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Background In India, it was reported previously about varying prevalence of asthma and chronic bronchitis among leather tannery workers with moderate to high exposures at the workplace to be significantly associated with asthma. This study intended to estimate the prevalence of asthma, tuberculosis, and chronic bronchitis among leather tannery workers and to identify the risk factors associated with it. Data and Methods The data used in this study were collected through a cross-sectional household survey of 284 male tannery workers in the Jajmau area of Kanpur city in the state of Uttar Pradesh, during January–June 2015. A binary logistic regression analysis was performed to identify the factors associated with respiratory symptoms. Results The prevalence Asthma and Chronic Bronchitis among Tannery workers was 12.3% and 11.6% which is higher as compared to non-tannery workers. The findings revealed that the prevalence of symptoms suggestive of asthma, tuberculosis, and chronic bronchitis among the tannery workers was higher compared to non-tannery workers. The study revealed that long time tannery working harms health, as tannery workers are more likely to be suffering from asthma and chronic bronchitis who worked above 11 years in the tannery (p Conclusion The study concludes that age, education, media exposure, working hours in the tannery, type of work engagement within tannery occupation, and exposure to chemicals are the major risk factors for asthma, tuberculosis, and chronic bronchitis among the male tannery workers. Specific health insurance facilities should be provided, such as the Employee's State Insurance Scheme (ESIS), from the day a person begins work in a tannery.

The present study was undertaken to know the effect of common mixed pulp and paper mill effluent discharge released from century pulp and paper mill Lalkuan, Nainital Uttarakhand on the blood morphology of Heteropneustes fossilis (Singhi). The various morphological changes were observed in the specimen, randomly collected with the help of cast net from (3 sites) different locations. The maximum changes were observed in the specimen collected from site 3 in compare to site 1 and 2 respectively. The formation of inclusion bodies, sickle cells, Cabot rings and ovalocytes were recorded along with nuclear fusion, membrane disruption and cell clumping of blood cells in the specimen collected from the site 3 (i.e. nearer to source of discharge) while in the specimen collected from site 2, the formation of tear drop cell, target cells, spherocytes and bi-nucleated cells were recorded along with the activity of cell clumping. The changes were found less in the specimen collected from site 1 in compare to the specimen of site 2 and 3 i.e. formation of ovalocytes, spherocytes and microcytes with the activity of membrane degeneration and agglutination in blood cells.

Occupational health covers all aspects of health and safety in the workplace and has a strong focus on primary prevention of hazards. The objective of the study was to understand the extent of awareness about occupational health risks involved in tannery occupation and adopted preventive measures by the tannery workers of Kanpur, India. Information for the present research was strained from a cross-sectional household study of tannery workers in the Jajmau area of Kanpur. The survey was piloted through the period January–June 2015, and 284 samples were collected. The prevalence of awareness of tannery work is very hazardous in nature varies from 73–93% among the tannery workers. Tannery workers having a middle-school level of education were 3.01 times more likely to be aware of the hazards as compared to the illiterate workers. Tannery workers aged 36 and above were less likely to aware of a hazardous work environment. Further, tannery workers who belong to the younger cohort (16–24 years) reported a higher awareness of respiratory problems (38%), skin complaints (59%), and gastrointestinal issues (21%) than those aged 36 years and above. About one-third of Beam house workers (33%) and over a quarter (26%) of the wet finishing had moderate to high dermal contact with the chemicals. The study’s outcomes give a clear indication of the effect of the workstation environment on the health status of workers and require the use of adequate measures to improve the facilities and thereby the health status of tannery workers.

There is a well-established association between tobacco consumption with asthma and chronic bronchitis (CB). This study aimed at estimating the prevalence of tobacco consumption and its association with asthma and CB in Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh, India. A cross-sectional household survey of 573 males was conducted during January–June 2015 in the Jajmau area of Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh, India. The questionnaire was designed to collect information on self-reported symptoms pertaining to asthma and CB, which were considered as response variables for the study. More than one-third of the respondents (36%) smoked tobacco and 44% consumed smokeless tobacco. Men who were aged 35 years and above were more prone to CB, with odds ratios (ORs) of 2.08 in model 1 and 1.84 in model 2. The prevalence of CB is higher among those from the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (12.4%). People consuming any form of tobacco are more likely to get CB (OR = 5.22) than their counterparts who do not consume tobacco. The chances of getting asthma was higher among those who consumed any form of smokeless tobacco (OR = 1.34) and those who consume any form of tobacco (OR = 2.30) in model 2. Our study found a significant association between tobacco consumption (smoking and use of smokeless tobacco) with asthma and CB and the predictors that affect the pattern of tobacco consumption, such as respondents’ age, education level, caste, level of exposure to the media, and standard of living index.

India is greatly afflicted by sinusitis, which is a condition that involves inflaming sinuses (the air cavities in the nasal passage) in your nose, according to the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID). The study&rsquo, s objective was to evaluate the prevalence and risk factors of sinus and nasal allergies among tannery workers of Kanpur city. The study has used primary datasets obtained from a cross-sectional household study of tannery workers from the Jajmau area of Kanpur in northern India, which was conducted during January&ndash, June 2015 as part of a doctoral program. The study covered 286 tannery workers from the study area. Bivariate and logistic regression analysis was used to study the association between outcome variables (self-reported prevalence of sinus and nasal allergies) and predictor variables (socioeconomic and work-related characteristics). Results portray that a higher proportion of the tannery workers belong to economically and socially backward classes. Overall, 13.4 and 12.3% of sinus and nasal allergy prevalence have been reported by tannery workers, whereas tannery workers from the oldest age group were those who mainly suffered. A study found that the severity of nasal and sinus allergies increases with the increasing age and work duration in the tannery. Workers with low exposure to airborne dust were significantly more likely to develop sinus problems (OR = 4.16, p &lt, 0.05) than those without exposure. Those tannery workers suffering from nasal allergy were more prone to develop sinus problems than those who were not suffering from nasal allergy. The risk factors responsible for these health hazards can be eliminated by improving the overall working conditions and ensuring necessary protective regulations for the tannery workers.

Solvents play an imperative task in chemical reactions. In recent years, green and sustainable chemistry has demanded the improvement of new synthetic protocols that shrink waste and environment hazardous compounds which is a major concern in all fields and also in industry. Most of the chemical processes during fine chemical synthesis in research laboratory or in chemical industry entail solution phase for making the reaction medium homogeneous and allowing more reacting molecular interactions, and therefore, organic solvents are usually the first option for that. Solvents are needed both in reaction as well as in separation or purification steps either by extraction or by recrystallization. The major disadvantages of some solvents involve their pyrophoric nature, poor recovery, and high volatility. Therefore, majority of such solvents are associated with their hazardous nature which cause numerous ill effects toward human health and environment. This chapter summarizes the importance of green solvents over conventional solvents toward organic synthetic approaches.

This study focuses on the impact of mass media in creating awareness and enhancing efficacy of tobacco control interventions by disseminating knowledge to the public about the harmful effects of tobacco. It examines variations in awareness of tobacco’s health hazards and anti-tobacco campaigns among 69,296 adults aged 15 and above based on gender and tobacco use (smoked or smokeless) and the role of the media in cessation attempts by tobacco users using data from the Global Adult Tobacco Survey (GATS). The GATS is a household survey which was conducted in India during 2009-10. The study found that a higher proportion of adults was exposed to anti-smoking information across different media compared with anti-smokeless tobacco information. Tobacco users are also less likely to be aware of the health hazards of tobacco compared with non-users. Noticing anti-tobacco messages and knowing the health hazards of smokeless tobacco use are significantly associated with cessation attempts among tobacco users in India. Males are more likely to notice anti-smoking and anti-smokeless tobacco information through any media compared with females.

Assessing quality of life (QoL) in cancer patients is prime concern for oncological research and treatment at every stage of the disease. QoL in India is not a chief concern in the healthcare secto...

Purpose: Treatment-seeking behaviors and economic burden because of health expenditure are widely discussed issues in India, and more so in recent times. The aim of this study is to identify health problems of tannery workers and their treatment-seeking behavior and their health expenditure. Data and Methods: The primary data used in this article were collected through a cross-sectional household survey of 284 male tannery workers in the Jajmau area of Kanpur city in the state of Uttar Pradesh, during January–June 2015. Results: Findings of the study revealed that around 36% of the tannery workers and 42% of non-tannery workers received treatment as outpatients in government/municipal hospital in the first spell of treatment. The secondary source of treatment was pharmacy/drug stores for 30% of the tannery workers and 24% of the non-tannery workers, an indication that a substantial proportion takes treatment without consulting a qualified medical practitioner; it also highlights that almost one-third of the tannery and non-tannery workers visited private health facility despite poor economic condition. It is evident that a substantial proportion of tannery and non-tannery workers are visiting private/non-governmental organization/trust hospital despite their poor financial situation. Conclusion: There is an urgent need to reinstate people's faith in public health facilities by developing professionalism, integrity, and accountability among different levels of health functionaries and frontline workers with the support of credible, transparent, and responsible regulatory environment.

Background Tuberculosis (TB) has been a major health problem globally since ages, and even today, it is a major cause of morbidity in millions of people each year. In 2015 alone, TB accounted for about 1.4 million deaths globally, with India carrying the biggest burden of the disease. The physical environment of the household, an individual living in, has a significant influence on the incidence of TB. Thus, an understanding of the socio-economic, demographic and environmental factors that individuals are exposed to is of importance. The objective of present study is to examine the association of household environment with the prevalence of Tuberculosis in India. Methods The study utilizes data from the fourth round of National Family Health Survey (NFHS-4), 2015-16, which was collected from self-reported information pertaining to Tuberculosis in the household questionnaire. The specific question was, “Does any usual resident of your household suffer from tuberculosis?” the response to which helped in the detection of Tuberculosis. Binary Logistic regression was performed from which appropriate inferences are drawn on the association of household environment with Tuberculosis. Results Prevalence of TB was found to be the highest among elderly people (0.9%), no education (0.4%) and people belonging to the poorest wealth quintile (0.53%). Family members who were regularly (daily) exposed to smoke (second-hand smoke) inside the house were more prone to getting tuberculosis (OR = 1.49; CI = 1.39-1.61) as compared with households where people do not smoke inside the house. Further, households having a finished wall (OR = 0.7; CI = 0.6-0.8) are less likely to get TB than the households with mud walls. Households that shared their toilets with other households are more likely to get hold of Tuberculosis (OR = 1.2; CI = 1.1-1.4). Conclusions Results strongly suggest that a contaminated household environment increases the risk of tuberculosis in India. There are multiple risk factors that are strongly associated with Tuberculosis: smoke inside house, type of cooking fuel, separate kitchen, floor, roofing and wall material, number of persons sleeping in a room, sharing toilet and potable water with other households; and individual characteristics such as age, sex, educational attainment, marital status, place of residence and wealth index. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s12890-018-0627-3) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Concern of women empowerment in terms of violence reduction has become a burning issue in India since last few decades. Highlighting these issues would be impossible without realization of sexual rights of women. Mounting evidences of women empowerment in the country does not make women privileged in providing them, their sexual rights. This study aims to explore whether diverse situation of women’s empowerment is influencing violence against women including their perceived sexual rights by using data of National Family Health Survey fourth round, conducted in 2015-2016. Findings of this study reveal that upswing in the status of women in different dimension of empowerment has reduced the percentage of women who experienced spousal violence across all states of India except Meghalaya, Manipur, Chhattisgarh, Haryana and Karnataka. Further, lack of equity in women empowerment is adversely related to their perceived sexual rights. It is found that the percentage of women perceiving about sexual rights has decline in India from 75% in NFHS-3 to 70% in NFHS-4. Even after being financially empowered and holding rights in household decision making, women lack in negotiation power in individual decision making which relates to their reproductive and sexual rights. Thus, the recent upswing in different dimension of women’s empowerment is not leading towards qualitative change in life of women and they are still victim of violence which largely affects their physical and mental health.

Background The occupation of waste-picking characterised as 3Ds – dangerous, drudgery and demanding. In this context, the study aimed to assess occupational morbidities among the waste-pickers and attempts to identify potential individual level risk factors enhancing health risks. Additionally, economic burden of morbidities has been assessed. Methods The burden of the morbidities was assessed and compared with a comparison group through a cross-sectional survey. Waste-pickers (n = 200) and a comparison group (n = 103) working for at least a year were randomly selected from the communities living on the edge of the Deonar dumping site. The difference in the prevalence of morbidities was tested using the chi-square test. The effect of waste picking resulting the development of morbidities was assessed using the propensity score matching (PSM) method. A multivariate logistic regression model was employed to identify the individual risk factors. T-test has been employed in order to analyse the difference in health care expenditure between waste pickers and non-waste pickers. Results The prevalence of morbidities was significantly higher among the waste-pickers, particularly for injuries (75%), respiratory illness (28%), eye infection (29%), and stomach problems (32%), compared to the comparison group (17%, 15%, 18%, and 19% respectively). The results of the PSM method highlighted that waste-picking raised the risk of morbidity for injuries (62%) and respiratory illness (13%). Results of logistic regression suggest that low level of hygiene practices [household cleanliness (OR = 3.23, p

Background: Low Back Trouble (LBT) is very common among tannery workers, it occurs due to the bend posture of low back during the material transfer. Aim: This paper analyzes the prevalence of the self-reported LBT, its intensity and the potential risk factors among male tannery workers in Kanpur, India. Methods: Data for the study were obtained from a cross-sectional household survey conducted during the period January-June, 2015. The study was conducted in the Jajmau area of Kanpur and interviewed 284 tannery workers selected using scientifically developed study design using probability sampling approach. Univariate and bivariate analyses were used to assess the prevalence and intensity of LBT. Logistic regression analysis was used to identify the potential risk factors for contracting LBT. Results: Tannery workers aged 35 years and above had higher prevalence of LBT (57%). A significant association was observed between long working 11-12 h and the prevalence was (68%) of LBT. Among the workers aged 35+years, about a sixth (16%) reported daily recurrence of pain, and about a fifth (19%) experienced pain more than 10 times in the last 12 months. Tannery workers who were injured at work in the last 12 months was 2.09 and 2.42 times more likely to get LBT in Model-II and III. The adjusted effect of LBT was 1.8 times higher among tannery workers had severe mental health disorders. Conclusions: The results reveal statistically significant association of LBT with age of tannery workers, educational attainments, type of job contract, type of work, daily working hours, manual loading and unloading, workplace injury in last 12 months and mental health disorders.

Offshoring of technology jobs and its adverse economic effects on the U.S. economy are making daily headlines. Globalization of economy and advances in information technology have accelerated offshoring to low labor cost countries like China and India. The latter have the advantage of abundant educated manpower, low labor cost and high entrepreneurial spirit. However, just as globalization is taking lower-value jobs overseas, it is also creating markets for higher-value U.S. services and goods in those countries. Development of global accounting standards could further accelerate offshoring of jobs in financial services. It is time that business schools prepare their graduates to face the challenge through appropriate curriculum changes.

In this article the author attempts to define cut-off rate for capital budgeting decisions of a “growth company” and to relate it to the firms long range planning. Dr Chandra argues that conventional measurement of cost of capital cannot be used in the growth company. In brief, he defines the cut-off rate in this type of company as— dividend yield plus the rate at which dividend is expected to grow.

The purpose of accounting has been generally described as the process of providing information to owners, creditors, governmental regulatory agencies, and operating management. "In a broad sense accounting has one primary function: facilitating the administration of economic resources. This function has two closely related phases: (1) measuring and arraying economic data; (2) communicating the results of this process to interested parties."1 Of primary concern is the fact that the users of the accounting information are involved in the decision making process. However, they have different interests and objectives. Accordingly, the same information may require varied processing and summarization to meet the needs of each class of users. Various accounting practices, based on the same accounting concepts and principles, have been developed to satisfy the multiple and changing needs of the users of accounting reports. Direct and absorption costing are two such accounting practices. Controversy continues to exist as to which of these two costing methods is better for decision making purposes and for reporting to the users of accounting information. The objective of this paper is to dwell upon the historical nature of the controversy and build a case for a method of costing that rests on economic logic and realities of the market place.