Background and Objectives: Noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL) is the hearing loss due to exposure to either a sudden loud noise or exposure to loud noises for a period of time. Bus personnel are at high risk for NIHL. Hence this study was conducted to determine the knowledge attitude and practice among bus personnel in Mangalore city towards NIHL Methodology: A cross-sectional study was conducted from March 2009 to May 2009 among 73 private bus personnel who were selected conveniently. The data was collected by interview method in the local language, Kannada. The eligible subjects were introduced a pre-tested questionnaire, which had 15 questions (knowledge 5, attitude 5 and practice 5). Analysis was done to differentiate their each domain and also correlate knowledge with practice. Results: The bus personnel were between the age group of 21 and 52 years and majority of them being between ages of 31 and 40 (46.6%). Median age of the bus personnel was 33 with interquartile range (IQR) between 28.5 and 38 years. The median work experience was 14 with IQR between 6 and 18 years. The minimum work experience of the bus personnel was 1 year and maximum being 40 years. 36% had good knowledge, 42% had average attitude and 53% had poor practice regarding noise and NIHL. Conclusion: Knowledge, attitude and practice regarding noise and NIHL was poor among the study participants. Health education has to be provided to improve the awareness. Screening for hearing defects is necessary in them.

According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), precision medicine is "anemerging approach for disease treatment and prevention that takes into accountindividual variability in genes, environment, and lifestyle for each person."1 One of the best examples of use of precision medicine is found in the process of blood transfusion, thedonor’s blood type is matched to the recipient to reduce the risk of complications. Some older literature use the term “personalized medicine” to imply that treatments and preventions are being developed uniquely for each individual.Both precision medicine and personalized medicine are highly related and genomics plays a big role. However, even highly personalized information may or may not be cost effective and may not yield a very favorable outcome as per expectation. Moreover, precision medicine approaches may lead to non-personalized interventions that can be used population-wide. As the focus has been broadened to identify which approaches will be effective for which patients based on his/ her genetic constituents, environmental, and lifestyle factors, precision medicine term sounds more logical.

Introduction: The health-seeking behavior is guided by superstition and prevailing cultural practices; the general health status of tribals in India is lower than the general population. This could be attributed to poverty, ignorance, socio-cultural practices and lack of access to healthcare. Health-seeking behavior during antenatal, perinatal and postnatal period is an important factor which contributes to maternal and child health and can act as a proxy to health status of tribal population. Objectives: To study the health-seeking behavior of tribal population during antenatal, perinatal and postnatal period. Materials and Methods: A qualitative study conducted among the tribal population of Heggadadevanakote taluq, Mysore district. Focus group discussions were used to collect information on opinions, perceptions and practices during pregnancy and child birth. The participants included tribal mothers, men, elderly women, Anganawadi workers, ANM’s and opinion leaders. Results: Women not willing to continue their pregnancy resort to abortions by taking herbal medicines. For general ailments during pregnancy like fever, cough, diarrhea they take home remedies. The women prefer to deliver in their homes. Deliveries are conducted by local dais. Some of them are trained. The newborn is not given colostrums, and pre-lacteal feeds are given; breast feeding is continued till 2 years. Conclusion: Availability and accessibility of health services is good. Affordability and acceptability are the issues of concern. They are slowly opening up to the healthcare services and are in the transition phase.

Background: Janani Suraksha Yojana (JSY) is a conditional cash incentive scheme focused on institutional delivery to reduce maternal and infant mortality. Objectives: To examine the factors influencing utilization of the JSY and role of key informants of the study like District Reproductive and Child Health Officer (DRCHO), Medical Officer (MO), Auxiliary Nurse Midwifery (ANM), Lady Health Visitor (LHV) and Accredited Social Health Activist (ASHA) at Community Health Centers (CHC) and Sub Centers (SC). Method: An observational study in two randomly selected blocks namely, Balijan and Doimukh of Papumpare District, Arunachal Pradesh, was carried out with some indepth interviews. A total of 71 respondents were interviewed after obtaining informed consent. Result: All the respondents registered their pregnancy at CHC Balijan and Doimukh Blocks respectively. Awareness on JSY by the beneficiaries through ASHAs accounted for 37.53%, while motivation to avail JSY by beneficiaries was 34.3%; 85% prospective beneficiaries desired to avail JSY and 27.45% of non-beneficiaries cited transportation problem as a reason for not availing JSY.

Objectives: To study knowledge regarding health impact of tobacco and attitude towards quitting among lower-middle and lower classes in a resettlement colony in Delhi. Materials and Methods: The study was conducted between the months of March and October in the year 2011, in a resettlement colony of Delhi. The study was a crosssectional, community-based, house-to-house survey and involved interviews of present tobacco consumers using a structured interview guide consisting mainly of close-ended questions and some open-ended questions. Results: 1698 subjects were enrolled in the study with 90.8% males and 8.7% females. Mean age of the subjects was 40 years, while median age was 37 years. 87% of the respondents were educated up to higher secondary or less. Some other key findings included the following: 45% of the respondents had no information on the effect of tobacco consumption on health, and 60% did not have any knowledge of the laws regarding tobacco consumption. Television was the most common source of information regarding tobacco consumption, followed by newspapers. Three-fourths of the respondents had knowledge that their using tobacco had an impact on other family members, and 60% believed that children were affected most commonly. Spouse or children were the most common people who stressed upon the respondents to leave tobacco, followed by parents. Self-motivation was the most commonly reported second reason for attempting to quit tobacco. However, doctors or other medical personnel appeared to play only a marginal role in motivating the tobacco users to quit tobacco.

Introduction: Men play an important role in family planning as they are the decision makers in many societies, including India. However, involvement of males in family planning programs is limited. Increasing male participation can significantly influence women’s reproductive health decisions. Materials and Methods: A qualitative study using focus group discussions and content analysis was conducted, with 62 married men aged 24–42 years to know their perceptions and practices regarding family planning. Results: Most of the study participants preferred small families with one or two children. Having a male child was considered necessary. In most of the cases, decision about family planning was taken jointly by husband and wife. Most men knew about traditional and modern methods of birth control; however, there were gaps in their knowledge. Awareness regarding non-scalpel vasectomy was very low. Most common source of information was mass media or friends. None of the study participants had received information about family planning from healthcare providers. The acceptance and practice of natural methods of contraception as well as condoms was high. Many doubts and misconceptions prevailed regarding male sterilization. Conclusion: Almost all participants realized the importance of family planning and were in favor of a small family. However, their knowledge was limited regarding modern methods of contraception. This highlights the need for a more couple-oriented approach to family planning.

Background: Patients’ satisfaction is one of the most important factors in the provision of healthcare delivery. Inspite of the advancement in science and technology, patients’ satisfaction is a must for a successful healthcare delivery. Objectives: The present study was done on patients’ satisfaction in the Out Patient Departments (OPDs) of two tertiary government hospitals in Manipur to assess the level of satisfaction among the patients attending different OPDs of the two hospitals and also to determine the association between levels of satisfaction with variables of interest. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out among 440 patients who attended the OPD of Regional Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS) and Jawaharlal Nehru Institute of Medical Sciences (JNIMS), Imphal, during September 2012 to October 2014. Based on the average daily patient attendance, 285 patients from RIMS and 155 from JNIMS were taken by probability proportionate to size. Results: The majority belonged to the age group 20-29 years and Hindu religion. The study found overall satisfaction to be 54.5%. There was no significant difference between level of satisfaction with sex, income, religion, education and marital status. Those who visited OPD on Monday were less satisfied as compared to other working days. Those who waited less than half an hour to get registration and who waited less than half an hour before they were examined by the doctor were more satisfied. Conclusion: Most of the patients were not satisfied with basic amenities but were

Introduction: The survivance of newborn in unfavorable circumstances was determined by birth weight. Maternal adverse demographic circumstances and illnesses are the risky factors in which the fetal conditions are described. Objectives: This study aimed to determine prevalence and predictors of low birth weight (LBW) in Guilan, Iran. Materials and Methods: This was a cross-sectional study on 560 pregnant women attending healthcare centers of Rasht, Iran, from March 2012 to March 2013. Data collections were based on their health record information in health centers. Finally, relationship between infant birth weight with maternal demographic characteristics and predictor’s factors and data was analyzed statistically. Results: The mean infant birth weight obtained was 3266.14 gm while the prevalence of low birth weight (LBW) was 4.1%. According to the analysis, the factors associated with LBW were: mother pre-pregnancy, body mass index, hypertension, pre-eclampsia, preterm rupture of membrane, preterm labor and neonatal sex. The significant risk factors for infant birth weight were: birth interval, mother’s weight gain during pregnancy, gestational age, preterm labor and hypertension. Conclusions: Maternal biosocial, medical and obstetric factors have strong association with LBW.

Background: Widowhood is an extremely stressful life event that not only creates psychological distress but also brings significant social changes to the surviving spouse. Widows face social neglect with reduced earning capacity and associated health problems. Objective: To assess the quality of life and existing known morbidities among widows registered with non-government organizations (NGOs) in Panipat city of Haryana, India. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 305 widows selected by purposive sampling in two registered non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in Panipat city of Haryana over a period of 5 months. Data was collected using World Health Organization Quality of Life (WHOQOL-BREF) questionnaire after taking written informed consent. Chi-square test was used to find association between two qualitative variables. P-value less than 0.05 was considered significant. Results: Mean age of widows was 52.04±15.08 years. Majority were Hindus (89.5%) and in the age group 50-70 years (46%). 150 (49.20%) complained of health-related problems at the time of interview, out of which most common reported complaints were respiratory illnesses (37%) followed by fever (27%), body aches (26%), visual problems (19%), gastro-intestinal problems (15%), injuries (13%), hearing problem (12%) and dental problem (7%). Environmental QOL of study subjects was lowest and physical QOL was highest among widows. Conclusion: Promotion of comprehensive healthcare services along with addressing social and environmental aspect for widows is important to improve QOL.