Background: India is said to be shifting from an undernourished to over nourished population with advances in health, economy and medical care. But there is paucity of information regarding nutritional status of older adults in the country, who are socially and economically insecure. Hence the present study attempts to assess the nutritional status of people above 60 years of age, and to find the factors associated with it.Methods: A cross sectional study was conducted among 129 people aged above 60 years, residing in Pathanamthitta district, Kerala. Mini Nutritional Assessment tool (MNA) was used to classify the respondents as having ‘normal nutrition’ (score 23.5 and above), ‘at risk of malnutrition’ (17-23.5), ‘malnourished’ (<17). A 24-hour dietary recall was done to calculate per day calorie intake and compare with Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA). The results were interpreted as adequate or deficient. Descriptive statistics, chi-square and spearman’s correlation were done to find relationship between various sociodemographic variables, MNA status, BMI and calorie intake.Results: Females constituted 75.2%; 81.4% were unemployed; 62% belonged to rural area. Nutritional assessment showed 41.9% to be having normal nutrition, 46.5% at risk of malnutrition, and 11.6% malnourished. Caloric intake was less than the RDA in 89.1%. There was no association between calorie intake per day and MNA status. Education (p=0.025), place of residence (p=0.021), marital status (p=0.003), and family income (p=0.031) were factors significantly influencing nutritional status in elderly. There was significant correlation between MNA status and BMI (p<0.001, r=0.329).Conclusions: Malnutrition was seen in 11.6% of older adults in this study and another major proportion was at risk of malnutrition. Better nutritional status was significantly associated with good education, urban residence, married state, and higher family income. Dietary intake was inadequate among older adults. 24-hour dietary recall reflected nutritional status of only the malnourished.

Background: The objectives of the study were to conduct a field survey to measure the prevalence of chronic diseases by taking history, to assess the feasibility of using remote data collection tools in field surveys and to create the map of the survey area using global positioning system (GPS). Methods: A community survey was carried out in two urban municipal wards by trainees with medical sociology back ground among those aged 35 years and above. There were a total of 563 participants from whom history of chronic diseases were collected and from those aged 60 years and above the presence of frailty was assessed using Canadian Study of Health and Ageing (CSHA) Clinical Frailty Scale. The data was collected using a remote data collection application named KoBo Toolbox, downloaded in their smart phones, which was sent directly to the main computer in the Clinical Epidemiological Unit, using mobile data or Wi-Fi hotspots. The co-ordinates of the households were marked using GPS which was also sent through the KoBo Toolbox to the main computer. At the centre the data was converted into excel sheets and various percentages were calculated. Results: In the survey the proportion affected with diabetes, hypertension, coronary artery disease and cerebrovascular accidents were 24%, 20.6%, 10.5% and 3.5% respectively. Among the older population 2.2% were found to be severely frail or worse requiring special care. The field map of the area surveyed was also generated using the co-ordinates marked using the GPS enabled phones. Conclusions: The remote data collection tool enabled us to conduct a survey on chronic diseases, effectively, within a limited period of time, creating a map of the area surveyed.

Statistical data collected from doctors reveal that / Medical statistics reveal that /the number of adolescents who succumb to various types of cancer and other predisposing medical conditions resulting from habitual chewing of pan masalas is on the rise. (1) At the Regional Cancer Centre at Thiruvananthapuram, 23 cases of adolescents with oral cancers/cancers in the mouth/ have been reported. Many cases similar to these have been reported at various other hospitals too. KEYWORDS: Rebuild life, health hazard and pan masala usage. Catch 'em Young Shocking revelations Doctors say that oral sub mucous fibrosis, a predisposing condition to cancers have been reported among children only during the last ten years or so. (2) Dr. Gupta from Gujarat was the first to report a case of this type of cancer. It was followed by reports of children suffering from similar types of cancer from Nagpur. Meanwhile symptoms of oral cancer were reported among children in Bhopal. Cases of oral cancer are also prevalent among young men who are habitual users of pan masalas. (3) A recent study from Chennai indicates that oral cancers are quite common among auto-rickshaw drivers who use pan masalas regularly. These statistics are a clear indication that it was high time that legislation prohibiting the production and sale of pan masalas was mooted. Failing to do that would result in our children falling prey to fatal diseases. Children fall unwitting preys Premises of schools are fast becoming drug peddling centers. Most shops stock hundreds of packets of pan masalas. Pan shops have literally become pan masala shops. It is near the premises of colleges and schools that small time traders stock the maximum number of pan masala packets. The mixture that comes in the packet is placed on the palm and rubbed with a fore finger before it is placed between the lip and the teeth. The drug starts kicking in through the saliva. The kind that is placed under the tongue is also available. Some of them are said to contain very fine glass particles which cause fine lesions on the tongue through which the drug can directly and very quickly enter the blood stream. Its USP is that the user reaches a "high" very quickly. They are much more addictive than the usual variety. Even Girls Succumb to its Lure Risk manifested in Myriad forms Statistical data prove that the impression that only boys use pan parag is a myth. (4) In ladies" hostels of colleges its use is said to be quite prevalent among girls. The number of girls NAME ADDRESS EMAIL ID OF THE