Indian Journal of Community Medicine

Millets have been the staple food in many parts of the world, but in recent times they have been losing ground because of the increased use of processed foods and grains, such as wheat and rice. India has been the granary of millets due to the largest production and export of Indian millets globally. The very nature of millets being drought-resistant, small seeded grass, which can be grown in arid conditions, with less water and less farming intensive, makes it a great choice for ecological agriculture and sustainable source of food for combating hunger in the rapidly changing global climate and constructing climate-resistant agri-food systems...

BACKGROUND: In the past two decades, the growing economy associated with changes in lifestyle-related behavior is partially responsible for the increasing cancer burden in India. To assess the occurrence and distribution of oral cancer based on the analysis of hospital records from registered oncology institutes of South India over a period of three years. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A multicenter, retrospective study was conducted at seven major hospitals in South India to assess the incidence and distribution of cancer among patients over a period of three years (2016-2018)...

India and its constituent states are committed to achieving universal health coverage (UHC) as a part of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 2030 by strengthening primary healthcare (PHC). The National Health Mission (NHM) has been a landmark effort at health systems strengthening, aiming to reboot both the architecture and service delivery. Manipur ranks fourth out of the eight states in the North East Region in the National Institution for Transforming India (NITI) Aayog's ranking for SDGs. The available evidence, drawing upon secondary datasets and available primary data, aims to unpack the progress made in health systems strengthening to interpret the journey toward achieving UHCs and SDGs...

BACKGROUND: Inappropriate feces disposal leads to environmental contamination, and increases the risk of exposure to children. We aimed to estimate the proportion of rural households with knowledge and practice of safe management of feces (SMoF) among under-five children and to identify associated factors. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted in eight villages in Bengaluru Urban district over 2 months, using a face-validated semi-structured interview schedule...

BACKGROUND: Cancer has been the leading cause of death worldwide, and palliative care is an approach that improves the quality of life (QoL) of patients and their families facing the problem associated with life-threatening illness. Hospice care helps patients and their family to cope with the change from treating the cancer to living life as fully as possible through their final days. This study aimed to (1) assess the sociodemographic and clinical profile of terminally ill cancer patients, (2) assess the QoL among terminally ill cancer patients receiving palliative care, and (3) study various determinants affecting their QoL...

INTRODUCTION: Diabetes is a chronic disorder with long-term sequelae and multisystem manifestation. Burden of diabetes in on the rise. Presence of other morbidities can not only have a detrimental effect on the disease treatment and recovery course, but also on the financial burden and quality of life. Present study aims to investigate how musculoskeletal conditions affect individuals with diabetes compared to those without the condition. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A comparative study was conducted among patients attending the outpatient department of a tertiary care hospital in North India to assess the burden of musculoskeletal disorders in people with and without diabetes...

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BACKGROUND: Lack of interest has been cited by many studies as the predominant cause for students undervaluing the subject of Community Medicine. However, there are few valid and reliable tools that could measure this interest. To develop and validate a questionnaire to measure a medical student's interest in the subject of Community Medicine. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Cross-sectional study conducted at MTMC Jamshedpur. The Community Medicine Interest Questionnaire (CMIQ) was developed in two phases: item generation and item reduction...

BACKGROUND: Hydroxychloroquine and Azithromycin combination was used rampantly in management of COVID-19 patients in different countries. Present review was conducted to evaluate the efficacy of Hydroxychloroquine and Azithromycin combination compared to the control (standard care) and any adverse effect following this combination use in COVID-19 patients if any. MATERIAL AND METHODS: We included all the systematic review with or without meta-analysis reporting the effect of Hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) and Azithromycin (AZM) combination use in COVID-19 patient using three databases namely PubMed, medline, CINHAL, Web of Science from July 2020 till Jan 2022...

BACKGROUND: India has nearly 267 million adult tobacco users, with a slowly improving quitting rate. Among the many approaches to quitting the habit, such as counseling, nicotine replacement therapy, nicotine patch or gum, and prescribed allopathic medicines. Complementary and alternative medicine/therapy (CAM), a thousand-year-old practice in India, may also prove to be a potential method in tobacco cessation; however, there is scarce literature on the extent of use of CAM among tobacco users who attempt to quit the habit...

BACKGROUND: Suicide is defined as a fatal self-injurious act with some evidence of intent to die. Despite the evolution of sophisticated methods to commit suicide, hanging remains one of the commonest methods to commit suicide across the world. To evaluate the individuals using hanging as a method of suicide and identify the contributing factors for this behaviour. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The study was carried out in a tertiary care hospital, over a period of 1 year on the suicide attempters using the method of hanging...

Health camps are one of the commonly performed activities by different organizations with different intentions. The purpose ranges from reaching out to unreached populations to increasing client base and thus increasing revenue generation. A multi-speciality health camp was organised at Rural Health & Training Centre (RHTC), Mendhasala, Khurdha. We describe the camp profile and utilization of different specialties in this study. The camp was attended by mostly adults and elderly (90.3%) and inhabitants of the same village (80...

No abstract text is available yet for this article.

BACKGROUND: With aging, women face various health issues, the most common of which are musculoskeletal disorders. Osteoarthritis accounts for 15% of all musculoskeletal disorders in patients above the age of 45 years but receives little attention. This study aims to estimate the proportion of women above 45 years suffering from Osteoarthritis (OA) knee and to ascertain its risk determinants. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 380 women above 45 years of age attending the Orthopedic outpatient department of a tertiary care hospital over a period of 18 months...

No abstract text is available yet for this article.

No abstract text is available yet for this article.

INTRODUCTION: The untied funds at sub-centers provided flexibility for local action at block and down below levels. Effective utilization of untied fund can strengthen the healthcare. So, our study aims at assessing the knowledge of health workers, male/female (HWF/M), and effectiveness of utilization of untied funds at the sub-center (SC) level. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A mixed method (cross-sectional study and qualitative study) was conducted at Tangi Block, Khordha district, Odisha, in the year 2020...

BACKGROUND: Food insecurity is a matter of public health concern as it is associated with adverse health outcomes particularly among vulnerable population. Accessibility and availability of nutritious and culturally appropriate food is paramount to achieve zero hunger. To assess the prevalence of household food insecurity, to estimate the household dietary diversity and its association with household food insecurity. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Using multistage sampling 381 rural households were surveyed...

BACKGROUND: Tobacco is the major cause of preventable death globally, which kills one person prematurely every six seconds. In India, around 46.9% of men and women aged 15 years and above use any kind of tobacco, according to NFHS-5. Tobacco use for longer duration with increased frequency is often addictive. Nicotine in tobacco is often associated with dependence, which is recognized as a public health menace and the single most significant factor for premature death. Hence, assessment of nicotine dependence among tobacco users is essential to implement tobacco control measures effectively...

BACKGROUND: COVID-19 has become a global pandemic, prompting lockdowns in practically every country. To prevent the spread of the disease, India has enforced a rigorous nationwide lockdown that commenced in March 2020. The lockdown imposed amid the pandemic ensured that most commercial activities and vehicle transportation ceased, resulting in a significant reduction in air pollution levels. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The value of air pollutants PM10, PM2.5, NO2 , and SO2 from January to May 2020 was obtained from the Indian Central Pollution Control Board...