Jelle J. P. Wouters (Ed.), Vernacular Politics in Northeast India: Democracy, Ethnicity, and Indigeneity (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2022), 413 pp. ₹1,795, ISBN: 978-0-19-286346-1 (Hardback).
Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) are considered as life-style diseases. School teachers' behavior in this context could be transmitted to students that may act as determining factor of prevention for NCDs at primordial level. Aim of this study is to assess the prevalence of risk factors among teachers and their practices with respect to common NCDs. A cross-sectional study was conducted in Jodhpur among 394 government school teachers. Questionnaire was adopted from WHO STEPS tool and responses were documented which included socio-demographic details, anthropometric measurements and risk factors including diet, hours of physical activity, smoking and alcohol intake. Mean age of participants was 43 years out of which 23% were found to be having blood pressure more than 140/90 mm of Hg at the time of interview. 4.8% consumed alcohol and 1.5% was smokers. Mean body mass index (BMI) was found to be 25.4 while only 13% had their cholesterol checked post 35 years of age. The 23.6% had knowledge of reducing fat by using the right type of cooking oil, 35.7% were engaged in any daily physical activity and 76% knew that excess salt was not good for health. This survey assessed baseline levels by identifying the overall prevalence and associated risk factors that provided first step towards initiating surveillance for NCDs among school teachers in Jodhpur, Rajasthan, whilst delivering the necessary information concerning with developing a suitable framework for determining priorities over intervention.
BACKGROUND: Government of Rajasthan has undertaken a series of e-Health initiatives, especially under various programs of National Health Mission in the past few years. There is a paucity of studies which document and provide appraisal of these initiatives in Rajasthan. AIM: To document ongoing e-Health Initiatives based on technologies and approaches used, coverage by the region and population, services provided and scope. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Primary data collection in form of key-informant interviews while secondary data collection in form of internet-based search of peer and non-peer reviewed literature was conducted to achieve the study objectives. Appropriate documents, records, and reports were reviewed to ensure that all necessary information was obtained. RESULTS: A total of 13 e-Health initiatives were included in the study. The e-Health programs were classified with the use of WHO's classification of Digital Health Interventions v1.0. Most of the initiatives perceived in the study were found to be beneficial to the community, covering the entire population targeted. Supporting agencies, technologies used, and challenges faced during the implementation were identified and documented. Lack of trained manpower, technical and software glitches and deficiency of awareness activities were few obstacles that were found consistent across all user groups. CONCLUSIONS: The overview from this study augmented the knowledge about further scopes and sustainability of these initiatives. Deploying dedicated professionals may improve the functioning of these initiatives. Since e-Health interventions significantly influence healthcare systems, further scale-up of such studies with appropriate evaluation should be planned to guide policy decisions.
BACKGROUND: E-aushadhi is a drug supply chain management initiative of the Rajasthan government. This study is conducted to assess this e-health program as evidence is lacking in this context METHODS: A mix-method study was conducted. Primary data were recorded from key stakeholders using qualitative interviews. Secondary data were collected from internet-based searches, reports, documents, and available literature. Findings were contextualized into the Benefit-Evaluation framework using six dimensions RESULTS: E-aushadhi provides a systematic approach for sourcing, storing, and re-distribution of essential medicine through its three-tier structure. Its user-friendly dashboard entails accurate entries, customizable reports, and easy tracking. It has reduced workload and improved information management with timely drug supply while allowing monitoring with key performance indicators CONCLUSIONS: E-aushadhi has been successful in improving beneficiary access at public health facilities and may act as a backbone architecture for various digital interventions in the National Digital Health Mission that supports the universal health coverage.
Introduction / Richard Kunz, Wibke Lobo, Wolfgang Stein -- Photographs by Christoph von Fürer-Haimendorf from the 1930s -- An introduction to Professor Christoph von Fürer-Haimendorf's Naga photographs / Alan Macfarlane -- The land and the people [photographs] -- The Naga : an introduction / Vibha Joshi -- Head-hunting in its socio-religious context / Peter van Ham -- Log-drums - ceremonial objects of the central and northern Nagas / Richard Kunz -- Angami village gates kharu / Vibha Joshi -- Head-hunting and morung [objects] -- Women in Naga society / Vibha Joshi -- Jewellery as symbols of identity and status / Ayinla Shilu Ao -- Textile art and household [objects] -- Agricultural cycle, associated rituals and the role of women / Anungla Aier -- Cultivation, household and agricultural feasts [objects] -- Feasts and festivals / Vibha Joshi -- Ceremonial dress and ornaments [objects] -- 'Cultural extravagance' and the search for identity in present-day Nagaland / Alban von Stockhausen and Marion Wettstein -- Epilogue - Critina Fessler : work-cycle Nagaland-transfer 1992-2008 / Richard Kunz
Borderland Lives in Northern South Asia provides valuable new ethnographic insights into life along some of the most contentious borders in the world. The collected essays portray existence at different points across India's northern frontiers and, in one instance, along borders within India. Whether discussing Shi'i Muslims striving to be patriotic Indians in the Kashmiri district of Kargil or Bangladeshis living uneasily in an enclave surrounded by Indian territory, the contributors show that state borders in Northern South Asia are complex sites of contestation. India's borders with Bangladesh, Bhutan, Burma/Myanmar, China, and Nepal encompass radically different ways of life, a whole spectrum of relationships to the state, and many struggles with urgent identity issues. Taken together, the essays show how, by looking at state-making in diverse, border-related contexts, it is possible to comprehend Northern South Asia's various nation-state projects without relapsing into conventional nationalist accounts.Contributors. Jason Cons, Rosalind Evans, Nicholas Farrelly, David N. Gellner, Radhika Gupta, Sondra L. Hausner, Annu Jalais, Vibha Joshi, Nayanika Mathur, Deepak K. Mishra, Anastasia Piliavsky, Jeevan R. Sharma, Willem van Schendel