Children In West Bengal Research Articles

Indicators of Malnutrition Among School-Going Children in an Eastern State (West Bengal) of India

ABSTRACT This study identified determinants of malnutrition among school children in West Bengal, India. A total of 896 children aged between 4 and 13 years in eight districts were evaluated. BMI, weight, and height-for-age z-scores were used to categorize the stages of malnutrition. The study results revealed that the average height of the boys and girls was as per the standards set by the National Council of Health Sciences. Body mass index of the children ranged between 14.4 and 21.42 kg/m2, and stunting was 56.77%. Age and stunting were positively correlated in 5- to 10-year-old children. The most common deficiency was of fluoride.

Prevalance Of Substance Abuse Among Street Children In West Bengal, India

The term substance abuse implies on the use of tobacco, alcohol, marijuana, glue, opioids, gasoline and legal or illegal substances excessively or in a wrong way. The most commonly used substances are inhalants while they are volatile in nature i.e. volatile substances (VS). The most vulnerable groups are the street children aged between 5-15yrs. in India. Children from broken family, without caregiver, of extreme poverty, food insecurity, often ended up on street life and indulged into these types of addiction. Initially the main cause has always been the appetite. Some studies have identified the substance abuse as remedy for hunger pain. Substance abuse is one of the main reasons to claim lives on the streets of India. Recent studies have shown that out of all inhalants are mostly in trend as those are inexpensive and easy to obtain and legally available in any market. These types of substance abuse are widely spread all over the India, especially in West Bengal. The study aims at prevalence of substance abuse among the street children of West Bengal, India. The literature review is based on about 24 journal articles and some other organizational articles etc. After proper screening of the sources, analysis has done and reviewed to draw findings and discussion for the study. Extensive work and vigorous studies are required to get a clear picture about the prevalence of substance abuse in street children in West Bengal, India as the studies are limited in this area of research.

Assessment of Body Frame Size by Elbow Breadth and Frame Index and Its Relation to Body Composition Parameters among Tribal Preschool Children in West Bengal, India.

In children, body frame size estimation is used to interpret body mass and evaluate growth patterns. The present study aims to assess the body frame size by elbow breadth and frame index and its relation to body composition parameters among tribal preschool children (1-5 years of age). In the present study, 848 preschool children (430 boys and 418 girls) were included. The mean elbow breadth showed an increasing trend with increasing age, but inverse results were observed in the case of frame index. Age-wise, statistically significant sex differences were found in mean elbow breadth and frame index (except for 2 years of age). Boys show higher mean elbow breadth and frame index in all age groups, and significant sex differences were found. Elbow breadth and frame index had the strongest significant positive correlations with fat free mass (FFM) (r = 0.590, P < 0.01) and FFM index (r = 0.539, P < 0.01), respectively.

Prevalence of Dental Fluorosis Amongst School Children in West Bengal, India

Dental fluorosis, a disease, results from excessive fluoride consumption mainly through drinking water during early childhood, which damages tooth-forming cells in children. This study examines the prevalence of dental fluorosis amongst school children in the Puruliya district, located in West Bengal, India. This is because the Puruliya district is one of the worst-affected fluoride areas in India. When compared to the World Health Organization’s 1.5 mg/l permitted limit for fluoride in drinking water, the highest fluoride levels were found to be 8.28 mg/l in the Kashipur block of the district. Therefore, to perform a study to ascertain the prevalence of dental fluorosis among school-going children between the ages of 6 and 14 based on the Dean’s Index, the Kashipur block of the Puruliya District was selected. The fluoride levels of drinking water sources are tested in the public health and Engineering department in the Puruliya district. The average level of fluoride discovered in drinking water ranges from 0.42 mg/l to 5.23 mg/l. The data were analysed with SPSS-20 statistical software, and mapping was done with Arc-GIS 10.5. Linear regression is applied to test the correlation. The findings demonstrate a very strong positive correlation (r = 0.92) between fluoride concentration and the frequency of childhood dental fluorosis. Dental fluorosis was observed to afflict 45.20% of the children in the research area, and it was more common in female children (46%) than in male children (44.40%). There were 226 students with dental fluorosis between the ages of 6 and 15, of whom 16.4% were in Grade I, 13.2% in Grade II, 10.0% in Grade III, and 5.6% in Grade IV.

Pain education among government school children in West Bengal, India: A report

Pain education among government school children in West Bengal, India: A report

Incidence of Human Leptospirosis among Scrub Typhus and Chikungunya Negative Children in West Bengal, India, 2022

Leptospirosis caused by the bacterium Leptospira, has been classified by the World Health Organisation (WHO) as a neglected tropical disease with worldwide significance. Leptospirosis in endemic places affects adults more frequently and severely than it affects children. There is a lack of data specifically focusing on children, and it is yet unknown why this discrepancy exists. As the majority of human leptospiral infections are mild or asymptomatic in endemic areas, goal of our study was to describe the prevalence of the Leptospira disease spectrum and the variations in clinical manifestations among patients admitted for febrile illness in a tertiary care facility.

COVID-19 PANDEMIC AND ITS IMPACT ON RURAL EDUCATION SYSTEM IN WEST BENGAL: A CASE STUDY OF DAKSHIN DINAJPUR DISTRICT

We are currently in the midst of COVID-19 pandemic and tapped by the corona virus. Under this griming situation all the educational institutions are closed down to save the children from the deadly corona virus attack. This event has far reaching impact on our society and economy. We are never seen, witnessed and experienced this type of situation. Due to closer of schools all the educational activities have been stopped and the students are sinking into the midst of helpless and there is no way to get out from it. Educational activities are very much affected both in urban and rural areas due to COVID-19 pandemic. There are sharp differences have been seen in the means of getting facilities between urban and rural education system. There is huge communication gap in terms of getting governmental facilities on teaching-learning process between urban and rural areas. In this paper the researcher trCommittee hasies to highlight the impact of Covid-19 on rural school going children in West Bengal with special reference to Dakshin Dinajpur District due to long run closer of educational institutions where the percentage of rural areas is very high. What kind of problems the rural students faced is critically analyzed in this paper. What is their educational status and how much it affected due to corona pandemic lockdown situation will be critically discussed in this paper. Actually the author’s main intention is to highlight how much rural education system of Dakshin Dinajpur district is affected due to Covid-19 pandemic and long run lockdown situation and closer of educational institutions.

Childhood Morbidity and its Association with Socio-economic and Health Care Condition among Under 5 Years Children in West Bengal: An Evidence from NFHS-5, 2019-20

Childhood Morbidity and its Association with Socio-economic and Health Care Condition among Under 5 Years Children in West Bengal: An Evidence from NFHS-5, 2019-20

Status of anemia among the tribal children in West Bengal

Background: Anemia is a major public health problem worldwide. School children are more vulnerable to this disease due to their rapid growth need of high iron. Therefore, it is a critical health concern because it affects growth and physical performance. This study was undertaken to investigate the prevalence of anemia among different areas and sub-caste of tribal school children in West Bengal.Methods: Complete hemogram was performed on Sysmex (KX-21) automated cell counter. Haemoglobin analysis was done by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC, from Bio Rad Variant II). Ferritin estimation was done by ELISA based method. A software (Thaltribe) was prepared to record and maintain the data of the screened population.Results: Total number of school students from all the districts of West Bengal included in this study was 45887. Among the total population 49.88% were found to carry low Hb and 28.45% had low ferritin. Among the population who had normal ferritin (N=32832), there were 46.59% (N=15298) carrying low Hb. Among total 15298 cases who had low Hb with normal ferritin level, 10741 (70.21%) remained undiagnosed who were not detected to be thalassaemia carrier or thalassaemia disease (HPLC normal) and also did not carry alpha globin gene mutation.Conclusions: On the contrary to the common belief that iron is the main source of anemia, it was observed in this study that around 25% of anemic children did not have iron deficiency. This group requires further evaluation to investigate the reason of anemia.

Early orthodontic treatment need among 6-9-year-old children of West Bengal

Background: Early orthodontic treatments (EOTs), which basically include interceptive and preventive orthodontic procedures, are relatively simple and cost-effective treatment approaches that target developing malocclusions during the mixed dentition period. The present study is aimed to assess the need for EOT among 6–9-year-old children of West Bengal that would benefit from preventive and interceptive orthodontic treatment to prevent or reduce the number of late/corrective orthodontic treatments, which can be complex, lengthy, and costly. Materials and Methods: A total of 1129 children from different public and private primary schools of West Bengal were evaluated using index for preventive and interceptive orthodontic need (IPION). On the basis of IPION, the overall scores of children were distributed into three groups – no treatment need, moderate treatment need, and definite treatment need. According to dental development, children were divided into two groups – IPION-6 and IPION-9. Results: Among 1129 children examined, 554 children (49.1%) came under the category of no treatment need, 174 children (15.4%) presented with moderate treatment need, and 401 children (35.5%) showed definite treatment need. The IPION groups had a significant effect on treatment need distribution (6 vs. 9, P = 0.010)); the IPION-9 scores were significantly higher than the IPION-6 scores. Conclusion: The prevalence of preventive and interceptive orthodontic treatment need is unsatisfactorily high in children of West Bengal, which highlights the importance of including preventive and interceptive orthodontic treatment in local dental health-care programs.

The use of the Sitting Height Index of Build to determine undernutrition among rural Bengalee preschool children of West Bengal, India

The use of the Sitting Height Index of Build to determine undernutrition among rural Bengalee preschool children of West Bengal, India

Impact of Environmental Sanitation and Hygienic Practices on Nutritional Status of Lodha Women and Children of West Bengal, India

Aim To assess the sanitation and hygienic practices of women and its effects on the nutritional status of the mother and preschool children of the Lodha tribal community in two districts of West Bengal. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted during November, 2014 - December, 2018 of 941 Lodha mothers and 1043 of their preschool children in Paschim Medinipur and Jhargram districts. All information was collected by using KAP questionnaire following interview and group discussion. Mother nutritional status was assessed based on body mass index (BMI) and mid upper arm circumference (MUAC). A child was classified as underweight, stunting and wasting as weight-for-age, height-for-age and weight-of -height Z-score below -2 standard deviation of WHO standard. Results This study found 35% of the households used safe drinking water. Almost 97.2% of the mother had the low hand wash score and about 67.1% of them had an average WaSH score. Overall, 41.6% and 1.6% mothers were suffered from undernutrition (BMI &lt;18.5 kg/m2) and overweight/obesity (BMI≥25kg/m2). Whereas, 48.9% women were undernourished based on MUAC&lt;22.0cm. Moreover, the overall prevalence of wasting, stunting and underweight of preschool children was 31.9%, 62.1% and 61.3%, respectively. The WaSH score of family was significantly associated with child stunted and underweight. Conclusion There is a good association between poor household WaSH practices with child undernutrition and morbidity. Hence, there is an urgent need to develop the comprehensive knowledge, attitude and practice (KAP) guidelines in their language to educate them about appropriate water storage, retrieval methods, sanitation and hand washing practices.

&lt;em&gt;Shigella&lt;/em&gt; pathogenesis: molecular and computational insights

Shigellosis, characterized by inflammation and ulceration of the large intestine, is caused by infection with Shigella species. It is a major public health problem in developing countries where filthy sanitation practices and restricted access to clean water encourage the spread of the disease. Shigellosis is spread by means of fecal-oral route. It is one of the most common disorders specially affecting children in West Bengal, India. Disease from Shigella species accounts for 165 million cases of diarrhoea culminating in one million deaths annually worldwide. Severe dysentery is treated still with antibiotics, with limited success because of the continuous development of multi drug resistance by the bacteria. WHO has identified Shigella as a potential target pathogen against which new drugs need to be formulated and in silico approach has the potential to identify drug targets. Molecular modeling of Shigella invasion proteins using computational tools may divulge novel therapeutic targets that can be used for future pharmacological intervention. Detailed annotation of previously unknown Hypothetical Proteins using an in-silico pipeline can identify crucial proteins in pathogenesis cascade, which can be explored further as effective drug targets, which may eventually enable us to combat the menace of shigellosis.

Prevalence and type of mesiodens among 3–14-year-old children in West Bengal: An institutional study

Introduction: Mesiodens is a supernumerary tooth which is most commonly located in between or palatal to the two maxillary central incisors. It is a developmental anomaly and can be single or multiple in number. The overall prevalence is reported between 0.09% and 2.05%. Materials and Methods: This is a longitudinal prospective study which was conducted in the Department of Pedodontics and Preventive Dentistry of Dr. R Ahmed Dental College and Hospital of West Bengal among 6332 children between 3 and 14 years age group. Clinical and radiographic evaluation was done regarding position, morphology, malocclusion, and eruption status. Results: About 0.69% of prevalence was noted. Nearly 70.45% were found in mixed dentition, 27.27% were in permanent dentition, and 2.27% were in primary dentition. Regarding shape, 68.18% were conical, 25% were tuberculate, and 6.81% were supplemental. Regarding position, 52.27% mesiodens were found to be present palatal to maxillary dental arch, 38.63% were found on the arch, and 9.09% were found buccal to the maxillary dental arch. Malocclusion was also evaluated. Moreover, a male predominance regarding the occurrence of mesiodens was also noted. Conclusion: The present study not only depicts the prevalence of mesiodens among 3–14-year-old children in West Bengal but also it aimed to give an insight regarding their form, number, position, and axis of orientation. It also aimed to evaluate the presence of malocclusion due to mesiodens if any so that planning of treatment can be done accordingly and more effectively.

Heavy metal blood levels and hearing loss in children of West Bengal, India.

Introduction:Heavy metals are a major environmental threat in India and there are several health risks associated with it. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between the blood levels of lead, cadmium, arsenic, and mercury and a sensoneurial hearing loss in children aged one to ten years.Method:Heavy metal blood levels were determined using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry, with appropriate quality control.Results:We found significantly higher blood lead concentration (mg/L; Mean ± SE) in children with a hearing loss (53.2 ± 4.4) compared to healthy controls (38.4 ± 4.7)/P = 0 0.03/.Conclusion:Children’s blood lead levels ≥ 50 mg/L compared to the levels < 10 mg/L were associated with increased probability of hearing loss (OR, 48.8; 95% CI, 41.9–55.6). The differences in the blood levels of cadmium, arsenic, and mercury between the children with a hearing loss and controls were statistically insignificant (P > 0.05).

State of deaf children in West Bengal, India: What can be done to improve outcome

ObjectivePrelingual deafness in children demands urgent action as best outcome is dependent on earliest possible diagnosis and intervention. Objective of this study was to determine age of suspicion, diagnosis, intervention, and outcome in a representative group of deaf children in West Bengal, India, and suggest ways of improving these parameters. MethodsIn this cross-sectional study, ages of suspicion, diagnosis, intervention and outcome of 303 randomly selected deaf children were elicited from a cohort of 1316 children with deafness identified in an earlier study. ResultsMedian ages of suspicion, diagnosis and amplification were 18, 72 and 84 months respectively. Age of suspicion was significantly related to parental education (p < 0.05); age of diagnosis to parental education and socio-economic status (p < 0.001) and children's geographic location (p < 0.01). Following diagnosis, 86% of children received hearing aids but only 6% used their aids consistently; 86% were non-verbal, 12% could communicate with a mixture of speech and gesture and only 2% with speech alone. ConclusionCurrent situation of deaf children in West Bengal, and evidence indicates, in much of India, is insupportable. However, widely diverse socio-economic conditions and scarcity of public health infrastructure preclude one solution of the problem for the whole country. In absence of the ideal universal newborn hearing screening, rigorously monitored and costed pilot programs of different models of early detection and intervention using newborn hearing screening, targeted screening and trial of calibrated noisemakers by primary care workers should be tried to see which works best where, so that successful programs can be scaled up over time.

Prevalence of Severe and Profound Sensorineural Hearing Loss in School Children in West Bengal, India.

There is pressing need for reliable information about prevalence of sensorineural hearing loss in children in India. Without this basic information it is difficult to plan services on a rational basis. In this stratified cross sectional study, we aimed to determine the prevalence of severe and profound sensorineural hearing loss in school children in West Bengal, India. We hypothesized that all children with severe or profound hearing loss in elementary schools (age 6-14years) would be among those identified as 'children with special need' because of their marked problems with hearing, speech or communication. First stratum of our study included all 6-14years old mainstream elementary school 'children with special need', with known or suspected hearing problem. Second stratum covered all 6-14years old hearing impaired children attending special schools. Comprehensive audiological assessment of 10,763 'children with special need' in mainstream elementary schools identified 3984 children showing severe or profound SNHL (≥71dB). A further 1022 children were identified with similar loss in special schools, giving a total of 5006 children with severe or profound sensorineural loss among a school population of 8,654,057, with estimated prevalence of 0.58 (CI 0.57-0.59) per 1000 children. This is the first large scale study of the epidemiology of severe and profound sensorineural hearing loss in school children in India. Although further studies are needed from other parts of India, in the interim, findings of this study can form the basis for planning resource allocation, service provision, investigation into etiology and prevention of sensorineural deafness in children in India.

Quantification of Weight and Duration of Schoolbag Carriage Based on Socioeconomic Status and its Correlation with Magnitude of Pain among Urban Children of West Bengal, India

Quantification of Weight and Duration of Schoolbag Carriage Based on Socioeconomic Status and its Correlation with Magnitude of Pain among Urban Children of West Bengal, India

Dental Esthetic Index of in vitro fertilization children Of West Bengal: An epidemiological study

Context: Malocclusion is the second most common of the dental diseases in children and young adults. It should be identified at its earliest to prevent the further derangement. The prevalence and severity of malocclusion among in vitro fertilization (IVF) children of West Bengal was not documented till date. Aims: The aim of this study is to evaluate the orthodontic status and treatment need of IVF children of West Bengal using dental esthetic index (DAI). Settings and Design: In a cross-sectional case control study, 251 IVF children and 251 spontaneously conceived children in the age group of 12-14 years who fulfilled the inclusion and exclusion criteria were considered. Materials and Methods: The information of the samples was collected using a predesigned questionnaire by a single examiner using criteria of DAI (World Health Organization oral health assessment form 1997) The case group consisted of term, singleton babies who were the outcome of IVF in the studied area in 2009-2011. The control group consisted of spontaneously conceived children of the same area. Statistical analysis used: Statistical analysis was carried out using Z -test. Results: No statistically significant difference found in studied (IVF children) and control group (spontaneously conceived children) except when comparing anterior maxillary irregularity in 0 mm category 1-2 mm category and molar relationship in one full cusp category the results are statistically significant at P Conclusions: IVF children are considered nearly same as spontaneously conceived children when studied according to DAI except in three categories. So they may be treated in the same manner as like spontaneously conceived children with a little bit of more precaution because they are more precious to their parent.

Assessment of oral health status of Santal (tribal) children of West Bengal.

Santal is the third largest tribal community of India leading a very poor standard of education and life style. There are, however, few population-based studies evaluating the oral health status among Santal children in West Bengal. The aim of the study was to evaluate the oral health status of Santal children of West Bengal by assessing prevalence of dental caries and inflammatory condition of gingival. Santal children aged between 2-14 years (N = 1205) were randomly selected from different Santal communities of West Bengal for this study. The children were divided into three different groups according to dentition. Caries for permanent dentition Decayed Missing Filled Tooth (DMFT), for deciduous dentition decayed extracted filled (def index was used. For mixed dentition DMF and def was measured respectively and then added together. Inflammatory condition of gingival was assessed by papillary marginal attachment (PMA) index. the data was analyzed statistically by SPSS software version 11. The study showed there was no significant difference (P > 0.05) between the average decayed extracted filled teeth (deft)/DMFT for boys and girls in deciduous and permanent dentition. But in mixed dentition this value for the boys was significantly higher (P < 0.001) than girls. 'Z' values were found to be non significant when compared mild, moderate and severe gingivitis between boys and girls in each dentition group, but mild gingivitis significantly increases from deciduous dentition to mixed to permanent dentition (P <0.001).