Birth preparedness and complication readiness among women of Bankura District, West Bengal.

Background: Birth preparedness and complication readiness (BPCR) is the process of planning for normal birth and anticipating the actions needed in case of an emergency which is critical in averting maternal morbidity and mortality.

Objectives: To find out awareness and practices regarding BPCR among pregnant and recently delivered women in Bankura, West Bengal.

Materials And Methods: A cross-sectional, community-based study was carried out among 120 pregnant women and 235 recently delivered women.

A study on utilization of Janani Suraksha Yojana and its association with institutional delivery in the state of West Bengal, India.

Background: India launched the Janani Suraksha Yojana (JSY) on the principles of conditional cash transfer providing monetary incentive to needy women to improve access to institutional childbirth.

Objectives: This study was conducted among JSY-eligible women who delivered between April 2012 and June 2012 to assess the utilization of cash incentives toward institutional delivery, along with other associated factors influencing institutional delivery.

Methods: It was a cross-sectional, descriptive study conducted between July 2012 and May 2013 on 946 women selected through stratified random sampling of subcentres from better and worse performing districts of West Bengal.

Does Janani Shishu Suraksha Karyakram ensure cost-free institutional delivery? A cross-sectional study in rural Bankura of West Bengal, India.

Background: Janani Shishu Suraksha Karyakram (JSSK) was launched in India to ensure cost-free institutional delivery.

Objectives: 1) To assess the awareness of recently delivered women regarding JSSK 2) To estimate the cost of institutional delivery and its differentials.

Materials And Methods: A community-based, cross-sectional study was conducted in a rural community in Bankura, West Bengal, India in 2013, among 210 women who delivered babies in the last 12 months.

Access to and utilization of voucher scheme for referral transport: a qualitative study in a district of West Bengal, India.

Background: Lack of motorized transport in remote areas and cash in resource-constrained settings are major obstacles to women accessing skilled care when giving birth. To address these issues, a cashless voucher transport scheme to enable women to give birth in a health-care institution, covering poor and marginalized women, was initiated by the National Rural Health Mission in selected districts of India in 2009.

Methods: The access to and utilization of the voucher scheme were assessed between December 2010 and February 2011 through a qualitative study in the district of Purulia, West Bengal, India.

Depression among nursing students in an Indian government college.

Background: Depression is a major public health threat that can affect anyone including health professionals and nursing students.

Objectives And Methods: This analytical, cross-sectional study was conducted among 180 students of a nursing college to find out the burden of depression on them and possible contributing factors using the Beck Depression Inventory.

Results: 63.

Status of birth preparedness and complication readiness in Uttar Dinajpur District, West Bengal.

Context: Birth Preparedness and Complication Readiness (BPCR) is crucial in averting maternal morbidity and mortality.

Objectives: To find out awareness and practices regarding BPCR among pregnant and recently delivered women in Uttar Dinajpur, West Bengal.

Materials And Methods: This is a cross-sectional, community-based, mixed methods study.

Comparative Analysis of RNTCP Indicators in a Rural and an Urban Tuberculosis Unit of Burdwan District in West Bengal.

Background: Data pertaining to managerial indicators of RNTCP are rare. The present study was done to analyze the RNTCP indicators in one rural and one urban tuberculosis unit in Burdwan, West Bengal, and find out any influencing factor.

Materials And Methods: A comparative record analysis for the year 2007 was undertaken

Results: The study revealed significantly more urban adolescents (P<0.

Enduring starvation in silent population: a study on prevalence and factors contributing to household food security in the tribal population in Bankura, West Bengal.

Background: Strengthening food security enhancement intervention should be based on the assessment of household food security and its correlates.

Objectives: The objective was to find out the prevalence and factors contributing to household food security in a tribal population in Bankura.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 267 tribal households in Bankura-I CD Block selected through cluster random sampling.

A study on factors influencing treatment outcome of failure patients receiving DOTS in a district of West Bengal.

Failure to primary treatment under RNTCP can be an enormous setback for the society. A record based retrospective cohort analysis of 212 patients failing primary treatment under Cat I or Cat III was done in Burdwan district of West Bengal to find the treatment outcome after re-registration under Cat II and its possible influencing factors. Retreatment of failed patients resulted in 24.

Limited access to iodized salt among the poor and disadvantaged in North 24 Parganas district of West Bengal, India.

Iodine deficiency is endemic in West Bengal as evident from earlier studies. This community-based, cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted in North 24 Parganas district during August-November 2005 to assess the consumption of adequately-iodized salt and to ascertain the various factors that influence access to iodized salt. In total, 506 households selected using the multi-stage cluster-sampling technique and all 79 retail shops from where the study households buy salt were surveyed.

Cross-sectional study of consumption, compliance and awareness about antibiotic utilisation amongst the urban community in Kolkata.

A cross-sectional survey was conducted upon 500 respondents, comprising of 250 adults and 250 children who did consume antibiotics in the previous three months. Data were analysed to determine the patterns of utilisation, compliance and awareness regarding antibiotic medication amongst a selected urban population at Kolkata. Antibiotic consumption without prescription was evident amongst 41.