Browsing by Author "S, Nagesh"
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Publication Association of obesity and physical activity in adult males of Dharan, Nepal(kathmandu University, 2006) A, Vaidya; PK, Pokharel; S, Nagesh; P, Karki; S, Kumar; S, MajhiObjectives: Obesity is one of the most apparent-yet most neglected public health problems. Physical activity is a crucial element in the development of obesity but still its importance in the occurrence of obesity varies in different populations. This paper aims to study the burden of obesity and its association with physical activity was carried out in a rapidly urbanizing town. Methods: A cross-sectional study to investigate the prevalence of obesity and its association with physical activity was carried out in one thousand adult males of Dharan municipality. Tools of data collection included interview and physical measurements such as blood pressure, height and weight measurements, and waist and hip circumferences. Odds ratios (ORs) and their 95% confidence intervals for obesity were computed across various demographic and other variables without adjusting and then adjusting for physical activity. Results: The prevalence of overweight and obesity in the population was 32.9% and 7.2% respectively. The study showed that physical inactivity is more importantly associated with obesity in the older population. The trend of young being more obese is reversed after adjusting for physical activity so that those in the older age were more obese than the younger ones. Similarly, those in to the business, vocational and clerical works, those who were more literate and those in the higher socio-economic status were significantly associated with obesity even after correcting for physical activity. Conclusion: The prevalence of overweight and obesity is high in the males of Dharan. The value and effect of physical activity seem to vary across different age-groups and socio-economic status and occupations. The young, the technical persons or businessmen and the more prosperous ones probably need to bring down their calorie intake along with emphasis on physical activity in order to bring down their weight and cardiovascular risk.Publication Exploring the iceberg of hypertension: A community based study in an eastern Nepal town(Kathmandu University, 2007) A, Vaidya; PK, Pokharel; P, Karki; S, NageshObjectives: Hypertension is an important public health challenge in the developing and the developed world alike. However, community-based studies on cardiovascular diseases including hypertension in a developing country like Nepal have been limited. The primary aim of this study is to measure the prevalence of hypertension in the Dharan town of Eastern Nepal and to explore the ‘iceberg phenomenon’ of hypertension in the study population. Methods: A population-based cross-sectional analytical study was undertaken in the Dharan municipality in 2004-5 with one thousand males aged 35 years and above as participants. The subjects were recruited by simple random sampling of the households in each ward. Results: The overall prevalence of hypertension in the study population was 22.7% which was comparable to the studies from Northern and Western India. The comparison between the population with normal and high blood pressure at time of study shows significant differences in terms of age, religion, current job status, occupation, socio- economic status, physical activity and tobacco use. Conclusion: The study shows that while a vast majority of the hypertensive population was not aware of their high blood pressure status, at the same time, a large fraction of the population with increased blood pressure did not have their blood pressure under control. A surveillance system to detect population with high blood pressure, follow up the detected cases of hypertension, as well as motivate and/or counsel the ‘hard-to-treat’ cases for regular follow-up should be valuable. Key words: hypertension, community-based, iceberg, Eastern NepalPublication Prevalence and determinants of unmet need for family planning in a district of eastern region of Nepal(Kathmandu University, 2006) GP, Bhandari; Premarajan, KC; N, Jha; BK,Yadav; IS, Paudel; S, NageshObjectives: The unmet need for family planning is defined as the discrepancy between individual’s contraceptive behaviors and their stated fertility preferences – The extent of which is very high in developing countries like Nepal. This study explores the unmet need and its determinants. Methods: Among the teaching district of B.P. Koirala institute of Health Sciences, in the Eastern Region of Nepal, a district was selected randomly to conduct a cross-sectional study. A total of 1079 women were selected using systematic random sampling. We compared different demographic variables and sex-ration to unmet need by using means, percentage and applied chi-squared test where applicable. Result: The extent of unmet need is 25 percent with 9.5 percent for spacing and 15.5 percent for limiting. The mean age at marriage is 16(±3.2) years. A strong association of gender preferences towards male child and unmet need exist, which is highly significant. Conclusion: Unmet need is high despite extensive family planning program in Nepal. Mean age at marriage below legal age, low female education and gender discrimination are the factors responsible for unmet need.Publication Role of rehabilitation centres in reducing drug abuse problem in a town of Eastern Nepal(Kathmandu University, 2006) SR, Niraula; DB, Chhetry; GK, Singh; S, Nagesh; PM, ShyangwaObjectives: This paper focuses to describe the role and activities of Drug Rehabilitation Centres (DRCs) in reducing the drug-abuse problem in Dharan. It also offers suggestions for increasing the effectiveness of prevention programs. Materials and methods: Records of three DRCs working in Dharan for the past 9 years were analyzed using appropriate statistical tools. Results: The yearly clean rate is significantly higher in these centres. Harm reduction program was currently available only in one centre. Pharmacotherapy along with short-term rehabilitation was available at de-addiction unit of B. P. Koirala Institute of Health Sciences whereas long-term rehabilitation was at others centres. Conclusion: Thus, there should be a strong coordination and network with each other to increase the effectiveness of the treatment program for drug abuse. The treatment centres should be increased in number as well as in quality. BPKIHS should take initiation to start long-term management with repeated booster programs. Key words: Role, rehabilitation, drug abuse, BPKIHS, Dharan, Nepal.