Background Malnutrition in mothers as well as in children is a significant public health challenge in most of the developing countries. The triple burden of malnutrition is a relatively new issue on the horizon of health debate and is less explored among scholars widely. The present study examines the prevalence of the triple burden of malnutrition (TBM) and explored various factors associated with the TBM among mother-child pairs in India. Methods Data used in this study were drawn from the fourth round of the National Family Health Survey (NFHS-IV) conducted in 2015–16 (N = 168,784). Bivariate and binary logistic regression analysis was used to quantify the results. About 5.7% of mother-child pairs were suffering from TBM. Results Age of mother, educational status of the mother, cesarean section delivery, birth size of baby, wealth status of a household, and place of residence were the most important correlates for the triple burden of malnutrition among mother-child pairs in India. Further, it was noted that mothers with secondary education level (AOR: 1.15, CI 1.08–1.23) were having a higher probability of suffering from TBM, and interestingly the probability shattered down for mothers having a higher educational level (AOR: 0.90, CI 0.84–0.95). Additionally, mother-child pairs from rich wealth status (AOR: 1.93, CI 1.8–2.07) had a higher probability of suffering from TBM. Conclusion From the policy perspective, it is important to promote public health programs to create awareness about the harmful effects of sedentary lifestyles. At the same time, this study recommends an effective implementation of nutrition programs targeting undernutrition and anemia among children and obesity among women.

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BackgroundSeveral risk factors predisposing women and their live-borns to adverse outcomes during pregnancy have been documented. Little is known about sanitation being a factor contributing to adverse pregnancy outcomes in India. The role of sanitation in adverse pregnancy outcomes remains largely unexplored in the Indian context. This study is an attempt to bring the focus on sanitation as a factor in adverse pregnancy outcome. Along with the sanitation factors, few confounder variables have also been studied in order to understand the adverse pregnancy outcomes.MethodsThe study is based on the fourth round of National Family Health Survey (NFHS-IV) covering 26,972 married women in the age-group 15–49. The study variables include the mother’s age, Body Mass Index (BMI), education, anemia, and Antenatal care (ANC) visits during their last pregnancy. The household level variable includes place of residence, religion, caste, wealth index, access to toilet, type of toilet, availability of water within toilet premises, and facility of hand wash near the toilet. Children study variables include Low Birth Weight (LBW), the order of birth (Parity), and the death of the children of the women in the last 5 years. The target variable Adverse Pregnancy Outcome (APO) was constructed using children born with low birth weight or died during the last pregnancy.ResultsWe calculated both adjusted as well as unadjusted odds ratios for a better understanding of the association between sanitation and adverse pregnancy outcomes. Findings from the study showed that women who did not have access to a toilet within the house had a higher risk of adverse pregnancy outcome. In the multivariable model, no association was observed for adverse pregnancy outcome among women who did not have access to toilet and women who used shared toilet. Teenage (15–19 years), uneducated, underweight and anemic mothers were more likely to face APO as compare to other mothers in similar characteristics group.ConclusionsOur findings contribute to the decidedly less available literature on maternal sanitation behaviour and adverse pregnancy outcomes. Our results support that sanitation is a very significant aspect for women who are about to deliver a baby as there was an association between sanitation and adverse pregnancy outcome. Education on sanitation practices is the need of the hour as much as it needs to follow.

The municipal waste loading occupation raised the risk of MSDs and related disabilities among waste loaders compared to the control group. The preventive and curative measures are strongly recommended to minimize the burden of MSDs and disabilities. Int J Occup Med Environ Health 2017;30(6):875-886.

BackgroundRoutine medical check-ups not only reduce the health-care costs over time by detecting potentially life-threatening health conditions at an early stage but also reduces the risk of getting sick and thereby increasing the life span and improving overall health. Therefore, this study examined the prevalence and factors associated with medical check-ups among older adults in India.MethodsThe study utilized data from Building a Knowledge Base on Population Aging in India(BKPAI). The routine medical check-up is the outcome variable of this study. Multivariate analysis has been implemented to fulfil the objectives of the study. Concentration index and decomposition analysis were carried out to examine observed socio-economic inequality in the routine medical check-ups.ResultsNearly one-fourth (23.1%) of the older adults were undergoing the routine medical check-up. Older adults with below five years (OR, 1.31; CI: 1.13-1.51), 6 to 10 years (OR, 1.36; CI: 1.16-1.60), and 11+ years of schooling (OR, 2.02; CI: 1.6-2.54) were significantly more likely to go for routine medical check-ups than illiterate older adults. The concentration Index value of 0.19 depicts the pro-rich inequality in health check-ups among older adults. Furthermore, the results from the decomposition analysis revealed that the wealth quintile of the household contributed nearly 57 percent to the observed socio-economic inequality in the prevalence of routine medical check-up. Education and working status of older adults made a substantial contribution to the inequalities in routine medical check-ups and explained 16.9 percent, and 4.2 percent of the total inequality, respectively.ConclusionsFrom a policy perspective, at first, there is a dire need to spread awareness about the usefulness of routine medical check-ups among older adults. Further, this study reflects the association between education and routine medical check-up, and therefore there is a need to promote literacy at the grass-root level; also, it is recommended to promote health literacy among the older adults. A low level of medical check-up among older adults in rural areas could be reduced by offering free health check-ups regularly. Furthermore, the care of the elderly needs to be prioritized while policy formulation.