The national context: IndiaIndia is the world's second most populous country, with a population of over 1.3 billion people, and the world's third largest economy after the US and China. Agriculture is the main source of livelihoods in India, particularly for rural households. The average life expectancy is 68.6 years and almost 70% of the population is estimated to be literate. Approximately two-thirds of the Indian population lives in poverty, with less than $2 a day. More than 22 languages and 425 dialects are spoken in India, reflecting the country's diversity.
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Photo taken in Tamil Nadu, India
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Catchment area for INTREPID II in India
The catchment site in India comprises of 4 adjoining taluks (administrative sub-districts) in the district of Kanchipuram of Tamil Nadu state in Southern India. The site lies about 50 km from the state capital of Chennai (formerly Madras) and extends for about 50 km end-to-end. The catchment area is comprised of 16 towns and 448 villages with a population of about 1 million individuals, with more than 60% of the population being between the ages of 18 and 64 years (the age group of interest for INTREPID II).
No. of towns and villages in the taluks comprising the catchment area:
Taluk |
Towns |
Villages |
Chengelpettu |
11 |
90 |
Thiruporur |
1 |
55 |
Uthiramerur |
1 |
114 |
Maduranthakam |
3 |
188 |
Total |
16 |
448 |
Total population and population at risk in the catchment area in India:
Taluk |
Total Population* |
Population at Risk (18-64 yrs)** |
Chengalpattu & Thiruporur |
571,254 |
342,752 |
Uthiramerur |
145,376 |
87,225 |
Maduranthakam |
272,669 |
169,054 |
Total |
989,299 |
599,031 |
*2011 census provisional data
**calculated as 62% of the population based on district figures
**calculated as 62% of the population based on district figures
Hear from the principal investigator of the project in India...
We asked Dr Rangaswamy Thara, Principal Investigator of INTREPID II (India), for her thoughts on (a) the most important research question that INTREPID II is investigating, (b) key challenges in doing this type of research in her setting, (c) how the INTREPID I pilot study informed her current work, (d) what services exist for psychosis in this site, and (e) how the INTREPID II evidence can help to improve the lives of people living with psychosis.