Papers by Gajendra Kumar Medhi
Nutritional status and personal hygiene practices of primary school children: A cross-sectional study from Meghalaya, India
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.
Breastfeeding Support in Health Facilities: A Challenge Less Recognized?
Indian Pediatrics, Mar 1, 2022
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.
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Papers by Gajendra Kumar Medhi