Background: Depression among elderly is the commonest psychiatric disorder however it is commonly misdiagnosed and under treated. Most of the time it is considered as part of aging process rather than a treatable condition. Diagnosing depression in the elderly is often difficult as a result of presence of cognitive impairment as well as reluctance and denial by the elderly and their family members. Objective of the study was to estimate the prevalence of depression among elderly rural population in South India.  Methods: A community based cross sectional study was conducted over a period of 2 months among 575 elderly people aged 60 years and above in the rural field practice area of a tertiary care hospital in south India using a pre validated Geriatric Depression Scale. Data entered and analysed using MS Excel.Results: 77.56% of the study participants were found to be depressed. Among them 74.66% were mild depressive and 25.34% had severe depression. Depression was common in elderly males as compared to females. The prevalence of depression was higher in those who live single and those living with their children without their spouse and those with co morbidities.Conclusions: Prevalence of depression among elderly is high in rural areas. It also increases as the age increases. Early identification and timely intervention would promote healthy old age.

Background: With advent of advancement in technologies and change in people's life style, the amount of E-waste (electronic waste) generated is increasing drastically every year, Mismanagement of these E-waste leads to diminishing natural resources, causing irreparable damage to the environment and health of the people. When it comes to the reduction, the onus is on both the consumer and the producer. Proper awareness on the health hazards and disposal practice of E waste plays a crucial role in curbing this problem. The objectives of the study were to assess the E-waste segregation and disposal practice at various levels and to assess the knowledge about Proper disposal and health hazards of E-waste. Methods: A community based crossed sectional study was conducted among 120 randomly selected individuals (distribution, consumer and waste collection level) for a period of three months in the urban field practice area of Bangalore Medical College & Research Institute. Data regarding their knowledge and practice on E-waste disposal and its hazards has been collected using semi structured questionnaire and analysed using SPSS 23.0. Results: Knowledge about disposal was found to be 20%, 15% and 5% respectively at distribution, consumer and waste collector levels. Only around 6% had practiced proper waste segregation. Knowledge pertaining to health hazards were found to be negligible. Conclusions: With the increased burden the knowledge and practice were found to be highly inadequate. And it is a high time to intervene at the earliest by creating proper awareness and providing the requisite for proper disposal of E waste.

Background: Owing to change in behavior and lifestyle patterns, diabetes mellitus and hypertension are in increasing trend worldwide. They are associated with various complications resulting in high morbidity. Early detection of these would necessitate the prevention of complications associated with it and improves the quality of life of the people. The objective of the study was to assess the prevalence and determinants of diabetes mellitus and hypertension among urban population in the field practice area of a tertiary care hospital in Coimbatore.Methods: 299 individuals of both sexes belonging to six wards in the field practice area of a tertiary care hospital in Coimbatore were randomly selected and screened for diabetes mellitus and hypertension. Diagnosis was based on American Diabetic Association and JNC 7 guidelines for diabetes mellitus and hypertension respectively. Data on various factors associated was collected using pretested validated semi structured questionnaire.Results: Overall prevalence of diabetes mellitus and hypertension was found to be 32.44% and 38.8% respectively with newly diagnosed diabetes mellitus and hypertension of 4.02% and 7.37%. Overall adherence was found to be 80%. Factors such as elderly age, sedentary life style, non-vegetarian diet, obesity are found to be associated with both diabetes mellitus and hypertension.Conclusions: Almost one in every third person found to be having either diabetes mellitus/hypertension or both with 20% non-adherence to treatment. This high prevalence necessitates the need for adoption of various strategies to combat the risk factors and to promote healthy life style.