Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Making Cities Mental Health Friendly For Adolescents And Young Adults, Pamela Y. Collins, Moitreyee Sinha, Tessa Concepcion, George Patton, Thaisa Way, Layla Mccay, Augustina Mensa-Kwao, Helen Herrman, Evelyne De Leeuw, Lukoye Atwoli

Brain and Mind Institute

Urban life shapes the mental health of city dwellers, and although cities provide access to health, education and economic gain, urban environments are often detrimental to mental health1,2. Increasing urbanization over the next three decades will be accompanied by a growing population of children and adolescents living in cities3. Shaping the aspects of urban life that influence youth mental health could have an enormous impact on adolescent well-being and adult trajectories4. We invited a multidisciplinary, global group of researchers, practitioners, advocates and young people to complete sequential surveys to identify and prioritize the characteristics of a mental health-friendly city for …

Illuminating The Dark Side-Vitamin D Status In Different Localities Of Karachi, Romaina Iqbal, Lena Jafri, Ali Haroon, Aysha Habib Khan

Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine

Abstract

This study was conducted to determine the association between place of residence (grouped into neighbourhoods), and 25-hydroxy D (25[OH]D) levels of individuals of Karachi. Addresses of 4788 individuals tested for 25[OH]D at the clinical laboratory of the Aga Khan University (AKU), Karachi, from January 2007 to June 2008 were reviewed. The neighbourhoods were categorized into ten, based on locality attributes. A high overall prevalence (74%) of vitamin D deficiency (VDD) was observed. There was a significant difference (p-value < 0.01) between mean log 25[OH]D levels amongst neighbourhoods grouped according to distinct housing structure attributes and localities. A high frequency of VDD in all the studied localities of an urban city warrant dietary vitamin D supplementation and food fortification.

The Health Seeking Behaviour Of Elderly Population In A Poor-Urban Community Of Karachi, Pakistan, Abdullah Ladha, Romaisa Shamim Khan, Awais Amjad Malik, Sana Farooq Khan, Beenish Khan, Irum Nawaz Khan, Samiullah, Waleed Tallat Kayani, Sarah Saleem

Community Health Sciences

OBJECTIVES: To presents socio-demographic characteristics and health seeking behaviour of elderly and to determine frequency of Diabetes Mellitus and Hypertension in elderly population of a poor peri-urban community in Karachi, Pakistan.

METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted, targeting population aged 65 or above. A total of 438 respondents were interviewed after taking informed consent, between November 2005 and December 2005. Frequencies and Chi square values were calculated for different variables using SPSS 13.0.

RESULTS: Total population surveyed comprised of 438 elderly, 158 (36%) women and 280 (63.9%) men. Mean age for the population was 71.44 +/- 7.74. A total of …