Medication Adherence to Oral Hypoglycemic Drugs among Individuals with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus - A Community Study.

CONTEXT: Control of diabetes mellitus is a global challenge and nonadherence to diabetic medications is a public health concern. Factors related to patients, medications, and system can contribute to nonadherence. AIMS: We aimed to determine self-reported adherence to oral hypoglycemics and to understand the determinants of medication adherence in a group of adult diabetics in South Kerala. METHODS: A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 218 diabetic individuals. An eight-item questionnaire to assess the level of adherence and a structured interview schedule were administered to meet the objectives. Adherence was categorized as poor, moderate and high, based on k-means cluster analysis. RESULTS: The proportion of good adherence was 60.09%. Higher age, male gender, nonalcoholic, higher family income, higher frequency of blood glucose monitoring, and controlled blood sugar level were independent predictors of good adherence. CONCLUSION: The proportion of individuals with poor medication adherence is low. Focus must be on determining factors influencing medication nonadherence.

Gender Differences in the Language of LORs Written for Anesthesiology Medical Student Applicants: Analysis of One Program's Recruitment Cycle.

BACKGROUND: Prior studies have demonstrated gender differences in language used in letters of recommendation (LOR) for residency applicants. No previous studies have investigated linguistic gender differences in LOR specifically in the field of anesthesiology. The objective of this study is to determine whether there are potential gender biases in the language of LOR written for anesthesiology residency applicants. METHODS: Letters sent through the Electronic Residency Application Service in application for a single training program in the Northeast in 2019-2020 were divided into self-identified male and female groups. The letters were deidentified, converted to machine-readable text, and input into software to analyze differences in language use. Differences in language use and word count between the 2 groups were compared. RESULTS: Included in this analysis were 316 applicants (113 female applicants and 203 male applicants) who submitted a total of 1132 letters, 409 of which were letters written for females and 723 were written for males. Analysis of 4 document characteristics and 19 psychological construct word categories showed that males had a higher frequency of tentative notations (P < .0110), while females had a higher frequency of ability notations (P < .0449). No other meaningful differences were found. CONCLUSIONS: While our results demonstrated 2 differences in language use between male and female anesthesiology residency applicants for LOR, it is reassuring that LOR are relatively free of linguistic bias. Future research should focus on identifying other areas of the specialty's recruitment process in order to recognize and mitigate gender differences in anesthesiology.

Aging and well-being in Goa, India: a qualitative study.

OBJECTIVES: The population of India is aging rapidly. This demographic shift brings with it a host of challenges to the health and well-being of older adults, including the increased prevalence of non-communicable diseases, among them depressive disorders. In this paper, we report on qualitative research intended to inform the development of a locally acceptable and appropriate intervention to improve the well-being of older adults in Goa, India and, specifically, to prevent late-life depression. METHOD: Semi-structured interviews with 20 individuals, aged 60 years and older, attending two primary care clinics in Goa, India. Transcripts were reviewed to identify emerging themes, a coding scheme was developed and thematic analyses were conducted. RESULTS: Analyses of the interview transcripts revealed the following key themes: (1) notions of old age tended to be negative and there were widespread fears of becoming widowed or incapacitated; (2) the most frequently reported health conditions were joint pain, diabetes and heart disease; (3) emotional distress was described using the terms 'tension', 'stress', 'worry' and 'thinking'; (4) family issues often involved financial matters, difficult relationships with daughters-in-law and conflicted feelings about living with the family or independently; (5) other than a pension scheme, participants did not know of community resources available to older adults. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings are in general agreement with those of previous research, and with our experiences of working with older adults in Pittsburgh and the Netherlands. This research will inform the development of an intervention to prevent depression in older adults in Goa.

Effectiveness of Mind Mapping Technique in Information Retrieval Among Medical College Students in Puducherry-A Pilot Study.

BACKGROUND: The traditional teaching learning methods involve a one way process of transmission of knowledge leaving the students lacking behind in creative abilities. Medical schools need to change their teaching strategies to keep the interest of students and empower them for future self- learning and critical thinking. OBJECTIVE: To assess the impact of mind mapping technique in information retrieval among medical college students in Puducherry. METHODS: A pilot study was conducted using experimental study design among sixth semester MBBS students (n = 64) at a medical college in Puducherry, India. One group (n = 32) followed the text reading method and another group (n = 32) followed the mind mapping technique to learn the same passage given to them. The knowledge about the topic was assessed using a pre designed questionnaire at baseline, day 0 and day 7. The knowledge gain is the primary outcome variable and is compared between two groups. The feedback regarding the teaching methods was obtained from the participants. RESULTS: Mean knowledge score in the text group was lesser than the mind map group at baseline (2.6 Vs 3.5; p = 0.08). On Day 0, the mean score in text group was slightly lesser than the mind map group (8.7 Vs 9.0; p = 0.26). On Day 7, the mean score in mind map group is significantly more than the text group (8.9 Vs 8.5; p = 0.03). CONCLUSION: The mind mapping technique is an innovative and effective method in remembering things better than the routine way of reading texts.

Mobile Phone Usage and its Health Effects Among Adults in a Semi-Urban Area of Southern India.

INTRODUCTION: Worldwide, mobile phone usage has been increased dramatically which could affect the health of the people. India has the second largest number of mobile phone users. However there are only few studies conducted in India to assess its effects on health. AIM: To determine the prevalence and pattern of mobile phone usage and to assess the relationship between certain selected health problems and mobile phone usage among adults. SETTINGS AND DESIGN: Community-based cross-sectional study was conducted in Kottakuppam, a town panchayat in Villupuram district of Coastal Tamil Nadu, Southern India. It is a semi-urban area with a population of about 16,000. Majority of the residents are Muslim by religion and belong to different socio economic status. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study was approved by the Institutional Ethics Committee. A total of 2121 study participants were interviewed by the pre-final medical students through house-to-house survey using a pretested structured questionnaire. The questionnaire included the variables such as socio demographic profile, mobile phone usage and pattern, selected health problems, perceived benefits and threats and blood pressure. Selected health problems included headache, earache, neck pain, tinnitus, painful fingers, restlessness, morning tiredness, tingling fingers, fatigue, eye symptoms, sleep disturbance and hypertension. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS USED: Only 2054 were included for data analysis using SPSS 17 version. Proportions were calculated. Chi-square test was used to measure the p-value. The p-value < 0.05 was considered as statistically significant. RESULTS: The prevalence of mobile phone usage was 70%. Calling facility (94.2%) was used more than the SMS (67.6%). Health problems like headache, earache, tinnitus, painful fingers and restlessness etc., were found to be positively associated with mobile phone usage. There was negative association between hypertension and mobile phone usage. CONCLUSION: The prevalence of mobile phone usage was high. There was significant association between selected health problems and mobile phone usage. In future, higher studies are required to confirm our findings.