Ali Amir

Prevalence of Common Ocular Morbidities in Adult Population of Aligarh

Aims and Objectives: To determine the prevalence of common ocular morbidities (cataract, refractive errors, glaucoma, and corneal opacities) and their demographic and sociocultural correlates. Settings and Design: The present cross-sectional study was conducted in the field practice areas of the Department of Community Medicine, JNMC, AMU, Aligarh, for a period of one year, from September 2005 to August 2006. Materials and Methods: Systematic random sampling was done to select the required sample size. All adults aged 20 years and above in the selected households were interviewed and screened using a 6/9 illiterate ‘E’ chart. Those who could not read the ‘E’ chart were referred to the respective health training center for a complete eye examination by an ophthalmologist. Statistical Analysis: Chi- square test. Results: The prevalence of visual impairment, low vision, and blindness, based on presenting visual acuity was 13.0, 7.8, and 5.3%, respectively. The prevalence of cataract was 21.7%. Bilateral cataract was present in 16.9% of the population. Cataract was significantly associated with age, education, and fuel use. The prevalence of myopia, hypermetropia, and astigmatism was 11.5, 9.8, and 3.7%, respectively. Glaucoma was diagnosed in six patients, giving a prevalence rate of 0.9%. All the six patients of glaucoma were aged above 40 years. The prevalence of corneal opacity was 4.2%. Conclusion: There is a high prevalence of treatable or preventable morbidities such as cataract, refractive errors, and corneal opacity.

Potentially modifiable micro-environmental and co-morbid factors associated with severe wasting and stunting in children below 3 years of age in Aligarh District.

Undernutrition among children is a major public health problem in developing countries like India. The most commonly cited causative factors are food availability and dietary intake, breastfeeding, prevalence of infectious and parasitic diseases, access to health care, immunization against major childhood diseases, vitamin A supplementation, maternal care during pregnancy, water supply and sanitation, socio-economic status, and health-seeking behavior.(1) Children, especially the infants and toddlers, constitute the most disadvantaged group. The present study attempts to investigate the potentially modifiable distal and proximal factors that cause severe malnutrition in children under three years of age and suggests ways to mould them to their advantage.

Breakfast skipping and proposed effects of breakfast on obesity: A school based study in adolescents in Aligarh, India

Background: Breakfast is one of the most integral components of an individual’s diet, despite that breakfast skipping is widely prevalent. Proposed effects of breakfast on obesity (PEBO) have corroborative evidences from different countries, especially, regarding the effects of breakfast skipping on obesity. Habits and lifestyle factors like breakfast skipping maybe formed, changed or strengthened in the tender age of adolescence and can also serve as an early warning system of threats that may engulf larger populations. The study objectives were to ϐind out the frequency of breakfast skipping in adolesc ents and PEBO, including associations with body mass index (BMI) status. Materials and Methods: This was a cross sectional study conducted in all the 13-15 years students who fulϐilled the inclusion criteria in the scho ols afϐiliated to Aligarh Muslim University. The study was based on a pretested and validated questionnaire and the nutritional status/anthropometric records were measured by the now recommended World Health Organization multicentric growth reference standards 2007. Result and Conclusion: A total of 1416 students were studied, out of which frequency of breakfast consumption was found to be <2 times/week in 6. 21% of the study population, 3-5 times/week in 27.54% and 6-7 times/week in 66.24%. As far as PEBO is concerned, a decreased frequency of breakfast was found to have an association with obesity and overweight as well. Further, an association of breakfast skipping on the BMI Z scores was also found to be signiϐicant on analysis of va riance and post-hoc tests. The high prevalence of breakfast skipping in India and PEBO is a big cause of concern for multiple reasons, and an intervention is urged.

A community based study of Infant Mortality in rural Aligarh.

BACKGROUND Infant mortality rate is regarded as an important and sensitive indicator of the health status of a community. It also reflects the living standard of the people and the effectiveness of interventions for improving maternal and child health. Multiple factors related to social and economic conditions, health care and environment have a significant role to play on childhood mortality and improving childhood mortality is a national priority. The present study was planned to 1) determine the mortality rate among neonates and infants. 2) identification of pattern of various factors in relation to infant mortality and 3) to identify the causes of death in this age group. METHOD All the deaths in children under 12 months during July 2005 to June 2006 in Jawan block of district Aligarh, India were recorded. The cause of death was ascertained using the standard verbal autopsy procedure. RESULTS In the study period, 446 live births and 37 deaths in children under one year of age were reported. The neonatal and infant mortality rates were 49.4 and 83.0 per thousand live births respectively. The main causes of infant deaths were birth asphyxia, diarrhoea, pneumonia, prematurity (including Low birth weight and malnutrition). CONCLUSION Most of the death among infants are preventable, though promotion of institutional deliveries, strengthening of referral system, early recognition of danger signs and periodic retraining of health workers.

Adverse eating behavior and its association with obesity in Indian adolescents: Evidence from a nonmetropolitan city in India

Introduction: With the so-called modernization, the epidemiological and sociocultural context of adolescents in developing countries is rapidly changing and is affecting their eating behavior and dietary choices. The objective of our study is twofold. First, our study seeks to find whether there is a prevalence of the adverse eating behaviors among the adolescents. Second, our study seeks to examine whether the prevalence of the adverse eating behavior is related to obesity and quantifies their association of with body mass index (BMI) status. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional school-based study was conducted in 13–15-year-old adolescents from schools of Aligarh, India, with prevalidated study tools and standardized anthropometric measures. The Z-scores were found by the WHO recommended AnthroPlus. Results: The results indicate a high prevalence of different adverse eating behaviors. The dietary behavior was found to be poor in 19.3%, fair in 54.4%, and good in only 26.3% of the study population. The mean BMI for age Z-score was found to be 0.87 and 0.02 in poor and fair dietary behavior. The odds of being overweight and obese were high (1.82 [1.20–2.78]) in those with poor dietary behavior. Conclusions: Our findings suggest that more research and timely intervention in adverse eating behaviors are much needed in India before this widely neglected problem acquires even more alarming and gigantic proportions.

A study on nutritional status of school-going adolescents in Aligarh, India

Adolescence is a highly vulnerable period for malnutrition. This study was based on a Global School Health Survey methodology in the 13–15-year age group; employing WHO AnthroPlus to evaluate the nutritional status, find the prevalence of both extremes of malnutrition, compare with the growth curves and to find its sociodemographic correlates. A total of 1456 students were sampled and the mean BMI for age Z score was found to be −0.11. The prevalence of overweight and obese were 11.95% and 2.27%, respectively, whereas 2.75% suffered from thinness, defined as BMI for age <2 standard deviations. The prevalence of being overweight and obese was associated with a higher standard of living, a higher education of father or mother, working mothers and father’s occupation being service/business. The evident double burden of malnutrition presages a large public health burden in future, requiring interventional attention.

Prevalence of self-reported diabetes mellitus in an urban population -

Background: Noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) are now becoming major public health issues in developing and developed countries. Type 2 diabetes mellitus, being a part of the NCD group, is also showing an upward trend globally. It has been classified as the third leading cause of premature mortality worldwide. India and China share the greatest burden of diabetes mellitus globally. Materials and Methods: This study is a part of larger cross-sectional community-based study carried out in employees of the Aligarh Muslim University for 1-year duration (June 2012 to May 2013). The estimated sample size was 540. The subjects were taken from all the sections of the employees, that is, teaching, clerical, technical, and class four staff, as per probability-proportionate-to-size (PPS) method and the individual subject chosen randomly from among these sections. Data were presented as proportions and percentages, and appropriate statistical test was used wherever applicable. The study was approved by the institutional ethics committee, Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College, Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh, India. Result: The prevalence of self-reported diabetes mellitus among study population was found to be 7.96% (43/540). More men than women were found have diabetes mellitus. It was found to be significantly associated with the increasing age, positive family history, and higher educational status. The association of diabetes mellitus with socioeconomic status was not found to be significant. Conclusion: The prevalence of self-reported diabetes mellitus among study population was found to be high considering the fact that a large proportion of patients with diabetes mellitus usually tend to remain unaware of their diabetic status.