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Item Open Access Utility of Human Scalp Hair as Biomarker(University of North Bengal, 2016) Dorjee, BinuHuman biomonitoring (HBM) is a scientific technique that allows us to assess whether and to what extent environmental pollutants enter humans (Alves 2014). The technique relied on the various biomarkers like blood, urine, nails and hair. The blood is invasive biomarker while hair is emerging non-invasive biomarkers. Hair is unique character found on all mammals but not on other animals. Hairs may be defined as slender filamentous outgrowths of the skin and are primarily composed of keratin. The present paper highlights the various features of hair which makes it a reliable biomarker such as it is non-invasive, easy to transfer and store, free of contamination, easy sampling and non expensive. It has time detection window of 1 month to a year. However, there are areas of hair research which need further attention.Item Open Access Childhood Obesity(University of North Bengal, 2016) Roy, SusmitaThe purpose of this review is to highlight the risk factors of childhood obesity. The prevalence of childhood overweight and obesity has increased worldwide in recent decades. Obesity in childhood is associated with a wide range of serious health complications and an increased risk of premature illness and death later in life. This book presents childhood obesity trends across multiple demographics. It discusses the contributing genetic and environmental factors of childhood obesity and shows the adverse health consequences of childhood obesity, both as they relate to childhood and as they last into adulthood. The final section presents multiple methods for obesity treatment included community and family–based intervention, pharmacotherapy, and surgical procedures. As childhood obesity increases, scientists think that heart disease, including the condition that may have killed Jonathan, will become a common pediatric disorder. Obesity increases a child’s risk of high cholesterol, high blood pressure, and thickening of the arteries, all of which can lead to heart disease. Obesity also increases a child’s risk of type 2 diabetes, in which the body becomes resistant to insulin, and metabolic syndrome, in which the body simultaneously develops several different risk factors that make a young person more likely to develop heart disease or diabetes, or to have a stroke.Item Open Access National Centre for Health Statistics (NCHS) Reference(University of North Bengal, 2016) Sinha, IsitaGrowth is a kind of velocity and measures the rate of change of size over a certain period of time. Growth measurements are taken at regular intervals over a specified period of time. Growth assessment is basically a kind of comparison with a reference normally called a “growth reference”. Without such a reference, growth assessment becomes arbitrary. Until the late 1970s, a number of growth charts were utilized to assess child growth. In the year 1977, the National Centre for Health Statistics (NCHS) published a new set of growth charts for children aged <18 years based on data from the Fels Longitudinal Growth Study and nationally representative surveys. The NCHS later became a part of the Centre for disease control (CDC) in the year 1987. The NCHS growth charts consists of 14 sex specific growth charts and used different indicators like weight-for-age, weight- for- length, length-for-age, head circumference for age stature-forage and weight-for-stature. These curves represent attained size, and do not describe rates of growth as might be represented in incremental or longitudinal growth charts. It utilizes per centile rankings to describe the relative size of a given child. The main advantage of NCHS reference is that the data was based on current and high quality growth data as well as on the most recent advances in data processing and analysis.Item Open Access The WHO Multicentre Growth Reference Study (MGRS)(University of North Bengal, 2016) Debnath, SampritiThe World Health Organization (WHO) Multicentre Growth Reference Study (MGRS) (1997-2003) was a community-based, multi-country project in collaboration with other institutions to formulate new growth references for infants and young children. This study was a combination of a longitudinal study and a cross-sectional study. The subjects had favourable socio-economic conditions to grow with low mobility. Other inclusion criteria were absence of health or environmental constraints on growth, absence of maternal smoking and breast fed children and adherence to the feeding recommendations by MGRS. Data was collected from 8,500 children from Brazil, Ghana, India, Norway, Oman and the United States of America. This study has published the standards which describe how healthy children should grow under optimal health and environmental condition. The growth charts formulated by the MGRS study are also known as WHO growth charts. The standards formulated by this study which are applicable to all the children worldwide irrespective of ethnicity, feeding practices and environmental diversity.Item Open Access Breastfeeding Practices in Tribal and Caste Population of West Bengal: A Comparative Study(University of North Bengal, 2016) Mitra, Shreyosi; Ray, SubhaBreastfeeding has typically been studied as a discrete behaviour predicted by biological and social-cultural factors. The objectives of this study were to investigate into the pattern of and understand the knowledge and attitude of breastfeeding practices among the lactating mothers belonging to Bengali Hindu caste (BHC) and tribal groups. A total number of 167 lactating mothers were selected from Bengali Hindu caste population residing in the rural (100) and urban(40) areas of South and North 24 Parganas districts and from the tribal groups residing in rural areas (27) of Purulia district West Bengal. The selection of the study areas and of the participants was done on the basis of operational convenience. Data types include the time of initiation and duration of breastfeeding, the practice of exclusive breastfeeding, feeding colostrums and the knowledge and attitude of the mothers towards breastfeeding. Data on socio-economic information of the participants were taken as additional variable. Data were collected using semi-structured questionnaire. Trend in the results indicate that the practice of exclusive breastfeeding was lower in the Bengali Hindu caste population compared to the tribal population; feeding of colostrums is very common to the tribal mothers but not for their Bengali Hindu caste counterparts. Although the participants from both tribal and Bengali Hindu caste population were aware about the beneficial effect of breastfeeding, yet their attitude towards this behaviour varied widely.Item Open Access Effect of Family Structure on Child Immunization in the Rural Area(University of North Bengal, 2016) Srivastava, NamitaNegligence towards immunization may result in serious health risks not only for the deprived child but for the society too as diseases meant to be controlled by vaccination are infectious. Apart from technical loopholes, there are many factors embedded in social and cultural set up of the people which act as obstacle for success of such programs aimed at improving public health. In rural society the type of family, in which child is reared, is also significant importance in this regard. This paper aims to explore how a particular family type, nuclear or joint, affects the immunization status of children.Item Open Access Impact of Heavy Metal Exposure on Women and Human Reproductive Health(University of North Bengal, 2016) Tigga, Pushpa LataQuality of the environment plays a significant role in human health. It was estimated that one-quarter of the global disease burden and more than one-third of the burden among children was due to modifiable environmental factors. The group of heavy metals represents pollutants that are concerned with serious health problems connected with a high global annual emission rate. The toxic effects of the heavy metals are often expressed differently on the outcome of human reproduction. Recommended medical surveillance for all heavy metals requires emergency departmental care. Literature study explored that there is a gap of knowledge in the proper toxicity survey.Item Open Access Rural-Urban Comparison of Knowledge, Attitude and Practice in Hypertension: A Study from West Bengal, India(University of North Bengal, 2016) Das, Milon; Ghosh, ArnabObjectives: Virtually no study has been under taken to investigate the knowledge, attitude and practice for hypertension in people of Asian Indian origin. The present study was aimed to investigate and compare the knowledge, attitude and practice for hypertension in people living in two contrasting habitat- rural and urban. Methods: A total of 457 participants (227 individuals from rural area including 87 males and 140 females & 230 individuals from urban area including 97 males and 133 females) aged 30 to 80 years took part in the study. Socio-economic information as well as participants’ responses to hypertension was taken using a close ended schedule. Results: It was evident that not only urban people but rural people also had knowledge and attitude towards the causes and risk for hypertension however, only a small proportion of participants in both areas had right practice towards hypertension. Conclusion: Adequate public health initiatives including public awareness and healthy practice toward hypertension are utmost required to better comprehend the problem of hypertension in people of Asian Indian origin who genetically are predisposed to many cardiovascular disease risk factors including hypertension.Item Open Access Fertility and Mortality Differential among the Dibongiya Deori of Lakhimpur District, Assam(University of North Bengal, 2016) Borah, Juri; Sengupta, S.An attempt is made in this paper to look into the fertility and mortality differentials among the Dibongiya Deori of Assam. Apart from these, distribution of women according to age group, age at marriage, age at first conception, age at first child birth are also taken into consideration for the present study. The analysis demonstrates that the Dibongiya Deori women married at relatively younger age exhibits moderately higher conception and higher reproductive wastages.Item Open Access Menstrual Characteristics of Young Adults(University of North Bengal, 2016) Mukherjee, Ipsita; Ghosh, Jyoti RatanMenstrual health plays a key role inwomen’s sexual and reproductive life. Thepurpose of this study is to understand the age atmenarche and menstrual characteristics of young adults in a rural area of West Bengal.The present cross-sectional descriptive survey was conducted among one hundred and one young adult females of age 18 to23 years. Data were collected on age, age at menarche and menstrual characteristics by using questionnaire.The mean age at menarche of the study participants was 12.07 (1.37) years. Duration of average menstrual discharge and number of days of peak discharge of the studied population was 4.84 (1.38) days and 3.03 (1.5) days, respectively. The result also revealed that menstruation skipped in 16.83per cent girls in last one year. When menstrual discharge problems were considered, it was observed that majority (74.25%) of the girls feels some degree of pain and discomfort. However, 8.91per cent of the girls had irregular periods.Premenstrual syndrome was observed in most (91.09%) of the girls, of which majorities reported abdominal pain (58.41%), followed by back pain (38.61%) and weakness (32.67%). An overwhelming majority (74.25%) of the girls reported the nature of menstrual discharge to be in the form of a mixture of fluid and clots. Interestingly, gynaecological problem was observed in all girls. Thefindings of this study would help health care professionals to devise future health care programs on menstrual health.