Prevalence and Correlates of Vitamin D Deficiency Among Children and Adolescents From a Nationally Representative Survey in India

Objective: To evaluate the prevalence of vitamin D deficiency (VDD) and its correlates among apparently healthy children and adolescents. Methods: We carried out a secondary analysis of data of Comprehensive National Nutrition Survey 2016-18 to analyze the pre-valence and predictors of VDD among Indian children and adolescents. Results: The over-all prevalence of VDD in preschool children (1-4 years), school age (5-9 years) children, and adolescents (10-19 years) was 13.7%, 18.2%, and 23.9%, respectively. Age, living in urban area, and winter season were significantly associated with VDD. Vegetarian diet and high-income households were the main risk factors observed in 5-19 years age category. Female sex and less than three hour of physical activity/week were independent risk factors among adolescents. Conclusion: The prevalence and determinants of VDD across different age-groups are reported, and these should be interpreted and addressed to decrease the burden of VDD in India.

National guidelines for data quality in surveys: An overview

Good quality health, nutrition and demographic survey data are vital for evidence-based decision-making. Existing literature indicates system specific, data collection and reporting gaps that affect quality of health, nutrition and demographic survey data, thereby affecting its usability and relevance. To mitigate these, the National Data Quality Forum (NDQF), under the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) - National Institute of Medical Statistics (NIMS) developed the National Guidelines for Data Quality in Surveys delineating assurance mechanisms to generate standard quality data in surveys. The present article highlights the principles from the guidelines for informing survey researchers/organizations in generating good quality survey data. It describes the process of development of the national guidelines, principles for each of the survey phases listed in the document and applicability of them to data user for ensuring data quality. The guidelines may be useful to a broad-spectrum of audience such as data producers from government and non-government organizations, policy makers, research institutions, as well as individual researchers, thereby playing a vital role in improving quality of health, nutrition and demographic data ecosystem.

Areca nut use in rural Tamil Nadu: a growing threat.

BACKGROUND: Areca nut is the fourth main psychoactive substance in the world. In India, tobacco is added to the quid and the commercially manufactured nonperishable forms of betel quid (pan masala or gutkha) are on the rise in the market. OBJECTIVE: To find out the prevalence of areca nut among the rural residents of Sriperambudur Taluk. SETTINGS AND DESIGN: A community-based survey using pre-tested semi-structured questionnaire. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The survey was conducted in 2 villages and their colonies, which were randomly selected out of 168 villages. Data was collected from 500 residents of the study population. The survey was conducted for a period of 2 months. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS: SPSS version 10.0. RESULTS: The study participants were more likely to initiate areca nut use by 22 years of age. As many as 19.8% (n = 99) of the study participants chewed areca nut products, out of whom 11.2% (n = 56) indulged in chewing habit alone (areca nut products). Areca nut use was higher among male study subjects compared to females. The commercial forms of areca nut products (gutkha) were the most prevalent ones [47.5% (n = 47) of those who used areca nut] observed in the community. Compared to female participants, male participants were more likely to perceive areca nut use as the most harmful habit draining the community health and wealth. CONCLUSION: There seems to be an increase in the prevalence of areca nut use. The community also perceives it to be a harmful habit. Therefore, effective interventions should be targeted towards the high-risk subpopulation of the community to decrease the prevalence of areca nut use in rural Tamil Nadu.

Areca nut use among rural residents of Sriperambudur Taluk: a qualitative study.

OBJECTIVE: The main objective of the study was to understand the perceptions of the residents of rural part of Sriperambudur Taluk, regarding areca nut use. This article discusses the findings of in-depth interviews and focus group discussions at rural part of Sriperambudur Taluk. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A community-based survey was conducted using qualitative methods. Out of 168 villages, 11 were randomly chosen. Fifteen in-depth interviews and five focus group discussions were conducted. Only those above 10 years of age and who used areca nut either in processed or un-processed form were included in the study. RESULTS: Among different forms of areca nut products, the use of Hans, which is a commercial flavored product containing areca nut, tobacco and other ingredients is believed to be the most prevalent habit in all the age groups. Chewing areca nut is the initiating habit, leading to other habits such as smoking and consuming alcoholic beverages. Residents less than 30 years of age chew areca nut products for fun or because of peer pressure whereas the 30 to 50 year olds get habituated due to reasons such as boredom and family problems. Although there is awareness regarding the ill-effects of tobacco use, there is not much awareness regarding areca nut. According to the residents, the community has not given enough thought regarding areca nut products and therefore no action has been taken to mitigate this high-risk behavior. CONCLUSION: It is the perception of the community that there is an increasing trend in the use of areca nut especially the commercial forms such as Hans , in rural Tamilnadu. Habit gets initiated at a very young age; therefore age specific intervention programs should be implemented. Periodic research should be conducted to better understand the changing trends of chewing areca nut products.