Primary care for the urban poor in India during the pandemic: Uninterrupted management of non-communicable diseases and home-based care of patients with COVID-19 infection.

Problem: The two waves of COVID-19 severely affected the healthcare system in India. The government responded to the first wave with a strict nationwide lockdown which disrupted primary care, including the management of non-communicable diseases (NCDs). The second wave overwhelmed healthcare facilities leading to inadequate access to hospital services.

Knowledge, Attitude and Practices of Contraceptives Among Married Women of Rural Vellore.

Introduction: Ensuring reproductive health is central to the process of developing and improving the health of women and children and is linked to the issues such as sexually transmitted diseases, poverty, education, gender equality, and human rights. This community-based cross-sectional study was conducted to assess the knowledge, attitude, and practices of contraceptives of married women aged 18-49 years in rural Vellore, Tamil Nadu.

Methods: This study was conducted in Kaniyambadi block in Vellore, Tamil Nadu.

Impact of the COVID-19 National Lockdown on a Rural and Tribal Population of Tamil Nadu, Southern India: A Mixed-Methods Survey.

We assessed the impact of the national lockdown on a rural and tribal population in Tamil Nadu, southern India. A mixed-methods approach with a pilot-tested, semi-structured questionnaire and focus group discussions were used. The impact of the lockdown on health, finances, and livelihood was studied using descriptive statistics.

Screening practices for breast and cervical cancer and associated factors, among rural women in Vellore, Tamil Nadu.

Background: Population-based screening coverage for breast and cervical cancer screening in the community is inadequately reported in India. This study assessed screening rates, awareness, and other factors affecting screening, among rural women aged 25-60 years in Vellore, Tamil Nadu.

Methods: Women aged 25-60 years, from five randomly selected villages of a rural block were included in this cross-sectional study in Vellore, Tamil Nadu.

Risk Factors and Hazards in the Household Environment for Elevated Blood Lead Levels in Urban Preschool Children of Vellore: A Case-Control Approach in the MAL-ED Birth Cohort.

Objectives: To study the household environmental risk factors and hazards associated with elevated blood lead levels (EBLLs) in preschool children in an urban setting of Vellore, South India.

Methods: A case-control study within the MAL-ED (Etiology, Risk Factors and Interactions of Enteric Infections and Malnutrition and the Consequences for Child Health and Development) birth cohort was conducted between January 2014 and January 2015. The study included 153 pre-school children: 87 cases and 66 controls with elevated and normal BLLs, respectively.

The insulin sharps disposal study: Evaluation of a structured patient education initiative in an urban community health centre in India.

Context: India has witnessed an increase in people suffering from diabetes mellitus and also those on insulin. The issue of handling used sharps in the community is an area of concern.

Aims: Our study aimed to assess the change in knowledge and practise concerning the disposal of used insulin sharps in patients with diabetes, pre- and post-evaluation, a structured, health provider-initiated, patient-centred insulin-use health education (PIHE).

Unintentional injuries among children aged 1-5 years: understanding the burden, risk factors and severity in urban slums of southern India.

Background: Globally, 5.82 million deaths occurred among children under the age of five years in 2015 and injury specific mortality rate was 73 per 100,000 population. In India, injury specific mortality rate is around 2.

Effects of elevated blood lead levels in preschool children in urban Vellore.

Objective: To study the burden and associated risk factors for elevated blood lead levels among pre-school children (15-24 months) in urban Vellore, and to study its effects on child cognition and anemia.

Design: An investigative study through Mal-ED cohort.

Setting: Eight adjacent urban slums in Vellore, Tamil Nadu.

Nature, prevalence and risk factors of alcohol use in an urban slum of Southern India.

Background: There is a paucity of data on the use of alcohol in urban slums of southern India.

Methods: We screened 2811 men for alcohol use via a household-level census in an urban slum in Vellore, Tamil Nadu, and interviewed 220 age- and area-matched pairs of men drinkers and non-drinkers to examine factors associated with alcohol use. Alcohol Use Disorder Identification Test (AUDIT), a standard instrument, was used to assess risk levels of drinking of 354 drinkers.

Reported healthcare utilisation for childhood respiratory illnesses in Vellore, South India.

A 30-cluster survey using a modified WHO method was performed to assess the healthcare utilisation patterns for respiratory illnesses in Indian children < 5 years of age. Families of 600 children were interviewed to assess respiratory illness and healthcare utilisation during the previous month as well as hypothetical healthcare-seeking behaviour in the future. Based on parental report, 381 children (63.

The challenge of patients with severe psychiatric illness who do not access care - a way forward.

Psychiatric illnesses are a significant cause of morbidity all over the world. In India many people with mental disorders are unable to access psychiatric care for a variety of reasons. This article describes the successful management of a person with schizophrenia in the community through a primary care team in liaison with psychiatrist services.