ABSTRACT
Background: Malnutrition is a silent emergency. Malnutrition prevents children from reaching their full physical and mental potential. The health of children and youth is of fundamental importance. Without ensuring optimal child growth and development efforts to accelerate economic development significantly will be unsuccessful. Aim of the study was to study the prevalence of undernutrtion among the children under 6 years of age and to determine association of sociodemogrphic factors with undernutrition. Methods: A community based cross-sectional study was conducted in children of under 6 years age living in the rural field practice area of Department of Community Medicine IIMSR, Warudi, Jalna, from January 2018 to December 2018. One ninety eight children were studied for nutritional status, socio-demographic measures were obtained from structured questionnaire and followed by anthropometric assessment using standards methods. Statistical analysis was done by using appropriate statistical test.Results: Study found that 44.79% children were underweight, 47.92% were stunted and 39.58% were wasted. Among sociodemographic factors age, maternal educational, working status and SES class had an impact on nutritional status of child.Conclusions: Prevalence of underweight, stunting and wasting was high in this study, this calls for educating mothers and other caretakers in the family regarding increased nutritional requirements with increasing age for attainment of best possible nutrition and growth in children, targeted short-term strategies addressing underlying risk factors and more long-term poverty alleviation strategies may be needed.
ABSTRACT
Background: Obesity has become a challenge in medical care worldwide. Medical professionals have a significant role to play in preventing and diagnosing weight problems and in providing initial counseling. Health professionals are poorly prepared in weight management, which has an effect on their knowledge and management skills with regard to overweight and obese patients. Hence the present study was carried out to assess the knowledge about epidemiological determinants of obesity and its management amongst medical professionals of Marathwada region of Maharashtra, India.Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out during the period of March to April 2019 amongst 110 medical professionals at Department of Community Medicine of IIMSR Medical College, Badnapur, Jalna, Maharashtra, who were actively participated in continued medical education (CME) on obesity and its management where the knowledge of medical professionals were assessed. Data was analysed by using appropriate statistical test whenever necessary.Results: In this study, the pre-test good knowledge score was 14 (12.7%), which increased to 61 (55.5%) post CME. The pre-test mean score of level of knowledge was 7.41±4.12 and after CME, it was 12.90±5.21 and the mean difference was 5.49, which was statistically highly significant.Conclusions: As obesity is a public health problem globally, there was marked improvement in the knowledge amongst medical professionals after CME on epidemiological determinants of obesity and its management.
ABSTRACT
Background: In India, becoming a doctor is one of the highest aspirations of many school going students and their parents. Medical profession is one of the most highly rated professions among the students mainly due to the fact that it offers prospects of a financially as well as a socially satisfying career. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted from August to September 2015 amongst 94 first year medical students of 2015 batch of Indian Institute of Medical Science & Research Medical College, Badnapur, Jalna, Maharashtra. A pre-designed questionnaire which assessed career choices regarding medical education was the tool of data collection. Results were analyzed in the form of percentage and proportions whenever appropriate. Results: Out of total 94 medical students, 45 (47.8%) were males and 49 (52.2%) were females. The major reason for choosing medical profession among students were to serve the community 55 (58.5%), followed by inspiration by family members 44 (46.8%) and social status attached to the profession 23 (24.4%). More than half 54 (57.4%) of them had been influenced in one way or the other by another person to pursue a medical carrier, most often a parent. Conclusions: In this study, main reason for joining medical career was the interest in service to community. Factors such as family background and inspiration or force by family members may play a role.