Rajeshwari Annappa Biradar

Background: Dual-method menstrual hygiene use, defined as the use of both modern menstrual hygiene products (e.g., sanitary pads) and traditional materials (e.g., cloth), remains under-researched among young women in India. While socioeconomic factors are associated with menstrual practices, religious affiliation may also be associated with differences in reported material use. This study examined the association between religious affiliation and dual-method use among women aged 15–24 years using nationally representative survey data supplemented by contextual evidence from the qualitative and contextual literature. Methods: Quantitative analysis used nationally representative National Family Health Survey-V (NFHS-V, 2019–21) data for 240,230 women aged 15–24 years. Survey-weighted bivariate and multivariable logistic regression analyses estimated the prevalence and adjusted odds of reported dual-method use across sociodemographic and religious groups. Seven purposively selected qualitative and contextual sources were used to provide contextual insights into the quantitative findings. Results: Muslim women had the highest prevalence of reported dual-method use (31.7%), compared with 27.5% among Hindu women and 21.6% among other religious groups. The association between religious affiliation and dual-method use was also observed across several demographic subgroups. Among women with improved toilet facilities, dual-method use was higher among Muslim women than Hindu women (32.3% vs. 27.0%). Similarly, among women with higher education, prevalence was 30.1% among Muslim women compared with 23.3% among Hindu women. After adjustment for measured sociodemographic, socioeconomic, structural, and regional characteristics, Muslim women had 36% higher odds of reported dual-method use than Hindu women (AOR 1.36, 95% CI: 1.29–1.43; p < 0.001). The qualitative and contextual literature provided contextual insights into the potential roles of privacy, household expectations, and disposal concerns in menstrual material use. However, NFHS-V cannot establish whether materials were used concurrently or sequentially or identify the specific contexts of use. Conclusions: Religious affiliation was associated with dual-method menstrual hygiene use after adjustment for socioeconomic and demographic characteristics. The findings indicate that menstrual health interventions should address socioeconomic barriers alongside the social and cultural contexts in which menstrual practices occur. Community-informed approaches incorporating privacy, disposal, household norms, and infrastructure may complement product provision and contribute to more equitable menstrual health outcomes.

Introduction and aim. Hypertension is increasing universally, mainly in developing countries like India. This study analyzed sex differences in hypertension using data from National Family Health Survey (NFHS) rounds IV and V, with a focus on prevalence trends and associated risk factors. Material and methods. This study utilized data from NFHS rounds IV and V, focusing on males and females aged 15–49 years. The samples included 103,525 males and 667,258 females in NFHS-IV, and 93,267 males and 695,707 females in NFHS-V. Univariate, bivariate, and multivariate analytical techniques were employed to address the study’s objectives. Results. The NFHS-IV and V data revealed a notable increase in hypertension prevalence across India, with significantly higher odds observed among individuals in the older reproductive age group (45–49 years) for both sexes. Hypertension occurred 4.85 times higher among male in the age group 45‒49 compared to 15-24 age group, which rose to 5.23 in NFHS-V. Among female, the odds increased from 5.39 in NFHS-IV to 6.40 in NFHS-V. Remarkably, illiterate male showed lower odds of hypertension linked to their educated peers in both survey rounds, while female with only primary education showed higher odds. Regional disparities were also evident, with both male and female from the Northeast showing elevated odds ‒ particularly female, who had an odds ratio of 1.47 in NFHS-IV. Conclusion. The observed sex-specific variations in hypertension and its risk factors indicate a need for public health strategies to designed for each gender. Tailored interventions addressing education, lifestyle behaviors, and regional disparities are essential to effectively manage and prevent hypertension in India’s diverse population.

Background: The prevalence of low birth weight (LBW) is a major public health issue in India; however, the optimal growth pattern for such infants is not clear. The purpose of this study is to understand the causal association between LBW and stunting of preschool children in India. Methods: The National Family Health Survey-4 is a large cross-sectional survey based on a nationally representative sample of 699,686 women in the age group of 15–49 years and was conducted during 2015–2016 in India. The study used the children’s file with a sample of 259,002 of 0–59 months for investigation. Results: The data revealed that 38.7% of the children in India were stunted. The bivariate analysis revealed that, of the women who did not attend any antenatal care (ANC) meetings, 46.8% had stunted children compared to the women who attended more than three ANC meetings, which 30.7% had stunted children. The low birth weight children experienced a much higher chance of stunting compared to children with a normal birth weight (44.3% vs. 33.8%). The multivariable odds ratios of logistic regression, after adjusting for the confounding characteristics, showed that pregnant women attending more than three ANC meetings compared to not attending any ANC meetings experienced a 19% lower adjusted odds ratio (AOR) of having stunted children (AOR = 0.81; CI 0.78, 0.85; p < 0.001). Another important variable, such as women with underweight body mass index (BMI) compared with normal BMI, had 6% higher odds of having stunted children (AOR = 1.06; CI 1.03, 1.10; p < 0.001). Similarly, women who belong to the Scheduled Caste compared to the General Caste had 36% higher odds of having stunted children (AOR = 1.36; CI 1.30, 1.42; p < 0.001); and children aged 13–23 months compared to children up to one-year-old or younger had 141% higher odds of being stunted (AOR = 2.41; CI 2.32, 2.51; p < 0.001). The conspicuous finding is that LBW babies, after adjusting for other important confounding factors, such as BMI and ANC, experienced 19% higher odds of stunted children (AOR = 1.19; CI 1.14, 1.24; p < 0.001) compared to normal birth weight babies. Conclusions: The results revealed LBW is associated with stunting of preschool children in India.

Most of the women who use alcohol and tobacco before pregnancy likely to use alcohol and tobacco during pregnancy. The objectives of this study was to describe alcohol and tobacco use, and to ident...

The early detection of anaemia is important for its subsequent control and incidence among women of childbearing age. This study aimed to assess the anaemia status of preconception young married women in India using National Family Health Survey-4 data collected in 2015–16. A total 65,238 sample preconception young married women were analysed using univariate, bivariate and multivariate techniques. A majority belonged to the Hindu religion (81.7%), lived in rural areas (64.5%) and had secondary level education (51.8%), and 41.7% had not yet given birth. The percentage suffering from anaemia was 51.3%. The prevalence of anaemia was higher among younger women (55.3%), those from Scheduled Tribes (59.0%), those living in rural areas (52.8%), the non-educated (55.9%), those in the poorest wealth quintile (56.9%), those from the East region (57.0%) and those with a low body mass index (BMI) (58.4%). The adjusted odds ratios indicated that, after controlling for significant background factors, Hindu, Scheduled Tribe, Scheduled Caste, East region, already having a child, too thin for their height and poorer and poorest wealth quintiles had higher odds of suffering from anaemia compared with the reference groups. The odds of suffering from anaemia decreased with age and education. The study showed a high burden of anaemia and associated risk factors among preconception young married women in India. The finding will inform decision-makers when planning interventions to decrease anaemia among women of childbearing age in India.

BACKGROUND: In recent years, hysterectomy has received increased attention in health policy debates in India. The objective of the study was to examine induced and noninduced menopause and its associated factors among menopause women in India. METHODS: The study has used the Indian fourth round of National Family Health Survey data (2015–2016), which is a cross-sectional nationally representative sample of 48,771 menopause women in the age group of 30–49 years. Bivariate and multivariate logistic regressions were used to examine differences and factors of induced and noninduced menopause among menopause women in India. RESULTS: In India, among menopause women, 35.3% were induced menopause. Eight states and two union territories have reported induced menopause above the national average. On the other hand, the lowest induced menopause was seen in Assam state. Younger age women had a higher risk of induced menopause, and its reverse was true in older age women. Bivariate results have shown induced menopause was higher in rural (36.4%), secondary educated (39.1%), married (37.0%), Hindu (36.4%), and other backward castes (OBC) caste (39.3%) women. The differences of induced menopause were significantly high in women with high body mass index, belongs to OBC caste, married, Hindu religion, and South and Central regions compared to their counterparts. CONCLUSION: The estimations could be beneficial for planning and implementation of reproductive and postreproductive health services related to menopause, especially among women of younger age groups.