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Aim: The present paper aims to understand the fear of falling (FOF) and risk factors associated with FOF in community-dwelling individuals aged over 60 years in Pune, India. Subjects and methods: The study examined a random sample of 351 community-dwelling older adults. Data on demographic characteristics, health conditions, history of falls, and psychological factors were collected using a pre-tested, structured questionnaire. The Falls Efficacy Scale International (FES-I) was used to measure FOF. Univariate and bivariate logistic regression analyses were carried out to examine associations between various factors and FOF. Results: A high FES-I score was significantly associated with older age, females, unmarried status, education less than 6 years, living alone, unstable balance and gait, hypertension, arthritis, previous falls, self-reported loss of confidence, and depression. Adults older than 70 years of age (odds ratio, OR = 2.411), those with a history of falls (OR = 2.285), those reporting loss of confidence in the past 6 months (OR = 6.766), who had answered yes to the direct question of FOF (OR = 4.632), and had unstable balance (OR = 2.522) were also more likely to have higher FES-I values. Conclusion: A large number of older adults expressed concerns about falling and we also found several factors to be associated with developing FOF, supporting the need for screening. Thus, further research is needed in order to understand the relationship between severity of FOF and actual fall events for developing preventive measures which can be implemented before FOF becomes a problem. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the trends in economic inequality in infant mortality across urban-rural residence in India over last 14 years. We analysed data from the three successive rounds of the National Family Health Survey conducted in India during 1992-1993, 1998-1999, and 2005-2006. Asset-based household wealth index was used as the economic indicator for the study. Concentration index and pooled logistic regression analysis were applied to measure the extent of economic inequality in infant mortality in urban and rural India. Infant mortality rate differs considerably by urban-rural residence: infant mortality in rural India being substantially higher than that in urban India. The findings suggest that economic inequalities are higher in urban than in rural India in each of the three survey rounds. Pooled logistic regression results suggest that, in urban areas, infant mortality has declined by 22 % in poorest and 43 % in richest. In comparison, the decline is 29 and 32 % respectively in rural India. Economic inequality in infant mortality has widened more in urban than in rural India in the last two decades. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

India's traditional kinship behavior have undergone certain fundamental changes due to recent development and functioning of Indian society. Of all, the most dominant change is in the form of co-residence of children with their parents in old age. Without familial support, falling or no income and poor health, today, older adults are the most vulnerable population sub-group in the total population. Therefore, by using the India Human Development Survey-II, 2011-12 data we study the relevant association of living arrangement on health status of the older adults. Our results indicate that older adults living alone have significant and strong association with adverse health conditions such as Cataract, Hypertension, and Heart Disease. On the backdrop of health variations of older adults, it is understood that among other socio-economic conditions, living arrangement have serious implications on the health status of the older adults. Thus, we strongly support the notion that older adults with proper family care and support are more likely to be in a better health position as compared to those deprived of it. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: The high incidence of acute respiratory infection (ARI)-related morbidity and mortality is a major public health concern in developing countries. This study aimed to quantify regional inequalities and the degree of association between childhood ARI and background factors. Methods: This study utilised information of 238 945 children aged below five years extracted from the Fourth Indian National Family Health Survey conducted in 2015–16. Inter-state and regional inequality in the prevalence of ARI were quantified and presented using a map of India and forest plot. The association of background characteristics and ARI was quantified using bivariate and multivariable binary logistic regression models. Results: Significant inequalities in the prevalence of childhood ARI were observed across the six regions of India. Considering the children from north-east region as a reference, those from north, central and east regions were 0.68, 1.02 and 0.57 times more likely to suffer from ARI. Comorbidity, sex, age and nutritional status of children were significantly associated with the prevalence of ARI. Conclusions: ARI remains a significant public health concern among Indian children. The results of this study showed that significant regional disparities in the prevalence of ARI exist in India. This study adds value to the better understanding of inequality patterns and quantifies within- and intra-region inequalities in the prevalence of ARI in India. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: 'Indigenous peoples' across the globe suffer a disproportionate burden of mental illness. However, this burden is not fully explored in India despite having the second largest absolute concentration of indigenous peoples in the world. We did a secondary analysis of data from a cross-sectional survey in indigenous populations from the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve in South India. Symptoms suggestive of psychological distress were reported by 39.9% participants. Being alone, tobacco use, hypertension, hypertension in family member, and violent conflict in household were independently associated with psychological distress. More epidemiological studies need to be conducted to map the burden and elaborate the relationships between mental health problems and socio-cultural factors in indigenous populations in India. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: This study aims to examine the association between the Haemophilus influenza type B (Hib) vaccination and child anthropometric outcomes in India. Subject and methods: The study used prospective cohort data from the Young Lives Study (YLS) conducted in Andhra Pradesh, India. The participants were 1,824 children (aged 54-76 months). Stunting and underweight were used to measure the child anthropometric outcomes. The study used the multivariate logistic regression model to examine the association between Hib vaccination and childhood stunting and underweight. Results: The result shows that stunting was lower among children who were vaccinated against Hib as compared to those who were not vaccinated (30.8% versus 39.5%). Similarly, the prevalence of underweight was also lower among the vaccinated children than the non-vaccinated ones (39.1% versus 48.0%). The results of the multivariate logistic regression analysis also suggest that children vaccinated against Hib were significantly less likely to be stunted (AOR: 0.76, 95% CI: 0.61-0.95) and underweight (AOR: 0.79, 95% CI: 0.64-0.98) than children who were not vaccinated against Hib, after controlling potentially confounding variables. Conclusions: The study concludes that vaccination against Hib, in addition to being a major intervention for reducing childhood infectious diseases and mortality, may be considered as a potential tool for reducing the burden of undernutrition in India. Therefore, the inclusion of the Hib vaccine into the Universal Immunization Programme will be helpful in reducing the burden of child malnutrition in India. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using data from a cross-sectional bio-behavioral survey conducted among men who have sex with men ( n = 3833) in India, we examined differences related to HIV-related sexual risk, HIV/STI prevalence and intervention exposures between men who have sex with men and women (MSMW, 35 % of the sample) and men who have sex with men only (MSMO). Among MSMW, 93 % reported having female regular partners, 14 % had female paid partners, and all types of male partners (regular 55 %; casual 77.1 %; paying 47 %; paid 19 %). Logistic regression revealed that MSMW had higher odds of being aged 26 years and above (AOR 4.45, 95 % CI 3.66-5.42), lower odds of inconsistently using condoms with male partners (AOR 0.82, 95 % CI 0.67-0.98) and lower odds of having kothi (feminine/mostly receptive) identity (AOR 0.07, 95 % CI 0.06-0.09). HIV intervention exposure and HIV/STI prevalence did not differ significantly between MSMW and MSMO (HIV 13.1 vs. 12.2 %; active syphilis 3.5 vs. 3.1 %, respectively). Concurrent sexual partnerships with men and women pose risk of HIV transmission/acquisition for MSM and their male and female partners. All subgroups of MSM require tailored information and skills to consistently use condoms with different types of partners of either gender. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]