Background: Healthcare personnel (HCP) are working in an environment that is known to be one of the most hazardous settings to work in. Occupational diseases are often under-reported; there are many reasons for the gross under notification, one of the main reasons being they are usually less obvious than other occupational accidents and injuries. Aims: To assess the knowledge, attitude and practice of HCP regarding different aspects of occupational health hazard and to find out various correlates for their knowledge, attitude and practice regarding occupational hazards and safety measures. Methods and Material: It was a descriptive cross-sectional study which was undertaken in public health facilities of Bhubaneswar Block, Odisha. The study was conducted for a period of one year. One hundred seventy two health care providers (both medical and paramedical with a minimum experience of six months) were included. Statistical analysis used: Descriptive statistics were used and Pearson chi-square test as the test of significance; taking a p value of< 0.05 as statistically significant. Results: Mean age of the respondents is 38.44 years with a standard deviation of 12.8.

Background: The National Family Health Survey (NFHS-4) reported that in India there are 22.9% underweight and 20.6 % overweight and obese women. Considering only urban areas, the proportions are 15.5% and 31.3% respectively. Not only does having an abnormal BMI affect the health, but also has a negative impact on their overall wellbeing. In this study, we aimed to find out the BMI and Health-related quality of life and the association between them. Methods: A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted among 210 reproductive age-group women residing in urban Bhubaneswar using a predesigned, pretested, semi-structured questionnaire. Data on socio-demographic characteristics, marital status, height, weight, BMI, Waist-Hip ratio (WHR) and Health related quality of life (HRQOL) was collected. Chi-square & F-test, wherever appropriate were applied to find out the associations and a p-value of <0.05 was considered significant. Results: 62.9% of respondents were within normal-BMI range, 12.4% obese,9.5% overweight,9%  underweight and 6.2% in pre-obese BMI category.WHR was found to be greater than 0.80 signifying moderate to high health risk in 63.3 % women.64.8% women indicated “no problems” and 35.2% indicated “problems” in their HRQOL. A statistically significant association (p<0.05) was found between HRQOL and age group, literacy, age at marriage, parity and BMI. A highly significant statistical (P<0.0001) association was reported between HRQOL and WHR. The women reported most problems in the Anxiety and depression dimension of the HRQOL. Conclusions: There was a high prevalence of abnormal BMI among women. The reported HRQOL also indicated problems in its domains. A statistically significant association between BMI, WHR and HRQOL could be established. Targeted promotive and preventive strategies by IEC activities on lifestyle modification and proper nutrition are necessary to bring about a positive change in health and wellness.

Context: Stigma and discrimination in health-care settings, against human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-positive patients, not only affects patient care but also creates an unnecessary culture of secrecy and silence based on ignorance and fear. Aims: This study was designed to determine if there were any such discriminatory practices against people living with HIV/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) by health-care providers at apex hospitals in the city of Bhubaneswar, Odisha. Settings and Design: A cross-sectional study was designed in clinical departments, among all doctors and paramedical workers who had been providing health services to patients with HIV/AIDS for at least a year in the three large multidisciplinary tertiary care teaching hospitals in Bhubaneswar. Materials and Methods: A semi-structured questionnaire was used to collect data through in-person interviews after obtaining informed consent. Statistical Analysis Used: Data were entered into Microsoft Excel spreadsheet and were analyzed using Epi Info 7 (version 7.1.2.0); results represented using frequencies, proportions, Z-tests, and Chi-square tests. Results: Around 76.73% of the participants agreed that they were personally aware of discrimination that occurred in health-care settings. About 92.86% of the doctors, 78.12% of the nurses, while 38.09% of other health-care providers (HCPs) agreed to the fact there were some form of discriminatory practices at health facilities; this was also found to be statistically significant. As high as 88.10% of the doctors, 90.62% of the nurses, and 80.96% of other HCPs agreed that there were discriminatory practices against HIV/AIDS patients by HCPs, although this difference was not statistically significant. Conclusions: Existence of discriminatory practices in these healthcare settings was due to the lack of correct information about HIV/AIDS and lack of protective materials needed for prevention of infection transmission.