Prevalence of excessive screen time and its association with developmental delay in children aged <5 years: A population-based cross-sectional study in India.

The global growth of electronic media usage among children has caused concerns regarding screen time (ST) impact on child development. No previous population-based studies have evaluated ST and child development in India. This study aimed to determine the burden of ST, associated sociodemographic factors, and its impact on domains of child development. A population-based cross-sectional study was conducted in the field practice area of rural and urban health centers in Tamil Nadu, India. A total of 718 children (396 rural and 322 urban) were selected, using a cluster random sampling method. ST estimates were obtained from parents/guardian after a 7-day observation period. The Communication DEALL Developmental Checklist was used to assess child development. The mean ST was 2.39 hours/day (95% confidence interval [CI]: 2.23-2.54), and the prevalence of excessive ST was 73% (95% CI: 69.2-76.8). Excessive ST was significantly associated with the mothers' ST, screen usage at bedtime, birth order (in children < 2 years), and attending school (in children ≥ 2 years). Increased ST was significantly associated with developmental delay, in particular, in the domains of language acquisition and communication. In children aged ≥ 2 years, a delay in ≥ 3 domains was associated with ST (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 17.75, 95% CI: 5.04-62.49, p < 0.001), as was language delay (AOR = 52.92, 95% CI: 12.33-227.21, p < 0.001). In children aged < 2 years, a delay in ≥ 2 domains was associated with ST (AOR = 16.79, 95% CI: 2.26-124.4, p < 0.001), as was language delay (AOR = 20.93, 95% CI: 2.68-163.32, p < 0.01). A very high prevalence of excessive ST was identified, with a significant association with developmental delay in children. There is an urgent need to include education on ST limits at the primary healthcare level.

Prevalence of Vascular Complications Among Type 2 Diabetic Patients in a Rural Health Center in South India.

Introduction: Vascular complications are the major cause of morbidity in patients with diabetes mellitus. Screening for these complications is crucial in early detection and tertiary prevention. Hence, this study aimed at finding the prevalence of micro and macrovascular complications and their associated factors in type 2 diabetes mellitus patients in a rural health center by using simple and easily available tools. Methodology: This hospital based cross sectional study was conducted in Rural Health and Training Centre (RHTC) of Sri Ramachandra medical college from Jan 2017 to Aug 2017. All type 2 diabetes patients registered at RHTC were included in the study. By the use of questionnaire, clinical examination and laboratory investigations, the prevalence of macro and microvascular complications and associated factors were ascertained. Multiple logistic regression was used to identify factors associated with vascular complications of diabetes. Results: The study included 390 type 2 diabetes patients. The overall prevalence of macrovascular and microvascular complications in our study population was 29.7% and 52.1%, respectively. Among the macrovascular complications, both coronary artery disease (CAD) and peripheral vascular disease (PVD) had a prevalence rate of 15.1%. Among the microvascular complications, peripheral neuropathy (44.9%) had the highest prevalence followed by nephropathy (12.1%) and diabetic foot (7.2%). Multiple logistic regression analyses showed high HbA1c level, lower education, high postprandial blood sugar, hypertension, abdominal obesity were significantly associated with increased risk of vascular complications of diabetes. Conclusion: This study demonstrated the increased prevalence of vascular complications in Type 2 diabetes patients in rural India. Regular screening to identify those patients at risk could prevent further progression of complications.