Knowledge, attitude and practice of school teachers towards oral health in pondicherry.

BACKGROUND: School teachers by virtue of their training can influence a large number of children thereby play major role in the planning and implementation of oral health preventive programs. Hence, this study was undertaken with the objective of assessing the knowledge, attitude and practice of school teachers towards oral health. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This was a cross-sectional survey conducted among school teachers of the city of Pondicherry. A structured questionnaire was used and 212 teachers were assessed on their knowledge on oral health, attitude and practice regarding their personal oral health, attitude regarding oral health of children and status of oral health education at the schools. All data collected was entered into SPSS version 21.0. RESULTS: Around 47% of the participants felt that bacteria and sugar are the main causes of dental caries, while 42% felt that plaque and calculus are the main agents for periodontal disease. Around 82.5% teachers brushed twice daily. However, only 32% felt it is necessary to visit dentist regularly. While 86% of the teachers felt that children's teeth should be checked by dentist, only 51% agreed that it is their duty to impart oral health education to the students. CONCLUSION: The knowledge regarding oral health among school teachers was fair. Oral Health education must be imparted to preschool and primary school teachers as a part of National Oral Health care Program on a regular basis and further studies must be done to assess their awareness levels and make the necessary changes in further education modules.

Student-centred learning in Community Medicine: An experience from Jawaharlal Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education and Research, Puducherry.

BACKGROUND: Student-centred learning (SCL) places the student at the centre of policies, practices and decision-making in the teaching-learning process. SCL methodology also advocates active involvement of students in the curriculum planning, selection of teaching-learning methods and assessment process. We planned an education innovation project to assess the perception of fifth semester undergraduate medical students towards implementation of an SCL methodology. METHODS: The study was done among 87 fifth semester undergraduate medical students (batch of 2010-11) in the noncommunicable disease epidemiology section of Community Medicine at the Jawaharlal Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education and Research (JIPMER), Puducherry. The students divided themselves into seven groups and developed the learning objectives, selected teaching-learning methods and assessment process for each session. The facilitators had 3-5 rounds of interaction with each group before the session. Qualitative analysis of feedback collected from students and external faculty after each session was done. The effect of implementing the SCL methodology was assessed by the reaction level of Kirkpatrick's training evaluation model by using a rating scale Results. Of the 87 eligible students, 73 (83.9%) returned the forms for evaluation. All seven groups were able to formulate the learning objectives. Most of the groups had used PowerPoint slides and videos as a teaching-learning tool. Innovative assessment methods such as crosswords and 'chocopati' were used by some groups. In general, the perception of students was favourable towards SCL compared to conventional methods and they felt that this methodology should be adopted more often. Time management and organization of sessions were the main problems encountered by the students. The mean (SD) score for the items 'sessions were useful', 'sessions were enjoyable' and 'sessions improved my knowledge' were 6.2 (1.8), 7.1 (1.8) and 6.3 (1.9), respectively. CONCLUSION: The majority of students found the sessions on innovative teaching-learning and assessment techniques enjoyable, useful and informative. The sessions showed that students took an active part in curriculum planning, execution and evaluation.

Prevalence and Pattern of Alcohol Consumption using Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) in Rural Tamil Nadu, India.

BACKGROUND: There is a paucity of information on prevalence and pattern of alcohol consumption in India. AIM: To assess the prevalence and pattern of alcohol consumption in a rural area of Tamil Nadu, India. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A community based, cross sectional study was conducted among 946 subjects who were aged 10 years and above, in rural Tamil Nadu, India. Data on alcohol use was collected by using 'Alcohol Use Disorder Identification Test' (AUDIT) scale. Data on pattern and associated factors like socio-demographic details, smoking, tobacco chewing and chronic diseases were collected by using a structured questionnaire. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS: Data was analysed by univariate and multiple logistic regression analysis and information was depicted in percentages or proportions. A p value of less than 0.05 was considered as significant. RESULTS: Overall, the prevalence of alcohol use was found to be 9.4%. Prevalence was more among males (16.8%) as compared to that among females (1.3%). Mean age at initiation was 25.3 +9.0 years. Multiple logistic regression analysis revealed that middle age (15-44 years) (OR=3.56), male gender (OR=11.23), illiteracy (OR=6.16), lower education levels (OR=2.57) and smoking (OR=17.78) were independently associated with alcohol use. Among those who used alcohol, 29.2% (26) were possible hazardous drinkers, 33.7%(30) had a probable alcohol dependence and 56.2% (50) had experienced harmful effects, based on AUDIT item analysis. CONCLUSION: Prevalence of alcohol use is high, especially among males. Health educational interventions among those who are at a higher risk and management of alcohol dependent subjects, may help in reducing the burden of alcohol use in this area.

Menstrual abnormalities in school going girls - are they related to dietary and exercise pattern?

CONTEXT: Adolescence is the transitional phase of physical and mental development between childhood and adulthood and is characterized by immense hormonal changes.75% of girls experience some problems associated with menstruation. AIM: We tried to find out the prevalence of menstrual abnormalities in school going girls in Pondicherry and their association with dietary and exercise habits. SETTING AND DESIGN: A cross-sectional questionnaire based study was conducted in adolescent girls who attained menarche in four secondary schools of Pondicherry, India. MATERIAL AND METHODS: All students who attained menarche and willing to participate in the study were invited to answer the questionnaire, which dealt with anthropometric data, socioeconomic data, menstrual history, and diet and exercise pattern. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS: Chi-square test and Fisher's exact test was used to compare the dietary and exercise patterns among students having menstrual abnormalities and those who do not have menstrual abnormalities. RESULTS: A total of 853 students participated in the study. Dysmenorrhea and premenstrual symptoms were the most frequent problems encountered. Premenstrual symptoms were significantly more common among girls who were overweight, in girls who were eating junk food regularly, in girls who were eating less food (dieting) in order to lose weight and in those who were not doing regular physical activity. Dysmenorrhea was significantly more common in the girls who were dieting to lose weight. Passage of clots was also significantly high in the girls who were dieting. CONCLUSION: Lifestyle modifications like regular physical activity, decreasing the intake of junk food and promoting healthy eating habits should be emphasised in school health education programs to improve their menstrual health.