Kanpur District Research Articles

Perceptions of healthcare workers on implementing the 2022 WHO verbal autopsy instrument in rural India through the existing public health system

ABSTRACT Background: Cause-of-death (CoD) information is crucial for health policy formulation, planning, and program implementation. Verbal Autopsy (VA) is an approach employed for the collection and analysis of CoD estimates at the population level where medical certification of cause of death is low and, secondly, for integrating it with the existing public health system by utilizing the grassroots level workforce. Objective: The study aims to understand the field perspectives on implementing the 2022 WHO VA instrument in rural India through the existing public health system. Methods: This article is derived from a qualitative arm of study that was conducted in one of the blocks of Kanpur district, Uttar Pradesh. Frontline health workers (FHWs), as well as Medical Officers (MOs) serving in the Community Health Centre (CHC) area, were selected as study participants. A 5-day training and orientation workshop was conducted to train the FHWs to conduct computer-assisted personal interview VA using the 2022 WHO VA instrument. MOs have been trained to assign the CoD via Physician-Certified VA (PCVA). In-depth interviews (IDIs) were conducted with FHWs involved in conducting VA and physicians involved in conducting PCVA within the field practice area. Results: A total of 13 IDIs were conducted, consisting of 10 FHWs and 3 MOs, within the selected CHC area of Ghatampur. Based on the responses received, five major themes were identified. Although VA is being used to collect CoD information from the community in India through a Sample Registration Survey (SRS), the key findings suggest that this activity could be scaled up by utilizing the existing public health system. However, additional manpower may be required for constant monitoring and evaluation of the program. Incentivization of FHWs would aid in the timely completion of VAs and coordination with local and higher health authorities. Conclusion: The perception of healthcare workers about the feasibility and acceptability of VA in this study highlighted some of the challenges and possible solutions that could aid in developing a comprehensive model to improve CoD information at the population level through the existing public health system.

Challenges in Accessing Agricultural Technology Information Centre’s Services: Identifying Key Constraints in Kanpur District

Challenges in Accessing Agricultural Technology Information Centre’s Services: Identifying Key Constraints in Kanpur District

From soil to health hazards: Heavy metals contamination in northern India and health risk assessment

Heavy metals contamination in soil is a global concern affecting the environment with far-reaching consequences for ecosystems and the health of human beings. Heavy metals contamination of soil entails a significant threat to the environment and human health. This research paper focuses on the quantification of heavy metals contamination in soil in Kanpur district, a highly industrialized and densely populated region in India. The study was aimed to identify the sources of heavy metals, map their spatial distribution, and evaluate the potential implications on the environment and human well-being. The prime intent of the current study was quantification of heavy metals in the soil as well as the comparison of risk on the health of human being using two different methods i.e., US EPA methodology for risk assessment and epidemiological study-based risk assessment. Heavy metals like Fe, Ni, Co, Cu, Mn, Cr, and Cd were analyzed in agricultural samples of soil with the help of inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectroscopy. On the basis of epidemiological data, the attributable and relative risk came out to be 0.001 and 1.060, respectively. On the basis of the calculation of Cr alone, the values of carcinogenic risk for adults came out to be 3.87 × 10−7 and for children it was 3.01 × 10− 6. In conclusion, this research paper highlights the alarming levels of heavy metals contamination in the soil of Kanpur district, emphasizing the urgent need for remediation and mitigation efforts, thereby guiding policy makers and stakeholders in developing targeted strategies for soil protection and safeguarding human health.

Does rural India need a new primary healthcare delivery model?

There has been a continuous downfall in equipping the Primary Health Centres (PHCs) with infrastructure, facilities, and workforce to provide basic minimum primary healthcare services to the underserved population in the Indian context. The main goal of this research is to look at the infrastructure and manpower in a sample of PHCs in the Kanpur district of Uttar Pradesh, India. The interview template exclusively for Product-Service System (PSS) by Singapore University of Technology and Design-Massachusetts Institute of Technology (SUTD-MIT) was used to study randomly selected samples of 51 PHCs. The data were examined using the Indian Public Health Standards (IPHS) of the Indian government. Some of the key findings included the lack of workforce and their commitment, shortage of space, electricity, and water supply. To find a solution for the found lacunae, this article also discusses about the functioning of Mobile Hospitals (MHs) depending upon the contexts and thus extracting lessons for a new intervention in the primary health care system delivery model. Finally, a new healthcare delivery model in the form of a mobile Primary Health Centre (mPHC) is proposed based on the field study and the synthesis of historical literature on MH.

Assessing the Influence of Nano Urea on the Growth and Yield of Irrigated Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) Crop

Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) is one of the world's most essential cereal crops, serving as a staple food for a significant portion of the global population. In the pursuit of achieving higher yields in contemporary agriculture, the use of chemical fertilizers poses an increased environmental risk. However, the application of Nano urea offers a potential solution to mitigate this risk to a certain extent. To address this objective, a field experiment was conducted during the Rabi seasons of 2022-2023 at the A trial was executed in the rural area of Kanpur district of Mandhana, located 10 km from Kanpur in Uttar Pradesh, during the Rabi season of 2022-23. The experimental design involved two main factors: Factor-1 Nitrogen (at 50%, 75%, and 100% levels) and Factor-2 Foliar Spray (at one time Nano urea and two time Nano urea, with 4 ml/l). A control group was included, and the experiment was laid out in a Randomized Block Design (RBD) with 13 treatments in three replications. The results indicated that the combination of 100% nitrogen along with a foliar spray of 4 ml/L Nano urea had a significant positive impact on growth, yield, and various yield parameters. Treatment 6 demonstrated the highest values for plant height (95.66 cm), Dry matter accumulation (1014.09 g m-2), number of tillers m-2 (417.44), Leaf area index at 90 DAS (4.85), effective ear head per (m-2) (282.66), grains per ear head (65.75), test weight (48.52 g), grain yield (46.15 quintals/ha), and straw yield (57.92 quintals/ha). The study's results demonstrated a generally positive effect of combined Nano urea with traditional NPK nutrient supply on the growth and yield parameters of wheat in irrigated conditions.

Evaluation of the incidence and risk factors of ocular disorder in primary school children: a cross-section analysis

Background: School health is an essential part of any public health program. Poor vision in childhood can affect school performance and affect children later in life. Pupils can be affected by various eye diseases such as refractive errors, strabismus, color blindness, eyelid problems and cataracts. The aim of this study is to determine the incidence and risk factors of eye diseases in children aged 6-12 years. Methods: This school-based cross-sectional study selected children aged 6-12 years from December 2018 to March 2019 from 09 primary schools in the Kanpur district. The institutional ethical clearance and appropriate permissions from the school authorities were obtained through the medical officer of Kalyanpur PHC and consent 51 from parents. Results: A total of 2,100 students from 09 different schools, 1,070 boys and 1,030 girls, were tested. The most common eye diseases are myopic astigmatism with 16.6% (348 people), myopic astigmatism with 78.2% (272 people), 192 were against the rule astigmatisms, 80 were with the rule astigmatism astigmatisms, followed by simple myopic with 15.2% (53 people) and hypermetropic astigmatism with 1.7% (6 people). The next most common disease is allergic disease with 1.6% (34). The 1.4% (30) of children have strabismus. Blindness 0.26% (5), colour blindness 0.2% (4); eyelid and adnexal disease 0.13% (3) and cataract 0.03% (1) Conclusions: Eye diseases in school-aged children can be easily detected by regular eye examinations; this research shows that vision deficiency is likely to be affected.

A Descriptive Study to Assess the Effectiveness of Structured Teaching Programme (STP) on Awareness of Primary School Teachers Regarding Learning Disorder in Selected Private and Government Primary School of Kanpur District

A Descriptive Study to Assess the Effectiveness of Structured Teaching Programme (STP) on Awareness of Primary School Teachers Regarding Learning Disorder in Selected Private and Government Primary School of Kanpur District

Impact of weather parameters on mustard yield in two diverse locations of India

Different weather parameters and its variation effect the growth and development of oilseeds, cereals and other agriculture crops. Weather also plays a significant role by influencing growth and pod formation of mustard at various growth stages. As India accounts for holding 11% of overall mustard production in the world, study on impact of weather on mustard yield and its correlation is of great importance in the field of agriculture meteorology. Present study highlights the relationship between eight different weather parameters and mustard yield at Hisar and Kanpur district of India from standard meteorological week (SMW 40 to SMW 13) using SPSS statistical software. The result showed that Minimum temperature has significant positive correlation during flowering and pod formation stage in Hisar but has negative correlation during SMW 52 (pod formation stage) at Kanpur. Windspeed and sunshine hours has negative significant correlation in Hisar but does not show any significant correlation at Kanpur district of Uttar Pradesh.

A comparative study on treatment seeking behaviour of geriatric population in rural and urban areas of district Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh

Background: Aging is a complex and universal life process. Treatment seeking behaviour in elderly is affected by socio-economic factors and by affordability, availability and accessibility of healthcare. Objectives: To study treatment-seeking behaviour of the study subjects. To compare treatment seeking behaviour among rural and urban study subjects. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study conducted in the Kanpur district. Selection of villages in rural and mohallas in urban areas was done using a multistage random sampling technique. A total of 600 subjects were studied, including 400 from urban areas and 200 from rural areas. Elderly persons>60 years of age, both males and females were included in the study. Results: Overall, out of 600 study subjects, 59.8% were taking treatment in rural areas and in urban areas 77.6% were taking treatment. In urban areas, more females availed treatment compared to rural areas. Majority of study subjects (56.5%) sought treatment from a government hospital. Only 36% subjects had health insurance. Conclusion: In Urban areas more subjects availed treatment as compared to rural areas. Majority of subjects sought treatment from government health facilities. Lack of financial support and long waiting time were major reasons for not availing health care.

Awareness about Medicinal Indigenous Plants during COVID-19

The coronavirus family's severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) causes Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19). The disease became a pandemic after the fi rst case was identifi ed in Wuhan, China, December 2019. The present study is on “Awareness about medicinal indigenous plants during COVID-19” which was undertaken during 2021-2022 to see the Utility of medicinal indigenous plants to maintain immunity against COVID-19'' in four diff erent localities would be randomly selected in Kanpur district. 30 respondents will be selected randomly from each locality. Thus, in all 120 respondents will be selected for the study. Most of the respondents were belong to 30-40 years of age group, and majority of respondents in the study area were found to be post graduate and above, limited access to source of information television, mobile phones as their communication. The study concludes that most respondents were agree with awareness about medicinal indigenous plants during COVID-19. They were agreeing about Neem is anti-viral eff ect and Tulsi boosts the production of antibodies. The study also concluded that the respondents were agree about cloves helps to stop the growth of microorganism. Also, there was awareness regarding Ginger helps to prevent stress and promote healthy aging.

Current status of the intake of iron folic acid in pregnant females receiving treatment from various urban localities at Kanpur district

Background: Anemia is one of the most common conditions related to pregnancy. Anemia is most frequent during pregnancy due to insufficient intake of proper diet and IFA regimen. Supplementation of IFA for 100 days during 2nd and 3rd trimester of pregnancy significantly reduces the risk of antenatal anemia. We assess the effect of IFA supplementation with daily dosing and their outcome in urban localities of Kanpur district. Aim of this study was to assess the current status of intake of IFA in pregnant females.Methods: This was a cross sectional study carried out in Kanpur Nagar district. Total 56 pregnant women of 2nd and 3rd trimester were assigned to daily intake of IFA for 100 days of age 15-45 years. Outcomes were measured by assessment of hemoglobin level and daily intake of IFA. Simple random sampling technique was used to select the study cases from 2 ward and 4 blocks in Kanpur district.Results: In this study it was found that, in total 56 sample size of pregnant women of 2nd and 3rd trimester of pregnancy 37 have taken IFA in which 8 patients were anemic who have taken IFA for 100 days and 19 havee not taken IFA in which 12 cases were anemic.Conclusions: Study cases who has taken IFA during 2nd and 3rd trimester have better hemoglobin level and have low risk of anemia related pregnancy however complete course of IFA to antenatal period should must. The study cases which have not received any amount of IFA have higher chances of being anemic. Antenatal IFA supplementation must be ensured by ASHA workers to subcenter, CHC and PHC to pregnant women and provide sufficient knowledge about benefits of IFA.

Verbal elder abuse in India: a descriptive phenomenological study

PurposeVerbal abuse of the aged people in later life is a matter of grave concern in contemporary times. Aged people are abused by family members, relatives and neighbors in the form of yelling, taunting, swearing and threats, among other things. These abusive behaviors have the greatest influence on their social standing and well-being, and they cause society and families to dismantle their social networks as a result. This study aims to understand the nature of verbal elder abuse as a social phenomenon under the theoretical framework of sociocultural paradigm and examines the causes.Design/methodology/approachThe descriptive phenomenology method has been applied in this study. The study has been conducted on a sample of 60 elderly living in Kanpur district of Uttar Pradesh. The concern of using descriptive phenomenology in the present study is to understand the nature of verbal abuse against the elderly systematically by exploring cultural, situational and social aspects of verbal abuse in Indian society. This method analyzes the reality behind the verbal elder abuse as a social phenomenon and relationship between elderly and their abusers.FindingsThe study finds an increase in verbal elder abuse in Indian families, which can range from psychological torture to physical torture, and includes insults, humiliation and neglecting the needs of the elderly for food, clothing, shelter and medical attention. The study also points out that reduction in attachment is as a responsible factor for verbal abuse with the elderly in modern times.Originality/valueThis is an original paper. This paper talks about the most concerning issue of verbal abuse which is faced by aged people in their family and society. Basically, this paper has applied the descriptive phenomenological method for the analysis of verbal elder abuse as a social phenomenon in the sociocultural context of Indian society.

A Study on Personal Demographic Traits of Farmers towards Kisan Call Centre in Ayodhya District of Uttar Pradesh

India is known as the "Land of Farmers" because agriculture employs the majority of the country's population. The current scenario of farmers' socioeconomic status should be studied in regards to substantial government initiatives to raise the status of both the agricultural sector and the farmers to a commendable level of development. Socio economic condition of farmers have a connection with the level of efficiency and success rates of government projects and initiatives. This study was conducted on 150 farmers reaching out to the Kisan Call Centre of Kanpur district of Uttar Pradesh about their queries.

Bayesian discriminant function analysis based forecasting of crop yield in Kanpur district of Uttar Pradesh


 Discriminant function analysis technique using Bayesian approach has been attempted for wheat forecasting in Kanpur district of Uttar Pradesh, India both qualitatively and quantitatively. Crop yield data and weekly weather data on temperature (maximum and minimum), relative humidity (maximum and minimum), rainfall for 16 weeks of the crop cultivation have been used in the study. These data have been utilized for model fitting and validation. Crop years were divided into two and three groups based on the de-trended yield. Crop yield forecast models have been developed using posterior probabilities calculated through Bayesian approach in stepwise discriminant function analysis along with year as regressors for different weeks. Suitable strategy has been used to solve the problem of number of variables more than number of data points. Performance of the models obtained at different weeks was compared using Adjusted R2, PRESS (Predicted error sum of square), number of misclassifications. Forecasts were evaluated using RMSE (Root Mean Square Error) and MAPE (Mean absolute percentage error) of forecast. The result shows that the model based on three groups case perform better. The performance of the proposed Bayesian discriminant function analysis technique approach was better as compared to existing discriminant function analysis score based approach both qualitatively and quantitatively.

Prevalence of Oral Submucous Fibrosis in Relation to Habits among High School Children of Kanpur City

Background: Oral submucous fibrosis (OSMF) is a chronic insidious disease that affects oral cavity, may also involve pharynx or esophagus, and may be associated with vesicle formation. The present study aimed to determine prevalence of oral submucous fibrosis among school children in Kanpur city through cross-sectional study and its association with various type of quid and areca nut chewing habit. Materials and Methods: In different urban and rural educational areas of the Kanpur district of Uttar Pradesh, a school-based cross-sectional study was carried out. Data on consumption of areca nut were obtained by a self-administered questionnaire based on demographic characteristics, areca nut use, daily frequency of areca nut chewing, other ingredients mixed with nut, tobacco use (smoking and/or chewing), age of initiation of nut chewing, reasons for use, social influence factors, and risk perceptions. All oral examinations were done by specialist examiners who were familiar with oral mucosal lesions in the local population. Results: The results from this study shows that the areca nut chewing habit is significant among school children of rural areas as compare to urban areas in Kanpur district. No female subject was found to be suffering from OSMF in both the urban as well as rural areas however 27 (3.41%) male subjects were found to be suffering from OSMF. Conclusion: In order to spread awareness through educational programs, newspapers, and mass media in neighborhoods and classrooms, steps should be taken at the public health level.

Epidemiological studies against late blight of potato caused by Phytophthora infestans under climate changes in Kanpur district of Uttar Pradesh

Late blight caused by Phytophthora infestans (Mont.) de-Bary is the most important and destructive disease of potato causes “Irish Famine” in 1845. The management of the disease is mainly based on cultivation of resistant variety and use of fungicides. However, resistance against pathogen is not a permanent solution and fungicidal is not eco-friendly and economical. Therefore, inquest for IDM modules by using soil application with compost, tuber treatment with T. harzianum and foliar spray with fungicides were assessed during the course of present investigation. The co-relation between disease severity with rainfall, maximum temperature, minimum temperature and relative humidity showed that disease severity co-relate negatively with maximum temperature and Relative humidity, representing the value (-0.9693) and (0.5731) during 2016-17 and (-0.9521) and (-0.7454) during 2017-18, respectively, but positively co-relate with rainfall and minimum temperature (0.5884) and (0.9954) respectively.

Effect of different herbicides and planting techniques on yield and yield components of in late sown wheat (Triticum aestivum L.)

An experiment was conducted at C S Azad University of Agriculture and Technology, Kanpur District of Uttar Pradesh during rabi seasons of 2015-16 and 2016-17 to find out the effect of different herbicides and planting techniques on yield and yield components of in late sown wheat (Triticum aestivum L.). The treatments consisted three planting techniques and five weed management practices. The experiment was laid out in split plot design with three replications. Planting method plays an important role in the placement of seed at proper depth, which ultimately affects crop growth. The selection of suitable planting method for wheat is dependent upon the time of planting, availability of soil water at planting time, amount of residue in the field. The results showed that plant height was increasing with increasing days after sowing in the relevant crop of wheat, respectively. The tallest plants were obtained in Cross sowing followed by Line sowing. The application of weed management practices on Two hand weeding (25 and 45 DAS) and Clodinofop (60g ha-1) fb 2,4-D (500 g ha-1), significantly improved the yield and yield components of Two hand weeding (25 and 45 DAS) followed by Clodinofop (60g ha-1) fb 2,4-D (500 g ha-1), amongst different treatments during both year.

Autopsy-Based Study of Patterns of Head Injuries in Fatal Road Traffic Accidents in Kanpur District

The traumatic factor head injury due to road traffic accident (RTA) is a very common feature in the cases of fatal injuries, which is a permanent damage to lifetime just like a disease. In our study, the total autopsy conducted is 3730, in which males (58.32%) are out in number than females (41.68%). Total number of fatal head injury due to RTA is 1281 (34.34%). Most vulnerable age is 21–30 years comprising of 365 (28.49%) cases. On sex-wise comparison, 1013 (79.08%) males were injured than females (268 (20.92%)). Most of the incidents occurred between the time 1200 and 1800 hours comprising of 429 (33.49%) cases. Married victims are out in number comprising of 809 (63.15%) cases; 633 (49.42%) of victims died on the way to hospital, which is the highest, followed by 339 (26.46%) victims died in hospital, least number of deaths occur on the spot comprising of 309 (24.12%) cases. Two-wheeler occupants were the commonest group of victims comprising of 830 (64.79%) cases, pedestrian comprising 115 (8.98%) of total cases. Most common offending vehicle is heavy motor vehicle comprising 783 (61.12%) of all types of vehicle cases.

Status of immunization among women and children: A study of Kanpur slums

Immunization is an essential public health intervention. It is a way of protecting the human body against various harmful diseases through vaccination. The objectives of the study: to find out the socio economic characteristics of selected respondents and to determine the association between the socio-economic characteristics and Awareness, Knowledge and Practices of the respondents regarding immunization. Material and Methods: The study was conducted in the Kanpur district of Uttar Pradesh state. An exploratory research design and using multistage random sampling, six slums were selected. From each selected slum area, a list of mothers who had children below the age of 5 years was prepared; and from this list, 25 mothers were selected randomly from each slum area making a total of 150 respondents. The scoring pattern was used. Data was collected using structured interview schedule. Class-Interval, Percentage, Arithmetic mean and Chi-square were used for analysis of data. Results and Discussion: It was found that there was significant association between religion and practices of the respondents regarding immunization. This shows that non-Hindus had less awareness and knowledge regarding immunization, but hesitated to get their children vaccinated as also has been reported by Sharma Sanchita (2006) in the study. Further study reveals that there was significant association between education of the respondents and awareness, knowledge & practices regarding immunization. It was found that there was significant association between family income and awareness, knowledge &practices of the respondents regarding immunization. Conclusion: More stress should be given to spread awareness and knowledge regarding immunization through sustained IEC (Information, Education and Communication) Campaign, media and service-providers as knowledge was found to be related with practices.

Internet addiction and its psychosocial impact on urban adolescents of Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh

Background: Internet addiction is defined as any online-related, compulsive behavior which interferes with normal living and causes severe stress on family, friends, loved ones, and one's work environment. The adolescents are most vulnerable to the numerous addictive temptations offered by the Internet during the transition phase. The present study aims to evaluate the prevalence of Internet addiction in adolescents of urban areas of Kanpur district and assess the association of Internet addiction with stress, anxiety, and depression. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among students of higher secondary schools/colleges in the urban areas of Kanpur district in Uttar Pradesh. Out of 105 colleges, 10%, i.e., 10 colleges, were selected randomly and a total of 900 students were enrolled in the study. A pretested, predesigned questionnaire, Young's Internet Addiction Scale, and Depression Anxiety Stress Scales 21 were used in the study. Data distribution was assessed for normality using the Shapiro–Wilk test. Categorical data were compared using the Chi-square test. All values were considered statistically significant for a value of P ≤ 0.05. Results: Majority (61.1%) of the respondents were females, and the mean age was 17.20 years. The prevalence of Internet addiction was 89.78%. The main purpose of using Internet was social networking (54.89%), followed by online gaming/gambling (19.67%) and study (12.89%). About 60.44% of the respondents used Internet for 3–6 h/day and 28.67% of the respondents used Internet for