ABSTRACT
Introduction: Tobacco use is one of the most significant public health concerns globally as it is a risk factor for chronic illnesses. GATS-2 concluded that 28.6% of all adults currently use Tobacco in India and 17.8% in Delhi. It is important to conduct such surveys in local areas to make specific and effective action plans. Materials and Methods: Community-based cross-sectional study conducted between January 2020-June 2021 in Aliganj, an urbanized village in South Delhi. Four hundred ninety participants were enrolled using simple random sampling. The first author conducted the interview using GATS and Fagerstrom nicotine dependence test. Data was analyzed using SPSS-21. Results: Median age-35 (26.75-75.00), range-15-84 years. Of the 490 participants, 20.0% were current tobacco users (10.6% smokeless, 7.3% smoked, and 2.2% both). Among current smokers, 78.3% had low, 17.4% moderate, and 4.3% had high dependence on nicotine dependence. Among current smokeless tobacco users, 52.4% had, low, 36.5% moderate, and 11.1% had high dependence. Males had significantly higher odds [6.6 (2.9-15.1)] of tobacco use than females. Higher education [0.3 (0.2-0.8)] compared to no formal education had significantly lower odds of using tobacco. Students [0.1 (0.04-0.4)] and homemakers [0.1 (0.01-0.5)] had significantly lower odds of using tobacco as compared to those employed. Conclusions: One in every five adults is a tobacco user in Aliganj. Manufactured cigarettes, bidi, and water pipes were the most common products among smokers. Among smokeless tobacco users, the most common products were chewing tobacco gutka, and khaini. A larger proportion of smokeless tobacco users had high nicotine dependence than smoked tobacco users.
ABSTRACT
Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has posed challenges to the provision of routine health services. As we continue providing non-COVID services, it is essential that the community perceives them to be satisfactory and safe to ensure optimum uptake. The objective of the study was to determine the satisfaction and perceived safety among patients availing services at an urban health training center (UHTC) during the COVID-19 pandemic in South Delhi. Methods: UHTC, Aliganj caters to a population of over 6000, in an urbanized village of South Delhi. A pre-designed, semi-structured questionnaire incorporating the North Indian OPD Satisfaction Scale along with questions on sociodemographic details and perception of safety was used. Systematic random sampling was used to select the patients from the study population which included those above 18 years attending UHTC from November-December 2020. Exit interviews were done by a trained independent interviewer to reduce bias. Data were analyzed in SPSS using Chi-square and Fisher's Exact tests. Results: Out of 218 patients, 161 (73.7%) were satisfied, 174 (79.8%) felt safe to visit UHTC during the pandemic and 143 (65.6%) felt both satisfied and safe. Patients were dissatisfied with screening for COVID-19 (29.5%), amenities (47.1%), cleanliness (51.8%), and waiting and registration (62.9%). Conclusion: The majority of patients were satisfied and found the UHTC services safe. A large proportion of patients found location, doctor-patient interaction, and COVID-appropriate behavior at the center to be satisfactory, but there was scope to improve waiting and registration, cleanliness, and effectiveness of screening for COVID.
ABSTRACT
Introduction Population ageing is expected to be accompanied by an increase in multi-morbidity, i.e. the co-occurrence of multiple chronic conditions simultaneously. Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) is a non-malignant disease prevalent in ageing men. Both BPH and multi-morbidity are known to have a significant impact on quality of life. The objective of this study was to determine the association between BPH and multimorbidity among older adults and the elderly population in India. Methods This is an analytical cross-sectional study involving secondary data from the nationally representative Longitudinal Ageing Study in India (LASI) Wave I 2017-18. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was conducted to study the association between BPH and multimorbidity while accounting for other associated factors. Results Compared to those having no co-morbidities, the odds of having BPH increased with the increasing number of co-morbidities. Those with at least two co-morbidities were twice as likely (aOR=2.19; 95%CI 1.78-2.72), and those with at least four co-morbidities were almost six times as likely (aOR=5.78; 95%CI 2-16.72) to have BPH as compared to those with no co-morbidities. The association was stronger among males >60 years. Conclusion Self-reported benign prostatic hyperplasia was found to be strongly associated with multi-morbidity. The need of the hour is the inclusion of BPH within the framework of a national health programme. Health technology assessment of high-risk screening strategies for BPH may be conducted among patients with multimorbidity. Research into the impact on the quality of life of those affected by both BPH and multimorbidity will help highlight this as a priority problem for decision-makers.
