Kerala, one of the federal states of India, is a region known for its high levels of achievements in education, healthcare and social justice despite low per capita income. In line with global trends, in 1998 the government of Kerala formulated an Information Technology (IT) policy. The policy aims at increased application of IT in all walks of life, enhancing the IT industry base, creating a r...

Ambiguity in terms of property rights, displacement and livelihood insecurity, among others has been causes of distress among tribal communities, resulting in tribal unrest, social tensions and conflicts in Kerala and other parts of India. In response, forest policies were implemented with the most recent being the Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers Recognition of Forest Rig...

BACKGROUND Coronary Artery Disease (CAD) is a leading cause of death and disability in Kerala, India. Metabolic syndrome (MS) is a constellation of established risk factors for CAD. We aimed to estimate the prevalence of MS and evaluate the association between MS and CAD using a community-based sample population. METHODS A cross-sectional community based survey was conducted in urban and rura...

Inequality of Educational Opportunity in India: Changes over Time and across States This paper documents the extent of inequality of educational opportunity in India spanning the period 1983-2004 using National Sample Survey (NSS) data. We build on recent developments in the literature that has operationalized concepts in the inequality of opportunity theory (including Roemer’s) and construct t...

AIMS To assess the prevalence of, and correlates of traumatic dental injuries among 12-year-old schoolchildren in Kerala. MATERIAL AND METHODS A cross-sectional, two-stage cluster sampling technique was used. The sample size included 838 12-year-old school children. Traumatic dental injuries to the anterior teeth were evaluated clinically by one examiner. Teeth examined were maxillary and man...

BACKGROUND Data on quit rates among diabetes patients are limited. PURPOSE To find whether positive change in knowledge on smoking-related complications is associated with increased quit rates among diabetes patients. METHODS We randomized 224 male diabetes patients into intervention groups 1 and 2. Both groups received a standard diabetic-specific smoking cessation message from a doctor. I...

BACKGROUND Inadequate public action in vulnerable communities is a major constraint for the health of poor and marginalized groups in low and middle-income countries (LMICs). The south Indian state of Kerala, known for relatively equitable provision of public resources, is no exception to the marginalization of vulnerable communities. In Kerala, women's lives are constrained by gender-based ine...

Aim:-Hospital based study from April 2005 to March 2011 conducted among the population to determine the prevalence of cataract in Thiruvananthapuram district of Kerala state of India. Methodology:-The data’s collected from registers of ophthalmology department of district hospital Regional Institute of Ophthalmology and private hospital in Thiruvananthapuram district to access the gender preval...

Natural phenomena metamorphose as natural disasters only when human society is incognizant. Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) are inherently capable to enable societies by rapidly sensiblising the public. Community Informatics aspect of ICT is yet to be fully harnessed in application intensive domains such as agriculture, disaster preparedness/ mitigation, etc. For such applicati...

BACKGROUND The implementation of maternal health guidelines remains unsatisfactory, even for simple, well established interventions. In settings where most births occur in health facilities, as is the case in Kerala, India, preventing maternal mortality is linked to quality of care improvements. CONTEXT Evidence-informed quality standards (QS), including quality statements and measurable stru...