Music-based therapeutic interventions can help improve mood

New Delhi, August 22, 2018 :

Music in depression

Music-based therapeutic interventions can help improve mood — depression and perhaps also anxiety and emotional well-being overall, including quality of life — and they can also improve behavioral problems overall, but not in particular agitation or aggression (Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, July 23).

NEET results show more students opting for non-clinical courses

NEET results over the years have shown more students are opting for non-clinical courses in medical and dental colleges. Sudhansh Pant, joint secretary, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, said this during a conference on the “role of biomedical scientists in New India” organised by the National M.Sc Teachers’ Association (NMMTA), a representative body of non-medical teachers in non-clinical departments of medical and dental colleges in India (TOI – PTI, August 21, 2018).

Tobacco quit-line on packs from 1st September

The Union Health and Family Welfare Ministry has issued a notification to print ‘QuitLine’ number on tobacco packets. The notification has been issued on April 03. Along with the Quit line – a helpline number to quit smoking, the government has asked the tobacco manufactures to put two set of pictorial warnings on the tobacco products as well

The Health Ministry has amended the ‘Cigarettes and other Tobacco Products (Packaging and Labelling) Rules, 2008’
During the rotation period, there shall be two images of specified health warning which shall appear consecutively on the package with an interregnum period of twelve months.
‘Tobacco causes cancer’ and the word ‘Tobacco causes painful death’ shall appear in white font colour on a red background
The helpline number reading – ‘Quit today call 1800-11-2356’ shall appear in white font colour on a black background

Global Adult Tobacco Survey (GATS 2) findings

Prevalence of tobacco use has reduced by six percentage points.
The number of tobacco users has reduced by about 81 lakhs.
28.6% of adults aged between 15 and above (26.7 crore) use tobacco in any form.
19.9 crore adults in rural areas and 6.8 crore adults in urban areas use tobacco.
Every fifth adult (19.9 crore) uses smokeless tobacco and every tenth adult (10.0 crore) uses smokeless tobacco.
3.2 crore adults resort to dual use of tobacco.
19.0% of men, 2.0% of women and 10.7% (99.5 million) of all adults currently smoke tobacco.
29.6% of men, 12.8% of women and 21.4% (199.4 million) of all adults currently use smokeless tobacco.
42.4% of men, 14.2% of women and 28.6% (266.8 million) of all adults currently use tobacco (smoked and/or smokeless tobacco).
55.4% of current smokers are planning or thinking of quitting smoking and 49.6% of current smokeless tobacco users are planning or thinking of quitting smokeless tobacco use.
48.8% of current smokers were advised by health care provider to quit smoking and 31.7% of current smokeless tobacco users were advised by healthcare provider to quit use of smokeless tobacco.