Indian Journal of Community Medicine

BACKGROUND: With an increase in life expectancy over the last few decades, there has been a parallel increase in the prevalence of disabilities among the elderly population. To estimate the prevalence of dependency in activities of daily living (ADL) and its predictors among the rural elderly population. MATERIAL AND METHODS: This was a cross-sectional study carried out in the community among the rural geriatric population in the field practice area of PG Department of Community Medicine, Government Medical College Jammu...

[This corrects the article on p. 110 in vol. 49, PMID: 38425984.].

BACKGROUND: Agrawal and Shah modified CAST (Caries Assessment Spectrum and Treatment) is the novel index prepared specifically for the Indian population for the complete evaluation of the spectrum/range of dental caries described hierarchically. OBJECTIVE: To assess the prevalence of dental caries and treatment needs in an adult Indian population using Agrawal and Shah modified CAST index. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A cross-sectional transverse study was performed on 2000 adult patients in the age range of 19-70 years...

BACKGROUND: Ayushman Bharat - Pradhan Mantri Jan Aarogya Yojna (AB-PMJAY) as a financial risk protection scheme intends to reduce catastrophic health expenditure (CHE), especially among poor. The current study was carried out to assess the utility of AB-PMJAY in terms of reduction in CHE from before and after admission in a tertiary hospital in the northern state of India. METHODOLOGY: It was a hospital-based cross-sectional study carried out from August 2020 to October 2021 at a public tertiary hospital of Himachal Pradesh, India...

The World Health Organization (WHO) identified the importance of self-care interventions in achieving Universal Health Coverage in 2019. It urges every country to include self-care interventions in their policies and guidelines. To guide the countries in this process, it released guidelines in 2019 and revised them in 2022. However, implementation of new interventions is not a path free of thorns. These guidelines have their own set of strengths and limitations that will differ from country to country.

BACKGROUND: Oral cancer encompasses all malignancies that originate in the oral tissues and remains a major public health problem throughout the world as an important case of poor health and illness. Head and neck cancer accounts for 9.8% of the estimated 6,44,600 incidental cancer cases in India. Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma (SCC) is a serious and developing concern globally, accounting for more than 90% of malignant cancers of the oral cavity. Salivary diagnostics have been demonstrated to have potential in the detection and screening of oral pre-cancer and cancer in a variety of research settings...

[This corrects the article on p. 165 in vol. 49, PMID: 38425977.].

No abstract text is available yet for this article.

Dengue is a wide spectrum of diseases creating menace in the community. This vector-born disease alone has a significant impact on global public health and the economy. Resources need to be mobilized to tackle the situation. The present article focused on the novice concept of "Seven-Plus-One models" as an approach to dengue prevention with vector management through community participation. A multidisciplinary approach along with exemplifying effective methods of inspectorial coordination and community participation is much required...

BACKGROUND: Child labor is considered one of the main social problems that affect the community and has a physical and psychosocial impact on a child's health, growth, and development. The study aimed to describe the sociocultural discourses of children involved in child labor. A macroethnographic approach was used to collect the data from the selected community areas of Punjab, India. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A community-based qualitative study using purposive sampling was carried out among children engaged in child labor ( n = 8)...

BACKGROUND: Chronic kidney disease is a global health problem affecting 843.6 million people with 1 million deaths and the 12th leading non-communicable cause of death worldwide. Insomnia is a disturbing problem found in chronic kidney disease patients, leading to physiological problems like fatigue, edema, and restless leg syndrome most of the time. The objective of this study was to assess the effectiveness of nursing intervention strategies on physiological and psycho-social problems...

Essential care workers like police personnel, social workers, and office and administrative staff of health institutions are also at increased risk of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) exposure along with healthcare workers. The present study aims to estimate the distress, anxiety, depression, and sleep impact of COVID-19 pandemic on essential workers through an online survey. This cross-sectional study (included 369 participants) was conducted in Chandigarh through an online survey using three psychological scales: Peritraumatic Distress Inventory (PDI), Insomnia Severity Index, and Depression Anxiety Stress Scale...

No abstract text is available yet for this article.

BACKGROUND: Gender-based violence (GBV) is a global public health concern. India's socio-cultural and regional diversity poses challenges for obtaining accurate and comprehensive indicators of gender-based violence. This study aimed to explore the prevalence and predictors of GBV among adolescents. This was a community-based cross-sectional study conducted among adolescents aged 10 to 19 years in six districts of Madhya Pradesh, the central part of India, from December 2017 to 2019. METHODS AND MATERIAL: GBV was assessed using a validated questionnaire adapted from a nationwide survey...

BACKGROUND: Women's empowerment, a precondition of sustainable development, is a multidimensional and complex concept, often described with three interrelated components: resources, agency, and achievement. There is no universal construct for women's empowerment; rather, it has been assessed based on the context. It had been hardly explored in rural West Bengal. OBJECTIVES: This study was formulated to construct a women's empowerment index (WEI), in rural West Bengal, and assess the reliability of the index...

No abstract text is available yet for this article.

BACKGROUND: Small-scale fishers of Indian Sundarbans depend on open-water fisheries for their livelihoods. They often face health, occupational, and safety issues in their profession due to environmental, socio-economic, and policy changes. The morbidity pattern and related risk factors are important indicators of well-being for any community, hence applicable to small-scale fishers of Sundarbans. The present study was designed to assess patterns of morbidities, associated risk factors including occupational health hazards, and treatment-seeking behavior of small-scale fishers in the Indian Sundarbans...

Cinema has the ability to convey important messages in an engaging and interesting manner. Cine medicine also known as cinema medicine or Cinemeducation has the potential to teach medical students and healthcare professionals about various aspects of medical conditions and illnesses. It is an innovative approach that can enhance empathy among the students and understanding toward patients with various medical conditions. Indian cinema has played a significant role in promoting health awareness and educating people about various medical conditions...

BACKGROUND: Undernutrition is an important public health problem affecting one-third of under five-year-old children in India. OBJECTIVES: To assess the nutritional status of under five-year-old children along with child feeding practices. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We adopted a systematic sampling procedure to carry out this community-based, cross-sectional study in all the districts of Haryana. Data was collected on socioeconomic and demographic particulars along with anthropometric measurements...

BACKGROUND: For many people in the remote regions of India, medical help is inaccessible as 66% of rural Indians do not have access to critical medicine and 31% of the population travel more than 30 km seeking health care in rural India. Timely non-availability of doctors in healthcare facilities, especially in primary health centers (PHCs), leads to more dependency on the private healthcare practitioners for the out-patient department services. This needs immediate attention. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The healthcare authority in Maharashtra has allowed doctors in 108 emergency ambulances to provide consulting services...