Living and Working Conditions of Female Domestic Workers in Pune City.

CONTEXT: Female domestic workers (FDWs) comprise a significant part of the global workforce in informal sector. Nature of their workplace is such that the work goes unaccounted for in terms of employment policies or legislation. AIMS: The aim of this study was to assess socio-demographic and occupational profile of FDWs. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted in one ward of each of the five geographical zones of Pune city. Domestic workers employed in randomly selected residential societies therein were included in the study. Data collected by interview technique during house visit and general examination done. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS USED: Data were analyzed by using IBM SPSS 25.0 USA statistical software. Percentage, mean, and standard deviation were calculated. RESULTS: Of the 573 FDWs, 62% were between 20 and 40 years, and 35% were educated up to middle school. Three-fourths were currently married. Fifty-one were sole breadwinners. Most FDWs had their own house with electricity and water supply. Almost half had been employed for 5-10 years, working in 3-4 households. Approximately 50% earned between Rs. 4000-8000 per month. Maximum received annual bonus. CONCLUSIONS: Working and living conditions of these FDWs are not as pitiful as depicted in previous studies. However, benefits accorded to the formal sector workers are lacking here like fixed days off, pension, and maternity leave.

Assessment of risk of type 2 diabetes using the Indian Diabetes Risk Score in an urban slum of Pune, Maharashtra, India: a cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: The urban poor is a group that is known to be vulnerable to adoption of a more urbanized lifestyle that places them at a higher risk for diabetes. Individuals who are unaware of their disease status are more prone to micro- and macrovascular complications. Hence, it is necessary to detect this large pool of undiagnosed participants with diabetes and offer them early therapy. The aim of this study was to use the Indian Diabetes Risk Score, developed by the Madras Diabetes Research Foundation (MDRF-IDRS), to assess the prevalence of people at high risk for developing diabetes, and the correlation with known risk factors. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted in the field practice area of the urban health training centre of a private medical college in Pune, Maharashtra. A total of 425 participants aged 20 years and above were screened for risk factors, including age, waist circumference, family history of diabetes and physical activity. Random testing of the blood glucose level of participants with a high risk score was carried out using a glucometer. Statistical analysis of the data was performed by using the chi-squared test and logistic regression analysis. RESULTS: The prevalence of people at high risk of diabetes was 36.55%. Among high-risk participants on univariate analysis, primary education (P = 0.004), lower socioeconomic class (P = 0.002), less physical activity (P< 0.001) and high waist circumference (P < 0.001) were major contributing factors, while in the moderate-risk group, lower socioeconomic class and high waist circumference were the prominent risk factors for diabetes. Multivariate analysis showed that higher education, moderate to vigorous activity and high waist circumference were significantly associated with risk status. Out of 140 high-risk participants, 68 (49%) had a random capillary blood glucose level of 110 mg/dL or above. CONCLUSION: As the prevalence of people at high risk for diabetes was high, lifestyle changes and awareness regarding risk factors is needed to take control of the diabetes in the study population.

Tuberculosis awareness program and associated changes in knowledge levels of school students.

BACKGROUND: This study aimed to assess the effectiveness of tuberculosis awareness program amongst school students. METHODS: This school-based interventional study was done on 135 secondary school students. They were randomly selected in field practice area of Urban Health Training Center (UHTC) of a private medical college in Pune city. Health awareness session on tuberculosis was conducted by using various visual and audiovisual aids by the medical college undergraduate students. A pre-test and post-proforma was filled before and after the session. Paired t-test was used to assess the effectiveness of awareness program. RESULTS: There was a highly significant (P = 0) increase in the knowledge of school students after the tuberculosis awareness program by medical undergraduate students. The mean pre-test scores were 6.31 (52.58%), and the mean post-test scores were 10.20 (85%). This activity also helped medical undergraduate students to acquire skills related to communication, working in a team, preparation and presentation of various visual aids for health awareness program; they also gained knowledge of research methodology. CONCLUSIONS: Health education program by medical students helped significantly to improve the knowledge of school students regarding tuberculosis. Thus, medical college students can be involved to some extent for conducting health-related behavioral change communication (BCC) activities in schools during their Community Medicine morning posting. Collaboration of private medical colleges, schools, and district tuberculosis units (DTUs) can be ideally achieved under public private partnership (PPP) for health awareness programs.