scholarly journals Epidemiology of fall and its risk factors among elders in a rural area of Coimbatore, India

Author(s):  
Thomas V. Chacko ◽  
Prabha Thangaraj ◽  
Muhammad G. M.

Background: Global reports show that falls are the major cause of disability injuries among the elders. Developing countries lack the required epidemiological data on the burden of falls and factors that contribute to it.The objectives of the study were to find the burden of fall and its distribution in time, place and person among elders and to identify risk factors associated with fall among elders. Methods: A community–based cross-sectional study of 655 elders (≥ 60 years) was done in a rural area of Coimbatore District by two stage sampling technique. History of fall within the past 6 months was included in the study. Semi-structured pre-tested questionnaire was used to assess factors contributing to falls. The burden of falls was expressed as proportions and percentages. Logistic regression analysis was done to identify risk factors for fall. Results: 26% (95%CI: 22.59-29.32) elders experienced at least one fall. Of the total falls 50.2% occurred outside home and the remaining inside home. Most of the falls occurred during ambulation and at the morning hours (39.1%). Age ≥80 years (OR: 3.28, 95%CI: 1.28-5.98) and dizziness (OR: 3.27, 95%CI: 1.00-10.06) were only found to be significantly associated with fall on multivariate analysis. Conclusions: The occurrence of fall was found to be almost similar to that identified in western countries where fall preventive measures have been implemented. Similar efforts are yet to be initiated here and so this study provides the evidence for the need. Prospective studies through more frequent home visits are needed to confirm the enormity of the problem to suggest policy recommendation. 

Author(s):  
Tassang Andrew ◽  
Celestina Neh Fru ◽  
Mike Robert Brady ◽  
Frederick Nchang Cho ◽  
Tassang Thierry ◽  
...  

Background: Cervical cancer (CC) is a worldwide disease, with 85% of new cases occurring in developing countries in general and Africa south of the Sahara in particular. Aim: The objective of this study was to find possible factors that could affect knowledge about CC and some CC risk factors in our community. Study Design: A community-based cross-sectional study was carried out in Buea, Mutengene, and Tiko. Result: Knowledge about CC is modulated by the level of education and the young age of women. Risk factors, although universal, seem to vary according to the geographical area and the socio-cultural environment where one lives. Some risk factors identified are; early onset of sexual intercourse, polygamous marriages, multiple sexual partners, the sexual behavior of the male partner, Human papillomavirus (HPV) infections, sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), Human Deficiency Virus (HIV), and history of genital warts. Conclusion: None enhancement of lifestyle as the voluntary refusal of cervical cancer screening and CC vaccination has also been risky for CC.


2018 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 42-46
Author(s):  
Asghar Khan ◽  
Sofia Kabir ◽  
Nighat Musa

OBJECTIVE:Background: Worldwide oropharyngeal cancers are one of ten most common cancers. A multitude of factors are responsible for the development of oropharyngeal cancers. Some factors are non- modifiable like age, sex, genetics and many are modifiable risk factors like tobacco use, chewing betel nuts, eating paan, alcohol and UV light exposure etc. The main purpose of this study was to analyze frequency and different risk factors associated with oropharyngeal cancers among males visiting tertiary care hospitals of Peshawar.METHODOLOGY:A cross-sectional study was conducted on 100 male patients having different cancers visiting tertiary care hospitals of Peshawar. Study duration was 5 months from January to May 2015. Non-probability convenient sampling technique was used. Semi-structured questionnaire, Patient’s record were used as data collecting tools. Different risk factors were assessed and analyzed.RESULTS:Frequency of oropharyngeal cancers was found to be 19%. Common risk factors among these patients were prolong Ultra violet light exposure (4-8 hrs) 74%, 42% were smokers, 42% had history of oral thrush, 37% patients were in a habit of taking snuff regularly, 36% history of leukoplakia and 16% had smoked meat diet history.CONCLUSION:Prolong exposure to ultra violet radiations, smoking, snuff and human papiloma virus increases risk of patients for oropharyngeal cancers.


Author(s):  
S. P. Singh ◽  
Chitra Rani Chauhan ◽  
Vijayshree Verma

Background: Hypertension is a silent physiological ailment leading to bizarre pathological complications. Every year, some 12 million fatal and 20 million nonfatal strokes and myocardial infarctions occur worldwide (WHO, 2002). Prevalence was noted between rural and urban parts of India 27.6% (23.2-32.0) and 33.8% (29.7-37.8).Methods: Study design community-based cross-sectional study. Sampling technique multistage random sampling technique was used to select representative sample from rural population of Kanpur.Results: The overall prevalence of hypertension (HTN) in our study was found to be 21.27%, more among females 23.2% than males 19.7%. The results of logistic regression analysis with HTN status as dependent variable, to identify the effects of 6 risk factors (independent variables) for hypertension body mass index (BMI), grade of work, excess salt consumption, mental stress, smoking/chewing tobacco, alcohol intake. The odds ratio was 3.57 for the BMI with lower limit of 95% C.I. being 2.73, implying that it’s at least 2.73 times related to hypertension and odds of other risk factors shows that all the 6 risk factors related statistically. There was significant correlation was found between BMI, blood pressure (BP) and age. There was significance (p<0.01) of positive correlation BMI with both systolic and diastolic BP with correlation coefficient (0.395) was stronger than diastolic BP (0.301).   Conclusions: Overall prevalence of hypertension was 21.3%. Smoking, tobacco chewing increases the prevalence and Quantity of alcohol consumption were seemed to pose definite impact on mean systolic BP. BP levels increases steadily with increasing BMI and with decreasing level of physical activity (sedentary lifestyle).


Crisis ◽  
2020 ◽  
pp. 1-6
Author(s):  
Mohammed Madadin ◽  
Ritesh G. Menezes ◽  
Maha A. Alassaf ◽  
Abdulaziz M. Almulhim ◽  
Mahdi S. Abumadini ◽  
...  

Abstract. Background: Medical students are at high risk of suicidal ideation. Aim: We aimed to obtain information on suicidal ideation among medical students in Dammam located in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia. Method: This cross-sectional study was conducted at the College of Medicine affiliated with Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia. Suicidal ideation in the past 12 months was assessed based on responses to four questions in the depression subscale of the General Health Questionnaire 28 (GHQ-28). In addition, data were collected to examine the association of suicidal ideation with various factors. Results: We found that 1 in 3 medical students in the study had suicidal ideation in the past 12 months, while around 40% had lifetime suicidal ideation. Suicidal ideation was associated with feelings of parental neglect, history of physical abuse, and dissatisfaction with academic performance. Limitations: The cross-sectional nature of this study limits its ability to determine causality regarding suicidal ideation. Conclusion: These rates are considerably high when compared with rates from studies in other countries around the world. This study provides a reference in the field of suicidology for this region of Saudi Arabia.


2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
pp. 205031212110245
Author(s):  
Getu Mosisa ◽  
Bikila Regassa ◽  
Bayise Biru

Introduction: Hypertension remains an emerging public health problem globally, particularly in developing countries. Age, income level, obesity, alcohol consumption, smoking, vegetables and fruit consumption, physical activity and chat chewing were some risk factors of hypertension. However, there are limited data on the epidemiology of hypertension in Ethiopia. This study aimed to assess Epidemiology of Hypertension among the community of selected towns of Wollega zones. Methods: A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted from 1 to 30 June 2019 in selected towns of Wollega zones. A multistage sampling technique was used to select 840 study participants. Data were collected using the WHO STEP wise approach. The data were coded and entered into EpiData 3, and exported to SPSS version 20.0 for analysis. Bivariate and multivariable logistic regression analyses were conducted. Statistical significance was declared at p-value < 0.05. Results: The study included a total of 838 respondents with a response rate of 99.7%. The prevalence of hypertension was found to be 189 (22.6%) (95% confidence interval = 19.9%–25.2%). Of this, 108 (12.9%) and 81 (9.7%) of female and male were hypertensive, respectively. Age groups of 30–44 years (adjusted odds ratio = 2.65 (1.43, 4.89)), 45–59 years (adjusted odds ratio = 3.55 (1.79, 7.04)), above 60 years (adjusted odds ratio = 2.97 (1.43, 6.18)), having history of alcohol consumption (adjusted odds ratio = 4.29 (2.4, 7.66)), involving in vigorous physical activity (adjusted odds ratio = 0.096 (0.028, 0.33)), not walking to and from the work (adjusted odds ratio = 13.12 (8.34, 20.67)), being overweight (adjusted odds ratio = 1.98 (1.21, 3.25)), inadequate fruits serving per day (adjusted odds ratio = 2.93 (1.75, 4.88)) were significantly associated with hypertension. Conclusion: The prevalence of hypertension was found to be high in the study area. Older age, alcohol consumption, not engaging in vigorous activity, physical inactivity, being overweight and inadequate intake of fruits were found to be risk factors for hypertension. Therefore, health care providers should provide extensive health education and promotion on recommended lifestyle modification to tackle the burden of hypertension.


2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Seok-Jin Hong ◽  
Byoung-Eun Yang ◽  
Dae-Myoung Yoo ◽  
Sung-Jae Kim ◽  
Hyo-Geun Choi ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Chronic periodontitis is a multifactorial inflammatory disease resulting in patients exhibiting high levels of inflammatory factors causing systemic inflammatory bone destruction that may lead to osteoporosis development. The association between periodontitis and osteoporosis has been documented; however, the findings remain unclear. This study aimed to identify the association between periodontitis and osteoporosis using a cross-sectional study design and Korean Genome and Epidemiology Study (KoGES) health examinee data. Methods This cross-sectional study used epidemiological data from the KoGES during 2004–2016. Of 125,324 participants (age, 40–79 years), 9969 with periodontitis and 115,332 controls (without periodontitis) were selected. We analyzed the history of osteoporosis and fractures of all participants. All participants were examined according to age, sex, income group, obesity, smoking habits, alcohol consumption, and food intake. To analyze the odds ratio (OR) of periodontitis for those with osteoporosis and fractures, a logistic regression model was used. Results The adjusted odds ratio (aOR) of periodontitis for osteoporosis was 2.16 (95% confidence interval [CI], 2.01–2.31; P < 0.001). The aOR of periodontitis for any fracture was 1.54 (95% CI 1.46–1.62; P < 0.001). Conclusion Osteoporosis and fractures are associated with periodontitis. Performing regular oral hygiene and examinations of bone mineral density are recommended to prevent aggravation of osteoporosis and periodontitis.


2020 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Abdullah Alnajem ◽  
Abdullah Redha ◽  
Dalal Alroumi ◽  
Ahmed Alshammasi ◽  
Mohamad Ali ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Globally, a surge in electronic cigarette (e-cigarette) use has been observed in recent years, with youth being the most susceptible group. Given their recent emergence, studies assessing the health consequences of using e-cigarettes and exposure to their secondhand aerosols (SHA) are limited. Hence, this study sought to assess associations between e-cigarette use and household exposure to SHA from e-cigarettes with asthma symptoms among adolescents. Methods A school-based cross-sectional study was conducted by enrolling high school students (n = 1565; aged 16–19 years) in Kuwait. Participants self-completed a questionnaire on tobacco products use (e-cigarettes and cigarettes) and asthma symptoms. Current e-cigarette use and cigarette smoking were defined as any use in the past 30 days. Household exposure to SHA from e-cigarettes in the past 7 days was reported as none (0 days), infrequent (1–2 days), and frequent (≥ 3 days). Asthma symptoms included current (past 12 months) wheeze, current asthma (history of clinical diagnosis and current wheeze and/or medication use), and current symptoms of uncontrolled asthma (≥ 4 attacks of wheeze, ≥ 1 night per week sleep disturbance from wheeze, and/or wheeze affecting speech). Associations were assessed using Poisson regression with robust variance estimation, and adjusted prevalence ratios (aPRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were estimated. Results Among the analytical study sample (n = 1345), current e-cigarette use and cigarette smoking was reported by 369 (27.4%) and 358 (26.6%) participants, respectively. Compared to never e-cigarette users and never cigarette smokers, current e-cigarette users with no history of cigarette smoking had increased prevalence of current wheeze (aPR = 1.54, 95% CI 1.01–2.45) and current asthma (aPR = 1.85, 95% CI 1.03–3.41). Moreover, the frequency of exposure to household SHA from e-cigarettes was associated with asthma symptoms. For example, compared to those with no exposure to household SHA, frequent exposure to household SHA was associated with current wheeze (aPR = 1.30, 95% CI 1.04–1.59), current asthma (aPR = 1.56, 95% CI 1.13–2.16), and current uncontrolled asthma symptoms (aPR = 1.88, 95% CI 1.35–2.62). Conclusions E-cigarette use and their household SHA exposure were independently associated with asthma symptoms among adolescents. Hence, such observations indicate that e-cigarette use and passive exposure to their aerosols negatively impact respiratory health among adolescents.


BMJ Open ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (12) ◽  
pp. e040865
Author(s):  
Weicong Cai ◽  
Shangmin Chen ◽  
Liping Li ◽  
Pengying Yue ◽  
Xiaofan Yu ◽  
...  

ObjectivesData on the problem of physical activity-related injury (PARI) in university students and the risk factors for PARI among different genders are rare. We conducted a multicentre population-based study to investigate the occurrence of PARI and to explore the gender-specific risk factors for PARI among Chinese university students.DesignCross-sectional study.ParticipantsA total of 5341 students in grades 1–3 at eight universities in four Chinese cities were selected to complete the online questionnaires during March and April 2017. The questionnaires assessed sociodemographic characteristics, physical activity PA) involvement, sleep duration, sedentary behaviour and PARI experiences in the past 12 months.Main outcome measuresPARI during the past 12 months.ResultsAmong the 5341 participants, 1293 suffered from at least one PARI in the past 12 months, with an overall incidence rate of 24.2% (males: 26.2%, females: 23.2%) and an injury risk of 0.38 injuries/student/year (males: 0.48, females: 0.32). Over half of the injured (57.3%) experienced a withdrawal time of PA and nearly two-fifths (39.6%) required medical attention. Irrespective of gender, Shantou and Xi’an students, sports team members and those who engaged in sports and leisure-time vigorous-intensity PA (VPA) at a higher frequency were more likely to suffer from PARI. Male students who participated in sports and leisure-time VPA for long durations had a greater likelihood of sustaining PARI, while having a chronic condition and being involved in sports and leisure-time moderate-intensity PA at a higher frequency and longer duration were potential contributors to PARI among females.ConclusionsThe occurrence of PARI and its risk factors differed by gender, which provides a direction towards developing targeted and effective gender-specific preventative programmes to protect Chinese university students from PARI.


2013 ◽  
Vol 10 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 51-56 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. S. Rahman ◽  
S. Mithu ◽  
M. T. Islam ◽  
M. J. Uddin ◽  
R. R. Sarker ◽  
...  

Brucellosis is an important bacterial zoonotic disease causing significant economic loss in dairy industries worldwide including Bangladesh. But limited studies are devoted to determine the prevalence of brucellosis in goat in all districts of Bangladesh. Therefore, a cross-sectional study was undertaken to determine the seroprevalence of brucellosis in Black Bengal goats in Nilphamari Sadar and Kishoreganj upazillas of Nilphamari district of Bangladesh using Rose Bengal Test (RBT) as screening test and I-ELISA as confirmatory test. A total of 154 sera samples from Black Bengal goats were collected from Nilphamari district. Epidemiological data on the selected Black Bengal goats were collected using a structured questionnaire. The overall seroprevalence of brucellosis was found to be 2.59% in Black Bengal goats. A significantly (p<0.01) higher prevalence of brucellosis was found in Black Bengal goats with the history of previous abortion (33.33%). An insignificant (p>0.05) but higher prevalence of brucellosis was found in adult Black Bengal goats (>24 months) than young. The prevalence was relatively higher in cross-bred than pure Black Bengal goats, in female than male and in pregnant than non-pregnant Black Bengal goats. The result of the study will provide baseline data for control of brucellosis in goat in Bangladesh.DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/bjvm.v10i1-2.15646


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document