Association of health behaviors with mental health problems in adolescents during COVID-19

Aim: Adolescents have experienced disruption in their daily routines, including changes in health behaviors such as an increased sedentary behavior and increased smartphone usage. The aim of this study was to assess the association of health behaviors with mental health problems. Method(s): Five cross-sectional surveys (February 2021 to May 2022) were performed during the pandemic assessing physical activity, smartphone usage, depressive symptoms (Patient Health Questionaire-9 (PHQ-9)), anxiety symptoms (Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale 7 (GAD-7)), sleep quality (Insomnia Severity Index 7 (ISI-7)), and stress (Perceived Stress Scale 10 (PSS-10)). In total, N = 7201 adolescents (age: 14-20 years ((MW +/- SD): 16.63 +/- 1.49 years);70.2% female, 18.8% migration background) participated. Result(s): A strong increase in mobile phone usage as well as a decrease in physical activity as compared to pre-pandemic data were observed (p < 0.001). Compared to the lowest smartphone user group (<1 h/d), the adjusted odds ratios (aOR) for depressive symptoms increased with increasing smartphone usage to 1.98 (3-4 h/d), 3.30 (5-6 h/d), 4.96 (7-8 h/d), and 6.79 (>8 h/d). High utilizers (>8 h/d) were also more likely to experience clinically relevant anxiety, insomnia, or stress symptoms (aORs 3.23-5.75) compared to those using the smartphone less than 1 h/d. Conclusion(s): Results highlight the need for measures to promote responsible smartphone usage as well as to increase physical activity, so as to promote mental health in adolescence.Copyright © 2023

Refractive Errors Due To Online Classes Among School Children During The Covid-19 Pandemic

Aim: The current study aimed to assess the effect of refractive errors among school children due to online classes. Material(s) and Method(s): School-going children who were attending online classes between five and fifteen years were subjected to ophthalmic evaluation. A questionnaire including sections like demographics, gadget use, on-screen time, and physical complaints was administered to collect the required data. Result(s): The participants in our study had a mean age of 9 +/- 2 years (range 5-15 years) of whom 48.4% (n = 140) were males and 51.6% (n = 149) were females. There was a predominance of myopia (86.5%) in children where 44.6% of them have newly developed refractive errors. Around 70 (67.8%) children with a previous refractive error have been shown to have progression of refractive error. Conclusion(s): Our study reports that children were exposed to prolonged screen time which led to a rise in the number of myopia cases.Copyright © 2022 Wolters Kluwer Medknow Publications. All rights reserved.

111. Adaptation and Delivery of a Partially Virtual Curriculum for Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis Peer Mentors in Kenya: Lessons Learned

Purpose: While Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) is highly effective at preventing HIV, uptake is low among adolescents. In low- and middle-income countries (LMIC), peer mentors (PMs) are considered best practice to increase PrEP acceptability and uptake. Globally, COVID19 has shifted much education and training to virtual formats. Most young people in LMIC have cell phones. Our objective is to describe our experiences developing and delivering a mixed virtual/physical curriculum for training PrEP PMs. Methods: IRB and local research ethics committee approval was obtained. A literature search (PubMed, EBSCO, USAID website, and MedEd Portal) yielded one published curriculum for PrEP PMs. This curriculum was combined with locally developed HIV PM education modules to create a new curriculum, with planned virtual and physical sessions. Curriculum materials were reviewed and agreed upon by all authors. All sessions were delivered by authors, with the majority delivered by Americans. The first 4 hours were done virtually via Zoom, covering the basics of HIV, detailed information on PrEP, adolescent development, and confidentiality. The remaining sessions were held in person and covered expectations of PMs, basic family planning, research ethics, action planning, role playing, and a review of virtual topics. Feedback was solicited from the PMs after virtual training. A debriefing session was held with the five facilitators involved in training: 1 research staff and 1 physician investigator from Kenya, 1 research staff and 2 physician investigators from the US - all female. Results: All five PMs (aged 21 – 27) participated. One identified as female, and one as LGBTQ. Feedback was solicited via anonymous survey (n=3) after the virtual sessions and debriefing with Kenyan research staff. Respondents strongly agreed that the virtual training was worth their time. Although PMs felt they were able to learn in the virtual format, facilitators noted more engagement during in-person sessions. Facilitators noted the importance of introductions and challenges of building cohesiveness for virtual sessions, particularly with sensitive content and internet limitations restricting video use (eg. low bandwidth, use of cell phones). Kenyan investigators noted that the Kenyan educational system is hierarchical, with students largely learning passively. They felt that this, combined with the newness of virtual learning and minimal dedicated time for introductions, may have hampered active virtual participation. While no PMs pointed to race or accent as limitations, facilitators noted differences between American and Kenyan English idioms, cadence, speed, and pronunciation that may have caused difficulty. Given Kenya's history of colonialism, all raised concerns that PMs may have been more deferential to light-skinned, foreign facilitators. Facilitators who observed both virtual and in-person sessions felt it was easier to break barriers of colonialism and assess for differences in spoken English in person. Facilitators felt that if virtual training were to be used in the future, it would be beneficial to have physical sessions first to set an interactive, educational tone and allow participants to build rapport. Conclusions: Virtual delivery of PM educator training in a LMIC setting is difficult and requires careful consideration or technological limitations and culture. Sources of Support: Indiana CTSI;Grant Number UL1RR025761-01.

New way of Providing Care: the Role of Telemental Health

Telemental health care can be defined as the delivery of mental health care services at distance, by using information and communication technologies for the exchange of valid information for diagnosis, treatment and prevention of mental illnesses, as well as for research and education in the field of clinical psychiatry. While telemental health care practice was long established in many countries, its development proceeded with some variability worldwide. Over the past months, however, the recent COVID-19 pandemic has abruptly spread telemental health care practice worldwide, mostly to ensure the provision of care and assistance to psychiatric patients in spite of the governmental social contact restrictions. Although the process of rapid implementation has often happened at different rates and with different quality standards, across the various countries and sites, a global increase of the use of digital technologies has been reported. On the other hand, such recent events have also sparked a real paradigm shift in mental health care, significantly expanding the scope of e-mental health, given the recent availability of newer tools of digital psychiatry. In more detail, the use of mobile phones applications, of social media, of immersive reality and of chatbots is now driving psychiatry towards envisioning a more hybrid form of psychiatric practice, which holds the potential to finally overcome the traditional gap between the unmet needs of psychiatric patients and the relative lack of services and resources in mental health care. Here, the research evidence and the most compelling implementation issues in digital psychiatry will be reviewed.

Effect of COVID-19 on sleep pattern, mobile usage, and serum melatonin level among 1st-year medical students

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has enforced a new norm in the world with maximum dependence on technology in day-to-day living as well as the academic atmosphere. Globally, students are profoundly affected but more specifically medical students are subjected to immense stress, which is bound to affect their sleep and thus the sleep-regulating hormone, melatonin. Young medical students right at the entry to their professional career have, therefore, been hit by the changing scenario with most classes becoming online and increasing dependence on technological gadgets such as smartphones and laptops. Aims and Objectives: The purpose of the study was to determine the sleep pattern of 1st-year medical students, survey their mobile phone use, and to estimate their serum melatonin levels during the COVID-19 pandemic. Material(s) and Method(s): This cross-sectional study was done in a Northeast India Medical Institute using standard questionnaires, Pittsburgh's Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) and Problematic Mobile Phone Usage Questionnaire among medical students and estimating their early morning serum melatonin level by ELISA assay. Statistical Analysis: Data collected were entered in SSPS version 21 and analyzed using descriptive measures, and statistical significances were set at P < 0.05. Result(s): One hundred and one students (Male: 49 and Female: 52) in the age range of 18-23 years responded to the study which recorded poor sleep quality in 53.5% and good sleep in 46.5%. Poor sleep quality as indicated by PSQI score >5 was reported in 63.5% of females and 42.9% of males which was statistically significant (P = 0.04). Out of these poor sleepers, 66.7% of males and 54.5% of females reported mobile phone usage for more than 2 up to 6 h. Comparatively, poor sleep quality was reported in only 19% of male students as compared to 27% of females among those using mobiles beyond 6 h. Besides, 14% of males and 18% of females among poor sleepers reported using mobiles <2 h. Further, in 80 respondents (Male: 40 and Female: 40) randomly selected for estimation of their early morning sample, serum melatonin level was estimated as 99.25 +/- 72.07 pg/ml in males and 109.76 +/- 84.54 pg/ ml in females. Conclusion(s): Nearly 2/3rd of poor sleeper, 1st-year medical male students use mobiles for 2-6 h daily during the pandemic while Only 1/2 of the females do. However, among those poor sleepers using mobiles beyond 6 h daily, females outnumbered males. Estimated Serum smelatonin levels were also relatively higher than those reported in nonpandemic studies. Copyright © 2022 Journal of Medical Society Published by Wolters Kluwer-Medknow.

Dentist's Knowledge and Behavior on the Use of Smart Phones in Clinical Environment and their association with Cross Infections

Background: The use of smart phones inside hospitals especially in clinically sensitive areas is a subject of debate because it may improve the quality of healthcare but can also be a vehicle of hospital acquired infections. Aim: To determine dentist's knowledge and behavior related to the use of smart phones in clinical environment and to determine the presence of microbial growth on these devices. Methods: This is a cross-sectional study in which validated survey tool was used to collect data about knowledge and behavior of 397 dental graduates from 8 dental colleges of Pakistan, regarding their usage of smart phones in clinical environment. Bacterial isolates were collected from the smart phones of 45 participants from Fatima Memorial Dental Hospital, Lahore. Results: The SPTC Scale was used to divide the participants into 3 categories;low, moderate and high users. The behavior related to smart phone usage in clinical environment was significantly different among the participants. Moderate users had significantly higher average behavior score of 3.7 (p-value = 0.034). The growth of pathogenic bacterial flora was greater on high users of smart phones (95%,) whereas those participants who were low users the percentage was 37%. Conclusion: Hospital-acquired infections (HAIs) are increasing significantly in number of patients and these can be prevented by adhering to proper hand hygiene practices and if hand hygiene is improved the amount of bacterial load will be less and disinfection of smart phone devices will not be required.

MEDIA HABITS OF YOUNGSTERS IN TIMES OF PANDEMIC: A STUDY OF PODCASTING LISTENERSHIP

The outbreak of Covid-19 epidemic has been a once in an event which had altered the life as we had known. Governments and authorities across the world had taken every possible cautious action to avoid the spread of this unusual corona virus outbreak with prime concern over quarantines and lock downs forcing people to stay at their homes. This epidemic had ramifications in the media and entertainment industries, with severe consequences for films, entertainment events, theme parks and other conventional sources of entertainment. As a diversion from boredom, the first lockdown imposed behavior modifications and promoted experimentation. This has made the entertainment business significantly less predictable, necessitating far more flexible and reactive content suppliers, particularly traditional broadcasters. However, as the duration of these lockdowns stretched, people started to look for alternative sources of entertainment to keep their sanity in such stressful periods. This in turn resulted into an increase in digital media consumption in India. The purpose of this study is to determine the most powerful source of entertainment of this period, including a change away from conventional media, particularly among the younger generation, while also analyzing the demands of their forefathers. It has been observed that the millennial generation doesn't prefer radio as compared to older generations do, and the decline in usage and shift in behavior is striking. The younger generation has stopped listening to the radio and has instead resorted to streaming, with many of those surveyed preferring on-demand choices. This illustrates that younger music enthusiasts just aren't as interested in radio as their elder siblings, parents, and grandparents were, which also demonstrates that streaming is generally more desirable. As part of the research, a response from more than 100 persons was sought from various generations which have formed the basis of conclusions of this study.

The Utility of Passive and Portable Sensor Data for Monitoring the Symptomatology of Depression and Anxiety: E-Poster Viewing

Introduction: Mobile devices and smartphones have made technology in healthcare more accessible to patients, with COVID-19 further expediting the integration of technology into healthcare. Depression and anxiety are measured via self-report, personality assessments, or during a psychological evaluation with a mental health clinician. These methods of assessing symptomatology lack the benefits of today's technology. This study aims to explore the utility of passive and portable data collection in individuals with anxiety and depression. Materials / Methods: A systematic literature search was conducted through ScienceDirect, PubMed, NCBI, and JMIR electronic databases for studies that were published between 2015-2021 using the following keywords: depression, mobile health, digital phenotyping, mobile applications, mobiles phones, passive EMA, psychiatric assessment, and mhealth. Inclusion criteria;(1) peer-reviewed articles published between 2015 and 2021;(2) studies published in English;(3) studies that use data sensors to monitor and measure the symptomatology of anxiety, depression, and cardiovascular health. A total of 15 studies met criteria. Result(s): Of the 13 studies reviewed, all found at least some correlation between mobile phone usage and depressive symptomatology. 5 studies found a large correlation between GPS data and severity of depressive symptomatology. Contrastingly, one study found that, although people with depressive symptoms spend less time calling and texting others, they spend more time on their phones. Another study states that individuals with depression let their phones ring for longer and have more missed calls. Additionally, 6 studies found a correlation between usage and anxious symptomatology. Mobile phone utilization was found to be far less correlated with anxiety and is a weaker predictor of such symptomatology. The studies found that increased calls, speech presence, and social media usage were directly correlated with increased anxiety. Discussion(s): All research analyzed shows the significance of passive sensor data when screening individuals for emotional symptomatology. This is stated with the implication that EMA are used alongside the sensor data to give a comprehensive picture of the patient. GPS data plays a central role in the ability to screen for symptomatology related to depression and anxiety due to location variability or lack thereof. Conclusion(s): Future research should focus on longer-term studies, that collect more passive data, and have larger sample sizes to ensure that the full extent of interaction between these pathologies can be understood. It should also be noted that other sensors such as ambient light and audio sensors displayed significant results, however, data on their ability to correlate to symptomatology is limited. Learning Objectives: 1. Learn the new and emerging methods of screening for depression and anxiety. 2. Learn new ways to interpret passive sensor data. 3. Learn how a combined approach of passive data collection and active EMA can improve the identification of symptomatology. Keywords: mobile health, digital phenotyping, passive EMA, psychiatric assessment, mobile sensors, depression Copyright © 2022

Cell Phone Availability and Usage for mHealth and Intervention Delivery to Persons Living With HIV in a Low-Resource Setting: Cross-sectional Study.

BACKGROUND: HIV/AIDS is now a manageable chronic illness owing to effective antiretroviral therapy (ART), which involves routine follow-up care, including regular physical visits to the clinic. In the recent past, and in wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been increased need for virtual care and intervention delivery, a modality known as mobile health (mHealth), which includes cell phone-delivered services for medical and public health practice. OBJECTIVE: Here we describe cell phone use and its relationship with alcohol use in a cohort of persons living with HIV and latent tuberculosis (TB). METHODS: We performed a cross-sectional analysis of baseline data from a cohort of persons living with HIV and latent TB in HIV care in southwestern Uganda. We estimated proportions of cell phone and text message use and evaluated their associations with alcohol use-a common modifiable behavior among persons living with HIV. Cell phone use (primary outcome) was defined as owning a cell phone that is turned on at least half of the day. Any alcohol use was defined as any self-reported alcohol use in the prior 3 months or a phosphatidylethanol (an alcohol biomarker) level of ≥8 ng/mL. RESULTS: A total of 300 participants (median age 40 years; n=146, 48.7% male) were included in the analysis. Most (n=267, 89.0%) participants had access to a phone and of them, 26 (9.7%) shared the phone with someone else. In total, 262/300 (87.3%) of participants owned a cell phone that is turned on at least half of the time; the majority (n=269, 89.7%) rarely or never sent text messages, and over two-thirds (n=200, 66.9%) rarely or never received text messages. Most (n=214, 71.3%) had any alcohol use in the prior 3 months. In adjusted analyses, any alcohol use was not significantly associated with cell phone use (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 0.48, 95% CI 0.18-1.25; P=.13) or sending (aOR 0.82, 95% CI 0.28-2.37; P=.71) or receiving (aOR 1.31, 95% CI 0.70-2.47; P=.40) text messages. CONCLUSIONS: There is hope that mHealth interventions in this population can be carried out using cell phones owing to their popularity; however, the interventions may need to employ methods that do not rely on the sending and receiving of text messages only.

INVITING PATIENT REPRESENTATIVES TO ENGAGE REMOTELY DURING INPATIENT CLINICAL ROUNDS USING MOBILE PHONE TEXT MESSAGE REMINDERS

BACKGROUND: COVID 19 has adversely impacted family support systems for Inpatient oncology Solid tumor Oncology patients due to time restricted visitor policy. This has created a communication delay between treating teams who round in the morning and patient representatives (PR) who are allowed to only visit in the afternoon. We hypothesized that Text messaging reminders via Short Message service (SMS) will improve remote PR engagement during morning rounds and allow them to participate in the patient centered treatment plan. METHODS: We designed a monocentric trial for patients admitted to BWH/ DFCI adult solid tumor oncology service during August -October 2021. The target sample size was calculated to be 50 encounters to achieve a statistical power of 80%. We verbally consented patients and their representatives to volunteer in the automated texting protocol which invited the patient identified-representative (PR) remotely (via phone) to join the morning rounds during a predetermined time slot. RESULTS: After an IRB approval, we recruited 17 patients and were able to use the automated texting protocol (using Twilio based script) in a total of 61 encounters. A SMS was sent to PR the evening before with a predetermined time of rounds (a time slot similar to outpatient appointment time), which would then be confirmed by PR via replying to the SMS. Sixty six percent (40) PR confirmed the appointment time;Ninety three percent (37) of confirmed were able to be conferenced during the patient encounter and provided their patient centered valuable input. We found the average call time was 7.7 minutes. At the end of study, the PR were surveyed via SMS (to rate 1-5 with 5 being highly desirable service). Fifty two percent (9) of surveyed PR replied giving superior rating (5) for their experience. CONCLUSIONS: Short message service (SMS) is widely used in healthcare settings especially in outpatient settings and public health practice and has shown promising results. SMS interventions is low cost, easily disseminated. We found using automated texting protocol during inpatient rounds increased participation by family representatives by providing a more informed patientcentered care. However, further research is required to quantify the benefits of text-messaging on patient/ family experience and satisfaction.

USING MOBILE PHONES FOR COLLECTING HEALTH INFORMATION IN THE SUB SAHARAN AFRICA DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC: TAKING LESSONS FROM THE WORLD DEVELOPMENT INDICATORS DATABASE

Objective The primary aim of this study was to portray the level of spread and the dynamic of diffusion of mobile phone technology in sub-Saharan Africa during the last two decades. The secondary aim was to investigate factors related to the use of mobile phone technology in sub-Saharan Africa and to derive profiles of the most suitable areas to conduct mobile phone technology-based research. Methods The present work was based on the data collected by the World Bank database;a collection of public access data derived from yearly surveys conducted at country level. Two methods were applied to perform the selection of variables related to the diffusion of mobile phones in sub-Saharan Africa. Firstly, a Least Absolute Shrinkage and Selection Operator (LASSO) regression was applied. Afterwards, a system of simultaneous equation was applied to estimate the model coefficients and determine the joint statistical significance. Results The number of mobile phones subscriptions in relation to the population of sub-Saharan Africa has increased consistently during the period 2000 to 2010. The rate of mobile phones subscriptions in relation to the population ranged between less than 1% to more than 90%. Urban areas and having a lower number of people leaving in slums seems to be the most suitable places to conduct mobile phone-based interviews. This information is useful in identifying countries and macro areas to conduct mobile phone interviews;and this could be extended to smallest area within a country. Discussion More effort is required to better understand how to identify areas suitable for conducting research using mobile phones and other electronic-based tools. Such an effort should be based on individual level surveys to understand not only the material possibility but also the will to participate to research based on data capturing made by mobile phones and similar tools.

Sleep, screen time and emotional disorders: implications for undergraduates

Introduction: Chronic or acute sleep deprivation accentuates emotional disorders such as anxiety and depression. For adolescents the exhaustive study journey, as well as the use of mobile devices, may be preponderant factor to reduce sleep duration. Objective: The aim of this study was to verify the relationship between sleep, screen time on mobile phone and symptoms common to anxiety and depression in higher education students. Methods: Data were collected between July and December 2019, period prior to COVID-19. The study sample consisted of 39 students from three undergraduate courses: Biological Sciences (CB;F=13;M=3;age=21+1.7);Computer Science (LC;F=0;M=13;age=21.5+1.9) and;Agronomic Engineering (EA;F=4;M=7;age=22.1+2.8). Depression level and anxiety were measured through the Depression Inventory (BDI) and Anxiety (BAI) by Beck, respectively. Munich Chronotype Questionnaire (MCTQ) was used to evaluate sleep habits, and Screen Time app to measured screen time on mobile phones. For the statistical study, the software program IBM SPSS, version 23, with two-way Anova with Tukey's post-hoc, and Spearman's correlation test were used. For the statistical study, the softwar IBM SPSS, version 23, with Anova two-way with Tukey posthoc, and correlation test of Spearman were used. Results: During weekdays, students of the EA slept earlier when compared to the other two courses (p= 0.001), but not on free days (p=0.498). Correlation analyses suggest that there is a negative correlation between sleep duration and depressive symptoms on weekdays (r = -0.488;p=0.004). This relationship was also observed between sleep duration and anxiety on weekdays (r = -0.323;p=0.045). Anxiety symptoms were positively associated with total cell phone use time on free days (r = 0.668;p=0.001) and the amount of unlocks on free days (r = 0.354;p=0.027). Conclusion: The shorter the sleep time, the greater the emotional disorders - anxiety and depression -, mainly on weekdays. Screen time on the mobile phone can be a marker for anxiety in the studied group. Just as there are behavioral differences in sleep rhythm between weekdays and free days, the same look should be taken to the analysis of the behavior of the use of cell phones.

Exploring digital natives' mobile addiction syndrome in Taiwan: psychological issues and beyond

Purpose This study seeks to explore digital natives' mobile usage behaviors and, in turn, develop an analytic framework that helps articulate the underlying components of mobile addiction syndrome (MAS), its severity levels and mobile usage purposes. Design/methodology/approach The investigation adopts a survey method and a case study. The results of the former are based on 411 random classroom observations and 205 questionnaire responses, and the insights of the latter are derived from 24 interviews and daily observations. Findings The findings validate five distinctive signs that constitute MAS and their significant correlations with each of the Big Five personality traits. Classroom observations confirm the prevalence of addiction tendency among digital natives in the research context. Seven levels of MAS and six different mobile usage purposes further manifest themselves from case analysis. There appears to be a sharp contrast between the addicted and non-addicted groups in their mobile purposes and behavioral patterns. Additionally, family relationships seem influential in shaping non-addictive mobile usage behaviors. Research limitations/implications Psychological perspectives on MAS may be important but insufficient. Empirical investigation on a global scale, especially with distinctive cross-cultural comparisons, will be highly encouraged. How MAS evolves over time should also serve as future research interests. Practical implications Teaching pedagogy of college education might need certain adjustments to intrigue digital natives' learning interests. Future managers might also need to adopt better performance measurements for digital natives who barely separate work from personal matters in their mobile devices. Social implications Parents and healthcare institutions may need to develop response mechanism to tackle this global issue at home and in society. The long-term effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on MAS might also deserve global attention. Originality/value The analytic framework developed provides an original mechanism that can be valuable in identifying MAS severity and associated behavioral patterns.

Impact of diabetes based nutrition educational video on patients[StQuote] diabetes control in Sugar Hospital Peshawar Pakistan

Background: Diabetes mellitus is a chronic health condition that can involve individuals of all ages. In the last three decades, the number of diabetic patients has risen four times worldwide. Moreover, it is also the ninth major cause of death. Globally, one out of every eleven adult individuals now have diabetes mellitus 90% of whom suffer from type 2 Diabetes mellitus. Currently, the prevalence of Type 2 Diabetes mellitus in Pakistan is 11.77%. Throughout the world 352 million adult individuals have impaired glucose tolerance and are at the risk of developing diabetes by 2045.. Type 2 Diabetes mellitus is associated with various risk factors such as obesity, elevated levels of cholesterol, triglycerides and low HDL levels. The beneficial effects of patient education in lowering glycosylated Hemoglobin (HbA1c) were found in patients with type 2 Diabetes mellitus. Aim: • Our goal was to re-establish nutrition service to the diabetic patients of Sugar Hospital which was interrupted temporarily due to financial constrain during the Covid 19 pandemic. • We also aimed to analyze the impact of a nutrition education video administered via cellphone to the patients with Type 2 Diabetes. Method: We collected and analyzed the data from patients visiting The Sugar Hospital, Peshawar, Pakistan following an informed verbal consent. We surveyed 200 patients over the course of 4 weeks. Their baseline nutrition related knowledge of Type 2 Diabetes using UKDDQ was assessed before giving the educational material, along with their clinical and demographic data by the Nutritionist. Various variables including age, gender, smoking, disease duration, occupation, height, weight, BMI, waist circumference, blood pressure, most recent HbA1C, other co-morbid diseases and dietary habits were initially measured for all the recruited participants. This was followed by demonstration and delivery of the nutrition education video (2.5 minutes) using cellphone of The Sugar Hospital. The video was made in native language that was easy to understand. It included basic health, diet and exercise advice. The patients were followed up after one week for their feedback on the educational video (sent via WhatsApp). These patients were followed up again after a period of three months to determine the role of nutrition video intervention on the measured variables using the same UKDDQ score. Results: Out of the 200 patients recruited, 80 patients were successfully followed up while 120 patients had a loss to follow up. Among these 80 patients, 45 were females and 35 were males. 15% of the patients had a normal BMI, 44% were overweight while 41% were obese. The mean BMI of these obese patients decreased from (32.9 S.D. ±3.2) to (31.6 S.D. ±3.7). Moreover, patients with HbA1c of 7 and above decreased from an average of (10.1 S.D. ±2.1) to (8.6 S.D. ±2.1), with single tail t-test p-value <0.001. Discussion: This study confirms a slight decrease in BMI along with a statistically significant decline in HbA1c levels of patients as a result of nutrition education video and dietary advice.

The relationships of cell phone use with physical activity, sedentary behavior, and psychometric variables in a sample of high school students and university students and employees

The purpose of this study was to observe the relationships and effects of cell phone use on physical activity, sedentary behavior, psychological variables, and academic performance of adolescents and adults. Through an online survey of 17 adolescents, we observed a negative relationship between cell phone use with physical activity as well as a positive relationship between cell phone use with academic performance. We did not observe any relationships between sedentary behavior, anxiety, or satisfaction with life in adolescent children. Through am online survey of 307 university students and employees we observed a negative effect of cell phone use on sedentary behavior. Individuals experiencing an increase in cell phone use throughout the COVID-19 pandemic sat more than individuals who did not increase cell phone use. The COVID-19 pandemic had a negative effect on physical activity and sedentary behavior. Regardless of cell phone use, individuals experience lower amounts of mild physical activity and increased weekly sitting throughout the pandemic. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)

Emerging role of Telemedicine in urology: COVID brought the opportunity for the future!

Introduction & Objectives: The current coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic is creating huge pressure on our health care systems and has led to dramatic changes in our daily lives. Many countries have enforced strict controls on movement and socializing in an effort to manage the pandemic. Both, in-patient and out-patient care has been affected. There is big gap between health care service providers and patients and because of that many people are suffering. But telemedicine appears to be only bridge between them so that patients can get maximum benefit from the experts. This study is being conducted to know the worth of telemedicine in urology during ongoing COVID pandemic and for future prospect. Materials & Methods: All the patients who made a call on telemedicine contact number of department of urology of our tertiary care hospital and took advice for their treatment or follow up from April 2020 to December 2020, were included in this prospective observational study. Patients contacted us through various modalities like Voice/video call, WhatsApp chat, messages. Patients who contacted us for non-urological problem were excluded. All calls were answered by Professional Urologist and advice was given verbally as well as sent them in written on a prescription slip through WhatsApp. Data collection included age, sex, place, symptoms and advice given. Results: During the study period, we received 1102 calls from the patients of North India, 124 patients were excluded for being non-urological and 978 patients were included. 94% patients contacted us through voice call, 4% through video call and 2% through chat only. Average duration of call was 16 minutes and 25 seconds. 68% patients were males, while 32% females. 54% patients were younger than 40 years and only 15% were elder than 60 years. Common reasons for calling us were- urinary tract infection (23%), lower urinary tracts symptoms (21%), renal stone disease (17%), haematuria (11%), post-operated cases (11%) and sexual problems (7%). Approximately 16% patients had some urological malignancy. Only 18% patients contacted us for acute illness of duration <1 week, while 47% patients were sick for >4 weeks. 18% patients needed only counselling for their disease, 65% required prescription and conservative management. 17% patients were requiring in-hospital management so referred to nearby urological center for urgent intervention or care. None of the patients had any problem in getting medications from pharmacy. Conclusions: Telemedicine provides specialized clinical support for urologists and patients just by using mobile phones, as a logistically feasible alternative to face-to-face consultation. 83% of cases were successfully managed just by telemedicine and very useful for reducing the risk of transmission of COVID-19 infection. This novel way of urological practice should be continued in future to reduce unnecessary visits to medical facilities even after this pandemic.