Middle Socioeconomic Class Research Articles

Factors Associated with the Occurrence of Skin Diseases among Children Attending the Children’s Outpatient Clinic in a Tertiary Care Hospital in Southern Nigeria

Aims: To determine the factors associated with the occurrence of skin diseases among children attending the Children’s Outpatient Clinic of the University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital (UPTH).
 Study Design: A Cross sectional study design was used. It was both descriptive and analytical.
 Place and Duration of Study: The study was carried out in the Children’s Outpatient Clinic of the Department of Paediatrics, UPTH from June to August 2020 (3 months).
 Methodology: We studied 370 children aged less than 18 years. A semi structured interviewer-administered questionnaire was used to obtain all relevant data. This was followed by dermatological examination of the children to make diagnosis of skin diseases. Relevant samples for laboratory confirmation were also obtained where necessary.
 Results: Among the 88 children (23.7%) who had skin diseases, our study showed that the socio-demographic factors associated with the occurrence of skin diseases includes: male gender (p=0.001) and low socio-economic class (p<0.001). Hygiene-related factors associated with occurrence of skin diseases includes: lack of water within the home (p=0.001), bath frequency < twice per day (p=0.001) and sharing of personal items (p<0.001). On multiple logistic regression analysis of these factors, the factors predictive of skin diseases were: male gender (p=0.000), low and middle socioeconomic class (p=0.004) and lack of water within the home (p=0.013).
 Conclusion: Several socio-demographic and hygiene-related factors were identified to be associated with the occurrence of skin diseases among children in our study. These factors provide an important window for interventions to prevent and control the burden of skin diseases among children in our setting.

Evaluation of Sociodemographic Characteristics of Pregnant Women without Any Medico-Legal Issues

Background and Objectives: In light of the pregnancy, identifying sociodemographic issues is crucial foroptimising antenatal care. The period of pregnancy is very critical, as each of the women expects a usualoutcome. Any inconvenience caused to both mother and unborn fetus arising out of the mismanagement mayinvite litigation as prescribed by the land rule. Therefore, we aimed to analyse different sociodemographicfactors associated with pregnancy without medico-legal issues (MLI).Materials and Methods: It is a prospective, cross-sectional study carried out on 325 participants of pregnancywithout any MLI. All the participant were observed and interviewed to know the inconvenience faced duringtheir antenatal period if any. The medical record was physically verified, and sociodemographic data wererecorded for analysis. Descriptive statistical methods were computed, and the statistical significance wastested by chi-square test and student’s t-test. ethResults:Majority of patients, i.e. 48% were within the age group of 21 to 25 years. The number of nulliparouswomen was the highest being 143 (44%). Majority of the cases belonged to the middle socioeconomic class.189 (58%) cases came from a rural background while 136 patients (42%) came from urban areas, and 65.5%of cases were the booked cases. Majority of 197 (60.6%) cases comprises Hindu.Conclusion: The pregnancy cases without any medico-legal complication show average sociodemographicfindings. Such findings are useful for targeted health policies aimed at attaining healthy pre-pregnancy care.

PREVALENCE AND PATTERNS OF ACUTE WATERY DIARRHOEAL ADMISSIONS PRESENTING TO A TERTIARY HOSPITAL IN SOUTH-EAST, NIGERIA

Background: Globally, acute watery diarrhea (AWD) is a major cause of childhood morbidity and mortality. It is the fourth leading cause of death in children contributing as high as 11% of all childhood deaths. In Nigeria, AWD causes 240,106 under five deaths per year despite the interventions aimed at preventing diarrhoea disease. Objective: This work was to determine the prevalence and patterns of acute watery diarrhoeal admissions among children presenting to Nnamdi Azikiwe University Teaching Hospital (NAUTH), Nnewi, Anambra state, Nigeria. Methods and Materials: This was an observational study. Children aged 6-36 months, admitted for acute watery diarrhea, who met inclusion criteria and whose caregivers gave informed consent. The caregivers of these children were interviewed using interviewer-administered questionnaire. Information obtained included socio-demography (age, gender, social class among others), symptoms of diarrhoea, duration of illness and medications given to these children at home. Data were analyzed using SPSS 21. Results: Of the159 study participants admitted for AWD, 103(65.0%) were males. Those of lower socio-economic class comprised 66.6%(106) while 49(30.6%) and 4(2.8%) belonged to the middle and upper socio-economic classes respectively. A total of 921 inpatients were admitted for the period of the study (January 2017 to October 2017), giving an AWD prevalence of 17.3%(159). The highest number of admissions occurred from January to March 2017, with highest prevalence in March. There is poor utilization of oral rehydration solution (40.3%; 64) with abuse of antibiotics in the home management of diarrhea. Conclusion and recommendations: The result of this study showed that the prevalence of AWD is still unacceptably high. Interventions aimed at prevention (such as promotion of exclusive breastfeeding, health education on hand and environmental hygiene, and inclusion of rota virus and cholera vaccine in our national program on immunisation etc) should be encouraged and strengthened by the policy makers and monitored for proper uptake by the populace. Key words: Prevalence, Acute watery diarrhoea, children, Admissions

Knowledge and Attitudes of Students toward Fast Food in Assiut University

Background: Consumption of fast foods has become a hallmark of modern urban and semi -urban life style that have many adverse effects on health. Aim: To assess knowledge and attitudes of students toward fast food in Assiut university. Subject and Method: a descriptive cross sectional research design was used. The study conducted at four faculties of Assiut University among 1217 students who were selected by simple random sample. Tools:In this study utilized three tools for gathering data: the first tool; a structured self-administered questionnaire which included socio-demographic characteristic scale, knowledge and consumption of fast food, the second tool;attitude toward fast food and the last tool; anthropometric measurements. Results: It was found that 63.3% of studied students were males and 52.9% of them with middle socioeconomic class. Also the study cleared that 91.9%from students having fast food, whereas a positive correlation between total score of student’s knowledge and attitude toward fast food with statistical significant difference between having fast food, knowledge and attitude. Conclusions: the outcome of present study concluded that lack of students' knowledge and had positive attitude about fast food. Recommendation:Periodic health education programs regarding effects of fast food on health.

Factors affecting anaemia among women of reproductive age in Nepal: a multilevel and spatial analysis

ObjectiveThe main objective of this study was to explore the factors affecting anaemia among women of reproductive age (WRA) in Nepal using spatial and multilevel epidemiological analysis.DesignThis cross-sectional study analysed...

Comparison of knowledge, attitude, socioeconomic burden, and mental health disorders of COVID-19 pandemic between general population and health care workers in Egypt

IntroductionThe global devastating effect of COVID-19 has caused anxiety and fear to variable extent among the public. We aimed to evaluate the knowledge, attitude, socioeconomic burden, and the mental health problems regarding anxiety, depression, and obsessive-compulsive disorder during COVID-19 on the general population and HCWs in Egypt.MethodsThis study was conducted using a semi-structured online questionnaire in May 2020. Data on demographic features, socioeconomic scale, knowledge, and attitude regarding COVID-19 and the effect on different aspects of life were collected. Assessment was done using Arabic versions of Beck’s Anxiety Inventory, Beck’s Depression Inventory–II, and Yale-Brown Obsessive-Compulsive Scale. We divided participants into non-health care workers (non-HCWs) and HCWs groups.ResultsThere were 524 participants who responded to the survey from 23 governorates. More than half of the participants were females (57.4%), middle age (53%), and middle socioeconomic class (66.6%). Non-HCWs were 402 and HCWs were 122. Most participants had good knowledge about the disease and a positive attitude toward protective measures particularly in HCWs. COVID-19 showed negative impact on different aspects of participants’ life. HCWs had higher frequency of anxiety (32%) and OCD (29%) than non-HCWs (30% and 28%, respectively) while non-HCWs had higher depression (69%) than HCWs (66.4%). HCWs had higher rates of severe depression (20.5%) with moderate and severe OCD (4.9%, 1.6% respectively) than non-HCWs. Female gender, young age, urban residence, students, smoking, history of medical illness, and low socioeconomic class were significant associated factors.ConclusionsHealth care workers had good knowledge about COVID-19 and a positive attitude toward the protective measures relative to non-HCWs. COVID-19 had a negative impact on different aspects of life and had a major association with the anxiety, depression, and OCD in both groups. Health professionals are more likely to have these psychological consequences.

The Availability and Effectiveness of Lactation Rooms Usage in Shopping Centers (Case Study in Metropolitan Jakarta)

Backgrounds: World Health Assembly stated that 41% of infants less than 6 months are exclusively breastfed, whereas the global rate target is at least 50% by 2025. Indonesia’s rate of exclusive breastfeeding was 68.7% in 2018. Rate of exclusive breastfeeding can be affected by many factors for instance level of knowledge and socioeconomic status. One of the government’s attempts to increase the rate of exclusive breastfeeding is setting a regulation regarding the provision of lactation room for instance in Minister of Health Regulations Act 15 of 2013 Regarding Procedures for Provision of Breastfeeding and/or Pumping Breast’s Milk Facilities . Objectives: To analyze the usage of lactation room effectiveness in malls as a supporting factors of exclusive breastfeeding. Methods: An evaluative research in four malls in Central Jakarta with 57 subjects. Data were collected through interview and observation. Fisher-exact test were used to analyze bivariate analysis. Results: All shopping centers provide lactation rooms, but only 50% meet the requirements and standards. The number of visitors to the mall in the past week was 5000 people and only 263 (5.3%) used the lactation room with an average duration of 20 minutes. Most of the users (78.3%) were babysitters and the rest were mothers with the characteristics are 70.2% vocational and tertiary education, 75.4 is working, 45.6% middle socioeconomic class. The use of the lactation room is 40% and bellow and less effective. Almost mothers of babies have a good level of knowledge about exclusive breastfeeding. There is a relationship between the level of knowledge with the level of education (p= 0.006), employment status (p= 0.020), and socioeconomic status (p= 0.040). Conclusion: Not all shopping centers with lactation rooms meet the standards and use less effectively. Only a small number of visitors, especially mothers of babies, use it

Speech language disorders unfolded in Islamabad's periphery: A tertiary health care facility experience

Speech language disorders are common and result in communication problems. Impaired hearing, speech, language, fluency, cognition, and neuro-motor mechanisms of speech may be involved in causation. Prevalence varies from place to place, setups and socio demographic factors. Islamabad’s periphery harboring low- and middle-income population was focused in this observational cross-sectional study to retrospectively determine the prevalence of speech-language disorders and their association with socio-demographic variables. This study included all cases with speech language disorders (SLD’s), from departmental patient record of Speech Language Pathology clinic, Al-Nafees Medical College & Hospital, Isra University from 1st January 2014 to 31st December 2018. Population included male and female genders with no limitation of age. Descriptive analysis was performed using SPSS version 21. Population included n=3148 cases, with M:F ratio of 2.28:1 and mean age of 11.8±13.38 years. Most prevalent pathology was SLD secondary to hearing impairment (19.82%), followed by SLD secondary to intellectual disability (17.4%), stuttering (16.84%) and delayed speech and language (15.2%). This study concludes that speech language disorders due to hearing impairment and intellectual disability are most prevalent and have association with lower and middle socioeconomic class, male gender, consanguinity, being first child, increase in number of children and a weak referral system.

Prevalence and correlates of metabolic syndrome among psychiatric inpatients at a tertiary care center

Background: Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is a complex illness with interconnected physiological, clinical, and metabolic factors. MetS is more prevalent in patients with mental illness than in the general population and contributes to greater morbidity and mortality. Thus we, studied the prevalence and correlates of MetS in psychiatric inpatients.Materials and Methods: The study is an observational cross-sectional study conducted at a tertiary care center. All consecutive patients (n = 185) admitted to the department of Psychiatry were enrolled after informed consent. Sociodemographic data, clinical data, and treatment details were collected. The WHO Global Physical Activity Questionnaire was administered to assess the level of physical activity; MetS was diagnosed as per the International Diabetes Federation criteria.Results: The prevalence of MetS was 22.7% among the study participants. The prevalence of MetS was significantly associated with higher age, urban domicile status, and middle and upper socioeconomic classes. Clinical characteristics such as longer duration of illness, comorbid substance use disorders, and treatment regimens with only antipsychotics medications were associated with higher likelihood of MetS. There was a higher prevalence of MetS among subjects with lower level of physical activity.Conclusion: One-fourth of the psychiatric inpatients had MetS. Guidelines specific to the Indian context need to be developed for the screening and monitoring of psychiatric patients with reference to MetS. Promotion of physical well-being and physical activity among patients with mental disorders is likely to contribute to a better overall outcome.

Knowledge and attitude about cervical cancer and human papillomavirus vaccine among medical and paramedical students of a university.

Background:Every year, globally 570,000 women are diagnosed with cervical cancer, out of which around 311,000 die. India contributes to about 132,000 new cases and 74,000 deaths yearly. One of the major risk factors for cervical cancer is infection with some types of human papillomavirus (HPV). This is both preventable (by vaccination) and detectable early (routine screening programs).Objective:The objective of this study is to assess the knowledge and attitude in medical and paramedical students about cervical cancer and HPV vaccination.Material and Methods:A cross-sectional survey was conducted, using predesigned and validated questionnaire. It was segregated into three parts: Q1—demographic details, Q2a—questions assessing knowledge, Q2b—questions assessing attitude. Our target population was female students (18–25 years) studying in medical, nursing, and physiotherapy colleges. Descriptive statistics of data was analyzed using SPSS 16.0.Results:We had 73% response rate. Most participants belonged to upper middle and upper socioeconomic class, were pursuing MBBS, resided in villages, had educated parents, and had good health-care-seeking behavior. School education, television, and printed advertisements appeared to be underutilized. Around 50% of the participant had received chickenpox and typhoid vaccine, but only 8% had received HPV vaccine. The mean knowledge score was 5.19 ± 2.24, with 0.00 minimum and 11.0 maximum, out of a maximum possible score of 17. Only, place of residence appeared to effect the knowledge score.Conclusion:The study shows the dismal knowledge levels about HPV amongst students. Participants were interested in seeking knowledge; consider HPV vaccination provided they were provided with sufficient knowledge.

A Study on Clinical Patterns of Nonvenereal Male Genital Dermatoses at a Rural-Based Tertiary Care Center

Background: All dermatoses affecting genitalia are not sexually transmitted. Wrongly labeling a patient as a case of venereal disease can have great psychosocial implications, apart from the resultant wrong treatment. It is necessary to have detailed knowledge and broader view while approaching genital lesions as it can be a nonvenereal disease. Objectives: The aim was to study the clinical patterns of nonvenereal male genital dermatoses. Materials and Methods: It was a cross-sectional observational study of male patients having nonvenereal genital dermatoses attending the Department of Dermatology for a period of 1 year from June 2016 to May 2017. Male patients with genital lesions were included in the study after taking their written consent in vernacular language. A detailed history and examination was carried out according to a prestructured pro forma. Investigations were done as and when required. Patients diagnosed with sexually transmitted disease were excluded from the study. Results: The study included 200 male patients having forty different nonvenereal genital dermatoses. Most patients belong to the age group of 19–40 years (46%), with a mean age of 36.47 years. Most of them were students (32%), were graduate (38.5%), and belonged to middle socioeconomic class (60.5%). Sixty percent of the patients were married. Common dermatoses encountered were scabies (27 [13.5%]), dermatophytoses (19 [9.5%]), scrotal dermatitis (16 [8%]), lichen planus (15 [7.5%]), vitiligo (12 [6%]), and psoriasis and pearly penile papules each with 10 (5%) cases. Other rare dermatoses were median raphe cyst, genital lentigenosis, granuloma annulare, nevus, cutaneous tuberculosis, and lichen sclerosus. Conclusions: Scabies was the most common nonvenereal genital dermatosis found in this study.

A comparative study of efficacy of rectal misoprostol with intravenous methyl ergometrine and intramuscular PGF2a in active management of third stage of labor

PPH is almost entirely a preventable condition when management is based on scientifically proven methods. It occurs in approximately 4% of vaginal deliveries, and estimates are that it causes significant morbidity and 25% of all the maternal child birth related deaths. We conducted this study with the following aims to compare the effectiveness of rectal misoprostol (600mcg) with intravenous methylergometrine (0.2mg) and intramuscular PGF2α (125mcg). To find out the percentage of pregnant women having postpartum hemorrhage, amount of blood loss and efficacy and safety of uterotonic drugs during third stage of labor. Patients with full-term singleton pregnancy in the age group of 20-35 years admitted in the maternity ward for vaginal delivery were enrolled in the study after taking written informed consent. The third stage of labor was actively managed in these patients by either 600mcg of misoprostol per rectally (Group A) or 0.2mg of IV methylergometrine (Group B) or 125mcg of PGF2α intramuscularly (Group C) and some were given any prophylactic oxytocic (Group D). Majority 110 (55%) of the studies participants were in the age group of 20-24 years. Moreover, 109 (54.5%) belonged to upper middle (II) socioeconomic class as per modified Kuppuswamy’s socioeconomic scale update for 2018. Only, 7 (3.5%) of the participants were grand multipara’s while 24 (12%) had gestational age greater than 40 weeks. Mean maternal age, gestational age and duration of third stage of labor was comparable in all the study groups. Maximum amount of blood loss was seen among participants who were in control group (201.80 ± 122.81 ml) and the maximum ‘mean difference in Hb’ was also seen in control group (0.83 gm%). Reported side effects during the study included diarrhea, nausea, shivering and vomiting in (1.5%) participants. Postpartum hemorrhage and retained placenta was reported among 7 (3.5%) and 2 (1%) participants only.Misoprostol can be used as a safe and effective alternative agent in active management of third stage of labor.

Fear of COVID-19 among pregnant women in Pakistan: a cross-sectional study

Background: The emergence of COVID-19 and its pandemic nature has exacerbated fears worldwide. Pregnant women are considered a vulnerable group during the COVID-19 pandemic because the physiological changes make them more susceptible to infections. Pregnant women are found expressing much of the fear related to their course of pregnancy, the in-utero transmission of the disease, and questions related to infection control in healthcare settings. Hence, the purpose of this paper was to explore the fears faced by pregnant women related to COVID.Methods: It was a cross-sectional survey among 201 pregnant women attending antenatal clinics of Aga Khan University Hospital. The survey tool contains demographic variables and a 7-item scale of “Fear in COVID” which is pre tested in the Iranian population. The survey form was made on google drive and sent to pregnant females on WhatsApp.Results: 201 pregnant women mostly belonging to middle and low socioeconomic class were enrolled. The majority (80%) of women were less than 30 years of age. Only 26 (12.9%) were primigravids, remaining were multigravidas of a different order of pregnancy. 60% of our study population showed high fear scores (27-35) from coronavirus whereas another 30% had moderate fear. No association of study variables was found with fear scores.Conclusions: We found a high level of fear of COVID-19 among the pregnant population with a higher level of anxiety and stress related symptoms. The amount of fear and stress is independent of the trimester or order of pregnancy.

STUDENTS' NEEDS IN ENGLISH TEACHING MATERIALS FOR KINDERGARTEN STUDENTS

The aim of this study was to investigate the students actual foreign language needs (Masuhara, 1998: 239-260) , namely : first, personal needs which focus on their personal information and second, learning needs covers five points, to be exact: learning attitude, learning preferences regarding activities, teaching media and topics in the EFL classroom, the gap between the target level and the present level of proficiency. A descriptive survey research design was used in this study. A set of smiley questionnaire were collected from for 113 kindergarteners from six kindergartens in Pringsewu District, Lampung Province, Indonesia. Furthermore, interviews with six homeroom teachers and six principals were conducted to get deeper data. The results show that the students are members of various tribe, included in the low to middle socioe-conomic class, the number of students surveyed is more female than male (62 female and 51 male) aged 6-7 years old. They have positive attitude toward EFL class, and they prefered learning English using games to other activities . Animals, numbers and foods were the students favorite topics. Furthermore, from four kinds of oral competencies they were able to naming objects.Â

A cross-sectional study to assess the morbidity pattern, healthcare-seeking behavior and its determinants among adults of urban slum dwellers of Chennai

Background: Health seeking behavior is an important decision in health care management and it becomes more relevant among underprivileged populations like urban slums. The objectives of the study was to find out the morbidity pattern, health care seeking behaviours , the morbidity pattern its determinants among urban slum dwellers in Chennai.Methods: This descriptive cross sectional study was conducted among 400 respondents of Nallakuppam slum in Chennai by systematic random sampling method from October 2017 to October 2019. A semi structured schedule was used to collect information among them after their valid informed consent. Descriptive statistics such as frequency and percentage were used. Chi square test was used to assess the association between factors.Results: Almost half of the study participants (53.50%) were female and 30.50% have completed high school education. Hindu was the major religion practiced and most of them belonged to lower middle socio economic class. Though majority of the study population suffered from communicable diseases like ARI and fever which might be due to overcrowding in that area, treatment seeking behavior was found to be good among the study participant suffering from non-communicable disease like DM, HTN and CHD, which showed that the type of disease played an vital role in seeking treatment among the study participants.Conclusions: Though the study participants had different choice in health care such as government, private or some time both facilities for treating their illness, trust on the health care provider played an important role in availing services from particular health care facilities.

A Study on Complaince Pattern of Tuberculosis Patients Under DOTS in A District of West Bengal

Background: DOTS is a comprehensive strategy for tuberculosis control based largely on Indian research and it now recognized worldwide. Still non-compliance to DOTS remains a major public health challenge. Aims: To know the compliance of DOTS therapy in tuberculosis patients in Howrah district of West Bengal and to find out the factors responsible for non-compliance. Methods: A community based cross-sectional study was undertaken to determine socio-demographic and treatment related risk factors in relation to non-compliance of patients under DOTS in Howrah district of West Bengal. Altogether 141 patients registered in 2nd quarter(1st April to 30th June2007) in Domjure TU were interviewed by home visit after their completion of intensive phase of treatment. Results: 63.8% patients were compliant with treatment. Non-compliance was significantly higher among 25-54 years age group(51.4%) and in male(46%) patients. Literate patients, patients of upper and lower middle socio-economic class and those were actually supervised during swallowing of drugs were found more compliant with the treatment. Conclusion: Proper supervision of DOT providers with adequate counseling of patients and their close relatives might help to treatment compliance.

Epidemiological Study of Female Death within Seven Years of their Marriage in Kanpur Region

Introduction: When girls get married, this heralds a major change in their immediate environment. Thereis a change of guardianship, separation from the parents and family and creation of a new family. All thiscreates a stressful environment around them, which is further aggravated by pregnancy, the upbringing ofchildren, managing the household and office works. Eventually, when the tolerance breaks down, the bridesare forced to take the extreme step of ending their miserable lives. In the majority of female unnatural deaths,the family members (parents, husbands, in-laws) may be directly or indirectly responsible for precipitatingthe circumstances leading to the death of the victim.Methodology: Material for the present study comprised of all information from the relatives, guardians,police or investigating officers pertaining to the cases of ‘unnatural deaths of females within seven years oftheir marriage’, brought to the District Mortuary, Kanpur during the period of one year.Conclusion: The incidence of unnatural deaths in females who died within seven years of their marriagewas estimated to be 4.17% of the total cases autopsied. Maximum numbers of victims were rural Hinduhousewives belonging to lower-middle or middle socioeconomic classes between 18-22 years of age andmost of them had died within three years of their marriage. In cases of homicidal deaths burning andthrottling/strangulation were found as the most common method used Dowry was the most common motivein homicidal deaths. As such husbands and in-laws were the most common human offenders in homicidalcases. Hanging was the most common method used in suicidal cases followed by burning. Whereas familyquarrel and marital disharmony were the most common motives behind such deaths.

Anorexia nervosa in a preadolescent male

Anorexia nervosa (AN) has been predominantly considered as a of western culture. Also, it is labelled as a disorder of females belonging to the upper socio-economic class. Anorexia nervosa in males is often underdiagnosed. The age of onset is generally early to mid-adolescence. Here we present a case of AN in a male belonging to the lower middle socio-economic class having onset in preadolescence. The case highlights the symptomatology in preadolescent males with AN. Also, it highlights the challenges faced in management. The case description suggests preadolescent males may also present with AN and that the clinician needs to remain gender-neutral while evaluating for eating disorders.

Persona profiles of Latinx living in Boston: Applications for information organizations

AbstractBased on data and initial findings of a larger phenomenological project focused on the experiences of Latinx living in the Boston area, we created two persona profiles. The persona profiles are based on preliminary results of the analysis of 13 interviews with members of the Latinx community in Boston, which identified two distinct groups among the participants. These groups were defined by socioeconomic class, as identified by two main indicators: educational attainment and English language skills. Those belonging to the lower socioeconomic class had low educational attainment and limited English language skills compared to those in the middle socioeconomic class group made up of Latinx who had high educational attainment and were fully bilingual. The persona profiles created by using the interview data have potential applications for those working in information organizations, and to help researchers and practitioners in information organizations design better services for urban Latinx communities. This approach aligns with the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, which among many goals, intends to make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable.

Complementary Feeding Status of Children Residing in Urban Slum of East Delhi

International Journal of Medicine and Public Health,2020,10,3,126-129.DOI:10.5530/ijmedph.2020.3.27Published:September 2020Type:Original ArticleComplementary Feeding Status of Children Residing in Urban Slum of East DelhiShyambhavee Behera, Khan Amir Maroof, and Pradeep Kumar Tiwari Shyambhavee Behera1, Khan Amir Maroof2,*, Pradeep Kumar Tiwari2 1Department of Community Medicine, Atal Bihari Vajpayee Institute of Medical Sciences and Dr RML Hospital, New Delhi, INDIA. 2Department of Community Medicine, University College of Medical Sciences, Delhi, INDIA. Abstract:Background: Feeding practices both in terms of quality as well as quantity is of great importance in the initial years of life for the optimal growth especially the “critical window period”. Urban slum dwellers are at higher risk of poor child feeding status. The study aims to assess the IYCF indicators related to complementary feeding in an urban slum of East Delhi and to explore its association with the socio-demographic factors. Methodology: A cross-sectional study was conducted in an urban slum of Sunder Nagari in East Delhi. One hundered and eighty one children between 6-24 months of age were included in the study. The infant and young child feeding (IYCF) status data was collected using pretested and pre-validated questionnaire adapted from the standard WHO-IYCF questionnaire. Socio-demographic characteristics were also recorded. Chi-square tests were applied to explore the association of socio-demographic variables with IYCF status. Results: Early initiation of breastfeeding was practiced in around half of the children. Minimum Dietary Diversity (MDD), Minimum Meal Frequency (MMF) and Minimum Acceptable Diet (MAD) was found to be 17.7%, 69.1% and 16.6%, respectively. These complementary feeding indicators were found to be better (p<0.05) among higher age group children, mothers with higher level of education and middle socio-economic class in comparison to lower socioeconomic section of the study population. Conclusion: Infant and young child feeding practices were found to be poor in the present study. More impetus is needed to promote IYCF practices in urban slums. Keywords:complementary feeding, IYCF indicators, Minimum Acceptable Diet, Minimum Dietary Diversity, Minimum Meal FrequencyView:PDF (270.29 KB)