ABSTRACT
Background: Internet gaming disorder is the public health concern globally due to its detrimental effects on the youth to an extreme of provoking them to suicide. As we lack studies in India highlighting this issue we have taken up a study to assess internet gaming disorder among medical graduates and validate the Internet gaming disorder-20 (IGD-20) scale. Methods: A cross-sectional study done on 200 first and second year medical students of Kurnool Medical College, Kurnool during February and March, 2019 using self-administered questionnaire containing IGD-20 which satisfies Griffith’s biopsychosocial component model and questions to assess socio behaviour changes. Data entered and analysed using SPSS version 23. Descriptive analysis, reliability tests, correlation and other appropriate significant tests used. Results: Prevalence of internet gaming disorder was 10%, more in male and who spend more than 30 hours per week on gaming which was statistically significant. Internal consistency of the IGD-20 was 0.91 Cronbach’s alpha. Socio-behavioural changes like aggressiveness, irritability and change in food patterns were significantly associated with excessive disordered gaming habit. Conclusions: Advanced technology as electronic gadgets, easily accessible networks are attracting the generation and making them addicted to it. Stress of the competitive world, loneliness is triggering this behaviour. Timely detection and management of the disordered gamers, scrutiny of parents on the internet gaming usage pattern of their kids, self-realisation and motivation towards physical games could help the youth to succumb the internet gaming disorder.
ABSTRACT
Background: Swine flu is an acute highly contagious respiratory disease caused by influenza A (H1N1) virus. After 2009 pandemic, seasonal epidemics occurred in 2015 and 2017 usually in rainy season in India. Educational institutes are the centres of high transmission and creating awareness only can arrest the spread. Hence this study was carried out to assess the knowledge, attitude and practices regarding Swine flu and improve their knowledge.Methods: A health educational interventional study done on 202 eighth and ninth standard school students of Zilla Parishad High School, Kallur, Kurnool district during October and November, 2018 on obtaining informed consent, using a self administered questionnaire. Data entered in Microsoft excel version 2007, analysed and presented in proportions and chi square test of significance using SPSS version 23.Results: 66.8 percent and 68.8 percent of the students heard and knew about viral swine flu respectively. Good knowledge of mode of spread, symptoms and availability of treatment, vaccination and preventive measures regarding swine flu was seen. The gaps in their knowledge levels were successfully filled by health educational intervention. More than 70 percent of students were using hand kerchief and masks in crowded places, willing to approach government facilities for treatment.Conclusions: Extensive mass educational campaigns should be conducted as containment of the spread of the disease can solely be done by making people knowledgeable. Government authorities should train health workers, assistants and teachers and utilise mass and social media to create awareness, thus declining the incidence of the seasonal epidemics.