ABSTRACT
The objective was to study the prevalence of obesity among adolescents in public schools of Ludhiana, catering to the affluent segment of population. We selected 1000 students from these schools by random, purposive sampling. Their anthropometry was taken. Students also filled-up a prevalidated questionnaire regarding dietary habits and lifestyle. Overweight/Obesity was defined using age and sex specific Body mass index (BMI) cut off points. Incidence of obesity was 3.4% and overweight was 12.7%. A significantly greater number of boys (15%) were overweight as compared to girls (10%).
Subject(s)
Adolescent , Child , Female , Humans , India/epidemiology , Male , Obesity/epidemiology , Overweight/epidemiology , PrevalenceABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: To determine the prevalence, age distribution and common causes of chronic/recurrent cough in rural children. DESIGN: Prospective study. SETTING: Pediatric population in five villages of Dehlon Block of Ludhiana, Punjab. METHODS: 2275 children in the age group of 1 to 15 years were screened by house to house survey for chronic/recurrent cough using defined criteria. A detailed work up of selected cases was carried out. Underlying etiology was determined using clinical and laboratory parameters. Five hundred children in the study population formed the control group. Variables associated with chronic/recurrent cough were analyzed in cases and controls. RESULTS: Twenty four children were diagnosed with chronic/recurrent cough showing a prevalence rate of 1.06 percent. The most common cause was bronchial asthma (66.7 percent) followed by postnasal drip syndrome (25 percent). Family history of allergy/asthma was noted in 11 (45.8 percent) children as compared to 52 (10.4 percent) in the control group (p < 0.01). Family history of smoking was recorded in 16.7 percent of cases in contrast to 6.4 percent in controls (p = 0.05). There was no significant association with overcrowding, pets and kind of cooking fuel used. CONCLUSIONS: The most common cause of chronic/recurrent cough was bronchial asthma. There was a significant association with family history of allergy/asthma and smoking.