UGC NTA NET/JRF Exam, Social Medicine & Community Health, January-2024

Emporiatrics is the branch of medicine that deals with the health of travellers, also known as travel medicine.

It involves preventive and curative health aspects for individuals who travel internationally or domestically, especially to regions with different climates, endemic diseases, and health risks.

It includes areas such as vaccination advice, malaria prophylaxis, food and water safety, jet lag management, and dealing with altitude sickness. The term is derived from "emporos" (Greek for traveler or merchant), hence directly linked to travel-related health care.

The Demographic Bonus or Demographic Dividend refers to the period during which the dependency ratio decreases, due to a decline in fertility, resulting in a larger proportion of the population being in the working-age group (15-64 years).

This leads to potential economic growth as more people are able to contribute productively. Over time, however, as longevity increases and population ages, the dependency ratio may rise again, ending the window of demographic dividend.

This concept is vital in population and economic planning especially for developing nations like India.

In the National Family Health Survey (NFHS-4) conducted in 2015-16, Wealth Index was used to measure social stratification.

The Wealth Index is constructed using principal component analysis (PCA) of household asset ownership, housing characteristics, and access to amenities (like electricity, toilet, drinking water, etc.).

It classifies the population into five quintiles - poorest, poorer, middle, richer, and richest - allowing assessment of health indicators across socio-economic strata. It is preferred in large-scale surveys like NFHS due to its objectivity and ease of data collection.

Under the Ayushman Bharat - Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY), as of June 2024, the scheme provides health coverage of up to5 lakh per family per year.

This benefit covers secondary and tertiary hospitalization for more than 1,500 medical procedures.

The scheme is targeted at vulnerable and economically weaker sections, based on Socio-Economic Caste Census (SECC) data, and is cashless and paperless at the point of service across both public and empaneled private hospitals in India.

In the broadest sense, planning involves three key steps:
• Plan formulation: Identifying needs, setting objectives, and determining strategies.
• Execution: Implementing the planned strategies and activities.
• Evaluation: Assessing the outcomes against the objectives to measure effectiveness and guide future plans.

Hypothesis testing, on the other hand, is a research methodology tool used in statistical analysis and scientific studies to test assumptions and is not a part of the standard planning process. Hence, it is not included in the three fundamental steps of planning.

Standardized Mortality Ratio (SMR) is calculated using the Indirect Age Standardization method. In this method, the observed number of deaths in the study population is compared to the expected number of deaths based on age-specific mortality rates from a standard population.
Formula:
It is especially used when the age-specific death rates of the study population are not known or are unstable, such as in small populations or occupational studies.

Under the Home-Based Newborn Care (HBNC) Programme, for institutional deliveries, the Accredited Social Health Activist (ASHA) is required to make 6 home visits to the newborn on days 3, 7, 14, 21, 28, and 42 after birth.

These visits focus on early detection of danger signs, promoting exclusive breastfeeding, maintaining warmth, and hygiene practices. In case of home deliveries, an additional visit on day 1 is made, totaling 7 visits.

The schedule ensures continued care during the most vulnerable neonatal period (first 42 days).

Genetic Matching is not a social issue in marriage; it is a scientific or medical consideration, primarily associated with screening for hereditary disorders or consanguinity-related risks.
In contrast:

• Child Marriage is a legal and social concern associated with health and human rights violations.
• Divorce has social, psychological, and economic implications.
• Female equality in marriage is a gender and social justice issue, related to roles, rights, and responsibilities in marital relationships.

The LAQSHYA initiative (Labour Room Quality Improvement Initiative) was launched by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare to improve the quality of care in labour rooms and maternity operation theatres of public health facilities. It focuses on:

• Reducing maternal and neonatal mortality and morbidity
• Ensuring respectful maternity care
• Improving infrastructure, protocols, and provider skills

It targets tertiary and secondary level facilities like medical colleges, district hospitals, and FRUS (First Referral Units).

The definition -"the orderly process of defining community health problems, identifying unmet needs and surveying the resources to meet them, establishing priority goals that are realistic and feasible and projecting administrative action to accomplish the purpose of the proposed programme" - best fits National Health Planning.
Health planning involves:

• Assessing population health needs
• Allocating resources efficiently
• Setting measurable objectives
• Implementing evidence-based interventions It ensures the rational use of resources to meet public health goals in a structured and sustainable manner.