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Mid-upper arm circumference (MUAC) is an alternative anthropometric measurement to assess undernutrition but a universally accepted cut-off is yet to be established. The objectives of the present study are to determine whether the proposed sex-specific global cut-offs are suitable across several tribes in India. This cross-sectional study was conducted among nine tribal populations in India (1046 males, 1087 females). Weight, height and MUAC values were obtained, and body mass index (BMI) was calculated. The BMI cut-off (

Undernutrition is considered to be a serious public health problem in most of the developing countries. Globally, the anthropometric measures are widely used to estimate the magnitude of undernutrition in children. The Composite Index of Anthropometric Failure (CIAF) provides the overall magnitude of undernutrition as an aggregate single measure over the conventional anthropometric indices and helps in identification of single or double or multiple anthropometric failures in preschool children. The present investigation assesses the age-sex specific prevalence of undernutrition using both conventional anthropometric measures and CIAF among Sonowal Kachari tribal preschool children of Assam, India. This cross-sectional investigation was carried out among 362 (162 boys and 190 girls) Sonowal Kachari tribal children younger than 5 years of flood affected regions of Lakhimpur district of Assam, India. Anthropometric measurements of height and weight were measured using standard procedures. Age-sex specific Z-score value of weight-for-age, height-for-age and weight-for-height were calculated by using WHO-Anthro, v. 3.2.2. A child Z-score

Percent of body fat (PBF), fat mass (FM) and fat free mass (FFM) are useful indicators for the assessment of body composition. The present study was conducted among 1351 children (boys: 660; girls: 691) aged 5-12 years residing in West Bengal, Eastern-India. The children were selected using a stratified random sampling method. Anthropometric measurements of height, weight, triceps skinfold (TSF) and sub-scapular skinfold (SSF) were recorded using standard procedures. The PBF, PBF-for-age z-score (PBFZ) and body mass index (BMI) were subsequently calculated. Body composition was assessed using FM, FFM, fat mass index (FMI) and fat free mass index (FFMI). Age-specific mean values of FM ranged from 2.12-4.00 kg (boys) and 2.16-4.40 kg (girls). Age-specific mean values of FFM ranged from 14.45-23.93 kg (boys) and 14.01-23.03 kg (girls). Sex-specific mean differences between sexes were statistically significant in weight, height, TSF, SSF, PBF, PBFAZ, FM, FFM, FMI and FFMI (p0.05). These results are important for future investigations in clinical and epidemiological settings so as to accurately identify the risk of lower or higher adiposity and body composition using PBF, FM and FFM.

Upper arm anthropometry has a potential role to provide useful estimations of body composition and nutritional status. Aims of the present cross-sectional study were to assess body composition and nutritional status of rural school-going children using upper arm anthropometric measures such as upper arm muscle area-by-height (UAMAH) and mid-upper arm circumference (MUAC) for-height. The present cross-sectional study was conducted among 1281 children of West Bengal, India (boys 619, girls 662) aged 5-12 years and selected using a stratified random sampling method. Anthropometric measurements of height, weight, MUAC and triceps skinfold (TSF) were recorded. Body composition and nutritional status were assessed using upper arm muscle area (UMA), upper arm fat area (UFA), UAMAH and MUAC-forheight. Age-sex-specific overall adiposity in TSF, UFA, arm fat index and upper-arm fat area estimates were higher among girls than boys (p0.05). Upper arm anthropometric measures, UAMAH and MUAC-for-height are useful for assessment of body composition and nutritional status among children.

Introduction and aim. India, accounting for approximately 26% of the global tuberculosis (TB) burden with a significant proportion of 0.11 million (6%) pediatric TB cases. The goal of this systematic review paper is to provide a thorough analysis of the TB epidemic in India, including information on the severity of the illness and challenges associated with diagnosis and treatment, the risk factors for transmission and progression of the disease, and the advancements and difficulties encountered in efforts to control at community level. Material and methods. The terms "Tuberculosis in India," "Drug-Resistant Tuberculosis," "Tuberculosis and Associated Co-morbidities," "Diagnosis of Tuberculosis," "Prevention of Tuberculosis," and "Treatment of Tuberculosis", keywords were used to search in number of international electronic databases, including "Google Scholar," "PubMed," and "DOAJ." Analysis of the literature. Diagnosis and treatment of TB are significantly complicated by co-morbid condition such includes alcoholism, diabetes, HIV, undernutrition, diabetes and HIV. In addition, there may be treatment delays, and the extra-pulmonary or drug-resistant TB due to ignorance, misunderstandings, and lack of education among TB patients, and medical professionals, which ultimately increases morbidity and mortality. Conclusion. Poverty, undernutrition, inadequate healthcare infrastructure, and co-morbidities, which frequently complicate TB diagnosis and treatment, must be addressed in addition to the critical need to prioritize TB research and development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The prevalence of stunting (low height-for-age) is a key indicator of long-term chronic undernutrition which reflects an anthropometric failure to reach linear growth potentials due to prolonged food deprivation and/or disease or illness during the early stage of life. The present study assesses the prevalence and socio-economic and demographic correlates of stunting among adolescents of the North-east India. This cross-sectional study was undertaken among 1,818 (830 boys; 988 girls) adolescents (aged 10-18 years) belonging to ethnically heterogeneous populations of Karbi Anglong district of Assam, using stratified random sampling method. Anthropometric measurements of height and weight were recorded using standard procedures. Socio-economic and demographic variables were obtained using pre-structured schedule. The age-sex specific L, M and S reference values were used to calculate height-for-age Z-score (HAZ). According to WHO, HAZ found to be 0.05). The binary logistic regression analysis showed that several socio-economic and demographic variables were significantly associated with stunting (p

Neck circumference (NC) is an anthropometric measurement of differentiating body fat distributions and a marker of upper subcutaneous adiposity. The present study highlights the association and importance of NC as a suitable proxy screening measure of overweight/obesity as compared to the conventional anthropometric variables used among Indian adults. The present community based cross-sectional study was undertaken among 1169 Karbi adults (males: 625; females: 544) residing in Karbi Anglong district of Assam, Northeast India, who were selected through a multistage stratified random sampling method. Height, weight, waist circumference (WC), hip circumference (HC) and NC were recorded using standard procedures. The body mass index (BMI) was calculated and prevalence of overweight/obesity was assessed using standard cut-offs. The prevalence of obesity using BMI (≥25.00 kg m-2) was 15.52% and 15.26% among males and females, respectively (p≥0.05).The prevalence of obesity using NC was observed to be significantly higher among males (48.80%) than females (19.12%) (p

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is the most common endocrine and heterogeneous disorder among women in their reproductive years worldwide. The fact that the determinants of PCOS have been associated with the nature of the environment, lifestyle factors, and physical activity suggests that variations could exist in the prevalence in different ethnic and geographical settings due to dietary practices, lifestyle factors, and physical activity. The objectives of the present study are to determine the prevalence of PCOS and related symptoms among the Bodo tribal community in Assam, Northeast India. The relevant data were collected through self-administered structured schedules and interviews. The prevalence of PCOS was observed to be 8.0% among Bodo women population in urban areas. The irregularity of the menstrual cycle was one of the most prevalent symptoms of PCOS, in association with several dermatological manifestations like hirsutism, acne, and baldness. However, physical activity and lifestyle were observed to play a significant role. The present study determined that PCOS, lifestyle adaptation, and urban habitat were found to have associations among the Bodo women community. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction and aim. Endometriosis is a complex condition in which endometrium, tissue that resembles the uterine lining, develops outside the uterus. It is considered to be a chronic, estrogen-dependent, inflammatory gynecological disorder having multi-factorial origins. This review paper aims to consolidate recent information on ethnic differences, endometriosis risks, and the disease's etiology in the global context. Material and methods. A systematic search was performed using a variety of international electronic databases, including "PubMed" and "DOAJ", using the terms endometriosis, endometriosis and infertility, endometriosis and cancer, and treatment of endometriosis. Analysis of the literature. Endometriosis can appear anywhere in the body, including the umbilicus, the cecum and ileum of the digestive tract, the breast, the lungs, and the genitourinary organs. It is typically clinically asymptomatic with no obvious clinical manifestation and expensive treatment, which makes the diagnosis late. There is a complex interplay between socioeconomic status, family history, societal beliefs and laws, personal habits, reproductive and gynaecological conditions, and environmental influences in the development of endometriosis. Conclusion. Women with endometriosis should be given more attention, and specific resources in the healthcare system should be utilized to provide more efficient multidisciplinary healthcare and treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Pregnancy is the most crucial thing for every mother. Providing appropriate health-care services during pregnancy by skilled health care professionals is important for healthy childbirth and better maternal health outcomes. Despite Antenatal care services being free at the Public Hospital in Sikkim, many pregnant women are reluctant to get ANC services because of many socio-economic and demographic factors. Objectives: The present study aimed to identify various socio-economic and demographic determinants affecting ANC services utilization among rural women of South Sikkim, India. Methods: The community-based cross-sectional study was carried out among 250 reproductive-aged (15-49 years) women residing in South Sikkim, India. The data on various socio-economic and demographic determinants associated with utilization of antenatal care services were collected by adopting a pre-structured schedule interview method by household visits. Results: A total of 73.4% reported that they have utilized the ANC services among women in South Sikkim. Binary logistic regression analysis indicated that several socio-economic and demographic variables of age, age at marriage, age at pregnancy, marital status, family income, education, education of husband, occupation of husband parity and family income were significantly associated with ANC visits (p<0.05), except women's occupation and religion (p>0.05). Conclusion: There is an urgent need to inform pregnant women and their families about the importance of ANC services to enhance effective utilization and improve the overall health status. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ridge patterns on the palms, fingers, toes, and soles stay constant and are distinct to each individual. Dermatoglyphics is the study of these ridges, which has many applications in medical science, biological anthropology, genetics, pharmaceuticals, dentistry, evolution, genetics and forensic science. Historically, the study of dermatoglyphics began in the 1600s, with Cummins and Midlo coining the name 'Dermatoglyphics'. These patterns are crucial in the identification of numerous disorders, both genetically and clinically. Thus, the widespread use of dermatoglyphics have shown to be a unique and important instrument for dental research, personal identification, paternity issues, demographic studies, population variations and the detection of numerous ailments and genetic diseases. The purpose of the present paper is to better understand the history of dermatoglyphics and its applications in anthropological research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: High rate of maternal mortality in developing and less developed countries is a serious public health concern which is still prevalent although several initiatives have been taken by elite public health organizations worldwide. The present review deals with the current situation of maternal mortality worldwide and associated health risk indicators/factors contributing to the problem. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Menopause is both a biological and a neuro-endrocrine transition in a woman's life. This shift in hormonal levels has an impact on women's physical and mental health. Menopausal women have a higher rate of morbidity and life dissatisfaction, such as mental and neurological disorders. It's difficult to tell the difference between the effects of aging, estrogen deficiency, and social and environmental stress on women's health. Cognitive disorders, cardiovascular diseases, metabolic disorders, type II diabetes, and lifestyle diseases are all major health complications and comorbidities that menopausal women face. Dysphoric disorders, mood disturbances, cognitive complaints, insomnia, and other mental illnesses are common among them. Menopause has an impact on women's reproductive lives, and menopausal women are more likely to develop breast and reproductive cancer. In adult women, menopause is one of the risk factors for such cancers. Good nutrition, adequate sleep, physical activity, mental health, and a stress-free lifestyle can all aid women in overcoming this stage. The current review study's objectives are to gain a better understanding of menopause and its relationship to ageing, as well as the impact of menopause on women's psychological and reproductive health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Data based on family health and nutrition in India are reported by the national surveys of the country. The National Family Health Survey 3 (NFHS-3) and 4 (NFHS-4) released the report of 2005-06 and 2015-16. The NFHS-5 also released the data set for 22 states and union territories for the year 2019-20 very recently. Anaemia is among the major public health challenges which affect the vulnerable segments of the population which includes children and women. The men are also affected by the deficiency of anaemia but to a lesser extent. The present paper compares the NFHS-3 and NFHS-4 reports for the prevalence of anaemia among children belonging to 6-59 months and adults across 29 states. The study also discussed various factors, causes and consequences which serve as an important determinant for the occurrence of anaemia. The interventions by the government in relation to anaemia were also analyzed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Menopause is an important part of a woman's reproductive life, most of them spend the last third of their life-time after their reproductive period ends, and can cause different awkward side effects. Conclusion: This study showed that the prevalence of menopause symptoms includes hot flashes, body ache, irritability, hypertension, difficulty in sleeping, joint pain and vaginal dryness were observed to be prominent symptoms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper is an attempt to explore the Small-Scale Tea Economies in North-East India. Of late, it is seen that most of the tribes in the North-East have engaged into tea cultivation. As per the Tea Board of India (2019), there are 110,422 Small Tea Growers (STGs) spread over 47 districts in the region. The 'Arsla Organic Tea Growers and Producers Cooperative' model was innovated by Khasi Tribes of Meghalaya way back in 2013 with an objective to improve their scale of operation into processing and marketing. In 2020, a global pandemic affected their production and marketing channel due to their inexperience in the tea industry and particularly marketing. The Sub-Regional Office (SRO) of Tea Board of India has also found unsatisfactory to strengthen their extension services to the Cooperative. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There are clusters of evidence of gender-based violence (GBV) have been happening across the world for more than a year or so due to the effects of restricted movement of people due to the Covid-19 pandemic. It turns out that women specially Health Care Workers (HCWs) per se are being victimised owing to 'paradoxical effects' on account of intermittent lockdown culminated into encountering Intimate Partner violence (IPV). In this article, the authors elucidate a comprehensive picture of both GBV and IPV of countries irrespective of Global North and South through a medical sociological analysis of woman HCWs and other innocents women in the household domain by evidenced based interpreting the publication history, retrieved from the PUBMED, and Google search engine between 1930 and early 2021, covering a large number of developed and developing countries. The article also critically analyses the pattern of violence-specific digitised rescue system including building temporary shelters for rescued victims with the support of the respective government agents and NGOs. This present comprehensive picture of both GBV and IPV in workstation and household level can assist restructuring the fruitful dialogue amongst the policy makers around the world to re-programme the gender norms for the benefit of women. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Menarche and menopause are two major components of a woman's reproductive life. Ages at menarche and menopause vary widely between and within populations and are influenced by various factors, both genetic and environmental. The present community-based cross-sectional investigation aimed to assess the association between ages at menarche and natural menopause among women belonging to the indigenous Rajbanshi population of North Bengal, India. The investigation was carried out from January 2015 to May 2015 among 510 Rajbanshi women aged between 45 and 55 years residing in the district of Darjeeling, West Bengal, India. A structured schedule was used to collect data on ages at menarche and natural menopause, marital status, parity, education, age of first and last pregnancies, duration of breastfeeding, nature of occupation, health status, smoking and monthly family income. Anthropometric measurements of height and weight were recorded and Body Mass Index (BMI) calculated. The statistical analyses, which included descriptive statistics and binary logistic regression (BLR), were done using SPSS. The women's mean age of menarche and median age of natural menopause were 12.52 years and 50 years, respectively. The BLR analysis indicated that education, age at first pregnancy had significant effects on the age at natural menopause among women who experienced menarche at <12 years of age (p<0.05). In the case of women who attained menarche at ≥12 years of age, marital status, age at last pregnancy, parity, education, duration of breastfeeding, smoking, occupation, monthly income and BMI had a greater influence on age at natural menopause. There appears to be an indirect association between age at menarche and age at natural menopause, along with different predictor variables, among the Rajbanshi women. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Adolescence is the developmental period through which children grow into adults. Adolescents are the future generations of any country and their physical growth and nutritional needs are important for overall development of a society. The present cross-sectional investigation was undertaken to determine anthropometric characteristics of rural Bengali adolescent girls residing in North Bengal, India. The present investigation has observed that the adolescent girls exhibited low rates of physical growth when compared with the standard growth reference population but higher than those reported for other rural adolescent girls from India. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]