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Item A Vision for Nutrition Research in Asia(Food Nutr. Bull., 2019) Shweta Khandelwal; Anura KurpadItem A retrospective approach to assess human health risks associated with growing air pollution in urbanized area of Thar Desert, western Rajasthan, India(J. Environ. Health Sci. Eng, 2014) Harcharan Singh Rumana; Ramesh Chandra Sharma; Vikas Beniwal; Anil Kumar SharmaAir pollution has been a matter of great concern globally because of the associated health risks to individuals. The situation is getting worse in developing countries with more urbanization, industrialization and more importantly the rapidly growing population posing a threat to human life in the form of pulmonary, cardiovascular, carcinogenic or asthmatic diseases by accumulating toxic pollutants, harmful gases, metals, hydrocarbons etc. Objective: The present study was undertaken to assess the magnitude of ambient air pollutants and their human health risks like respiratory ailments, infectious diseases, cardiovascular diseases and cancer using a Retrospective Approach of Bart Ostra. Methodology: The parameters PM2.5, PM10, NOx, SO2, NH3 and O-3 were monitored at all selected study sites monitored through a high volume sampler (APM 451 Envirotech, Envirotech Instruments Pvt. Ltd., New Delhi, India). Retrospective Approach was used for assessment of risk factors and disease burden of respiratory and cardiopulmonary health problems. Results: Environmental burden of disease showed that the problem of health related to air pollution is a main concern particularly in the growing cities of India. High to critical level of air pollution including PM10, PM2.5, NOx, SO2, NH3 and O-3 was observed in all seasons at traffic intersections and commercial sites. The respiratory infections (25% incidence in population exposed to indoor smoke problems) and a prevalence of asthma/COPD (4.4%) in households exposed to high vehicular pollution along with signs of coronary artery/heart disease and/or hypertension and cancers (37.9-52.2%), were reported requiring preventive measures. Conclusion: The study reflects a great concern for the mankind with the need of having streamline ways to limit air pollution and emphasize upon efficiently determining the risk of illness upon exposure to air pollution.Item A cross-sectional study of diabetic knowledge in West Bengal, India: an analysis based on access to health care(Int. Diabetes Dev. Ctries., 2015) Paul Long; Katelyn N. G. Long; Ankit Kedia; Lisa H. Gren; Andrew Smith; Jatrik BiswasIn India, the rising prevalence of diabetes is a major public health challenge. The purpose of this study was to measure the level of diabetes knowledge in West Bengal, India, and to assess for a gradient in knowledge among those with varying levels of access to health care in both urban and rural environments. A validated questionnaire on diabetes knowledge was developed and administered in two health care settings in West Bengal: community clinics in low-income rural and urban communities representing the low-access group and a multi-specialty outpatient department (OPD) in Kolkata, India, representing the high-access group. Of the respondents in the low-access community clinic group, (n = 198), less than half knew what diabetes was (42.9 %) compared to 89.9 % in the high-access OPD group (n = 275) (p < 0.001). Those in the urban community clinics knew what diabetes was more often than those in the rural community clinics (49.5 vs. 36.1 %, p = 0.058). Additional questions testing basic knowledge of diabetes, risk factors, and disease complications showed a similar trend that people in the low-access setting had limited knowledge regarding diabetes and significantly less knowledge when compared to those in the high-access setting. Multivariate regression analysis demonstrated that clinic setting (high-access vs. low-access, p < 0.0001) and formal education (p = 0.001) were independent predictors of diabetic knowledge, while age and sex were not. Diabetes knowledge among respondents with low access to health care in urban and rural community clinics was significantly poorer than those with higher access to health care in an urban hospital outpatient department. To help bridge this gap, diabetes education and prevention campaigns should be targeted towards populations with low access to health care in West Bengal.