ABSTRACT
Background: Proper waste management is a major concern of public health. It is necessary to create positive behavioural changes towards waste management among public in order to control diseases. Objectives were to determine the attitude towards solid and liquid waste management among the households of Cheruthazham Panchayat in Northern Kerala. Methods: A community based cross sectional study was conducted in Cheruthazham Panchayat, under Kalliasseri block, located in Kannur district of Kerala state from June 2017 to July 2018. A total of 400 households were studied. Multistage sampling was done. Data was collected by direct interview using a pre-tested semi-structured questionnaire. Data was analyzed using SPSS software. Results: The participants responsible for the waste management in household were women. Out of the 400 participants, 83%, 11% and 6% were Hindus, Muslims and Christians respectively. Majority of them (82%) had an educational qualification of high school and above. Most of them (82.5%) were housewives. About 47% of the study population belongs to upper middle class. Their major sources of information about solid waste management were kudumbasree class. In the study, 93.8% of the study population had above average attitude and 6.2% had below average attitude. Almost 70% had the belief that government is not doing anything to fix the garbage problem. About 97%, 88.6% and 92% were willing to do composting, segregation and recycling of waste respectively. Conclusions: Majority of the participants had above average attitude towards household waste management. Continuous awareness programmes have to be conducted on safe waste disposal and efforts should be made to sustain the supervision of household waste management.
ABSTRACT
to reduce the burden of the disease, it is important to know the level of modifiable risk factors in the population. The aim of this study was to estimate the prevalence of hypercholesterolaemia and associated factors among the population aged over 30 years in a rural area in north Kerala, India. Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out to find the prevalence of hypercholesterolaemia among 533 residents of Kulappuram village. The fasting blood glucose level, total serum cholesterol level, blood pressure and body mass index of the residents were also assessed. The significance of association of hypercholesterolaemia with age, sex, body mass index and blood pressure was tested using the chi-squared test. Logistic regression was carried out to estimate the adjusted odds ratios (OR). Results: The prevalence of hypercholesterolaemia was 63.8%. It was more prevalent in women (adjusted OR: 1.56; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.07–2.27), in those with body mass index in the range 23.0–24.9 kg/m2 (adjusted OR: 1.78; 95% CI: 1.04–3.02) and in those with blood pressure ≥140/90 mmHg (adjusted OR: 1.62; 95% CI: 1.1–2.38). Conclusion: The prevalence of hypercholesterolaemia is high in the study population.
ABSTRACT
Key Message: Statistics Open For All (SOFA) is a free, open-source statistical software. It contains a component to help choose the appropriate statistical test. This article describes that component from the perspective of a novice user. We also discuss the pros and cons of this tool, and make appropriate recommendations for its use.