Health Status Of Population Research Articles

Oral health inequality among Indonesian workers in South Korea: role of health insurance and discrimination factors

BackgroundThe health of migrant workers is becoming an important public health issue. Although there are an increasing number of migrant workers in Korea, the health status in migrant populations remains unknown. The aims of this study were (1) to evaluate the association between income and self-rated oral health (SROH), and (2) to assess the role of health insurance and self-perceived discrimination in the association between income and SROH among Indonesian migrant workers in Korea.MethodsInformation about self-reported income, SROH, coverage/utilization of health insurance (HI), living difficulties related to oral health (LDROH), oral health literacy (OHL), and discrimination were obtained from Indonesian migrant workers in Korea (n = 248). The main explanatory variable was income, and SROH was an outcome variable. Logistic regression analyses were performed controlling for age, gender, HI, LDROH, OHL, and discrimination. The paths from income to SROH were analyzed using the Partial Least Square-Structural Equation Model (PLS-SEM).ResultsAmong Indonesian migrant workers, the lower income group had the highest probability of a poor SROH compared to the higher income group. The variables showing a high explanatory power were discrimination among the low income group and HI among the middle income group. In PLS-SEM, the variables such as HI, LDROH, OHL, and discrimination contributed 11% to explaining the association between income and SROH.ConclusionA monotonic gradient was revealed among migrant workers according to the association between income and SROH. Discrimination and HI contributed to oral health inequalities.

BigMouth: development and maintenance of a successful dental data repository.

Few clinical datasets exist in dentistry to conduct secondary research. Hence, a novel dental data repository called BigMouth was developed, which has grown to include 11 academic institutions contributing Electronic Health Record data on over 4.5 million patients. The primary purpose for BigMouth is to serve as a high-quality resource for rapidly conducting oral health-related research. BigMouth allows for assessing the oral health status of a diverse US patient population; provides rationale and evidence for new oral health care delivery modes; and embraces the specific oral health research education mission. A data governance framework that encouraged data sharing while controlling contributed data was initially developed. This transformed over time into a mature framework, including a fee schedule for data requests and allowing access to researchers from noncontributing institutions. Adoption of BigMouth helps to foster new collaborations between clinical, epidemiological, statistical, and informatics experts and provides an additional venue for professional development.

SELF-RATED HEALTH IN INFLAMMATORY BOWEL DISEASE CORRELATES WITH ANXIETY, DEPRESSION, CATASTROPHIC THINKING, AND DISEASE SEVERITY

Abstract BACKGROUND The construct of self-rated health (SRH) has been found to be strongly associated with objective markers of health status (e.g., disease progression, healthcare utilization, mortality) in both general and disease-specific populations. For individuals with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), SRH correlates with symptom severity and health-related quality of life. SRH is typically influenced by one’s disease activity, functional status, and coping style, but there is scant research investigating how specific psychological constructs are related to SRH in patients with IBD. This study aimed to examine how SRH correlates with anxiety, depression, and catastrophic thinking patterns. If clarified, results can inform assessment and intervention efforts to improve quality of life in IBD. METHODS Participants were recruited from a gastroenterology clinic in a midwestern academic medical center. Questionnaires included: Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), GI-Cognitions Questionnaire, and the 36-Item Short Form Survey (SF-36). SRH was measured from SF-36 item 1, which asked participants to rate their health on a five-point scale ranging from excellent to poor. Physicians also completed a clinician rating of IBD activity (Partial Mayo Index [PMI] for ulcerative colitis and Harvey Bradshaw Index [HBI] for Crohn’s disease). Pearson correlation analyses were conducted comparing SRH ratings to psychological variables and IBD activity. RESULTS A total of 117 adults participated (mean age = 38.5 years, 59% female; see Table 1 for demographics). Higher ratings of anxiety, depression, somatization, and catastrophic thinking patterns about GI symptoms were significantly correlated with poorer SRH. There was a significant negative correlation between SRH and IBD activity for patients with Crohn’s disease, but not ulcerative colitis. This is likely due to a restricted range of possible scores on the PMI. Table 2 displays correlation analyses. DISCUSSION Results highlight the potential utility of SRH to identify other patient concerns (e.g., anxiety, depression) and allow an additional avenue for medical providers to consider when assessing patients’ illness experience. Assessing SRH could be part of a step-wise screening and referral process in GI clinics. For example, it may be fruitful to assess SRH in a standardized manner such as using the SF-36 item 1, and when poor SRH is detected, additional screening may be warranted such as using the PHQ-9 or GAD-7. If scores are elevated, a referral to a mental health provider with training in psychogastroenterology may help identify psychological factors that could be targeted via behavioral interventions to improve quality of life and coping with illness. Additional clinical recommendations will be discussed.

Spatio-Temporal Variation of Elemental Contamination and Health of Mya arenaria Clam in the Saguenay–St. Lawrence Marine Park

The impacts of pollution and long-term effects of local clam populations are misunderstood in estuaries. The purpose of this study was to follow inorganic contamination in tissues, changes of physiological health indicators, such as condition factor (CF), growth index (GI), resistance in air emersion and dehydration rate, for 5 years in Mya arenaria clams. The sampling scheme comprised one reference site, two sites impacted by human activity (thereafter polluted) and one site recognized as a Saint-Lawrence Estuary (SLE) beluga whale feeding area without known pollution source (Baie Sainte-Marguerite (BSM)). This study revealed that the elemental contamination profiles in clams were increased but differed between the polluted and BSM compared to the reference site. At polluted sites, clams were contaminated by Ag (2.4-fold of reference site), Mn (2.5-fold) and V (6.3-fold). With respect to BSM, clams were mainly contaminated by Ce (2.5-fold), Co (2-fold), Ga (2-fold), La (2.8-fold), Hg (2.5-fold), Ni (2.2-fold), Sm (2-fold) and V (20-fold). This contamination profile suggests sources of pollution from particulate combustion products of gasoline/diesel, crude oil and urban inputs of pollution. The CF, GI and air survival time were all reduced in clams at the polluted sites, while only the CF and dehydration rates were decreased and increased, respectively, at BSM. Long-term analysis revealed that CF and GI tended to decrease over time with episodes of strong amplitude changes and became more resilient to air survival time. In conclusion, the long-term contamination of clams towards metals and elements could compromise the health status of local clam populations. The increased contamination of clams at BSM could represent a risk to the endangered SLE beluga whale population.

SELF-RATED HEALTH IN INFLAMMATORY BOWEL DISEASE CORRELATES WITH ANXIETY, DEPRESSION, CATASTROPHIC THINKING, AND DISEASE SEVERITY

The construct of self-rated health (SRH) has been found to be strongly associated with objective markers of health status (e.g., disease progression, healthcare utilization, mortality) in both general and disease-specific populations. For individuals with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), SRH correlates with symptom severity and health-related quality of life. SRH is typically influenced by one’s disease activity, functional status, and coping style, but there is scant research investigating how specific psychological constructs are related to SRH in patients with IBD.

The results of sociological research among preschool and school age children and their parents

The current Ukrainian population health status is characterized as critical. The article has analyzed the results of the sociological sampling among the children aged 0-14 and 15-17 years inclusively, as well as prevalence of diseases of the digestive system; the medical and social significance of influence of this pathology on the most substantial periods of growth and development of a child and duodenal ulcer incidence rate among children. Objective: to study the prevalence of the digestive system diseases, including duodenal ulcer among school-aged children in Ukraine. Materials and methods: sociological and process analysis methods were used. Results and discussion. The article presents the sociological sampling project scheme. The research comprised 597 children who live in cities and in rural area. We have presented the results of the sociological sampling of the first group of the children with the digestive system diseases, namely: 198 children, including 102 children living in cities and 96 – in rural area. According to the research program, we studied and analyzed the results of sociological sampling among the children in the Kyiv City and Kyiv Region and gave the recommendations on health improvement to the children with duodenal ulcer and their parents. Conclusion. The results of surveying the school-aged children with the digestive system diseases and other population categories, the study of their opinion will give an opportunity to prepare the further actions plan to prevent these diseases.

Association between sleep duration and activity of daily living in the elderly aged 65 years and older in China

Objective: To investigate the association between sleep duration and activity of daily living (ADL) in the elderly aged 65 years and older in China. Methods: A total of 11 247 subjects aged 65 and above were included in the Chinese Elderly Health Factors Tracking Survey from March 29, 2005 to April 8, 2019. Self-made questionnaire was used to collect the data of population sociological characteristics, health status and disease status. ADL status was assessed by basic activities of daily living. The association between sleep duration and ADL impairment was assessed by Cox proportional risk regression model. The dose-response relationship between sleep duration and ADL impairment was analyzed using restricted cubic spline function. Results: The age of the subjects was (79±10) years, including 5 793(51.5%) females. The incidence of ADL impairment was 33.3% (3 747/11 247). Subjects were divided into short, medium, and long sleep groups according to sleep duration of fewer than seven hours, seven to eight hours, or more than eight hours. The number of short, medium and long sleepers was 2 974 (26.4%), 4 922 (43.8%) and 3 351(29.8%), respectively. The intermediate sleep group had the lowest incidence of impaired ADL (4.98/100 person-years). Cox proportional risk regression model analysis showed that: taking the intermediate sleep group as reference, after adjustment of gender, age, marital status, educational level, place of residence, living with family, smoking, drinking, exercise, frequency of fruit consumption, vegetable intake frequency, sleep quality, factors such as hypertension, diabetes, heart disease and cerebrovascular disease, the long sleep time increased the risk of impaired ADL [HR (95%CI): 1.148 (1.062-1.241)]. Subgroup analysis showed a weak positive multiplicative interaction between sleep duration and age [HR (95%CI): 1.004 (1.000-1.009)], but no multiplicative interaction between sleep duration and sex [HR(95%CI): 0.948 (0.870-1.034)]. Longer sleep duration increased the risk of ADL impairment in women [HR (95%CI): 1.195 (1.074-1.329)], but not in men [HR (95%CI): 1.084 (0.966-1.217)]. Longer sleep duration increased the risk of ADL impairment in people aged 80 years and older [HR (95%CI): 1.185 (1.076-1.305)], but not in people younger than 80 years [HR (95%CI): 1.020 (0.890-1.169)]. There was a non-linear dose-response relationship between sleep duration and ADL damage (P=0.007), and the risk of ADL damage was lowest when sleep duration was 7.5 h. Conclusion: Sleep duration was positively correlated with the risk of ADL impairment in the elderly in a nonlinear dose-response relationship.

Progress on application of spatial epidemiology in HIV/AIDS control and prevention

Spatial epidemiology focuses on the use of geographic information systems and spatial analysis to study spatial distribution and change tendency of diseases and explore the health status of specific populations. In recent years, spatial epidemiology has been applied in the field of HIV/AIDS prevention and control. This review summarizes the progress in the application of spatial epidemiology in the analysis of spatiotemporal distribution, non-monitoring area data estimation, influencing factors of AIDS and health resource allocation and utilization to provide reference for its application in the prevention and control of AIDS in the future.

Birds of a feather cope with challenges together

Global climate change and the transformation of habitats due to the unstoppable human invasion of pristine territories are bad for life on Earth. However, recent research has shown that many organisms can tweak their physiology in order to cope well with change. A current challenge for wildlife ecologists and managers is to connect physiological measurements with subsequent changes in the health status of populations and species. This is exactly what interested the team led by Ashlee Mikkelsen, Oregon State University and USDA Forest Service (Oregon, USA). Focusing on a vulnerable species that is currently considered at risk, the northern spotted owl (Strix occidentalis caurina), they explored the connections between physiological stress responses with environmental factors that might predict the population declines of this species.Corticosterone is a main hormonal regulator of energy allocation in birds and generally increases in response to life challenges. Over 15 consecutive years (2001–2017), Mikkelsen and her team quantified the concentration of the hormone in 4720 feathers from 1056 juvenile spotted owls across 7 different study areas, in order to measure the stress responses of the youngsters as they developed. To minimise harm to the owls, most of the feathers were collected when the owls were banded and weighed as part of the annual historical monitoring of the population. Additionally, the team knew how big each owl territory was at the time of feather collection, how much cover – for breeding and foraging – each patch of forest provided and how good the parents were at caring for their chicks. They also gathered information on the local weather when the feather collections took place, to find out the conditions that the youngsters were facing.When the team crunched all the data together to assess the connection between feather corticosterone levels and individual and landscape conditions, the analysis revealed three interesting patterns. First, feather corticosterone decreased as the body mass of the owl increased; the largest chicks were the least stressed. As heavier juvenile spotted owls are fitter and have greater chances of survival, this result confirms feather corticosterone as a reliable indicator of the overall health of free-living birds. Second, the levels of corticosterone in the spotted owl feathers were higher when it was warm and rainy, rather than when it was cold and dry, suggesting that the youngsters may have experienced higher energy demands possibly to avoid, or endure, higher temperatures or getting drenched. And third, the smallest owls had the highest corticosterone levels when there was heavy rain, so the owls’ size had an impact on how stressful the youngsters found wet conditions. In addition, the owls experienced the most stress during the fledging period, when they were gradually leaving their nests to begin facing the daily demands and dangers of an independent life.Mikkelsen's study is one of the first to provide long-term data in a wild bird, showing that feather corticosterone can be a reliable indicator of individual stress responses to life challenges that they experienced in the past. But most importantly, these results show that feather corticosterone can help wildlife ecologists to predict how stress responses related to climate changes and global warming might affect bird populations, marking a significant step forward in the field.

ДИНАМИКА СОСТОЯНИЯ ЗДОРОВЬЯ И ИНДЕКС ОБРАЩАЕМОСТИ ЗА АМБУЛАТОРНО-ПОЛИКЛИНИЧЕСКОЙ ПОМОЩЬЮ ГОРОДСКОГО НАСЕЛЕНИЯ СТАРШЕГО НЕТРУДОСПОСОБНОГО ВОЗРАСТА ЗА 2011-2020 гг.

Increase in chronic pathology with age and polymorbidity that is characteristic of the elderly, increase the cost of diagnosis and treatment, both for the healthcare system and individual patients. Therefore, analysis of health status of population of the older retirement age and incidence rate of their outpatient visits is relevant and beyond any doubt. Purpose of the study: To analyze dynamics in health status of urban population of the older retirement age and incidence rate of their outpatient visits in 2011-2020 based on the data analysis on outpatient visits in 2011-2020. Material and methods. Materials of state statistics and summary form of the state statistical observation No. 12 for the city of Krasnoyarsk in 2011-2020 were used as sources of information. The analysis used absolute and relative values, ratio coefficients, dynamic series indicators and their growth rates (loss). Results. The analysis showed increased share of people of the older retirement age in the total adult population, resulting in their increased share in the structure of medical care seeking by adults. There is a decrease in the crude disease incidence by 21.1% and previously diagnosed diseases by 30.2% against the background of the decreased rate of disease chronicity from 4.4 to 2.6. The incidence rate of outpatient visits shows that the share of people of the older retirement age uptakes 1.5 times more outpatient services compared to people of working age. Conclusion: Increased incidence rate of outpatient visits by people of the older retirement age is accounted for by their increased share in the total structure of the adult population; decreased crud incidence among people of the older retirement age was due to a 30.2% decline in the rate of previously diagnosed diseases; growth rates of disease incidence among people of the older retirement age and working age population are similar, 19.2% and 19.9 %, respectively; there is a decrease in the coefficient of disease chronicity among people of the older retirement age from 4.4 in 2011 to 2.6 in 2020, while the coefficient of the degree of chronicity of patients has not changed; on average, the share of people of the older retirement age uptakes 1.5 times more outpatient services compared to the similar share of people of working age.

The characteristics of medical demographic indices in the Jewish autonomous oblast

The research in the field of regional trends and risk factors related to population morbidity is considered as background of management decision-making in health care. The article presents the results of analysis of medical demographic indices and population health status in the Jewish Autonomous Oblast in 2000-2019. It is established that in in the Jewish Autonomous Oblast population size reduced by 35 100 people to 2019. The negative migration dispositions facilitate losses of population size from 0.5% to 1.23% annually. The gradual increase of number of the elderly brought to ratio working/non-working people 100 to 128. The infant mortality rate decreased from 20.2 in 2000 to 9.2 per 1000 newborns in 2019 and continues to decrease. The total morbidity increase (diagnosed for the first time) of cardiovascular diseases and neoplasms is probably related to preventive measures efficiency. In the structure of malignant neoplasms leading positions are taken by tumors of bronchopulmonary system, skin affections and breast cancer. In the Jewish Autonomous Oblast, mortality of cardiovascular diseases comprised 807.32±22.87 per 100 000 of population. In the last decade, this most important indicator decreased up to 2.12%. The mortality of malignant neoplasms made up to 217.31±15.25 per 100 000 of population. The mortality due to consolidated causes "Traumas, poisonings and some other consequences of external causes exposure" made up to 16.19±3.28 per 100 000 of population. In 2019, the average life interval made up to 68.8 years, having increased by 6.2 years since 2000. The evaluation of medical demographic indices and population health status demonstrate necessity of adjusting medical organizational measures targeting to improve medical care of population considering regional characteristics.

Towards Data Driven Spatio-Temporal Threshold Identification Based on Cost Effective Public Health Information Management Framework

Appropriate public health action comes from data driven decision support systems. While sophisticated health information exchange framework may be costly in developing countries, the health care delivery system in place may provide a promising infrastructure that spans all parts in a region. Therefore, while digital and non digital data is constantly being generated from variety of sources including public and private health sectors, the health care delivery systems remain the primary and most fundamental source for data on population health status. For low and middle income countries with minimum digitization and resource constraints, traditional existing health care delivery system can be taken advantage of, for efficient production and timely transmission and utilisation of data to identify thresholds for disease outbreak in order to improve health status and health system performance. Due to lack of appropriate universally agreed criteria for threshold, defining local thresholds for infectious disease is not only crucial but also more appropriate. In this paper, we present a low cost data driven framework called Health Data Driven Framework (HDDF) through which data generated at health care facilities may be used for threshold detection and alarm generation. We also identify a localized method based on spatio-temporal mining of available data for appropriate threshold identification.

Does provision of antenatal care, post-natal care and perinatal care reduce maternal, neonatal and child mortality? With special attention towards Bangladesh situation in global perspective

The present review was intended to explore the effectiveness of perinatal services such as antenatal care (ANC) and post-natal care (PNC) on the health indicators such as maternal, child and neonatal mortality. Globally, indicators are considered very important in determining the health status and the overall performance of a country's healthcare system. A literature search was conducted using maternal mortality, child mortality, neonatal mortality, ANC and PNC in the PubMed, Google, Academia, The Lancet and Journal of the American Medical Association databases. Globally, implementing integrated perinatal care services has brought positive changes in the maternal, child and neonatal mortality indices. The United Nations (UN) is committed to improving the overall living conditions in all countries, significantly improving the population's health status. The UN came up with eight Millennium Development Goals in 2000, aiming to eliminate poverty and increase development in member states. The World Health Organization was a partner in implementing these goals. Later, the UN introduced 17-fold Sustainable Development Goals in 2015 as a blueprint for peace and prosperity for all citizens towards a better future by 2030. As a result, many countries have experienced positive changes in most indicator areas, including service utilisation, maternal mortality and child mortality. Some Sub-Saharan African and South Asian countries are progressing, however, slowly.

Assessment of the elderly population's health status as part of the clinical preventive services program

Human resources are regarded as a country's most valuable asset, and they play a critical role in economic development and growth. According to national policy, the elderly population is defined as 60 and up. Because of the rising demand for financial and social support due to health and related difficulties, the government is under pressure to adopt social policies for the elderly. Clinical preventive care can assist reduce the risks and expenses of chronic illness treatment and can prevent or delay disease onset. The aged population of either sex who visit a rural health geriatric centre's Outpatient department served as the study participants. Data were collected using a self-designed, pre-structured, and pre-validated questionnaire. The information was gathered in the form of a socio-demographic profile, which included all the necessary information, such as socioeconomic status, Body mass index (BMI), and personal habits. Visual examination, hearing, anaemia, musculoskeletal discomfort, diabetes mellitus, dermatological, hypertension, and female patients' reproductive disorders were all included in the clinical examination. A maximum of 263 (65.75%) of the subjects were in the age group of 60-69 years, 29.25% were labourers, and 38% were in modified BG Prasad class (III) of socioeconomic classification, 184 (46%) people had a BMI of 25-29.99 kg/m2. A total of 102 study participants (25.5%) had a chronic illness. 27.5% of the participants had hypertension, 11.8% had diabetes and coronary heart disease, 20.6% had hypertension and diabetes, and 10.8% had previously suffered from tuberculosis (TB). Hearing loss is a common complaint, and 5.5% reported issues with the genitourinary system, with nocturia accounting for 40.9%. The study participants, who were between the ages of 60 and 69, experienced a variety of chronic illnesses. The majority of the people in the study had hypertension, diabetes, heart disease, hypertension, diabetes, and a TB history.

A population-based spatio-temporal analysis of the early COVID-19 dynamic in Serbia

The COVID-19 pandemic escalated in almost all parts of the world over a very short period of time. The speed of the spread was determined by the degree of mobility of the population, while the risk of severe illness or death depended on the population?s demographic characteristics, population health status, and the capacity of the health system to treat patients. This paper aims to assess spatio-temporal patterns of patients with COVID-19 in Serbia at the early stage and whether these patterns are linked to valid public health measures that were enforced during this period. The study adopted the local Moran?s index to identify the spatial grouping of the number of infected at a municipality level and joinpoint regression analysis to identify whether and when statistically significant changes occurred to the number of infected by gender and age groups, and to the number of deaths in the entire population. The results show the polarisation of the spatial grouping of the number of infected. Considering the change in the trend in the number of infected between genders, no significant difference was noticeable. When the age-gender categories of infected were examined, the differences became more significant. In addition, changes in the trend were associated with the tightening or loosening of public health measures.

Multi-aspect overview of mineral-water-based therapies of musculoskeletal disorders in Hungary

Demographic transformation, characterized by the aging of the population, is causing an increasing problem in developed countries. This change involves a significant increase in the number of chronic diseases, the health damage generated by which causes loss of life years due to deteriorating health and impairs quality of life. Among chronic diseases, the increasing frequency of musculoskeletal disorders has become characteristic of an aging society, which causes the greatest loss of life years in Hungary due to limitations. These problems mean increasing social, economic, and administrative pressure on the population and pose solution challenges for the spa town leaders and health decision-makers. There are several therapies available in the medical and health sciences to prevent and treat musculoskeletal disorders, with increasing emphasis on conservative therapies as the role of health increases. In Hungary, among these procedures, medicinal water treatment services based on natural healing factors available in spa towns play a key role, which is also the basis of medical tourism and part of the health care system. To solve the problems caused by musculoskeletal disorders, it is essential to know the occurrence of the disease and the treatment-use attitude of the patients, mainly due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Therefore, the main goal of our research is to assist spa towns leaders and health decision-makers in the implementation of medical tourism developments and more optimal patient care. One of the part-aims of our research is to reveal the regional differences of the most common musculoskeletal diseases in Hungary based on secondary data. Our other research-part objective is to determine the impact of socio-demographic characteristics, health status, type of musculoskeletal disease, pain, and commitment to bath medicine care system on the future use of medicinal water treatment in patients with musculoskeletal disorders. Based on our results, we declare that the health status of the Hungarian population in terms of the most frequently occurring locomotor diseases is worst in Central Hungary, the greater part of the Southern Great Plain, and the northeastern part of the country. In terms of territory, we concluded that the incidence of musculoskeletal disorders is relatively low, and moderate inequality in Hungary. It also follows from our results that the indicators measuring regional differences selected can be successfully applied to examine the territorial inequalities of musculoskeletal diseases concerning medical tourism. We also found that the respondents' level of family income, place of residence by region, state of health, the degree of commitment to medicinal water treatment/service was found, furthermore the cost of treatment, and the cost of accommodation /travel, significantly affect the planned use of the medicinal water treatment in the future. Our results promote the implementation of more targeted medical tourism and health industry developments in spa towns.

Prevalence of Malnutrition among Elderly in Rural Field Practice area of Chengalpattu Medical College

Background: People of elderly age group were more vulnerable in terms of health compared to younger age group and nutrition plays an important role in determination of health. Malnutrition including both under nutrition and obesity has major impact on health status of elderly population. Hence measures to prevent malnutrition in elderly was of utmost importance in present situation. Objectives: 1. To estimate the prevalence of malnutrition among people of age ≥ 60 years in rural field practice area of Chengalpattu Medical College. 2. To explore the factors contributing to malnutrition among the study population. Methodology: The study was a community based cross sectional study among 115 study participants in rural field practice area of Chengalpattu Medical College. The study population was arrived by Multistage sampling method and data was collected after obtaining permission from Institutional Ethical Committee and after getting informed consent from study participants. The study was conducted using a pre-tested semi-structured questionnaire which consists of sociodemographic details, personal habits, comorbidities and ailments, general examination, Anthropometry and nutrition assessment using Mini Nutrition Assessment tool. Data collected was entered in MS excel and data analysis done using SPSS version 20. Chisquare test and Pearson correlation was applied to analyze the data and p value <0.05 was taken as significant. Results: Among the study population 35(30.43%) were males and 80(69.57%) were females. The mean age of entire study population was 68.11±5.561 years. Mean weight of the study participants was 54.65±10.04 kg. About 71(61.74%) participants had comorbidities and 49(42.61%) had addiction habits. The prevalence of malnutrition among the study participants was 12.17% and those at risk of malnutrition was about 49.56% according to Mini Nutrition Assessment and the prevalence of obesity was 6.09%, overweight was 18.26%, normal weight was 61.74% and underweight was 13.91%, based on Body Mass Index in the study area. There was a statistically significant (p-value <0.05) association between malnutrition (based on Mini Nutrition Assessment) in elderly and increasing age; illiteracy; those who were financially dependent population; those with psychological stress; people with reduced food intake and those taking < 3 meals per day. Female gender and presence of comorbidities had statistically significant association (p value <0.05) with obesity based on BMI. There was a Significant positive correlation between anthropometric measurements like weight, BMI, mid arm circumference and calf circumference and MNA scores both short form and full form except for height. Conclusion: The prevalence of Malnutrition among elderly in present study was 12.17% and more of concern was those at risk of Malnutrition contributed by 49.56%. Establishing Nutrition Centres for older people especially in rural areas emphasizing on healthy eating and promoting healthy lifestyle would be of immense help to achieve healthy and graceful aging.

Oral Health Status of Hearing-Impaired Students Attending Special Need Schools in Amhara Region, Ethiopia: A Cross-Sectional Study.

BackgroundOral health care is the most common unmet need among individuals with a disability. Individuals with a disability may have compromised oral health needs due to neglect from parents, socioeconomic problems, and communication barriers. In Ethiopia, there is a lack of data on oral health status of the hearing-impaired population. Therefore, this study aimed to assess the oral health status of hearing-impaired students in the Amhara region, Ethiopia.MethodsA cross-sectional study was conducted from November 2020 to April 2021 on hearing-impaired students in Amhara region, Ethiopia. Data were collected using a pretested interview administered questionnaire and clinical examination. Oral cavity was evaluated using the simplified oral hygiene index, decayed, missed and filled teeth, and community periodontal index. Data analysis was done using SPSS 26.0, and logistic regression analysis was done to identify the risk factors of dental caries and periodontal disease.ResultsA total of 149 hearing impaired students with an age range of 7–30 years were involved in the study. The prevalence of periodontal disease and dental caries was 22.8% (95% CI: 16.8, 30.4) and 38.9% (95% CI; 32.2, 46.9), respectively. Being grade 1–4 student (AOR = 3.94, 95%: 1.16, 13.38), lack of formal education (AOR = 4.98, 95% CI: 1.00, 24.65), dental caries (AOR = 2.51, 95% CI: 1.08, 5.08) and bleeding on probing (AOR = 9.98, 95% CI: 3.69, 26.64) were statistically significant with periodontal disease. Grade level, parents’ support during brushing, oral health status, and medication intake were independent factors for dental caries.ConclusionIn the present study, a significant number of hearing-impaired students had periodontal disease and dental caries. School oral health programs and caregivers assisted oral hygiene practices are essential to combat oral health problems in hearing-impaired students. Moreover, a nationwide prospective study with a large sample size will be required to reflect the oral health status of hearing-impaired individuals in the country.

Legal Study of Aging Population In India

The United Nations General Assembly pronounce 2021–2030 the ‘Decade of Healthy Ageing’ thus communicated WHO to direct its implementation to the member states. India is not in a position to meet needs of an old age population and to provide a quality life through existing care facilities with more than 100 million elderly. We do not have a particular scheme and policies for providing health facilities for old people. Older people usually suffer from health conditions that are predominantly chronic in nature and are basically different from those of adult and young populations. The health status of aged population becomes particularly perplexed as they are prone to get multiple illnesses. Present paper is related to Aging population and their problems. The first part of the paper deals with International guidelines, national legislations. The second part discuss problems during pandemic and senior citizens. The third part of the paper explores judicial prouncements related to senior citizens. The fourth part explains government policies related to elderly .On the concluding note, it suggests that geriatric health law reform is necessary for the present needs of the society especially during pandemic.

ТЕРРИТОРИАЛЬНАЯ ДИФФЕРЕНЦИАЦИЯ СОСТОЯНИЯ ЗДОРОВЬЯ НАСЕЛЕНИЯ КАМЧАТСКОГО КРАЯ

Prospects for long-term socio-economic development of Russian regions necessitate the implementation of new spatial assessments of the most important characteristics of living conditions and public health. The purpose of this study was to conduct a territorially differentiated assessment of the population health status of the Kamchatka Region over the last decade (2010-2019). This study was based on a cluster analysis of the main administrative-territorial units (districts) of the Kamchatka Region using five thematic indices. All indices characterize the complex state of population health. The indices were calculated for five blocks of indicators with 17 medico-demographic and epidemiological parameters. Cluster analysis classified all districts of the Kamchatka Region into five clusters (types). The five clusters of districts with different levels of population health status (above average, average, below average, low, very low) have been analyzed using comparative method. The most unfavorable levels of population health status were identified in the fourth (Karaginsky, Olyutorsky) and fifth (Penzhinsky, Tigilsky, Bystrinsky) clusters of districts. An important research perspective in the future is the development of new measures in the field of regional and municipal health care in the Kamchatka Region.