Assessment of Perception about Immunization Among the Mothers of Under-Five Children at Urban Slum Area of Vijayapura City

Introduction: Immunization is one of the most cost-effective health investments worldwide. The World Health Organization (WHO) launched the expanded programme on immunization (EPI) in 1974 with the aim of immunizing children throughout the world. Objective: Assessment of perception about immunization among the mothers of under-five children at urban slum area of Vijayapura city. Methods: Cross-sectional study was conducted in Urban Field practice area of Community Medicine department among the mothers of under-five children residing permanently in the area and were interviewed regarding the perception about immunization to their children by using pre-structured proforma. Results: level of knowledge & perception was found average (around 50%). Nearly 40 to 60% of the participants agreed to the statements which signifies the immunization is very important to the child’s growth and development and should not be avoided. Conclusions: Providing mothers of under-five children with information about vaccination effectively increases the immunization coverage and was highly cost-effective also

Prevalence of anaemia in pregnant and lactating women in rural Vijayapur

Background: Nutritional anaemia is defined as a condition in which the haemoglobin content of the blood is lower than normal as a result of deficiency of one or more essential nutrients. Anaemia is the late manifestation of deficiency of nutrient(s) needed for haemoglobin synthesis. The prevalence of anaemia in developing countries is estimated to be 43% and that of developed countries is 9%. Anaemia is estimated to contribute to more than 115000 maternal deaths and 591000 prenatal deaths globally per year. The objectives of the present study were to determine the prevalence of anaemia among the pregnant women and lactating mothers and to explore the associated factors with anaemia.Methods: A cross sectional study was conducted among pregnant and lactating women in Ukkali a rural field practice area Shri B. M. Patil Medical College, Vijayapur. Criteria for inclusion were pregnant women- current pregnancy of more than 6 months and lactating mother with child aged up to 6 months of age. Estimation of haemoglobin was carried by standard Sahlis pipette method. Anaemia was classified according to WHO grading criteria.Results: The maximum number of pregnant women (85.71%) in the age group of 35-49 years was anaemic followed by those who were in the age group of 20-34 years (61.54%). Prevalence of anaemia was 72 % in women of less than 20 years, whereas it was as high as 80% among lactating women of 35-49 years age group.Conclusions: Anaemia continues to be a problem with the existing health care resources. Socio-economic status, literacy of women and awareness related to health concerns are the major determinants that contribute to the problem of anaemia.