Background: Diabetes and hypertension are among the most common non-communicable diseases affecting our population. They are the important risk factors for cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. The aims and objectives of the study were to determine the burden of diabetes and hypertension among people attending health camps in an urban area of Kancheepuram district. Formulation of suitable preventive measures based on the inferences from the study.Methods: A cross- sectional record based study was done on 825 people attending medical camps conducted by Sree Balaji Medical College & Hospital, in Anakaputhur area of Kancheepuram district. The data regarding Random Blood Sugar (RBS) level, blood pressure level, age, and gender were collected from the camp register (January and February, 2017). A random blood sugar (RBS) value of >200 mg/dl in a patient with classic symptoms of hyperglycaemia or hyperglycaemic crisis was defined as having diabetes. Blood pressure level equal to or greater than 140/90mm Hg was defined as having hypertension. Descriptive analysis and Chi square test was done to see the statistical association between various parameters. Results: Of the total study population of 825 people, 215 were males and 610 were females. The overall burden of diabetes and hypertension among the study population was 10.7% and 6.4% respectively. Co-existence of both diabetes and hypertension was seen in 5.7% of people. Conclusions: To reduce the disease burden due to diabetes and hypertension, primary prevention measures such as health education regarding adoption of healthy lifestyle should be instituted. Interventions such as screening and early initiation of treatment should also be made for controlling the diseases and preventing its complications.

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Introduction: Noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) pose a significant burden on global health with the increasing prevalence in rural and tribal communities. Although several studies show an alarming trend in adverse outcomes in Indian tribes, there have been only a few reports assessing their perception of NCDs. This study was conducted to address this gap to design better health strategies to reduce the burden of NCDs among the tribal communities. Methodology: This was a hospital-based cross-sectional descriptive study done in Gudalur Adivasi Hospital in The Nilgiris district, Tamil Nadu. The study participants included the five tribal communities belonging to the Particularly Vulnerable Group (formerly Primitive Tribal Group) living in the Gudalur and Pandalur Taluks. After approval from the Ethics committee of the Association for Health Welfare in the Nilgiris (ASHWINI), the data were collected using a predesigned, semi-structured, interviewer-administered questionnaire. The results were entered into an Excel sheet and exported to SPSS software (version 19) for the analysis. Results: The interviewed tribals belonged to the Paniya tribe (54%), Bettakurumba tribe (25%), Moolakurumba tribe (7%), Kattunayakan tribe (6%), and Irula tribe (8%) of whom 43% were illiterate. Seventy-eight percent of the tribals were aware of the presence of NCDs in their community. The most common source of information is ASHWINI and the other health care facilities. The association of unhealthy diet and family history with NCDs was reported by 72% and 25% of the interviewed tribals, respectively. However, the other risk factors like lack of physical activity (7%), old age (2%), and environmental factors (3%) were poorly understood. Similarly, the association between alcohol, tobacco, and NCDs was acknowledged by only 10% and 4% of the interviewed tribals. The importance of screening was understood by 72% of the interviewed tribals. Conclusion: This study showed that there is a severe lack of awareness of NCDs among the tribal population of the Gudalur and Pandalur taluks of the Nilgiris district in Tamil Nadu. The importance of health promotion in reducing the burden of NCDs is well recognized. There is an urgent need for implementing adequate strategies to correct the knowledge, attitude, and practices of the tribal communities towards NCDs.

Background: The Government of India took the historic move of demonetising Rs.500 and Rs.1000 currency notes of Mahatma Gandhi Series from the midnight of 8th November 2016, following which these high value currency notes ceased to be a legal tender.It was a radical move by the Government which had an impact on the socio-economic and health status of the people. The study was conducted to assess the impact of demonetization move on the socio-economic and health status of the people residing in Anakaputhur area of Kanchipuram district.Methods: A cross-sectional, questionnaire based study was conducted on people residing at Anakaputhur area of Kanchipuram district. A sample size of 272 people was obtained using convenient sampling method. The study was conducted from 1.3.2017 to 1.4.2017. Data entry was done in Microsoft Excel and analysis was carried out in SPSS 22 software. Descriptive analysis was done.Results: Of the total study population of 272 people, 157 were females and 115 were males. Majority of the participants (58.1%) had used only cash for making their payments. Majority of participants (60%) responded that they were satisfied with the demonetization move. Majority of participants (67%) responded that the demonetization move would lead to overall economic development of our country.Conclusions: Even though the Government’s intention behind demonetization was good, the process by which the move was implemented could have been better. Government could have taken proper anticipatory measures to prevent cash crunch.

Background: Anaemia, a major public health threat and real challenge for the health care professionals, for the past several decades. The burden of anaemia is high especially among females of reproductive age group, who are a vulnerable population undergoing pregnancy and child birth at this stage of their life. Thus this study was aimed to find the prevalence of anaemia among the reproductive age group females attending an urban health center in Tamil Nadu.Methods: A hospital based, cross sectional study was conducted among reproductive age group females, attending Urban Health Training Center. 292 patients, who gave written consent were included and interviewed using a questionnaire followed by haemoglobin assessment with venous blood sample.Results: The mean age of the study participants were 34.6±12.4 years with 9.6% uneducated and 7.2% graduate females. 26% gave history of symptoms of anaemia and prevalence of anaemia was reported to be 42.12% with 24.31%, 12.32% and 5.5% of mild anaemia, moderate anaemia and severe anaemia, respectively.Conclusions: With immense efforts, prevalence of anaemia is still high, in this study. Prevention and treatment of anaemia in women is much essential at this point and therefore programmes and policies should be implemented based on the needs of the community and health education should be imparted with respect to measures that can prevent and helps in early diagnosis of anaemia.