Anusha Rashmi - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Papers by Anusha Rashmi

Indian Journal of Medical Research

Journal of Family Medicine and Primary Care

Indian Journal of Community Health

With the emergence of pandemic, health sector has been facing innumerable challenges right from p... more With the emergence of pandemic, health sector has been facing innumerable challenges right from prevention to management of COVID-19. This study attempts to understand these factors from a local perspective that will help in better planning and management of situation for the future. Karnataka was one of the 8 states selected as part of a multisectoral qualitative study. Perspectives of frontline managers regarding the management of COVID 19 pandemic situation were taken by in depth interviews. Deductive thematic analysis from the audio recordings and transcripts showed public apprehensions, gaps in decentralized approach and specific guidelines, monitoring difficulties and workforce related issues as factors of concern.

Journal of Indian Association for Child and Adolescent Mental Health

Introduction: Today, 1.2 billion adolescents stand at the crossroads between childhood and the ad... more Introduction: Today, 1.2 billion adolescents stand at the crossroads between childhood and the adult world. India is home to 243 million of them. The health status of an adolescent determines health status in his adulthood as many serious diseases in adulthood have their roots in adolescence. Objectives: To assess baseline as well as post interventional knowledge of students on stress and depression using a structured health educational module and to assess its utility and acceptability. Methodology: A school-based Interventional study was undertaken in two high schools using a purposive sampling method. Intervention in the form of health education was imparted using a structured module. FGDs in both the schools for teachers were also conducted. Results: A total of 108 adolescent students were enrolled in the study. Mean baseline knowledge scores for stress and depression for the students were found to be 6.35, which, post-test increased 38 to 11 and this was found to be statistically significant. Further, the mean score difference (MSD) among girls was found to be higher. Private schools had a lower increase in MSD when compared to public schools. Teachers agreed to the point that the introduction of an intervention module will have an impact on students in the aspect of stress and depression. Conclusion: The induction of the proposed module created awareness of stress and depression among adolescent students. Hence, it is recommended to introduce this module on a large scale in the school curriculum, which is expected to help our students overcome some of their major mental health problems.

Indian Journal of Community Health

Background: A reflection on the census 2011 data tells us that gender preference has only been on... more Background: A reflection on the census 2011 data tells us that gender preference has only been on the rise these past years. Objective: To assess perception regarding gender preference among mothers in Dakshina Kannada district. Materials & Methods: 2 tertiary care centres attached with medical college were selected in Dakshina Kannada district. Quantitative variables were collected using a questionnaire and qualitative component was done through focused group discussion. Results: Child preference was seen among 32.2% of the subjects. Preference for Male child if the first child was a girl was significantly associated with lower education and low income (p<0.05). Conclusion: Son preference is still existent in the society but not universally. It is more so when the first born is a female child.

Healthline

Introduction: Among children, one of the most serious public health challenges of the 21st centur... more Introduction: Among children, one of the most serious public health challenges of the 21st century is childhood obesity, namely central obesity. This increases the risk of cardiovascular disease and diabetes. Studies show that, children who are physically active are less likely to have central obesity making it a key element in the prevention and treatment of both chronic diseases. Objectives: To assess the baseline knowledge and post-interventional knowledge of the students and teachers on the physical activity; to assess the utility and acceptability of the intervention module. Methods: An interventional study in 2 schools by administering tests prior to and after giving a class on the importance of physical activity and focused group discussion with teachers to assess the utility and acceptability of intervention. Data analysed using SPSS software, tabulated and interpreted by applying statistical tests. Results: Among the 120 students who participated, a significant increase in ...

Journal of Epidemiology and Global Health, 2022

Objective The primary objective of the study was to compare the challenges in implementing variou... more Objective The primary objective of the study was to compare the challenges in implementing various COVID-19-related public health strategies and activities between the selected high health index and low health index states. The secondary objective was to identify the differently managed mechanisms adopted by the health-care delivery system across the states to maintain their functioning during the COVID-19 pandemic. Setting Eight states were divided into two groups; based on their health index and vulnerability index ranking—Kerala, Maharashtra, Gujarat, and Karnataka in top four (Group 1) and Delhi, Tripura, Rajasthan, and Orissa in bottom four states (Group 2). Results There was lack of private sector involvement in both the groups of the states, more so in Group 2. Although transport-related issues were similar in both groups, lack of provision of vehicles for transport for carrying out various COVID and non-COVID activities seemed to be more prominent in Group 2. More obstacles ...

Indian Journal of Community Health, 2021

Background: Evidence-based public health advocates decision making based on best available scient... more Background: Evidence-based public health advocates decision making based on best available scientific evidence, hence it is important to gather evidence of current scenario of trauma care. Aim & Objective: To determine pathways of care and delays among Road Traffic Injury patients and assess gaps in resources. Settings and Design: This cross-sectional study was conducted in selected tertiary care hospitals in Mangaluru taluk, Karnataka. Methods and Material: Participants were administered validated proformas on prehospital and hospital care. WHO trauma care checklist was used for capacity assessment and gap analysis. Statistical analysis used: Time intervals are expressed as measures of central tendency and dispersion. Descriptive analysis is given as percentages and proportions. Results: Median pre-hospital time was 30 minutes. Overall, 67.5% of the patients reached within golden hour. Majority (64.1%) were directly transported to current hospital. All patients received first aid, ...

International Journal of Community Medicine and Public Health, 2017

Background: Prevention and treatment in HIV greatly influences the quality of life (QOL). The obj... more Background: Prevention and treatment in HIV greatly influences the quality of life (QOL). The objective of the study was to assess QOL of individuals with HIV and its association with demographic factors. Methods: 400 patients with HIV attending the district anteretroviral treatment (ART) centre were interviewed with WHO QOL BREF questionnaire using systematic random sampling. Descriptive statistics, Chi square and independent t test and logistic regression was done to analyse the results. Results: Mean quality of life score was highest in the physical domain (Mean=14.93, ±3.59). Least score was seen for Social domain (Mean=12.30, ±2.37). The physical domain score was highest among those belonging to class 1 SES (Mean=17.50, ±0.707). Domain scores varied significantly (p>0.05) with respect to gender. There was significant variation in domain scores across the different socioeconomic groups except in social domain. Conclusions: Gender, Socioeconomic and marital status significantly affected the QOL of People Living with HIV.

BackgroundCoronavirus was first officially reported in Wuhan city of China in December 2019. As t... more BackgroundCoronavirus was first officially reported in Wuhan city of China in December 2019. As this novel coronavirus spread rapidly throughout the world, health care workers faced many difficulties addressing the pandemic. In the present study, we explored the challenges faced by front-line health managers on human resource management, execution of the central policies, training and in formulating innovative approaches during the covid-19 pandemic in India. Methods: A qualitative study was conducted using framework analysis among front-line health managers concerning covid-19 management at the district level. We conducted 120 in-depth interviews (IDIs) among eight states with the use of an Interview guide. Results: The results are described under five sections: First: 'challenges of front-line managers in policymaking and its execution' 'human resource management' 'gaps in local execution of central policies' 'challenges in training workforce and data m...

Introduction: It is essential to explore ways to prevent and reduce the severity of injuries in r... more Introduction: It is essential to explore ways to prevent and reduce the severity of injuries in road crashes. This study attempts at getting a ground-level understanding of perspectives surrounding road traffic injury among various stakeholders. Materials and Methods: In-depth interviews and focused group discussions were conducted over a period of 6 months among traffic police, toll booth operators, road transport officers, nurses, and intensive care specialists. The transcribed data were coded and analyzed, and a percentage of final themes as well as codes were drawn. Results: The common reasons cited for delay in transport of accident victims were fear regarding medicolegal issues among the first responders (36.9%) and delay in ambulance (41.5%). 26.1% agreed that time delay in transport can be reduced by generating awareness. Teaching first aid to the general public is essential as opined by 75% of nursing staff and 66.7% of emergency physicians. Documentation procedures (15.4%)...

Indian Journal of Community Health, 2020

Hormones, life style, animal proteins etc are factors that influence menarche. Like-wise a declin... more Hormones, life style, animal proteins etc are factors that influence menarche. Like-wise a declining trend in age at menarche has been noticed over the past few years. This study was taken up with the objectives to study factors that are associated with menarche in our study population. Hence a school-based cross-sectional study was undertaken for the same which showed the mean age of menstruation was 12.5 years. It was significantly influenced by milk intake (p

Indian Journal of Community Health, 2020

Context: Abortion and unintended pregnancy in India is on the rise, and a large proportion of the... more Context: Abortion and unintended pregnancy in India is on the rise, and a large proportion of these unintended pregnancies end up in induced abortion. The soaring rate of abortion among Indian women can be influenced by a plethora of reasons. Aims: 1) To identify the rate of second trimester abortion2) To determine the reasons behind second trimester abortions Settings and design: An audit of all the abortions in a district of South India was conducted. Material and methods: The data was obtained from the records of abortion reported in the year 2018 from the District Health Office and analysed. Statistical analysis used: Descriptive statistics Results: Majority of the pregnant ladies with abortion (55.73%) were aged between 21-30 years and abortions in second trimester were observed to be comparatively higher (50%). Among the myriad of reasons found for second trimester abortions, spontaneous abortions contributed to around 30% while 11.92% had no cause mentioned. Conclusion: A hig...

Indian Journal of Community Health, 2020

The pandemic of COVID 19 having spread to more than 200 countries across the globe it is time to ... more The pandemic of COVID 19 having spread to more than 200 countries across the globe it is time to rethink strategies to contain the spread of the disease. The virus being novel and the natural history still incompletely understood the world seems to be in hit with the panic button. Seeing no race, gender, social class the virus has affected both developed and developing countries alike. However, to understand if existing measures followed are going in the right direction, we need an understanding of the existing situation in countries across as well as our own. The study attempts to analyse the trend patterns around the world especially focusing on China, US, the neighbouring countries of India and then looks into the patterns of COVID 19 in India.

Indian Journal of Community Health, 2020

Quarantine is a tool that was used anciently and now used as a public health measure in a more st... more Quarantine is a tool that was used anciently and now used as a public health measure in a more strategic manner for containment of a disease. It requires a lot of planning for implementation depending upon the burden of disease, resources to carry out the same in a stringent manner. Benefits and outcomes need to be measured carefully while imposing quarantine especially of a larger scale. We have tried to put up the rationale behind the current quarantine measure carried out in the wake of COVID 19 and factors to keep in mind for the future.

Journal of Health and Allied Sciences NU, 2017

Background: Provision of services in line with the wishes and needs of patients is central to a h... more Background: Provision of services in line with the wishes and needs of patients is central to a human health care system .The hospital market has today as changed from a seller's market to a buyer's market and there is a need to improve the quality in the health care delivery. Client satisfaction is a key determinant of quality of care provided in health care centers. Objectives: To determine the client satisfaction among the patients attending tertiary care centers in Mangalore. Materials and Methodology: The study was a cross sectional study which was conducted among the clients attending five teaching hospitals in Mangalore. With 60% of client satisfaction obtained in our pilot study, the sample size was 384 and adding 20% for dropouts the total sample size came up to 462.The clients were selected randomly from each hospital. A pretested Proforma was used outside the hospital with strict confidentiality. Results: In our study we found that,87.6% of the clients felt that t...

Indian Journal of Public Health Research & Development, 2020

Indian Journal of Public Health Research & Development, 2020

Journal of Health and Allied Sciences NU, 2013

Maternal mortality and morbidity are significant health problems in developing countries. Improvi... more Maternal mortality and morbidity are significant health problems in developing countries. Improving maternal health has been an essential element for achieving health for all and has been included in MDG to be achieved by 2010. Apart from mothers and children, the health of adolescents came into light as one of the important area mainly because of their role as future or immediate mothers. Role of health care providers especially the grass root level workers becomes particularly important not just in imparting the intending services, but also in imparting knowledge about reproductive health.To assess the knowledge about RCH services among the health care workers, pregnant women, mothers and adolescent girls.A cross sectional study was conducted in the rural field practice areas of K. S. Hegde Medical Academy. A total of 37 health workers, 50 pregnant women and mothers and 56 adolescents were interviewed using a pre tested questionnaire for assessing their knowledge regarding RCH ser...

Indian Journal of Public Health Research & Development, 2019

Indian Journal of Medical Research

Journal of Family Medicine and Primary Care

Indian Journal of Community Health

With the emergence of pandemic, health sector has been facing innumerable challenges right from p... more With the emergence of pandemic, health sector has been facing innumerable challenges right from prevention to management of COVID-19. This study attempts to understand these factors from a local perspective that will help in better planning and management of situation for the future. Karnataka was one of the 8 states selected as part of a multisectoral qualitative study. Perspectives of frontline managers regarding the management of COVID 19 pandemic situation were taken by in depth interviews. Deductive thematic analysis from the audio recordings and transcripts showed public apprehensions, gaps in decentralized approach and specific guidelines, monitoring difficulties and workforce related issues as factors of concern.

Journal of Indian Association for Child and Adolescent Mental Health

Introduction: Today, 1.2 billion adolescents stand at the crossroads between childhood and the ad... more Introduction: Today, 1.2 billion adolescents stand at the crossroads between childhood and the adult world. India is home to 243 million of them. The health status of an adolescent determines health status in his adulthood as many serious diseases in adulthood have their roots in adolescence. Objectives: To assess baseline as well as post interventional knowledge of students on stress and depression using a structured health educational module and to assess its utility and acceptability. Methodology: A school-based Interventional study was undertaken in two high schools using a purposive sampling method. Intervention in the form of health education was imparted using a structured module. FGDs in both the schools for teachers were also conducted. Results: A total of 108 adolescent students were enrolled in the study. Mean baseline knowledge scores for stress and depression for the students were found to be 6.35, which, post-test increased 38 to 11 and this was found to be statistically significant. Further, the mean score difference (MSD) among girls was found to be higher. Private schools had a lower increase in MSD when compared to public schools. Teachers agreed to the point that the introduction of an intervention module will have an impact on students in the aspect of stress and depression. Conclusion: The induction of the proposed module created awareness of stress and depression among adolescent students. Hence, it is recommended to introduce this module on a large scale in the school curriculum, which is expected to help our students overcome some of their major mental health problems.

Indian Journal of Community Health

Background: A reflection on the census 2011 data tells us that gender preference has only been on... more Background: A reflection on the census 2011 data tells us that gender preference has only been on the rise these past years. Objective: To assess perception regarding gender preference among mothers in Dakshina Kannada district. Materials & Methods: 2 tertiary care centres attached with medical college were selected in Dakshina Kannada district. Quantitative variables were collected using a questionnaire and qualitative component was done through focused group discussion. Results: Child preference was seen among 32.2% of the subjects. Preference for Male child if the first child was a girl was significantly associated with lower education and low income (p<0.05). Conclusion: Son preference is still existent in the society but not universally. It is more so when the first born is a female child.

Healthline

Introduction: Among children, one of the most serious public health challenges of the 21st centur... more Introduction: Among children, one of the most serious public health challenges of the 21st century is childhood obesity, namely central obesity. This increases the risk of cardiovascular disease and diabetes. Studies show that, children who are physically active are less likely to have central obesity making it a key element in the prevention and treatment of both chronic diseases. Objectives: To assess the baseline knowledge and post-interventional knowledge of the students and teachers on the physical activity; to assess the utility and acceptability of the intervention module. Methods: An interventional study in 2 schools by administering tests prior to and after giving a class on the importance of physical activity and focused group discussion with teachers to assess the utility and acceptability of intervention. Data analysed using SPSS software, tabulated and interpreted by applying statistical tests. Results: Among the 120 students who participated, a significant increase in ...

Journal of Epidemiology and Global Health, 2022

Objective The primary objective of the study was to compare the challenges in implementing variou... more Objective The primary objective of the study was to compare the challenges in implementing various COVID-19-related public health strategies and activities between the selected high health index and low health index states. The secondary objective was to identify the differently managed mechanisms adopted by the health-care delivery system across the states to maintain their functioning during the COVID-19 pandemic. Setting Eight states were divided into two groups; based on their health index and vulnerability index ranking—Kerala, Maharashtra, Gujarat, and Karnataka in top four (Group 1) and Delhi, Tripura, Rajasthan, and Orissa in bottom four states (Group 2). Results There was lack of private sector involvement in both the groups of the states, more so in Group 2. Although transport-related issues were similar in both groups, lack of provision of vehicles for transport for carrying out various COVID and non-COVID activities seemed to be more prominent in Group 2. More obstacles ...

Indian Journal of Community Health, 2021

Background: Evidence-based public health advocates decision making based on best available scient... more Background: Evidence-based public health advocates decision making based on best available scientific evidence, hence it is important to gather evidence of current scenario of trauma care. Aim & Objective: To determine pathways of care and delays among Road Traffic Injury patients and assess gaps in resources. Settings and Design: This cross-sectional study was conducted in selected tertiary care hospitals in Mangaluru taluk, Karnataka. Methods and Material: Participants were administered validated proformas on prehospital and hospital care. WHO trauma care checklist was used for capacity assessment and gap analysis. Statistical analysis used: Time intervals are expressed as measures of central tendency and dispersion. Descriptive analysis is given as percentages and proportions. Results: Median pre-hospital time was 30 minutes. Overall, 67.5% of the patients reached within golden hour. Majority (64.1%) were directly transported to current hospital. All patients received first aid, ...

International Journal of Community Medicine and Public Health, 2017

Background: Prevention and treatment in HIV greatly influences the quality of life (QOL). The obj... more Background: Prevention and treatment in HIV greatly influences the quality of life (QOL). The objective of the study was to assess QOL of individuals with HIV and its association with demographic factors. Methods: 400 patients with HIV attending the district anteretroviral treatment (ART) centre were interviewed with WHO QOL BREF questionnaire using systematic random sampling. Descriptive statistics, Chi square and independent t test and logistic regression was done to analyse the results. Results: Mean quality of life score was highest in the physical domain (Mean=14.93, ±3.59). Least score was seen for Social domain (Mean=12.30, ±2.37). The physical domain score was highest among those belonging to class 1 SES (Mean=17.50, ±0.707). Domain scores varied significantly (p>0.05) with respect to gender. There was significant variation in domain scores across the different socioeconomic groups except in social domain. Conclusions: Gender, Socioeconomic and marital status significantly affected the QOL of People Living with HIV.

BackgroundCoronavirus was first officially reported in Wuhan city of China in December 2019. As t... more BackgroundCoronavirus was first officially reported in Wuhan city of China in December 2019. As this novel coronavirus spread rapidly throughout the world, health care workers faced many difficulties addressing the pandemic. In the present study, we explored the challenges faced by front-line health managers on human resource management, execution of the central policies, training and in formulating innovative approaches during the covid-19 pandemic in India. Methods: A qualitative study was conducted using framework analysis among front-line health managers concerning covid-19 management at the district level. We conducted 120 in-depth interviews (IDIs) among eight states with the use of an Interview guide. Results: The results are described under five sections: First: 'challenges of front-line managers in policymaking and its execution' 'human resource management' 'gaps in local execution of central policies' 'challenges in training workforce and data m...

Introduction: It is essential to explore ways to prevent and reduce the severity of injuries in r... more Introduction: It is essential to explore ways to prevent and reduce the severity of injuries in road crashes. This study attempts at getting a ground-level understanding of perspectives surrounding road traffic injury among various stakeholders. Materials and Methods: In-depth interviews and focused group discussions were conducted over a period of 6 months among traffic police, toll booth operators, road transport officers, nurses, and intensive care specialists. The transcribed data were coded and analyzed, and a percentage of final themes as well as codes were drawn. Results: The common reasons cited for delay in transport of accident victims were fear regarding medicolegal issues among the first responders (36.9%) and delay in ambulance (41.5%). 26.1% agreed that time delay in transport can be reduced by generating awareness. Teaching first aid to the general public is essential as opined by 75% of nursing staff and 66.7% of emergency physicians. Documentation procedures (15.4%)...

Indian Journal of Community Health, 2020

Hormones, life style, animal proteins etc are factors that influence menarche. Like-wise a declin... more Hormones, life style, animal proteins etc are factors that influence menarche. Like-wise a declining trend in age at menarche has been noticed over the past few years. This study was taken up with the objectives to study factors that are associated with menarche in our study population. Hence a school-based cross-sectional study was undertaken for the same which showed the mean age of menstruation was 12.5 years. It was significantly influenced by milk intake (p

Indian Journal of Community Health, 2020

Context: Abortion and unintended pregnancy in India is on the rise, and a large proportion of the... more Context: Abortion and unintended pregnancy in India is on the rise, and a large proportion of these unintended pregnancies end up in induced abortion. The soaring rate of abortion among Indian women can be influenced by a plethora of reasons. Aims: 1) To identify the rate of second trimester abortion2) To determine the reasons behind second trimester abortions Settings and design: An audit of all the abortions in a district of South India was conducted. Material and methods: The data was obtained from the records of abortion reported in the year 2018 from the District Health Office and analysed. Statistical analysis used: Descriptive statistics Results: Majority of the pregnant ladies with abortion (55.73%) were aged between 21-30 years and abortions in second trimester were observed to be comparatively higher (50%). Among the myriad of reasons found for second trimester abortions, spontaneous abortions contributed to around 30% while 11.92% had no cause mentioned. Conclusion: A hig...

Indian Journal of Community Health, 2020

The pandemic of COVID 19 having spread to more than 200 countries across the globe it is time to ... more The pandemic of COVID 19 having spread to more than 200 countries across the globe it is time to rethink strategies to contain the spread of the disease. The virus being novel and the natural history still incompletely understood the world seems to be in hit with the panic button. Seeing no race, gender, social class the virus has affected both developed and developing countries alike. However, to understand if existing measures followed are going in the right direction, we need an understanding of the existing situation in countries across as well as our own. The study attempts to analyse the trend patterns around the world especially focusing on China, US, the neighbouring countries of India and then looks into the patterns of COVID 19 in India.

Indian Journal of Community Health, 2020

Quarantine is a tool that was used anciently and now used as a public health measure in a more st... more Quarantine is a tool that was used anciently and now used as a public health measure in a more strategic manner for containment of a disease. It requires a lot of planning for implementation depending upon the burden of disease, resources to carry out the same in a stringent manner. Benefits and outcomes need to be measured carefully while imposing quarantine especially of a larger scale. We have tried to put up the rationale behind the current quarantine measure carried out in the wake of COVID 19 and factors to keep in mind for the future.

Journal of Health and Allied Sciences NU, 2017

Background: Provision of services in line with the wishes and needs of patients is central to a h... more Background: Provision of services in line with the wishes and needs of patients is central to a human health care system .The hospital market has today as changed from a seller's market to a buyer's market and there is a need to improve the quality in the health care delivery. Client satisfaction is a key determinant of quality of care provided in health care centers. Objectives: To determine the client satisfaction among the patients attending tertiary care centers in Mangalore. Materials and Methodology: The study was a cross sectional study which was conducted among the clients attending five teaching hospitals in Mangalore. With 60% of client satisfaction obtained in our pilot study, the sample size was 384 and adding 20% for dropouts the total sample size came up to 462.The clients were selected randomly from each hospital. A pretested Proforma was used outside the hospital with strict confidentiality. Results: In our study we found that,87.6% of the clients felt that t...

Indian Journal of Public Health Research & Development, 2020

Indian Journal of Public Health Research & Development, 2020

Journal of Health and Allied Sciences NU, 2013

Maternal mortality and morbidity are significant health problems in developing countries. Improvi... more Maternal mortality and morbidity are significant health problems in developing countries. Improving maternal health has been an essential element for achieving health for all and has been included in MDG to be achieved by 2010. Apart from mothers and children, the health of adolescents came into light as one of the important area mainly because of their role as future or immediate mothers. Role of health care providers especially the grass root level workers becomes particularly important not just in imparting the intending services, but also in imparting knowledge about reproductive health.To assess the knowledge about RCH services among the health care workers, pregnant women, mothers and adolescent girls.A cross sectional study was conducted in the rural field practice areas of K. S. Hegde Medical Academy. A total of 37 health workers, 50 pregnant women and mothers and 56 adolescents were interviewed using a pre tested questionnaire for assessing their knowledge regarding RCH ser...

Indian Journal of Public Health Research & Development, 2019