Assessment of Stature from Hand Span - A Cross Sectional Descriptive Investigation among Undergraduate Medical Students

2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (9) ◽  
pp. 577-582
Author(s):  
Mani Kathapillai

BACKGROUND Hand size measurements are commonly used references when instruments are not available and still practiced in rural and even in urban areas of Tamil Nadu. Ancient literature evidences have adequate support for their usage. We wanted to correlate hand span length, hand breadth, and hand length with the stature of an individual. We also wanted to compare the level of correlation of hand span length between males and females. METHODS 214 students were recruited for this study as a convenient sample size. Male students were 122, females were 92. They were aged between 18 - 23 years of Shri Sathya Sai Medical College and Research Institute. Hand span is the distance between tips of the casually extended pollex and minimus. RESULTS The results of Pearson’s correlations were moderately significant between height and the hand breadth (0.315), between height and weight (0.340), and between height and hand length (0.387). The extent of correlation was significant between height and the hand span (0.954) in case of males. In case of females, value of the correlation was also moderately significant between height and the hand breadth (0.619), between height and weight (0.392), between height and hand length (0.515) and between height and the hand span (0.973). CONCLUSIONS The stature was reliably estimated from the hand span length, and the same could be applied for the medicolegal, and forensic purposes. KEY WORDS Hand Span, Stature, Medico Legal, Anthropometry

2017 ◽  
Vol 5 (02) ◽  
pp. 52-58 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Samanta ◽  
S. Ghosh

Stress among medical students is a growing concern worldwide. The objectives were to assess the perceived stress, its sources and its pattern among undergraduate medical students and to find out determinants of stress among them. This cross sectional descriptive study was conducted among 225 undergraduate medical students of three academic years of Bankura Sammilani medical college during March-June 2015.Data were collected using a pretested, semistructured, anonymous, self-administered questionnaire which consisted of Perceived Stress Scale -10 for assessment of stress . Data were analysed using SPSS version 20.0. Binary Logistic Regression (BLR) model was adopted to find determinants of stress. Proportion of stressed students was 38.2% and mean stress score was 18.41(SD±6.22). Female students were more stressed than male students. About 80% of students perceived ‘vast syllabus’ and ‘lack of attention and time from teacher’ as stressors. Around 50% of students reported ‘Worry about future’, ‘Own expectation of becoming doctor’, ‘Inadequate quantity and quality of food in hostel’ and ‘Lack of recreation’ as stressors. ‘Disturbed in-campus political environment’ was perceived as a source of stress by 42.2% students. In BLR model, only five stressors, ‘Relationship problem with partner/love affair’, ‘Quarrel/maladjustment with friends’, ‘Living away from home’, ‘Competitive environment’, ‘Lack of attention and time from teachers’ were found statistically significant. Most of the stressors were related to academic and psychological domains. Regular review and restructuring of medical curriculum, implementing in-campus health promotional measures for students to cope with stress are needed to address the issue.


2018 ◽  
Vol 56 (211) ◽  
pp. 687-690
Author(s):  
Anup Pandey ◽  
Alok Atreya

Introduction: Anthropometry is commonly used technique for the measurement of bone and soft parts in Anatomy and other fields of science. It has practical implications mainly in the field of anatomy and forensic medicine. The present study is aimed to determine the average hand length with stature among the students of a medical college. Methods: A cross sectional study was done among 185 students including 98 females and 87 males of Devdaha Medical College and Research Institute. Hand length and stature were measured and collected data was entered and analyzed in SPSS 21. The differences in measurements of hand bone length and stature among males and females were calculated. The regression equation for the estimation of stature from hand length was calculated. Results: The mean hand length among the total population was 17.80±1.04 cm and stature was 160.50±6.73 cm. The mean hand length and stature were higher among males as compared to females. The range of hand length and stature among the total population is 16.00-21.20 and 146.00-176.50 respectively. The regression equation for the estimation of stature from hand length revealed statistically significant value among the males and females. Conclusions: Our study reveals higher value of hand length and stature for males as compared to females. Also there is significant correlation between the hand length and the stature. The present values are obtained from the small population of an institute. Further studies have to be carried out to develop the regression formula for the Nepalese population with larger sample size.


2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 7405-7409
Author(s):  
Pooja B ◽  
Dheepak Sundar M

To assess the awareness about eye donation among undergraduate medical students. A cross-sectional descriptive study was carried out among 400 medical students studying in a tertiary medical college/hospital located in Tamil Nadu. The study tool used was a semi-structured google form questionnaire designed for assessing the awareness about eye donation among medical students. It was observed that the majority of the students (99.4%) of the students were aware of eye donation. Media has been the primary source for this awareness. The cornea is the part of the eye used for transplantation, and only 238(59.6%) knew about this The identity of the donor. The recipient will be kept confidential, and also the donors family will not be charged any money for the donation, but only 54% of the students were aware of this fact. Though the awareness was high, only 206(51.60%) were willing to pledge their eyes for donation. The study highlights the importance of educating medical students about eye donation as they play a significant role in helping the public in clarifying misconceptions and also increase the eye donation rates. The importance of consent over the telephone has also been emphasized in this study. Media can be used as a powerful tool in creating appropriate advertisements through television, newspapers, billboards and social media, which will be helpful.


Background: Information technology (IT) is a new way of teaching and learning. One of the promising media of information technology is e-Learning, which is used to enhance knowledge and skills among users. A student gains better and deep knowledge through a useful tool. This survey aimed to determine practices among medical students for e-Learning. Methods: This cross-sectional survey was conducted on 184 students amongst the 500 students currently enrolled in medical college. Data was collected using questionnaires and were analyzed through SPSS version 22. Chi-square was used for qualitative values. Results: Majority 90.80% (n=167) students were aware of e-Learning and were statistically high in first year students (p-value: 0.018). The student did not show statistically significant results for content learned through e-Learning with a p-value of 0.063. Different resources were used for e-Learning in which videos had the highest percentage (87.60%) and audios were used as the least resource for e-Learning (29.20%). Daily, 56% of the students use e-Learning for 1 hour or less and only 3% of the students used it for more than 4 hours. Conclusion: Majority of undergraduate medical students were aware of the use of e-Learning and most of them preferred e-Learning for their course work and studies showing a significant increase in understanding and use, compared to studies conducted earlier. Participants found e-Learning useful and effective tool in increasing knowledge and understanding of their subject. Keywords: e-Learning; Practices; Students.


Author(s):  
Gowri Prakasam ◽  
K Karkuzhali ◽  
Veeraraghavan Gurusamy

Introduction: Primary Central Nervous System (CNS) tumours constitute less than 2% of overall cancers in adults and are the second most frequently encountered tumours in children. Meningiomas form 24-30% of primary intracranial tumours. Most intrinsic brain tumours are soft and gelatinous in consistency, smear preparation can readily made which gives excellent cytological details when compared to frozen section as the latter produces ice crystal artifacts. Aim: To assess the diagnostic utility of squash cytological evaluation of meningiomas and its comparison with final histopathological diagnosis. Materials and Methods: The cross-sectional study was done at Thanjavur Medical College, Thanjavur, Tamil Nadu, India for period of three years from January 2015 to December 2017. Total of 54 clinically diagnosed and radiologically suspected case of meningiomas were selected. Smears were prepared from the biopsy samples sent in normal saline and stained by Haematoxylin and Eosin (H&E) method. The cytological features were noted and matched with biopsy findings. Descriptive statistics were used to analyse the results. Results: Total of 54 squash smears with male to female ratio was 1:1.5. Maximum number of cases were seen between 41- 50 years followed by 51-60 years. Complete concordance was obtained in 51 cases (94.44%) and partial concordance was noted in a case due to underestimation of malignancy grade in squash cytology. Out of 54 cases, two cases were found to be discordant with final histopathological diagnosis. Conclusion: Intraoperative squash cytology is easy, rapid, reliable and cost-effective technique for neurosurgical consultation with fairly high accuracy in diagnosing meningiomas.


Author(s):  
Vidya V. Patil ◽  
Rekha Udgiri

Background: Aging is a universal process. In India, the elderly account for 7.7% of the total population and the United Nations defines a country as “ageing” where the proportion of people over 60 years reaches 7.7%. Morbidity among elderly has an important influence on their physical functioning and psychological well-being. The objectives of the study were to assess the psychosocial problems associated with the elderly and to describe the chronic illness and utilization of welfare services among elderly.Methods: A cross sectional study was conducted in the urban field practice area of Shri B M Patil Medical College, Vijayapur. House to house survey was conducted for a period of 3 months from September to November 2014.Results: Total of 372 elders were interviewed, 54.5% were males, 45.4% were females. Majority were Hindus 78.8%. 46% were illiterate. Majority 79% were financially dependent. 53% were working. Around 32% were feeling lonely Most common chronic illness is joint pain (66.66%), visual problem (50%), dental and chewing problem (48%).Conclusions: Financial dependence was high among the participants and majorities were suffering from one or the other chronic illness which needs attention and knowledge about geriatric welfare services should be given. 


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jinyi Kuang ◽  
Sania Ashraf ◽  
Alex Shpenev ◽  
Maryann G. Delea ◽  
Upasak Das ◽  
...  

Social sanctions can be effective for sustaining beneficial norms by harnessing the power of social pressure and peer monitoring. Yet, field evidence regarding how norms might be linked to perceived risk of sanction is limited. In this study, we focused on communities located in peri-urban areas of Tamil Nadu, India, and examined how people’s perceived prevalence of a socially desirable behavior (i.e., toilet use) relates to the perceived risk of sanctions for deviating from this behavior (i.e., open defecation) in the sanitation domain. Cross-sectional data from 2427 participants in 75 communities revealed that the majority (77%, n = 1861) perceived the risk of informal sanctions related to open defecation. Among those, verbal reprimand was the most common (60%), followed by advice (30%) and gossip (7%). Results from multilevel logistic regression indicated that those who believed toilet use was prevalent in their community were more likely to perceive the risk of social sanctions for open defecation. Moderation analysis revealed that this relationship was robust among women, but attenuated among men. Our findings suggest that women are more likely to expect social sanctions if they deviate from what is perceived as the prevalent sanitation behavior (e.g., toilet use) in their community. Open defecation practices are known to cause psychosocial stress among women due to their experiences with sanitation insecurity, which may include fear of disapproval from community members. Our results highlight the need for gendered intervention strategies when sanitation programs leverage social influence for behavior change.


Author(s):  
Sathish Dev ◽  
Timsi Jain ◽  
Sivaprakasam P. ◽  
Dinesh Raja

Background: Diabetes, which was known to be an epidemic in the urban areas, has been found to be increasing rapidly in the rural areas too as a result of the socioeconomic transitions. Diabetes is no longer only a disease of the elderly but is one of the major causes of morbidity and mortality affecting youth and middle aged people.Methods: Screening camp for diabetes was conducted by the Department of Community Medicine in three different areas in the field practice area of Saveetha Medical College and Hospital viz. Thirumazhisai, Kuthambakkam and Velavedu in Thiruvallur district of Tamil Nadu on 7th April 2016 as a part of World Health Day 2016 celebration. Data was collected using a predesigned interview schedule. Descriptive statistics was calculated using rates, ratios & proportions. Univariate analysis was done using Chi square test to find the association between various factors and diabetes status. A parsimonious regression model was developed to find the predictor variables for diabetes.Results: A total of 188 people aged above 18 years attended the screening camps. Majority of the camp attendees were females (62.2%). Proportion of people having diabetes (already diagnosed plus newly screened) was found to be 18.1% out of which 3.2% were screened positive for diabetes. On regression analysis, Intake of alcohol and perceived stress were found to be significantly associated with diabetes (p<0.05).Conclusions: This study highlights a significant burden of undiagnosed cases of diabetes in the community. This indicates the need for systematic screening and awareness programs to identify the undiagnosed cases in the community and offer early life style modifications, treatment and regular follow up to such individuals.


2014 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 78-81
Author(s):  
Sandip Shah ◽  
Sarun Koirala

Background: Craniofacial anthropometry is a technique used in both physical and clinical anthropology comprising precise and systematic measurements of the human skull. It also includes measurement of the medial and lateral canthal distances. People of different genetic background subjected to significantly different environmental influences have different craniofacial morphology.Objectives: To find out effect of gender and ethnicity on Canthal anthropometry.Methods: This descriptive cross-sectional study was carried out to determine and compare canthal anthropometry among 299 undergraduate students (Male=161, Female=138) of different ethnic groups (Indo-Nepalese, indigenous and Tibeto-Nepalese) of age group 19-21 years at BPKIHS. Medial and lateral canthal distances were measured by using straight vernier caliper and canthal index (medial canthal distances / lateral canthal distance × 100) for all three ethnic groups in both sexes were compared.Results: The study has shown that the female students had higher canthal index than male students (27.65±12.35 vs 23.96±5.76). When compared on the basis of ethnicity, Indo-Nepalese had highest value of canthal index followed by Indigenous and Tibeto-Nepalese.Conclusion: In conclusion, genetics and environmental factors are responsible for the variation in canthal indices and other craniofacial indices between and within populations. Therefore, its standard values are largely applicable for clinical assessment of patients with syndrome affecting canthal anatomy.DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3126/jkmc.v3i2.11231Journal of Kathmandu Medical CollegeVol. 3, No. 2, Issue 8, Apr.-Jun., 2014Page: 78-81


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