Nr Ramesh Masthi

Prevalence of bronchial asthma and its association with smoking habits among adult population in rural area

A cross-sectional study was conducted in the rural field practice area of Kempegowda Institute of Medical Sciences, Bangalore. A total of 3194 adult individuals (18-70 years) were selected from 30 villages (clusters) using a cluster-sampling technique. Individuals with symptoms suggestive of asthma were subjected for clinical examination for the diagnosis of asthma. Among the 3194 respondents, 1518 (47.5%) were males and 1676 (52.5%) were females. The prevalence of bronchial asthma was 2.88%. The prevalence of asthma was higher among those reporting a history of current smoking. Among current smokers, the number of cigarettes/bidis/hookah smoked daily did not differ (P > 0.05) between individuals without asthma and with asthma, whereas the mean number of years of smoking did differ (P < 0.001). There was significant association between tobacco smoking and bronchial asthma.

Dengue serotype-specific seroprevalence among 5- to 10-year-old children in India: a community-based cross-sectional study

BACKGROUND Dengue surveillance data in India are limited and probably substantially underestimate the burden of disease. A community-based study was undertaken to assess the prevalence of dengue-specific immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibodies in children across India and to examine historical dengue exposure rates. Potential associations between socio-economic factors and dengue seroprevalence were also assessed (registered at ctri.nic.in: CTRI/2011/12/002243). METHODS A convenience sample of 2609 healthy children aged 5-10 years was enrolled; these children were registered at or were living in the vicinity of eight centres located at six geographically distinct sites across India. Blood samples were drawn to test for the presence of dengue IgG antibodies using ELISA. Serotype-specific neutralizing antibody titres were measured in dengue IgG-positive children using dengue plaque reduction neutralization tests. Socio-demographic and household information was collected using a questionnaire. RESULTS Overall, 2558/2609 children had viable samples with laboratory results for dengue IgG. Dengue IgG seroprevalence across all sites was 59.6% (95% confidence interval 57.7-61.5%): the lowest (23.2%) was in Kalyani, West Bengal, and the highest (80.1%) was in Mumbai. Seroprevalence increased with age. Multivariate analysis suggested associations with household water storage/supply and type of housing. Half of the subjects with positive IgG results presented a multitypic profile, indicating previous exposure to more than one serotype. CONCLUSIONS The overall dengue seroprevalence suggests that dengue endemicity in India is comparable to that in highly endemic countries of Southeast Asia. Additional prospective studies are required to fully quantify the disease burden, in order to support evidence-based policies for dengue prevention and control in India.

An exploratory study on socio economic status scales in a rural and urban setting.

Background: There are many different scales to measure socioeconomic status (SES). The present study was conducted with the objective to compare the most commonly used SES in rural and urban setting. Materials and Methods: This exploratory study was conducted in the rural and urban field practice area of a medical college situated in Bangalore for a period of 3 months between January and April 2010. Statistical Analysis Used: To measure the agreement between the scales spearmans rank correlations was applied. Results: A total of 120 families were included in the study. Among the 60 families surveyed at rural setting, it was observed that, majority 40 (67%) belonged to high class when the Standard of Living Index (SLI) scale was applied. Among the 60 families surveyed at urban setting, majority 30 (50%) belonged to high class when the SLI scale was applied. Conclusions: The SLI scale gives a more accurate and realistic picture of the SES of the family and hence should be the scale recommended for classification of SES in urban and rural setting.

Prevalence of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and its association with tobacco smoking and environmental tobacco smoke exposure among rural population.

A field survey was conducted for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) epidemiology in the rural field practice area of Kempegowda Institute of Medical Sciences, Bangalore, India, which covers a population of 44,387 to find out the prevalence of COPD in adult subjects of 35 years and above using cluster sampling technique and to determine the association of tobacco smoking, environmental tobacco smoking (ETS) exposure and type of cooking fuel used with COPD. The overall prevalence of COPD was 4.36%. The prevalence among males and females were 5.32% and 3.41% respectively. The prevalence was found to be increasing with an increase in age. The tobacco smoke and exposure to ETS was significantly associated with higher odds of COPD with adjusted odds ratio 2.97 and 2.67 respectively. Thus, there was a significant association between tobacco smoking and ETS exposure with COPD.

Facebook addiction among health university students in Bengaluru

Introduction: Facebook was founded in 2004 and is one of the most popular social networking sites. Although Facebook is used to connect and stay in touch with friends and also to maintain relationships, there may be situations where an individual uses the site way too much. Relatively little research has been carried out to explain effects of usage to Facebook in terms of addiction in India. Objectives: The aim was to find out the burden of Facebook addiction among college students of health university. Subjects and Methods: This exploratory qualitative study was conducted in Bengaluru City covering six colleges attached to a health university using convenient sampling from May 2013 to July 2013. About 400 students had enrolled for the study. Results : It was observed that the burden of addiction was 7.25% and high risk was 24.75% in the study subjects. 61 (31.12%) males and 38 (18.62%) females were categorized as high-risk behavior subjects. 12 (6.12%) males and 17 (8.33%) females were categorized as having Facebook addiction. 64% of study subjects used Facebook daily. 32% of the subjects felt strain in the eye, 11% watering of the eye, 20% felt frustrated and 17% were anxious when they did not have access to Facebook. Conclusion: The burden of Facebook addiction and high-risk behavior was observed in one-third of the subjects.

Prevalence of domestic accidents in the rural field practice area of a medical college in Bangalore, Karnataka

Domestic accidents are worldwide health problems. A cross-sectional study was conducted in the rural field practice area of Kempegowda Institute of Medical Sciences, Bangalore. A total of 5419 individuals were selected from 30 clusters (villages) using cluster sampling technique. Of the 5419 study population, 50.9% (2748) were males and the rest were females. The prevalence of domestic accidents in the rural community was found to be 9.6% (522 individuals who had sustained domestic accidents), was found to be more in females compared with males, which was statistically significant with P-value =0.0077 (Z value =9.09). Falls 43% (225) was the most common type of domestic accidents. The most common place of occurrence of domestic accidents was 46% (243) kitchen, most frequent site of injures in domestic accidents was upper limbs.

Global positioning system: a new tool to measure the distribution of anemia and nutritional status of children (5-10 years) in a rural area in south India.

UNLABELLED Global positioning system (GPS) is a satellite-based navigation system that is of late being used in health care. OBJECTIVES The aims of the study were to describe the geographical distribution and assess the prevalence of anemia and malnutrition in children aged 5-10 years with GPS. SUBJECTS AND METHODS This exploratory study was conducted over a period of 2 months in the rural field practice area of a medical college situated in Bangalore during June-July 2012. Children aged 5-10 years were the study subjects. RESULTS GPS was used for describing the geographical distribution of anemia and nutrition status on the Google earth map. The prevalence of anemia in the study subjects was 8.7%. The prevalence of underweight, stunting, thinness, and severe thinness among the study subjects was 52.8%, 28.5%, 23.5%, and 29.1%, respectively; however, overweight and obesity were observed only in 0.9% and 1.2% of the study subjects, respectively. CONCLUSION GPS was easy to use and was able to demonstrate the actual distribution of morbidity at the household level in the rural area.

Global positioning system & Google Earth in the investigation of an outbreak of cholera in a village of Bengaluru Urban district, Karnataka

Background & objectives: The global positioning system (GPS) technology along with Google Earth is used to measure (spatial map) the accurate distribution of morbidity, mortality and planning of interventions in the community. We used this technology to find out its role in the investigation of a cholera outbreak, and also to identify the cause of the outbreak. Methods: This study was conducted in a village near Bengaluru, Karnataka in June 2013 during a cholera outbreak. House-to-house survey was done to identify acute watery diarrhoea cases. A hand held GPS receiver was used to record north and east coordinates of the households of cases and these values were subsequently plotted on Google Earth map. Water samples were collected from suspected sources for microbiological analysis. Results: A total of 27 cases of acute watery diarrhoea were reported. Fifty per cent of cases were in the age group of 14-44 yr and one death was reported. GPS technology and Google Earth described the accurate location of household of cases and spot map generated showed clustering of cases around the suspected water sources. The attack rate was 6.92 per cent and case fatality rate was 3.7 per cent. Water samples collected from suspected sources showed the presence of Vibrio cholera O1 Ogawa. Interpretation & conclusions: GPS technology and Google Earth were easy to use, helpful to accurately pinpoint the location of household of cases, construction of spot map and follow up of cases. Outbreak was found to be due to contamination of drinking water sources.

Global Positioning System: a new tool for measurement of animal bites in a rural area near Bangalore, South India

This exploratory study was conducted in villages near Bangalore, South India with the primary objective of spatial mapping animal bite cases using Global Positioning System (GPS) technology. GPS technology was useful as a new tool in accurate measurement of animal bite cases.

An exploratory study on rabies exposure through contact tracing in a rural area near Bengaluru, Karnataka, India

Need for study Rabies is a neglected zoonotic disease. Given the low incidence, apart from the existing reporting syst, there is a need to look for other means of case detection strategies for rabies. Contact tracing is one such method to efficiently capture information. Objectives To find out the rabid status of biting animal through contact tracing and to determine health seeking behavior of the bite victims. Materials and methods An exploratory study using contact tracing was conducted during the first quarter of 2017 in villages coming under three Public Health Centers. The households of the bite victims were visited and details of rabies exposure obtained from the bite victim/ adult responsible respondent using a standardized questionnaire. Results A total of 69 dog/cat bite cases were identified. 69.5% of bites were by stray dogs. 97.1% bite victims had Category III bites. Only 4.5% bite victims had taken PEP. 70.1% of animal bite cases were administered ARV. Only 7.2% bite victims had exposure to probable rabid animals. All dog bite victims were alive after 3 months of follow up. Conclusion Contact tracing was successful in case detection of probable rabid animal exposures and suitable for a period of one year.