The current state of public health education in India: A scoping review
Journal Name | Front Public Health |
Volume | 2022 Nov 23;10:970617 |
Authors | Joshi A, Bhatt A, Gupta M, Grover A, Saggu SR, Malik IV |
Abstract
With the creation of public health management cadre in the state, district, and block levels of India, there is a need for a comprehensive, synergistic education system to ensure efficient public health across the country. This scoping review, therefore, aims to examine the characteristics of public health education programs available in India’s varied geographical and regional contexts. It examines 16 program-related descriptors across public health Doctoral, Masters, Bachelors, Post-graduate Diploma, and Diploma education programs offered. Data was retrieved through institutional websites. Results of our analysis showed 84 unique institutions in 20 states and 3 UTs currently offering 116 public health programs across India’s 28 states and 8 UTs. Private and public institutes were 65% (n = 75) and 35% (n = 41) respectfully. The majority of universities mainly provided Masters of Public Health (n = 73, 63%) programs followed by Postgraduate Diploma (PGD) and Diploma (n = 17, 15%), BPHSc (n = 14, 12%), and Ph.D. (n = 12, 10%). The majority of Ph.D. programs in public health are offered in Maharashtra, Karnataka, and Haryana, while Masters in Public Health programs are offered highest in Karnataka, Bachelors in Public Health programs in Rajasthan, Post Graduate Diploma in Public Health program in Delhi, and Tamil Nadu had the most number of Diploma in Public Health programs. Thirty-one percent (n = 36) of the public health programs are offered across the south, 28% (n = 32) across the north, and 22% (n = 26) across the west Analyzed descriptors provide comprehensive information on program characteristics, mainly admission, format, and tuition fee. The review offers five suggestions to improve collaborative public health education and prepare a workforce with the skills, knowledge, and expertise to respond to the twentyfirst century’s public health threats and challenges in India.
View DetailsEvaluating the Impact of COVID19 on Nutrition Jobs in the New York Metropolitan Area: A Comparison of Position Listings and Reported Needs from Before and During the Pandemic
Journal Name | Global Journal of Health Sciences |
Volume | 2022, 14(7) |
Authors | Gaba A, Nambi Krishna N, Joshi A |
Abstract
The Covid19 pandemic has caused significant changes in staffing and training needs in the healthcare workforce. Among the practitioners impacted are dietitians and nutritionists. This study compared samples of position announcements in nutrition and dietetics from 2017 and 2021. Differences by both total number of position and position categories were found to be significantly different (p<.05) between the two time periods studied. There was a decrease of about 50% in the total number of positions posted in the first three months of 2021 as compared to the same months in 2017. Changes across position location were also significant. As a % of the total positions, specialty programs were the only category to show growth over the time period studied. These included overall increases in outpatient clinical programs focusing on HIV/AIDs, cancer, and hemodialysis, and more notably in 2021, eating disorders, obesity, and mental health programs. Differences in specific skills and credentials desired were consistent with needs in these practice areas. Awareness of changes in the employment landscape can help to better prepare students and interns to meet emerging patient care needs and workforce demands.
View DetailsSuicidal behavior among e-cigarette users: A systematics review of recent evidence
Journal Name | Research in Health Science |
Volume | Vol 7, No 2 (2022) |
Authors | Amin S, Rahman, US, Joshi A |
Abstract
Objectives: Prior evidence reported inconsistently that there is an association between e-cigarette use and suicidal behaviours. The aim of this study was to systematically review the recent literature that explored the association between e-cigarette use and suicidal behaviour such as ideation, planning and attempts. Methods: PubMed and Web of Science databases were searched to include studies between 2017 to 2021. Two reviewers screened all studies and narrative data synthesis was conducted. Results: This review analysed eight cross-sectional studies, which involved a total of 6,84,478 participants where only 4.9% were e-cigarette users (33,714 of 6,84,478). The suicidal ideation/thoughts, planning and attempts were measured among e-cigarette users based on diverse variables such as smoking status, gender, asthmatic, and depressive conditions. Suicidal ideation/thoughts, planning and attempts were higher among male, smoker, asthmatic, and depressive e-cigarette users than lifetime and never e-cigarette users. Conclusions: Public health researchers and policymaker should consider these variables as crucial factors to design any intervention or helpline services to prevent suicidal behaviour among e-cigarette users.
View DetailsPostpartum depression during the pandemic crisis in Bangladesh: A Teleconsultation insight
Journal Name | Open Journal of Psychology |
Volume | 2022 2 (1), 25-28 |
Authors | Joshi A, Amin S |
Abstract
Given the limited access to medical facilities, impeding lockdown, and social isolation during the COVID-19 pandemic, an upsurge in postpartum depression among pregnant mothers in their puerperal period has become more apparent alongside an eventual increase in suicidal behavior. This article aimed to discuss the crucial aspects of different clinical case studies treated during recent periods throughout the COVID-19 pandemic via teleconsultations. We hoped to demonstrate tremendous opportunities for the application of healthcare via therapeutic tools online in telemedicine to manage such conditions in a developing country like Bangladesh with a severe scarcity of healthcare infrastructure and resources.
View DetailsA Scoping Review on the Reported Evidence and Gaps of the Risk of Diabetes in Dyslipidemic Patients under Statin Therapy
Journal Name | Clin Pract |
Volume | 2022 Jul 18;12(4):565-578 |
Authors | Jyotsna Needamangalam Balaji, Joshi A, Krishna Mohan Surapaneni |
Abstract
With the increasing global burden of dyslipidemia over the past 30 years, it is estimated that more than 200 million people worldwide are under statin therapy. In India, roughly 25-30% of urban populations and 15-20% of rural populations have abnormal lipid levels. Statin, which is deemed to be the gold standard lipid-lowering agent, is the first treatment of choice for these patients. Although statins at one end are highly effective against dyslipidemiaand cardiovascular diseases, at the other end, they cause adverse effects including an increased risk of diabetes mellitus. The objective of this study was to understand the coexistence of diabetes and dyslipidemia in patients undergoing statin therapy. A scoping review was conducted with published articles selected from PubMed and Google Scholar. The obtained results were filtered based on inclusion/exclusion criteria. Our database search provided a total of 822 articles, of which 48 were selected for this review, with results concluding that statin users are potentially at a greater risk of developing diabetes mellitus compared with patients who are not using statins. Although many studies have been conducted to ascertain the onset of diabetes mellitus amongst statin users, the exact mechanism is not yet precisely established. Future studies are essential for identifying the exact cause of diabetes mellitus in statin users.
View DetailsA call for citizen science in pandemic preparedness and response: beyond data collection
Journal Name | BMJ Glob Health |
Volume | 2022 Jun;7(6):e009389 |
Authors | Yi-Roe Tan, Anurag Agrawal, Malebona Precious Matsoso, Rebecca Katz , Sara L M Davis, Andrea Sylvia Winkler, Annalena Huber, Joshi A, Ayman El-Mohandes, Bruce Mellado, Caroline Antonia Mubaira, Felipe C Canlas, Gershim Asiki, Harjyot Khosa, Jeffrey Victor Lazarus, Marc Choisy, Mariana Recamonde-Mendoza, Olivia Keiser, Patrick Okwen, Rene English, Serge Stinckwich, Sylvia Kiwuwa-Muyingo, Tariro Kutadza, Tavpritesh Sethi, Thuso Mathaha, Vinh Kim Nguyen, Amandeep Gill, Peiling Yap |
Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic has underlined the need to partner with the community in pandemic preparedness and response in order to enable trust-building among stakeholders, which is key in pandemic management. Citizen science, defined here as a practice of public participation and collaboration in all aspects of scientific research to increase knowledge and build trust with governments and researchers, is a crucial approach to promoting community engagement. By harnessing the potential of digitally enabled citizen science, one could translate data into accessible, comprehensible and actionable outputs at the population level. The application of citizen science in health has grown over the years, but most of these approaches remain at the level of participatory data collection. This narrative review examines citizen science approaches in participatory data generation, modelling and visualisation, and calls for truly participatory and co-creation approaches across all domains of pandemic preparedness and response. Further research is needed to identify approaches that optimally generate short-term and long-term value for communities participating in population health. Feasible, sustainable and contextualised citizen science approaches that meaningfully engage affected communities for the long-term will need to be inclusive of all populations and their cultures, comprehensive of all domains, digitally enabled and viewed as a key component to allow trust-building among the stakeholders. The impact of COVID-19 on people’s lives has created an opportune time to advance people’s agency in science, particularly in pandemic preparedness and response.
View DetailsApps on Google Play Store to assist in self-management of hypertension in Indian context: features analysis study
Journal Name | Mhealth |
Volume | 2022 Apr 20;8:14 |
Authors | Kaur M, Kaur H, Rathi S, Ashwitha M, Joanna J, Reddy S, Idris B, Myrtle P, Kandamuru S, Fatima S, Joshi A |
Abstract
Background: A large number of individuals with hypertension are turning to the Internet and m-health technologies for assistance. There is a need to study the content of smartphone applications on hypertension. The study aimed to review and investigate the functional and analytical characteristics of apps related to the self-management of hypertension available on Google Play Store.
Methods: Search was conducted in February 2021 in India using the Google Play Store database to identify currently available Android-based apps related to self-management of hypertension/high blood pressure (BP). Keywords used were: ‘Hypertension’, ‘High blood pressure’, ‘DASH diet’, ‘Hypertension diet’, and ‘Blood pressure diet’. A total of 822 apps were screened based on the duplicates, inclusion, and exclusion criteria. A total of 210 were included for further analysis.
Results: Eighteen percent (n=37) of the apps had an overall rating of 4.5 or above. About 41% of the apps belonged to the medical category and 41% of the apps were characterized in the health and fitness category. Feature of logging/recording the BP measurement was seen in 73% of the apps. In-app graphing to analyze BP trends was reported in 64 % of the included apps. A few apps focused on tracking medication (n=19), sodium intake (n=2), and calorie intake (n=4).
Conclusions: The features were common across all the included apps and were focusing only on recording the BP, providing statistics and trends of BP, and providing educational information. App developers should now aim to provide other components of self-management techniques to help individuals tackle hypertension.
View DetailsDesigning and Evaluating a Personalized, Human-Centered Dietary Decision Support System for Use Among People With Diabetes in an Indian Setting: Protocol for a Quasi-Experimental Study
Journal Name | JMIR Publications, Advancing Digital Health & Open Science |
Volume | 2022;11(3):e13635 |
Authors | Joshi A, Dinesh Kumar, Ashok Bhardwaj, Shruti Sharma, Bhavya Malhotra, Chioma Amadi-Mgbenka, Ashoo Grover |
Abstract
Background: Human-centered dietary decision support systems are fundamental to diabetes management, and they address the limitations of existing diet management systems.
Objective: The objective of the proposed study is to evaluate the use of an interactive, telephone-linked, personalized, human-centered decision support system for facilitating the delivery of personalized nutrition care for patients with diabetes.
Methods: A quasi-experimental trial was conducted between the period of June and December 2018. Study participants were recruited from Community Health Center, Dharamshala, Kangra (urban population), and Model Rural Health Unit, Haroli Block, Una (rural population). Eligible participants included adults aged ≥30 years with controlled or uncontrolled diabetes, those who agreed to participate in the study, those who were available for follow-up interviews, and those with a telephone or computer at home. Diabetic status was determined via a physician’s diagnosis. Individuals with mental or physical challenges that affected their ability to use an electronic diet record, those who were not available for a telephone follow-up, and those who were involved in other protocols related to dietary assessments were excluded. The study participants were randomized into the following two groups: the intervention group (telephone-linked dietary decision support system) and the control group (paper-based diet record). Study participants in the intervention group recorded their daily dietary intake by using a telephone-linked, personalized, human-centered dietary decision support system and received personalized feedback and diet education via SMS text messaging. Study participants in the control group were provided with only a paper-based diet record for documenting their daily dietary intake. Follow-up visits were conducted at 3 and 6 months from the baseline in both groups. Differences in diabetes knowledge, attitudes, and practices will be measured across groups.
Results: The collection of baseline data from 800 study participants in both the intervention (n=400) and control groups (n=400), which were stratified by urban (control group: n=200; intervention group: n=200) and rural settings (control group: n=200; intervention group: n=200), has been completed. Follow-up data collection for months 3 and 6 is ongoing and is expected to be completed by October 2019.
Conclusions: We anticipate that the intervention group will show significant changes in nutrition knowledge, attitudes, and practices; satisfaction with care; and overall diabetes management. We also expect to see urban-rural differences across the groups. The uniqueness of our nutrient data capture process is demonstrated by its cultural and contextually relevant features—diet capture in both English and Hindi, diet conversion into caloric components, sustained diet data collection and participant adherence through telephone-linked care, and auto-generated reminders.
View DetailsPredictors of COVID-19 Vaccine Acceptance, Intention, and Hesitancy: A Scoping Review
Journal Name | Front Public Health |
Volume | 2021 Aug 13;9:698111 |
Authors | Joshi A, El-Mohandes A, Nash D, Grover A, Kaur R, Kaur M |
COVID-19 vaccine is regarded as the most promising means of limiting the spread of or eliminating the pandemic. The success of this strategy will rely on the rate of vaccine acceptance globally. The study aims to examine the factors that influence COVID-19 vaccine acceptance, intention, and hesitancy. PubMed was searched comprehensively for articles using the keyword “COVID-19 vaccine surveys.” Of the 192 records, 22 studies were eligible for the review. Eighty-two percent of these studies were conducted among the general population. Gender, age, education, and occupation were some of the socio-demographic variables associated with vaccine acceptance. Variables such as trust in authorities, risk perception of COVID-19 infection, vaccine efficacy, current or previous influenza vaccination, and vaccine safety affected vaccine acceptance. Globally, in March 2020, the average vaccine acceptance observed was 86% which dropped to 54% in July 2020 which later increased to 72% in September 2020. Globally, the average rate of vaccine hesitancy in April 2020 was 21%, which increased to 36% in July 2020 and later declined to 16% in October 2020. Large variability in vaccine acceptance and high vaccine hesitancy can influence the efforts to eliminate the COVID-19. Addressing the barriers and facilitators of vaccines will be crucial in implementing effective and tailored interventions to attain maximum vaccine coverage.
View DetailsDeveloping Evidence-based Population Health Informatics curriculum: Integrating competency based model and job analysis
Journal Name | Online J Public Health Inform. |
Volume | 2021; 13(1): e10 |
Authors | Joshi A, Bruce I, Amadi C, Amatya J |
With the rapid pace of technological advancements, public health professions require a core set of informatics skills. The objective of the study is to integrate informatics competencies and job analysis to guide development of an evidence-based curriculum framework and apply it towards creation of a population health informatics program. We conducted content analysis of the Population Health Informatics related job postings in the state of New York between June and July 2019 using the Indeed job board. The search terms included “health informatics” and “population health informatics.” The initial search yielded 496 job postings. After removal of duplicates, inactive postings and that did not include details of the positions’ responsibilities resulted in 306 jobs. Information recorded from the publicly available job postings included job categories, type of hiring organization, educational degree preferred and required, work experience preferred and required, salary information, job type, job location, associated knowledge, skills and expertise and software skills. Most common job title was that of an analyst (21%, n=65) while more than one-third of the hiring organizations were health systems (35%, n=106). 95% (n=291) of the jobs were fulltime and nearly half of these jobs were in New York City (47%, n=143). Data/statistical analysis (68%, n=207), working in multidisciplinary teams (35%, n=108), and biomedical/clinical experience (30%, n=93) were the common skills needed. Structured query language (SQL), Python, and R language were common programming language skills. A broad framework of integrating informatics competencies, combined with analysis of the skills the jobs needed, and knowledge acquisition based on global health informatics projects guided the development of an online population health informatics curriculum in a rapidly changing technological environment.
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