scholarly journals Reproductive Health and Family Planning Services in Africa: Looking beyond Individual and Household Factors

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alhaji A. Aliyu ◽  
Tukur Dahiru
Keyword(s):  
Reproductive Health ◽  
Grey Literature ◽  
Relative Role ◽  
Utilization Of Services ◽  
Community Influence ◽  
Manual Search ◽  
Government Documents ◽  
Individual Household ◽  
Development Goals ◽  
The Individual

Worldwide, there have been remarkable gains in the provision and utilization of reproductive health and FP services. However, in Africa, despite increasing availability, utilization of these services is less than 50%, even though there are wide variations among and within the countries across the continent. Articles from peer-reviewed journals, technical reports, Internet articles, grey literature (official government documents, technical reports, etc.) and Demographic and Health Survey (DHS) reports were used as resource materials. Manual search of reference list of selected articles was done for further relevant materials. We also used for comparative analysis, the online StatCompiler tool (https://www.statcompiler.com/en/) to extract data. Reproductive health and contraceptives have a lot of benefits to the individual, family and community. However, despite near universal knowledge and availability of reproductive health and FP services in Africa, utilization of these services is less than optimal. Several factors operating at individual, household and within the community influence utilization of services. These factors are the cause of poor maternal health and care that might hinder population health and the attainment of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Interventions to promote and sustain utilization of services should target these factors at different levels depending upon relative role/s of these factors.

scholarly journals The Measurement of Food Insecurity in High-Income Countries: A Scoping Review

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (18) ◽  
pp. 9829
Author(s):  
Elena Carrillo-Álvarez ◽  
Blanca Salinas-Roca ◽  
Lluís Costa-Tutusaus ◽  
Raimon Milà-Villarroel ◽  
Nithya Shankar Krishnan
Keyword(s):  
Food Insecurity ◽  
Scoping Review ◽  
Grey Literature ◽  
High Income ◽  
Methodological Framework ◽  
Household Level ◽  
Individual Household ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Measurement Strategies

The measurement of food insecurity is essential to monitor the prevalence, risk factors, consequences and effects of food insecurity and the interventions and policies implemented to tackle it. Yet, how best to apply it remains an unsettled issue due to the multifaceted and context-dependent nature of food insecurity. We report a scoping review of measures of food insecurity at the individual and household level in high-income countries with the final purpose of facilitating a catalogue of instruments to be used by both researchers and practitioners. The scoping review was conducted following the methodological framework of Arksey and O’Malley and the Joanna Briggs Institute guidelines. We included all types of documents published between 2000–2020 using instruments that estimate food insecurity at both individual and household level in high-income countries, and with respondents including adolescents, adults, and elderly. We identified a total of 23 measurement strategies being used in 33 peer-reviewed publications and 114 documents from the grey literature. Our results show that most measures focus on the access dimension of food insecurity and that further research is required to develop measures that incorporate aspects of quality of dietary intake and relevant individual, household and social conditions related to food insecurity.

Formalizing women entrepreneurs in Kathmandu, Nepal

2018 ◽  
Vol 38 (7-8) ◽  
pp. 526-541 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shova Thapa Karki ◽  
Mirela Xheneti
Keyword(s):  
Informal Economy ◽  
Women Entrepreneurs ◽  
Community Level ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Sustainable Development ◽  
Qualitative Research Design ◽  
Individual Household ◽  
Development Goals ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Entrepreneurial Activities

Purpose Women’s economic empowerment through entrepreneurship is increasingly being recognised as significant to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). However, women entrepreneurship in developing countries is characterised by an overrepresentation in the informal economy and exposure to high levels of gender disparities. The purpose of this paper is to explore whether formalisation of women’s entrepreneurial activities in the informal economy supports SDGs through ensuring empowerment and equality. Design/methodology/approach The research adopts a qualitative research design to explore the empowerment outcomes of the formalisation of women’s entrepreneurial activities in the informal economy of Kathmandu, Nepal. Data were collected through interviews with 30 women entrepreneurs engaged in a mix of formal and informal entrepreneurial activities. Findings By using Mayoux’s (1998) framework of empowerment at the individual, household and community level, the findings show the variation in empowerment outcomes as a result of women’s diverse motivations for engaging in entrepreneurship. Whilst informal entrepreneurial activities improve women’s confidence and life aspirations, they have limited potential in lifting women out of poverty and enable them to significantly challenge gender relations in the society. Formalization does further empower women at the household and community level but this is primarily the case of younger and more educated women. Originality/value The research contributes to the debates on entrepreneurship as “emancipation” and more specifically, on whether formalization contributes to the SDGs by furthering gender equality and empowerment. Formalization policies need to acknowledge the heterogeneity of women entrepreneurs.

THE ROLE OF EDUCATION ON DISASTER PREPAREDNESS CASE STUDY OF 2012 INDIAN OCEAN EARTHQUAKES ON THAILAND’S

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Raya Muttarak ◽  
Wiraporn Pothisiri
Keyword(s):  
Indian Ocean ◽  
Emergency Preparedness ◽  
Disaster Preparedness ◽  
Formal Education ◽  
Disaster Experience ◽  
Individual Household ◽  
The Indian Ocean ◽  
The Individual

In this paper we investigate how well residents of the Andaman coast in Phang Nga province, Thailand, are prepared for earthquakes and tsunami. It is hypothesized that formal education can promote disaster preparedness because education enhances individual cognitive and learning skills, as well as access to information. A survey was conducted of 557 households in the areas that received tsunami warnings following the Indian Ocean earthquakes on 11 April 2012. Interviews were carried out during the period of numerous aftershocks, which put residents in the region on high alert. The respondents were asked what emergency preparedness measures they had taken following the 11 April earthquakes. Using the partial proportional odds model, the paper investigates determinants of personal disaster preparedness measured as the number of preparedness actions taken. Controlling for village effects, we find that formal education, measured at the individual, household, and community levels, has a positive relationship with taking preparedness measures. For the survey group without past disaster experience, the education level of household members is positively related to disaster preparedness. The findings also show that disaster related training is most effective for individuals with high educational attainment. Furthermore, living in a community with a higher proportion of women who have at least a secondary education increases the likelihood of disaster preparedness. In conclusion, we found that formal education can increase disaster preparedness and reduce vulnerability to natural hazards.

scholarly journals Experiences of healthcare workers displaced by conflict: lessons from past conflicts and implications

2020 ◽  
Vol 30 (Supplement_5) ◽  
Author(s):  
U Moqeem ◽  
O Mukhtar ◽  
A Abbara ◽  
S Jabbour ◽  
M Abouzeid
Keyword(s):  
Healthcare Workers ◽  
English Language ◽  
Grey Literature ◽  
Host Countries ◽  
Conflict Zones ◽  
Post Conflict ◽  
Open Coding ◽  
Support Mechanisms ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Systemic Support

Abstract Background Conflicts cause mass displacement, including of healthcare workers (HCWs). Understanding experiences of HCWs over the displacement trajectory, from push factors out of conflict zones, to barriers and facilitators in transit and host countries, is key to developing support mechanisms and informing policy discussions regarding return and reintegration. Methodology We systematically reviewed 6 academic databases and grey literature using combined search terms for HCWs, displacement, conflict, and experiences to identify English-language literature documenting personal or professional experiences of HCWs displaced by conflict, published between 1945 to 2020. Open coding and thematic analysis were used to identify emerging themes. Quality appraisal was conducted. Results 25 publications from academic journals, snowballed references, and grey literature from 10 geographical contexts and various types of HCW met inclusion criteria, many from conflicts in the Middle-East. 5 themes emerged: Conflict drives displacement: HCWs fled due to direct violence and deteriorating working conditions caused by increased workload, depleting resources, workforce attrition and attacks on healthcare. Giving back: Refugee HCWs were determined to continue working but had to do so informally or by working with humanitarian agencies. Personal and professional integration in host countries: refugee HCWs overcame barriers to relicense after which they reported disadvantage in job applications due to professional gaps and discrimination; many ended up working under-qualified jobs. Psychological toll on HCWs was pronounced. Prospects on return: HCWs desired to return to their home countries but feared political instability and violence. Conclusions Policies which support HCW retention during conflict, integration into host health systems, and encourage return post-conflict must be implemented. Further research is required to understand the individual and systemic support mechanisms required. Key messages Displaced HCWs experience many personal and professional challenges. Policies that support HCWs across the displacement trajectory and support return and post-conflict system rebuilding are required.

Scientific and Methodological Approaches to Creating a System of Pedagogical Diagnostics of the Level of Training and Development of Primary School Graduates

2021 ◽  
pp. 10-14
Author(s):  
Marina Kuznetsova ◽  
Natalya Vinogradova
Keyword(s):  
General Education ◽  
Training And Development ◽  
Federal State ◽  
Educational Standard ◽  
Initial Stage ◽  
Development Goals ◽  
Methodological Approaches ◽  
Level Of Training ◽  
The Individual ◽  
State Educational

The article discusses the problem of obtaining reliable information about the level of educational achievements of junior schoolchildren during their transition to the next stage of school education. The implementation of the development goals of students at the initial stage of schooling, set by the Federal State Educational Standard of Primary General Education, requires pedagogical diagnostics, which makes it possible to establish the cause of the difficulties that children have in the course of studying various subjects. This ensures the timely intervention of the teacher in the learning process to provide each younger student with pedagogical assistance and support, which makes it possible to eliminate the individual difficulties that arise in him.

Where Is Disability in Global Public Health?

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gloria Krahn
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Sustainable Development Goals ◽  
Global South ◽  
Global Public Health ◽  
Persons With Disabilities ◽  
The Sustainable Development ◽  
Models Of Disability ◽  
Development Goals ◽  
The Individual

Accounting for about 15% of the world’s population, persons with disabilities constitute a critical population. Despite a substantial knowledge base in disability and public health, persons with disabilities have been remarkably invisible within general global public health. Public health’s view of disability is shifting from regarding disability only as an outcome to prevent, to using disability as a demographic characteristic that identifies a population experiencing a range of inequities. Alternative models of disability reflect how disability has been viewed over time. These models vary in their underlying values and assumptions, whether the locus of disability is the individual or the environment or their interaction, who designates “disability,” and the focus of intervention outcomes. The United Nations flagship report on Disability and Sustainable Development Goals, 2018 documents that, as a group, the lives of persons with disabilities are marked by large disparities in Sustainable Development Goal indicators. These include increased likelihood of experiencing poverty, hunger, poor health, and unemployment, and greater likelihood of encountering barriers to education and literacy, clean water and sanitation, energy, and information technology. Overall, persons with disabilities experience greater inequalities, and this is particularly experienced by women and girls with disabilities. The COVID-19 pandemic and other disasters have highlighted the gaps in equality and consequent vulnerability of this population. Global disability data have improved dramatically during the decade from 2010 to 2020 with the advent of standardized disability question sets (Washington Group) and model surveys (Model Disability Survey). New studies from the Global South and North identify areas and strategies for interventions that can effectively advance the Sustainable Development Goals. This call-to-action outlines strategies for increasing visibility and improving wellbeing of persons with disabilities, particularly in the Global South. Increased visibility of the disability population within the global public health community can be achieved through active engagement of persons with disabilities. Improved collection of disability data and routine analysis by disability status can provide information vital to planning and policies. A twin-track approach can provide direction for interventions—inclusion in mainstream programs where possible, use of disability-specific and rehabilitation approaches where necessary. The article ends by outlining ways that multiple roles can increase the inclusion of persons with disabilities in global public health.

scholarly journals The Role of Faith Systems and Religions in the Future of Sustainable Development: An Islamic Outlook

2019 ◽  
Vol 12 (5) ◽  
pp. 23
Author(s):  
Mamdouh M. A. Sobaihi
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Belief Systems ◽  
Distant Future ◽  
The Sustainable Development ◽  
Religious Networks ◽  
Development Plans ◽  
Development Goals ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Shed Light

Reference material concerning sustainable development has increased dramatically over the last decades, with more and more countries, agencies and businesses following the sustainable development ideals and principles. However, one of the most basic of human institutions has not contributed, and perhaps not allowed to contribute, to the debate. Religion and faith systems have a great potential in influencing not only the definitions of sustainable development but also concepts of human sustainable practices to achieve sustainable development goals. The main obstacle to the fulfillment of this potential appears to be the lack of outreach and acceptance of the scientific community to the religious and faith system institutions and individuals. In this paper, a review of the literature is carried out to shed light on the root of this schism between science and belief systems. In addition, the paper will highlight how the majority of the literature deals with process rather than the individual human being and how to make him/her a better practitioner of sustainability. It is also aimed that the paper shed some light on how religious and faith system ideals can be incorporated into sustainable development plans and systems. The main focus of the paper is to cast light on the religion of Islam and some of the Islamic teachings and Ideals and how they can be incorporated in delivering the message of sustainable development since the religion of Islam is forecast to be the largest faith on the planet in the not too distant future. In conclusion, a discussion on how the various religious networks can deliver the message of sustainability will be discussed.

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