Prevalence and correlates of Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder (ADHD) risk factors among school children in a rural area of North India.

BACKGROUND: Attention-deficit hyperactive disorder (ADHD) is one of the most common neurodevelopmental disorders of childhood and has the potential for continuity into adolescence and adulthood. Its presence increases difficulties in academic performance and social interactions besides leading to low self-esteem. The present study aimed to determine the prevalence of ADHD among children of age 6-12 years in Government schools of a rural area in Jammu district of J and K. METHODS: The present study was conducted in R.S. Pura block of Jammu district. Miran Sahib zone of R.S Pura block was chosen randomly and all the government primary schools in this zone were included in the survey. The presence of ADHD was assessed using Vanderbilt ADHD diagnostic teacher rating scale. The children positive for ADHD were visited at their residential places and a personal information questionnaire (PIQ) was administered to their parents-preferably the mother. The data thus collected was presented as proportions. RESULTS: ADHD prevalence was found to be 6.34% (13/205). Majority (69.3%) of the ADHD-positive children were living in a joint family and belonged to lower/lower middle class. Family history of ADHD was absent in all the ADHD-positive children. CONCLUSION: The current study conducted in a rural area among 6- to 12-year-old children of Government schools has shown a reasonably high ADHD prevalence of 6.34%.

Prevalence and correlates of depression in a rural adult population in Northwest India.

BACKGROUND: Mental disorders are showing a discerning upward trend globally and it is projected that by 2030, depression would be the leading cause of disease burden globally. Depression has not only confined the developed world but is increasingly seen as a major public health problem in the developing world too. METHODS: A stratified two-stage design was used to conduct a house-to-house survey in selected villages among consenting eligible members of the family. A three-part questionnaire, with the first part eliciting sociodemographic information was used. Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9), the second part of the questionnaire was used to screen those positive for depression and Beck's Depression Inventory (BDI-II). The third part was used for rating the depression. Data thus collected was analyzed and Chi-square test was used as test of significance. RESULTS: The prevalence of depression was found to be 8.94% (73/816). Beck's Depression Inventory (BDI- II) for rating the depression revealed that mild depression was present in nearly half of the cases (47.95%), while 39.7% and 9.5% of the cases had moderate and severe depression, respectively. Among the various variables, literacy level, marital status, alcohol intake, chronic illness, and socioeconomic status were significantly associated with the depression. CONCLUSIONS: Prevalence of depression to the tune of 8.94% in rural adults seems to be a cause of concern for the health planners. Prevention and treatment of depression must be taken on priority and as a challenge by the health professionals.

Is there a need to cover all households under health insurance schemes: A cross-sectional study in a rural area of Jammu.

BACKGROUND: For tackling unforeseen health expenditure and improving healthcare accessibility in general, it is important that people should not only be aware but also be covered under health insurance schemes. The present study was conducted with the aim to assess the health expenditure, health insurance awareness, and coverage among rural households. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This was a community-based cross-sectional study carried out in randomly selected families falling under a rural health block in Jammu district of Jammu & Kashmir, Union Territory. A predesigned, pretested, and semistructured questionnaire was used for data collection. RESULTS: A total of 380 families were surveyed, of which 14.5% belonged to the priority household group. Among the priority and nonpriority households, 8.80% and 5.69% of monthly income were spent on health-related activities and 9.91% of household expenditure was on health. A total of 24.32% of priority households had even borrowed money to meet health expenditures. A total of 28.15% families had heard about the Ayushman Bharat scheme. Attitude towards health insurance was positive in both groups. A total of 29.23% of nonpriority households and 14.54% of priority households had health insurance coverage. CONCLUSION: A significant proportion of household expenditure was health related. The absence of good insurance coverage raises the need for policies and laws to cover all the households under health insurance schemes.

Optimization protocol for the extraction of antioxidant components from Origanum vulgare leaves using response surface methodology.

In the present work, the response surface methodology (RSM) based on a central composite rotatable design (CCRD), was used to determine optimum conditions for the extraction of antioxidant compounds from Origanum vulgare leaves. Four process variables were evaluated at three levels (31 experimental designs): methanol (70%, 80%, and 90%), the solute:solvent ratio (1:5, 1:12.5, 1:20), the extraction time (4, 10, 16 h), and the solute particle size (20, 65, 110 micron). Using RSM, a quadratic polynomial equation was obtained by multiple regression analysis for predicting optimization of the extraction protocol. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) was applied and the significant effect of the factors and their interactions were tested at 95% confidence interval. The antioxidant extract (AE) yield was significantly influenced by solvent composition, solute to solvent ratio, and time. The maximum AE was obtained at methanol (70%), liquid solid ratio (20), time (16 h), and particle size (20 micron). Predicted values thus obtained were closer to the experimental value indicating suitability of the model. Run 25 (methanol:water 70:30; solute:solvent 1:20; extraction time 16 h and solute particle size 20) showed highest TP contents (18.75 mg/g of dry material, measured as gallic acid equivalents) and DPPH radical scavenging activity (IC50 5.04 µg/mL). Results of the present study indicated good correlation between TP contents and DPPH radical scavenging activity. Results of the study indicated that phenolic compounds are powerful scavengers of free radical as demonstrated by a good correlation between TP contents and DPPH radical scavenging activity.