Background: Anemia is a major nutritional problem in adolescent girls in many developing countries. Anaemia prior to pregnancy is likely to affect fetal health and survival and therefore it is necessary to evaluate the nutritional needs in this vulnerable group. To know the prevalence of anaemia and its associated factors among adolescent girls residing in the urban field practice area of S. Nijalingappa Medical College, Bagalkot.Methods: A community based cross sectional study. A field practice areas of the urban health training centers, Department of Community Medicine, S. Nijalingappa Medical College in Bagalkot. 400 unmarried adolescent girls were participants. Systematic random sampling. Data was tabulated in Microsoft Excel 2010 and analyzed by using Open Epi software.  Data was collected through predesigned, semi-structured questionnaire through house to house visits. Haemoglobin estimation was done by Sahli’s method and anaemia was classified based on WHO criteria.Results: The prevalence of anaemia was 63.3%. Factors associated with anemia were age, mother’s literacy, SES, type of family, environmental sanitation and tea consumption.Conclusions: Prevalence of anaemia is high and is a major public health problem in this area. Health education and periodical haemoglobin estimation followed by supplementation of iron would help in reduction and prevention of anaemia.

Background: Childhood tuberculosis is largely underestimated due to diagnostic difficulties and non-specific clinical manifestations, even in many tertiary care hospitals. With increase in coverage of BCG vaccination and improved nutritional status in children, modified clinical pictures of childhood tuberculous meningitis (TBM) has been observed in some research studies. Objectives: To study the different clinical manifestations and outcome of TBM in relation to BCG vaccinated, non-vaccinated and nutritional status of the children, in VIMS Bellary. Methodology: This is a case series prospective study. Patients admitted in the paediatric emergency ward from Nov 2003 to Nov 2004 were recruited for the study. The patients were classified according to their immunization status and nutritional status. Results: TBM constituted 29% of the total admitted TB cases. Majority were below 5 years. Fever, vomiting, positive McEwan's sign and meningeal irritation signs were the commonest features observed. Atypical features were present in one third of the cases. No significant differences were seen between vaccinated and non-vaccinated patients. Significant differences, however, were observed in the clinical features and mortality between severely malnourished and well-nourished TBM cases in this study. Conclusion: It was concluded that clinical patterns in TBM vary according to nutritional status of the child and severe malnutrition carry very poor prognosis. Knowing different clinical patterns of the disease helps in early prognosis and thus in preventing deaths due to TBM among children.

Introduction: Among adolescents, girls are a doubly vulnerable group due to deep-rooted gender discrimination and other socio-cultural factors that are prevailing in our Indian society. Objective: To study the factors influencing body mass index of adolescent girls residing in the urban field practice area of S. N. Medical College, Bagalkot. Study design: A Community based cross sectional study. Setting: Field practice area of urban health training center, Department of Community Medicine, S. Nijalingappa Medical College in Bagalkot.Participants: 400 unmarried adolescent girls. Sampling: Systematic random sampling. Statistical Analysis: Data was tabulated in Microsoft Excel 2010 and analyzed by using Open Epi software. P-value was calculated using chi-square test and difference was accepted significant at more than 95% (p-value <0.05). Results: Factors significantly associated with thinness were mother's literacy, family size, mid day meal and dietary intake less than RDA (p<0.05). Factors not significantly associated with thinness were religion, and father's literacy, Conclusion: It was concluded that the prevalence of thinness was significantly high in girls whose mothers were illiterates. Thinness was also seen in girls from large families and Dietary intake less than RDA.

Background: Physical activity plays a very vital role in physical and mental development of children. It also has beneficial effect in prevention of non-communicable diseases in the future and thus reduces risk of premature deaths.Objective: To find out the extent of awareness, attitude and practice of physical activity among high school students of a residential school in Gadag.Methodology: This school-based cross-sectional study was conducted among children in the age group of 14-16 years in Morarji Desai Residential School, Gadag, during January to March 2017. All the students who were present on the day of visit were included in the study. A simple pre-tested predesigned semi-structured questionnaire including a set of 15 questions was provided to the students and data was collected. Data analysis was done by using Microsoft Excel, Open Epi software and SPSS software trial version.Results: Majority (72.5%) of the students had good knowledge score and 75% of the students had poor attitude score. Age was not found to be a determinant for knowledge and attitude towards physical activity among study participants. Females had better knowledge (75%) as compared to males (69.6%). These differences were not found to be statistically significant (p=>0.05). Though knowledge was good among females, they had poor (76.6%) attitude compared to males (55.4%). This was found to be statistically significant (p<0.05). 98.3% students were doing physical activity since it was a residential school. Majority of the students (62.5%) did not do physical activity regularly and 1.7% never did any physical activity.Conclusion: Reports show that the students have knowledge about the beneficial effects of physical activity but when it comes to practice, there is downfall. There should be extra focus on girls and on older children in order to bridge the gaps.