Browsing by Author "Pradhan, PMS"
Now showing 1 - 3 of 3
Results Per Page
Sort Options
Publication Factors Contributing to Antenatal Care and Delivery Prac- tices in Village Development Committees of Ilam District, Nepal(Kathmandu University, 2013) Pradhan, PMS; Bhattarai, S; Paudel, IS; Gaurav, K; Pokharel, PKABSTRACT Background Proper antenatal care and good delivery practice helps to prevent the complications of childbirth and ensures a wholesome maternal and child health in the future. Almost half of the births in the developing countries take place without a skilled birth attendant. Objectives To assess the antenatal care (ANC) and delivery practices in the Village Development Committees (VDC) of Ilam district, Nepal and to identify the relationship with the socio-demographic factors. Method Cross sectional study of 262 mothers of reproductive age group having at least one child of less than five years of age, selected by simple random sampling, was carried out over different VDCs of Ilam by face to face interview using semi-structured questionnaire. Results Among 262 mothers, 34.7% were married before the age of 18 years. 69.5% of the mothers had attended four antenatal care visits. Nearly 47% of the deliveries were conducted at home out of which only 33.6% were conducted by skilled birth attendant. Number of children and maternal education were found to significantly affect the ANC visit and place of delivery. Age at marriage and age at first pregnancy were significantly associated with the place of delivery. Conclusion Large proportion of mothers still do not have adequate antenatal visits and this is supported by the fact that nearly half of the deliveries were conducted at home. Motivation and incentives are required for pregnant mothers especially in rural areas regarding importance of adequate antenatal visits and delivery in health institutions. Population policies should be aimed at reducing proportion of women marrying and giving birth in their teens. KEY WORDS Antenatal care, delivery practices, home delivery, pregnancy, NepalPublication Malnutrition Status Among Under - 5 Children in a Hill Community of Nepal(Kathmandu University, 2014) Gaurav, K; Poudel, I S; Bhattarai, S; Pradhan, PMS; Pokharel, PKABSTRACT Background Malnutrition, especially under nutrition puts children at increased risk of morbidity and mortality and remains a serious barrier in child growth, development and survival. This is a major public health problem among under- 5 children in Nepal particularly in rural areas. Objective To assess the burden and contributing factors for malnutrition in hill community of Ilam district in eastern Nepal. Method A cross sectional study was conducted in rural hill communities of Ilam district, Nepal with a sample of 240 under- 5 children. Anthropometric measurements were used as per WHO guidelines to asses three nutritional status: Underweight, Stunting, and Wasting using descriptive statistics and chi square test was applied using SPSS 12.0 to assess social and predisposing factors. Result Seventeen percent of under- 5 children were moderately and 10.4 % were severely underweight. Similarly, 22.9%, and 17.5% were found to be moderately and severely stunted respectively. Less than 10% were found to be moderately and severely wasted. Older age group of children, education level of mother, not exclusive breast feeding practice had significant (p <0.05) effect on stunting. More than 50% children were affected with stunting, underweight and wasting at the same time. Conclusion Significant proportion of under - 5 children were malnourished in the communities of the hilly areas. The study unveiled the importance of literacy and exclusive breast feeding for the prevention of malnutrition in under- 5 children. KEY WORDS Contributing factors, malnutrition, Nepal, under- 5 children.Publication Smoking Habit among Male Medical and Dental Students of B.P.Koirala Institute of Health Sciences, Nepal(Kathmandu University, 2013) Ghimire, A; Sharma, B; Niraula, SR; Devkota, S; Pradhan, PMSABSTRACT Background Smoking and health are intimately related and thus, smoking among future health care personnel is an important issue. As future physicians and dentists who will witness the continued burden of smoking-related diseases among their patients, represent a primary target for smoking prevention programs. Objectives To explore the magnitude of smoking problem and assess the major causes aggravating the burden of smoking among medical and dental students. Methods A cross sectional study was conducted between June and July 2009 among 345 medical and dental students. Pre-tested self-administered questionnaire containing questions regarding smoking and its various correlates were used to collect the data. Chi square test was used for testing hypothesis. Results Prevalence of smoking was estimated as 38.4%, among whom majority started smoking during 15 to 19 years of life. Peer pressure was the major cause behind smoking (29.5%). Nearly one third of the participants used to consume alcohol along with smoking. Presence of parental smoking and use of other drugs were significantly associated with smoking among the students. Conclusion Tobacco smoking is a significant health problem among the male medical and dental students. Medical and dental students were approached as they are the treatment providers for smoking and disease related to it in the future. The results in our study are discouraging and reveal that the medical knowledge regarding ill effects of smoking has not been able to check its use. KEY WORDS Medical and dental students, smoking