Lina Bandyopadhyay

Variation in blood pressure among adolescent schoolchildren in an urban slum of Kolkata, West Bengal

Background High blood pressure in childhood is a potential risk factor for cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases. The roots of essential hypertension in adults may be initiated in childhood. This study was conducted to investigate blood pressure profiles of adolescent schoolchildren in the practice field area of the Urban Health Centre, Chetla, Kolkata. Objectives This cross-sectional study was carried out to determine the prevalence of hypertension in adolescent schoolchildren, to compare the blood pressure between boys and girls, and to study the association between selected variables and blood pressure. Materials and methods The study was conducted among adolescent schoolchildren aged 10–19 years in two randomly selected secondary schools situated in the practice field area of the Urban Health Centre, Chetla, Kolkata. All students aged 10–19 years present on the day of the visit were included in the study; the sample was 129. A predesigned questionnaire was used to carry out the study. Measurements of height, weight, body mass index (BMI) and blood pressure were made using standardised physical instruments following standard operative guidelines. The data were collected and analysed using appropriate statistical methods. Results The prevalence of hypertension was found to be 10.1% (11.1% in boys and 8.8% in girls). The prevalence of pre-hypertension was 20.2% (16.7% in boys and 24.6% in girls). Hypertension was found to be significantly associated with physical exercise (p<0.05) and salt intake (p<0.05); BMI was also significantly associated with both systolic blood pressure (p<0.05) and diastolic blood pressure (p<0.05). There was a significant (p<0.05) positive correlation of systolic blood pressure and diastolic blood pressure with BMI (r=0.303, p<0.05; r=0.262, p<0.05), age (r=0.326, p<0.05; r=0.267, p<0.05) and height (r=0.322, p<0.05; r=0.174, p<0.05). There was a negative correlation between hypertension and physical exercise (r=−0.313, p<0.05) and a positive correlation between hypertension and salt intake (r=0.298, p<0.05). Conclusions The prevalence of pre-hypertension and hypertension together in adolescents was 30.3%. To avoid the consequences and sequelae of hypertension, prevention should start from childhood by encouraging physical exercise, promoting low salt intake, advising on maintaining normal body weight, and checking up on blood pressure at regular intervals.

Effectiveness of first-aid training on school students in Singur Block of Hooghly District, West Bengal

Objective: First aid is the helping behavior and initial care provided for an acute illness or injury. Students have the potential for changing the health scenario of the society if properly groomed and educated. The objective of the study is to evaluate the effectiveness of educational intervention on the first aid among middle school students of a rural school in West Bengal. Materials and Methods: A total of 230, 6th and 7th standard students were given a self-administered questionnaire for assessing their baseline knowledge about management of common injuries followed by educational intervention with a systematically devised teaching module during February to March 2016. Post intervention evaluation of their knowledge acquisition was done after 2 weeks with same questionnaire. Results: The baseline knowledge on the management of selected injuries was found to be insufficient among the study subjects. Paired t-test was performed to compare the pre- and post-test scores of knowledge and attitude of the students about first aid, and there was a significant change in knowledge from pretest score (mean = 1.50, standard deviation [SD] =0.47) to posttest score (mean = 6.53, SD = 1.30). To quantify the effectiveness of health education, effect size (Cohens d) was derived. For knowledge score, Cohens d was 5.14 with large effect size indicating highly effective impact of the training program. Significant change was also noticed regarding attitude regarding first aid as evident from increase in pretest score (mean = 1.19, SD = 0.96) to posttest score (mean = 3.17, SD = 1.03); Cohens d was 1.88 with medium effect size. Conclusion: Inculcating first-aid training in the school curriculum can be a fruitful investment in ensuring proper and timely management of illnesses and injuries not only for the school children but also for the community at large.

An epidemiological study on ocular morbidities among school students in an urban area of South 24 Parganas, West Bengal

Visual impairment is a worldwide challenge that affects all age groups and has a major socio-economic impact. In 2010, an estimated 285 million people worldwide suffered from visual impairment, out of which about 39 million were blind and 246 million were had low vision, with a sumptuous figure of nearly 90 percent of them residing in developing countries. Estimated prevalence of childhood blindness/low vision in India was 0.8 per 1000. According to 2006-07 National Survey on Blindness, the common causes of blindness in India are cataract (62.6%), refractive error (19.7%), glaucoma (5.8%), followed by posterior segment pathology, corneal opacity, surgical complications and posterior capsular opacification. Among the preventable causes of blindness, the priority goes to uncorrected refractive errors which could be easily diagnosed and corrected and xerophthalmia which is largely under control with vitamin A distribution in immunization programmes. ABSTRACT

Quantification of vulnerability to Type 2 diabetes: A study among shopkeepers in Kolkata

Context: Urban people are more prone to develop diabetes due to their sedentary lifestyle and high-calorie food intake. Shopkeepers with their long sitting hours, unhealthy food habits, and lack of regular physical activity are one of the high-risk groups for developing diabetes. Hence, it is necessary to detect this large pool of undiagnosed people with diabetes to offer them early treatment. Aims: The present study aimed at assessing people with a high risk of developing type 2 diabetes and its correlation with some known risk factors. Materials and Methods: The study was a cross-sectional community-based study conducted from May to July among 152 shopkeepers in a permanent market with a structured schedule. Statistical Analysis Used: Data were analyzed using appropriate statistical methods by SPSS software (version 16). Results: Thirty-five (23.02%) out of 152 shopkeepers were found having high blood sugar (>140 mg/dl). In univariate analysis, the study participants with higher age, perceived stress score, Indian Diabetic Risk Score (IDRS), body weight, centrally obese, and less physically active had shown significantly greater odds of having high blood sugar level. In multivariable model, PSS (adjusted odds ratio [AOR]-1.90), waist circumference (AOR-3.34), and physical activity (AOR-3.09) remained significantly adjusted with other significant variables in univariate analysis excepting IDRS. Sensitivity and specificity of IDRS were 68.6% and 65.8%, respectively, with diagnostic accuracy of 72.3% calculated using receiver operating characteristic curve. Conclusions: The study revealed that shopkeepers are indeed at high risk of developing diabetes. There is an urgent need for increasing awareness regarding diabetes among them.