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Background: Iodine deficiency is a major cause of brain damage in childhood which can be prevented. Dietary deficiency of iodine is mainly responsible for iodine deficiency. This study was done to determine the prevalence of goiter among school-aged group of 6-12 years in district Ganderbal., Materials and Methods: This was a cross-sectional study done among children of 6-12 years in district Ganderbal., Results: Out of 2700 children examined, Grade 1 goiter was found in 90 (3.3%) children and Grade 2 goiter was found in 6 (0.3%) with a total goiter rate (sum of grade first and grade second) of 3.6%. On analyzing the urine samples, about 19.1% of the children had mild to moderate iodine deficiency., Conclusion: The study showed mild goiter prevalence in school-aged children of 6-12 years in the Ganderbal district of Kashmir valley. Continuous periodic surveys to assess the magnitude of the iodine deficiency disorders (IDD) should be undertaken to ensure that we achieve sustainable elimination of IDD in India., Competing Interests: There are no conflicts of interest., (Copyright: © 2023 Journal of Education and Health Promotion.)

Background: COVID-19 has led to significant morbidity and mortality globally in addition to unprecedented disruption in economic activities. Vaccination against it is considered to be the only sustainable way out of this pandemic. The study was conducted to estimate vaccine acceptance among doctors in India using an online survey., Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study using a purposive sampling method was conducted two weeks before vaccine rollout. A pretested questionnaire developed using Google forms was shared by social media groups targeting doctors only.The questions collected information regarding socio-demographic details, knowledge, attitude and practices towards COVID-19 vaccination. Data was downloaded and analysed using SPSS-v23. Chi-square test and fisher exact test was used and P < 0.05 was considered significant., Results: A total of 511 records were included in the final analysis of which 340 (66.53%) reported to be either definitely or probably willing to accept COVID-19 vaccine. One third of respondents were working in COVID-19 designated hospitals (37.2%), 30% were posted in non COVID-19 hospitals, 25.1% had no direct contact with COVID-19 patients while 7.7% doctors were involved in testing COVID-19 diagnosis. Subjects who perceived a higher risk of contracting COVID-19, those who perceived that vaccine would be effective against COVID-19 and those who felt that vaccine will not have any serious side effects were more likely to accept the vaccine., Conclusion: There is an urgent need to address any apprehensions regarding COVID-19 vaccines. A tailored and intensified advocacy program for doctors is needed before the launch of vaccine., Competing Interests: There are no conflicts of interest., (Copyright: © 2022 Journal of Education and Health Promotion.)