Farzana Islam | Jamia Hamdard, New Delhi (original) (raw)
Papers by Farzana Islam
We aimed to estimate the household secondary infection attack rate (hSAR) of SARS-CoV-2 in invest... more We aimed to estimate the household secondary infection attack rate (hSAR) of SARS-CoV-2 in investigations aligned with the WHO Unity Studies Household Transmission Investigations (HHTI) protocol. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis according to PRISMA 2020 guidelines.We searched Medline, Embase, Web of Science, Scopus and medRxiv/bioRxiv for ‘Unity-aligned’ First Few X cases (FFX) and HHTIs published between 1 December 2019 and 26 July 2021. Standardised early results were shared by WHO Unity Studies collaborators (to 1 October 2021). We used a bespoke tool to assess investigation methodological quality. Values for hSAR and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were extracted or calculated from crude data. Heterogeneity was assessed by visually inspecting overlap of CIs on forest plots and quantified in meta-analyses.Of 9988 records retrieved, 80 articles (64 from databases; 16 provided by Unity Studies collaborators) were retained in the systematic review and 62 were includ...
Annals of Medical and Health Sciences Research, 2014
Background: The nature of continuous exposure to the street and its associated lifestyles make st... more Background: The nature of continuous exposure to the street and its associated lifestyles make street children vulnerable to the use of psychoactive substances. Aims: The aim of the present study is to study some social factors of street children in Guwahati city and to ascertain the substance use behavior of the street children. Subjects and Methods: A population based cross-sectional study conducted during September 2008 to August 2009 among 215 street children between the ages of 5 and 18 years of Guwahati City Assam. The main outcome measures were substance use and its related risk factors prevalent among street children. The data collected were analyzed in Microsoft Office and percentages and Chi-square tests were used to analyze the variables. Results: Around 174/215 (80.9%) of study participants were substance abusers. It is noteworthy that as the age increases substance use was more common when compared to younger age group. The risk of substance abuse was 1.26 times relatively higher among those who had never been to school and 1.12 times more common in those from a joint family when compared to others. However the correlations were not found to be statistically significant. Substance abuse was 1.19 times more common in case of deaths of both parents and the association was found to be statistically significant (P = 0.02). Presence of step parents and substance use in the family was seen to be a risk factor for substance abuse and the association was highly significant (P < 0.001). The association of substance abuse with duration of street life was found to be highly significant. Majority of the substance users 152/174 (87.4%) were in the habit of sniffing glue and this was followed by smoking 147/174 (84.5%). Conclusion: Substance abuse is an important concern affecting street children. Street and its associated lifestyles make street children vulnerable to the use of psychoactive substances. Non-government organizations and Government should come forward to curb this problem and save millions of vulnerable lives.
Indian Journal of Community Health
Introduction: India has the second-largest population of diabetes globally. The long-term complic... more Introduction: India has the second-largest population of diabetes globally. The long-term complications due to poor glycemic control are concerning. Diabetes Self-Management Education (DSME) is a fundamental component in managing diabetes better. Objectives: This study was conducted to compare the effectiveness of group-based DSME in achieving glycemic control and improving self-care practices among people with type-2 diabetes as against the usual care. Methods: A non-blinded parallel-arm RCT among adults (? 30 years) diagnosed with Type-2 DM. Written informed consent was taken from each patient before enrollment. The sample size is estimated to be 85 in each arm according to the formula for equivalence design for an RCT. Randomization was done using a computer-generated random number table. The control arm received usual care, while the intervention group received group-based DSME in addition to usual care. At the end of 6 months, the change in glycemic control and self-care activi...
Global Journal of Medicine and Public Health, 2012
Background: Ear, Nose and Throat diseases are common in school going children who often miss scho... more Background: Ear, Nose and Throat diseases are common in school going children who often miss school due to these illnesses. The present study was hence conducted with the objectives to study the morbidity pattern of Ear, Nose and Throat diseases among the patients in the age group of 6-14 yrs attending the ENT OPD, to assess the socio demographic profile of the study population, and to find out the association between different ENT morbidities and relevant socio-demographic factors.Methods: This hospital-based, cross-sectional study was carried out on patients aged 6-14 years attending the E.N.T OPD of MGM Medical College & L.S.K Hospital, Kishanganj during September 2009 to February 2010. From previous five year records, the expected average number of patients in the six month study period came out to be 1432, of which fifty percent (i.e. 716) was considered as the sample size and were selected by systematic random sampling. Seventy seven were further excluded by exclusion criteria...
Journal of Family Medicine and Primary Care
Introduction: The burden of frailty and aging will have a profound impact on the economy along wi... more Introduction: The burden of frailty and aging will have a profound impact on the economy along with the deteriorating clinical condition of the olds. Aim: This study aim was to assess frailty of an ethnogeriatric cohort and associate it with domains of quality of life in Delhi along with a follow-up outcome assessment. Method: Edmonton frail scale on an ethnogeriatric cohort of 200 individuals in periurban slums of Delhi was used and associated with quality of life, calculated by the WHO-BREF –QOL questionnaire. An interventional strategy for healthy aging was adopted, and a follow-up outcome assessment was done to look out for mortality or morbidity. Result: There were 37% frail with a mean score of 60 and 25% prefrails beyond 60 years with a significant increase in frailty with age. Females, single, working, and illiterate elderly were frailer as compared to their counterparts. Social domain followed by psychological domain of the QOL had least scores in the frail elderly. Olds, away from their place of origin were 25 times more likely to be frail and had lesser family integration, assessed by regression analysis. Nearly 6% died, with 21% of hospital readmissions after a 6-month follow-up. Discussion: An earlier start of assessment would give us more time to react and respond and be pro-active for healthy aging besides taking into consideration the diverse ethnography in our country. Conclusion: Cross-cultural variations need the physicians to address the health care disparities and language barriers so as to make interventions more convenient.
Context: The five giants of geriatric that has been identified are immobility, instability (falls... more Context: The five giants of geriatric that has been identified are immobility, instability (falls), incontinence, intellectual impairment and iatrogenic. Among these, falls are found to be a major problem in the elderly, causing injuries, dependence, psychological difficulties, and social isolation. Aims: The present study was done to assess the prevalence of falls in elderly and the factors associated with it. Settings and Design: This cross sectional study was done from August 2013 to December 2013 in Boko- Bongaon Block, Kamrup District, Assam. Methodology: A total of 360 elderly meeting the inclusion criteria were included in the study. A total of 30 clusters were selected and 12 elderly were selected from each cluster. Statistical analysis: Data was analyzed using SPSS version 20. Results: Out of 360 elderly, 41.9% had at least 1 fall in the past one year. Among them 14.7% had more than 2 falls in the past one year. On analyzing the association of various factors with falls as ...
Journal of Family Medicine and Primary Care
doi: medRxiv preprint NOTE: This preprint reports new research that has not been certified by pee... more doi: medRxiv preprint NOTE: This preprint reports new research that has not been certified by peer review and should not be used to guide clinical practice.
Indian Journal of Community Medicine
Background: New Delhi is located in seismic zone IV, and the occurrence of earthquake is fairly c... more Background: New Delhi is located in seismic zone IV, and the occurrence of earthquake is fairly common. Previous disasters have shown that only sustained and timely action to reduce risk can prevent or mitigate the impact of a disaster. Objectives: The objective was to assess the knowledge and preparedness regarding earthquake among the residents of South Delhi and to impart the awareness and assess the effectiveness of the awareness imparted. Methodology: One group pretest–posttest quasi-experimental research was done among 300 respondents on earthquake preparedness. Results: As per the study, 89% of participants felt that earthquake is a concern for Delhi. It was observed that majority of the population are not prepared to handle large scale disaster. Significant association was found between pretest and posttest knowledge assessment scores of the study population. Conclusion: Disasters due to their unpredictable occurrence are difficult to tackle, but awareness and preparedness to face the calamity will help to reduce the burden of disaster.
Journal of Family Medicine and Primary Care
The United Nations Population Fund suggests that the number of elderly persons is expected to gro... more The United Nations Population Fund suggests that the number of elderly persons is expected to grow to 173 million by 2026. The aging phase is further made adverse by conditions such as failty, multimorbidity and polypharmacy. Aim: To assess the status and associates of frailty among elderly (>60 years) residing in a peri-urban slum area in Delhi by using the EDMONSTON Frail scale and evaluate the interplay of multimorbidity (MM) and polypharmacy (PP) on the frail pre-frail spectrum of the community-dwelling elderly cohort. Method: A community study from Dec 2018 till July 2019 with a sample size of 300 participants who were willing and consented to the study. Frailty was assessed and the STOP criteria was used for PP assessment. Result: There were 76 frail, 51 pre-frail, and 173 non-frail elderly. A higher prevalence (51%) of multimorbidity among the pre-frails and a higher probability (74%) of polypharmacy among the frails were found. Of the total in the frail-prefrail spectrum (127), 29.1% had multimorbidity (MM) and 39.4% had polypharmacy (PP). MM and PP were significantly higher among the old. Factors such as sex, marriage, loneliness, social circle, and education also had a positive bearing on the frailty-prefrailty spectrum. The working group had an increased (86%) probability of PP with statistical significance. Regression analysis depicted significant increased odds of MM and PP among female, illiterate, very old, lone, and single subjects. Discussion and Conclusion: Thus, we recommend earlier and timely intervention for the frail-prefrail which can revert their adversities.
Nigerian Medical Journal
Background: An important cause of high fertility rates in Delhi is the low availability and use o... more Background: An important cause of high fertility rates in Delhi is the low availability and use of family planning services. Fostering family planning practice alleviates poverty, accelerates socioeconomic development, increases child schooling, promotes gender equality, and decreases maternal and infant mortality. The study objective was to find out the perception of potential users, health workers, and health professionals on the reasons for nonusage of contraceptive services provided and to recognize possible solutions to the identified barriers. Methods: This cross-sectional study was done using qualitative methods among three groups of people by focus group discussion and in-depth interviews. The study was conducted in the rural health center of Madanpur Khaddar, Department of Community Medicine, Jamia Hamdard Institute of Medical Sciences and Research, from June to August 2016. Results: The median age group of the participants was 27 years, and the participants were majorily less educated and were homemakers. Description of key thematic issues found out that contraceptive nonusage was due to lack of accessibility, lack of availability, as well as issues with privacy and autonomy. Out of 25 women, 3 had never heard the term Copper-T (CuT). Twelve out of the rest 22 women had heard about CuT, but knew no more than that. Conclusion: The findings that have emerged from this study thus provide some recommendations to increase the demand for contraception. Effective information, education, and communication should be promoted continuously with the help of community health workers for better acceptance of CuT because it is believed that no single child should be born into the world unplanned.
Indian journal of occupational and environmental medicine
Ragpickers are informal workers who collect recyclable materials to earn a small wage on daily ba... more Ragpickers are informal workers who collect recyclable materials to earn a small wage on daily basis. They work in vulnerable conditions and awareness regarding occupational and environmental hazard is essential for them. To study the effectiveness of awareness program on various occupational health hazards among the ragpickers. This interventional study was conducted from May through October 2016 among the ragpickers living near field practice area of Department of Community Medicine and those living in slum areas around HAHC Hospital, New Delhi, India. The awareness regarding occupational and environmental health hazards was assessed using a pretested and predesigned pro forma. Snowball sampling technique was used to select the ragpickers from the various areas. Health awareness and education package was designed for the ragpickers. The package was delivered by medical officers and health workers. A posttest assessment was done 2 weeks after the awareness activity. Among 150 ragpi...
Journal of Global Infectious Diseases, 2013
A child constitutes the most priority and vulnerable group in terms of survival, growth, and deve... more A child constitutes the most priority and vulnerable group in terms of survival, growth, and development. Acute respiratory infections (ARI), particularly lower respiratory tract infections (LRTI), are the leading cause of under-five morbidity for an estimated just about two million childhood deaths globally. [1] ARI contributes to one-fifths of all under-five deaths in developing countries which is around 12 million every year. [2] It is estimated that Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, and Nepal together account for 40% of the global ARI mortality. ARI is responsible for about 30-50% of visits to health facilities and for about 20-40% of admissions to hospitals. [3] In developed countries also physicians frequently encounter acute respiratory tract involvements in children. [4] In
International Journal of Nutrition, Pharmacology, Neurological Diseases, 2016
Background: Anemia in the elderly can have tremendous impact on their health and functionality. M... more Background: Anemia in the elderly can have tremendous impact on their health and functionality. Many a time, anemia in the elderly is overlooked and due priority is not given regarding its causes and impact. Objectives: The present study was conducted to assess the prevalence of anemia in the elderly and study the various correlates associated with it. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted from December 2011 to May 2012 in Boko-Bongaon block, Kamrup District, Assam, India. A total of 30 clusters were selected and 11 elderly from each cluster were taken to get the desired sample size of 330. Hemoglobin estimation was performed to assess the presence of anemia. Results: Prevalence of anemia was 45.5% in the present study. Elderly with severe anemia constituted 15.3%. The associations of anemia with age, gender, calorie intake, type of diet, iron supplementation, and worm infestation were found to be significant. Conclusion: Further in-depth studies are needed regarding the causes of anemia and the role of nutritional prophylaxis. The provisions for adequate health care measures and services to combat anemia in the elderly is needed for timely action.
We aimed to estimate the household secondary infection attack rate (hSAR) of SARS-CoV-2 in invest... more We aimed to estimate the household secondary infection attack rate (hSAR) of SARS-CoV-2 in investigations aligned with the WHO Unity Studies Household Transmission Investigations (HHTI) protocol. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis according to PRISMA 2020 guidelines.We searched Medline, Embase, Web of Science, Scopus and medRxiv/bioRxiv for ‘Unity-aligned’ First Few X cases (FFX) and HHTIs published between 1 December 2019 and 26 July 2021. Standardised early results were shared by WHO Unity Studies collaborators (to 1 October 2021). We used a bespoke tool to assess investigation methodological quality. Values for hSAR and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were extracted or calculated from crude data. Heterogeneity was assessed by visually inspecting overlap of CIs on forest plots and quantified in meta-analyses.Of 9988 records retrieved, 80 articles (64 from databases; 16 provided by Unity Studies collaborators) were retained in the systematic review and 62 were includ...
Annals of Medical and Health Sciences Research, 2014
Background: The nature of continuous exposure to the street and its associated lifestyles make st... more Background: The nature of continuous exposure to the street and its associated lifestyles make street children vulnerable to the use of psychoactive substances. Aims: The aim of the present study is to study some social factors of street children in Guwahati city and to ascertain the substance use behavior of the street children. Subjects and Methods: A population based cross-sectional study conducted during September 2008 to August 2009 among 215 street children between the ages of 5 and 18 years of Guwahati City Assam. The main outcome measures were substance use and its related risk factors prevalent among street children. The data collected were analyzed in Microsoft Office and percentages and Chi-square tests were used to analyze the variables. Results: Around 174/215 (80.9%) of study participants were substance abusers. It is noteworthy that as the age increases substance use was more common when compared to younger age group. The risk of substance abuse was 1.26 times relatively higher among those who had never been to school and 1.12 times more common in those from a joint family when compared to others. However the correlations were not found to be statistically significant. Substance abuse was 1.19 times more common in case of deaths of both parents and the association was found to be statistically significant (P = 0.02). Presence of step parents and substance use in the family was seen to be a risk factor for substance abuse and the association was highly significant (P < 0.001). The association of substance abuse with duration of street life was found to be highly significant. Majority of the substance users 152/174 (87.4%) were in the habit of sniffing glue and this was followed by smoking 147/174 (84.5%). Conclusion: Substance abuse is an important concern affecting street children. Street and its associated lifestyles make street children vulnerable to the use of psychoactive substances. Non-government organizations and Government should come forward to curb this problem and save millions of vulnerable lives.
Indian Journal of Community Health
Introduction: India has the second-largest population of diabetes globally. The long-term complic... more Introduction: India has the second-largest population of diabetes globally. The long-term complications due to poor glycemic control are concerning. Diabetes Self-Management Education (DSME) is a fundamental component in managing diabetes better. Objectives: This study was conducted to compare the effectiveness of group-based DSME in achieving glycemic control and improving self-care practices among people with type-2 diabetes as against the usual care. Methods: A non-blinded parallel-arm RCT among adults (? 30 years) diagnosed with Type-2 DM. Written informed consent was taken from each patient before enrollment. The sample size is estimated to be 85 in each arm according to the formula for equivalence design for an RCT. Randomization was done using a computer-generated random number table. The control arm received usual care, while the intervention group received group-based DSME in addition to usual care. At the end of 6 months, the change in glycemic control and self-care activi...
Global Journal of Medicine and Public Health, 2012
Background: Ear, Nose and Throat diseases are common in school going children who often miss scho... more Background: Ear, Nose and Throat diseases are common in school going children who often miss school due to these illnesses. The present study was hence conducted with the objectives to study the morbidity pattern of Ear, Nose and Throat diseases among the patients in the age group of 6-14 yrs attending the ENT OPD, to assess the socio demographic profile of the study population, and to find out the association between different ENT morbidities and relevant socio-demographic factors.Methods: This hospital-based, cross-sectional study was carried out on patients aged 6-14 years attending the E.N.T OPD of MGM Medical College & L.S.K Hospital, Kishanganj during September 2009 to February 2010. From previous five year records, the expected average number of patients in the six month study period came out to be 1432, of which fifty percent (i.e. 716) was considered as the sample size and were selected by systematic random sampling. Seventy seven were further excluded by exclusion criteria...
Journal of Family Medicine and Primary Care
Introduction: The burden of frailty and aging will have a profound impact on the economy along wi... more Introduction: The burden of frailty and aging will have a profound impact on the economy along with the deteriorating clinical condition of the olds. Aim: This study aim was to assess frailty of an ethnogeriatric cohort and associate it with domains of quality of life in Delhi along with a follow-up outcome assessment. Method: Edmonton frail scale on an ethnogeriatric cohort of 200 individuals in periurban slums of Delhi was used and associated with quality of life, calculated by the WHO-BREF –QOL questionnaire. An interventional strategy for healthy aging was adopted, and a follow-up outcome assessment was done to look out for mortality or morbidity. Result: There were 37% frail with a mean score of 60 and 25% prefrails beyond 60 years with a significant increase in frailty with age. Females, single, working, and illiterate elderly were frailer as compared to their counterparts. Social domain followed by psychological domain of the QOL had least scores in the frail elderly. Olds, away from their place of origin were 25 times more likely to be frail and had lesser family integration, assessed by regression analysis. Nearly 6% died, with 21% of hospital readmissions after a 6-month follow-up. Discussion: An earlier start of assessment would give us more time to react and respond and be pro-active for healthy aging besides taking into consideration the diverse ethnography in our country. Conclusion: Cross-cultural variations need the physicians to address the health care disparities and language barriers so as to make interventions more convenient.
Context: The five giants of geriatric that has been identified are immobility, instability (falls... more Context: The five giants of geriatric that has been identified are immobility, instability (falls), incontinence, intellectual impairment and iatrogenic. Among these, falls are found to be a major problem in the elderly, causing injuries, dependence, psychological difficulties, and social isolation. Aims: The present study was done to assess the prevalence of falls in elderly and the factors associated with it. Settings and Design: This cross sectional study was done from August 2013 to December 2013 in Boko- Bongaon Block, Kamrup District, Assam. Methodology: A total of 360 elderly meeting the inclusion criteria were included in the study. A total of 30 clusters were selected and 12 elderly were selected from each cluster. Statistical analysis: Data was analyzed using SPSS version 20. Results: Out of 360 elderly, 41.9% had at least 1 fall in the past one year. Among them 14.7% had more than 2 falls in the past one year. On analyzing the association of various factors with falls as ...
Journal of Family Medicine and Primary Care
doi: medRxiv preprint NOTE: This preprint reports new research that has not been certified by pee... more doi: medRxiv preprint NOTE: This preprint reports new research that has not been certified by peer review and should not be used to guide clinical practice.
Indian Journal of Community Medicine
Background: New Delhi is located in seismic zone IV, and the occurrence of earthquake is fairly c... more Background: New Delhi is located in seismic zone IV, and the occurrence of earthquake is fairly common. Previous disasters have shown that only sustained and timely action to reduce risk can prevent or mitigate the impact of a disaster. Objectives: The objective was to assess the knowledge and preparedness regarding earthquake among the residents of South Delhi and to impart the awareness and assess the effectiveness of the awareness imparted. Methodology: One group pretest–posttest quasi-experimental research was done among 300 respondents on earthquake preparedness. Results: As per the study, 89% of participants felt that earthquake is a concern for Delhi. It was observed that majority of the population are not prepared to handle large scale disaster. Significant association was found between pretest and posttest knowledge assessment scores of the study population. Conclusion: Disasters due to their unpredictable occurrence are difficult to tackle, but awareness and preparedness to face the calamity will help to reduce the burden of disaster.
Journal of Family Medicine and Primary Care
The United Nations Population Fund suggests that the number of elderly persons is expected to gro... more The United Nations Population Fund suggests that the number of elderly persons is expected to grow to 173 million by 2026. The aging phase is further made adverse by conditions such as failty, multimorbidity and polypharmacy. Aim: To assess the status and associates of frailty among elderly (>60 years) residing in a peri-urban slum area in Delhi by using the EDMONSTON Frail scale and evaluate the interplay of multimorbidity (MM) and polypharmacy (PP) on the frail pre-frail spectrum of the community-dwelling elderly cohort. Method: A community study from Dec 2018 till July 2019 with a sample size of 300 participants who were willing and consented to the study. Frailty was assessed and the STOP criteria was used for PP assessment. Result: There were 76 frail, 51 pre-frail, and 173 non-frail elderly. A higher prevalence (51%) of multimorbidity among the pre-frails and a higher probability (74%) of polypharmacy among the frails were found. Of the total in the frail-prefrail spectrum (127), 29.1% had multimorbidity (MM) and 39.4% had polypharmacy (PP). MM and PP were significantly higher among the old. Factors such as sex, marriage, loneliness, social circle, and education also had a positive bearing on the frailty-prefrailty spectrum. The working group had an increased (86%) probability of PP with statistical significance. Regression analysis depicted significant increased odds of MM and PP among female, illiterate, very old, lone, and single subjects. Discussion and Conclusion: Thus, we recommend earlier and timely intervention for the frail-prefrail which can revert their adversities.
Nigerian Medical Journal
Background: An important cause of high fertility rates in Delhi is the low availability and use o... more Background: An important cause of high fertility rates in Delhi is the low availability and use of family planning services. Fostering family planning practice alleviates poverty, accelerates socioeconomic development, increases child schooling, promotes gender equality, and decreases maternal and infant mortality. The study objective was to find out the perception of potential users, health workers, and health professionals on the reasons for nonusage of contraceptive services provided and to recognize possible solutions to the identified barriers. Methods: This cross-sectional study was done using qualitative methods among three groups of people by focus group discussion and in-depth interviews. The study was conducted in the rural health center of Madanpur Khaddar, Department of Community Medicine, Jamia Hamdard Institute of Medical Sciences and Research, from June to August 2016. Results: The median age group of the participants was 27 years, and the participants were majorily less educated and were homemakers. Description of key thematic issues found out that contraceptive nonusage was due to lack of accessibility, lack of availability, as well as issues with privacy and autonomy. Out of 25 women, 3 had never heard the term Copper-T (CuT). Twelve out of the rest 22 women had heard about CuT, but knew no more than that. Conclusion: The findings that have emerged from this study thus provide some recommendations to increase the demand for contraception. Effective information, education, and communication should be promoted continuously with the help of community health workers for better acceptance of CuT because it is believed that no single child should be born into the world unplanned.
Indian journal of occupational and environmental medicine
Ragpickers are informal workers who collect recyclable materials to earn a small wage on daily ba... more Ragpickers are informal workers who collect recyclable materials to earn a small wage on daily basis. They work in vulnerable conditions and awareness regarding occupational and environmental hazard is essential for them. To study the effectiveness of awareness program on various occupational health hazards among the ragpickers. This interventional study was conducted from May through October 2016 among the ragpickers living near field practice area of Department of Community Medicine and those living in slum areas around HAHC Hospital, New Delhi, India. The awareness regarding occupational and environmental health hazards was assessed using a pretested and predesigned pro forma. Snowball sampling technique was used to select the ragpickers from the various areas. Health awareness and education package was designed for the ragpickers. The package was delivered by medical officers and health workers. A posttest assessment was done 2 weeks after the awareness activity. Among 150 ragpi...
Journal of Global Infectious Diseases, 2013
A child constitutes the most priority and vulnerable group in terms of survival, growth, and deve... more A child constitutes the most priority and vulnerable group in terms of survival, growth, and development. Acute respiratory infections (ARI), particularly lower respiratory tract infections (LRTI), are the leading cause of under-five morbidity for an estimated just about two million childhood deaths globally. [1] ARI contributes to one-fifths of all under-five deaths in developing countries which is around 12 million every year. [2] It is estimated that Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, and Nepal together account for 40% of the global ARI mortality. ARI is responsible for about 30-50% of visits to health facilities and for about 20-40% of admissions to hospitals. [3] In developed countries also physicians frequently encounter acute respiratory tract involvements in children. [4] In
International Journal of Nutrition, Pharmacology, Neurological Diseases, 2016
Background: Anemia in the elderly can have tremendous impact on their health and functionality. M... more Background: Anemia in the elderly can have tremendous impact on their health and functionality. Many a time, anemia in the elderly is overlooked and due priority is not given regarding its causes and impact. Objectives: The present study was conducted to assess the prevalence of anemia in the elderly and study the various correlates associated with it. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted from December 2011 to May 2012 in Boko-Bongaon block, Kamrup District, Assam, India. A total of 30 clusters were selected and 11 elderly from each cluster were taken to get the desired sample size of 330. Hemoglobin estimation was performed to assess the presence of anemia. Results: Prevalence of anemia was 45.5% in the present study. Elderly with severe anemia constituted 15.3%. The associations of anemia with age, gender, calorie intake, type of diet, iron supplementation, and worm infestation were found to be significant. Conclusion: Further in-depth studies are needed regarding the causes of anemia and the role of nutritional prophylaxis. The provisions for adequate health care measures and services to combat anemia in the elderly is needed for timely action.