RESUMO
Background: Vaccination is one of the most successful public health interventions that has saved millions of lives so far. Due to the occupational exposure, health care workers have an increased risk of contracting hepatitis B. Objectives were to assess the vaccination practices regarding hepatitis B among healthcare personnel (HCP) and to study the factors associated with the vaccination practices regarding hepatitis B of these HCP. Methods: This cross sectional hospital based study was conducted for a period of 1 year at Sher-I-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences (SKIMS) among 450 HCP including doctors, nursing staff, laboratory staff and others and the required sample was drawn from each category on the basis of probability proportionate to size technique. Information was collected from participants by using predesigned, pretested structured and validated questionnaire. Results: It was found that only 34.9% were vaccinated against hepatitis B. The coverage was highest among doctors 55.5% followed by technicians 25.6%, nurses 23.6%. The main reasons for not receiving this vaccine were: taking all necessary precautions (49.1%), hospital does not provide the vaccine (20.8%), not aware about hepatitis B vaccine (20.5 %). Conclusions: The study revealed that the hepatitis B vaccination coverage of these healthcare personnel was quite low in spite of the importance of the vaccine for healthcare personnel who are always at risk of getting exposed to the virus during their duties.
RESUMO
Background: According to world health organization (WHO), exclusive breastfeeding (EBF) for the first 6 months of life is vital for optimal growth and development of a child. During this period, other liquids or breastfeeding substitutes should not be given to infants except for medicine or oral rehydration solution. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted in the child health clinic of the department of community medicine, SKIMS. The study participants were mothers accompanying their infants coming for immunisation at the child health centre. A semi-structured, questionnaire was used to interview the mothers regarding breast feeding practices of their infants. The data was entered in Microsoft excel 2010 and analysed using SPSS Version 20. Results: The prevalence of EBF was 38.7%. Mixed feeding was received by 54% and 7.3% were formula-fed. Variables that were significantly associated with EBF include residence and mother’s education. Infants from rural area were more likely to be exclusively breastfed compared to those from urban area (OR=0.365; 95% CI=0.166-0.802; p=0.012). Mothers with up to 9 years of formal education were more likely to exclusively breastfed their children than those with more than 9 years of formal education (OR=0.300;95% CI=0.121-0.744, p=0.009). Conclusions: To ensure that the rate of EBF among the mothers is increased, all the stakeholders (spouse, family and government) as well as the people at work place must play their part to the best extent.
RESUMO
Background: COVID-19 pandemic has greatly affected the studies of students because of strict lockdown and closure of schools. As such students might have developed a lot of stress. Primary objective of this study was to find out the prevalence of generalized anxiety and depression during the COVID-19 pandemic among post-metric science students at Baramulla preparing for professional exams after senior secondary. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted by distributing a pre-designed questionnaire among post-metric science students at Baramulla, Kashmir. Two tuition centres were randomly selected out of all the centres. All the students who returned filled questionnaires were included. Binary logistic regression was employed to find the association of anxiety and depression with independent variables. Results: Of the 173 participants, 91 were male (52.6%), the mean age was 16.9±1.4 years. For 81% of students, the pandemic had negatively affected their studies. About 16% (28) students had severe anxiety whereas 33% (57) had moderate anxiety and 14 students (8%) had severe depression whereas 23 (13%) had moderately severe depression. Those who did not perform routine exercise daily had higher odds of depression (AOR=2.86) and anxiety (AOR=2.3). Conclusions: Anxiety and depression levels among young students as high as found in this study cannot be ignored. A habit of routine exercise that may have been hampered during the current pandemic must be inculcated among youngsters for healthier mental health.