Rural School Going Research Articles

Nutritional Status of Rural Obese School going Children (11 - 15 Yrs) in Guntur District

Nutritional Status of Rural Obese School going Children (11 - 15 Yrs) in Guntur District

Prevalence of Dental Health Problems among School going Children in Rural Areas of Thane District, Maharashtra

Background: Epidemiological studies are helpful in planning and implementing oral health programs in a given popula- tion. This initiative is a consequence of the absence of any information on any study being conducted in the past on the prevalence of dental diseases in the rural school going children of Thane district. Aims: The aims were to (1) assess the prevalence of gingivitis, fluorosis, caries and malocclusion in the school-going chil- dren of rural areas of district Thane, Maharashtra and (2) evaluate the pattern of above-mentioned diseases in different age groups and genders. Materials and Methods: A total of 638 school-going children comprising 282 boys and 356 girls were examined in the age groups of 4-7yrs, 8-12yrs and 13-16yrs. Results: The prevalence of gingivitis, fluorosis, caries and malocclusion was 86.7%, 2.2%, 79.6%, and 14.9% respectively. The difference between age groups for the prevalence of gingivitis was highly significant. A significant increase in the prevalence of malocclusion was observed with age. No significant difference was found among genders for the prevalence of malocclusion. The difference in fluorosis was insignificant between boys and girls. Conclusion: The data shows necessary dental health programs needs to be implemented to attain the required oral care among school children of rural areas of Thane district.

A Comparative Analysis of Lipid Profile among Rural and Urban School Going Male Adolescents in Katsina State, Nigeria

Aim: The study is aimed at analyzing blood samples from 484 male school going adolescents; of which 263 were randomly selected from a public school in Katsina metropolis (urban setting) and 221 from a public school in Batsari (rural setting) for the levels of serum total cholesterol (TC), high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL - CH), low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL - CH) and triacyl glycerol (TG) in order to ascertain a risk of cardiovascular disease ( CVD). Study Design: A cross sectional study was conducted among male adolescents from urban and rural settings aged between 12 - 18 years attending public secondary schools in Katsina State Nigeria to assess their nutritional status.

An Assessment System for the Consequences of Untreated Dental Caries

Aims and Objectives: To assess the prevalence of caries experience using decay-missing-filled teeth (DMFT)/decayed, extracted, and filled teeth (deft) index and severity of clinical consequences of untreated dental caries (PUFA/pufa index) in the age groups of 6, 12, and 15 years in urban and rural school going children of Visakhapatnam District. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study of 689 rural and urban school going children of Visakhapatnam District with the age groups of 6, 12, and 15 years were randomly selected. Intra oral examination was carried out to assess dental caries experience using the World Health Organization criteria. For data collection, DMFT/deft and PUFA/pufa index were used and data collected was tabulated and subjected to statistical analysis. Results: The mean prevalence of caries (DMFT + deft > 0) in rural: 37.37% and urban: 26.28%, and the mean prevalence of clinical consequences of untreated dental caries (PUFA + pufa > 0) in rural: 11.9% and urban: 10.7%. The untreated caries, PUFA ratio for 6 years children was found to be 53.33% in rural and 50% in urban, for 12 years children was found to be 41.05% and 16.43%, whereas for 15 years it is 15% and 17.54% in rural and urban children, respectively. Conclusion: The study showed that the prevalence of clinical consequence of the untreated dental caries is high in the rural children of age groups 6 and 12. Hence, the use of PUFA/pufa index as a compliment to the classical caries indices can address the neglected problem of untreated caries and its consequences. Furthermore, PUFA/pufa data may be used for planning, monitoring, and evaluating the treatment plan by the health care providers.

Prevalence of Anemia in Rural School Going Children- a Cross Sectional Study

Prevalence of Anemia in Rural School Going Children- a Cross Sectional Study

Peak expiratory flow rate nomogram in relation to anthropometric determinants of South Indian school children

Background: The predictive normal value of peak expiratory flow rate (PEFR), used in monitoring of healthy and asthmatic children, is correlated with height, but it may vary with other anthropometric measurements and ethnic differences. Purpose: To study the correlation of PEFR with age, sex, body mass index (BMI), chest circumference (CC), and MUAC and to formulate PEFR nomograms in relation to these anthropometric variables in a rural school going children of age group 6-12 years in southern India. Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted in 2000 children consist of 993 boys and 1007 girls who fulfilled the selection criteria from eight randomly selected government schools from a rural area. PEFR was measured age wise using Mini-Wright peak flow meter and the highest among the three values was taken. PEFR nomograms were formulated, and its correlation with BMI, height, weight, CC, and MUAC were estimated using linear regression analysis. Results: PEFR has strong (p < 0.001) positive correlation with age, height, weight, MUAC, and CC, but it has poor correlation with BMI (p = 0.985) which showed flat regression line with narrow 95% confidence limits. Conclusion: In this study, PEFR has nonsignificant correlation with BMI but has strong positive correlation with other anthropometric measurements. This underlines the need of a local reference nomogram as anthropometric measurements affect the PEFR reference values.

Vitamin A Deficiency among School Going Adolescents in Rural Areas of BareillyAjay Kumar Agarwal

Objective: 1. To find out the prevalence of Vitamin A deficiency (VAD) on the basis of presence of bitot’s spot and conjunctival xerosis among rural school going adolescents of District Bareilly, Uttar Pradesh, India. 2. To identify the associated factors and to suggest the suitable measures to prevent VAD among them. Study Design: Cross sectional study.

Effect of socio-demographic characteristics on the prevalence of anemia among school going adolescent girls in Lucknow district, India

Anemia is a serious public health concern in most developing countries and the prevalence of anemia is quite high among adolescent girls. A cross-sectional descriptive study was carried out among school going adolescent girls in urban as well as rural schools of the Lucknow district, Uttar Pradesh, India from October 2008 to September 2009 with the objectives of studying the prevalence of anemia and the various socio-demographic characteristics in relation to anemia. Multistage random sampling was used to select the requisite number of girls. A total of 847 school going adolescent girls between 10-19 years of age were interviewed. Information regarding their socio-demographic characteristics was collected and the girls were also examined for presence or absence of pallor for anemia. Statistical analyses were done using percentage, Chi-square test, and odds ratio. The prevalence of anemia was found to be 55.6% and 57.9% in urban and rural school going adolescent girls respectively and significant association of anemia was observed with religion, caste and socio-economic status (p value<0.05). There is need to develop strategies for intensive adult education, nutrition education and dietary supplementation including anemia prophylaxis.South East Asia J Public Health | Jan-June 2012 | Vol 2 Issue 1 | 8-12 DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/seajph.v2i1.15254

Peak Expiratory Flow Rate In Healthy Rural School Going Children (5-16 Years) of Bellur Region For Construction of Nomogram

Peak Expiratory Flow Rate (PEFR) recording is an essential measure in the management and evaluation of asthmatic children.It is helpful in monitoring disease progression and response to treatment. The PEFR can be measured by a simple instrument-peak expiratory flow meter. To construct nomogram of PEFR in healthy rural school going children from Mandya district of Karnataka state, India and to use these nomograms for comparison with that of children with obstructive lung diseases for this region. The study was conducted on Healthy rural school going children, both boys and girls between the age group of 5-16 years. For the determination of PEFR we used Mini Wright Peak Flow Meter. At three time measurement, the highest value of PEFR was recorded. Formula for prediction of PEFR was estimated by linear regression analysis after the correlation of PEFR with age and height for both boys and girls. PEFR was measured in 1028 children aged 5 to 16 years by using Wright's mini peak flow meter. Prediction equations were derived for PEFR with height in boys and girls. Normograms were plotted based on the observed values of PEFR in the study population. Significant linear correlation was seen of PEFR with height in boys (p<0.001, r=0.7624) and in girls (p<0.001, r=0.8825). Prediction equation for PEFR are -317.43 + 4.40 x height (cm) in boys and - 321.21 + 4.25 x height (cm) in girls. Reference values of PEFR are affected by regional, environmental and anthropometric factors. Hence, it is necessary to have regional reference values for children. Among different factors affecting PEFR, height correlates better with PEFR than weight and sex. Hence nomograms constructed can be used for this region.

Promoting the proper use of medicines in rural school children of India

Background: The problem of irrational use of medicines is prevalent in rural India. For safe and proper use of medicines there is a need to understand the proper way of taking medicines. Teaching proper use of medicines is the most neglected domain of the school health curriculum. So this study targeted school going children in rural area of India as the earlier the intervention, the more firmly longer lasting health related behavior can be successfully inculcated. The objectives of the study were (1) To study base level knowledge about use of medicines and (2) To implement and see the effect of an intervention to increase medicine knowledge in the form of information, education and communication (IEC) in rural school children. Methods: This was an interventional, questionnaire based (quantitative) study in which an intervention in the form of lectures which was given to school children. Rural school going children in age group of13-15 years were selected from 3 different schools of rural areas of Nagpur district, India. 500 school children were included after obtaining permission from school authorities and informed consent from their parents. Pretesting done by administering a questionnaire containing 20 questions to assess children's base level knowledge about medicine use. The same questionnaire was repeated on 16th and 45th day of intervention i.e. daily lectures of 25-30 minutes for 15 days on proper use of medicines, to judge the improvement. Results: It was observed that the interventions brought about a positive change in the knowledge of the students as well as increased awareness about proper use of medicines. Conclusions: This study showed that properly timed and meticulously implemented intervention can bring about a positive change in the attitude and knowledge of school children.

LEOPARD syndrome with ischemic heart disease and eosinophilic pleural effusion in a teenage girl

LEOPARD syndrome is a rare congenital disorder characterized by the constellation of skin, facial and cardiac abnormalities. Most cases with this diagnosis have only a few of the features described and patients with full clinical spectrum are very rare. We report a case of 15-year-old rural school going teenage girl born to non-consanguineous parents with lentigines, cardiac abnormality (mild mitral regurgitation with ischemic heart disease), hypertelorism, kyphoscoliosis and presentation of exudative eosinophilic pleural effusion.

Prevalence of prehypertension and hypertension among urban and rural school going children

This school based cross sectional study was done to estimate the prevalence of prehypertension and hypertension among apparently healthy school children in urban and rural Mysore. Prevalence of prehypertension and hypertension was 2.9% and 2.8% in urban children and 2.8% and 2% in rural children with no statistically significant difference between them.

Relation Between Dysmenorrhea and Body Mass Index in Adolescents with Rural Versus Urban Variation

To find out the relation between the frequency of dysmenorrhea and body mass index in adolescents and to assess the impact of socio-demographic factors, especially rural/urban variation in the frequency of dysmenorrhea. Cross-sectional study of 200 urban and 200 rural school going adolescent girls at Udaipur and Bedla Districts, Rajasthan. Of the 400 girls, the prevalence of dysmenorrhea was found to be very high (81.5% rural and 76% urban). In the rural setup, of the total girls with mild dysmenorrhea, 71.84% had BMI<16.5, with 27.18% underweight. All girls with moderate and severe dysmenorrhea had BMI<16.5. In the urban setup, of all girls with mild dysmenorrhea, 38.05% had BMI<16.5 and 54.86% were underweight. All girls with severe and 80% with moderate dysmenorrhea had BMI<16.5. All girls with no dysmenorrhea had normal BMI. There was significant rural versus urban variation. Relation between dysmenorrhea and BMI was found to be significant (p<0.01) with increased prevalence in the low BMI group. Hence, improving the nutritional status of adolescent girls may reduce dysmenorrhea.

Prevalence and associated socio-demographic factors of chronic suppurative otitis media among rural primary school children of Bangladesh

BackgroundChronic suppurative otitis media (CSOM) is a common community health disorder of childhood in all developing countries including Bangladesh. In children, it may cause significant delays in speech, cognitive, educational and psychological development. ObjectivesTo determine prevalence of CSOM and its relationship with certain socio-demographic factors among rural primary school going children of Bangladesh. Methodology4280 rural primary school children of palash upazilla of Narsingdi district, Bangladesh had underwent ENT check up by doctors trained in ENT and their guardians were interviewed regarding certain socio demographic factors using a pre tested protocol. Results48% of them were boys and 52% were girls with a mean age of 8.8 years (SD±2.35). 5.63% of study population revealed to have CSOM and girls were relatively more sufferer than boys (6.6% vs 4.5%). Our study revealed statistically significant association of CSOM with age, sex, guardian's income, maternal education, family size, and sanitation of children. Housing though an important risk factor of CSOM but it was not evident in this study. ConclusionThus, improvement of the socio-demographic status and primary ear care education to children, their teachers and guardians can prevent these vulnerable children from developing CSOM and resultant complications.

Nutritional status of school going adolescent girls in Lucknow District

Objectives: To study the nutritional status of school going adolescent girls in Lucknow district, Uttar Pradesh, India. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional descriptive study was carried out in urban as well as rural schools of Lucknow district from October 2008 to September 2009. Multistage random sampling was used to select the requisite number of girls. A total of 847 school going adolescent girls between 10 and 19 years of age were interviewed and anthropometric measurements were recorded for assessing the nutritional status. Results and Conclusions: The mean weight in all age groups in both urban and rural schools showed significant difference with the ICMR mean weight for respective ages except in ages 18 and 19 years in urban school girl's and in ages 10 and 19 years in rural school girls. The mean height in all age groups in both urban and rural schools showed significant difference with the ICMR mean height for respective ages except in ages 18 and 19 years in urban schools and in ages 16, 17, 18, and 19 years in rural schools. Overall prevalence of thinness was found to be 17.0% and 11.4% (BMI <5th percentile according to NCHS-CDC reference) among urban and rural school going adolescent girls respectively. Overall prevalence of overweight was found to be 5.4% and 3.9% (BMI >85th percentile according to NCHS-CDC reference) among urban and rural school going adolescent girls, respectively.

Chronic Suppurative Otitis Media and Its Association with Socio-Econonic Factors Among Rural Primary School Children of Bangladesh

Chronic Suppurative Otitis Media (CSOM) is a common community health disorder of children in all developing countries like Bangladesh which causes significant impact in speech, cognitive, educational and psychological development. The aim of the study was to determine the prevalence of CSOM and its association with certain socio-economic factors and health related practice and believes among rural primary school children of Bangladesh. The study was done among 1468 rural school going children (Boys:Girls, 1:1.23) aged between 4 and 12years (mean 8.8±1.66) in five randomly selected rural primary school of Palash Upazilla of Narsingdi district, Bangladesh. They had underwent ENT check up by the doctors trained in ENT and their guardians were interviewed regarding their socioeconomic status, health related practices and beliefs and other related issues using a pre tested protocol. Total 77 (5.2%) cases of CSOM were detected with girl's predominance (5.7 vs. 4.7%). Our study revealed statistically significant association of CSOM with yearly income of guardian (P<0.005), maternal education (P<0.001), bathing habit (P<0.001), ear cleaning habit (P<0.05), pattern of primary medical consultation (P<0.05). Disease prevalence was also found higher among the dwellers of kachha house. So, this preventable burning problem of CSOM can be resolved by collective effort by incorporating primary ear care program with primary health care system among the vulnerable children of rural area along with their socio-economic development. Thus, future citizens can be safeguarded from developing CSOM, hearing impairment and its resultant complications.

Oral hygiene habits and oral health status of rural school going children in Mangalore, Dakshina Kannada, Karnataka

Oral hygiene habits and oral health status of rural school going children in Mangalore, Dakshina Kannada, Karnataka

Comparative Evaluation of Knowledge, Attitude and Prevalence of Substance Abuse in Urban and Rural School Going Children: a Crosssectional Study

Comparative Evaluation of Knowledge, Attitude and Prevalence of Substance Abuse in Urban and Rural School Going Children: a Crosssectional Study

The patterns of refractive errors among the school children of rural and urban settings in Nepal

The uncorrected refractive error is an important cause of childhood blindness and visual impairment. To study the patterns of refractive errors among the urban and rural school going children of Nepal. A total of 440 school children of urban and rural schools within the age range of 7-15 years were selected for this study using multi-stage randomization technique. The overall prevalance of refractive error in school children was 19.8 %. The commonest refractive error among the students was myopia (59.8 %), followed by hypermetropia (31.0 %). The children of age group 12-15 years had the higher prevalence of myopia as compared to the younger counterparts (42.5 % vs 17.2 %). The prevalence of myopia was 15.5 % among the urban students as compared to 8.2 % among the rural ones (RR = 1.89, 95 % CI = 1.1-3.24). The hypermetropia was more common in urban students than in rural ones (6.4 %) vs 5.9 %, RR = 1.08 (95 % CI: 0.52-2.24). The prevalence of refractive error in the school children of Nepal is 19.8 %. The students from urban settings are more likely to have refractive error than their rural counterparts.

Reproductive health awareness among rural school going adolescents of Vadodara district

Objectives:To identify the reproductive health issues associated with adolescence and their readiness to avail services like Adolescent Friendly Clinic (AFC) among rural school going children.Materials and Methods:A quantitative survey was carried out using a self-administered structured questionnaire among 768 (428 boys and 340 girls) students from 15 schools by systematic random sampling from schools (3 schools from 5 talukas). Focus group discussions, 5 each with adolescent boys and girls and teachers were held.Results and Discussion:Only 31% of the boys and 33% of the girls mentioned that they had heard about contraception. More than half of the adolescent boys and girls knew correctly about various modes of transmission of HIV/AIDS. A large proportion of boys and girls have mentioned changes in the opposite sex such as increase in height, change in voice, breast development, and growth of facial hair, growth of hair in private parts, onset of menstruation in girls, etc. Nearly 70% of adolescents were ready to use AFC. Teachers perceived that adolescents become curious about the changes taking place in them, but they lack information and opportunities for open-discussions to get answers to their queries related to reproductive health. They are willing to take help from teachers but teachers are not equipped with knowledge nor are they comfortable discussing these issues with their students.Recommendations:Information on the human reproductive system and related issues on reproductive health need special attention. Teachers’ sensitization to “adolescent health care” is required.