Menstrual hygiene practices among women aged 15-49 years attending a medical college hospital in Kolkata: A cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Menstruation is a normal physiological process and a key sign of reproductive health in women in the reproductive age group. Poor menstrual hygiene affects the educational activities as well as the day to day activities of women. The objective of this study is to assess the practices of menstrual hygiene among women aged 15-49 years attending a tertiary care hospital in Kolkata and to assess their knowledge regarding menstrual hygiene. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This was a hospital-based cross-sectional study conducted among the women belonging to the age group of 15-49 years attending the outpatient department of Gynaecology. Predesigned, pretested, semi-structured questionnaire was used as a study tool. Interview method was used for data collection after obtaining informed consent from the participants. Data were analysed by SPSS 20v software. Association between variables was checked by Chi-square test & P < 0.05 was considered as significant. RESULTS: Mean age of respondents was 28.03 ± 7.01 years. The cause of menstruation as a normal body function constituted maximum response (43.5%) whereas the reason was unknown to many (37%). Regarding restrictions during menstruation, it was mentioned that avoiding worshipping was the commonest restriction (90.2%), followed by restriction in diet (32.6%). Use of readymade absorbents was found in most of the subjects (91%) followed by homemade reusable (6.5%) and homemade disposable (2.2%). Around 77.2% of them packed the napkins and disposed in garbage. Those who were aware about menstrual hygiene were found to be practicing satisfactory perineal cleaning (p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Health education and awareness programme focusing on menstrual hygiene must be intensified. School curriculum can play a vital role in implementing health education.

Are dentists happy? A study among dental practitioners in coastal Andhra Pradesh using subjective happiness scale.

INTRODUCTION: The role of dental professionals in the society is vital. This profession allows the flexibility to balance a professional and personal life. Practice of dentistry at times is quite stressful, and stress impedes happiness and subjective well-being. Several studies have reported about stress among dental professionals and their various effects; however, studies evaluating the level of happiness (happiness index) among dentists are few and lack in this geographic region. OBJECTIVES: The present study was conducted to assess the subjective happiness level among dental professionals. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 194 dentists in Andhra Pradesh, India. A questionnaire measuring dimensions of professional satisfaction by Subjective Happiness Scale was used to assess the happiness level. The results were expressed in percentages, means, and mean rank. Independent samples nonparametric tests (Mann-Whitney U-test and Kruskal-Wallis test) and multivariable analyses were used to assess the determinants of happiness. RESULTS: The mean happiness index of the respondents was 21.71 (0.26 standard error). Overall 67% of the respondents had an above average happiness score. Higher happiness score was found to be significantly associated with age, postgraduate degree, male gender, type of professional attachment, duration of practice, urban location of practice, and spouse employment status in univariate analysis. However, multivariable analysis showed association with type of professional attachment only. CONCLUSION: Although dentistry has been recognized as a stressful profession, majority of the dentists under study had a happiness score above the mean, and the level of satisfaction was influenced by various sociodemographic factors.

Association of personal hygiene with common morbidities among upper primary school children in rural Odisha.

CONTEXT: In India, children of upper primary school receive less attention from health-care providers. The majority of their health problems are preventable through hygienic practices. AIMS: The aim of this study was to find out the association of personal hygiene with common morbidities among upper primary school children. SETTINGS AND DESIGN: A cross-sectional study conducted in a rural upper primary school of Odisha. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: A semi-structured schedule based on the Global School Health Survey Questionnaire and necessary instruments for clinical examination were used. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS USED: Data were entered in Microsoft Excel 2007 and analyzed by SPSS version 20 software. RESULTS: Of 90 participants, 58 (64.4%) were girls. The mean age was 11.8 (±1.01) years. The mean body mass index of females was significantly higher than males (16.95 vs. 14.72; P = 0.001). More than 90% of children maintained good personal hygiene such as clean tongue, clean hair, handwashing, and using footwear. The most common morbidities found were dental caries (38.9%), history of worms in stool and lethargy (20%). A mean score of 6.14 ± 0.11 (out of 8) was seen for personal hygiene and not associated with any particular morbidity or gender. Brushing daily was significantly associated with reduced dental caries (χ2 = 8.7; P < 0.005) and foul-smelling breath (χ2 = 4.93; P < 0.05). Fungal infections were significantly less in children who bathed daily (χ2 = 28.7; <0.005) and wore clean clothes (χ2 = 5.06; P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Dental caries, foul-smelling breath, and fungal infections were significantly associated with poor personal hygiene. School health services should also focus on upper primary school children for improvement of personal hygiene.