Screening For Non-communicable Diseases Research Articles

Prevention and control of diabetes mellitus complications in productive population in rural

In Pekalongan Regency, Central Java, Indonesia, cases of productive population with diabetes mellitus have rapidly increased over the past three years. With regard to individual-based problems prevention and management, this is not sufficiently balanced. From the standpoint of the provider, this study examines attempts to prevent and control diabetes mellitus in productive population, including obstacles and limitations. With a focus on three rural areas (Wiradesa, Tirto I and Kedungwuni I Sub-Districts), qualitative study included 75 productive-age diabetics and 30 breadwinners. In-depth interviews and focus group discussions were used to gather data, which was then thematically analyzed. Three rural locus with the highest prevalence of diabetes mellitus in productive population were found in the results. Through screening for non-communicable diseases at integrated service post (Posyandu), chronic disease management programs and cross-sectoral activities, there are numerous initiatives for the prevention and management of complications. The challenges include constantly changing programmers, programmers with many assignments, inadequate target awareness and low motivation, as well as a worse recording and reporting system. Such that fundamental information on both individual and public health cannot be accessed. Based on individual emphasis, recording and reporting, several programs for complication prevention and management are required to identify the range of non-communicable diseases.

Tobacco smoking clusters in households affected by tuberculosis in an individual participant data meta-analysis of national tuberculosis prevalence surveys: Time for household-wide interventions?

Tuberculosis (TB) and non-communicable diseases (NCD) share predisposing risk factors. TB-associated NCD might cluster within households affected with TB requiring shared prevention and care strategies. We conducted an individual participant data meta-analysis of national TB prevalence surveys to determine whether NCD cluster in members of households with TB. We identified eligible surveys that reported at least one NCD or NCD risk factor through the archive maintained by the World Health Organization and searching in Medline and Embase from 1 January 2000 to 10 August 2021, which was updated on 23 March 2023. We compared the prevalence of NCD and their risk factors between people who do not have TB living in households with at least one person with TB (members of households with TB), and members of households without TB. We included 16 surveys (n = 740,815) from Asia and Africa. In a multivariable model adjusted for age and gender, the odds of smoking was higher among members of households with TB (adjusted odds ratio (aOR) 1.23; 95% CI: 1.11-1.38), compared with members of households without TB. The analysis did not find a significant difference in the prevalence of alcohol drinking, diabetes, hypertension, or BMI between members of households with and without TB. Studies evaluating household-wide interventions for smoking to reduce its dual impact on TB and NCD may be warranted. Systematically screening for NCD using objective diagnostic methods is needed to understand the actual burden of NCD and inform comprehensive interventions.

Importance of Utilizing Non-Communicable Disease Screening Tools; Ward-Based Community Health Care Workers of South Africa Explain.

The screening of patients in the community is important and is a commonly used indicator to detect, prevent, and treat abnormal health changes. As such, the South African Department of Health following the initiative of the World Health Organization has appointed ward-based community health care workers through a primary health care reengineering program. The main objective of their appointment was to screen household members to reduce the burden of diseases such as diabetes mellitus and hypertension. As such, the study investigated the importance of using non-communicable disease screening tools by ward-based community health care workers in South Africa. A qualitative, exploratory, and descriptive design was used. A non-probability purposive sampling method was used to select forty participants from primary health care facilities. Four focus group discussions were held with ten participants in each group. Semi-structured focus group discussions were held with participants in their workplaces. Content data analysis was applied to come up with one theme and six subthemes. The study findings revealed that the use of screening tools facilitated comprehensive household assessments, helped identify risk factors and symptoms, and facilitated health education and patient referrals. The continuous supply of screening tools and updates on their use was recommended to reduce the rate and burden caused by non-communicable diseases to society at large.

Does Engagement in HIV Care Affect Screening, Diagnosis, and Control of Noncommunicable Diseases in Sub-Saharan Africa? A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

Low- and middle-income countries are facing a growing burden of noncommunicable diseases (NCDs). Providing HIV treatment may provide opportunities to increase access to NCD services in under-resourced environments. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to evaluate whether use of antiretroviral therapy (ART) was associated with increased screening, diagnosis, treatment, and control of diabetes, hypertension, chronic kidney disease, or cardiovascular disease among people living with HIV in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). A comprehensive search of electronic literature databases for studies published between 01 January 2011 and 31 December 2022 yielded 26 studies, describing 13,570 PLWH in SSA, 61% of whom were receiving ART. Random effects models were used to calculate summary odds ratios (ORs) of the risk of diagnosis by ART status and corresponding 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs), where appropriate. ART use was associated with a small but imprecise increase in the odds of diabetes diagnosis (OR 1.07; 95% CI 0.71, 1.60) and an increase in the odds of hypertension diagnosis (OR 2.10, 95% CI 1.42, 3.09). We found minimal data on the association between ART use and screening, treatment, or control of NCDs. Despite a potentially higher NCD risk among PLWH and regional efforts to integrate NCD and HIV care, evidence to support effective care integration models is lacking.

Many hops, many stops: care-seeking "loops" for diabetes and hypertension in three urban informal settlements in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region.

The burden of Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) in urban informal settlements across Lower and Middle Income Countries is increasing. In recognition, there has been interest in fine-tuning policies on NCDs to meet the unique needs of people living in these settlements. To inform such policy efforts, we studied the care-seeking journeys of people living in urban informal settlements for two NCDs-diabetes and hypertension. The study was done in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region, India. This qualitative study was based on interviews with patients having diabetes and hypertension, supplemented by interactions with the general community, private doctors, and public sector staff. We conducted a total of 47 interviews and 6 Focus Group Discussions. We synthesized data thematically and used the qualitative software NVivo Version 10.3 to aid the process. In this paper, we report on themes that we, as a team, interpreted as striking and policy-relevant features of peoples' journeys. People recounted having long and convoluted care-seeking journeys for the two NCDs we studied. There were several delays in diagnosis and treatment initiation. Most people's first point of contact for medical care were local physicians with a non-allopathic degree, who were not always able to diagnose the two NCDs. People reported seeking care from a multitude of healthcare providers (public and private), and repeatedly switched providers. Their stories often comprised multiple points of diagnosis, re-diagnosis, treatment initiation, and treatment adjustments. Advice from neighbors, friends, and family played an essential role in shaping the care-seeking process. Trade-offs between saving costs and obtaining relief from symptoms were made constantly. Our paper attempts to bring the voices of people to the forefront of policies on NCDs. People's convoluted journeys with numerous switches between providers indicate the need for trusted "first-contact" points for NCD care. Integrating care across providers-public and private-in urban informal settlements-can go a long way in streamlining the NCD care-seeking process and making care more affordable for people. Educating the community on NCD prevention, screening, and treatment adherence; and establishing local support mechanisms (such as patient groups) may also help optimize people's care-seeking pathways.

Evaluation of a comprehensive health check offered to frontline health workers in Zimbabwe.

Health workers are essential for a functioning healthcare system, and their own health is often not addressed. During the COVID-19 pandemic health workers were at high risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection whilst coping with increased healthcare demand. Here we report the development, implementation, and uptake of an integrated health check combining SARS-CoV-2 testing with screening for other communicable and non-communicable diseases for health workers in Zimbabwe during the COVID-19 pandemic. Health checks were offered to health workers in public and private health facilities from July 2020 to June 2022. Data on the number of health workers accessing the service and yield of screening was collected. Workshops and in-depth interviews were conducted to explore the perceptions and experiences of clients and service providers. 6598 health workers across 48 health facilities accessed the service. Among those reached, 5215 (79%) were women, the median age was 37 (IQR: 29-44) years and the largest proportion were nurses (n = 2092, 32%). 149 (2.3%) healthcare workers tested positive for SARS-CoV-2. Uptake of screening services was almost 100% for all screened conditions except HIV. The most common conditions detected through screening were elevated blood pressure (n = 1249; 19%), elevated HbA1c (n = 428; 7.7%) and common mental disorder (n = 645; 9.8%). Process evaluation showed high acceptability of the service. Key enablers for health workers accessing the service included free and comprehensive service provision, and availability of reliable point-of-care screening methods. Implementation of a comprehensive health check for health workers was feasible, acceptable, and effective, even during a pandemic. Conventional occupational health programmes focus on infectious diseases. In a society where even health workers cannot afford health care, free comprehensive occupational health services may address unmet needs in prevention, diagnosis, and treatment for chronic non-communicable conditions.

Exposure to mass media chronic health campaign messages and the uptake of non-communicable disease screening in Ghana.

The main goal of this study was to examine the relationship between exposure to mass media health campaign massages and the uptake of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) screening services in Ghana and whether this relationship differs by place of residence. Available evidence suggests a general low uptake of NCDs screening in developing country settings. Unfortunately, many NCDs evolve very slowly and are consequently difficult to detect early especially in situations where people do not screen regularly and in settings where awareness is low. In this study, we contribute to understanding the potential role of the media in scaling up NCDs screening in developing countries. We fitted multivariate logistic regression models to a sample of 1337 individual surveys which were collected at the neighborhood level in three Ghanaian cities. Overall, the results show that exposure to mass media chronic NCD health campaign messages was significantly associated with increased likelihood of screening for NCDs. The results further highlight neighborhood-level disparities in the uptake of NCDs screening services as residents of low-income and deprived neighborhoods were significantly less likely to report being screened for NCDs. Other factors including social capital, knowledge about the causes of NCDs and self-rated health predicted the likelihood of chronic NCDs screening. The results demonstrate mass media can be an important tool for scaling up NCDs screening services in Ghana and similar contexts where awareness might be low. However, place-based disparities need to be addressed.

Essential healthcare services during the COVID-19 pandemic: a cross-sectional study of community needs and perspectives in West Java, Indonesia

ObjectivesWhile issues in healthcare facilities during the COVID-19 pandemic have been widely discussed, little is known about health service issues from community (demand) sides. This study aimed to identify community...

Assessment of Barriers and Challenges to the Screening and Linkages of Non-Communicable Diseases by Community Health Volunteers in Nyeri County, Kenya

Assessment of Barriers and Challenges to the Screening and Linkages of Non-Communicable Diseases by Community Health Volunteers in Nyeri County, Kenya

Technology Empowerment of ASHA Workers Using E-Health Initiatives in Rural Rajasthan

Introduction: Electronic health (e-health) initiatives grant the tools and knowledge to improve health care, benefiting not only patients but also healthcare professionals and institutions. Objectives: To empower ASHA (Accredited Social Health Activist) technically in terms of using e-health initiatives and to assess feasibility and usefulness of such initiatives; to enhance digital health literacy and to observe the effect of training and skill development of grass root level healthcare workers engaged in primary care. Method: A prospective observational cohort study, in which ASHA’s were recruited in two selected villages of Rajasthan. They were trained to use a web-based application, developed for use on portable device (tablet) to screen, diagnose and provide health education on non-communicable diseases. In-depth interviews and group discussions were done with ASHAs to know their views about the tablet and application use. Results: There was 19.3%, 29.3% and 40% improvement in ASHAs’ ability to measure haemoglobin, blood sugar and blood pressure respectively and also an improvement of 86.5% in tablet and application operation was observed. This improvement in ability of ASHAs was highly significant for all above four parameters (p-value <0.001). ASHAs agreed that the app was useful and helped them connect to the people and explain things more properly. They reported the beneficiaries understood more clearly through pop- up videos which also proved beneficial in increasing compliance. Conclusion: Training ASHA worker in e-health technology is feasible and can assist in screening and management of non-communicable diseases.

Strengthening Health Literacy for Prevention and Management of Risk Factors for Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) in Gedangsari, Gunung Kidul

Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) are diseases that are often not widely detected and recognized because generally, NCDs do not cause symptoms or complaints. This has an impact on the examination of patients where NCDS are detected to have reached the final stage. The lack of citizen’s literacy regarding non-communicable diseases due to the lack of exposure to information is crucial to follow up because it has an impact on the lack of attitudes and behavior in the prevention and management of NCDs in the Gedangsari area. Access to health services is considered to be lacking because the distance to health services is quite far, plus the geographical conditions of the area and quite steep road conditions. Economic factors and the level of education of residents are also obstacles to the access of information and health services. NCDs prevention efforts are urgently needed so that the level of public health in the Gedangsari area increases. Prevention is meant through Information Communication and Education activities about NCDs to the public. This community service aims to increase public knowledge about NCDs and how to prevent and treat them. This activity was carried out by early detection of NCDs risk factors, health checks, presentation of material about NCDs general knowledge, and NCDs modality therapy. The activities carried out were evaluated through a pre-test and post-test with a questionnaire. The results of the activity showed that there was an increase in residents' knowledge regarding NCDs by 51,2% after the activity, the implementation of NCDs screening, and NCDs modality therapy. In conclusion, this community service activity can increase citizen literacy towards NCDs. It is hoped that the community will apply the preventive and therapeutic modalities that have been taught to prevent and control NCDs

An Examination of Physical Activity, Non-Communicable Diseases, and Health Screening among People Living with HIV in Zamfara State, Nigeria

Aim: This study provides a comprehensive analysis of physical activity levels, non-communicable disease prevalence, and health screening practices of people living with HIV in Zamfara State, Nigeria.
 Methodology: This study is a cross-sectional study involving a total of 424 individuals living with HIV (PLWH) in Zamfara State, Nigeria.
 Results: The socio-demographic analysis reveals that the study participants were predominantly within the age group of 30-39 (38.7%) and were mainly female (70.3%). In terms of ethnicity, Hausa was the most common (75.7%), followed by Yoruba (9.7%) and Igbo (4.7%). The participants were largely married (57.8%) and had no formal schooling (45.8%). Physical activity levels were evaluated based on the time spent on different domains of activity in a typical week. The mean time spent on vigorous intensity activity was 28.6 minutes per week, while moderate-intensity activity and walking/cycling were higher at 69.9 minutes and 205.1 minutes per day, respectively. However, 47.2% of participants overall did not meet WHO recommendations on physical activity for health, with females demonstrating a higher rate of non-compliance (50.7%) compared to males (38.9%). A notable aspect of the study is the examination of the prevalence of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) among the participants. Overall, the highest prevalence was seen for raised blood pressure (10.4%), followed by cardiovascular diseases (7.3%) and raised blood sugar (4.0%), while raised cholesterol levels were minimal (0.2%). Females presented a higher prevalence of raised blood pressure and cardiovascular diseases. The study also scrutinized health screening practices, revealing that the screening for cervical cancer among female respondents was worryingly low at 2.3%. The mean weight and height for both sexes were 63.8 Kg and 1.6 meters, respectively. The mean Body Mass Index (BMI) was found to be 23.5 for males and 25.5 for females. Concerningly, 37.5% of the population had a BMI greater than 25, indicating overweight or obesity, with a higher prevalence among females (31.8%) than males (7.6%).
 Conclusion: This study provides valuable insights into physical activity trends, non-communicable disease prevalence, and health screening practices among PLWH in Zamfara State, Nigeria. The findings underline the importance of tailored interventions to promote physical activity, manage non-communicable diseases, and encourage routine health screenings in this demographic.

Non-communicable Diseases Week: Best Practices in Addressing the NCDs Burden from Tanzania.

Five million people die every year from non-communicable diseases (NCDs) globally. In Tanzania, more than two-thirds of deaths are NCD-related. The country is investing in preventive and advocacy activities as well as interventions to reduce the burden. Of particular interest, the Ministry of Health (MoH) commemorates NCDs' week using a multisectoral and multi-stakeholders' approach. This paper highlights activities conducted during NCDs week with the aim of sharing lessons for other countries with similar context and burdens. A thorough review of official reports and the national strategic plans for NCDs was done including the 2020 and 2021 National NCDs' week reports, the National Strategic Plan for NCDs 2015-2020, and the National NCDs agenda. NCDs week is commemorated annually throughout the country involving the five key activities. First, community awareness and participation are encouraged through media engagement and community-based preventive and advocacy activities. Second, physical activities and sports festivals are implemented with a focus on developing and renovating infrastructures for sports and recreation. Third, health education is provided in schools to promote healthy behaviors for secondary school adolescents in transition to adulthood. Fourth, health service provision and exhibitions are conducted involving screening for hypertension, diabetes, obesity, alcohol use, and physical activities. The targeted screening of NCDs identified 10% of individuals with at least one NCD in 2020. In 2021, a third of all screened individuals were newly diagnosed with hypertension, and 3% were found to have raised blood glucose levels. Fifth, the national NCDs scientific conferences conducted within the NCDs week provide an avenue for stakeholders to discuss scientific evidence related to NCDs and recommend strategies to mitigate NCDs burden. The initiation of NCDs week has been a cornerstone in advocating for NCDs control and prevention in the country. It has created awareness on NCDs, encourage healthy lifestyles and regular screening for NCDs. The multi-stakeholder and multi-sectoral approaches have made the implementation of the mentioned activities feasible and impactful. This has set an example for the united efforts toward NCD control and prevention at national, regional, and global platforms while considering contextual factors during adoption and implementation.

Pembentukan Kelompok Peduli Penyakit Tidak Menular di Samigaluh, Kulon Progo

Based on observations, information was obtained that the elderly hypertension rate was quite high (70%) in Ngaran II Hamlet. Some of the possible causes are the lack of knowledge and public awareness about non-communicable diseases (NCD), in addition to the lack of cadres and equipment. This causes the Posyandu not to run optimally. Integrated activities for field supervisors and students include forming a NCD care group. NCD prevention and screening training was given to members of the NCD Care group, with material on blood pressure checks, simple blood tests and determination of body mass index. At the beginning and end of the training, an evaluation was conducted to assess the level of knowledge of the participants. The NCD care group consists of 9 health cadres. The training methods include theory, discussion, and practice. Participants were aged between 36-54 years (43.6) with 55.56% high school education and 44.44% junior high school education. Of the 9 participants, only 7 completed the test. It can be seen that there is an increase in knowledge from the average pretest score of 45.54 to 68.75 post-test score. Statistical test using Paired T-test showed a significant increase (p 0.001). It was concluded that the training succeeded in significantly increasing knowledge about NCDs and their prevention

Integration of point-of-care screening for type 2 diabetes mellitus and hypertension into the COVID-19 vaccine programme in Johannesburg, South Africa

BackgroundSouth Africa grapples with a substantial burden of non-communicable diseases (NCDs), particularly type 2 diabetes (diabetes) and hypertension. However, these conditions are often underdiagnosed and poorly managed, further exacerbated by the strained primary healthcare (PHC) system and the disruptive impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Integrating NCD screening with large-scale healthcare initiatives, such as COVID-19 vaccination campaigns, offers a potential solution, especially in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). We investigated the feasibility and effectiveness of this integration.MethodsA prospective cohort study was conducted at four government health facilities in Johannesburg, South Africa. NCD screening was incorporated into the COVID-19 vaccination campaign. Participants underwent COVID-19 rapid tests, blood glucose checks, blood pressure assessments, and anthropometric measurements. Those with elevated blood glucose or blood pressure values received referrals for diagnostic confirmation at local PHC centers.ResultsAmong 1,376 participants screened, the overall diabetes prevalence was 4.1%, combining previously diagnosed cases and newly identified elevated blood glucose levels. Similarly, the hypertension prevalence was 19.4%, comprising pre-existing diagnoses and newly detected elevated blood pressure cases. Notably, 46.1% of participants displayed waist circumferences indicative of metabolic syndrome, more prevalent among females. Impressively, 7.8% of all participants screened were potentially newly diagnosed with diabetes or hypertension. Approximately 50% of individuals with elevated blood glucose or blood pressure successfully linked to follow-up care within four weeks.ConclusionOur study underscores the value of utilizing even brief healthcare interactions as opportunities for screening additional health conditions, thereby aiding the identification of previously undiagnosed cases. Integrating NCD screenings into routine healthcare visits holds promise, especially in resource-constrained settings. Nonetheless, concerted efforts to strengthen care linkage are crucial for holistic NCD management and control. These findings provide actionable insights for addressing the NCD challenge and improving healthcare delivery in LMICs.

Barriers and facilitators of people living with HIV receiving optimal care for hypertension and diabetes in Tanzania: a qualitative study with healthcare professionals and people living with HIV

BackgroundPeople living with HIV (PLWH) are at a higher risk for developing diabetes and hypertension. Often services are separate for HIV and non-communicable diseases (NCDs), but how this impacts NCD care among PLWH is unknown. We aimed to understand the barriers and facilitators for prevention, early diagnosis and safe effective care for diabetes and hypertension among PLWH.MethodsSemi-structured interviews (SSIs) were conducted with 10 healthcare professionals (HCPs) that care for PLWH, 10 HCPs that care for people with diabetes and hypertension and 16 PLWH with a comorbidity of diabetes and/or hypertension. Participants were recruited from two healthcare facilities in Dodoma, Tanzania and purposively sampled based on age and sex. Interviews were conducted in Swahili using pre-developed topic guides, audio recorded then translated verbatim into English. An inductive thematic analysis was conducted using The Framework Method.ResultsThree themes were found: organisational/healthcare system factors, individual factors and syndemic factors. Organisational/healthcare system factors comprised the only facilitators for prevention (education on lifestyle behaviours and counselling on adherence), but included the most barriers overall: fragmented services, no protocol for NCD screening and lack of access to diagnostic equipment were barriers for early diagnosis whereas the former plus lack of continuity of NCD care were barriers for safe effective care. Individual factors comprised four sub-themes, three of which were considered facilitators: HCPs’ knowledge of NCDs for early diagnosis, self-monitoring of NCDs for safe effective care and HCPs’ personal practice for both early diagnosis and safe effective care. HCPs’ knowledge was simultaneously a barrier for prevention and PLWH knowledge was a barrier for prevention and safe effective care. Syndemic factors comprised three sub-themes; all were barriers for prevention, early diagnosis and/or safe effective care: poverty and mental health of PLWH and HIV stigma.ConclusionsOrganisational/healthcare system, individual and syndemic factors were found to be interlinked with barriers and facilitators that contribute to the prevention, early diagnosis and safe effective care of diabetes and hypertension among PLWH in Tanzania; these findings can inform future initiatives for making small and large health system changes to improve the health of aging PLWH.

Integration Challenges and Opportunity of Implementing Non-Communicable Disease Screening Intervention with Tuberculosis Patient Care: A Mixed Implementation Study.

Despite the comorbidity, early detection and treatment of the two diseases are highly recommended; however, a few pilot studies were conducted, which are mainly focused on diabetes mellitus screening and the integration opportunity and challenges were not known. The study aimed to identify integrated implementation challenges and opportunities of non-communicable disease and risk factors screening intervention with tuberculosis patient care. A mixed implementation study design was used. Data were collected from a sample of 443 tuberculosis patients, 21 key informants and facility observations. For quantitative data, descriptive statistics for proportion were summarized in tables and figures. Four distinct implementation frame was adapted for thematic analysis of audio recordings, daily verbatim transcription, and descriptive field notes. The prevalence of hypertension and diabetes mellitus among tuberculosis patients were 6.55% and 5.64%, respectively. Totally 9 subthemes and 21 new codes were developed, of which 13 and 8 new codes were developed for integrated implementation challenges and opportunities, respectively. The absence of medical equipment, skill and knowledge training, record and report system, cooperative integration, feedback, referral system, shortage of supporting agencies, and services not free were external challenges, whereas lack of trained health workers, focal persons, and increased workload and absence of awareness creation were internal challenges. Despite the challenges, the presence of health extension programs, non-governmental organizations, community health care insurance and associations for diabetes mellitus were external opportunities. Availability of assigned focal persons, trained stakeholders, guidelines, information systems and compatible tuberculosis program structure were internal opportunities. The majority of TB patients were not comorbid with NCDs. We build a favourable system for integrated implementation developing an integration platform and structural authority at a different organization by addressing identified challenges and applying facilitators is crucial.

Assessment of non-communicable diseases screening practices among university lecturers in Ghana – a cross sectional single centre study

Background: Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) are a major cause of morbidity and mortality globally. In low-income settings, some NCDs are without symptoms so regular screening for early detection is key. However, routine screening for NCDs is limited in the general public and even among the elite. We therefore set out to assess health screening practices among lecturers in a university in Ghana. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study involving 205 lecturers in Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology from February to August 2022. A questionnaire was used to gather data from both male and female university lecturers based on their self-reported declaration of being male or female. Data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics. Results: We found that, 41 (20.0%) lecturers (both men and women) had never checked their blood pressure (BP), 140 (68.3%) check their BP twice a month and 24 (11.7%) do so more than 3 times a month. Overall, 105 (57.18%) lecturers have high BP (>120 mmHg, >80 mmHg). Among the lecturers with hypertension, 59 (50.9%) often checked their BP each month, whereas 22 (18.97%) did not. The study found that, 164 (80%) of the lecturers have never checked their blood sugar level since they assumed lectureship position. Among the lecturers who check their blood sugar, 78 (47.55) are not happy with their blood sugar levels. Lecturer’s age (40 to 49 years) was found to be associated with BP in the bivariate analysis (p=0.036), but not in the multivariate analysis (p=0.114). In the bivariate analyses, female lecturers were found to have a higher risk (OR 1.35; 95% CI 0.29-6.21) of developing hypertension compared to male lecturers. Conclusions: The study has revealed that lecturers, just like the general population have moderate health care checks. The need to setup occupational health therapy units in all universities is overdue.

Enabling the Grass Root: Health Cadres Empowerment Program in Efforts to Prevent and Manage Hypertension in the Tanjung Sub-Village Community

Community health cadres are frontline health workers and essential allies in improving hypertension management and promoting health equity. However, the phenomenon in Indonesia shows that the support given to cadres in efforts to promote hypertension still needs to be higher. This article describes the community service program, especially health cadres empowerment in Tanjung Sub-villages, Sewon, Special Region of Yogyakarta, to optimize the capabilities of health cadres in promoting health and preventing disease. The methods to determine the lack in community used observation, interviews, and surveys. Then action planning was carried out by including cadres, primary health care services Sewon II, head of sub-village, village youth organization in Plan of Action (PoA). Implementation of the program was held in May 2023. The descriptive analysis was used for analyzing the preliminary surveys. The Wilcoxon test was carried out to measure cadres' knowledge before and after the program was held as an evaluation. There are two main programs for empowering health cadres in this community: health cadre training and hypertension exercise to increase cadres' innovation in doing exercise for the community. Both of these programs have been proven to increase the knowledge and understanding of cadres about hypertension, as well as improve the ability of cadres to carry out health screening and lead hypertension exercises. Based on the results of the Wilcoxon test, the pre-test, and post-test values yielded a Z value of -2.375 and a sig value of 0.018, indicating that there is an influence of the presentation of hypertension on the knowledge and understanding of the cadres. Community acceptance of this program runs well and the Tanjung Sub-Village’s Cadres independently is able to carry out health screening of non-communicable diseases, especially hypertension in their monthly Integrated Healthcare Center (Posyandu) program in the future.

Non-communicable diseases and their impact on depression, anxiety, and stress among the geriatric population residing in old age homes in Chennai, Tamil Nadu.

Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) are most prevalent among the elderly population. Mental illness and chronic disease conditions are of utmost significance when considering their implications on various aspects such as well-being, quality of life, cost of treatment, and longevity of the affected individuals. There is a paucity of data from India to assess the prevalence of NCDs and their relation to depression, anxiety, and stress among the elderly population. The present study aims to determine the prevalence of NCDs and their relationship with depression, anxiety, and stress (DASS) among the geriatric population that resides in senior citizen homes (Old age homes) in Chennai. A cross-sectional study was conducted among the elderly population in old age homes located in Chennai. The research was carried out through offline methods during the period of January 2023 to April 2023. A total of 311 participants were involved in this study who were aged 60 and older. DASS 21 was used to study depression, anxiety, and stress. The overall prevalence of depression was 84.2%, anxiety was 49.2%, and stress was 55.9% among the study participants. The findings of the study show that there is a statistically significant association, the odds of diabetes were 2 times higher (OR- 2.082, 95% CI: 1.225-3.888), the presence of hypertension was nearly 4.1 times higher (OR- 4.116, 95% CI: 2.110-8.030) and the odds of the presence of visual impairment were nearly 1.8 times higher (OR-1.810, 95% CI: 0.976-3.357) in developing the symptoms of depression. Screening of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) such as hypertension, diabetes, etc. for DASS among the elderly population is recommended at regular intervals, as elderly people are considered to be the most vulnerable age group population, worldwide.