Age In Slums Research Articles

Frequency of impaired glucose tolerance and its correlates in females of reproductive age in urban slums of Lahore, 2019.

The prevalence of diabetes mellitus has almost reached global epidemic proportions. Fortunately, the progress of the disease can be stemmed at the prediabetic level. The objective of the present study was to determine the frequency of impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) and its predictors in females of reproductive age in the urban slums of Lahore. A cross-sectional study was conducted among females of reproductive age in the slums of metropolitan Lahore. The calculated sample size was 384. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire covering demographic variables, lifestyle, medical, and dietary history. The oral GT test was carried out on the study participants after a 10 hour overnight fasting. Data were entered and analyzed using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS version 23). Frequency distributions and percentages were calculated for categorical variables, and the mean and standard deviation were calculated for continuous variables. The Chi-square test or Fisher's exact test, as appropriate, was used to determine the association between IGT and various categorical variables. Logistic regression analysis was performed to determine the correlates of IGT after adjusting for confounders. The final sample size was 394 women; 17% of whom had IGT, and 8.6% had newly diagnosed diabetics. Results of logistic regression showed increased waist/hip ratio, lower literacy of father or husband, age, and low intake of pulses as significant predictors of IGT (P < 0.05). The frequency of IGT is high in females of reproductive age living in the urban slums of Lahore. There is a need for targeted health promotion and educational activities to improve the health and social conditions of slum dwellers.

Developmental delay among children under two years of age in slums of Burdwan Municipality: A cross-sectional study.

Context:Development is an ongoing process through which an individual acquires competence to function adequately. Developmental delay is said to occur when a child fails to reach the age-appropriate anticipated milestones. This imparts long-term direct as well as indirect effects on the health of a community obviating routine measurement of its prevalence especially in high-risk populations.Aim:To find out the prevalence and correlates of developmental delay among children under two years of age in slums of Burdwan Municipality, West Bengal.Settings and Design:A community-based descriptive cross-sectional study.Methods and Materials:This study was conducted between September-November 2019 among 240 study subjects selected by multistage simple random sampling. Data were collected by interviewing the respondents using a predesigned, pretested schedule. Developmental status was assessed by applying Trivandrum Developmental Screening Chart (TDSC). Chi-square test and logistic regression was done to find associations.Results:Prevalence of developmental delay was 6.6%(95%CI 3.6-9.8) and proportion was more among male infants. Chi square test revealed gender (p = 0.03), mothers' education (p = 0.00), socio-economic status (p = 0.00), parity (p = 0.02), birth spacing (p = 0.01) birth weight (p = 0.00) to be significantly associated with developmental delay and multivariable analysis showed all the factors to be significant predictors except gender, parity and birth spacing. Gestational duration, maternal age at delivery, mode of delivery was not found to be significantly associated with developmental delay.Conclusion:Developmental delay is considerably high in the study area. A larger study using appropriate tool and follow-up may elicit the burden and associated determinants.

Burden of malnutrition among school-going children in a slum area of Kolkata: A matter of concern

Background:Malnutrition is still a great barrier to the growth and development of children, especially in India. Children from the underprivileged sections of the society like slum children are more vulnerable to both undernutrition and overnutrition. This study aimed to estimate the magnitude of malnutrition among school-going children in a slum area of Kolkata and to elicit the association of nutritional status with parental education.Methods:A cross-sectional observational study was conducted from November 2017 to May 2018 among 508 school-going children of 6 years to 19 years of age in slums of Chetla, Kolkata. Out of three coeducation high schools catering to those children, two schools were randomly selected. 254 participants from each school were selected using systematic random sampling. Students, unwilling to participate and/or whose parents denied providing informed written consent were excluded. After the interview by a predesigned, pretested schedule, their anthropometric examination was conducted.Results:Prevalence of stunting and severe stunting was present in 9.4% and 1.2% of subjects whereas the prevalence of thinness was 23.6% among them. The prevalence of overnutrition was 11%. Boys are more stunted (OR = 2.13, P = 0.013) and thin (OR = 1.73, P = 0.011) than girls. Poor parental education was significantly associated with both undernourishment (stunting and thinness) as well as overweight and obesity.Conclusion:Substantial burden of double malnutrition was observed among school-going slum children. Parental education had an important role to prevent malnutrition of their children. Thus, periodic growth monitoring with the strengthening of the Mid-Day Meal program and awareness generation campaigns regarding malnutrition among parents of slum children are highly needed.

The Most Important Recommended Times of Hand Washing with Soap and Water in Preventing the Occurrence of Acute Diarrhea Among Children Under Five Years of Age in Slums of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

Adequate hand washing with soap at five recommended times is particularly important in urban slums in developing countries, but which of the recommended times are the most important in the prevention of diarrhea among children under five years of age living in these areas remains unclear. To address this gap, a community-based cross-sectional study was undertaken in the slums of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia between September and November 2014. Data were collected using a pre-tested structured questionnaire and an observational checklist. Multivariable logistic regression with 95% confidence interval (CI) was used for data analysis. Only 4.4% of the households had hand washing facilities within or near a latrine with soap and water access. The average prevalence of hand washing with soap at the five recommended times was 19.8%. One quarter (24.8%) of caregivers washed their hands with soap before feeding a child, 23.8% before preparing food, and 17.1% after defecation. The most important recommended times in preventing acute diarrhea were before preparing food [adjusted odds ratio (AOR) 0.2; 95% CI 0.1-0.7] and after defecation (AOR 0.3; 95% CI 0.1-0.9). Household size of six or more persons (AOR 2.3; 95% CI 1.4-3.9) and low monthly household income (AOR 2.4; 95% CI 1.4-4.0) were significantly associated with acute diarrhea. Promoting hand washing with soap and advocacy programs at the five recommended times, especially before preparing food and after defecation, and implementation of socioeconomic development programs targeting poor households are essential for increasing the prevalence of hand washing with soap and preventing acute diarrhea in the slums of Addis Ababa.

Morbidity pattern and health seeking behavior of women in reproductive age in slums of Amritsar city (Punjab), India

Background: Though India has made efforts to increase access to reproductive health care, the progress has been uneven and inequitable. There are a large number of women who still lack access to maternal and reproductive health care. The study was hence conducted with the objective of observing morbidity pattern and health seeking behavior of women in reproductive age in slums of Amritsar city. Methods: By adopting convenience sampling, 50 clusters of married women in 15-45 year of age, from different slums of Amritsar city were included in the study. They were interviewed by using pre-designed, pre-tested proforma. Data was compiled and analyzed. Results: It was observed that 53.1% women had one or more health problems. Pregnant women were 1.68 times more likely to have health problems in comparison to non-pregnant women (OR=1.68, CI = 1.07-2.65, P = 0.03) and the difference was statistically significant. But, only 25.2% women sought treatment for their health problems and 19.3% women took treatment from qualified health practitioner. Availability of ration card for their identity, their caste, type of family, literacy status of women and their socioeconomic status were significant factors affecting treatment seeking behavior of women. Conclusions: Though a large number of women in reproductive age had one or more health problems, only few of them took treatment from qualified practitioners. Attention needs to be paid to significant factors affecting their health seeking behavior so that health of women could be improved.

Risk correlates of diarrhea in children under 5 years of age in slums of bankura, west bengal.

Background:Diarrheal diseases are an important cause of mortality and morbidity globally in children under 5 years of age.Objective:To find the prevalence and risk factors of diarrhea among children under 5 years.Materials and Methods:A population-based analytical cross-sectional study was conducted in the urban slums of Bankura, West Bengal on the prevalence of diarrhea and feeding practices, nutrition, and immunization among 152 children under 5 years (69 males and 83 females).Results:Overall prevalence of diarrhea was 22.36%; 21.73% males and 22.89% females were affected with diarrhea. There were 57.69% diarrhea cases in children of 7-12 months age group, followed by 25.71% in those of 13-24 months age group; with increasing age, the prevalence of diarrhea gradually decreased. Diarrhea was noted to be 20.33% in exclusively breastfed children and 31.57% in children who were breastfed for less than 6 months. In bottle-fed children, the frequency of diarrhea was 26.08%. The prevalence of diarrhea was 21.83% in completely immunized children and 30% in partially immunized children. Risk of diarrhea was 19.80% in normal participants and 27.45% in undernourished children.Conclusion:The present study identified a high prevalence of diarrhea in children under the age of 5 years. Findings of the study also revealed the demographic features, feeding practices, immunization practices, and nutritional status as risk factors of diarrhea, which can be tackled by effective education of the community.

Risk correlates of acute respiratory infections in children under five years of age in slums of Bankura, West Bengal

Background: Acute respiratory infections (ARI) are the leading cause of mortality and morbidity globally inchildren under five years of age. Objective: To find out prevalence and risk factors of ARI among under fivechildren. Methods: A population based analytical cross-sectional study was conducted in the urban slums ofBankura, West Bengal on the prevalence of ARI and feeding practices, nutrition and immunization among 152children under five years of age. Results: Overall prevalence of ARI was 44.73 percent; 43.47 percent male and45.78 percent female were affected with ARI; half of the infants suffered from ARI (51.21%), it was 45.71percent in 13- 24 months age groups; with increasing age, prevalence of ARI gradually decreased. ARI was seenin 45.76 percent of exclusively breast fed children and 57.89 percent in children with breast feeding less than sixmonths; in bottle fed children ARI prevalence was 47.82 compared to 44.18 percent in breast-fed. Risk of ARIis almost equal in normal participants and undernourished children. ARI cases were seen among 38.73 percentof completely immunization in comparison to 80.00 percent of partially-immunized children (X2=4.97,p=0.026). Conclusion: The present study had identified a high prevalence of ARI in children less than fiveyears of age. In our study population, ARI was significantly associated with immunization status, but not withfeeding practices and nutritional status of the child.