Parental Engagement and Adolescents Mental Health Wellbeing: Cross-Sectional Study from Sri Lanka

Background: Parental engagement is one of the key factors that can influence adolescents mentalhealth status, although these associations are not fully measured in the local context. This study willestimate the prevalence and association of parental engagement with adolescents and mental healthstatus in Sri Lanka. Method: This current study is a secondary analysis of nationally representativedata for Sri Lanka. The data was collected from 3262 school attending students in grades 8-12 inthe Sri Lankan Global School-based health survey (GSHS) 2016. A two-stage cluster sample designwas used to select the representation of samples. The binary variables i.e. loneliness, anxiety andsuicidal ideation, were modelled using multivariable logistic regression models with predictorsrepresenting gender, age, grade, parental supervision and parental understanding. Result: It isestimated that the prevalence of parental supervision and parental understanding is 85.3% and78.5%, respectively. The analysis of both good parental supervision and parenting understandinghas reduced the loneliness, anxiety and suicidal thoughts among the adolescents population,compared to those who don't have good parental engagement. Conclusion: It is seen that there isa higher prevalence of parental and children engagement in Sri Lanka compared to otherdemographical regions. However, the prevalence of mental health remains higher as compared tothe global average. The results suggest that national policies and programs should be integrated forboth parents and children. Parents need more knowledge on good parenting, while adolescents needsupport on coping with their mental health.

Impact of lockdown due to COVID-19 on the dietary habits of youngsters of Delhi-NCR

With over a year after the first coronavirus case reached Delhi, the total number of infections anddeaths has reached a sky-high mark. The response of the Delhi government involved the impositionof multiple lockdowns. This decision, though slowed down the positivity rate, had unprecedentedeffects on the dietary habits of young individuals in the city. Forced to stay at home due to thelockdown, these individuals engaged in unhealthy daily routines and dietary habits. With the closelink between diet and immunity it becomes imperative to collect data in this regard. The presentpaper records the dietary habits of individuals in the city using a web-based survey. The findings arepresented and analyzed graphically. It was observed that the lockdown harmed the dietary habits ofyoung individuals. A decrease in the level of exercise, water intake and increase in weight were themajor variables leading to this conclusion.

Study on infant feeding practice among children up to 6 months in an urban slum of Bhopal

Introduction: High morbidity and mortality among the under 5 children are highly prevalent inIndia. Appropriate child feeding practices in the initial six months of age act as a preventiveintervention against childhood morbidity and mortality. Methods: A questionnaire-based cross-sectional study was conducted in an urban slum to study various feeding practices prevalent amongchildren up to 6 months of age. Also associated socio-demographic factors were studied. SPSSsoftware version 25 was used to analyze the results. Results: The study included 55 children up to6 months of age. Out of these 76.4% were exclusively breastfed. Among 45.5%, breastfeeding waswithin 1st hour of the birth. 56.4% have received pre-lacteal feeds, while 72.72% receivedcolostrum. The educational status of the mother and place of delivery were major determinants ofappropriate infant feeding practices. Conclusion: Most mothers are practising exclusivebreastfeeding. Colostrum was fed to most of the children. Animal milk was given in cases whereinitiation of breastfeeding was delayed.

Nursing Leadership Role in Pandemic

A Pandemic is an epidemic of disease that has spread across a large region, multiple continents orworldwide, COVID-19 is a large issue worldwide. A good nurse leader is someone who can inspireothers to work together in pursuit of a common goal, such as enhanced patient care. An effectiveleader has a distinctive set of personal qualities; integrity, courage, initiative and an ability to handlestress, and also taking the effort to think critically, set goals and skilfully communicates andcollaborate. Nurse’s leaders are faced with a variety of challenges in pandemics, including managingresources, advanced planning and goal setting, collaborating with other hospital and communityleaders, improving quality measures, cost-effectiveness, reporting to the board of directors, andmany more. Nurses as effective partners of the health care team, of necessity, have to meet thedemands of these changes adequately and appropriately in respect of their expanded and enrichedroles and responsibilities. Nurse leaders, however, are still confined within their nursing orbit, but,today they have to be visible and interactive members of the multi-disciplinary health team with avision and voice that can be heard. Methods: For the present review article collected a databasefrom Google scholar; search and scrutinize studies related to nurse’s leadership role duringpandemic and article related to Covid-19 outbreak, government, community effort and mitigationstrategies in reducing transmission. Result: Because it is a novel pandemic; results suggest thatmore researches are needed in this field related to driven factors, mitigation strategies and supportof governmental and non-governmental organizations. This review article is aimed that nursingleaders must continue to develop plans that can slow or prevent the progress of widespread illnessesand ensures that all client care provided by the team is carried out in keeping with the objectives ofthe health care organisation.

A Critical Review on the Effect of Particulate Matter (PM) in Air on Public Health

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), particulate matter (PM) contamination causesaround 800,000 premature deaths per year, ranking 13th in the world in terms of mortality.However, several findings revealed that the correlation is much stronger and more complicated thanpreviously believed. PM is an element of emissions comprised of very small, acidic, organiccompounds, metals, and particulate soil or dust particles or fluid droplets. The most consistent airquality component linked to human illness is PM, which is categorized by size. PM is likely to developcardiovascular and cerebrovascular disorders due to the mechanisms of inflammation, overt andindirect coagulation activation, and direct translocation to the systemic circulation. The evidence onthe cardiovascular system that shows a PM effect is strong. Coronary incidence and mortality ratesin populations prone to long-term PM toxicity were significantly higher. Short-term acute emissionsincrease coronary incidence rates subtly within days of the pollution peak.

Public Perception and Potential Acceptance of COVID-19 Vaccine in India

The COVID-19 pandemic, caused by Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2)virus, has led to a substantial loss of human life and the global economy, and presents anunprecedented collapse of the public health systems worldwide. The sped-up advancement of theCOVID-19 vaccine is an important development. Data from the early trials suggest that the vaccineis safe as well as effective. However, the acceptance of the COVID-19 vaccine among the publicdepends on various socio-demographic factors. The primary aim of the study is to get a deeperunderstanding and analysis of the public's perception, information and sentiment towards theCOVID-19 vaccine in India.

A cross sectional study to estimate the psychological stress level in medical students during Covid-19 pandemic

Introduction: Stress and anxiety have been a common topic of discussion among the medicalstudents in normal circumstances owing to the burden of immense studies, clinical rotations, regularexams and assessments. Material and methods: A cross sectional study consisting of 330 medicalstudents studying in various medical colleges in various states like Himachal, Karnataka, Haryana,Rajasthan, Bihar, Punjab, Delhi etc. was conducted using online forms that were shared in variousWhatsApp college groups. The questionnaire was a simple 10 question form consisting of theKessler's psychological distress scale questions. The stress levels were defined according to theKessler's psychological distress scale k10. Results: The results of the study showed that 72.5% oftotal participants suffered from mild to moderate levels of stress with 20.6% students suffering frommild stress, 15.5% from moderate stress and significant 36.4% from severe stress. Similarly,various socio-demographic determinants have also been studied for any relation to these high stresslevels. The treatment seeking behaviour among medical students also reflected poorly when it cameto seeking help from health professionals. Conclusion: It was found that during the covid-19lockdown, medical students suffered from severe stress levels which is a topic of concern for theauthorities and calls for a timely intervention to control the situation. The treatment seekingbehaviour is also a topic of concern as medical students being most exposed to the knowledge ofmental health do not themselves prefer to take treatment from a health professional.

Item test analysis to assess the difficulty index for biostatistics, epidemiology, and demography module of undergraduate medical students of Raipur, Chhattisgarh, India

Background: Continuous quality improvement is linked to the use of timely and useful feedbackfrom clients. Patients constitute the hospital’s direct clientele. The overall satisfaction is an importantaspect of the service itself and it is considered to be an important outcome measure for healthservices. Patient care is not considered to be of high quality unless the patient is satisfied.Objective: To assess the level of satisfaction with available health services among inpatientsattending secondary level hospital. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted usingpretested, semi-structured questionnaire among 100 inpatients attending Government HospitalChidambaram, Tamil Nadu. Systematic random sampling was used. Results: 96% participants weresatisfied with the attitude of doctors and nurses, 80 % were highly satisfied with the cleanliness ofhospital campus,82 % were highly satisfied with lab services, 83% satisfied with food services. 92%were satisfied with the speedy admission to the ward, 74% satisfied with the ward facilities. 86 %gave a neutral response for other amenities,26 % satisfied with a drinking water facility. Overallsatisfaction among inpatients was a mean of 3.9 out of 5 (78%). Socio-demographic characteristicswere not significantly related to overall satisfaction scores. Conclusion: Patients were generallysatisfied with the hospital facilities. Patients input on various deficiencies needs to be addressed bythe hospital leadership to achieve consumer delight.

Impacts on dietary habits and health of Indian population during COVID-19 lockdown

In late 2019 the outbreak of a novel infectious coronavirus (SARS CoV2) which became globalpandemic and named as Coronavirus disease (CoViD-19) World Health Organization (WHO). On 22March, 2020 the Prime Minister of India announced and 14 hours’ public curfew and from 24 March,2020 announced sudden complete lockdown. The sudden complete lockdown made changes in theliving habits and social behaviors of public. Web based survey was conducted among the Indianpopulation of different age groups to understand the impacts on dietary habits and health during thesudden complete lockdown in India.

A study of breast-feeding practices among rural women

Introduction: Breastfeeding is an unequalled way of providing ideal food for the healthy growthand development of infants. As per the national family health survey-3 (NFHS-3), only 46% of theIndian infants between 0 and 6 months are exclusively breastfed. Hence the following study wasdone to know the practice of breastfeeding in mothers of rural and urban areas of India. Materialsand Methods: The study was conducted in a rural and urban area, which is under theadministrative control of a tertiary care hospital. All lactating mothers having babies up to 1 yearwere included in the study. Results: The mean age was 26.73 years (SD = 2.53), and 40.4 % ofmothers were below 20-24 years of age. A large proportion (77.8%) were of the Hindu faith. Mostmothers had education beyond primary school. 35.1% of participants were mothers of 2 or morechildren. A large percentage (74.7%) of study participants were delivered in a hospital. Exclusivebreastfeeding was practiced by 73.1% of mothers. 78.3% of a mother gave first breast milk i.e.colostrum to their new-borns. Still, 46.3% of mothers feed their child with honey, Ghutti, plainwater, artificial milk, sugar water, etc., before starting breastfeeding. Conclusions: The counselingshould be continued after the delivery of the baby for continuous education to the mother about theproper care of newborn, initiation of breastfeeding, the information regarding the advantages andduration of breastfeeding, the importance of colostrum feeding, the timing of weaning needs to beprovided