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Background In India, there has been a steady increase in the rate of caesarean section (C-section) deliveries over the past decade, rising from 17% during National Family Health Survey-4 (NFHS-4 (2015-16)) to as high as 21.5% during NFHS-5 (2019-21). Andhra Pradesh, India, is experiencing a particularly high rate of 42.4% as per NFHS-5, which is the highest among the states in the country. This study aims to investigate the prevalence of C-section deliveries across the districts of Andhra Pradesh and to identify the disparities in elective and emergency C-section rates among public and private hospitals in districts of Andhra Pradesh, India. Methods The study utilized secondary data from the NFHS-5 conducted by the International Institute for Population Sciences, Mumbai. A statistical software package was used to perform the analysis, while a quantum geographic information systemâââââââ (QGIS) was used to prepare a map. Descriptive statistics, bivariate analysis, and multivariate binary regression were used for statistical analysis. Results Significant variations in the prevalence of C-section deliveries were found across the districts in Andhra Pradesh. The prevalence ranged from 22.2% in Anantapur to 66% in Krishna. It was also found that private hospitals were the primary drivers of the high prevalence of C-section deliveries. Approximately 31.51% of women underwent C-sections in public institutions, whereas it was 68.49% in private institutions. The overall occurrence of C-section deliveries in Andhra Pradesh was 65% for elective cases and 35% for emergency cases, indicating a relatively higher prevalence for elective procedures. Conclusion The choice of the medical institution, whether private or public, is the most significant factor influencing the high prevalence of C-section deliveries. Additionally, C-section deliveries were found with higher complication rates than normal deliveries. Elective C-sections are more prevalent in the state, and factors such as wealth quintile and birth order are impacting the likelihood of elective versus emergency C-section deliveries. The study suggests that the government should provide awareness and regulations to promote vaginal deliveries and prevent unnecessary C-sections in hospitals.
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BACKGROUND: Infertility impacts families and communities worldwide, affecting millions of people of reproductive age. The fertility rate in India is alarming. Fertility is valued in the majority of cultures, and having children is a fundamental motivation. The frustration and anger of an infertile woman affect her family, friends, and even her husband. This study aims to assess the factors that contribute to helplessness, fatigue, and coping strategies among women with infertility. MATERIALS AND METHODS: An in-depth interview was conducted among ten participants, to collect information about the challenges faced by women experiencing infertility. The participants were selected using a purposive sampling technique and they had at least 1 year of experience with infertility. A phenomenological study was utilized and themes and sub-themes were developed. Data was collected by using a list of probing open-ended questions and analyzed by colaizzi method. RESULTS: Women receiving infertility treatment over a long period of time disclosed that they are dealing with stressful situations in their lives. The experience left them feeling helpless in some stressful conditions. Due to a lack of both financial and emotional support from their family, when they are helpless, they are too worn out to continue their treatment. Some of these women are using different coping strategies to overcome their problems. We found seven common themes from this in-depth interview; 1) Lack of hope and support, 2) Spiritual resources, 3) Negative thoughts, 4) Social abstain, 5) Mental engagement, 6) Emotional concealment, and 7) Coping strategies. CONCLUSION: This study provides social, emotion and spiritual condition of infertile women in society. The majority of these women struggle with having negative thoughts due to a lack of support, concern, and involvement from their families. These results highlight the need to promote coping strategies, importance of financial and emotional support from the family members.
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BACKGROUND: Over the years, there is an increase in the prevalence of single-child families due to the declining fertility rate, to improve socioeconomic status, and promotion of family planning policies. Studies from other countries revealed psychological issues in the single child; this study aims to determine the differences in personality, coping strategies, and quality of life (QOL) of single child and one among siblings group among undergraduate health professional students of an educational group in Tamil Nadu. METHODS: A cross-sectional study design with universal sampling was used to collect data from 890 consenting undergraduate students. Instruments used were semi-structured pro forma to collect sociodemographic details, Eysenck Personality Inventory (EPI), Coping Strategies Inventory-Short Form, and WHOQOL-BREF. Descriptive statistics of mean, standard deviation, percentages, and independent t-test along with Spearman's correlation tests were used to analyze data and compare groups. RESULTS: A total of 863 study participants' data were included in the analysis. About 8.92% (n = 77) of participants were single child, and >87% were from urban background. About 47% of respondents were from medical. Single female child had higher mean extroversion scores and used problem-focused disengagement strategies than females with siblings. The number of siblings was negatively correlated with the disengagement score. No difference noticed in QOL domains between the groups. CONCLUSION: This study did not find any significant difference in personality dimensions, coping strategies, and QOL between single child and those with siblings. However, a positive association was observed between extroversion, engagement coping strategies, and QOL.
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INTRODUCTION: The incidence of breast cancer is increasing in developing countries over three decades. Despite good health indicators breast cancer is a public health problem in Kerala with an annual incidence of 14.9/100000 population. Identifying the risk factors helps to reduce the incidence in future. METHOD: A Population based case control study was conducted among all the breast cancer cases in the Arpookara Panchayat of Kottayam district in Kerala. 20 cases of breast cancer were paired with age matched controls from the same geographic area (ratio 1:4) with a total of 100 study participants. Data were collected by interviewing the participants using a pre tested structured questionnaire. Analysis was done by the authors using SPSS version 16.0 RESULTS: Age group of participants ranged from 32-70 years with mean age of 49.7 + 10.39. Early menarche < 13 years [Odds Ratio =3.2, p= 0.03], being unmarried and single, family history of breast cancer [Odds Ratio = 3.5, p = 0.02], previous history of benign breast tumours [Odds Ratio =8.14, p= 0.04], breast feeding less than 2 years [Odds Ratio = 2.28, p = 0.01 ] were found to be the risk factors for the breast cancer and the birth of first child before 30 years [Odds Ratio =0.302, p = 0.03 ] was found to be a protective factor for breast cancer. 60% of cases belonged to lower socioeconomic status [Odds Ratio = 14.47, p = 0.03]. Despite high literacy status, significantly lower awareness about symptoms of breast cancer and self examination of the breast were noted [Odds Ratio =11.6, p= 0.03]. CONCLUSION: Awareness about symptoms of breast cancer and self examination of the breast were lacking in the study population. Health care personnel should be trained to spread the awareness of breast cancer in the community and to identify the vulnerable groups at the primary care settings itself. The policy makers can consider encouraging community participation by involving the non-governmental organizations, women self help groups and Public Private Partnerships in spreading the awareness of breast cancer.
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INTRODUCTION: The World Health Organization and the National guidelines on infant and young child feeding recommend the practice of exclusive breastfeeding of infants for the first 6 months after their birth. The objective of this study was to estimate the prevalence of the early initiation of and exclusive breast feeding. METHOD: A cross sectional, descriptive study was done. 79 infants and children who attended the under five clinic in the Rural Health Training Centre (RHTC), Pulipakkam Village, were chosen for the study by convenient sampling. This study was conducted by interviewing 79 mothers of the children in the ages of 0-24 months, who attended the under five clinic of RHTC, Pulipakkam. The data was collected by using a pre tested, structured questionnaire to obtain the information on the breast feeding and the hygienic feeding practices among mothers. The statistical analysis was done by the authors by using the SPSS, version 16. The significance in the differences were evaluated by using the Chi square test and the relationship between the variables were evaluated by using Kendall's tau correlation. A p value of <0.05 was considered as statistically significant. RESULTS: The prevalence of the early Initiation of breast feeding was 97.5% and the prevalence of exclusive breast feeding in the study population was 68%. Inadequate exclusive breast feeding and the lack of hygienic feeding practices among the mothers were significantly associated with an increased incidence of upper and lower respiratory tract infections and gastro intestinal infections in the infants and the children. CONCLUSION: The education of the antenatal mothers on the benefits of breast feeding and hygienic feeding practices and making all hospitals baby friendly have to be focused on, in order to achieve 80% exclusive breast feeding as per the national guidelines on infant and young child feeding. We need to strengthen the MCH services in the study area in order to achieve 100% immunization.
