Romy Biswas

Factors affecting the healthcare-seeking behavior of mothers regarding their children in a rural community of Darjeeling district, West Bengal

Background : An ailing, unresponsive health system and the existing social complexities, with considerable contextual differences, are all pervasive in India. In health, these are manifested as differences in morbidity and mortality, severely affecting child health and survival. Objectives: To find out the possible factors affecting the health-seeking behavior of mothers with regard to their children, in a rural community of Darjeeling district, and the reasons for not seeking curative care for perceived sick children. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional, community-based study among the mothers of the Naxalbari Block was undertaken, using a multistage random sampling technique, from June to August 2011, by using the questionnaire method. A total of 256 mothers (sample size) were studied. Results: Joint family structure, mass media exposure, literacy status, socioeconomic status of mothers, and gender differences among children were found to be significantly associated with the healthcare-seeking behavior of the mothers. Conclusion: Increasing maternal education, intensified awareness generation through the mass media approach, implementing gender-sensitive interventions, and counseling, may have positive implications in future, leading to better health outcomes and favorable health indicators.

Physical injury: A profile among the municipal primary school children of Siliguri, Darjeeling District

A cross sectional study was conducted from February - May 2009 with the objectives to find out profile of injuries among municipal primary school children in Siliguri, West Bengal and to identify the related factor associated with injury. 20% of total primary schools under municipal corporation of the town were selected and a pre-designed, pre-tested schedule was used to assess the profile of injury and associated factors. The Chi square test was usedto determine statistical significance at the 0.05 significance level. Out of 956 participants, a significantly higher injury was observed among males (68%). Open wound injuries were commonest (59.6%) occurring mainly at the extremities. Falls were mainly responsible for overall injuries. Injury at home (41.8%) was also found to be more. Mother education, number of siblings and presence of caregiver were significant related factors to injury.

Awareness and practice of biomedical waste management among healthcare providers in a Tertiary Care Hospital of West Bengal, India.

Background: Biomedical waste (BMW) is waste generated during diagnosis, treatment, or immunization of human beings or animals or in research activities. BMW is hazardous and can be injurious to humans or animals and deleterious to environment. Effective management of BMW is a legal as well as a social responsibility. Objectives: To assess the knowledge and practice regarding hospital waste management among healthcare providers of a tertiary care hospital. Materials and Methods: The study was conducted in the Departments of General Medicine, Surgery, Gynecology and Obstetrics, and Radiotherapy among 198 different hospital staff within 3 months with the help of a predesigned and pretested interview schedule to elicit the knowledge of BMW management. An observatory checklist is used to find out practices regarding BMW management prevailing in the above wards and staff of the hospital. Results: Majority (60.6%) of the study population belonged to the age group of 21-30 years. About one-third of the total study population were junior doctors and nurses. 35.8% worked for 1 year in the hospital, and 29.8% worked within 2-5 years. All the participants had heard about BMW management, but only 1.5% had formal training. 6.6% knew about five-color coding used for segregation of waste with red, black, yellow, blue bags and white puncture proof container. 31.3% knew correct disposal of sharps. All the participants knew about the use of personal protective measures while handling BMW and used in most of the time. 70.2% of respondents knew the use of gloves and mask together. In 33.3% of observation, it was seen that syringes were reused for the same patient. Four colored bins were used most of the time in the above-studied wards. Conclusion and Recommendation: The above study revealed certain paucity of knowledge among the healthcare providers in the field of BMW management which adversely affected their practice. There should be regular comprehensive training programs regarding BMW management for all level of workers and strict implementation of them.

Nomophobic behaviors among smartphone using medical and engineering students in two colleges of West Bengal

Background: Growing smartphone usage among global and Indian college students has resulted in considerable issues of “nomophobia” (NMP) or feelings of discomfort or anxiety experienced by individuals whenever unable to use their smartphones. This significantly impacts their health, work, and study. Objective: The objective of this study is to find out the prevalence of NMP among smartphone using medical and engineering undergraduates of West Bengal and to compare the nomophobic behaviors, its predictors, and smartphone usage among them. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 303 medical and 305 engineering undergraduates in West Bengal using a validated NMP questionnaire consisting of four factors. Comparison of means of individual questions and factor scores was done. Nomophobic clusters among the two groups were identified using two-stage cluster analysis. Binary logistic regression was used for comparison of predictors of NMP. Results: Engineering students showed a higher proportion of nomophobics (44.6%) than medical students (42.6%). Significant higher means was observed among engineering students for the factor “giving upconvenience” and individual variables like “scared due to running out of battery,” “nervous due to disconnection from online identity,” “uncomfortable when unable stay up-to-date with social media” and “anxious when unable to check E-mails.” A Higher proportion of nomophobics among both groups were females, those owning smartphone beyond 2 years, having monthly mobile bill above Rs. 200 and spending over 4 h daily on smartphone. Conclusion: NMP has emerged as a significant cause of concern among both the groups. Standardized measures for identification and appropriate psychobehavioral therapy for those seeking help might alleviate the problem.

Assessment of knowledge and attitude regarding intrauterine devices among auxiliary nurse midwife in two districts of North Bengal

Intrauterine devices (IUDs) are long-acting methods of family planning, which are cost-effective and viable ways of reducing unmet need and unintended pregnancy, especially in low income countries. They are safe, convenient and highly efficacious, and their use is advocated as an ideal option for all women, including nulliparous women. In 1952, India was the first country in the world to have launched a National Programme for Family Planning, but still the proportion of women using any modern method of contraception is far from satisfactory. The two most commonly used reversible contraceptives in India: the oral contraceptive pills and condoms, are highly userdependent. Despite requiring less motivation and offering cost-effective long-term protection, the latest NFHS 4 reports suggest that only 1.5% women use IUDs as preferred method of contraception. ABSTRACT

Author’s reply for article “nomophobic behaviors among smartphone using medical and engineering students in two colleges of West Bengal”

Sir, We appreciate that the readers have taken great interest in our topic of research.[1] It would be beneficial for all of us to clarify some aspects of the methodology in a point‐wise manner. 1. The Nomophobia Questionnaire (NMP‐Q) developed by Yildirim and Correia[2] did not mention any specific cutoff for classifying nomophobia. Using Likert’s scale, the higher scores indicated more toward the nomophobic spectrum. We used two‐step cluster analysis incorporating all the individual items of NMP‐Q. Hence, based on the responses of the participants, the group with higher mean scores in Cluster analysis indicated the nomophobic group 2. The readers have indeed raised a valid point. Our objective was to compare nomophobic behaviors of smartphone‐using students in the two colleges, which might not, in general, represent the picture of other colleges in West Bengal or India. It might be that some facilities are also available in other mobiles, but it is inclusive in smartphones as well. As it is a validated questionnaire, used in a similar group of participants, questions were not omitted. Both the colleges had in campus Wi‐Fi connectivity free of cost. Both the colleges were government institutions. Although it was not assessed, it can be assumed that students belonged to similar socioeconomic background. Moreover, booking cabs using digital platform was not the norms in the area. These intricate qualitative issues were beyond the purview of our study 3. We agree to the point raised by the readers. The purpose of smartphone or gadgets usage might vary. In that case, gadgets over usage or technophobia could be explored like other authors[3,4] 4. We have tried to introduce the topic at first in our discussion. Within limitations of our study, we have explored few aspects of this emerging problem. Further researches could be done for in‐depth exploration of the issue.