1.Association between dietary diversity and complications during pregnancy in a South-West District of Bangladesh
Sabrina Zaman ; Tamsel Ahammed ; Md. Abu Bashar
Malaysian Journal of Nutrition 2024;30(No.1):43-57
Introduction: Poor dietary diversity is one of the key factors that increases the rate
of complications during pregnancy. Pregnancy complications significantly increase
the risk of maternal mortality. The aim of this study was to explore the associated
factors between dietary diversity and complications during pregnancy. Method: A
cross-sectional study was conducted among 450 randomly selected pregnant women.
Individual dietary diversity score (IDDS) was used to assess dietary diversity based
on Food Frequency Questionnaire (FFQ). IDDS was derived from 24-hour recalls
from nine food groups. Results: Most of the pregnant women (48.9%) included in
this study were in their second trimester; 19.3% and 31.8% were in first trimester
and third trimester, respectively. About 83.8% of respondents included in this
study experienced pregnancy complications. According to IDDS, most participants
(77.1%) consumed a medium-diversified diet. Only 4.4% and 18.4% of pregnant
women had low and highly diversified dietary intakes, respectively. Mean IDDS was
5.62±0.93, which indicated medium diversity of dietary intake. Dietary diversity had
a statistically significant correlation with age (p=0.003), monthly income (p=0.003),
education level (p=0.001), and respondent’s employment (p=0.004). The study
exposed that pregnancy complications had a negative correlation with food diversity
(r=-0.223), marriage age (r=-0.066), and education level (r=-0.163). Conclusion:
The study concluded that pregnancy complications can be alleviated by improving
dietary diversity practices during pregnancy.
2.Prevalence and sociodemographic determinants of common mental disorders (CMDs) symptoms in a rural adult population of Haryana, North India
MD. Abu BASHAR ; Aseem MEHRA ; Arun Kumar AGGARWAL
Journal of Rural Medicine 2024;19(2):49-56
Objectives: Common mental disorders (CMDs), including depression, anxiety, and somatoform disorders, affect all stages of life and impact individuals, families, and communities. This study aimed to determine the magnitude of CMDs and their sociodemographic determinants in the adult population of a rural block in North India.Material and Methods: A cross-sectional, quantitative, community-based study was conducted among adult residents of a rural block in Haryana, North India, using a multistage random sampling technique. The Hindi version of the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12), a well-validated tool, was used to screen participants for CMDs. Scores of 4 or above denoted the presence of CMDs. Bivariate analyses were performed to determine the associations between CMDs and sociodemographic characteristics.Results: Of the 180 residents selected for the study, most were women (60.0%) and aged between 31 and 50 years (52.3%). The prevalence of CMDs symptoms in the study population was 20.0%. The presence of CMDs symptoms was significantly higher among those who were aged 60 years or older [OR=12.33, 95% CI 3.21–47.38], widowed, divorced or separated [OR=7.50, 95% CI 1.09–51.52], illiterate [OR= 6.25, 95% CI 2.84–13.77], had monthly family income below 10,000 INR [OR=3.33, 95% CI 1.54–7.20], had any chronic physical illness [OR=8.28, 95% CI 3.70–18.56] and had a family history of any psychiatric illness [OR=5.56, 95% CI 1.52–19.42].Conclusion: The burden of CMDs was quite high among adults in rural North India. The presence of CMDs was closely associated with sociodemographic characteristics. Primary care and community-based settings need to screen for, diagnose, and manage CMDs to address this growing problem.