ABSTRACT
Background: Although, Bangladesh has the ninth highest rate of age-standardized rates of deaths due to chronic diseases, mostly due to cardiovascular diseases and diabetes. There is scanty literature on the estimated burden, and the determinants of hypertension in the rural areas of Bangladesh. Methods: This facility based cross-sectional survey was conducted at sub-urban field research clinic from four unions of Araihazar upazilla of Narayangong district, Bangladesh. The analyses were based on 212 male and female respondents of more than 30 years of age. The prevalence of hypertension was the main outcome of interest. Results: The study found that the prevalence of systolic hypertension among the respondents is 15.6% and that of diastolic pressure is 12.3%. Systolic pressure was found in an increasing manner with the increase of age and BMI. Tendency of increase systolic pressure was observed among those who took extra salt. Significant association was also found between increasing systolic pressure with the heart disease. No significant association was found between increasing systolic pressure with smoking habit, physical activity and vegetable intake and with the development of systemic diseases namely cardiovascular disease (CVD), diabetes mellitus and coronary obstetrics pulmonary disease. Conclusion: Suggestion on regular periodical health check-up especially including blood pressure monitoring and restriction of taking extra salt to all the people of age more than 30 years is recommended.
ABSTRACT
Background: The present cross sectional study was undertaken to assess the food habits and nutritional status among elderly people in rural Bangladesh and to compare the same between male and female. A simple random sampling and geographical re-conciliation method was used to select the study population. All the patients in a pre-publicized medical camp were approached and a total of 186 male and 237 female participated in the study. Data were collected through face to face interview with a semi-structured questionnaire and anthropometric measures were collected using instruments. Associations between dietary intake and World Health Organization (WHO) referred Body Mass Index (BMI) range was done using cross tabulation. Results: The mean age of male was 67.69 years and that of female was 65.46 years. The female subjects were higher than males in number in this study. The rate of male literacy was found to be 39.8% where literacy among the female was 13.9%. Among all, 79.6% males were found to be living with their spouse where the rate of living with spouse among the female amounted 53.2%. About half of elderly people were found to be living under poor and 32% in low middle class socio-economic condition. Study revealed that 80.6% male and 78.9% female got no opportunity to take protein-rich food more than three days per week. Again 95.7% male and 97.5% female had no opportunity take more than two servings of protein rich food per week. The similar case occurred in case of taking fatty food, vegetable and fruits per week. Similarly 100 % male and 99.6% female reported that they were taking more than two servings of fatty food per week. No significant association was found between BMI and food intake. The significance was tested by Pearson chi-square. In this test the p –value for protein rich food was 0.234 (p?0.05), while fatty food (0.712), vegetable (0.502) and fruits (0.274) which was more than referred significance p-value ?0.05. Hence, the study confirmed that malnutrition remains a common problem among older people living in rural Bangladesh though there is no significant association was found between food intake and nutrition. Conclusion: Management of malnutrition in case of elderly population requires a multidisciplinary approach that treats pathology and uses both social and dietary forms of intervention.
ABSTRACT
Backgrounds: About 120 million people around the world are overexposed to lead which is neurotoxic and 99 percent of the most severely affected children are in the developing world including Bangladesh. Methods and Materials: The present cross-sectional ecological study was carried out to explore the impact of lead poisoning on the intelligence level among 84 primary school children of a school of Bangladesh, aged between 8 and 14 years from September 2010 through January 2011. The research instrument was an interviewer questionnaire, questionnaire for IQ test and assessment of blood lead level (inductively-coupled plasma mass spectrometry with collision/reaction cells) of the study subjects after obtaining permission from their parents and the school authority. Results: Data were cross-checked and frequency distribution and association using chi-square test was accomplished. Background information depicted majority (69.1%) of the children aged10-11 years (mean = 10.25 ±1.177 yrs), female (51.2%), parents having primary level of education or below (73.8% in case of father and 77.4% in mother) and from lower socioeconomics (78.6% earned BDT 10,000 or below per month). Among all, majority (56%) were found to be moron, 27.4% in borderline, while 8.3% were imbecile with the same proportion with normal level. By their blood lead level. Majority (70.2%) had blood lead level up to 10 microgram/dl and the rest (29.8%) had more than 10 microgram/ dl. Though no statistically significant association was found between IQ level of the children and their blood lead level (p>0.05), the health problems found among the respondents as abdominal pain (53.57%), impatience (14.29%), nausea (10.71%) and all other problems (loss of concentration to study, ear problem, anorexia and loss of weight) amounting for 21.43% are suggestive of chronic lead poisoning. Conclusion: Further studies in large scale with larger samples including comparative studies of inter-industrial areas have been strongly recommended.
ABSTRACT
Demographic and epidemiological transitions reveal geriatric problems as burning public health issue. The present cross-sectional study was undertaken to explore the health awareness among geriatric people in Mirpur in Dhaka city from January to April 2008 on purposively selected persons aged 60 years and above. An interviewer administered semi-structured questionnaire was used for data collection. The mean age of the respondents was found to be 66.5 ±7.25 yrs (Range: 60-103 yrs). It was found that perfect knowledge about food, nutrition, health and disease is significantly high among male respondents. The study revealed that 13.3% and 12.8% respondents have perfect knowledge on balanced diet and fiber containing food for regular bowel movement respectively. A large number of respondents (40.6%) were found having no knowledge about osteoporosis preventing foods. It was also found that 38.0% and 22.6% respondents have no knowledge regarding the causes of gingivitis and helminthasis respectively. On the basis of significant findings, it was suggested that more emphasis should be given on health education and awareness among geriatric people in order to ensure physical, mental and socially sound health.
ABSTRACT
This study was carried out among arsenic-exposed and non-exposed people of Bangladesh to assess and compare their cardiac status based on electrocardiographic (ECG) findings. For the purpose of the study, participants were included in three groups: arsenic-exposed persons with arsenicosis (arsenicosis group), arsenic-exposed persons without arsenicosis (non-arsenicosis group), and persons not exposed to arsenic (non-exposed group). Each group included 50 respondents. In this study, no significant difference in heart rate, rhythm, axis, and pulse rate interval was detected among the arsenicosis, non-arsenicosis and non-exposed groups. A significant difference in corrected QT interval between the arsenicosis and the non-exposed group (p<0.05) was observed. On the contrary, no statistically significant difference in corrected QT interval between the non-arsenicosis and the non-exposed group was found. Abnormal QRS complex was found among 14%, 8%, and 2% of the arsenicosis, non-arsenicosis, and non-exposed groups respectively. ECG findings, indicative of left ventricular hypertrophy, ischaemic heart disease, and right bundle branch block, were high among the arsenicosis group. Overall, abnormal ECG findings were high (58%) among the respondents of the arsenicosis group and were highly significant (p<0.001). The findings revealed that there was a significant association between ECG abnormalities and arsenic exposure.