Comparative efficacy of low-vs high-volume caudal epidural steroid injections in lumbar degenerative disc disease: A systematic review protocol Raju Karuppal, Vinish V, Jyothi Chakrabarty, Sooraj K, Pratiba Takur Journal of Orthopaedic Reports, 2026 : Background Lumbar degenerative disc disease (LDDD) is a progressive disorder caused by intervertebral disc dehydration followed by an annulus fibrosis tear, which causes inflammation. As this process progresses, it can cause the loss of disc height, pain, neurological symptoms, and mechanical instability due to the loss of disc height. The prevalence of LDDD increases with age and is a significant contributor to disability and reduced quality of life worldwide. Objective The major aim of this systematic study is to determine the effectiveness of caudal epidural steroid injection (CESI) in the treatment of lumbar degenerative disc disease (LDDD). Methods The literature search will do in articles published in the last 20 years (1 January 2004 to 31 December 2024) those published in the English language. For articles published in other languages, English translations were sought if available. A comprehensive search of academic databases such as Scopus, PubMed, Embase, Cochrane and Web of Science using appropriate keywords and Boolean operators will be performed. The present systematic review used a three-phase search strategy. MEDLINE and CINAHL will be searched in the first phase, and the words in the abstract and title as well as the index terms used to describe the article will be analyzed. In the second stage, every recognized keyword and index term is used. The third stage of the literature search was looking for more research in the reference lists of the papers that were found. Expected outcome The anticipated impact includes guiding clinical decision-making, optimizing CESI protocols, informing guidelines, and identifying evidence gaps for future research in LDDD management.
Effectiveness of mobile health interventions on quality of life for oral cancer: a systematic review Vinish Vijayan, Jyothi Chakrabarty, Raghavendra Nayak, B. Pallavi, Sooraj Kookal Discover Public Health, 2025 Oral cancer remains an important public health concern and aligns with Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 3: Good Health and Well-being. SDG target 3.4 emphasises reducing premature mortality from non-communicable diseases, including oral cancer, by one-third by 2030. Early screening significantly cuts mortality, and mobile health (mHealth) applications have emerged as tools to enhance education, early detection, diagnosis, and follow-up care in oral cancer treatment and management. To evaluate the effectiveness of mHealth applications in the screening, diagnosis, follow-up, and management of oral cancer. A systematic review was conducted according to PRISMA guidelines and registered with PROSPERO (CRD420250436761). Searching in PubMed, Scopus, and EMBASE included articles from 1st January 2000 to 31st December 2024. Studies were included if they focused on mHealth use in oral cancer screening and management. After screening 1352 studies and applying inclusion/exclusion criteria, 11 studies were selected. Data was extracted on study design, population, intervention type, outcomes, and involvement of healthcare professionals. Quality was assessed using the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool (MMAT). Among the 11 included studies, 7 demonstrated mHealth effectiveness in early screening using AI-supported image capture and remote expert consultations. Four studies addressed follow-up care, patient education, and symptom monitoring. Apps like Memosa, Oncogrid, RMA, and HNC Virtual Coach supported real-time data entry and communication. Only 5 studies involved healthcare workers, and none evaluated school health nurses or nutritional assessments, highlighting gaps in integrated care. mHealth applications hold promise for enhancing access to oral cancer screening and follow-up. Their effectiveness is strengthened when integrated into health systems and supported by trained professionals, particularly nurses and community health workers. Future strategies should encompass standardised protocols, nutritional counselling, and school-based initiatives to increase their impact and alignment with SDG 3.
Association between Body Mechanics and Perceived Musculoskeletal Problems among Construction Workers of Udupi District, Karnataka, India: A Cross-sectional Survey Raghavendra Nayak, Janet Alva, V Vinish Indian Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, 2024 Background and Objectives: Construction workers are prone to develop musculoskeletal problems and it is a leading cause for the morbidity due to their work type. This study aimed to assess the body mechanics practice and perceived musculoskeletal problems of construction workers. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted between November 2019 and July 2020 among 390 construction workers at construction sites under selected villages of Udupi District, Karnataka by using by proportionate method. Villages were selected using a simple random sampling method and samples were collected by convenience sampling. Samples were mason helpers between 20 and 50 years of age, without any history of chronic musculoskeletal problems. Tools used were demographic proforma, self-reported body mechanics practice questionnaire, and modified Nordic musculoskeletal questionnaire. Analysis done with descriptive and inferential statistics by using SPSS Version 16.0. Results: Majority 144 (36.9%) of the participants were in the age group between 41 and 50 years. Most 376 (96.4%) of them were men and majority of them 309 (79%) followed fair body mechanics practice and 191 (49%) of the participants had low back problems and were responsible for their activity restrictions. Body mechanic practice of the construction workers was found to be significantly associated with unhealthy practice (P ≤ 0.001) and health problems (P < 0.001). Conclusion: The study concluded that the body mechanic practice of the construction workers was found to be significantly associated with unhealthy practices and health problems. The study recommends that educating construction workers about the importance of following proper body mechanics at the workplace and during day-to-day activities is crucial to prevent musculoskeletal problems and improve quality of life.
Prevalence of road traffic injuries in South East and South Asian region – A systematic review V. Vinish, Jyothi Chakrabarty, Sandeep Vijayan, Baby S. Nayak, Y. N. Shashidhara, Mahesh Kulkarni, Judith A. Noronha Journal of Neurosciences in Rural Practice, 2023 Background: South and South-East Asian countries report a great liability for the world’s road traffic injuries (RTIs) and deaths. A vast number of research studies tested various interventions including specific protective devices to prevent accidents, but no review papers have been conducted to find out the prevalence of RTIs in South-East and South Asian countries. Objective: This review paper was an attempt to find out the prevalence of RTIs and their associated factors in South-East and South Asian countries. Methods: Following the guidelines of Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA), we searched the articles in the electronic databases of PubMed/Medline, Scopus, CINAHL, ProQuest, and Web of Science. Articles were selected if they reported the prevalence of RTI, or road traffic accident (RTA) deaths. In addition, a data quality assessment was done. Results: Out of the 10,818 article hits from the literature search, ten articles found the eligibility and inclusion criteria. Most of the studies reported that males are involved in the RTIs more than females. The male mortality rate is more than the female mortality in RTI mortality. Young adult males are the major victims when compared with the different age groups of male victims. Two-wheelers are the major contributors to the accident rate. Religious or national festivals are not free from accident-prone times. Climatic seasons and nighttime have a major influence on the RTIs. RTIs are increasing due to the sudden and huge increase in the number of motor vehicles and the development of cities and towns. Conclusion: Accidents are non-predictable but controllable disasters in society. Overspeeding, bad conditions on road, the vulnerability of the vehicles, and careless driving are the major reported reasons for RTIs. Making and implementing strict laws can help us to control RTAs. The major effect on the reduction of RTI can be assured only with the presence of responsible people. That can be achieved only by creating awareness in society about traffic rules and responsibilities.
Assessment of knowledge, readiness, and barriers hindering the performance of first aid measures in emergency situations among non-healthcare professionals of selected organizations of Udupi Taluk Julliet Abraham, Janet Alva, V Vinish Journal of Education and Health Promotion, 2023 BACKGROUND: A medical emergency is an unexpected event that poses a threat to one's health and safety. An individual who has received adequate first aid training is prepared to administer first aid promptly and effectively to a person in need until the arrival of medical assistance to prevent future problems that could result in disability or death. This study aims to assess the knowledge, readiness, and barriers to perform first aid measures. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A descriptive survey was used to collect data from 384 non-healthcare professionals of selected organizations of Udupi Taluk with the help of a structured questionnaire from January 21, 2022 to April 13, 2022. The self-structured tool was validated with experts from the subject areas and reliability was obtained by using the Split half method (0.78) for the knowledge questionnaire, readiness scale by using Cronbach's alpha and the reliability coefficient was 0.80, and barrier checklist was accomplished by a test-retest method and reliability coefficient of 0.76. Data was organized, and frequency, percentage, and Chi-square analysis were performed using SPSS 16.0 version (IBM Corporation Business analytics software portfolio). RESULTS: The results revealed that out of 384 samples, 261 (68%) non-healthcare professionals had average first aid knowledge, and 359 (93.4%) of the samples were found to be willing to administer first aid in an emergency. The six hurdles identified to performing first aid were language 365 (95.1%), lack of information 344 (89.6%), lack of training 341 (88.8%), legal concerns 274 (71.4%), fear 230 (59.9%), and lack of confidence 68 (17.7%). CONCLUSION: The first aid knowledge among non-healthcare workers is generally average. Thus, the readiness of the non-healthcare professionals can be enhanced by improving their knowledge and reducing the barriers perceived by the non-healthcare professionals to provide first aid during a medical emergency with the help of first aid training and reading materials.
Rank Order Impediments to First Responder Care on Road Traffic Accident Victims among the Auto Rickshaw Drivers of a Selected District of Karnataka V. Vinish, Jyothi Chakrabarty, Sandeep Vijayan, Shashidhara Y. N., Baby S Nayak, et al. Indian Journal of Forensic Medicine and Pathology, 2023 Background: The mortality rate of road traffi c accidents (RTAs) is high in India. RTAs lead to disability and mortality in young adults in the country. It is a global problem as approximately 1.24 million deaths occur annually worldwide because of RTAs. India lacks an organized system of trauma care to attend to trauma cases immediately at the accident site. The present study attempted to identify the impediments of auto rickshaw drivers to provide fi rst responder care to RTA victims. The study used a quantitative approach with a cross-sectional survey design after institutional ethics clearance. The sample size was 1040, with a confi dence level of 95% on the literature review knowledge score. A convenient sampling method was used for sample selection. A majority (n = 335; 32.2%) of the participants belonged to the age group between 41 and 50 years and were educated up to secondary school (n = 551; 53.0%). A majority of the participants (n = 345; 33.2%) exhibited 16–30 years of driving experience. Among the participants, 602 (57.9%) exhibited experience in administering fi rst aid. Of the total participants, 898 (86.3%) reported that legal issues and inadequate community support and resources were the major barriers to administering fi rst aid, whereas 888 (85.4%) participants reported psychological problems as the major barrier. Additionally, attitude toward fi rst aid was the barrier for 814 (78.3%) of the participants, whereas poor knowledge was the barrier for 589 (56.6%) for providing fi rst aid care. Conclusion: The present study identifi ed the various barriers faced by the participants in providing fi rst responder care to RTA victims and exhibited the signifi cance of providing training to common people which will be contributed to SDG 3 and 4.
First responder’s care package on management of road traffic accident victims of Udupi: Study protocol V. Vinish, Jyothi Chakrabarty, Sandeep Vijayan, Mahesh Kulkarni, Y.N. Shashidhara, Baby S. Nayak, Anice George Journal of Advanced Nursing, 2020 AimTo evaluate the effectiveness of ‘first responder's care package’ on knowledge and skill on the management of road traffic accident (RTA) victims. The outcomes relate to the quality of first responder's care by autorickshaw drivers.MethodsAutorickshaw drivers (N = 1,040) will be assessed to identify the impediments and knowledge to provide the first responder's care to RTA victims following which, 150 autorickshaw drivers will be selected based on a cut‐off knowledge score to train half of them using workshops. Drivers below 55 years and willing to participate will be recruited and drivers with serious health issues, homophobia and who cannot read English or Kannada will be excluded. Randomized controlled trial with repeated measures design will be adopted. Funding for the research is by the Indian Council of Medical Research and it is registered in the Clinical Trial Registry of India.DiscussionRoad traffic accidents are responsible for 85% of the total global mortality and 90% of the ‘Disability Adjusted Life Years’ in the developing countries amounting to an annual loss of $65 billion to $100 billion. India's rate of RTA deaths is high and postcrash care is not addressed efficiently by any agencies in India. Autorickshaw drivers could be ideal candidates for teaching the first responder's care package in India as they are a constant presence on the roads and reach all the main roads and small lanes of the country.ImpactThe research will add to knowledge on quality of first responder's care provided to accident victims. If the intervention is found to be fruitful for the accident victims of the locality, it can be recommended to be implemented all over the state.
Knowledge and attitude of married women towards contraceptives residing in selected slums of Udupi District Sowmya, Ansuya, V Vinish Indian Journal of Public Health Research and Development, 2019 Contraceptive use allows couples to determine and ascertain the desired number of children as well as the spacing of their child births. It has a direct impact on health, wealth and well-being of people. Objectives: To assess the knowledge and attitude towards contraceptives. To find the association between knowledge, attitude and selected demographic variable. To find the relationship between knowledge and attitude towards contraceptives. Methodology: A cross sectional descriptive study was carried out among 323 married women between the age group of 18 – 45 years residing in slums of Udupi district. The Five slums were selected by simple random sampling from Udupi district. Data was collected through interview method by using structured knowledge questionnaire and attitude scale towards contraceptives. Results: The study result shows that majority 192(59.5%) of women had average knowledge, 122 (37.7%) had poor knowledge, only 9(2.7%) of women had good knowledge. Majority 321 (99.4%) of women had positive attitude towards contraceptive use. The number of living children (χ2 =9.205 p=0.008) has significant association with attitude towards contraceptive use. There was weak positive correlation between knowledge and attitude which was statistically significant (ρ=0.256, p=0.001).Conclusion: There is a need to create awareness among women of reproductive age group regarding contraceptive use
