Adverse health impacts of cooking with kerosene: A multi-country analysis within the Prospective Urban and Rural Epidemiology Study.

Background: Kerosene, which was until recently considered a relatively clean household fuel, is still widely used in low- and middle-income countries for cooking and lighting. However, there is little data on its health effects. We examined cardiorespiratory effects and mortality in households using kerosene as their primary cooking fuel within the Prospective Urban Rural Epidemiology (PURE) study.

Pediatric Appropriate Evaluation Protocol for India (PAEP-India): Tool for Assessing Appropriateness of Pediatric Hospitalization.

Objective: To develop and assess Pediatric Appropriateness Evaluation Protocol for India (PAEP-India) for inter-rater reliability and appropriateness of hospitalization.

Design: Cross-sectional study.

Setting: The available PAEP tools were reviewed and adapted for Indian context by ten experienced pediatricians following semi-Delphi process.

Immunochromatography in CSF improves data on surveillance of S. pneumoniae meningitis in India.

Introduction: Streptococcus pneumoniae is a significant cause of childhood bacterial meningitis in India. The United States Food and Drug Administration has licensed an immunochromatographic (ICT) test, BinaxNOW™, to detect the C polysaccharide antigen of S. pneumoniae in cerebrospinal fluids (CSF).

Does greater individual social capital improve the management of hypertension? Cross-national analysis of 61 229 individuals in 21 countries.

Introduction: Social capital, characterised by trust, reciprocity and cooperation, is positively associated with a number of health outcomes. We test the hypothesis that among hypertensive individuals, those with greater social capital are more likely to have their hypertension detected, treated and controlled.

Methods: Cross-sectional data from 21 countries in the Prospective Urban and Rural Epidemiology study were collected covering 61 229 hypertensive individuals aged 35-70 years, their households and the 656 communities in which they live.

Efficacy and safety of a live attenuated, cold-adapted influenza vaccine, trivalent against culture-confirmed influenza in young children in Asia.

Background: This study was designed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of cold-adapted influenza vaccine, trivalent (CAIV-T) against culture-confirmed influenza in children 12 to <36 months of age during 2 consecutive influenza seasons at multiple sites in Asia.

Methods: In year 1, 3174 children 12 to <36 months of age were randomized to receive 2 doses of CAIV-T (n = 1900) or placebo (n = 1274) intranasally > or =28 days apart. In year 2, 2947 subjects were rerandomized to receive 1 dose of CAIV-T or placebo.

Factors affecting decisions to seek treatment for sick children in Kerala, India.

The purpose of this study was to measure the effects of social and economic variables, disease-related variables, and child gender on the decisions of parents in Kerala, India, to seek care for their children and on their choice of providers in the allopathic vs. the alternative system. A case-control analysis was done using data from the Kerala section of the 1996 Indian National Family Health Survey, a cross-sectional survey of a probability sample of households conducted by trained interviewers with a close-ended questionnaire.