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The objectives of this study are to determine the prevalence of domestic accidents, describe the factors associated with domestic accidents and assess the medical and economical consequences of domestic accidents. Community-based cross-sectional study was conducted in a semi-urban area of Tamil Nadu during February 2013. A total of 3947 study participants were interviewed using a structured questionnaire. Study variables included were socio-demography, housing conditions, epidemiological factors, medical and economical consequences of domestic accidents. Means and proportions were calculated. The prevalence of domestic accidents was 12.7%. Out of 500 domestic accidents, falls (54.4%) was the most common type of domestic accident. Females and the respondents in age group of 21-40 years were more commonly affected. About 60% of victims received treatment. Mean duration of hospital stay, mean amount of money spent for treatment and mean number of days away from routine work for falls category were 16 days, US$25 and 8 days, respectively, which are higher than other types of accidents. The burden and impact of domestic accidents was high. Therefore, in order to prevent and control domestic accidents, promotion of house safety measures and creation of awareness among the community using IEC programmes have to be undertaken.

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The prevalence of obesity has doubled since 1980 worldwide. With the changing dietary and life style habits, overweight and obesity have become a threat globally. As on 2011, more than 40 million children worldwide are overweight and more than 30 million of them are living in developing countries. Body image perception of an individual plays a major role in determining the diet and lifestyle modification to alter their body shape.Materials and methods: The study was carried out among 1034 polytechnic college students in Puducherry aged 15-25 years as a cross sectional study. Stunkard’s visual figures scale was used to measure Body Shape Dissatisfaction.Statistical analysis: Chi-square test was used to test the statistical significance in difference between proportions, p value < 0.05 was considered statistically significant.Results:The prevalence of Body Shape Dissatisfaction in our study subjects was found to be 62.2%. More female students wanted a thinner body shape while more male students wanted a bigger body shape than their current body shape. 45.3% of the students with normal BMI were satisfied with their current body shape, 26% of them wanted a bigger shape and 28.7% of the students wanted to have a thinner shape.Conclusions:The prevalence of BSD was considerably high in our study population. Body shape misconception might lead to unnecessary weight reduction measures and students tend to follow unhealthy methods for weight reduction. Proactive preventive measures could be initiated targeting towards weight management and dietary practices of college students.