Abhik Sinha

Domestic violence among ever married women of reproductive age group in a slum area of Kolkata

BACKGROUND Domestic violence has serious impact on womens health and well-being. A nationwide survey conducted in India observed that 37.2% of women experienced violence after marriage. OBJECTIVES To assess the prevalence of domestic violence among the ever married women in reproductive age group and to find out the types of domestic violence and factors associated with it. MATERIALS AND METHODS The study was a community based cross-sectional study, conducted in a slum area of Kolkata. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION Overall prevalence of domestic violence was 54%, of which 41.9% suffered from both current and lifetime physical and psychological violence. Presence of property, higher per capita income and social support were protective factors against domestic violence, whereas alcohol addiction and multiple sex partners were the important contributory factors for it. The study recommended more social support, awareness and income generation for women in the slum areas.

Epidemiological profile of snake bite in South 24 Parganas district of West Bengal with focus on underreporting of snake bite deaths

BACKGROUND Snake bite is a neglected public health problem in India. Very few community based epidemiological studies in India have been published so far on this issue. Most of the studies were carried out on hospital data. Previous community-based survey in the state revealed that only 22% snake bite victims attended hospitals. OBJECTIVES The objective of the present study is to find out the epidemiological profile of snake bite in eight blocks of the South 24-Paraganas district of West Bengal and to explore the under reporting of snake bite deaths in health facilities in that area during the study period. MATERIALS AND METHODS A retrospective analysis of snake bite data was carried out from a community-based epidemiological survey on 1.9 million populations. This survey was done door-to-door from January 2009 to October 2010 to get epidemiological profile of snake bite of the previous 2 years. The data of direct survey was compared with the official report of the same area to evaluate the hospital-based data with focus on underreporting of snakebite deaths. RESULTS A total number of snake bite cases as found in the survey in the study area was 4871. There was a huge gap between the two data (direct survey and official data). Only 7.23% snake bite deaths were officially reported. Only 22.19% of the snake bite victims attended the hospitals. Nearly 65.7% of the snake bite deaths were due to common krait bite, most of them occurring in the months of June to September. CONCLUSIONS Official reporting system is still having a huge deficiency in India. Snake bite needs to get more attention from the health authority.

Tobacco abuse among school going adolescents in a rural area of West Bengal, India.

Adolescents are vulnerable targets of tobacco industry with all consequences of usage. Studies reveal that tobacco abuse is rising in this age group in India. A cross sectional survey was carried out in two coeducational high schools of Anandanagar village of Singur block, Hooghly district, West Bengal among 276 students of VIII-IX standard to study the knowledge and abuse of tobacco and to find out influencing socio-demographic factors. Knowledge score was higher in females, students from nuclear families, and those with literate parents. Low prevalence of tobacco intake was obtained among the students, with 9.8% reported having ever used smokeless tobacco and 4.3% ever smoked. Tobacco intake was higher among those with a history of parental tobacco intake. Continued information education and communication (IEC) activities should be conducted by the school authorities, with involvement of nongovernment organizations (NGOs) and parents for primary prevention.

Healthcare-seeking behavior of patients with epileptic seizure disorders attending a tertiary care hospital, Kolkata

Introduction: Neurological diseases are very important causes of prolonged morbidity and disability, leading to profound financial loss. Epilepsy is one of the most important neurological disorders Healthcare seeking by epilepsy patients is quite diverse and unique. Aims and Objectives: The study was conducted among the epilepsy patients, to assess their healthcare-seeking behavior and its determinants. Materials and Methods: Three hundred and fifteen epilepsy patients, selected by systematic random sampling, in the neuromedicine outpatient department of a tertiary care hospital were interviewed with a predesigned, pretested, semi-structured proforma. Results and Conclusion: More than 90% sought healthcare just after the onset of a seizure. The majority opted for allopathic medicine and the causes for not seeking initial care from allopaths were ignorance, faith in another system, constraint of money, and so on. A significant association existed between rural residence and low social status of the patients with initial care seeking from someone other than allopaths. No association was found among sex, type of seizure, educational status of the patients, and care seeking. The mean treatment gap was 2.98 ± 10.49 months and the chief motivators were mostly the family members. Patients for anti epileptic drugs preferred neurologists in urban areas and general practitioners in rural areas. District care model of epilepsy was proposed in the recommendation.

Effectiveness of an educational intervention on personal hygiene among school children in slum area of Kolkata, India

Background: Personal hygiene is the practice of maintaining cleanliness of the body. Primary school days are the best time to learn healthful habits and practice them, because as the child grows older, these habits become permanent. We intended to find out the existing level of knowledge, attitude and practice of personal hygiene and effectiveness of educational intervention among primary school children in a slum area of Kolkata. Methods: A quasi-experimental, controlled educational interventional study was conducted in two Bengali medium primary schools situated in area under service jurisdiction of Urban Health Centre-Chetla, Kolkata. During pre intervention phase, collection of socio-demographic information and assessment of knowledge, attitude and practice of personal hygiene of the students were done by pre designed pretested questionnaire and checklist. During the 6-month intervention in the study school lecture and demonstration on personal hygiene was done. Then post-testing in both the schools followed. Then personal hygiene education in the control school was imparted once and follow up of both the schools 3 months afterwards was done. Results: There was significant improvement in the knowledge, attitude and practice level in study school as compared to the control school with educational intervention, but with a declining trend in study school during follow up visit. Parental literacy, occupation and per capita monthly family income were important sociodemographic attributes. Conclusions: Sustained health education programme on personal hygiene with greater involvement of parents/ guardians may yield maximum benefit for the students.

A study on prevalence of Hypertension and its related risk factors among undergraduate medical students in Kolkata.

Background: Hypertension is a major contributor to the global disease burden. It poses an important public health challenge. Even as most studies assess the prevalence of hypertension and its risk factors in older adults and the elderly, there is a paucity of such data among teenagers and young adults. Knowledge of the predisposing risk factors is vital in the modification of lifestyle behaviors conducive to optimal cardiovascular health. Methodology: This was a cross sectional study carried out among the undergraduate medical students a Government Medical College in Kolkata. Total sample size for analysis was 850. Students were interviewed using a predesigned and pretested semi structured questionnaire and blood pressure, BMI and WHR was measured. Results: In this study13.88% of the students were hypertensives, while 19.18% were prehypertensives. Significant association (p ≤ 0.05 ) was found with age, place of stay, gender, year of study, BMI, WHR, family history of hypertension, excess salt consumption, junk food intake and physical activity. Conclusion: Hypertension being a silent killer remains asymptomatic until complications like coronary artery disease, stroke, and renal failure develop. Undergraduate medical students are the future health care professionals of any society. So, it is crucial to devise sound prevention and control programs among this cohort of population, to improve their knowledge, attitudes and lifestyle practices early in life, to control hypertension and prevent its subsequent morbidities. Keyword: Hypertension, risk factors, undergraduate medical students

Sexual behavior of transgenders and their vulnerability to HIV/AIDS in an Urban Area of Eastern India

Transgender (TG) people experience a gender identity that is different from their anatomical sex. For their high-risk sex behavior, they are important group for targeted intervention of HIV/AIDS. The objective of the study was to find the sexual behavior of TG people and to assess few aspects of their vulnerability to HIV/AIDS. This cross-sectional survey was done from June to August 2012, in field practice area of “Kosish,” a nongovernmental organization run by TGs in Alipore of Kolkata metropolitan city, India. Information was collected by interviewing 90 TG of 11 selected hotspots using a predesigned questionnaire. Results revealed that 4.5% were illiterate. Drug abuse was reported by 22.2% participants. Inconsistent condom use was found. Venereal disease research laboratory reactivity was found in 11.11%. Nearly 16.7% had experienced sexual violence in the past 3 months. Thus, interventions for overall empowerment of the TGs are recommended.

Is the coverage of mass-drug-administration adequate for elimination of Bancroftian filariasis? An experience from West Bengal, India

Background: Bancroftian filariasis is the second most common mosquito-borne disease in India. Government of India adopted mass-drug-administration (MDA) since 2004 for its elimination by 2015 AD. Objective: The aim was to assess the coverage, compliance, factors-related to noncompliance to MDA. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional survey of 1 week was conducted within 2 weeks after completion of MDA for 2012 in three villages and two municipal wards of North 24 Parganas district of West Bengal, India selected as clusters by multistage random sampling. Information was collected via interview of inhabitants of the clusters selected by systematic random sampling and drug administrators of the selected clusters along with verifying left over medicines, if any. Results: Both appropriate medicine distribution (83.4%) and 61.28% of people who received drug reported consumption and effective consumption rate (48.01%) fell short of the target. The lowest consumption (38.15%) was noted in one of the rural cluster (villages), followed by municipal wards (43.14%). Consumption was significantly higher among rural residents and Hindu community. Fear of the adverse reaction was the commonest (63.02%) cause of noncompliance. Contrary to the requirement, almost all consumptions were unsupervised by drug administrators. Only 10.71% of the respondents reportedly were paid house to house campaign of forthcoming MDA. About 64% participants had heard about filariasis out of which 71% & 47% mentioned swelling of legs as symptoms and mosquito bite as mode of spread, respectively. About one-third opined mosquito control and MDA each as means of prevention. Approximately, 60% participants had heard about MDA. Information education and communication related to MDA program was conspicuously inadequate in the last round. Conclusion: Mass mobilization as in intensive pulse polio immunization with effective monitoring and supervision is the need of the hour for universal coverage of MDA with supervised on the spot consumption of tablets.

Comparative Evaluation of Dry Eye Following Cataract Surgery: A Study from North India

Background: After cataract surgery many patients complain of foreign body sensation, irritation, redness, blurring of vision which are considered as unwanted effects of the surgery. Aim: To compare dry eye disease following SICS and Phacoemulsification . Material and methods: The present study is a prospective, randomized study conducted on sixty nine patients, from July 2009 to June 2011, attending Outpatient Department of Department of Ophthalmology in a municipal hospital of Delhi. Complete ocular surface examination was done which included questionnaire using OSDI score and slit lamp bio microscope examination, tear film break up time, corneal fluorescein staining, tear meniscus height, Schirmer test - I and Impression cytology. Data analysis was done using SPSS version 16. Results: All the dry eye tests conducted on the eyes undergoing cataract surgery showed deterioration following surgery. Both SICS and Phaco surgery caused significant decrease in TMH, TBUT and ST-I values at 1 week, 1 month and 3 months. Fluorescein staining, OSDI score and impression cytology also showed deterioration in the follow up period. Conclusion: Both SICS and Phaco surgery can cause or aggravate dry eye and affect the dry eye test values in the post operative period upto 3 months. I. Main Text Dry eye disease is an ocular surface disorder which produces discomfort and reduced vision due to tear film instability. Dry eye per se is not a disease entity, but a symptom complex occurring as sequelae to deficiency or abnormalities of tear film, exposing the corneal and conjunctival epitheli um to evaporation. Dry eye has become one of the most important factors influencing quality of Life (QOL) in elderly patients. Incidence of dry eye in the US has been estimated to be around 2.7 per year. Incidence of dry eye in India amongst eye out patient department patients has been estimated to be around 0.46%with a male: female ratio of 1:1.22 1

Anxiety And Depression :Their Epidemiological Factors----A Study on The Patients Attending Psychiatric OPD of a Teaching Hospital, Kolkata, West Bengal

Background: A sound mind in a sound body has been recognized as a social idea for many centuries. Out of different types of mental health problems depression and anxiety disorders are most common. Aims and objectives: To assess the socio-demographic and clinical profile of depression and anxiety disorder patients attending psychiatry OPD of Calcutta National Medical College. Methodology: An observational, descriptive study was carried out on the patients attending psychiatry OPD of Calcutta National Medical College from May 2012 to July 2012, suffering from depression and anxiety disorders. Data were collected by interviewing all the patients using a predesigned, pretested schedule after getting informed consent from them, excluding those who were unwilling. Result: The mean age with standard deviation of depression and anxiety patients were 38.3±13.2years and 34.7±18.2years respectively. Majority of the study subjects were either illiterate or just literate, belonging to socioeconomic class IV, V or VI, engaged in occupation like unskilled worker, businessman or housewife. Among depression patients females were more than male where as in anxiety disorders males were more than female. In majority of the patients, onset was insidious and duration of illness was less than 5 years, with one third of patients having positive family history. Somatic symptoms were present in a large number of patients.