Infant feeding; beliefs and practices of mothers

To evaluate the infant feeding beliefs and practices of methods in our setup. A cross-sectional study. Fauji Foundation Hospital, Rawalpindi. From Jan 2007 to September 2007. 336 mothers of infants attending Fauji, Foundation Hospital were interviewed by using pre-tested questionnaire. Data was collected for Mothers beliefs and practices regarding infant feeding. Descriptive statistics like percentage, mean and range were obtained by using SPSS version 11. 366 mothers from rural and urban areas attending hospitals were interviewed. 63.9% mothers believed that breast milk should be given as first feed. Pre-lacteal feeds were given to 56% of infants. Major source of information for giving pre-lacteal feeds was relatives. At birth, 43.7% mothers discarded clostrum considering it harmful and useless for baby. Frequency of breast feeding was high initially at birth but decline rapidly by early supplementation with bottle feeding. Inadequate weaning in terms of timing, quality and quantity was observed. Cultural beliefs and taboos like hot and cold food influenced 61.5% of mothers due to which they restricted important food items. A targeted health education campaign should stress the main advantages of breast feeding. Messages should stress on protective benefits of clostrum and encourage mothers to start breast feeding immediately after birth. Potentially hazardous practices including pre lacteal feeding should be discarded. Local cultural and traditional practices and beliefs regarding different food items should be identified. This help to improve the food intake of infants by strengthening the useful beliefs and discontinuing harmful ones

Frequency of helmet use among motorcycle riders in Rawalpindi

To find the frequency of helmet use as a safety tool and to investigate how many of the motorcyclists are aware of the beneficial effects of using a helmet. A cross sectional study. In Community Medicine Department of Foundation University Medical College, Rawalpindi from March 2007 to September 2007. A total of 1000 questionnaires were randomly distributed among motorcyclists during visits to Lalkurti, Saddar and Karchi chowk in Rawalpindi. Inclusion criteria included those motor bike rider volunteering to participate in the study. 44 responses were invalid and the total valid responses were therefore 956. No incentive was offered for participation in the study and no individual follow- up was possible. From a total sample size of 956 riders 541 were putting on a helmet and 415 were without the helmet. The frequency of helmet use was therefore 56.6% and that the use non user is 43.4%. A bog majority i.e 80.7% of the respondent s left that use of helmet while riding a motorbike should be mandatory while only 19.3% left that it should be the discretion of the riders. 57.6% of the riders left that in case of pillion riding both the riders should put on the helmet while 42.4% did not support the idea. The study implies that we need to enact and enforce policy intervention for mandatory use of helmet, effective traffic law enforcement and imparting awareness among our masses especially the younger generation to reduce Road Traffic Accidents. Print and electronic media should be utilize extensively to disseminate basic traffic knowledge at all levels of the society

Frequency of heart failure in patients with beta thalassemia major

Estimated prevalence of beta thalassemia is 3-8% in Pakistan. Over the past three decades, regular blood transfusions have significantly increased the survival of these patients. There has been an increase in the frequency of complications, mainly caused by iron overload. The aim of this study was to determine the frequency of heart failure in patients with beta thalassemia major in this region. It was a descriptive audit of ward record, carried out in the Department of Paediatrics, District Headquarter Teaching Hospital, D.I.Khan, Pakistan, from January 2004 to December 2005. Case records of all beta thalassemia major patients admitted during this period were analyzed for heart failure. Clinical data recorded was age, sex and cardiac status of patients. Investigations including ECG, chest x-ray and echocardiography were evaluated. Two hundred and twelve patients of beta thalassemia were admitted during the study period. Clinical congestive cardiac failure was observed in 33 [15.6%] patients with the age range of 8-21 years. Fifty four patients [25.5%] had cardiomegaly on chest x-ray but were not having clinical heart failure. Age range of these patients was 5-12 years. As a whole heart failure and cardiomegaly on chest x-ray was observed in 87 [41.1%] patients. All these patients were above the age of 5 years. Heart failure is not uncommon in patients with beta thalassemia major in our setup. Regular transfusions and chelation therapy are recommended to reduce this complication

Frequency of hepatitis B and hepatitis C among cataract patients

In Pakistan the frequency of Hepatitis B and C virus infection ranges from 8-15% in the general population with variations in different parts of the country. Patients undergoing any surgical procedure may have these infections, demanding special precautions. The aim of this study was to determine frequency of hepatitis B and C among patients undergoing elective cataract surgery. It was a descriptive study based on survey in which all patients above the age of 25 years, presenting for cataract surgery to Mehmood Eye Hospital, District Dera Ismail Khan, Pakistan were screened for Hepatitis B and C infections, from 1st July 2004 to 31st May 2006. The findings were recorded on a structured compilation sheet and analyzed. Those found positive on screening test were confirmed by Enzyme Linked Immunosorbant Assay [ELISA]. Total number of patients screened was 1130. The frequency of hepatitis B and C [combined] was found to be 5.75%[65/1130]; out of which 3.18% [36/1130] were HBsAg positive and 2.57% [29/1130] anti-HCV positive. Out of them, 39 were males [60%] and 26 females [40%]. The frequency of HBV was 72% [26/ 36] in males and 28% [10/36] in females. The frequency of HCV was 45% [13/29] in males and 55% [16/29] in females. The proportion of HBsAg to anti-HCV was 55%[36/65] to 45% [29/65]. The frequency of hepatitis B and C [combined] was more in age group ranging between 45 - 74 years, in both sexes. The frequency of hepatitis B among age groups 25 - 34, 35 - 44, 45 - 54, 55 - 64, 65 - 74 and 75 years and above was 3% [1/36], 6% [2/36], 17% [6/36], 33% [12/36], 28% [10/36], and 13% [5/36], respectively. The frequency of hepatitis C among age groups 25 - 34, 35 - 44, 45 - 54, 55 - 64, 65 - 74 and 75 years and above was 3% [1/29], 3% [1/29], 10% [3/29], 38% [11/29], 28% [8/29], and 18% [5/29] respectively. The frequency of hepatitis B and C [combined] among urban and rural populations was 45% [29/65] and 55% [36/65] respectively. One of the interesting findings was that none of the patient was found to be suffering simultaneously from both hepatitis B and C. The prevalence of HBsAg and anti-HCV in patients presenting for surgery is high, requiring routine preoperative screening of all the patients

Impact of class attendance upon examination results of students in basic medical sciences

A number of studies have shown the impact of attending the classes during the session on examination results of students. Students with good lecture attendance show good results while those with poor lecture attendance are at risk for poor performance in the examinations. In this study we wanted to test this in students of basic medical sciences in our set up. All the students in Basic Medical Sciences of Gomal Medical College, D.I. Khan, Pakistan, during the session 1999-2000 were enrolled for this study. Performance of these students in one of their three annual term tests, which covered duration of studies for four months, from February 2000 to May 2000, was analyzed. Students were grouped into two, Group-A with =75% attendance and Group-B with <75% attendance. The frequency of failure in the two groups was compared using the chi square test. Results of the term test showed that the percentage of failure in students of Group-B with less than 75%, attendance was significantly higher when compared to Group-A with equal or more than 75% attendance. Our results supported the previous studies showing that attendance in the classes during teaching sessions had a direct impact on performance of students in the examinations. Students with good attendance show good results while those with poor attendance are at risk for poor performance during examinations in basic medical sciences