Childhood obesity is a matter of concern in both developed and developing countries, differing perhaps in degrees, and can only be controlled through combined effort of public health programmes initiated at government or equivalent levels and the conscious effort of parents, says Dr Sitanshu Kar. Also, tips for parents.
1. The social inequality that has a direct association with obesity seems to be reversed in developed countries. In developed countries such as the USA, the lower socioeconomic…
Dr. Pankaj Chaturvedi, cancer surgeon at Tata Memorial Hospital and leading tobacco control advocate on the importance of the fight against tobacco and what more needs to be done. 1. Why is the fight against tobacco important? Tobacco is the single most preventable cause of death worldwide. It takes away the lives of 10 lac (100,000) Indians every year. There is a huge economic burden attributable to this (1.04 lac crores per year). It is also a cause for creating poverty. Hence, it…
Why become a victim of cancer and other ugly diseases, when life has so much to offer, says Dr Lancelot Pinto, consultant respirologist and smoking cessation therapy specialist at Mumbai's PD Hinduja Hospital. How important is it to stop smoking? One cannot emphasize enough the benefits of stopping to smoke, both in terms of the gain in quality of life, and the prevention of smoking-associated illnesses, which cover a very wide spectrum. What is encouraging, however, is that…
Did you know that untreated hypothyroidism can progress and have devastating effect on women causing a multitude of disorders like birth defects, infertility, goiter, heart problems and mental health issues. Ankita Kothari, an industry analyst from Frost and Sullivan shares her research findings with the PatientsEngage community What are the common risk factors for hypothyroidism? Sex and age are the most common risk factors. Hypothyroidism is more common in women compared to men.…
Are you confused about all the labels used for persons with disabilities? Manisha Shastri explains why Person comes first, the origins of the word "handicapped" and what's wrong with other labels. And when in doubt, ASK So, let me try and break this down for those who don’t understand why the term ‘persons with disability’ is politically correct and accepted, while all other terms are fairly offensive and exclusionary in nature. While addressing a person with disability, you use the term…
iCall, a psychosocial helpline started by Tata Institute of Social Sciences, provides the crucial support to callers facing mental health problems. An interview with Paras Sharma, programme coordinator, iCall, who states that access to mental healthcare is pitiably scarce in India. When and why did you feel the need to set up a Helpline? The need for setting up something like iCALL has always been there and even with iCALL around now, it is not like there is no need…
Dr Sudhir Kumar, a consultant with specialisation in old age psychiatry and neuropsychiatric disorders discusses his views on the importance of Dementia Friendly Communities (DFCs) and how India needs to work more towards it Dementia-friendly communities help people with dementia feel included and supported in the day to day surrounding – the places they work, live and play A dementia-friendly community focuses on spreading awareness about dementia and providing a safe and supportive…
Multiple Sclerosis International Federation, (MSIF) London is reviewing the current principles, which determine the “Quality of Life” of persons who have MS. As part of the said consultative committee, a feedback as regards the same is being sought from MS persons around the World. MSSI is looking to consolidate the feedback. Join our discussion here. The Current Principles 1. Independence and Empowerment People with MS are empowered as full participants in their communities and…
There were so many good articles and infomation that came around Autism Awareness Week 2016. We thought we would pick the few we liked. If you would like to suggest a few more, please add the stories and the links in the comments below. 1. A delightfully made film on two sisters - one neurotypical and one with autism with a twist at the end. Features a communication device and shows the feelings of the person with autism quite nicely. Loved the bubble wrap The Big Date 2. Velvi, the…
