Risk factor profile for non-communicable diseases: findings of a STEPS survey from urban settlement of Bangalore

Background: Increasing burden of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) across the globe is largely due to the rise in prevalence of various risk factors. These risk factors are measurable and largely modifiable. Quantifying the present levels of risk factors exposure in a community is helpful in predicting the future risk and driving the public health policy for prevention and control of NCDs. Keeping this in mind, present study was planned to estimate the prevalence of NCDs risk factors in an urban settlement of Bangalore.Methods: A community based cross-sectional survey was done with 600 individuals aged 15-64 years in Hegganahalli locality of Bangalore city from April to October 2017. Systematic random sampling technique was applied to obtain the desired sample size. Information on NCD risk factors was collected by using STEPS questionnaire.Results: Tobacco and alcohol consumption was observed in 27.2% and 11.8% of respondents respectively. Low level of physical activity was recorded among 14.8% and inadequate consumption of fruit and vegetable was observed among all the respondents. Prevalence of general and central obesity in the study population was found to be 30.7% and 12.8% respectively. Hypertension was prevalent among 35.5% respondents.Conclusions: High prevalence of NCD risk factors was observed among the study population that needs to be addressed through a comprehensive approach with due emphasis on preventive care in order to make ‘healthy living’ a social norm.

Pattern of craniofacial injuries and socio demographic distribution of road traffic accidents in Bangalore: Autopsy study.

Background: Among all types of accidents, those caused by motor vehicles claim the largest toll of life and tend to be most serious, road traffic accidents (RTA) continues to be growing menace incurring heavy loss of valuable man –power, along with corresponding drain of potential economic growth of country. Objective: Present study was taken up with the aim to assess the Socio demographic distribution of road traffic accidents and the pattern of craniofacial injuries occurred in RTA. Materials and Methods: A Descriptive Cross sectional study was conducted on the post mortems of RTA cases. Convenient purposive sampling technique was applied to select the sample of 113 road traffic accident autopsies. Results: Majority of the victims aged between 21 to 40 years (50.44%), most of the victims were males 104 (92.0%), and Hindus 102 (90.27%). More crashes 42 (37.17%) took place between 6:00 PM to 12:00 PM on weekends 62 (54.87%) at city cross roads 62 (54.87%). Most of the accidents occurred by heavy motor vehicle 45(39.82%). Most of the times in road traffic accidents, productive age group males (21-40 years) were injured or lost their life. More than fifty per cent of the accidents were found to occur during the weekend evenings from 6:00PM to 12:00PM. Conclusion: Since the road traffic traumas are worsening each year, to minimise the severity of injury, man's interaction with the motor car may have been somewhat modified by crash protection devices, such as helmets, seat belts and air bags.

Perceived sources of stress amongst final year dental under graduate students in a dental teaching institution at Bangalore, India: A cross sectional study.

Background: Dental schools are known to be highly demanding and stressful learning environments. Dentistry involves an acquisition of required academic, clinical and interpersonal skills during the course of learning. Practicing dentistry requires clinical skills and patient management skills, which also add to the stress perceived by the students. Identifying sources of stress represents the crucial first step towards advocating policy changes and strategies to alleviate the stressors and enhance students' stress coping skills. The aim of this study was to identify self-reported sources of the stress among the final year [4 th year] dental undergraduate students in a Dental Teaching Institution in Bangalore, India. Materials and Methods: A 38 items, 4-point Likert Scale item modified Dental Environmental Stress (DES) questionnaire, addressing 5 stressor domains (living accommodation, interpersonal relationships, academics, clinical skills and miscellaneous) was administered to all final year undergraduate dental students of the Institution. Items and domains were considered to be perceived as "stressful", when students classified them as 'slightly', 'moderately' or 'severely stressful'. Descriptive and bivariate analyzes based on chi square tests were performed. Results: Out of the 38 items, 19 items were reported to be "stressful" by >70% of the students. Of these, examinations, difficulty in managing difficult cases, lack of patient co-operation, difficulty and amount of course work and completing clinical requirements were reported to be "stressful" by >85% of the students. Personal physical health, difficulty in making friends, staying with roommates, narcotic substance dependencies were least commonly reported to be "stressful". Discussion and Conclusion: The stress provoking factors among >70% of the students are quite similar to those reported by the researchers' worldwide. Curricular changes, student support mechanisms at departmental/institutional level with appropriate policy changes need to be considered to assist the students in coping with identified stressors.

Magnitude of drug resistant shigellosis: A report from Bangalore.

Shigella is an important cause of acute invasive diarrhea in children and others. Antimicrobial susceptibility of Shigella spp. isolated from diarrhoeal/ dysenteric patients in Bangalore was studied in our hospital from January 2002 to December 2007. One hundred and thirty-four isolates were identified as Shigella species. S. flexneri, S. sonnei , S. boydii and S. dysenteriae were accounted respectively for 64.9%, 21.6%, 8.2% and 3.7% of the total number of Shigella isolated. Of these 56 (41.8%) were from children (0 to 14 years) and 78 (58.2%) were from adults and elderly patients. Over 70% of Shigella isolates were resistant to two or more drugs including Ampicillin and Co-trimoxazole. During 2002 to 2007, resistance to Ampicillin had increased from 46.7% to 68%. For Co-trimoxazole, though the resistance had gradually decreased from 100% to 72%, but still the resistance is high. Chloramphenicol resistance showed sudden decline from 73.3% to 25% from 2002 to 2003, but gradually has reached 48%. Nalidixic acid resistance was more than 70%. All isolates were sensitive to Ciprofloxacin during the period 2002 to 2004, but over the years the resistance pattern gradually increased up to 48%. Ceftriaxone had shown no resistance. The results of the study revealed the endemicity of Shigellosis with S. flexneri as the predominant serogroup. Children were at a higher risk of severe shigellosis. The results also suggest that Ampicillin, Co-trimoxazole, Chloramphenicol, Nalidixic acid and Ciprofloxacin should not be used empirically as the first line drugs in the treatment of Shigellosis. Periodic analysis and reporting of antibiotic susceptibility is an important measure to guide antibiotic treatment.