Anup Ghimire

The automobiles are an important source of not only air pollution but also of a significant proportion of noise pollution. The traffic police engaged in controlling traffic, particularly at heavy traffic junctions, belong to the high risk group to be affected by the health hazards of noise and air pollution. To assess the hearing quality of traffic policeman towards the health effects caused by noise pollution and their practices on the use of protective measures. The present cross-sectional study was carried out among 78 traffic policemen working in Dharan-Biratnagar corridor. The questionnaire included questions regarding the self- assessment of the traffic policeman about their hearing ability, past and present exposure to loud sound produce by automobiles and the use of personal protective devices. Ethical clearance was obtained from ethical board of BPKIHS, Verbal consent was taken from all the study subjects. Finding of this study shows that most of the respondents were between the ages of 25 to 29 years (33.3%), similarly 26% were under noise exposure since more than 10 to 14 years and 34.6% had exposure of noise 10 to 15 hours per day. Their self-assessment of hearing ability shows that 6.4% traffic policemen usually missed a lot when conversing with someone on phone, while 9% reported similar condition while talking to someone in a crowd and 23.1% reported that while watching television or while listening radio they usually kept the sound louder to hear properly. The study also revealed that the traffic police, in general do not use any personal protective equipment (92.3 %) and the non-availability of the PPEs is the common reasons for it. The self-assessment of hearing by traffic policemen sug­gests that most of the traffic policemen have normal hearing. However, a systematic study with audiometry of these subjects is recommended.

Cardiovascular diseases (CVD) are the number one cause of death globally, more people die annually from CVDs than from any other cause. An estimated 17.5 million people died from CVD in 2012, representing 46.2 % of all NCD death globally. An accurate characteristic of the cardiovascular risk factors in a specified population group is essential for the implementation of educational campaign. However, there are no reliable CVD risk factors burden, nor of its awareness and treatment status in Nepal industrial settings. We aimed to assess cardiovascular risk factors among men age 20-59 years in one of the largest industrial corridor of Eastern Nepal. A total of 494 industrial workers between ages of 20–59 years, from two industries participated in the study. Pretested semi-structured questionnaire was used to collect the information. Primary outcome was cardiovascular risk factors based on STEPS survey and study on non-communicable disease in Nepal. A semi-structured questionnaire was used to interview 494 industrial workers. Lipid profile and serum blood glucose of 406 workers and electrocardiogram of 400 workers was done. The prevalence of cardiovascular disease (CVD) was 13.8 %. Those who were >45 years were 2.72 times more likely to develop CVD. Those who smoked more pack year, had family history of hypertension (HTN) and consumed no fruits were 4.32, 1.90.2.47 times more likely to develop CVD. Low density Lipoprotein (LDL) level <130 was found to be protective compared to LDL level above ≥ 130. On adjusted analysis those who did not consume fruits and had high LDL level were 3.32 and 3.03 more likely to develop CVD. There is high prevalence of CVD risk factors. Although majority of them are literate there is lack of health education and awareness among young male population in an eastern Nepal industrial setting.

Leprosy, an infectious disease, is a highly stigmatized disease. It directly affects patients’ physical, psychological, social and economical well-being. To know the stigma faced by the patients in the family and community. The study was carried out at Netherlands Leprosy Relief, Biratnagar, Nepal. Verbal consent was taken from each patient. A total number of 34 patients who were diagnosed to have leprosy were interviewed. Data were collected using structured interview schedule that included questions seeking information about all aspects of objective. Although both men and women faced the social stigma of the disease, women suffered more rejection by the family members (50%), neighborhood (75%) and work places (62.5%) in comparison to male patients, who are affected maximum at work places (39%) and minimum in family (7.69%). Illiterate were avoided by family members (25%) and co-workers (75%) whereas literate were not. All unemployed patients were neglected in community whereas only 21.42% of employed were neglected. Leprosy is a highly stigmatized disease. Patients are neglected by their family and society. Therefore community education component of Leprosy Control Program needs to be strengthened.

Son preference is predominant in developing countries especially South Asian countries and its effect is most visible when the fertility is on transition. Nepal is a country in South Asia where the fertility has declined and son is valued highly. This study examines the parent’s gender preference for children and its effect on fertility and reproductive behaviors.

Background Injuries are already a substantial public Health problem all over the world and are expected to increase in the 211st Century. They are major causes of deaths and disability in the population and also involve high societal costs. Objectives This study was designed to assess the economic loss due to the injury and the disability days due to different types of injuries. Methods A systematic random sampling technique was used to select 1388 households from 19 wards. A detailed questionnaire was used to collect information related to injuries to the persons suffered from injuries including treatment obtained, cost of treatment (direct/indirect cost) and length of disability. Results Among the minor injured persons, majority (93.2%) did not spend any indirect cost. 36.7% of the major inured persons spent Nepalese rupees 10,001 to NRs 100,000 as direct treatment costs. But 50% spent less than 5000 NRs as indirect cost for major injury treatment. Maximum number (67.4%) of major injured persons had disability days of 31 to 90 days. Conclusion The high incidence of injuries, especially road traffic injuries, adds a huge economic burden to nation.DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3126/kumj.v9i2.6283Kathmandu Univ Med J 2011;9(2):27-30

Background: Injuries are a focus of public health practice because they pose a serious health threat, occur frequently and are preventable. Injuries affect people of all ages and range from minor cuts and bruises to major catastrophes that take thousands of lives. Objectives: This paper aims to find out the prevalence of injuries and to study the various epidemiological factors related to the injuries in Dharan. Materials and methods: A sample of 1398 households was taken as study sample. A systematic random sampling technique was used to select the 10% households from each 19 wards. A pre-tested questionnaire was used to collect demographic information and information related to injuries to the persons suffered from injuries. Result: The prevalence of minor injury in Dharan was 3.5% per month. The injury was common in the age group, 40-49 years (4.6%) and majority of injured persons were farmers (6.9%). Home was the common place (55.6%) for the minor injury. Cut/stab (32.8%) was the most common types of minor injury. The prevalence of major injury was 0.7% per year and occurred more among 50-59 years age group (1.7%). The commonest place for major injury was at road (53.1%) and service holders were at more risk (1.4%). Falls from the height (46.9%) were the most common types of major injury. Conclusion: The injuries related to lifestyle profession and road traffic accidents (RTA) is the commonest burden revealed in the study sample. Promotion of safety and education for protection at work and safe driving can prevent the major socio-economic loss to the family and community at large. Key words: Minor injury; Major injury; RTA; Epidemiological factors. DOI: 10.3126/kumj.v7i4.2762 Kathmandu University Medical Journal (2009) Vol.7, No.4 Issue 28, 402-407