Gajendra Kumar Medhi - Academia.edu (original) (raw)
Papers by Gajendra Kumar Medhi
Journal of Family Medicine and Primary Care, 2020
Background: Poor nutritional status in primary school children can lead to several health problem... more Background: Poor nutritional status in primary school children can lead to several health problems such as easy susceptibility to common childhood diseases. Personal hygiene status is an important predictor of nutritional status and morbidity in children as water- and sanitation-related diseases are the leading causes of early morbidity and mortality in children. The present study was conducted to assess the nutritional status as well as personal hygiene practices of primary school going children. Method: The present study was a cross-sectional study conducted in selected urban and rural areas of Shillong in children 6–12 years of age. Two schools each from the rural and urban area were selected using simple random sampling. The total sample size calculated was 510. Height, weight, and BMI were taken for all the children following the standard procedures. WHO growth standards were used for grading of nutritional status. A questionnaire with scores was used for grading of personal hygiene status. Results: The overall prevalence of underweight in the children of 6–9 years was 74 (18.7%) and that of stunting was 68 (17.2%). The overall prevalence of thinness and stunting in children aged 10–12 was 38 (19.1%) and 46 (23.2%). The prevalence of nutritional deficiency syndromes was 192 (32.4%). Regarding the personal hygiene status, it was observed that 65 (11%) had very good personal hygiene, 292 (49.3%) were labeled as good, 200 (33.8%) were average, and 35 (5.9%) had poor personal hygiene. Conclusion: The primary school going children in Shillong had poor nutritional status but the majority of them had good personal hygiene practices. Mother's educational status played an important role in determining the nutritional and personal hygiene status of the children.
Journal of Evolution of Medical and Dental Sciences, 2017
BACKGROUND One-fourth of the worldwide under-five deaths annually occur in India. Over 70% of the... more BACKGROUND One-fourth of the worldwide under-five deaths annually occur in India. Over 70% of these deaths are due to preventable diseases. Malnutrition, socioeconomic status, place of residence, mother's education, access to quality health services and living environment are important determinants of morbidity and mortality of under-five children. There is a gap in literature regarding the morbidity pattern and its correlates among under-five children in the slums of Shillong city. Therefore, this study was designed to study the morbidity status and its pattern in under-five children and to find out the correlates of morbidity. MATERIALS AND METHODS A cross-sectional study with a pre-tested questionnaire was used to interview primary caregivers of 225 under-five children regarding the morbidity pattern currently and in the last three months. Anthropometric measurements of under-five children were also taken. Data was analysed using MS Excel and MedCalc version 16.2. Chi-square test was used to find association between categorical variables. RESULTS Majority (47.7%) of under-five children belonged to SES II, majority (45.8%) of them were of first birth order, 40% had only one sibling, 13.3% of the fathers and 27.6% of the mothers were illiterate. In the last 3 months, 61.8% children experienced some morbidity. ARI (64%), fever (35.6%) and diarrhea (11.5%) were the most common morbidities. Among under-fives with normal nutritional status 62.2% had any morbidity compared to 60.7% of those with malnutrition. Significant statistical association (p < 0.05) was found between number of siblings and morbidity status. CONCLUSION The most common morbidity among the study population were ARI, undernutrition followed by fever and diarrhea. All of which being preventable highlights the importance of family health counseling comprehensive of awareness about prevention and homebased care of these diseases.
International Journal of Health Sciences and Research, 2015
Introduction: Self-rated health (SRH) is considered as the global indicator of health and quality... more Introduction: Self-rated health (SRH) is considered as the global indicator of health and quality of life. Diabetes is serious chronic disease and it is emerging as a major public health problem among urban population. We aimed to examine the association between SRH and diabetes among elderly population (≥60 yr)) in an urban setting of Assam. Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out among elderly individuals (≥60 yr) in two randomly selected wards of Dibrugarh urban area of Assam. Pre-tested questionnaire was used to collect data on self-rated health (SRH), sociodemographic and other information. Diabetes was defined as per criterion of American Diabetes Association (ADA). Results: A total of 300 eligible persons (Male-149, Female-151) were recruited into the study. Prevalence of diabetes was found to be 23% (Male-26.2%, Female-19.9%). Higher proportion of diabetic individuals (61%) rated their health as poor as compared to their non-diabetic counterparts (37.7%). Presence o...
Indian Pediatrics, 2020
Objective: To assess the prevalence of iodine deficiency disorders among school-going children in... more Objective: To assess the prevalence of iodine deficiency disorders among school-going children in Meghalaya. Methods: Multi-stage 30 cluster sampling with probability proportionate to size (PPS) method was used. Children (age 6-12years) were examined clinically for goiter. Urinary iodine excretion (UIE) was performed by spectrophotometric method. Iodine content in the salt was analyzed using iodized salt test kits. Results: A total of 195 (7.22%) out of 2700 children had goiter on examination. Goitre prevalence was significantly associated with wasting (P<0.05) and stunting (P <0.001). The median (IQR) UIE level was 150 (108.05-189.37) µg/dL. Nineteen (9.74%) children had severe iodine deficiency (UIE<20µg/L). Iodine content was above the recommended level of 15 ppm in 95.9% salt samples. A positive correlation was observed between household salt consumption and UIE levels (r=0.25; P<0.001). Conclusion: Iodine deficiency disorder is a public health problem in Meghalaya, which needs to be addressed.
Indian Pediatrics, Mar 1, 2022
International Journal Of Community Medicine And Public Health, 2021
Background: The current COVID-19 pandemic has forced us to adopt online teaching for medical lear... more Background: The current COVID-19 pandemic has forced us to adopt online teaching for medical learning. While there are undoubtedly benefits that online learning provides, the sudden transition to online teaching presented different challenges to the students as well as the teachers. The aim of this study is to explore the perception and experiences of medical undergraduates on online classes in the backdrop of COVID-19 pandemic.Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 166 medical students in NEIGRIHMS who had exposure to online teaching during the COVID-19 pandemic. A semi-structured questionnaire was distributed after getting informed consent. SPSS 21 version software for Windows was used for data entry and analysis.Results: Eight in 10 of the students do not prefer online learning. Moreover, they believe that practical skills will not develop through online learning. They cite internet connectivity, device-related and software- related issues as the main difficulties t...
Background: Antiretroviral therapy scales up globally and in Ethiopia, as a result, AIDS-related ... more Background: Antiretroviral therapy scales up globally and in Ethiopia, as a result, AIDS-related mortality has reduced, but the number of new HIV infections increasing. Antiretroviral therapy in Ethiopia gives a chance of living longer for reproductive-age women. Prevention of pregnancy among HIV positive women is the second WHO prongs of HIV transmission with respecting women's reproductive rights. Antiretroviral therapy uses improve the health of HIV positive women using and women's fertility desire increasing. Therefore this study aimed to assess the fertility desire and associated factors among ART user reproductive-age women. Methods: A facility-based cross-sectional study design conducted from November 2-30/2018. The calculated sample size was 400 and study participants were selected by using systematic random sampling. A pre-tested structured questionnaire was used to collect data. A binary logistic regression model was employed and adjusted odds ratio with a 95% confidence interval used to consider statistically significant Results: A total of 397 clients were participated in the study, giving a response rate of 99.3%. The proportion of fertility desire in this study was 55.2 %(95% CI, 50.4%-60.2%). A duration of marriage < 4 year [AOR=6.9(95 CI: 1.65, 28.81)], and 5-9 years duration of marriage [AOR= 13.8 (95% CI: 2.39, 80.39)] higher as compared to 15 years and above, family influence 3.4 times more likely to have fertility desire than have no family influence [AOR= 3.4 (95% CI: 1.06, 11.25)], partner desire 4.3 times more likely have had fertility desires as compared to with counterpart [AOR= 4.3 (95% CI: 1.93,9.41)], and discussion with health care provider 66 % less likely to have fertility desire as compared with counterpart [AOR = 0.34 (95% CI: 0.39, 3.31)]. Conclusion: In this study, we have identified a high proportion of fertility desire among ART user reproductive-age women. The duration of marital status, partner influence, family influence, and discussion of health care were associated with fertility desire. Family-oriented counseling, partner involvement on reproductive health services should be encouraged to support the rights of all women to safely achieve their fertility.
International Journal Of Community Medicine And Public Health, 2021
Background: The incidences of some non communicable diseases like diabetes mellitus, obesity, hyp... more Background: The incidences of some non communicable diseases like diabetes mellitus, obesity, hypertension and cardiovascular diseases have been rising in the country since last few decades due to the unhealthy lifestyle of the people. Researches conducted among medical and nursing students shown that even though they are aware about the consequences of practicing unhealthy lifestyle but still they do not follow the suggested guidelines for healthy lifestyle. To assess lifestyle behaviour related to dietary pattern, physical activity, substance use, sleep, stress management, among MBBS and nursing students. NEIGRIHMS, a tertiary care institute in the capital city of the north-eastern state of Meghalaya, Shillong.Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 313 participants by using a pre-tested self-administered questionnaire. The data was analyzed using the software Statistical package for social sciences (SPSS) 21 version.Results: In this study, 189 (60.4%) students report...
Journal of Education and Health Promotion, 2018
INTRODUCTION: It has been perceived that there is a lack of community exposure and active learnin... more INTRODUCTION: It has been perceived that there is a lack of community exposure and active learning in the community for the first-year undergraduates in Community Medicine. This study is designed to evaluate an early community exposure given to the students to help overcome these lacunae. METHODOLOGY: In this study, the first-year students (n = 44) were provided an early community exposure and evaluated to understand their perceptions by a prevalidated, pre- and post exposure questionnaire. The community exposure was given to the students by allocating them families in community with designated tasks A core group of mentors monitored the students and scored the students on every visit. Attendance of students, scores marked by the mentors, and pre- and postexposure responses were used to evaluate the impact of community exposure. RESULTS: A total of 44 students were evaluated in this study. A total of 22 h (36.6%) were dedicated to community-based learning in the 1st year. A positive...
Journal of Education and Health Promotion, 2020
INTRODUCTION: Feedback is an important part of the assessment process. However, one-to-one struct... more INTRODUCTION: Feedback is an important part of the assessment process. However, one-to-one structured and constructive feedback to the students is not practiced mostly due to lack of practice and feasibility issues. The present study was conducted to understand the perception of students and faculty toward one-to-one structured feedback. METHODOLOGY: All the 3 rd MBBS professional students were included in the study. An orientation was given to the faculty regarding the importance of feedback and how to give structured feedback. A standardized format was provided to the faculty for providing the feedback to the students. After completion of the assessments, a one-to-one structured verbal feedback was given to all the students. Thereafter, faculty and student's perception on the feedback process was obtained through questionnaires. A focused group discussion was also conducted among the students. RESULTS: A total of 42 students participated in the study out of 50. A positive response was received from all the students regarding the feedback. Nearly84.34% of the students acknowledged that feedback is important for understanding their mistakes, 92.84% of the students responded positively that feedback helps to build a good rapport with the teacher, and 92.85% of the students reported that they were satisfied with the overall experience of receiving feedback. Most of the faculty (80%) perceived that giving feedback after the assessment was a good idea. The faculty felt motivated to give feedback to the students after the hands-on experience. However, only 20% of the faculty agreed that the process of feedback was easy to carry out (mean score: 2.2 ± 1.09). CONCLUSION: The positive responses received from both the students and the faculty highlight that the students are receptive toward feedback provided it is structured, constructive, and helps them to achieve their learning goals.
Journal of Family Medicine and Primary Care, 2019
Background: Elderly population is growing rapidly in India. To direct public health actions to im... more Background: Elderly population is growing rapidly in India. To direct public health actions to improve quality of life among elderly, it is important to understand the sociodemographic factors associated with quality of life. The aim of study was to assess health-related quality of life (HRQOL) among urban elderly in a setting of Assam, India, and to examine how HRQOL varied across different sociodemographic groups among the elderly populations. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried among elderly aged ≥60 involving 300 participants. Eight domains of HRQOL of participants were measured using RAND SF-36. Analysis of variance test was used to examine sociodemographic differences in HRQOL. Results: The BP domain had highest (71.78 ± 22.25) and GH had lowest mean HRQOL score (48 ± 16.93). Males had significantly higher HRQOL score than females only in BP domain. Age gradients were observed with respect to HRQOl scores in five domains, with youngest age group having the best and oldest age group having the poorest HRQOL. Financially dependent subjects had lower HRQOL in five domains than those who were financially independent. Significant associations between education and HRQOL were found only in physical components of HRQOL, with lowest educated group being the most disadvantaged in terms of HRQOL. Marital status was found to be significantly associated with lower HRQOL scores. Conclusion: The study highlights sociodemographic inequalities in HRQOL among urban elderly in an Indian setting. The results may help reducing sociodemographic health inequalities among elderly in this region initiating public health actions paying more attention toward more vulnerable sections of populations.
Journal of Family Medicine and Primary Care, 2019
Journal of Human Ecology, 2006
This study was conducted to assess the growth and nutritional status of school age children (6-14... more This study was conducted to assess the growth and nutritional status of school age children (6-14 years) of tea garden workers of Assam. Compared to NCHS standard and affluent Indian children, the mean height and weight of tea garden children was inferior at all ages. Assessment of nutritional status using WHO recommended anthropometric indicators revealed a high prevalence of malnutrition among tea garden school age children and malnutrition was both chronic and recent in nature. Prevalence of wasting, stunting and underweight was 21.2%, 47.4% and 51.7% respectively among the children in the age group of 6-8 years. Prevalence of stunting and thinness was 53.6% and 53.9% respectively among the children in the age group of 9-14 years age group.
Harm Reduction Journal, 2017
Background: Personal networks are significant social spaces to spread of HIV or other blood-borne... more Background: Personal networks are significant social spaces to spread of HIV or other blood-borne infections among hard-to-reach population, viz., injecting drug users, female sex workers, etc. Sharing of infected needles or syringes among drug users is one of the major routes of HIV transmission in Manipur, a high HIV prevalence state in India. This study was carried out to describe the network characteristics and recruitment patterns of injecting drug users and to assess the association of personal network with injecting risky behaviors in Manipur. Methods: A total of 821 injecting drug users were recruited into the study using respondent-driven sampling (RDS) from Bishnupur and Churachandpur districts of Manipur; data on demographic characteristics, HIV risk behaviors, and network size were collected from them. Transition probability matrices and homophily indices were used to describe the network characteristics, and recruitment patterns of injecting drug users. Univariate and multivariate binary logistic regression models were performed to analyze the association between the personal networks and sharing of needles or syringes. Results: The average network size was similar in both the districts. Recruitment analysis indicates injecting drug users were mostly engaged in mixed age group setting for injecting practice. Ever married and new injectors showed lack of in-group ties. Younger injecting drug users had mainly recruited older injecting drug users from their personal network. In logistic regression analysis, higher personal network was found to be significantly associated with increased likelihood of injecting risky behaviors. Conclusion: Because of mixed personal network of new injectors and higher network density associated with HIV exposure, older injecting drug users may act as a link for HIV transmission or other blood-borne infections to new injectors and also to their sexual partners. The information from this study may be useful to understanding the network pattern of injecting drug users for enriching the HIV prevention in this region.
International Journal Of Community Medicine And Public Health, 2017
Background: There is limited knowledge on the prevalence and correlates of sexually transmitted i... more Background: There is limited knowledge on the prevalence and correlates of sexually transmitted infections (STI) among women practicing sex work in the high HIV prevalence settings of northeast India, especially in Nagaland. We assessed the prevalence and risk factors of Chlamydia trachomatis (CT) and Neisseria gonorrhoeae (NG) among female sex workers (FSW) in Dimapur, Nagaland.Methods: 417 FSWs were recruited into this cross–sectional study using Respondent Driven Sampling (RDS) in 2009. Information on socio-demographic characteristics, sexual risk behaviours and exposure to prevention interventions were collected from them and urine samples were tested for NG and CT. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed to assess the factors associated with NG and CT.Results: The RDS-adjusted prevalence of HIV, NG and CT was 11.4%, 6.6% and 19.5% respectively. The reported condom use with clients and regular sex partners were only 29.1% and 9.6% respectively. Being in the sex t...
International Journal of Community Medicine and Public Health, 2016
International Journal of Community Medicine and Public Health, 2016
Journal of Family Medicine and Primary Care, 2020
Background: Poor nutritional status in primary school children can lead to several health problem... more Background: Poor nutritional status in primary school children can lead to several health problems such as easy susceptibility to common childhood diseases. Personal hygiene status is an important predictor of nutritional status and morbidity in children as water- and sanitation-related diseases are the leading causes of early morbidity and mortality in children. The present study was conducted to assess the nutritional status as well as personal hygiene practices of primary school going children. Method: The present study was a cross-sectional study conducted in selected urban and rural areas of Shillong in children 6–12 years of age. Two schools each from the rural and urban area were selected using simple random sampling. The total sample size calculated was 510. Height, weight, and BMI were taken for all the children following the standard procedures. WHO growth standards were used for grading of nutritional status. A questionnaire with scores was used for grading of personal hygiene status. Results: The overall prevalence of underweight in the children of 6–9 years was 74 (18.7%) and that of stunting was 68 (17.2%). The overall prevalence of thinness and stunting in children aged 10–12 was 38 (19.1%) and 46 (23.2%). The prevalence of nutritional deficiency syndromes was 192 (32.4%). Regarding the personal hygiene status, it was observed that 65 (11%) had very good personal hygiene, 292 (49.3%) were labeled as good, 200 (33.8%) were average, and 35 (5.9%) had poor personal hygiene. Conclusion: The primary school going children in Shillong had poor nutritional status but the majority of them had good personal hygiene practices. Mother's educational status played an important role in determining the nutritional and personal hygiene status of the children.
Journal of Evolution of Medical and Dental Sciences, 2017
BACKGROUND One-fourth of the worldwide under-five deaths annually occur in India. Over 70% of the... more BACKGROUND One-fourth of the worldwide under-five deaths annually occur in India. Over 70% of these deaths are due to preventable diseases. Malnutrition, socioeconomic status, place of residence, mother's education, access to quality health services and living environment are important determinants of morbidity and mortality of under-five children. There is a gap in literature regarding the morbidity pattern and its correlates among under-five children in the slums of Shillong city. Therefore, this study was designed to study the morbidity status and its pattern in under-five children and to find out the correlates of morbidity. MATERIALS AND METHODS A cross-sectional study with a pre-tested questionnaire was used to interview primary caregivers of 225 under-five children regarding the morbidity pattern currently and in the last three months. Anthropometric measurements of under-five children were also taken. Data was analysed using MS Excel and MedCalc version 16.2. Chi-square test was used to find association between categorical variables. RESULTS Majority (47.7%) of under-five children belonged to SES II, majority (45.8%) of them were of first birth order, 40% had only one sibling, 13.3% of the fathers and 27.6% of the mothers were illiterate. In the last 3 months, 61.8% children experienced some morbidity. ARI (64%), fever (35.6%) and diarrhea (11.5%) were the most common morbidities. Among under-fives with normal nutritional status 62.2% had any morbidity compared to 60.7% of those with malnutrition. Significant statistical association (p < 0.05) was found between number of siblings and morbidity status. CONCLUSION The most common morbidity among the study population were ARI, undernutrition followed by fever and diarrhea. All of which being preventable highlights the importance of family health counseling comprehensive of awareness about prevention and homebased care of these diseases.
International Journal of Health Sciences and Research, 2015
Introduction: Self-rated health (SRH) is considered as the global indicator of health and quality... more Introduction: Self-rated health (SRH) is considered as the global indicator of health and quality of life. Diabetes is serious chronic disease and it is emerging as a major public health problem among urban population. We aimed to examine the association between SRH and diabetes among elderly population (≥60 yr)) in an urban setting of Assam. Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out among elderly individuals (≥60 yr) in two randomly selected wards of Dibrugarh urban area of Assam. Pre-tested questionnaire was used to collect data on self-rated health (SRH), sociodemographic and other information. Diabetes was defined as per criterion of American Diabetes Association (ADA). Results: A total of 300 eligible persons (Male-149, Female-151) were recruited into the study. Prevalence of diabetes was found to be 23% (Male-26.2%, Female-19.9%). Higher proportion of diabetic individuals (61%) rated their health as poor as compared to their non-diabetic counterparts (37.7%). Presence o...
Indian Pediatrics, 2020
Objective: To assess the prevalence of iodine deficiency disorders among school-going children in... more Objective: To assess the prevalence of iodine deficiency disorders among school-going children in Meghalaya. Methods: Multi-stage 30 cluster sampling with probability proportionate to size (PPS) method was used. Children (age 6-12years) were examined clinically for goiter. Urinary iodine excretion (UIE) was performed by spectrophotometric method. Iodine content in the salt was analyzed using iodized salt test kits. Results: A total of 195 (7.22%) out of 2700 children had goiter on examination. Goitre prevalence was significantly associated with wasting (P<0.05) and stunting (P <0.001). The median (IQR) UIE level was 150 (108.05-189.37) µg/dL. Nineteen (9.74%) children had severe iodine deficiency (UIE<20µg/L). Iodine content was above the recommended level of 15 ppm in 95.9% salt samples. A positive correlation was observed between household salt consumption and UIE levels (r=0.25; P<0.001). Conclusion: Iodine deficiency disorder is a public health problem in Meghalaya, which needs to be addressed.
Indian Pediatrics, Mar 1, 2022
International Journal Of Community Medicine And Public Health, 2021
Background: The current COVID-19 pandemic has forced us to adopt online teaching for medical lear... more Background: The current COVID-19 pandemic has forced us to adopt online teaching for medical learning. While there are undoubtedly benefits that online learning provides, the sudden transition to online teaching presented different challenges to the students as well as the teachers. The aim of this study is to explore the perception and experiences of medical undergraduates on online classes in the backdrop of COVID-19 pandemic.Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 166 medical students in NEIGRIHMS who had exposure to online teaching during the COVID-19 pandemic. A semi-structured questionnaire was distributed after getting informed consent. SPSS 21 version software for Windows was used for data entry and analysis.Results: Eight in 10 of the students do not prefer online learning. Moreover, they believe that practical skills will not develop through online learning. They cite internet connectivity, device-related and software- related issues as the main difficulties t...
Background: Antiretroviral therapy scales up globally and in Ethiopia, as a result, AIDS-related ... more Background: Antiretroviral therapy scales up globally and in Ethiopia, as a result, AIDS-related mortality has reduced, but the number of new HIV infections increasing. Antiretroviral therapy in Ethiopia gives a chance of living longer for reproductive-age women. Prevention of pregnancy among HIV positive women is the second WHO prongs of HIV transmission with respecting women's reproductive rights. Antiretroviral therapy uses improve the health of HIV positive women using and women's fertility desire increasing. Therefore this study aimed to assess the fertility desire and associated factors among ART user reproductive-age women. Methods: A facility-based cross-sectional study design conducted from November 2-30/2018. The calculated sample size was 400 and study participants were selected by using systematic random sampling. A pre-tested structured questionnaire was used to collect data. A binary logistic regression model was employed and adjusted odds ratio with a 95% confidence interval used to consider statistically significant Results: A total of 397 clients were participated in the study, giving a response rate of 99.3%. The proportion of fertility desire in this study was 55.2 %(95% CI, 50.4%-60.2%). A duration of marriage < 4 year [AOR=6.9(95 CI: 1.65, 28.81)], and 5-9 years duration of marriage [AOR= 13.8 (95% CI: 2.39, 80.39)] higher as compared to 15 years and above, family influence 3.4 times more likely to have fertility desire than have no family influence [AOR= 3.4 (95% CI: 1.06, 11.25)], partner desire 4.3 times more likely have had fertility desires as compared to with counterpart [AOR= 4.3 (95% CI: 1.93,9.41)], and discussion with health care provider 66 % less likely to have fertility desire as compared with counterpart [AOR = 0.34 (95% CI: 0.39, 3.31)]. Conclusion: In this study, we have identified a high proportion of fertility desire among ART user reproductive-age women. The duration of marital status, partner influence, family influence, and discussion of health care were associated with fertility desire. Family-oriented counseling, partner involvement on reproductive health services should be encouraged to support the rights of all women to safely achieve their fertility.
International Journal Of Community Medicine And Public Health, 2021
Background: The incidences of some non communicable diseases like diabetes mellitus, obesity, hyp... more Background: The incidences of some non communicable diseases like diabetes mellitus, obesity, hypertension and cardiovascular diseases have been rising in the country since last few decades due to the unhealthy lifestyle of the people. Researches conducted among medical and nursing students shown that even though they are aware about the consequences of practicing unhealthy lifestyle but still they do not follow the suggested guidelines for healthy lifestyle. To assess lifestyle behaviour related to dietary pattern, physical activity, substance use, sleep, stress management, among MBBS and nursing students. NEIGRIHMS, a tertiary care institute in the capital city of the north-eastern state of Meghalaya, Shillong.Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 313 participants by using a pre-tested self-administered questionnaire. The data was analyzed using the software Statistical package for social sciences (SPSS) 21 version.Results: In this study, 189 (60.4%) students report...
Journal of Education and Health Promotion, 2018
INTRODUCTION: It has been perceived that there is a lack of community exposure and active learnin... more INTRODUCTION: It has been perceived that there is a lack of community exposure and active learning in the community for the first-year undergraduates in Community Medicine. This study is designed to evaluate an early community exposure given to the students to help overcome these lacunae. METHODOLOGY: In this study, the first-year students (n = 44) were provided an early community exposure and evaluated to understand their perceptions by a prevalidated, pre- and post exposure questionnaire. The community exposure was given to the students by allocating them families in community with designated tasks A core group of mentors monitored the students and scored the students on every visit. Attendance of students, scores marked by the mentors, and pre- and postexposure responses were used to evaluate the impact of community exposure. RESULTS: A total of 44 students were evaluated in this study. A total of 22 h (36.6%) were dedicated to community-based learning in the 1st year. A positive...
Journal of Education and Health Promotion, 2020
INTRODUCTION: Feedback is an important part of the assessment process. However, one-to-one struct... more INTRODUCTION: Feedback is an important part of the assessment process. However, one-to-one structured and constructive feedback to the students is not practiced mostly due to lack of practice and feasibility issues. The present study was conducted to understand the perception of students and faculty toward one-to-one structured feedback. METHODOLOGY: All the 3 rd MBBS professional students were included in the study. An orientation was given to the faculty regarding the importance of feedback and how to give structured feedback. A standardized format was provided to the faculty for providing the feedback to the students. After completion of the assessments, a one-to-one structured verbal feedback was given to all the students. Thereafter, faculty and student's perception on the feedback process was obtained through questionnaires. A focused group discussion was also conducted among the students. RESULTS: A total of 42 students participated in the study out of 50. A positive response was received from all the students regarding the feedback. Nearly84.34% of the students acknowledged that feedback is important for understanding their mistakes, 92.84% of the students responded positively that feedback helps to build a good rapport with the teacher, and 92.85% of the students reported that they were satisfied with the overall experience of receiving feedback. Most of the faculty (80%) perceived that giving feedback after the assessment was a good idea. The faculty felt motivated to give feedback to the students after the hands-on experience. However, only 20% of the faculty agreed that the process of feedback was easy to carry out (mean score: 2.2 ± 1.09). CONCLUSION: The positive responses received from both the students and the faculty highlight that the students are receptive toward feedback provided it is structured, constructive, and helps them to achieve their learning goals.
Journal of Family Medicine and Primary Care, 2019
Background: Elderly population is growing rapidly in India. To direct public health actions to im... more Background: Elderly population is growing rapidly in India. To direct public health actions to improve quality of life among elderly, it is important to understand the sociodemographic factors associated with quality of life. The aim of study was to assess health-related quality of life (HRQOL) among urban elderly in a setting of Assam, India, and to examine how HRQOL varied across different sociodemographic groups among the elderly populations. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried among elderly aged ≥60 involving 300 participants. Eight domains of HRQOL of participants were measured using RAND SF-36. Analysis of variance test was used to examine sociodemographic differences in HRQOL. Results: The BP domain had highest (71.78 ± 22.25) and GH had lowest mean HRQOL score (48 ± 16.93). Males had significantly higher HRQOL score than females only in BP domain. Age gradients were observed with respect to HRQOl scores in five domains, with youngest age group having the best and oldest age group having the poorest HRQOL. Financially dependent subjects had lower HRQOL in five domains than those who were financially independent. Significant associations between education and HRQOL were found only in physical components of HRQOL, with lowest educated group being the most disadvantaged in terms of HRQOL. Marital status was found to be significantly associated with lower HRQOL scores. Conclusion: The study highlights sociodemographic inequalities in HRQOL among urban elderly in an Indian setting. The results may help reducing sociodemographic health inequalities among elderly in this region initiating public health actions paying more attention toward more vulnerable sections of populations.
Journal of Family Medicine and Primary Care, 2019
Journal of Human Ecology, 2006
This study was conducted to assess the growth and nutritional status of school age children (6-14... more This study was conducted to assess the growth and nutritional status of school age children (6-14 years) of tea garden workers of Assam. Compared to NCHS standard and affluent Indian children, the mean height and weight of tea garden children was inferior at all ages. Assessment of nutritional status using WHO recommended anthropometric indicators revealed a high prevalence of malnutrition among tea garden school age children and malnutrition was both chronic and recent in nature. Prevalence of wasting, stunting and underweight was 21.2%, 47.4% and 51.7% respectively among the children in the age group of 6-8 years. Prevalence of stunting and thinness was 53.6% and 53.9% respectively among the children in the age group of 9-14 years age group.
Harm Reduction Journal, 2017
Background: Personal networks are significant social spaces to spread of HIV or other blood-borne... more Background: Personal networks are significant social spaces to spread of HIV or other blood-borne infections among hard-to-reach population, viz., injecting drug users, female sex workers, etc. Sharing of infected needles or syringes among drug users is one of the major routes of HIV transmission in Manipur, a high HIV prevalence state in India. This study was carried out to describe the network characteristics and recruitment patterns of injecting drug users and to assess the association of personal network with injecting risky behaviors in Manipur. Methods: A total of 821 injecting drug users were recruited into the study using respondent-driven sampling (RDS) from Bishnupur and Churachandpur districts of Manipur; data on demographic characteristics, HIV risk behaviors, and network size were collected from them. Transition probability matrices and homophily indices were used to describe the network characteristics, and recruitment patterns of injecting drug users. Univariate and multivariate binary logistic regression models were performed to analyze the association between the personal networks and sharing of needles or syringes. Results: The average network size was similar in both the districts. Recruitment analysis indicates injecting drug users were mostly engaged in mixed age group setting for injecting practice. Ever married and new injectors showed lack of in-group ties. Younger injecting drug users had mainly recruited older injecting drug users from their personal network. In logistic regression analysis, higher personal network was found to be significantly associated with increased likelihood of injecting risky behaviors. Conclusion: Because of mixed personal network of new injectors and higher network density associated with HIV exposure, older injecting drug users may act as a link for HIV transmission or other blood-borne infections to new injectors and also to their sexual partners. The information from this study may be useful to understanding the network pattern of injecting drug users for enriching the HIV prevention in this region.
International Journal Of Community Medicine And Public Health, 2017
Background: There is limited knowledge on the prevalence and correlates of sexually transmitted i... more Background: There is limited knowledge on the prevalence and correlates of sexually transmitted infections (STI) among women practicing sex work in the high HIV prevalence settings of northeast India, especially in Nagaland. We assessed the prevalence and risk factors of Chlamydia trachomatis (CT) and Neisseria gonorrhoeae (NG) among female sex workers (FSW) in Dimapur, Nagaland.Methods: 417 FSWs were recruited into this cross–sectional study using Respondent Driven Sampling (RDS) in 2009. Information on socio-demographic characteristics, sexual risk behaviours and exposure to prevention interventions were collected from them and urine samples were tested for NG and CT. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed to assess the factors associated with NG and CT.Results: The RDS-adjusted prevalence of HIV, NG and CT was 11.4%, 6.6% and 19.5% respectively. The reported condom use with clients and regular sex partners were only 29.1% and 9.6% respectively. Being in the sex t...
International Journal of Community Medicine and Public Health, 2016
International Journal of Community Medicine and Public Health, 2016