RESUMEN
BACKGROUND: Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a lifestyle disease associated with significant morbidity and healthcare expenses. Although the pathophysiology of this disease remains obscure till date, there are many possible predisposing factors that have been described. Medical education is extremely demanding and taxing, with students facing multiple stressors throughout their course. Stress and mental illnesses being one of the main risk factors for IBS, these students are possibly at a much higher risk of suffering from this disease. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this article is to study the frequency of IBS among a sample of students in a medical college in India and try to determine the determinants associated with this disease. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This is a cross-sectional study conducted among students studying in Kasturba Medical College, Mangalore. A self-administered World Gastroenterology Organization (WGO) questionnaire was filled by the participants. The responses were analyzed for identifying those likely to be suffering from IBS based on a scoring system and to assess the association between risk categories and IBS. RESULTS: Prevalence of IBS among 397 participants was found to be 16.9%. About 20.8% of females suffered from IBS as against 11.4% of males. It was also found that the proportion of medical undergraduates likely to be suffering from IBS was more in those belonging to the NRI category (28.6%), those who consumed a diet which was predominantly vegetarian (19.1%) and less in those staying at home (14.5%). CONCLUSION: The proportion of students suffering from IBS was observed to be 16.9% of the sample population with a significant female gender preponderance.
RESUMEN
BACKGROUND: The highly prevalent cervical cancer can be prevented through a vaccine. However, the uptake of the Human Papillomavirus vaccine in the general population continues to be low. Medical students, as healthcare providers in the future, would be influential in affecting the community's views and thereby the uptake of the Human Papillomavirus vaccine. Hence, there is a need to promote the right attitude for prompt implementation of this vaccine among medical students. None of the studies in India have so far documented the proportion of vaccinated population among medical students or an intervention strategy to eliminate the barriers to Human Papillomavirus vaccine. AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: To determine the proportion of vaccinated medical students and the barriers against HPV vaccination among non-vaccinated participants; and to test the efficacy of an information session on the barrier. METHODOLOGY: Data on barriers against the Human Papillomavirus vaccination was collected through a questionnaire-based survey. The barriers were reassessed after an intervention in the form of training session using audio-visual aids. RESULTS: Out of the 263 participants, 46 (18%) had never heard of the vaccine against Human Papillomavirus and only 54 (21%) were vaccinated. Participants thought it was not essential to get vaccinated as they were not sexually active (28%). Lack of information about the vaccine (28%), its access (24%), and high cost (27%) were the other barriers. Following the information session, 59% of the previously non-vaccinated participants responded that they would get vaccinated while 34% were considering getting vaccinated. The most common reason for rejection of the vaccine post- intervention was high cost of the vaccine. CONCLUSION: Vaccine uptake is very low among medical students and amenable barriers exist against the vaccine. Urgent intervention in the form of information session is recommended targeted at the medical students, to eliminate the barriers of Human Papillomavirus vaccination.