Dr Arup Chakrabartty | Texila American University (original) (raw)

Papers by Dr Arup Chakrabartty

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH, 2022

AIMS: During COVID-19 pandemic, health care resources are being diverted towards the acute crisis... more AIMS: During COVID-19 pandemic, health care resources are being diverted towards the acute crisis, de-emphasizing the routine medical care. It is not only less access of health care but people also avoiding health care facilities during this pandemic. Medical care delay or avoidance might increase morbidity and mortality of treatable and preventable health conditions. Literatures have reported the decline in patient footfall and the impact of it but there is limited information on the reasons why people saying 'No' to the health care facility. Hence, we aimed to conduct this mixed method study to explore the challenges faced by the community to access & utilize the health care services during this COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS: A secondary data analysis was performed on the data obtained from hospital registers and Web Based Health Management Information System, Followed by Key informant interview on Health service providers and Focussed group discussion among the community dwe...

HIV & AIDS Review, 2018

Introduction: Under National AIDS Control Program IV (NACP IV) during 2012-2017 in India, human i... more Introduction: Under National AIDS Control Program IV (NACP IV) during 2012-2017 in India, human immu nodeficiency virus (HIV) prevention strategies under targeted intervention (TI) programs for migrants of different profiles were uniform. Role of the profile of migrants, especially their occupation, in the spread of HIV epidemic was not well-explored. The present study investigated the linkages between profile characteristics and occupations with HIV infection status of the migrants in Mumbai and Thane in Maharashtra, India. Material and methods: This was a cross-sectional epidemiological study conducted among 24,864 migrants (males 23,908, 96.1%, and females 956, 3.9%) covered under the TI programs implemented in Mumbai and Thane districts of Maharashtra, India from April to December 2016. SPSS 20.0 version was used for analysis. At 95% confidence interval, χ 2 test, Fishers exact test, and multiple logistic regression model were used for finding out factors associated with HIV infection status. Results: Among the females, HIV infection rates were 4.4% and 1.3% in Mumbai and Thane, respectively, whereas for males, it was 0.3% in both the places. Predictors of HIV infection status in Mumbai were gender and type of persons staying with the migrant at the residence. For Thane, apart from these two, accompanying person during mobility played a certain role. In Thane, occupation in small to medium scale industry was the predictor of HIV infection but not in Mumbai. Conclusions: Additional strategies for migrant intervention program had been left out in opportunities for NACP in India. We recommend that special strategies need to be developed in NACP to address these predictors of HIV infection.

Adolescence is a period of life that is full of fundamental changes. The adolescents attempt to a... more Adolescence is a period of life that is full of fundamental changes. The adolescents attempt to achieve autonomy from their parents & guardians. In this rapidly changing world, these adolescents & young people are vulnerable to a variety of risks. Many of the risks faced by them are due to lack of physical stability, consumption of excessive calories, abuse of drugs and risky sexual behaviors which can lead to HIV/AIDS. As per reproductive health is concerned; information on these issues are lacking. Apart from that information on anaemia, tuberculosis, also on their mental health & substance use patterns together with life skills is also poorly available. This study is a rigorous attempt to bring all key findings together from a state wide study. Health Vision and Research is implementing an Adolescent Health programme in 19 districts in 59 villages catering 3,42,000 population and 1,14,000 adolescents & young people. This report is a baseline study for understanding adolescent sex...

Domestic violence against women in developing countries is rampant. It is highly prevalent not on... more Domestic violence against women in developing countries is rampant. It is highly prevalent not only in India but also in South Asian Countries. Not only in developing countries, it is highly reported in many developed countries as well accroding to studies conducted by WHO,UNIFEM or many other agencies working among women. Many social and economic factors are driving the incidence of violence, however preventive measures are far less than the burden. Community based studies addressing the violence are little. Information on factors those contribute towrads incidence and factors those can control violence is further less. What social protective measure can adress this burden is a big question. This literature review based work & extract of an academic thesis has tried to answer many of these questions. This book therefore will help academic forums,institutions,social activists and policy makers to take appropriate decisions.

Journal of Mental Health and Human Behaviour, 2020

Background: Mental health-care settings are not equipped to address holistic care. . Being a prog... more Background: Mental health-care settings are not equipped to address holistic care. . Being a program manager, one needs to have good understanding about different barriers of access to mental healthcare services. Poor awareness and stigma attached to mental health are two important barriers of a community-based mental healthcare intervention. There is a dearth of studies that provide information about this. The present study reflects the same. Objective: The objective of this study was to assess people's knowledge about mental health and perceived stigma and to identify factors that influence them. Methods: The study was conducted under two types of intervention wards – one with urban mental health program (UMHP) and another one with homeless people with mental illness (HPMI). There was a comparison ward with no intervention. Information was collected from 272 respondents through multistage random sampling method from general community. Analysis was done using profile characters of participants as independent variables and knowledge, attitude, and practice (KAP) score and stigma score as dependent variables. Results: The mean KAP score is 25.5 (range: 13–32). It implies 65.3% cumulative KAP level on mental health. Around 29.9% of people believe that going to a psychiatrist means that a person has mental illness. KAP and stigma scores are influenced by the type of ward but not by any other profile characters. KAP score is higher in UMHP and HPMI wards than the comparison ward. Conclusion: The intervention wards have more KAP score than comparison ward implying the effectiveness of community-based mental health interventions. This calls for replication of similar interventions for wider spread of knowledge on mental health among general population.

HIV & AIDS Review, 2017

Due to certain risky behaviors, persons with severe mental illnesses are potentially prone to dev... more Due to certain risky behaviors, persons with severe mental illnesses are potentially prone to develop human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection more than people in general. Therefore, it is often argued that mentally ill persons should be considered as high risk groups, and so, they should go for HIV testing. For combating dual illnesses of HIV and mental illness together, there are several barriers that appear. Studies have been conducted to explore risk factors of HIV infection and HIV prevalence among mentally ill persons, and also on the probability that a mentally ill person get HIV tested compared with general population. However, hardly ever, studies have looked into barriers of HIV testing among mentally ill persons in mental healthcare settings. On this background, we have reviewed literature to explore barriers in performing HIV testing of a mentally ill person in mental healthcare settings. An important areas were found to act as barriers that added stigma due to dual illness of mental health and HIV, gender, type of facility, and its preparedness. Another barrier is the validity of the informed consent of a mentally ill person, which is required for a test. There are several conflicting situations on how to deal with this dual illness. The study recommends further exploratory researches on the matter and developing standard HIV testing protocol in mental healthcare settings.

Indian Journal of Tuberculosis, 2019

Background: Stigma is a major barrier to the successful completion of the Directly Observed Treat... more Background: Stigma is a major barrier to the successful completion of the Directly Observed Treatment Short Course (DOTS). People put on DOTS have to face repeated exposure to stigma as per the requirement of the treatment. Thus stigma can shape the extent of access and adherence to treatment. But there is very little information available in Indian context explaining the extent of association between the stigma perceived among the patients and adherence to their DOTS therapy. Aim: To explore the level of stigma perceived by the persons with TB and its influence on the adherence to DOTS treatment. Methods: A cross sectional epidemiological study was conducted among 145 DOTS defaulters from three randomly selected districts in West Bengal. Respondents were approached at their households. Information was collected using a pretested questionnaire. Adherence to DOTS was grouped as early default (continued DOTS from 0 to 30 days) and late default (continued DOTS > 30). Stigma score was assessed using 11 item questions. Stigma score was grouped as low level (0e23) and high level (24e44). Analysis was done using Chi-square and multivariate logistic regression models to identify factors to influence adherence to DOTS. SPSS 23.0 version statistical software was used for analysis. Results: Mean stigma score for the state was 23.0. Total 51 (40.69%) persons were within the low stigma group and 94 persons (59.31%) were within high stigma score group. District wise mean score was 19.8, 22.8 and 24.5 respectively for Birbhum, Jalpaiguri and North 24 Parganas. In North 24 Parganas, the high stigma score group accounted for 85.5% compared to 35.9% in Birbhum. Among the low stigma group, late default was 52.1% compared to 66.7% in high stigma group (p ¼ 0.054). People with lower stigma level were 8.59 times more likely to have late default than the people with higher stigma level (p ¼ 0.001). Conclusion: Perceived stigma among the patients was identified as an important predictor

Bangladesh Journal of Medical Science, 2019

Background: Diarrhoea is one of the leading causes of under-five childhood morbidity and mortalit... more Background: Diarrhoea is one of the leading causes of under-five childhood morbidity and mortality in India, despite the availability of easy interventions through oral rehydration at the community level. The level of knowledge varies from country to country and within the country, further variations exist in state, district and sub district level based on difference in socio-demographic characteristics of the population. And based on these variations, different community needs different health education efforts in its extent and approaches. It was therefore relevant to explore the level of awareness about diarrhoea and its management among the mothers who were the first level of caregivers. Objective: To assess the level of knowledge about diarrhoea and oral rehydration therapy among the mothers having their children of 6 months to 5 yrs with diarrhea Materials and methods: It was a facility based cross-sectional descriptive epidemiological study conducted among 62 mothers having t...

The Indian journal of tuberculosis, 2018

One major barrier to achieve goal of tuberculosis (TB) control program globally, is the stigma at... more One major barrier to achieve goal of tuberculosis (TB) control program globally, is the stigma attached to the disease. Perceived stigma can delay sputum test in time. Delay will lead to spread of infection in the community. There is no scientific information available in India exactly looking into the association between delay in sputum examination and stigma. We conducted a study in rural West Bengal among persons with cough for 2 weeks or more to assess their level of stigma, its influence on delay for sputum test and identify factors those shape the level of stigma. A community based cross sectional survey was conducted from February to June 2015 in West Bengal, India. We interviewed 135 persons of 15-60 years. Data were collected using a pretested structured questionnaire. Chi-square and logistic regression analysis were done using SPSS 23.0 statistical software. Among the 'lower stigma' group (score 4-24), 'delay' (14-25 days) is found among 46.2% respondents a...

PsycEXTRA Dataset

Tremendous biomedical advancements in HIV prevention and treatment have led to aspirational effor... more Tremendous biomedical advancements in HIV prevention and treatment have led to aspirational efforts to end the HIV epidemic. However, this goal will not be achieved without addressing the significant mental health and substance use problems among people living with HIV (PLWH) and people vulnerable to acquiring HIV. These problems exacerbate the many social and economic barriers to accessing adequate and sustained healthcare, and are among the most challenging barriers to achieving the end of the HIV epidemic. Rates of mental health problems are higher among both people vulnerable to acquiring HIV and PLWH, compared with the general population. Mental health impairments increase risk for HIV acquisition and for negative health outcomes among PLWH at each step in the HIV care continuum. We have the necessary screening tools and efficacious treatments to treat mental health problems among people living with and at risk for HIV. However, we need to prioritize mental health treatment with appropriate resources to address the current mental health screening and treatment gaps. Integration of mental health screening and care into all HIV testing and treatment settings would not only strengthen HIV prevention and care outcomes, but it would additionally improve global access to mental healthcare.

International Journal of Current Research and Review, 2015

Background: Revised National Tuberculosis Control Program (RNTCP) in on from 1990s. But outcome i... more Background: Revised National Tuberculosis Control Program (RNTCP) in on from 1990s. But outcome is not satisfactory in many states including West Bengal. Our objective is to profile people coming at microscopy centre for sputum examination early and late. It tries to identify factors adversely influencing early sputum examination and causes of exclusion from initiation of Directly Observed Treatment Short Course (DOTS) therapy. Methods: Survey was conducted on 577 persons with cough for minimum two weeks from 36 microscopy centres. Important variables explored were sputum positivity level, a proxy indicator of delay in seeking services and initiation of DOTS. Apart that, information on poverty level, religion, caste, mode of journey to facility was also captured. Results: Patients coming late in the microscopy centre were expected to be high positive and those came earlier to be low positive. For both sex, late diagnosis (88.24% and 81.58%) was much more than early diagnosis (11.76% and 18.42%). Across all religions, late diagnosis was much higher than early diagnosis (Hindu 83.05%, Muslim 88.89% and others 100.0% for late diagnosis). Variables significantly influencing initial default of DOTS are age, sex, caste, religion, education, employment status, access to facility and service providers. Upper caste and above poverty line people are more complaint to DOTS. Conclusion: Present study recommends developing an overall community mobilization strategy so that TB suspects reach facilities for early diagnosis and start DOTS. Stigma reduction strategy may be developed so that community does not hesitate to access the existing microscopy health care services.

Indian Journal of Medical Ethics, 2007

In a super specialty government medical centre antiretroviral treatment (ART) is provided to Peop... more In a super specialty government medical centre antiretroviral treatment (ART) is provided to People Living with HIV and AIDS (PLHAs). Each month on an average 100 PLHAs come to the centre for ART. A clinician heads this ART centre in a medical college. The rule of thumb is that all PLHAs who are willing to receive ART undergo certain blood tests. On the basis of the test results the clinician identifies PLHAs who are "fit" for the course of drugs. The clinician offers ART to such cases on a "first-come first-priority" basis. For various reasons a significant proportion of PLHAs default in adhering to the therapy. Therefore counselling is provided at the medical centre to each case selected for ART. One PLHA Mr K started ART on June 2003 at this clinic. After six months of his ART course he had to visit his home in Bihar for four months. He requested the clinic to provide him with enough drugs for this duration. The clinic refused saying that it was against government policy. As a result while he was away his ART could not be continued. He returned after four months to the clinic to restart his treatment. Due to the significant gap in treatment the clinic requested him to undergo tests for resistance. He was initially very reluctant but after repeated requests and consultations with the clinicians he took the tests. The tests fortunately showed that he had not developed resistance. His ART drug was restarted. However soon after the treatment was resumed he was summoned back to his home in Bihar to attend to his wifes illness. The treatment again had to be discontinued. This time he was away for five months. On his return when he reported to the clinic he again went through the tests for resistance. This time he had developed resistance to the first-line ART he was receiving. When he was informed about second-line ART he made a claim for it from the clinic. He was told that according to government policy all government clinics provide only first-line ART and if he wanted second-line ART he would have to buy it from the market. He was not financially capable of buying medicines from the market for the long-term treatment he needed. K believes that he has a right to receive second-line drugs from the government. He also believes that he developed resistance because of the governments faulty policy of not providing him with drugs to take with him when he visited his hometown. He has decided to go to the courts to force the government to respect his right to get full treatment and to change the government policy of not giving medicines when someone is travelling. He is also planning to approach the Human Rights Commission to get redress for the violation of his human rights. (excerpt)