A study on psychological distress among pregnant women during COVID-19 pandemic in a rural area of West Bengal

Background and Objectives: Pregnancy, an altered physiological state, is specifically vulnerable to psychological distress (PD), more so during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. This can impart detrimental consequences to both mother and child. This study assessed the magnitude of PD and associated factors among pregnant women in rural West Bengal. The proportion of pregnant women with COVID-19 symptomatology and its relationship with PD was also determined. Methods: This cross-sectional study was done among 130 pregnant women availing antenatal care in health centers during August-October 2020. Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-4) was used to assess PD and a 'Perception on COVID-19 Pandemic' (PCP) Scale was used to assess the perception of the COVID-19 pandemic (Cronbach's alpha = 0.75). Statistical analyses were done in SPSS Inc., SPSS for Windows, Chicago, USA. Results: The proportion of study participants with PD was 49.2%. Unsatisfactory antenatal care (AOR = 19.4, CI = 2.5-152.7), COVID-19 case within family/neighborhood (AOR = 6.3, CI = 1.2-34.9), strenuous spousal relationship (AOR = 7.3, CI = 1.1-50), increasing score in perceived susceptibility domain of PCP Scale (AOR = 1.3, CI = 1.1-1.6), and decreased daily sleep duration (AOR = 2.8, CI = 1.6-4.9) were found to be associated with PD. 38.5% of participants reported COVID-19 related symptoms. Conclusion: The magnitude of PD among pregnant women in the study area is high. Thus, proper counseling of pregnant mothers during antenatal visits by public health nursing personnel to alleviate fears about the pandemic would go a long way to reduce the negative impact of PD on mother and child. © 2022 Medical Journal of Dr. D.Y. Patil Vidyapeeth ;Published by Wolters Kluwer - Medknow.

Recent developments and future scopes of electrical vehicles in power market on COVID-19 pandemic situation

The largest source of climate pollution in the world is transportation. To solve the climate crisis, we need to make the vehicles on our roads as clean as possible. We have only a decade left to change the way we use energy to avoid the worst impacts of climate change. Emissions from cars and trucks are not only bad for our planet;they’re bad for our health. Air pollutants from gasoline- and diesel-powered vehicles cause asthma, bronchitis, cancer, and premature death. The long-term health impacts of localized air pollution last a lifetime, with the effects borne out in asthma attacks, lung damage, and heart conditions. As the COVID-19 pandemic — a respiratory disease — continues to spread, a study by Harvard University found “a striking association between long-term exposure to harmful fine particulate matter and COVID-19 mortality in the United States” One of the primary causes of fine particulate matter pollution (PM2.5) is combustion from gasoline and diesel car engines. So in this paper we are mainly focused on development of Electrical Vehicles and what are problems to implementation in India. We have discussed different types of Government policies and future scope policies which have been taken by government. From this paper researchers will get clear idea of future of Non Pollutant Vehicles. So this paper is very important in Covid-19 pandemic situations because we will safe and secure from these types of pandemic disease only if our environment will be free from air pollution which creates by conventional vehicles. © 2021 Institute of Physics Publishing. All rights reserved.