Prevalence of type 2 diabetes among tribal population of india: a multi-centric cross-sectional study

BACKGROUND

The perception among healthcare workers is that the Indian tribal (indigenous) population are less affected by diabetes. This paper reports the prevalence of type 2 diabetes and its associated factors among tribal populations from six districts across India.

METHODOLOGY

Random blood glucose (RBG) and fasting blood glucose (FBG) were measured for 8486 and 3131 adults, respectively, with a glucose meter. FBG ≥ 126 mg/dL (7.0 mmol/L) and RBG ≥ 200 mg/dL (11.1 mmol/L) were used to diagnose diabetes. In addition, blood pressure, anthropometric (height, weight, waist and hip circumferences), socio-demographic (age, gender, education, type of tribe and type of village) and behavioural data (tobacco smoking, non-smoking tobacco use and alcohol consumption) were collected.

RESULTS

The overall prevalence of type 2 diabetes, based on RBG, was 4.77% (95% CI: 4.33-5.25). The prevalence of type 2 diabetes and prediabetes, based on FBG, was 6.80% (95% CI: 5.95-7.74) and 8.69% (7.72-9.73), respectively. The prevalence of type 2 diabetes was significantly associated with age (p<0.001), smokeless tobacco use (p < 0.05), hypertension (p < 0.001) and obesity (p < 0.01).

CONCLUSION

The prevalence of type 2 diabetes among the Indian tribal population reported in this study is less than the national average of 7.3% for the general population. Hypertension and obesity were the major risk factors. Due to changing behavioural patterns, including dietary behaviour, there is likely to be an increase in the prevalence of hypertension and obesity, which further leads to increased prevalence of type 2 diabetes. Hence, appropriate interventions are to be initiated by the primary healthcare system.

Globalization through global citizenship and right to migrate

All human beings of the world should be equal in status and stature. However, in reality human beings are divided by citizen status of nation states that are members of the United Nations. The human development index differs from one nation to another. Therefore quality of life, health, and life expectancy varies across countries and continents. Much depends on the governments representing human groups living in defined territorial boundaries. Governments defend sovereign territories and compete with other governments for business monopolies, territories and natural resources. From empires to colonisation, the world is passing through the phase of globalisation. There is an uneven divide of natural planetary resources and geographical territories. Also there is a continuous flow of financial resources from the poor nation states and in favour of the rich ones. Globalisation can no longer remain a refined chaotic balance of exploitation of one human territory by another. Travel and migration from one territory to another are highly regulated. The true idea of Globalization will only be realised when it is not linked to race, the level of skills, political affiliation or economic dividends and is able to add to the upward movement of the social structure of the poor. In a globalised world there should be equitable and fast paced distribution of benefits of modern development. Otherwise the global citizens of the world should look for alternatives.

Hypertension Prevalence, Awareness, Treatment, Control and Risk Factors in Tribal Population of India: a Multi-Centric Cross-Sectional Study

The prevalence of hypertension is increasing in the tribal population of India. Lifestyle modifications, including dietary changes and acculturation, are the main reasons for the high prevalence of hypertension among the Indian indigenous (tribal) population. This paper reports hypertension prevalence, awareness, treatment, control and risk factors among tribes in five districts of different geographical zones of India. A cross-sectional study was conducted among the adult tribal population of 7590 from these states. Data related to blood pressure, anthropometry, demographic and behavioural variables were collected with prior consent from the participants. The prevalence of hypertension is 34.0% and 28.3% among men and women, respectively. Of the total hypertensives, 27.5% were aware of their hypertension status; of them, 83.9% were receiving treatment, and blood pressure was in control among 33.5% of patients who were receiving treatment. Age, alcohol intake, sedentary lifestyle, Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups status and body mass index are found to be significantly associated with the prevalence of hypertension. The prevalence of hypertension is high among these tribal populations, which could be due to modernization and acculturation. Awareness and treatment-seeking behaviour are poor. Hence, early screening, awareness campaigns for seeking treatment, and health promotion are immediately required. Comprehensive health promotion programs need to promote lifestyle modification and re-orientation of the primary health care system to improve availability and accessibility to hypertension screening and treatment.

Do current concepts of One Health suffer from the physics envy

The current models of One Health appear to be suffering from a elevated emphasis on a small area of interface involving humans, environment and animals. This may largely be because of an extension of our understanding of physical science to biological world, which, though is far more complexer.

Democracy, economics, or health-Time to look to the east for leadership

While the capabilities of the low and middle-income countries (LMIC) have always been defined as "doubtful" to deal with public health crises of Covid pandemic magnitude, a flip-flop and incoherent response by the high-income countries (HIC) was unexpected. In the unprecedented moment of the pandemic, it is that we are beginning to find among ourselves, across the globe a search for stronger, resilient, scalable, and economy-efficient foundations in health systems that are capable of delivering healthcare to all. The apparently underperforming international health bodies have only increased this willingness of individual nations to look towards multilateralism as the foundational principle for not just the exchange of ideas but to deliver on these. India, a vibrant and the largest democracy, has showed her willingness to overcome, for example, the limitation of the vaccines during COVID to a few by making availability and possible delivery of a safe and effective vaccine to populations across the world. This has not only been seen as a hope to surmount challenges through help from others but also as a show of human resilience in the face of adversity.

Is it "the conflict of interest" that is influencing our efforts on Climate change, tobacco control and primary care?

What seems to work against making climate change relevant, tobacco control necessary or primary care a felt need despite the efforts being claimed to the contrary? Emerging evidence points to a conflict of interest with academic institutions and academics fighting on both sides with clear support from the industry and others.

Training in public health and community medicine without training of precautionary principles is incomplete

What has been the learning is from the current pandemic. Besides the fact that it taught us the immense potential of pandemics to lead to ruin, it also taught us about our limitations in dealing with it.

Identifying role of public health and primary care as disparate entities in current health system

Arguably the worst health crisis in recent memory, Covid19 has been a great masterclass, albeit at a cost which no individual or nation would have wanted to afford. Besides other, what are the lessons for the academic medicine in general and primary care, community medicine, family medicine and public health in particular? Perhaps, identifying the roles of each in the healthcare system and building a thought process around these roles is the way forward. Only then will we have a chance to fight a pandemic like the Covid-19.

Snakebite profile from a tertiary care setup in a largely rural setting in the hills of North-West India

Background:

Snakebite, a medical emergency, faced by rural populations in tropical and subtropical countries assumes special significance in hilly terrains. Therefore, the hills provide a natural setting to study the challenges in the management of snakebite cases.

Methodology:

A hospital record-based retrospective descriptive study was conducted. Data were collected from the Medical Records Department of the 821-bedded, tertiary care hospital catering to the rural hilly population of the state of Himachal Pradesh, India. Information were recorded on details of demography, clinical profile treatment and outcome.

Results:

A total of 252 patients were analyzed. Maximum patients were in the age-group of 21–40 (43.7%) with mean and standard deviation of 30.52 ± 5.693 and 31.81 ± 7.117 for male and female, respectively. A small minority (17.06%) of patients reported to health facility within 4–6 h of the bite. Maximum bites were on lower limb (143;56.74). Overall mortality rate in our study was 2.38%.

Conclusion:

Large-scale studies on epidemiological determinants of snakebite coupled with research in venom biochemistry and bio-pharmacology of anti-snake venom (ASV) are needed. The study also provides insights into the role of primary care practitioners in creating an ecosystem favorable for snakebite management at local level.

India's need for long-term solutions to COVID-19-like pandemics: A policy paper by Organized Medicine Academic Guild

The entire world seems to have responded to COVID-19 pandemic in a knee-jerk manner with a short mindset without building on the existing strengths of public health infrastructure. National governments cannot be blamed for this as we are dealing with a crisis that comes once in a lifetime. Realising this, the Organized Medicine Academic Guild (OMAG) an association of major health associations in this country has suggested measures for long-term solutions to COVID-19-like pandemics in the form of a policy paper by OMAG.

Strengthening public healthcare systems in India; Learning lessons in COVID-19 pandemic

COVID-19 pandemic has involved nations and incapacitated the health systems globally. The pandemic preparedness has been tested with immense losses. Universal health coverage is needed more than ever to recuperate from the effects of the current pandemic. Post pandemic, many lessons need to be learnt especially for developing economies like India where public healthcare system is grossly inadequate to take care of health needs of citizens. World Health Organization's framework of six health system building blocks was utilized to study the lessons learnt and actionable points in the post pandemic period. Participation in Global Health Security Alliance has to be stepped up with involvement in Joint external evaluation and development of epidemiological core capacities. National Health Security Action Plan needs to drafted and available for health emergences. Ayushman Bharat scheme should incorporate elements to address surge capacity at the time of health emergencies and measures to deliver care at the time of pandemic. Technology through telemedicine, m-health, and digital platforms or apps should contribute to trainings, supervision, and facilitation of healthcare delivery at remote locations. Open data sharing policies should be developed for the practice of evidence-based public health. Public healthcare system and health manpower trained in epidemiology should be given a boost to have system readiness to respond in case of future pandemics.

Assessing Adequacy of Iodine Intake among Children from 6 Months to 15 Years of Age from Hilly Terrains of North India

BACKGROUND

Routine outcome-based monitoring is required to assess the status of consumption of iodized salt as USI strategy.

OBJECTIVE

To assess the extent of recent iodine intake among children from 6 to 15 years of age in the hilly terrain of northern states of India.

METHODS

A school-based cross-sectional observational study among 227 children attending school was done for assessment of socio-demographic, dietary, salt consumption and urinary iodine concentration (UIC).

RESULTS

Mean age of children was about 6 years and 87.7% were consuming salt of >30 and none with <15 ppm iodine content. Median UIC was 138.0 μg/L. Among those assessed, 37.9% had adequate level of UIC, whereas about 20% and 40% participants had less (<99.0 μg/L) and more than adequate to excessive (≥200 μg/L) levels of UIC. Insignificant difference (p = 0.07) was observed for mean log UIC between cabbage eaters (2.3) and non-eaters (1.9) consuming salt >5 grams/day.

CONCLUSION

Recent iodine intake among children observed to be inadequate and effect of cruciferous food items on UIC needs to be studied despite high coverage of iodized salt among children.

Prevalence of major neurological disorders in predominantly rural northwest India

Background

Epidemiological studies based on hospital population, geographic isolates, smaller population, and focused groups provide valuable information on the pattern of diseases, but do not reflect on the true prevalence rates or the changing trends of disease over a period of time in different communities. The present study was undertaken to determine the prevalence and pattern of various neurological disorders in Himachal Pradesh.

Methodology

Study was carried out in urban and rural population of district Kangra of Himachal Pradesh. A proportional representation was given to each area in the allocation of sample size as per probability proportional to size (PPS) method using a two-phase design: 1) A screening phase and 2) a clinical evaluation phase. All subjects were screened and a subset (screen positive and 10% of screen negative) was identified for the detailed clinical evaluation after screening. A standardized screening battery (NIMHANS protocol) was used for this purpose. An individual was confirmed as a case of neurological disorder only after clinical evaluation.

Results

A total of 260 (out of 10,000 studied) individuals were found positive for neurological disorders yielding a crude prevalence of 2.6%. The crude prevalence for rural areas was found to be 2.28% (206/9000), whereas the crude prevalence in urban area was found to be 5.4% (54/1000). Migraine was the most common disorder.

Conclusion

In view of the high crude prevalence of major neurological disorders, there is a need to develop capacity among healthcare professionals regarding them.

Drawing inference from nationwide lockdown as a response towards novel Cornavirus-19 (CoVID-19) epidemic in India

Background

Lockdown effectively can only result in relative freezing of populations that is expected to slow down the disease spread rather than zeroing it. Flattening of epidemic curve Current analysis was carried out to observe a pattern in the rise of CoVID-19 cases along with concurrent announcements of strategies to control the spread of disease.

Material and Methods

Data in from of daily number of cases and issued notifications were studied from the official website of Government of India from 30/01/2020 to 03/05/2020. Qualitative assessment with thematic analysis was carried out for notifications issued by the government. The fit to data on cumulative cases was observed with R² and checked for linearity, logarithmic, polynomial, and exponential growth. Daily growth fraction (G_t) was calculated based on the difference between current and previous number of cases, thereafter daily doubling time (T_d(t)) was estimated.

Results

Daily reported cases were entered and cumulative growth of cases observed with a polynomial increasing pattern (third-order) with better fit (R²: 0.999). Total 108 notifications were issued, and as compared to phase-0 and 1 (87.0%), few (12.9%) notifications were issued in phase-2 of study period. As compared to phase-0 and 1, rising trend of cumulative cases and T_d(t) was high in phase-2.

Conclusion

Across phases of lockdown along with a rising trend of COVID-19 cases, the country has managed to increase the doubling time of cases with an effort to flatten the epidemic curve.

Telemedicine: Embracing virtual care during COVID-19 pandemic

Telemedicine and related e-health facilities facilitate care from a distance through electronic information systems. COVID-19 pandemic is establishing telemedicine in the health care delivery system of countries. Telehealth is contributing significantly in health care delivery during the COVID-19 crisis. For mild-to-moderate symptoms of COVID-19 or any illness, telehealth services might represent a better, efficient way to receive initial care and perform triaging. Telemedicine also has a significant role in screening for COVID-19 symptoms and delivering routine needs and follow-up care. The large-scale adoption of telemedicine in public health care delivery is still not visible in low- and middle-income countries like India. Adoption by patients and healthcare professionals is limited and their concerns need to be addressed to ensure its utilization in future of the care continuum. In the current paper, we aim to review recent measures of Telemedicine adopted during the course of pandemic and its impact on public health in lower-middle income countries like India.

Does temperature and humidity influence the spread of Covid-19?: A preliminary report

INTRODUCTION

Climate change has been known to influence infectious diseases. The reason for this being the fact; disease agents and their vectors each have particular environments that are optimal for growth, survival, transport, and dissemination.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The WHO's website was accessed to look for the Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) situation dashboard and comprehensively study and assess the report. An attempt was made to look for countries, areas or territories with maximum and minimum number of cases of lab confirmed COVID cases. Further, we entered the words "Climate" in google for each of the aforementioned countries and searched for the results. A comparison was established by including countries from both the hemispheres (northern and southern). The preliminary analysis was based on the reports from countries with established testing facilities for Covid-19.

RESULTS

The report suggests that countries with higher number of cases are the countries with cold weather. These are also the countries with low humidity which could be favoring the transmission and survival of the SARS-COV-2.

CONCLUSIONS

The results though preliminary point to a pattern which favors the hypothesis that the extensive spread of Covid-19 maybe limited by temperature and humidity.

Prevalence and correlates of depression in a rural adult population in Northwest India

BACKGROUND

Mental disorders are showing a discerning upward trend globally and it is projected that by 2030, depression would be the leading cause of disease burden globally. Depression has not only confined the developed world but is increasingly seen as a major public health problem in the developing world too.

METHODS

A stratified two-stage design was used to conduct a house-to-house survey in selected villages among consenting eligible members of the family. A three-part questionnaire, with the first part eliciting sociodemographic information was used. Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9), the second part of the questionnaire was used to screen those positive for depression and Beck's Depression Inventory (BDI-II). The third part was used for rating the depression. Data thus collected was analyzed and Chi-square test was used as test of significance.

RESULTS

The prevalence of depression was found to be 8.94% (73/816). Beck's Depression Inventory (BDI- II) for rating the depression revealed that mild depression was present in nearly half of the cases (47.95%), while 39.7% and 9.5% of the cases had moderate and severe depression, respectively. Among the various variables, literacy level, marital status, alcohol intake, chronic illness, and socioeconomic status were significantly associated with the depression.

CONCLUSIONS

Prevalence of depression to the tune of 8.94% in rural adults seems to be a cause of concern for the health planners. Prevention and treatment of depression must be taken on priority and as a challenge by the health professionals.

Prevalence and correlates of Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder (ADHD) risk factors among school children in a rural area of North India

BACKGROUND

Attention-deficit hyperactive disorder (ADHD) is one of the most common neurodevelopmental disorders of childhood and has the potential for continuity into adolescence and adulthood. Its presence increases difficulties in academic performance and social interactions besides leading to low self-esteem. The present study aimed to determine the prevalence of ADHD among children of age 6-12 years in Government schools of a rural area in Jammu district of J and K.

METHODS

The present study was conducted in R.S. Pura block of Jammu district. Miran Sahib zone of R.S Pura block was chosen randomly and all the government primary schools in this zone were included in the survey. The presence of ADHD was assessed using Vanderbilt ADHD diagnostic teacher rating scale. The children positive for ADHD were visited at their residential places and a personal information questionnaire (PIQ) was administered to their parents-preferably the mother. The data thus collected was presented as proportions.

RESULTS

ADHD prevalence was found to be 6.34% (13/205). Majority (69.3%) of the ADHD-positive children were living in a joint family and belonged to lower/lower middle class. Family history of ADHD was absent in all the ADHD-positive children.

CONCLUSION

The current study conducted in a rural area among 6- to 12-year-old children of Government schools has shown a reasonably high ADHD prevalence of 6.34%.

Self-Expanding Metallic Stents (SEMS) in Inoperable Esophageal Cancer: A Prospective Analysis of Morbidity and Survival Outcomes

Background

Palliative treatment for inoperable esophageal cancers by self-expanding metallic stents (SEMS) overcomes disease-related symptoms, preserves the quality of life, and prolongs survival. The aim of this study was to determine dysphagia relief, complications, and patient survival after SEMS in patients with inoperable esophageal cancer.

Methods

This is a hospital-based open cohort study conducted over 9 years between January 1, 2009, and December 31, 2017, from the Sub-Himalayan region of the Indian subcontinent. The last patient was recruited on November 16, 2017 and the minimum of follow-up was either death or survival till December 31, 2017. All the patients attending gastroenterology clinic or admitted in medical wards and fulfilling the definition of inoperable esophageal cancer, subsequently treated with SEMS were included. Data were prospectively gathered on demography, dysphagia scores, morbidity, mortality, and survival outcomes. Follow-ups were done during hospital visits or through a telephonic conversation with the patient and/or caregiver.

Results

Of 239 patients, 147 (61.5%) were male and 92 (38.5%) were female. Most of the patients (60.7%) are in the age group of 51-70 years. Squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) was diagnosed in 205 (85.7%) and adenocarcinoma (ADC) in 34 (14.2%). Lower one-third was the most common site of tumor and observed in 125 (52.3%) patients. ADC was diagnosed equally in males and females and the mean age of presentation with ADC was equal to SCC. All the patients had dysphagia score 4, which improved to score 1 after SEMS insertion. Females had better survival than that of males. The difference was found to be statistically significant.

Conclusion

SEMS effectively reduced dysphagia in inoperable esophageal cancer. Better survival rates were observed in females than males.

Dietary beliefs among informal caregivers regarding common childhood diseases in rural north-west India

Background: Dietary practices among infants and children are predictor of their growth and development. India being a huge of diverse cultures, diversity in beliefs and practices regarding diet during childhood illnesses is expected. Harmful beliefs and practices can contribute to malnutrition among children. These beliefs can have adverse consequences in already sick children. Aims and Objectives: To assess the dietary knowledge, beliefs and practices of rural care givers during childhood illnesses. Material & Methods: This cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted among 271 rural informal (parent / family member) caregivers in one of the sub-health centres which was selected using simple random sampling technique. In the context of this study, the word informal care-giver was used for parent/family member of the child, preferably a mother with a child / children aged less than five years. The survey tool was an open ended and pretested questionnaire which was developed by public health expert’s familiar with the culture of the study setting and was pilot tested before administration. For the purpose of recruiting the study participants a house to house survey was conducted and the data thus collected was analyzed in percentages. Results: Informal Caregivers had low knowledge of common childhood illnesses as well as the reasons of their causation. Majority of them consulted a doctor in the event of child’s illness. 53.81% reduced feeding and 31.93% diluted diet during child’ illness but significantly 77.85% didn’t change breastfeeding practice during illness. As far as the beliefs regarding dietary practices were concerned, it found that egg, meat, chicken and jaggery were labelled hot foods while curd, butter milk and vegetables were labelled as cold foods. Rice water and khichadi were preferred in diarrhoea but spicy food and milk were restricted. Ginger and Tulsi tea were preferred in respiratory infections while ice-cream and curd / milk were withheld. Conclusion: Hot and cold beliefs regarding foods are firmly rooted in the study population, so dietary education has a key role to play but it has to be within socio-cultural milieu of the people. It is imperative to train medical and para-medical staff in nutrition curriculum to promote healthy eating habits in the population

Prevalence of autism spectrum disorders among children (1-10 years of age) - findings of a mid-term report from Northwest India

Background:

India is the second most populous country of the world. A large portion of the population of this country is below 20 years of age but still there is a paucity of information about the prevalence and incidence of many developmental disorders. This study was planned to estimate the prevalence of autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) in the selected areas (tribal, rural, and urban) of a northern state of India, Himachal Pradesh.

Methods:

A cross-sectional two-phase study was conducted covering all the children in the range of 1-10 years of age. Phase one included screening of all the children in the age group of 1-10 years, with the help of an indigenous assessment tool for autism. The sociodemographic profile of the participants was also recorded during phase one. Phase two involved the clinical evaluation of individuals who were suspected of autism on screening.

Results:

The results show a prevalence rate of 0.9/1000. The highest prevalence rate was observed in the rural area.

Conclusions:

Socioeconomic status (SES) may be one of the fundamental indicators for ASDs in India.

Intersecting pentagons as surrogate for identifying the use of mini mental state examination in assessment of dementia in a largely illiterate population

Background and Rationale:

The mini-mental state evaluation (MMSE) is often used to identify patients with dementia. One component of the MMSE is the intersecting pentagon copying (IPC) test, which may be difficult to be used in an illiterate population.

Materials and Methods:

A post hoc analysis on an elderly population (60 years and above) from Himachal Pradesh was carried out. The data of only 1,513 elderly individuals out of a total of 2,000 participants with a score of more than 26 (nondemented) out of a possible score of 30 on cognitive battery available were used. The scores on the IPC were evaluated and their association with some demographic variables was also assessed.

Results:

Illiterate participants, female participants, those with greater age, and the rural/tribal population groups faced the most difficulty in drawing the intersecting pentagons and even greater difficulty in drawing them correctly.

Discussion:

The IPC presents challenges for people who are illiterate and the scoring method needs to be addressed and changed particularly when the test is used in largely illiterate populations.

Impact of method of application and concentration of potassium on yield of wheat

A field experiment was conducted to study the effect of different levels and methods of potassium application on yield, K uptake and forms of potassium in wheat crop at experimental field of Division of Soil Science, Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology, Kashmir. The treatment consisted of 5 levels of potassium (0, 20, 40, 60 and 80 kg K2O ha(-1)) and two methods of application viz Single basal and split (1/2 basal+1/2 at tiller initiation stage). Out of various treatments, split application of potassium @ 80 kg K2O ha(-1) was found superior to single basal application in terms of grain yield (43.20 q ha(-1)) and K uptake (22.89 kg ha(-1)) by grains at harvest. However, it was at par with split application of 60 kg K2O ha(-1). All forms of potassium viz water-soluble, exchangeable, available, boiling HNO3 extractable and lattice increased with increasing levels of potassium and were found maximum (3.20, 62.80, 66.00 ppm 0.723 and 1.440% respectively) when potassium was applied @ 80 kg K2O ha(-1) in two equal splits except for lattice K which was maximum (1.440%) when potassium was applied @ 60 kg K2O ha(-1).

Structure and properties of silk from the African wild silkmoth Gonometa postica reared indoors

African wild silkmoth, Gonometa postica Walker (Lepidoptera: Lasiocampidae), were reared indoors in order to examine the influence of rearing conditions on the structure and properties of silk cocoon shells and degummed fibers by using a scanning electron microscope, an Instron tensile tester, and a thermogravimetric analyzer. The cocoons reared indoors showed inferior quality in weight, length, width, and cocoon shell ratio compared to cocoons reared outdoors. There were no differences in cocoon shell and fiber surfaces and cross sectional structures. Cocoon shells were covered with calcium oxalate crystals with few visible fibers on their surface. Degummed fibers were smooth with minimum unfractured surfaces and globular to triangular cross sections. Indoor-reared cocoon shells had a significantly higher breaking strain, while the breaking stress was higher for cocoons reared outdoors. Fibers from indoor cocoons had a significantly higher breaking stress while outdoor fibers had higher breaking strain. Thermogravimetric analysis curves showed two main thermal reactions revealing the dehydration of water molecules and ir-reversible decomposition of the crystallites in both cocoons and fibers reared indoors and outdoors. Cocoon shells underwent additional peaks of decomposition with increased temperature. The total weight loss was higher for cocoon shells and degummed fibers from indoors. Rearing conditions (temperature and relative humidity), feeding method used, changes in total life span, days to molting, and spinning might have influenced the variation in the properties observed.The ecological and commercial significances of indoor rearing of G. posticaare discussed.

Determinants of Prelacteal Feeding Among Infants of RS Pura Block of Jammu and Kashmir, India

Objective:

To assess the role of various factors in determining prelacteal feeding in block R.S. Pura of district Jammu.

Materials and Methods:

A stratified two-stage design with villages as the primary sampling unit and lactating mothers as the secondary sampling unit. Villages were divided into different clusters on the basis of population and sampling units were selected by a simple random technique.

Results:

Giving prelacteal feed is almost universal with 88% of mothers feeding their children with prelacteal feeds. Income seemed to have significant effect on the preference of prelacteal feeds with low income groups showing lower preference for giving prelacteal feeds.

Conclusion:

The study showed, interalia, that a poor knowledge regarding infant feeding practice was prevalent among mothers.