utilization particularly in rural area is still limited

Violence against women: a study on nature, prevalence and extent

Background: To study the nature, prevalence and extent of domestic violence against women in the study area.Methods: The cross-sectional study was carried out in the urban and rural area of Surendranagar district of Gujarat. Total 600 ever married women of 15-49 years of age were selected for the study purpose. The self-administered questionnaire was used to gather all the information. Steps were taken up to maintain confidentiality.Results: Out of total 600 women, 231 (38.5%) were victims of domestic violence in one form or the other. The analysis based on each form of violence discloses that about 83% were victims of psychological violence, about 54% of the victims had experienced physical violence, about 32% were victims of economical violence and about 24% were victims of sexual violence.Conclusions: Husband was the frequent instigator of domestic violence. Psychological violence is the commonest form of violence experienced by the victims

Putting into Question the Imaginary of Recovery: A Dialectical Reading of the Global Financial Crisis and its Aftermath

In this article we put into question the discourses that emerged during the Global Financial Crisis (GFC) and that coalesced around a particular socio-economic imaginary of ?recovery? over the period 2009-2012. Our reading of these discourses is very much guided by the notion of the dialectic as developed by Fredric Jameson, and as such this paper can be read as attempt to put his theoretical ideas to work. Through our dialectical reading we aim to create a certain estrangement effect that makes the imaginary of recovery seem very odd and unnatural. In order to achieve such an effect we postulate four theses which are deliberately antagonistic: first, that there has been no ?crisis of capitalism?; second, that we must change the valence of the GFC from negative to positive; third, that the relationship between finance capitalism and ?free markets? is deeply contradictory; and fourth, that we must resist the regulation discourse

Halloween, Organization, and the Ethics of Uncanny Celebration

This article examines the relationship between organizational ethics, the uncanny, and the annual celebration of Halloween. We begin by exploring the traditional and contemporary organizational function of Halloween as ‘tension-management ritual’ (Etzioni, Sociol Theory 18(1):44–59, 2000) through which collective fears, anxieties, and fantasies are played out and given material expression. Combining the uncanny with the folkloric concept of ostension, we then examine an incident in which UK supermarket retailers made national news headlines for selling offensive Halloween costumes depicting ‘escaped mental patients’. Rather than treating this incident as a problem of moral hygiene—in which products are removed, apologies made, and lessons learned—we consider the value of Halloween as a unique and disruptive ethical encounter with the uncanny Other. Looking beyond its commercial appeal and controversy, we reflect on the creative, generous, and disruptive potential of Halloween as both tension-management ritual and unique organizational space of hospitality through which to receive and embrace alterity and so discover the homely within the unheimlich