Background In the Indian context, there is no recent data on substance use among school students. We report on the pattern of substance use and associated factors among school students in a cross-sectional nationwide survey conducted in 10 cities of India. Methods From each city, data from 200 students each from three schools (urban-government, urban-private, rural school) were collected. Within each school, a section from each grade (VIII, IX, and XI/XII) was randomly selected. Finally, 5920 students (boys 52.4%, mean [SD] age 14.7 [1.6] years) self-administered the questionnaire in the classroom setting. Results There were 15.1% students who reported lifetime, 10.3% past year, and 7.2% past month use of any substance, including tobacco, with most being used occasionally. Substances used in the past year were tobacco (4%), alcohol (3.8%), opioids (2.8%), cannabis (2%), inhalants (1.9%), and sedatives (0.6%). Substance use was significantly higher among boys than girls and higher with increasing grades. Past year users had significantly high/very high total difficulties score on the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (15.0 [5.1]) compared to non-users (13.4 [5.7]; p<0.001). There was a significant difference between substance users and non-users in the subscales conduct problem, hyper-activity, emotional problems, and in the impact score (p<0.001). Past year users compared to non-users reported higher ‘substance use (any)’ by family members (p<0.001) and peers (p<0.001). Conclusions A substantial proportion of school students reported using psychoactive substances, mostly for occasional use. School-based prevention efforts are required on a wide scale in the country. We recommend early identification and intervention for substance use in school settings.
OBJECTIVES:This study aimed to analyse the number of myocardial infarction (MI) admissions during the COVID-19 lockdown periods of 2020 and 2021 (March 15th to June 15th) and compare them with corresponding pre-pandemic period in 2019. The study also evaluated changes in critical treatment intervals: onset to door (O2D), door to balloon (D2B) and door to needle (D2N) and assessed 30-day clinical outcomes. This study examined MI care trends in India during the COVID-19 lockdown period, irrespective of patients' COVID-19 infection status. DESIGN:Multicentre retrospective cohort study SETTING: Twenty-three public and private hospitals across multiple Indian states, all with 24/7 interventional cardiology facilities. PARTICIPANTS:All adults (>18 years) admitted with acute myocardial infarction between March 15 and June 15 in 2019 (pre-pandemic), 2020 (first lockdown) and 2021 (second lockdown). A total of 3614 cases were analysed after excluding duplicates and incomplete data. PRIMARY OUTCOMES:Number of MI admissions, median O2D, D2B and D2N times. SECONDARY OUTCOMES:30-day outcomes including death, reinfarction and revascularisation. RESULTS:MI admissions dropped from 4470 in year 2019 to 2131 (2020) and 1483 (2021). The median O2D increased from 200 min (IQR 115-428) pre-COVID-19 to 390 min (IQR 165-796) in 2020 and 304 min (IQR 135-780) in 2021. The median D2B time reduced from 225 min (IQR 120-420) in 2019 to 100 min (IQR 53-510) in 2020 and 130 min (IQR 60-704) in 2021. Similarly, D2N time decreased from 240 min (IQR 120-840) to 35 min (IQR 25-69) and 45 min (IQR 24-75), respectively. The 30-day outcome of death, reinfarction and revascularisation was 4.25% in 2020 and 5.1% in 2021, comparable to 5.8% reported in the Acute Coronary Syndrome Quality Improvement in Kerala study. CONCLUSION:Despite the expansion of catheterisation facilities across India, the country continues to fall short of achieving international benchmarks for optimal MI care.
Introduction: Stroke is one of the prominent causes of long-term impairment worldwide, often affecting impaired motor function and reduced quality of life (QoL). Objective: The objective was to assess impact of the effect of Functional Electrical Stimulation (FES) in conjunction with Motor Relearning Program (MRP) on the quality of life (QOL) in patients recovering from ischemic stroke. Method: A randomized controlled experiment trial was conducted involving 60 post-ischemic stroke patients. Participants were randomly allocated to two groups, Group A received FES in conjunction with MRP, while Group B received only MRP. Treatment was administered five days a week for eight weeks. Outcome measures included the Stroke-Specific Quality of Life Scale (SS-QOL), Fugl-Meyer Assessment (FMA), and Barthel Index (BI), documented at baseline and post-intervention. Results: Both groups showed substantial enhancement in QoL, motor function, and daily living activities. However, Group- A demonstrated significantly greater improvements in SS-QOL, FMA and BI scores when compared to Group B. Conclusion: This study results were in favor of addition of FES to MRP approach, which helps in achieving superior improvements in quality of life and functional outcomes. Key words: Functional Electrical Stimulation, Motor Relearning Program, Ischemic Stroke, Quality of Life, Rehabilitation
Early marriage is widely recognised as a violation of human rights and cause of poor maternal and child health. The present article examines the socio-economic correlates of early marriages among girls in India. Additionally, it also helps in understanding the statewise prevalence of early marriages in India. The present article utilised recent nationally representative cross-sectional sample survey data from a fifth round of the National Family Health Survey (2019–2021). Bivariate analysis, multivariable logistic regressions, concentration index (CI), concentration curve (CC) and Fairlie decomposition analysis were used to meet the study's objective. Every fourth of females fell prey to early marriage in India as a whole. A special variation of early marriage has been seen in the state. The top five states are West Bengal (42
