Gajendra Kumar Medhi - Academia.edu (original) (raw)
Papers by Gajendra Kumar Medhi
Indian Journal of Medical Research, Oct 1, 2012
ABSTRACT Background & objectives: Injection drug users (IDUs) are generally a mobile grou... more ABSTRACT Background & objectives: Injection drug users (IDUs) are generally a mobile group who engage in risky behaviour not only in their locale but also outside areas. The IDUs of the northeast region of India form the major victims of HIV/AIDS infections. Hence an attempt was made to explore their mobility pattern of networking and risky behaviour. Methods: A large cross-sectional Integrated Behavioural and Biological Assessment survey (IBBA) was conducted among 1699 IDUs in four districts (Bishnupur and Churachandpur of Manipur; Phek and Wokha of Nagaland) in the northeast region of India by India AIDS initiative, the Avahan during January and May 2006. The mobility patterns of the IDUs were viewed as two different types, mobility of networking and frequent mobility. The networking mobility has been portrayed using exploratory spatial analysis. The frequently mobile IDUs profile, risky behaviour, HIV and other infections are discussed based on the RDSAT estimates. The volume of mobility and their average movement were also studied. Results: More than 48 per cent of the IDUs had networked far and wide outside their places of residence. One fourth or more of the mobile IDUs were young, more than 35 per cent were literate, more than one fourth were unemployed and nearly 31 per cent or more were living alone. The frequently mobile IDUs risky behaviour was two times higher compared to the non-mobile IDUs (except in Phek district). The average movements of IDUs who had at least one movement inside and outside the district were higher in Wokha district.
Journal of family medicine and primary care, 2018
Background: The percentage of adults above 15 years who consume tobacco in Meghalaya as per the G... more Background: The percentage of adults above 15 years who consume tobacco in Meghalaya as per the Global Adult Tobacco survey is 55.2%. Aim: In the context of the high burden of tobacco use in Meghalaya, this study aims to study the consumption pattern and the sociodemographic correlates of tobacco use in the urban slums of Shillong, Meghalaya. Materials and Methods: This study is a cross-sectional study conducted in adults over 15 years of age. Data collection was done by personal interview using a pretested questionnaire during house-to-house visit after taking informed verbal consent. Results: A total of 400 people were included in this study. Most of the study population belonged to the age group 15–24 years (120, 30%). The majority of the study population (322, 80.5%) were aware of the health hazards of tobacco consumption. Most of the population (287, 71.75%) were tobacco consumers with 265 (76.4%) of them having co-addictions. In the study, 35% consumed smokeless forms, 30% were into smoking, and 35% consumed both forms. A significant association was observed between the status of tobacco consumption and knowledge of second-hand smoke harm (P = 0.019) as well as knowledge of any law regulating tobacco consumption (P = 0.026). Conclusion: It was observed that despite having a basic knowledge of the ill effects of tobacco, its consumption is still widely prevalent in the region. There is a need for stringent laws regarding tobacco consumption and proper measures should be taken to enforce these laws.
Journal of family medicine and primary care, 2018
Background: Sputum microscopy is still used for diagnosis of drug-sensitive pulmonary tuberculosi... more Background: Sputum microscopy is still used for diagnosis of drug-sensitive pulmonary tuberculosis (TB). Revised National Tuberculosis Control Program (TB programs) aims to rapidly diagnose and treat all cases of TB. The aim of this study is to find the proportion of loss to follow up during diagnosis of pulmonary TB after the patient reached hospital (was handed over sputum cups for sputum collection) from DOTS center after referral from respective outpatient department (OPD) at a tertiary care hospital. Methodology: Record-based data from designated microscopic center at a tertiary care hospital were collected regarding the number of patients who had been given sputum cup container for sputum collection for diagnosis of pulmonary TB referred from different OPDs from January to December 2015. Results: A total of 1518 presumptive patient for pulmonary TB had visited DOTS center after referral from different OPDs in the hospital for sputum examination during the above period. The loss to follow-up during diagnosis among presumptive pulmonary TB patient was 461 (30.04%), which was higher among those below 15 years of age. At this rate of loss to follow up of presumptive TB patient to submit sputum for diagnosis, it was estimated to be about 46 smear-positive pulmonary TB cases per year which will be missed out for diagnosis during the above period (considering sputum positivity rate is 10% in the hospital). The mean gap between sputum referral to submission of two sputum samples was 2.73 days (95% confidence interval 2.52–2.84) among those of submitted sputum for diagnosis. Conclusion: Approximately one-third of presumptive patient for pulmonary TB had loss to follow-up for diagnosis of TB even after consulting a doctor at a tertiary care hospital. There is a need to address this gap in diagnosis of pulmonary TB in this region.
International Journal of Adolescent Medicine and Health
Objectives Suicide is a major health issue in India. With the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic, pe... more Objectives Suicide is a major health issue in India. With the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic, people have experienced loss on a tremendous scale. The impact of these losses on the youth will be massive leading to a rise in depression cases, suicidal ideation and ultimately suicidal attempts. Hence there is a need to determine the prevalence of suicidal ideation, suicide attempts and the predictors for both suicidal ideation and attempts among the young adults in Meghalaya. Methods This cross-sectional study was conducted among the students aged 18–25 years in NEIGRIHMS and Synod College in Shillong between March to April 2022. Data was collected by using questionnaire method. Results The prevalence of suicidal ideation and suicidal attempts was found to be 15.9 % (12.3–20.3) and 5.8 % (3.7–8.9) respectively. There was a strong relationship for suicidal ideation with urban students, with less family members, those who had unhealthy relationship with their parents, stress, complicate...
Background Vaccine hesitancy should be dealt as an important issue as it carries both individual ... more Background Vaccine hesitancy should be dealt as an important issue as it carries both individual and community level risks; however, it lacks proper assessment in particular among the indigenous tribal population. Methods A community based sequential explanatory mixed methods study was conducted among 238 eligible individuals in Ri-Bhoi district, Meghalaya. The quantitative part involved a cross-sectional study to determine the proportion of vaccine hesitancy and the qualitative part comprised of in-depth interviews among the eligible residents and key informant interview among the health workers providing the vaccination services, to explore the facilitators and barriers of vaccine uptake. Results A total of 113 [47.5% (95% CI: 41.0%-54.0%)] participants were found to be hesitant to vaccination, among which 16.8% (95% CI: 12.4%-22.3%) were initially hesitant and 30.7% (95% CI: 24.9%-37.0%) had vaccine refusal. The themes generated through qualitative interviews were individual rela...
Journal of Family Medicine and Primary Care
Journal of patient experience, 2023
Vaccine hesitancy should be dealt as an important issue as it carries both individual- and commun... more Vaccine hesitancy should be dealt as an important issue as it carries both individual- and community-level risks; however, it lacks proper assessment in particular among the indigenous tribal population. A community-based sequential explanatory mixed methods study was conducted among 238 eligible individuals in Ri-Bhoi district, Meghalaya. The quantitative part involved a cross-sectional study to determine the proportion of vaccine hesitancy and the qualitative part comprised in-depth interviews among the eligible residents and key informant interviews among the health workers providing the vaccination services, to explore the facilitators and barriers of vaccine uptake. A total of 113 [47.5% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 41.0%-54.0%)] participants were found to be hesitant to vaccination, among which 16.8% (95% CI: 12.4%-22.3%) were initially hesitant and 30.7% (95% CI: 24.9%-37.0%) had vaccine refusal. The themes generated through qualitative interviews were individual-related, disease-related, vaccine-related, healthcare system and provider related and socio-cultural and religious. The main barriers for the likelihood of action were perceived susceptibility and perceived severity under the individual perception along with ambiguity aversion, scepticism about the efficacy, mistrust, concerns on side effects, rumors, and socio-cultural and religious misbeliefs. Vaccine hesitancy is found to be considerably higher and it depends on complacency toward the vaccine, confidence in its safety, perceived susceptibility to the disease and perceived severity to the disease coupled with modifying factors for cues for action. Healthcare workers should better communicate to improve the uptake of vaccines by reducing the barriers to the vaccine acceptance.
International Journal of Adolescent Medicine and Health
Objectives Pubertal age carries the risk of different challenges and experiences. However, lack o... more Objectives Pubertal age carries the risk of different challenges and experiences. However, lack of data on the subject made it necessary to estimate the magnitude of pubertal problems and its determinants. Methods A mixed methods study was conducted among the school students aged 10–17 years during May 2022 in three selected schools of Shillong. The cross-sectional quantitative component (pre-designed semi-structured questionnaire) included 418 students and eight students were selected purposively for the qualitative component (in-depth interviews). Results The mean age of the students was 13.5 years with 52.9% boys. At least one of the pubertal problems was present among 57.2% (95%CI: 52.3–69.2%). With regards to physical, hormonal/behavioural and mental problems, the prevalence was reported to be 34.2, 31.8 and 12.0% respectively. Premenstrual symptoms were present among 89.4% girls. Mental problems were significantly higher among the girls [PR: 1.83 (95%CI: 1.06–3.13; p=0.02)] an...
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...
Current Opinion in Urology, 1999
To investigate the association of benign prostatic enlargement and health-related quality of life... more To investigate the association of benign prostatic enlargement and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) assessed by validated questionnaires. Randomly selected men (n = 471) aged 40-79 years from Olmsted County, Minn. (USA) without prior prostate surgery or prostate cancer had a full urologic workup, including transrectal ultrasonography, in addition to completing questionnaires soliciting information about urinary symptom frequency, bother, degree of interference with daily activities and other measures of HRQoL. Disease-specific HRQoL was worse in older men, and men with more severe symptoms. Age-adjusted mean scores for symptom severity, bother and activity interference were about 50% worse for men with enlarged prostates (volume > 40 cm3). After adjusting for age, men with enlarged prostates were nearly 3 times (95% CI 1.6, 5.1) as likely to have moderate to severe symptoms, and about twice as likely to have bother (odds ratio 2.4; 95% CI 1.3, 4.2) or activity interference (odds ratio 1.8; 95% CI 1. 0, 3.2) relative to men with smaller prostates. HRQoL measures are worse in men who are older and, after adjusting for age, in men with increased urinary symptom frequency and enlarged prostate. The broader spectrum of patients provided by the community-based random sampling allows elucidation of these important relationships.
Journal of Family Medicine and Primary Care, 2018
Background: Sputum microscopy is still used for diagnosis of drug-sensitive pulmonary tuberculosi... more Background: Sputum microscopy is still used for diagnosis of drug-sensitive pulmonary tuberculosis (TB). Revised National Tuberculosis Control Program (TB programs) aims to rapidly diagnose and treat all cases of TB. The aim of this study is to find the proportion of loss to follow up during diagnosis of pulmonary TB after the patient reached hospital (was handed over sputum cups for sputum collection) from DOTS center after referral from respective outpatient department (OPD) at a tertiary care hospital. Methodology: Record-based data from designated microscopic center at a tertiary care hospital were collected regarding the number of patients who had been given sputum cup container for sputum collection for diagnosis of pulmonary TB referred from different OPDs from January to December 2015. Results: A total of 1518 presumptive patient for pulmonary TB had visited DOTS center after referral from different OPDs in the hospital for sputum examination during the above period. The loss to follow-up during diagnosis among presumptive pulmonary TB patient was 461 (30.04%), which was higher among those below 15 years of age. At this rate of loss to follow up of presumptive TB patient to submit sputum for diagnosis, it was estimated to be about 46 smear-positive pulmonary TB cases per year which will be missed out for diagnosis during the above period (considering sputum positivity rate is 10% in the hospital). The mean gap between sputum referral to submission of two sputum samples was 2.73 days (95% confidence interval 2.52–2.84) among those of submitted sputum for diagnosis. Conclusion: Approximately one-third of presumptive patient for pulmonary TB had loss to follow-up for diagnosis of TB even after consulting a doctor at a tertiary care hospital. There is a need to address this gap in diagnosis of pulmonary TB in this region.
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...
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...
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.
Indian Journal of Medical Research, 2016
Background & objectives: It is well documented that the Northeast State of Manipur in India has b... more Background & objectives: It is well documented that the Northeast State of Manipur in India has been dealing with the dual problems of injecting drug use and HIV for the last two decades, but the hepatitis C problem has not been so well characterized. The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection and HCV/HIV co-infection among people who inject drugs (PWID) in Manipur, and identify factors associated with infection. Methods: Data were obtained from the Integrated Behavioural and Biological Assessment (2009-2010), a cross-sectional survey among 821 male PWID in two districts of Manipur (Churachandpur and Bishnupur). Information about drug use, sexual and injecting risk behaviours, and exposure to interventions was obtained, and biological specimens tested for HIV and HCV. Logistic regression analyses identified factors associated with HCV infection and HCV/HIV co-infection. Results: HCV prevalence was 74 per cent (91% Churachandpur, 56% Bishnupur), and HCV/HIV coinfection was 29 per cent (38% Churachandpur, 21% Bishnupur). Among the 31 per cent of HIV positive PWID, 95 per cent were co-infected. HCV infection was associated with district, longer duration of injecting, injecting at least once daily, generally injecting with a used needle and syringe, and having had an HIV test. HCV/HIV co-infection was associated with district, older age, being employed, being widowed/divorced, longer duration of injecting, and feeling at risk of HIV infection. Interpretation & conclusions: The HCV/HIV co-infection among PWID in Manipur was very high, highlighting the urgent need for effective prevention, diagnosis and treatment.
Indian Journal of Medical Research, Oct 1, 2012
ABSTRACT Background & objectives: Injection drug users (IDUs) are generally a mobile grou... more ABSTRACT Background & objectives: Injection drug users (IDUs) are generally a mobile group who engage in risky behaviour not only in their locale but also outside areas. The IDUs of the northeast region of India form the major victims of HIV/AIDS infections. Hence an attempt was made to explore their mobility pattern of networking and risky behaviour. Methods: A large cross-sectional Integrated Behavioural and Biological Assessment survey (IBBA) was conducted among 1699 IDUs in four districts (Bishnupur and Churachandpur of Manipur; Phek and Wokha of Nagaland) in the northeast region of India by India AIDS initiative, the Avahan during January and May 2006. The mobility patterns of the IDUs were viewed as two different types, mobility of networking and frequent mobility. The networking mobility has been portrayed using exploratory spatial analysis. The frequently mobile IDUs profile, risky behaviour, HIV and other infections are discussed based on the RDSAT estimates. The volume of mobility and their average movement were also studied. Results: More than 48 per cent of the IDUs had networked far and wide outside their places of residence. One fourth or more of the mobile IDUs were young, more than 35 per cent were literate, more than one fourth were unemployed and nearly 31 per cent or more were living alone. The frequently mobile IDUs risky behaviour was two times higher compared to the non-mobile IDUs (except in Phek district). The average movements of IDUs who had at least one movement inside and outside the district were higher in Wokha district.
Journal of family medicine and primary care, 2018
Background: The percentage of adults above 15 years who consume tobacco in Meghalaya as per the G... more Background: The percentage of adults above 15 years who consume tobacco in Meghalaya as per the Global Adult Tobacco survey is 55.2%. Aim: In the context of the high burden of tobacco use in Meghalaya, this study aims to study the consumption pattern and the sociodemographic correlates of tobacco use in the urban slums of Shillong, Meghalaya. Materials and Methods: This study is a cross-sectional study conducted in adults over 15 years of age. Data collection was done by personal interview using a pretested questionnaire during house-to-house visit after taking informed verbal consent. Results: A total of 400 people were included in this study. Most of the study population belonged to the age group 15–24 years (120, 30%). The majority of the study population (322, 80.5%) were aware of the health hazards of tobacco consumption. Most of the population (287, 71.75%) were tobacco consumers with 265 (76.4%) of them having co-addictions. In the study, 35% consumed smokeless forms, 30% were into smoking, and 35% consumed both forms. A significant association was observed between the status of tobacco consumption and knowledge of second-hand smoke harm (P = 0.019) as well as knowledge of any law regulating tobacco consumption (P = 0.026). Conclusion: It was observed that despite having a basic knowledge of the ill effects of tobacco, its consumption is still widely prevalent in the region. There is a need for stringent laws regarding tobacco consumption and proper measures should be taken to enforce these laws.
Journal of family medicine and primary care, 2018
Background: Sputum microscopy is still used for diagnosis of drug-sensitive pulmonary tuberculosi... more Background: Sputum microscopy is still used for diagnosis of drug-sensitive pulmonary tuberculosis (TB). Revised National Tuberculosis Control Program (TB programs) aims to rapidly diagnose and treat all cases of TB. The aim of this study is to find the proportion of loss to follow up during diagnosis of pulmonary TB after the patient reached hospital (was handed over sputum cups for sputum collection) from DOTS center after referral from respective outpatient department (OPD) at a tertiary care hospital. Methodology: Record-based data from designated microscopic center at a tertiary care hospital were collected regarding the number of patients who had been given sputum cup container for sputum collection for diagnosis of pulmonary TB referred from different OPDs from January to December 2015. Results: A total of 1518 presumptive patient for pulmonary TB had visited DOTS center after referral from different OPDs in the hospital for sputum examination during the above period. The loss to follow-up during diagnosis among presumptive pulmonary TB patient was 461 (30.04%), which was higher among those below 15 years of age. At this rate of loss to follow up of presumptive TB patient to submit sputum for diagnosis, it was estimated to be about 46 smear-positive pulmonary TB cases per year which will be missed out for diagnosis during the above period (considering sputum positivity rate is 10% in the hospital). The mean gap between sputum referral to submission of two sputum samples was 2.73 days (95% confidence interval 2.52–2.84) among those of submitted sputum for diagnosis. Conclusion: Approximately one-third of presumptive patient for pulmonary TB had loss to follow-up for diagnosis of TB even after consulting a doctor at a tertiary care hospital. There is a need to address this gap in diagnosis of pulmonary TB in this region.
International Journal of Adolescent Medicine and Health
Objectives Suicide is a major health issue in India. With the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic, pe... more Objectives Suicide is a major health issue in India. With the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic, people have experienced loss on a tremendous scale. The impact of these losses on the youth will be massive leading to a rise in depression cases, suicidal ideation and ultimately suicidal attempts. Hence there is a need to determine the prevalence of suicidal ideation, suicide attempts and the predictors for both suicidal ideation and attempts among the young adults in Meghalaya. Methods This cross-sectional study was conducted among the students aged 18–25 years in NEIGRIHMS and Synod College in Shillong between March to April 2022. Data was collected by using questionnaire method. Results The prevalence of suicidal ideation and suicidal attempts was found to be 15.9 % (12.3–20.3) and 5.8 % (3.7–8.9) respectively. There was a strong relationship for suicidal ideation with urban students, with less family members, those who had unhealthy relationship with their parents, stress, complicate...
Background Vaccine hesitancy should be dealt as an important issue as it carries both individual ... more Background Vaccine hesitancy should be dealt as an important issue as it carries both individual and community level risks; however, it lacks proper assessment in particular among the indigenous tribal population. Methods A community based sequential explanatory mixed methods study was conducted among 238 eligible individuals in Ri-Bhoi district, Meghalaya. The quantitative part involved a cross-sectional study to determine the proportion of vaccine hesitancy and the qualitative part comprised of in-depth interviews among the eligible residents and key informant interview among the health workers providing the vaccination services, to explore the facilitators and barriers of vaccine uptake. Results A total of 113 [47.5% (95% CI: 41.0%-54.0%)] participants were found to be hesitant to vaccination, among which 16.8% (95% CI: 12.4%-22.3%) were initially hesitant and 30.7% (95% CI: 24.9%-37.0%) had vaccine refusal. The themes generated through qualitative interviews were individual rela...
Journal of Family Medicine and Primary Care
Journal of patient experience, 2023
Vaccine hesitancy should be dealt as an important issue as it carries both individual- and commun... more Vaccine hesitancy should be dealt as an important issue as it carries both individual- and community-level risks; however, it lacks proper assessment in particular among the indigenous tribal population. A community-based sequential explanatory mixed methods study was conducted among 238 eligible individuals in Ri-Bhoi district, Meghalaya. The quantitative part involved a cross-sectional study to determine the proportion of vaccine hesitancy and the qualitative part comprised in-depth interviews among the eligible residents and key informant interviews among the health workers providing the vaccination services, to explore the facilitators and barriers of vaccine uptake. A total of 113 [47.5% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 41.0%-54.0%)] participants were found to be hesitant to vaccination, among which 16.8% (95% CI: 12.4%-22.3%) were initially hesitant and 30.7% (95% CI: 24.9%-37.0%) had vaccine refusal. The themes generated through qualitative interviews were individual-related, disease-related, vaccine-related, healthcare system and provider related and socio-cultural and religious. The main barriers for the likelihood of action were perceived susceptibility and perceived severity under the individual perception along with ambiguity aversion, scepticism about the efficacy, mistrust, concerns on side effects, rumors, and socio-cultural and religious misbeliefs. Vaccine hesitancy is found to be considerably higher and it depends on complacency toward the vaccine, confidence in its safety, perceived susceptibility to the disease and perceived severity to the disease coupled with modifying factors for cues for action. Healthcare workers should better communicate to improve the uptake of vaccines by reducing the barriers to the vaccine acceptance.
International Journal of Adolescent Medicine and Health
Objectives Pubertal age carries the risk of different challenges and experiences. However, lack o... more Objectives Pubertal age carries the risk of different challenges and experiences. However, lack of data on the subject made it necessary to estimate the magnitude of pubertal problems and its determinants. Methods A mixed methods study was conducted among the school students aged 10–17 years during May 2022 in three selected schools of Shillong. The cross-sectional quantitative component (pre-designed semi-structured questionnaire) included 418 students and eight students were selected purposively for the qualitative component (in-depth interviews). Results The mean age of the students was 13.5 years with 52.9% boys. At least one of the pubertal problems was present among 57.2% (95%CI: 52.3–69.2%). With regards to physical, hormonal/behavioural and mental problems, the prevalence was reported to be 34.2, 31.8 and 12.0% respectively. Premenstrual symptoms were present among 89.4% girls. Mental problems were significantly higher among the girls [PR: 1.83 (95%CI: 1.06–3.13; p=0.02)] an...
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...
Current Opinion in Urology, 1999
To investigate the association of benign prostatic enlargement and health-related quality of life... more To investigate the association of benign prostatic enlargement and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) assessed by validated questionnaires. Randomly selected men (n = 471) aged 40-79 years from Olmsted County, Minn. (USA) without prior prostate surgery or prostate cancer had a full urologic workup, including transrectal ultrasonography, in addition to completing questionnaires soliciting information about urinary symptom frequency, bother, degree of interference with daily activities and other measures of HRQoL. Disease-specific HRQoL was worse in older men, and men with more severe symptoms. Age-adjusted mean scores for symptom severity, bother and activity interference were about 50% worse for men with enlarged prostates (volume &amp;gt; 40 cm3). After adjusting for age, men with enlarged prostates were nearly 3 times (95% CI 1.6, 5.1) as likely to have moderate to severe symptoms, and about twice as likely to have bother (odds ratio 2.4; 95% CI 1.3, 4.2) or activity interference (odds ratio 1.8; 95% CI 1. 0, 3.2) relative to men with smaller prostates. HRQoL measures are worse in men who are older and, after adjusting for age, in men with increased urinary symptom frequency and enlarged prostate. The broader spectrum of patients provided by the community-based random sampling allows elucidation of these important relationships.
Journal of Family Medicine and Primary Care, 2018
Background: Sputum microscopy is still used for diagnosis of drug-sensitive pulmonary tuberculosi... more Background: Sputum microscopy is still used for diagnosis of drug-sensitive pulmonary tuberculosis (TB). Revised National Tuberculosis Control Program (TB programs) aims to rapidly diagnose and treat all cases of TB. The aim of this study is to find the proportion of loss to follow up during diagnosis of pulmonary TB after the patient reached hospital (was handed over sputum cups for sputum collection) from DOTS center after referral from respective outpatient department (OPD) at a tertiary care hospital. Methodology: Record-based data from designated microscopic center at a tertiary care hospital were collected regarding the number of patients who had been given sputum cup container for sputum collection for diagnosis of pulmonary TB referred from different OPDs from January to December 2015. Results: A total of 1518 presumptive patient for pulmonary TB had visited DOTS center after referral from different OPDs in the hospital for sputum examination during the above period. The loss to follow-up during diagnosis among presumptive pulmonary TB patient was 461 (30.04%), which was higher among those below 15 years of age. At this rate of loss to follow up of presumptive TB patient to submit sputum for diagnosis, it was estimated to be about 46 smear-positive pulmonary TB cases per year which will be missed out for diagnosis during the above period (considering sputum positivity rate is 10% in the hospital). The mean gap between sputum referral to submission of two sputum samples was 2.73 days (95% confidence interval 2.52–2.84) among those of submitted sputum for diagnosis. Conclusion: Approximately one-third of presumptive patient for pulmonary TB had loss to follow-up for diagnosis of TB even after consulting a doctor at a tertiary care hospital. There is a need to address this gap in diagnosis of pulmonary TB in this region.
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...
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...
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.
Indian Journal of Medical Research, 2016
Background & objectives: It is well documented that the Northeast State of Manipur in India has b... more Background & objectives: It is well documented that the Northeast State of Manipur in India has been dealing with the dual problems of injecting drug use and HIV for the last two decades, but the hepatitis C problem has not been so well characterized. The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection and HCV/HIV co-infection among people who inject drugs (PWID) in Manipur, and identify factors associated with infection. Methods: Data were obtained from the Integrated Behavioural and Biological Assessment (2009-2010), a cross-sectional survey among 821 male PWID in two districts of Manipur (Churachandpur and Bishnupur). Information about drug use, sexual and injecting risk behaviours, and exposure to interventions was obtained, and biological specimens tested for HIV and HCV. Logistic regression analyses identified factors associated with HCV infection and HCV/HIV co-infection. Results: HCV prevalence was 74 per cent (91% Churachandpur, 56% Bishnupur), and HCV/HIV coinfection was 29 per cent (38% Churachandpur, 21% Bishnupur). Among the 31 per cent of HIV positive PWID, 95 per cent were co-infected. HCV infection was associated with district, longer duration of injecting, injecting at least once daily, generally injecting with a used needle and syringe, and having had an HIV test. HCV/HIV co-infection was associated with district, older age, being employed, being widowed/divorced, longer duration of injecting, and feeling at risk of HIV infection. Interpretation & conclusions: The HCV/HIV co-infection among PWID in Manipur was very high, highlighting the urgent need for effective prevention, diagnosis and treatment.