ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: The school health program is a flagship program of Government of India with a focus on improving the physical and mental health of school children, but there is no specific strategy to screen for mental health disorders under the school health program. Also, the estimation of the prevalence of common mental disorders (CMDs) such as anxiety, depression, and psychosocial distress among school children is lacking. METHODS: The author conducted a cross-sectional study among 742 adolescent schoolgirls from one government, one government-aided, and one private school in an urban area in Gujarat. We used the pre-validated instrument, general health questionnaire-12 (GHQ-12) to screen for CMDs. We estimated adjusted odds of association between screening positive for CMDs and various determinants. RESULTS: 48.78% adolescent girls screened positive for CMDs which is alarming. Among sociodemographic characteristics, the type of school (adjusted odds of private is 1.8 and government 1.6), mother's higher education (3.0), father's less education (3.1), and working mother (1.5) had shown significant association with positive cases of the girls. Among psychosocial factors, abnormal sleep patterns (1.9) and disturbance in studies (2.3) have been found statistically significant for the presence of mental health problems among adolescent girls as per the GHQ score. CONCLUSION: CMDs such as anxiety, depression, and psychosocial distress were indeed very common among adolescent school-going girls in an urban area of Gujarat, India. There is an urgent need to focus attention on the mental health of adolescent girls.
ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION: More than one third of reported cases of HIV/AIDS in India are among youth and 60 percent of these reside in rural areas. Assessment of the awareness of HIV/AIDS in the youth is important for determining the impact of previous and current awareness programs as well as the need for interventions. This study aimed to assess the knowledge of rural youth regarding HIV/AIDS and to explore the epidemiological determinants of awareness among them. METHODOLOGY: A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted among youths aged 15-24 years in rural areas of the Saurashtra region of Gujarat, India. A cluster sampling design was used, surveying 50 subjects from each of 30 clusters. Data was collected through house-to-house visits using a semi-structured questionnaire. Proportions and logistic regression were used for analysis. RESULTS: Out of a total of 1,237 subjects who participated in survey, 60% knew something about HIV. Of those who had heard of HIV, more than 90% subjects knew the modes of transmission and more than 80% were aware of modes of prevention of HIV/AIDS. One fifth of the subjects had misconceptions in relation to HIV/AIDS. On applying multiple logistic regression, age, education, occupation, and mass media exposure were found to be the major determinants of their knowledge with regard to HIV/AIDS. CONCLUSIONS: Basic knowledge of HIV/AIDS is still lacking in two fifths of the rural youth. Literacy and media exposure are factors that determine awareness of HIV among them and can be helpful to raise their knowledge regarding this scourge.
Subject(s)
Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome/epidemiology , Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice , Adolescent , Cross-Sectional Studies , Female , Humans , India/epidemiology , Male , Models, Statistical , Rural Population , Surveys and Questionnaires , Young AdultABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Obesity has reached epidemic proportions globally and is a major contributor to the global burden of chronic diseases. Dietary factors are the major modifiable factors through which many of the external forces promoting weight gain act. OBJECTIVES: The objectives were to find the prevalence of overweight and obesity in the urban population of Jamnagar and to explore the effect of dietary factors on the weight status of the people. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted among the adult population of Jamnagar city. Cluster sampling technique was used to select study samples. Data were collected in a prestructured questionnaire by interviewing subjects through house-to-house visits. Data were analyzed in Epi Info and appropriate statistical methods were used. RESULTS: The prevalence of overweight and obesity was found to be 22.04% and 5.20%, respectively. Overweight was more prevalent in females than males. The prevalence rose with an increase in age up to 60 years. Among dietary factors, the total calorie intake and habit of snacking had a positive association with weight gain (P < 0.05). The mean intake of oil was more and the mean intake of vegetables was less among overweight subjects than nonoverweight subjects (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: The prevalence of overweight and obesity in the urban population in Jamnagar was found to be 22.04% and 5.20%, respectively. Total calorie intake as well as composition of diet was the important dietary factor affecting weight gain.
