Reach of mass media among tobacco users in India: A preliminary report.

Background : Tobacco use is a health hazard and its use is attributed to a lack of knowledge regarding the ill effects of tobacco. Aim and Objective : To identify the exposure of different mass media among a representative cohort population in the Indian subcontinent and compare the reach of the different mass media among tobacco users and nonusers using the "reach of HIV information" as a model. Design : Secondary Data Analysis of Indian National Family Health Survey-3. Predictor Variables : Any tobacco use, gender, source of HIV information. Outcome Variables : Use of mass media. Results : Of the study group, 27% of males and 54.4% of females never read newspaper or magazine; 29.3% of males and 52.6% of females never heard radio; 12.4% of males and 25% of females never see television; and 79.3% of males and 93.46% of females did not see a movie at least once a month. The most common source of information of HIV was television among males (71.8%) and females (81%), whereas the least common source was leaders among males (0.8%) and females (0.2%). Discussion : Television is the single largest media used by both genders and was a major source of HIV information dissemination. A well-designed tobacco control program similar to HIV awareness program will help to curb tobacco use. Conclusion : The reach of different media among Indian tobacco users is presented and HIV model of information dissemination may prove to be effective in tobacco control.

Knowledge and attitudes of pharmacists regarding oral health care and oral hygiene products in Chennai city.

OBJECTIVES: This study was done to find out the knowledge and attitudes of pharmacists regarding oral health care and oral hygiene products in Chennai city. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A cross-sectional survey among a sample of the pharmacists in Chennai city was done and data regarding their knowledge and attitudes towards oral health care and oral hygiene products were obtained using a closed-ended questionnaire. RESULTS: Among the 60 pharmacies approached, 50 pharmacists participated in the study and completed the questionnaire. Though 48% of the participants gave a positive answer when asked whether they had met the dentist practicing close to their pharmacies, the frequency with which they met the dentist ranged from once a week (24%) to once a month (28%). Most of the pharmacists stocked oral health-related products, which comprised 15-25% of their total stock. Of these products toothpaste was the most common (62%), followed by mouth rinses (12%). Toothache or painful teeth was the most common dental problem (78%) for which patients approached the pharmacists for advice. With regard to the advice given, 38.5% of the pharmacists asked the patient to consult a nearby dentist after dispensing medications, while 22.4% of the pharmacists dispensed antibiotics and painkillers without any referral. Seventy percent of the pharmacists expressed interest in giving oral health care advice to patients. However, many of them (38%) felt that lack of proper knowledge is a barrier to providing oral health care advice. CONCLUSION: It is clear from the present study that pharmacists are presently an underutilized resource, and there is a definitive need to improve their training and access to information on available dental services.

Tobacco use among school children in Chennai city, India.

AIMS: The present study was done to build a database on prevalence of tobacco use among students of grade 8 to 10 in Chennai city, for the purpose of advocacy of tobacco control and planning tobacco control interventions and evaluation. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A two-stage stratified probability sample of students in grades 8-10 corresponding to 13 to 15 years of age were selected from private/government aided private schools and purely government aided corporation schools. Data was collected by a pretested, closed-ended self-administered questionnaire. RESULTS: A total of 1255 students participated in this survey. Among them 64.4 boys and 35.6% were girls. Ever tobacco use was reported by 37.6% of the students (41.6 males and 30.2% females). Current users of tobacco (any products) were reported by 41.1% of the students. Prevalence was more among boy students (46.3%) when compared to that of girl students (31.6%). There existed no significant difference between current users of tobacco based on the zones of the school. Tobacco users prevalence was found more in corporation schools when compared to that of private schools. Parental and friends tobacco use was reported more often by tobacco users compared to never users. Purchasing tobacco products in a store was reported by 82.5% and almost no one was refused because of age. Almost everyone reported watching a lot of cigarette advertisements on TV, whereas about half reported watching advertisements on other medias like outdoor hoardings (45.7%), newspapers (65.3%) and social events (67.4%). CONCLUSION: This study demonstrates that among the 13 to 15-year old school going children (corresponding to grades 8 to 10) in Chennai city, the current tobacco use is high.

How do peer reviewers of journal articles perform? Evaluating the reviewers with a sham paper.

Peer review process is widely used to assess the quality of scientific research and select papers for publication in biomedical journals. The method lacks standardization and objectivity. To standardize the peer review process, evaluation and rating of the performance of individual peer reviewers using a sham paper is suggested. The present study of 7 reviewers revealed ratings ranging from 0.34 (SD 0.33) to 0.45 (SD 0.5), widely differing from the set standard (ideal 0). This indicates less than optimal performance by the peer reviewers. Feedback to the peer reviewers might help in improving the standards.

Circadian variation in the onset of pain of acute myocardial infarction in Indian patients.

Two hundred patients admitted with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) to the coronary care unit of a tertiary-care-teaching hospital over a period of 1.5 years were studied prospectively, with regard to the time of onset of pain of infarction. The maximum number of infarctions (i.e. 71) (35.6%) occurred between 4.00 AM and 10.00 AM, significantly higher than other 6 hour periods of the day (P < 0.01). Various possible mechanisms leading to this early morning increase in the incidence of AMI and its therapeutic implications are discussed.