2-MARK ANSWERS - COMMUNITY MEDICINE

(K Park, 28th Edition)

1. EMPORIATRICS

• Crowding, long hours of waiting, disruption of eating habits, change in climate and time zone
• These factors provoke nausea, indigestion, extreme fatigue and insomnia

1. Exposure to diseases not covered by International Health Regulations (IHR) - e.g., malaria, dengue, typhoid, viral hepatitis, STD/AIDS
2. Poor hygiene by food handlers, poor water quality, improper disposal of wastes
3. Separation from familiar and accessible sources of medical care

Key point: International travellers have a personal responsibility to recognize these risks, which can be minimized by immunization and chemoprophylaxis.

2. PRENATAL GENETIC SCREENING

• Down syndrome (Trisomy 21)
• Edward syndrome (Trisomy 18), Patau syndrome (Trisomy 13)
• Neural tube defects (detected by elevated AFP)

Key distinction: Screening gives risk estimation, NOT diagnosis. Confirmatory diagnosis requires amniocentesis or chorionic villus sampling (CVS).

3. BYSSINOSIS

• Chronic cough and progressive dyspnoea
• Ultimately leads to chronic bronchitis and emphysema
• Characteristic feature: "Monday morning tightness" - symptoms worse on the first day of the work week after a rest period

• India has a large textile industry employing nearly 35% of all factory workers
• Incidence of byssinosis is reported to be 7 to 8 per cent in three independent surveys carried out in Mumbai, Ahmedabad and Delhi

• Dust control measures in textile mills
• Use of personal protective equipment (PPE)
• Regular medical examination of workers

Key note: Byssinosis is a notifiable and compensatable occupational disease under Indian labour laws.

4. GANTT CHARTS

• Vertical axis (Y-axis): Lists the tasks or activities to be performed
• Horizontal axis (X-axis): Represents time (weeks/months)
• Horizontal bars: Width of each bar indicates the duration of each activity

1. Planning and scheduling health programmes and projects
2. Monitoring progress of ongoing health activities
3. Coordinating multiple activities carried out simultaneously
4. Communicating the project plan to all stakeholders
5. Identifying activities that can be done in parallel or in sequence

• Simple to construct and easy to understand
• Provides a clear visual overview of the entire project timeline
• Helps in identification of delays and corrective action

Named after: Henry Gantt (American engineer, ~1910), who designed and popularized it. It is one of the most widely used tools in health programme management.

5. FOOD PYRAMID

"Each of these food groups provides some, but not all, of the nutrients required. Foods in one group can't replace those in another. No one of these major food groups is more important than another - for good health, one needs them all." - K Park, 28th Ed

• Promotes the concept of a balanced diet
• Emphasizes variety in food consumption
• Encourages eating more of foods at the base (grains) and less of foods at the tip (fats/sweets)
• Acts as a practical guide for nutrition education at the community level

Exam Tip: All answers sourced from Park's Textbook of Preventive and Social Medicine, 28th Edition. In your answer sheet, underline/highlight the definition, key terms (bold above), and any statistics (e.g., 7-8% incidence of byssinosis, 35% factory workers) to draw the examiner's attention to high-yield content.