Browsing by Author "Vaidya, A"
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Publication Acquaintance with the actuality: Community diagnosis programme of Kathmandu Medical College at Gundu village, Bhaktapur, Nepal(Kathmandu University, 2008) Vaidya, A; Pradhan, A; Joshi, SK; Gopalakrishnan, S; Dudani, IAbstract Introduction: In Nepal, various field programs such as community diagnosis programmes (CDP) have been initiated to make the education of doctors, nurses and dentists more community oriented and relevant and suited to the health care scenario. Community diagnosis refers to the identification and quantification of the health problems in a community and identification of their correlates for the purpose of defining those individuals or groups at risk or those in need of health care. The article presents the main activities of community diagnosis as a core component of community-based education for the medical students at Kathmandu Medical College, Kathmandu, Nepal. Methodology: A 4 weeks’ Community Diagnosis Programme was conducted by MBBS II students (9 th Batch) of the Kathmandu Medical College under the supervision of the Department of Community Medicine in November 2006 in the rural community of Gundu VDC (village development committee). The tools used included pre-tested questionnaires, weighing machines, measuring tapes, stethoscopes and sphygmomanometers. After the data collection and compilation, the students presented their findings in oral presentations, accompanied by a written report, including essential recommendations for improving the health status of these communities. Results: The students benefited from the necessary process of integrating clinical skills and a public health approach, so as to enhance their epidemiological thinking and be of greater use to the communities where they will practice. The community also benefited by achievement of behavioral changes leading to healthier lifestyles and increased awareness of health-related matters and their role in quality of life. Conclusions: CDP is a way to practically demonstrate that the link between a medical college and society is possible. That is, a medical college can serve the community and thus society, with specific activities to improve health and the skills of students who will serve as future health professionals.Publication Association of obesity and physical activity in adult males of Dharan, Nepal(kathmandu University, 2006) Vaidya, A; Pokharel, PK; Nagesh, S; Karki, P; Kumar, S; Majhi, SObjectives: 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 Community participation in health: A brief review and the experience of Kathmandu Medical College with the Duwakot community(Kathmandu University, 2008) Vaidya, A; Pradhan, BAbstract One of the principles of Primary Health Care (PHC), Community Participation is a process through which the stakeholders influence and share control over development initiatives and the decisions and resources which affect them. It is a complex issue that has been studied widely and continues to be of great interest among community health workers. This paper presents a brief review of various aspects of community participation. It then illustrates how it is practiced at Duwakot Community Hospital, Kathmandu Medical College, Duwakot, Bhaktapur, Nepal in collaboration with the local community. Key words: Primary Health Care, Community ParticipationPublication Comparison of PAP test among high and non-high risk female(Kathmandu University, 2003) Vaidya, Aprospective study of pap smear in 100 high risk and equal number of non high risk female among total 1022 female Gynecological patients within a period of two and half months {Beginning of Sept. to middle of Nov. 1995} in Maternity Hospital, Thapathali is presented. There were 9 cases positive for dyskaryosis among high risk and 3 cases among the comparison group. All positive cases were at the age of 35 years and above. In 9 positive cases, 5 cases were in CIN I (55.55%) while 4 were in CIN II (44.44%). Similarly out of 3 positive cases in comparison group 1 was in CIN I category (33.33%) and 2 cases were in CIN II (66.66%). Relation of positive cases with low social class revealed 80% CIN I and 50% CIN II among high risk group where as 66.6% CIN II in comparison group. Analysis of risk factor in development of various grades Dyskaryosis revealed 60% of CIN I had high parity while 50% had CIN II. There are about 40% of CIN I and 75% CIN II among child birth < 19yrs, 60% smoker had CIN I where as 100%. Smoker had CIN II. 80% of CIN I gave history of excessive vaginal discharge where as 50% of CIN II had excessive vaginal discharge. 40% of CIN I was having injection Depo provera. Cases were also analyzed according to risk factor. Out of 9 positive cases among high-risk females 5 positive had parity more than 4 and 4 cases had less than 4. 5 positive cases were among less than 19 years of first childbirth, 4 among more than 19 years. 7 positive cases were smoker and 2 positive cases were non-smoker. 6 positive cases gave history of abnormal vaginal discharge and 3 positive cases had no abnormal vaginal discharge. Out of 9 positive cases 2 had history of injection Depo provera continuously for >5 years where as 7 were non users. Key words: PAP Smear, High risk, Dyskaryosis, CINPublication Exploring the iceberg of hypertension: A community based study in an eastern Nepal town(Kathmandu University, 2007) Vaidya, A; Pokharel, PK; Karki, P; Nagesh, SObjectives: 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 Is Ethnicity an Important Determinant of High Blood Pres- sure in Nepalese Population? A community-Based Cross- Sectional Study in Duwakot, Nepal(Kathmandu University, 2012) Vaidya, AABSTRACT Background Hypertension is a rising public health problem in Nepal. Most of the upsurge is attributed to the behavioural and lifestyle transitions. However, the hereditary component such as ethnicity, which may also be an important determinant, has not been studied. Objective This study aims to investigate if ethnicity is a key determinant of having a high blood pressure in the Nepalese population. Methods A population-based cross sectional study was conducted in the Duwakot village of Bhaktapur District, Nepal. Systematic random sampling of the adults was done in all the nine wards. A total of 641 adults of both sexes, of age 35 years or more were included in the analysis. Results Most of the life-style related risk factors were comparable in the broad two ethnic groups- Tibeto-Burmans and Indo-Aryans. The prevalence of hypertension was 25.3% in the Tibeto-Burmans compared to the 14.0% in the Indo-Aryans. Crude odds ratio (95% CI) of being hypertensive for the Tibeto-Burmans compared to the Indo-Aryans was 2.07 (1.36-3.15) (p=0.01). After adjusting for the different factors the adjusted odds ratio (95% CI) for the same was found to be 1.78 (1.12-2.81) (p=0.014). Conclusion There is an ethnic variation in the blood pressure distribution in the Nepalese population, which might be acting independent of the different life-style factors. More elaborate studies, including longitudinal and migration studies, and probably genetic analyses, can provide a more definite answer. KEY WORDS blood pressure, ethnicity, NepalPublication Measurement of Right Atrial Volume and Diameters in Healthy Nepalese with Normal Echocardiogram(Kathmandu University, 2014) Karki, DB; Pant, S; Yadava, SK; Vaidya, A; Neupane, DK; Joshi, SABSTRACT Background The size of right atrium is expected to be different in diverse healthy ethnic groups. It is important to know the normal size of right atrium in our healthy population. Objective The study aimed to find out the normal values of right atrial volume, right atrial short axis diameter and right atrial long axis diameter in healthy Nepalese population with normal echocardiographic findings. It also looked at correlations between right atrial dimensions and the right atrial volume. Method Verbal consent was taken from all the participants. One hundred participants between the age of 18 and 60 years with normal echocardiographic findings and without any chronic disease were included in this study. Right atrial volume was measured by using area length method. Right atrial short axis diameter and Right atrial long axis diameter were measured in the four chamber view. Result The mean right atrial volume was 23.64±5.36 ml (range 11.30 - 40.00 ml).The range of right atrial short axis diameter and right atrial long axis diameter were 1.34-3.80 cm and 2.4-4.7 cm respectively. Conclusion The size of right atrium in the Nepalese population is smaller compared to western population. Male right atrial volume size is greater than female in Nepalese population similar to western population. The findings of normal value of right atrial volume and right atrial diameter in Nepalese population will help the physician to assess patients with various conditions affecting the right atrium. KEY WORDS Nepalese population, right atrial short axis diameter, right atrial long axis diameter, right atrial volume.Publication Need for community-based primary prevention of coronary heart disease in Nepal(Kathmandu University, 2008) Vaidya, ANAPublication Publication Prevalence of different types of gallstone in the patients with cholelithiasis at Kathmandu Medical College, Nepal(Kathmandu University, 2009) Pradhan, SB; Joshi, MR; Vaidya, AAbstract Background: Gallstone disease known as cholelithiasis is the most common digestive surgical disorder and account for an important part of health care expenditure. Attempt was made to analyse the gallstone for typing depending upon the composition. Aims & objectives: The main objective of this study was to see the prevalence of different types of gallstone in Nepal and to correlate them with the clinical findings. Materials & methods: Gallstones of 80 different patients who underwent cholecystectomy for cholelithiasis were collected from 20th January 2005 to 16th May 2006 in Department of Pathology, Kathmandu Medical College Teaching Hospital. Detailed history was taken. Stones were analyzed with chemical and enzymatic methods using clinical spectrophotometer. Results & conclusion: The most commonly involved age group for cholelithiasis (32.5%) is found to be 30-39 years with a female predominance (M: F=1:3.2). Cholelithiasis was found more commonly among non-vegetarian with the vegetarian: non-vegetarian ratio 1:9. Mixed type stone was found to be the most common type of stone comprising 78.75%, followed by cholesterol stone 12.5%, Brown pigment stone 7.5% and Black pigment stone 1.25%. Key words: Gallbladder, cholelithiasis, Gallstone