Steady improvement in quality of life has led to increased survival time of elderly, especially of those with noncommunicable diseases. A study about their health-seeking behavior (HSB) and its determinants is essential for provision of comprehensive care and facilitate policy development. A cross-sectional study was conducted among 350 elderly participants over 60 years of age in an urbanized village of Delhi. Data was collected using a semi-structured questionnaire, and detailed general and systemic examination was done. Tests of significance were applied to assess the HSB with various demographic, clinico-social, and economic variables. A total of 87.4% of the study population was suffering from at least one noncommunicable disease (NCD). Majority of the study subjects’ NCDs (72.66%) were diagnosed while getting treatment for a symptom of the disease. Also, 52.94% of the participants had inappropriate HSB. HSB was significantly associated with gender, age, duration of illness, and importantly with modifiable variables like the level of literacy, distance of preferred health facility, and presence of multimorbidity. HSB was found to be inappropriate in over half of the participants. Policymaking should focus on modifiable variables like education, distance of health facility, and multimorbidity, especially for commonly ignored diseases like osteoarthritis and diabetes.

Introduction: Continuing advancements in quality of health care has led to increased life expectancy over time. This in turn has resulted in increased prevalence of noncommunicable diseases (NCDs), especially among the elderly. An appropriate portrayal of its epidemiology is essential to adequately understand the health-care needs of the population. The evidence generated from the study will give us an incentive to address the rising burden of polymorbidities. We did the study to assess the prevalence and pattern of NCDs in the elderly above 60 years of age and to determine age- and sex-wise distribution of single and multiple NCDs. Materials and Methods: A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted among 350 elderly participants over 60 years of age in Mehrauli area of Delhi. Data were collected using a semi-structured questionnaire. Detailed general and systemic examination was also done. Results: A total of 87.4% of the study population were suffering from at least one NCD. The number of NCDs per person is 2.41. Overall, 80 out of the total 350 study participants (22.9%) had a single NCD, whereas 226 (64.6%) had two or more NCDs. Hypertension was the most prevalent NCD, followed by cataract, osteoarthritis, diabetes mellitus, and obesity. Conclusion: The prevalence of NCDs was quite high among the elderly. Multimorbidity was more common among the oldest-old age group and elderly women. This calls for increased focus on timely and comprehensive screening for NCDs in adults and asserts the need to approach the screening and management of NCDs in a more holistic way and not as isolated health events.

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Introduction: Medical students enter this profession with a set of perceptions toward the practice of medicine. The study of these factors becomes important as it may provide an insight into the perceptions of doctors toward medical profession to maintain a high standard of professionalism among medical practitioners. Material & Methods: This study was conducted by the department of community medicine of a premier medical institute of Delhi and involved the analysis of 457 feedback forms filled by medical students about their perceptions regarding medical profession at the time of entry and at the end of graduation. The responses were read several times and categorized into similar thematic areas. Results: At the time of choosing profession, 74.8% mentioned the reasons as, its respectable status in the society, 71.8% mentioned their interest to serve people, 26.9% the possibility of huge financial earning, and 21.2% the ease of getting employment. At the end of graduation, 312 (68.3%) considered ease of getting a job and 251 (54.9%) high paying capacity. The proportion of participants mentioning the profession to be prestigious and respectful (50.1%) and intention to serve people (51.2%) considerably declined. Regarding the reasons for change, majority (74.6%) mentioned stress, 66.7% felt it less rewarding, and 54.2% mentioned difficulty to maintain work-life balance. Conclusion: There was a change in students' perceptions at the end of graduation as compared to the time of entry. Their focus shifted from being in a respectful profession and serving community to getting jobs and earning money.