Community Of West Bengal Research Articles

Cardiometabolic Risk Factors by Fasting Blood Glucose Tertiles in a Rural Community of Asian Indian Origin

Background: This study was aimed to investigate cardiometabolic risk factors by fasting blood glucose (FBG) tertiles in a rural community of Asian Indian origin. Methods: This cross-sectional study was carried out among 1007 participants (645 males and 362 females) aged 20 to 80 years in a rural community in West Bengal, India. Anthropometric measures were collected using standard techniques. Blood pressure was recorded according to standard protocol. Metabolic profiles were measured using an auto-analyzer. Results: Significant (p<0.05) group (tertile) differences were observed for waist circumference, waist-hip ratio, waist-height ratio, percentage pf body fat, total cholesterol, triglycerides, low and very low density lipoprotein cholesterol, total cholesterol (TC) : high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL) and blood pressure. Significant differences (p<0.0001) between dyslipidaemic and non-dyslipidaemic individuals by FBG tertiles were also evident. Higher prevalence of high total cholesterol, high triglycerides, high TC: HDL and low HDL was found with increasing FBG tertiles. Conclusions : It may be argued that increased level of fasting blood glucose might be responsible for clustering of cardiometabolic risk factors and in turn CVD occurrence.

Abstract MP71: Undetected Disease and Low Medication Adherence are Major Determinants of Poor Cardiovascular Risk Factor Control in Rural India

Background: Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of mortality in India. Since it is largely driven by risk factors such as hypertension, diabetes and smoking it is important to study diagnosis, treatment and control patterns for these conditions, and identify areas for improvement. Methods: Project SEHAT (ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT02115711) is a cluster RCT with a long term goal of improving the control of cardiovascular risk factors in a rural community in West Bengal, India. For the baseline data, 3575 adults, between the ages of 35 and 70, were screened for hypertension, diabetes and smoking. For hypertension and diabetes, an elevated reading was confirmed on a repeat visit. Results: Risk factors were common, with hypertension, diabetes and smoking evident in 18.3% (654 of 3575), 9.0% (321 of 3575) and 15.1% (540 of 3575) of adults, respectively. Overall, 34.5% (1233 of 3575) of adults had at least one risk factor. There was a huge burden of undetected disease, with only 45.2% (296 of 654) of hypertensives and 59.8% (192 of 321) of diabetics previously aware of their disease. Linkage to care was high with 72.0% (213 of 296) of previously diagnosed hypertensives and 86.0% (165 of 192) of previously diagnosed diabetics on treatment. Control rates were, however, low with 8.2% (54 of 654) of hypertensives controlled (BP &lt;140/90 mmHg) and 13.7% (44 of 321) of diabetics controlled (fasting blood sugar &lt;126 mg/dl). This may be partly explained by a low medication adherence rate, with the adherence (medium and high) being 35.5% (76 of 213) in hypertensives and 20.6% (34 of 165) in diabetics, as measured by the Morisky Medication Adherence Scale-8. Conclusions: In our population in rural India, 1 in 3 adults have a major cardiovascular risk factor, with abysmal control rates. Barriers to risk factor control primarily exist at the points of diagnosis and medication adherence. Over the next 2 years, a community health worker led intervention, with an aim to improve the control of hypertension, diabetes and smoking will be tested in this cohort.

Cardiometabolic risk factors and TV watching in a rural community in West Bengal, India

BackgroundNo study has been undertaken among rural adult population of India to investigate the association of cardiometabolic risk factors with TV watching. Materials and methodsThis cross-sectional study was carried out in 1007 participants (645 males and 362 females) aged 20–80 years from a rural community. Anthropometric measures were collected using standard techniques. HOMA-IR was calculated accordingly. ResultsThe significant higher value for MWC, WHtR, TER, SF4, BMI, %BF, FM, VFL, IVF, TC, LDL and FBG was observed with increasing duration of TV watching. No significant change was observed for TG, HDL, VLDL, DBP and MAP. Chi-square revealed significant difference for central obesity between male and females across TV watching category. The higher metabolic syndrome phenotypes were prevalent among both sexes with increasing duration of TV watching. Furthermore, multiple regression analyses (stepwise) revealed that occupation, monthly income, duration of TV watching in a day, education and monthly expenditure cumulatively explained ∼19% (R2=0.191) of the total variance of % body fat in the study. ConclusionIt seems rational to argue that lengthy TV watching time might have detrimental effect on CVD health.

English

Information is an essential ingredient in our life. Serving the right information to the right users at the right time is the goal of every library and information centre. It has become necessary to manage this information in a systematic way to achieve the goal. The process of management of a library requires skills at various levels. These skills, though relatively independent of one another, blend together to bring about organisational productivity, efficiency, and harmony. There are a number of libraries governed by minority communities in West Bengal. These libraries are playing remarkable role in the dissemination of information. This article highlights and discusses the skills of information/management and its dissemination in the various minority-governed libraries, and also explores the collection, arrangement, and management of these libraries.

Prevalence of cardiovascular disease risk factors in a rural community in West Bengal, India

Background: In rural India, only a few studies have been undertaken to investigate the prevalence of cardiovascular disease (CVD). Most of the studies carried out on the urban population. Objectives: To investigate the prevalence of CVD risk factors in a rural community in West Bengal, India. Materials and Methods: A total of 1007 (645 males and 362 females) participants aged 20 years and above took part in the present study. Various anthropometric measures were undertaken using standard techniques. Metabolic profiles were measured using an auto-analyzer. Blood pressure (BP) was recorded according to standard protocol. Insulin was also measured, and homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance was calculated accordingly. Results: The anthropometric measures are almost equal in male and female except SF4 and percentage of body fat, which are more in the female. It is observed that 52.53% population have high BP, 45.58% have high triglyceride (TG), 23.14% have high fasting blood glucose (FBG), 11.22% have high total cholesterol (TC), and 11.62% have low high-density lipoprotein (HDL). High TC is found more in female, but high TG, high FBG, and high BP are more in male, and low HDL is found almost equal in male and female. The prevalence of three CVD risk factors clustering is also significant in male and female. Conclusion: The present study showed that prevalence of CVD risk factors is considerably high in the study population and warranted early intervention to check progressive increase of CVD risk factors in the rural folk.

The International Society for Krishna Consciousness: Religion and Politics in West Bengal

The State of West Bengal in India is the home of a monotheistic, salvationist religion known as Vaishnavism. It has also been governed for 30 years by the democratically elected Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M). Vaishnavism has expanded globally, largely via the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON or the Hare Krishna movement). ISKCON has developed an intentional community in West Bengal as its world headquarters, and this community is becoming one of the state’s major tourist attractions and income-earners. The research that follows in this article was conducted to assess tensions between the West Bengal government and ISKCON, particularly in relation to land acquisition and workers’ rights policies. Perceptions of a contemporary alliance between ISKCON and a Hindu nationalist party, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which is a rival to the government and has historical ties to ISKCON, are found to be aggravating politics at the local level. The research highlights sensitivities at the intersection of religion, politics and culture, and the complexities of state–religion relationships in West Bengal.

Incidence of the Hb E [β26(B8)Glu→Lys, GAG>AAG] Variant In Totos, One of the Smallest Primitive Tribes in the World

Toto is one of the smallest tribes in the world. This primitive sub Himalayan, endogamous tribe lives in a small, isolated village called Totopara in the Jalpaiguri district of West Bengal in India. The tribal communities of West Bengal are vulnerable to various genetic disorders such as β-thalassemia (β-thal). We have studied 443 Totos to define their Hb E [β26(B8)Glu→Lys, GAG>AAG] status. Awareness and screening camps have been organized in various parts of Totopara during the last 2 years. We collected 3 mL peripheral blood from each individual aseptically on which to use the naked eye single tube red cell osmotic fragility test (NESTROFT); complete hemogram and high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) were done to detect their carrier status. The Hb E variant had been found to be prevalent among the Totos. To confirm the codon 26 (GAG>AAG) mutation in the β-globin gene, amplification refractory mutation system-polymerase chain reaction (ARMS-PCR) was performed. Restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP)-PCR was carried out with 44 Hb E alleles to construct the haplotype(s) of the Totos. Our extensive studies have revealed that 49.21% of Totos are Hb E heterozygotes and 19.19% Totos are Hb E homozygotes. The most prevalent haplotype linked with the codon 26 mutation in the Totos is [+ − − − − −] (HincII 5′ϵ, HindIII Gγ, HindIII Aγ, HincII 5′ψβ, HincII 3′ψβ and HinfI 3′β). Consanguineous marriages have resulted in a significant increase of the percentages of heterozygotes and homozygotes of Hb E in the Totos. Genetic counseling is essential and important to prevent the spread of this mutation and hence to save them from having any kind of clinically significant hemoglobinopathy in the future.

"Who wants to marry a farmer?"

This article seeks to understand why both anti-land acquisition protests and proindustrial rhetoric of provincial governments in India are fodder for populist politics. To understand this, the article explores the meanings that land and development have for the rural communities in West Bengal, India, who are trying to straddle the multiple worlds of farm ownership and nonfarm employment. Based on five years of ethnographic fieldwork in various parts of rural West Bengal, this article argues that resistances to corporate globalization, taken to be unambiguously anti-industrial or anticapitalist, reflect complex intentions. Protesting villagers are ambivalent toward corporate capital, but their support for industries and protests against corporations are grounded in local moral worlds that see both nonfarm work and landownership as markers of critical social distinction.

Accessibility of Bank Credit by the Muslim Minorities in West Bengal – A Case Study

The study on credit facilities to Muslim minority community in West Bengal initially deals with some aspects of credit facilities that the Muslim minority community of West Bengal, may avail of. Issues related to availability, accessibility and utilization of such facilities from the different sources are taken up. The two main sources of credit namely the formal and the informal, the constituent components of which include the banks, financial institutions, govt. organizations, money lenders, friends, relatives etc. are touched upon in this study. The study derives its theoretical background from the rich body of the literature that has developed over the years on credit transactions formal as well as informal in the agrarian economy. The primary focus of this research is on interlinked transactions. It has been examined whether interlinked transactions may exist in the non-agrarian sphere of the activity profile of the Muslim minority community, so far as their relations are concerned. The main aspects of the study are formal credit sector versus informal credit sector dichotomy, comparative strength of the informal sector, sources of formal and informal credit, accessibility and functioning of formal and informal credit & market interlinkages.

Microcredit and Women’s Agency: A Comparative Perspective across Socioreligious Communities in West Bengal, India

The article explores the impact of a government-sponsored microcredit program in India on women’s decision-making powers across different socioreligious communities (SRCs). The article shows that women’s participation in the Swarnajayanti Gram Swarojgar Yojona (SGSY) has resulted in varied patterns of decision-making across SRCs in four areas chosen for inquiry: (a) money management, (b) food items, (c) use of borrowed money, and (d) kinship and family matters. The likelihood of decisions being taken by “female-only” increased among households participating in SGSY, irrespective of caste and creed, compared to those not participating in it (the control group). However, men continue to take decisions in money management in both the participating and nonparticipating households. In the other three spheres, women of participating households have a greater say as compared to those in the control group

A Comparative Study of the Socio-Demographic Variables with Respect to the Knowledge of Bird Flu between a Rural and an Urban Slum Community of West Bengal, India

Every year in the early spring Bird Flu poses a threat to the community. H5N1 virus is also getting robust day by day acquiring an ability to cross the species barrier. It is now known as (H5N1) which is emerging as killer virus to man. Though human casualty is yet to be recorded from India but the threat is not over. Objectives of the study:1) To assess and compare the differences of knowledge and practice regarding Bird flu and poultry maintenance in between the rural and urban population. 2) To study the different socio-demographic factors responsible for this. Material and methods: The present study had been undertaken in the village of Hakimpur of Singur Block of District Hooghly, West Bengal with a population 862 of 215 families and in an urban slum of Chetla lockgate area of service area of Urban Health Centre Kolkata with a population of 1014 of 250 families. One responsible adult member from each family was interviewed. Information regarding socio-demographic profile, poultry keeping, correct knowledge about bird flu, mode of transmission, culling etc. was recorded. Result:The Results showed that 45.6% rural and 55.1% urban slum respondents know what Bird Flu is, 75.3% rural and 58.8% urban slum respondents know the mode of transmission, 32.6% rural and 31.2% urban slum respondents know the procedure of culling. The knowledge of transmission by Infected Body Fluids among Literate Respondents were significantly high than the Illiterate Respondents. The predominant source of information was Mass Media. 57.14% of the rural families rearing poultry, kept the birds in shed, 40.48% in cage and 2.38% in living room. 91.67% of the urban slum families rearing poultry kept birds in the cage and the rest of them kept birds in living room.39.2% urban slum respondents believe that isolation of diseased birds is helpful to arrest an outbreak and 44.7% rural respondents believe that the transmission of Bird Flu can be reduced by Culling at the time of an outbreak. 78% urban slum respondents believe that poultry products can be used at the time of an outbreak.

Emerging Micro-Politics of the Marginal Tea Plantation Community of West Bengal in the Context of Globalisation and State's Neo-Liberal Policies

Globalisation ushered in the new economic reforms in India during 1990s through government's new market policy. But, in the wake of these globalised economic orientations, the impact of State-led neo-liberal policies was also strongly felt. And just when the global discourse on democracy became uni-dimensional, almost thrusting the neoliberal model of market democracy as the only universally desirable model and Indian State linking itself to the global economic and political power, significant countervailing processes emerged in the form of socio-political movements at the grass root level, thereby countering the State's policies of globalisation. The study conducted in North Bengal among the marginal tea plantation community attempts to study the emergence of Adivasi Vikas Parishad (AVP) as a political force in Terai and Dooars tea regions at the foothills of the Eastern Himalayas. Responses are built primarily on the lived experience of economic marginalisation of tea workers, revealing contradictions between accumulation of profit by garden-owning companies with global market connections on the one hand, and the increasing living costs, failure of State policies to support for the sustainable livelihoods of the workers and the pressures emanating from the newer orientations of life for the hitherto unexposed people through globalisation, on the other. In the light of this, the present paper attempts to evaluate the State-sponsored neo-liberal economic policies and their impact on the livelihoods of the tea workers, and the resultant micro-politics of tea workers’ livelihoods, albeit with a focus on the possible future trends and their overall implications to the nature of economic policies and politics in the region.

Socio-demographic correlates influencing the trend of intestinal parasitic infestation in a rural community of West Bengal, India

Aim The aim of this study was to estimate the change in magnitude of intestinal parasitic infestation, distribution of various socio-demographic factors and their possible influence on the parasitic infestation in the community over a period of 4 years.

Physical activity pattern among the adolescents of a rural community in West Bengal

Sir, Physical activity is one of the major lifestyle-related health determinants. However, such an important health-protecting behavior is seen to decline during adolescence. This study was undertaken to assess the physical activity pattern among adolescents and to find out the various factors influencing the same. An observational study was carried out among the adolescents in Diara village, Singur block, Hoogly district, West Bengal. The total adolescent population was nearly 450 out of the total population of 2252, that is approximately 20%. Of them, 25% were studied by selecting through simple random sampling from a suitable sample frame and interviewing with a questionnaire developed from International Physical Activity Questionnaire.(1) The day's activity was characterized into type of activity and its duration. Energy expenditure for each of the activities was computed by Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) for that duration x metabolic constant for that activity Total energy expenditure was computed by adding the full-day energy expenditure for all the activities with energy expenditure for growth. This value was compared with the standard total daily energy expenditure as per WHO guidelines.(2) Seventy percentage of the studied population were students (mostly the younger adolescents), 16% were carpenters, shop helpers, or housemaids, and 14% were unemployed(mostly the older girls). Approximately, they spent 10 h for their occupation, 1 h for travelling (cycling or walking), 1 h for household activities, 2 h for leisure, 2 h for miscellaneous activities, and 8 h for sleeping. Their household activities included sweeping, washing, cooking, cattle caring, looking after children and older people. Girls were more engaged in housework. Leisure activities of younger girls and boys were mainly games. Older girls spent most of their leisure time by watching TV, sewing, and gossiping. Seventy-eight percentage were sufficiently active, whereas 22% were less active. Of these, 70% had a normal BMI. None were found to be obese. Younger adolescents and school attendees were more active and the finding was statistically significant. Physical activities and gender did not show any statistically significant relationship [Table 1]. Table 1 Relationship between the level of physical activity and various factors (n = 100) The study showed that most of the adolescents were sufficiently active, the level being more at younger age, as was also reported by Heath(3) and Kenneth(4) Besides occupational activity, use of active transport, housework, and games helped them to expend energy. Energy expenditure was more among the school attendees and that was probably due to participation in school's physical education program, as was also observed by Gordon-Larsen(5) Although physical activities and gender did not show any statistically significant relationship, leisure activities varied with age and sex. Older girls spent their leisure time for sedentary activities, probably due to lack of parental or social support for games, which was also reported by other studies.(6,7) The study recommends for parental and social support for physical activities, community-based recreational opportunities, and school attendance for adolescents.

UNDERUTILIZED PLANT SPECIES: IMPLICATIONS IN HOMESTEAD FARMING

The average diet of rural communities in West Bengal, India is highly deficient in calories, nutrients (calcium, iron) and vitamins (A and C). Fruits and vegetables growing in the homestead are the only sources of protective food for people living in villages in meeting their requirements of vitamins and minerals. We studied 180 households across six villages in the districts of Nadia, 24-Parganas and Jalpaiguri in West Bengal. The study documents 42 widely used species of fruits, vegetables, medicinal plants, spices and fodders in homesteads. The underutilized plant species growing in homesteads in these villages were identified as (1) fruits: Artocarpus heterophyllus, Aegle marmelos, Emblica officinalis, Carissa carandus, Citrus paradisi, Dellenia indica, Feronia limonia, Grewia subinaequalis, Garcinia indica, Syzygium cuminii; (2) vegetables: amaranthus, cowpea, pointed gourd, winged bean, colocasia, drumstick, snake gourd, water chestnut, amorophophallus; (3) spices: betelvine, tamarind, coriander, turmeric, ginger; (4) medicinal plants: Datura alba, Adhatoda vasica, Ocimum sanctum, Plantago ovata, Bacopa monniera; (5) fodder: forage ground nut, barseem. Potential non-market benefits from homestead were identified as: (1) a portion of family's nutritional requirements met from the homestead; (2) an average of seven annual crop species in each homestead (crops are staggered so that there will be harvest throughout the year; (3) the diversity of plants maintained in homestead serves as a source of cash generation during emergency (e.g., bamboo, teak); (4) availability of medicines for common diseases like diarrhea, fever, cuts and wounds, cough, constipation, etc.; (5) as homestead is mainly maintained by female members, the homestead thereby increases the women's feelings of self worth; and (6) serves as a buffer for food and fodder during emergency, e.g., continuous several rainy days during monsoon.

Breaching of Coastal Dunes: An Issue of Management of the Coast to Safeguard the Coastal Communities of West Bengal, India

Breaching of Coastal Dunes: An Issue of Management of the Coast to Safeguard the Coastal Communities of West Bengal, India

A study on drug use in a rural community of West Bengal

A study on drug use in a rural community of West Bengal

Faith, work, and women in a changing world: the influence of religion in the lives of beedi rollers in West Bengal

In India, religious norms and values play a significant role in regulating the lives of women and girls in many communities. This article looks at how the lives of women and girl beedi (hand rolled cigarette) rollers in a Muslim community in West Bengal are influenced by their religious background, highlighting the complex relationship between gender, faith, and work. Secondly, the article discusses how secular NGOs – which in India are often seen to be hesitant in addressing questions of religious faith and practice – can engage in development work with women and girls in faith-based communities. The article focuses on the experiences of two secular NGOs working with women beedi workers in villages in Murshidabad, as they come to understand that to bring about significant changes in women's lives they must open up discussions around sensitive religious belief, within the community and their own organisations.

A Comparative Study on Anthropometric Variables in Two Communities of West Bengal, India

A comparative study on anthropometric measurements and adiposity indices among adult (18 - 23 years) Hindu (n=100) and Muslim (n=100) females showed significant difference (p<0.001) except maximum hip circumference. The study also revealed that Hindu females had higher overall and abdominal fat deposition than Muslim females. Comparison of body mass index cut off values (WHO 1995) revealed that among Muslim females frequency of under nutrition was higher on the other hand among Hindu females frequency of overweight was higher than Muslim. (authors)

Seasonal variation of births in rural West Bengal: magnitude, direction and correlates.

This paper examines seasonal variation of births in a rural community of West Bengal, India, by exploring data from the 1992-93 National Family Health Survey. Suitable time series analyses were used to determine the seasonal pattern of births and to estimate peaks. The trigonometric regression technique was used to carry out this objective. The study attempted to link the results of the regression analysis to the atmospheric temperature of the region during 1987-91, the distribution of respondents' husbands' occupations and the marriage pattern of the community. It was found that, in the study population, conceptions were numerous in the first quarter of a calendar year and the distribution of conceptions over calendar months was negatively associated with the average monthly temperature. In addition, the marriage pattern of the community and the occupational distribution of the fathers also had a significant effect on the distribution of births over calendar months. It is hoped that the findings will boost the development of needs-based maternal and child health (MCH) and family planning programmes in the community.