Influence of socio-economic status and environmental factors on serologically diagnosed Japanese encephalitis cases in the state of West Bengal, India during 2005-2010

Objectives: The main aim of the current study is to examine the influence of socio-economic status and environmental factors on serologically diagnosed Japanese encephalitis cases in the state of West Bengal, India during 2005-2010. Materials and methods: A total of 648 blood/CSF specimens were collected and/or referred from the suspected AES cases, admitted in the different medical colleges and hospitals of the state during the year of 2005-2010. These specimens were subjected to JE Mac ELISA to determine the actual JE case amongst these AES. The association of the socio-economic status and environmental factors with the serologically diagnosed JE positive cases was studied by a statistical analysis through Normal Deviate test or Z test. Result: Out of 648 specimens, only 175 (27.0%) specimens were reactive to JE IgM antibody, of which 60.0% were from the male individuals and 40.0% from the female population. Major cases were observed in the age group of 0 - 10 years;followed by 11 - 20 years. Regarding literacy, only 58.3% cases had no education and 41.7% were from the literate with varying level of education, i.e., from primary level to post gra- duate level. A total of 65.7% cases were from low income group where as only 34.3% cases were from high income group. Regarding house type, 62.3% cases lived in mud house and 37.7% cases lived in the brick house. In most of the cases (74.3%), persons were living in close proximity to rice fields/lakes/ponds. 69.7% cases were found to occur in the monsoon and post-monsoon period whereas 30.3% cases were reported in the pre-monsoon period. Conclusion: Our study concludes that socio-economic status and environmental conditions were statistically significant contextual risk factors for serologically diagnosed JE incidences in West Bengal where JE is proved to be endemic in nature and such study constitutes a new report of this kind in the region.

Socio-economic status and lifestyle factors are associated with achalasia risk: A population-based case-control study

AIM: To evaluate the association between various lifestyle factors and achalasia risk.METHODS: A population-based case-control study was conducted in Northern Ireland, including n = 151 achalasia cases and n = 117 age- and sexmatched controls. Lifestyle factors were assessed via a face-to-face structured interview. The association between achalasia and lifestyle factors was assessed by unconditional logistic regression, to produce odds ratios(OR) and 95% confidence interval(CI).RESULTS: Individuals who had low-class occupations were at the highest risk of achalasia(OR = 1.88, 95%CI: 1.02-3.45), inferring that high-class occupation holders have a reduced risk of achalasia. A history of foreign travel, a lifestyle factor linked to upper socioeconomic class, was also associated with a reduced risk of achalasia(OR = 0.59, 95%CI: 0.35-0.99). Smoking and alcohol consumption carried significantly reduced risks of achalasia, even after adjustment for socio-economic status. The presence of pets in the house was associated with a two-fold increased risk of achalasia(OR = 2.00, 95%CI: 1.17-3.42). Nochildhood household factors were associated with achalasia risk.CONCLUSION: Achalasia is a disease of inequality, and individuals from low socio-economic backgrounds are at highest risk. This does not appear to be due to corresponding alcohol and smoking behaviours. An observed positive association between pet ownership and achalasia risk suggests an interaction between endotoxin and viral infection exposure in achalasia aetiology.

Socio-Economic Status and Gender as Determinant of Dietary Practices of Secondary School Students’by Exposure to Pictorial Nutrition Education for Sustainability

Objectives:The study examined socio-economic status and gender as determinant of dietary practices of senior secondary school students in Edo South Senatorial district for healthy living and sustainability.Methodology:Quasi experimental research design was employed in the study.Three research questions were raised and formulated into hypotheses,tested at 0.05 level of significance.A multistage random sampling technique was used to sample 245 students from two public schools in Oredo local government areas within Edo south senatorial district.Two(2)instruments(questionnaire and achievement test)validated and reliability of 0.64 and 0.84 reliability co-efficient were obtained.The demographic data/SES,dietary practices(DDPSESQ)was used to obtain information on their dietary practices and socio-economic status,while the pictorial nutrition achievement test(PNAT)consisted of the pre-and post-test.The treatment package comprised planned lessons of 40 minutes each for six(6)weeks.The data collected were analyzed using inferential statistics;hypotheses 1 and 2 were tested using the independent t-test while hypothesis 3 was tested using One-Way ANOVA statistics.Findings:The study revealed that there is no significant difference in dietary practices of students of high,medium and low socio-economic status as a result of exposure to pictorial nutrition education.There was no significant difference in dietary practices by gender.The study concluded that socio-economic status does not determine dietary practices of secondary school students for responsible living.

Research of the Socio-economic Development in Dalian Chengshantou Nature Reserve

For the purpose of accommodating the relationship between the protection of nature reserve and the development of local society and economy,this paper,taking Dalian Chengshantou Nature Reserve as a study area and PRA as a main research method,investigated and analyzed the status of social and economical development and the existing problems in the study area. The result shows that: the contradictory between the protection of nature reserve and the local development of social and economical activities are still prominent,and the principle of " integration of protection and reasonable development" proposed by the general plan of nature reserve has not reached the expected result.Therefore,further efforts should be made firstly to accommodating relationship between the protection of nature reserve and the local development activities,secondly to accelerating the development of eco-tourism and the relevant service industries in accordance with the local practical situations,and finally to promoting the sustainable development of both the protection of nature reserve and the local society and economy.

Improvement in Socio-Economic Productivity of HIV Positive Individuals on Antiretroviral Treatment in a Private Setting in South India

PLHIV have decreased economic productivity both due to direct and indirect causes. Data from developed countries have shown that at the societal level, high costs ART are offset by increased productivity. We hypothesized that post-ART the SES would improve regardless of the baseline SES and will be sustained over time. Our objective was to perform a comprehensive SES evaluation pre/post ART initiation using an ambispective cohort study design. We used Indian household-specific SES validated tool, with score of 76 being affluent, along with clinical, ART adherence data at median of 6 and 18 months post ART, and compared using paired t-tests. Among 140 persons started on ART, with a median follow up of 22 months, 118 had Pre-ART SES data, of these: 57% were women;median age was 38 years;67% were married;89 (78%) had heterosexual sex as HIV risk;40 (34%) had major OI and/or TB at presentation. Reported self-occupation was: skilled labourers 41 (35%);12 (10%) unskilled labourers;27 (23%) housewives;26 (22%) pro-fessionals/blue collar job;1 student, 10 unemployed. The median pre-post ART CD4 cell counts were: 187 and 454 cells/cumm (P < 0.01);median body weight pre-post ART was 54 and 57 kg (P < 0.01);97% of the participants were 100% adherent. The mean Pre-ART total SES score was 37.06 (+/-10.2);and Post-ART SES score 40.62 (+10.1 P < 0.001) and these results were sustained over time and remained significant even when only monthly income was considered. Our data show a significant impact of ART on SES in a sustained manner in a developing world setting, which has policy level implications.

Determinants of inequality in health care seeking for childhood illnesses:insights from Nairobi informal settlements

Background:An in-depth understanding of patterns of inequities in healthcare seeking among the urban residents is critical in identifying appropriate interventions strategies.The study evaluates determinants of inequality in health care seeking for childhood illnesses among informal settlement residents in Nairobi,Kenya.Methods:Data from the second Nairobi Cross-Sectional Slum Survey(NCSS 2012)was examined.The inequality in seeking health care for childhood diarrhea as the prototype illness was assessed using concentration index(CI).The wealth index based on the household possessions and amenities was used as a measure for socioeconomic status.Results:A total of 2027 qualified women were included in this study.About 16.6% of children born of younger mothers aged<20 years had diarrhea and a similar proportion of children(16.3%)was observed among mothers who were unemployed.The CI of-0.026 on health care seeking for diarrhea among children points to significant inequality among the urban poor(95% confidence interval:-0.028 to-0.023).Conclusion:Occupation of parents,age of mothers,ethnicity,marital status and children's age were major deter-minants with regard to disease outcome and to a broader extent inequality in health care seeking for childhood illnesses.Enhanced bottom top community health invigoration strategies in health information awareness and services access would be instrumental.

Health-related fitness knowledge growth in middle school years:Individual-and school-level correlates

Background:Health-related fitness knowledge(HRFK)has been an essential concept for many health and physical education programs.There has been limited understanding and longitudinal investigation on HRFK growth.This longitudinal study examined HRFK growth and its individual-and school-level correlates in middle school years under 1 curriculum condition:Five for Life.Methods:Participants were 12,044 students from 47 middle schools.Data were collected at both individual/participant and school/institution levels.Individual-level variables included gender,grade,and HRFK test scores.School-level variables included percentage of students receiving free and reduced meals(FARM),student-to-faculty ratio for physical education,and school academic performance(SAP).We used hierarchical linear modeling to examine HRFK 3-year growth in relation to individual-and school-level correlates.Results:The average HRFK score at 6th grade for females was 42.81%±1.32%.The predicted HRFK growth was 17.06%±1.02%per year,holding other factors constant.A 1-standard deviation increase in FARM correlated with a 14.68%-point decrease in predicted test score(p=0.02).A 1-standard deviation increase in SAP was associated with an 11.90%-point increase in HRFK score.Males had a significantly lower growth rate than females during the middle school years(0.78%/year,p=0.02).Conclusion:The result showed that both individual-and school-level variables such as gender,FARM,and SAP influenced HRFK growth.Educators should heed gender differences in growth curves and recognize the correlates of school-level variables.

Analytical measurement method for situation elements' dynamic characteristics

This paper gives an analysis of the dynamic characteristics of situation elements(SEs) in situation awareness(SA)research. The purpose of the discussion is to understand the factors that influence SA and to help in designing the training systems to improve operators’ SA. The status function of SEs is defined and the derivative of the function represents trends of the status of SEs at each moment. Then, Fourier transform(FT) is used to give the frequency-domain function in terms of the time-domain status function. In frequency domain, the bandwidth of the status function is used as a criterion to characterize the notion of "fast" and"slow" of the change of SE’s status, which represents the dynamic characteristic of SEs. The criterion constitutes the first analytical measurement of the dynamic characteristic of SEs, which is one of the important factors that influence the SA process.

Non-Random Distribution of Human Orofacial Clefts in Ghana: Gene-Environment Interactions

Human orofacial clefts (OFCs) are congenital anomalies that result from the breakdown of normal mechanisms that regulate the formation of the human face. They could be syndromic or non-syndromic, with a global incidence of 1:700 per live births. Environmental and genetic factors are thought to play various roles in the aetiology of OFCs. This study seeks to establish the diversity, distribution and pattern of inheritance of OFCs as well as environmental and other risk factors associated with OFCs in a Ghanaian population. A family-based, descriptive cross-sectional study that employed an interview-based survey questionnaire was used to obtain information from 467 families with history of OFCs. We employed chi-square statistics to analyse the data and used graphs to interpret the data. All previously reported subphenotypes of OFCs were observed by the present study. Clinically, about 12% of clefts in the study population were syndromic. The most common syndromic forms observed were Pierre Robin Sequence, cleft-with-club foot abnormalities and Van der Woude Syndrome. Only about 5% of clefts in the study cohort were familial. The study also established that lower level of education of parents, poverty, late antenatal care and dietary folate deficiency are major environmental factors associated with clefts in the Ghanaian population. In conclusion, OFCs are non-randomly distributed in Ghana and folate deficiency could likely be a source of genetic mutations and “epimutations” that cause OFCs, since folate is essential for DNA methylation, replication and repair as well as histone modification.

Investigation of Relationship between Sociodemographic Factors and HIV Counseling and Testing (HCT) among Young People in Nigeria

The main purpose of this study was to examine the association between sociodemographic factors (gender, place of residence, level of education, geopolitical zone, and socioeconomic status) and HCT uptake among young people in Nigeria. The study is a quantitative research guided by one research question and one hypothesis. The target population comprised young people in Nigeria ages 15 to 24 years because the focus of this study was to identify the factors affecting HCT uptake among young people in this age cohort. The representative sample was obtained from the updated master sample frame of rural and urban zones developed by the National Population Commission in Nigeria. This master sample frame was a national survey that comprises all 36 states in Nigeria. Probability sampling technique was used to obtain a sample of 10,091 respondents (ages 15 to 24 years) for the study. The multistage cluster sampling was used to select suitable young people with known probability. Data were collected throughout Nigeria between September and December 2012 from 32,543 households (rural = 22,192;urban = 10,351) using structured and semi-structured questionnaires. The individual questionnaires asked about household characteristics, background characteristics of the respondents. Data were analyzed by inputting them into SPSS v21.0 for analysis and then coded them for each participant. The data were summed using descriptive statistics. Frequencies and percentages;measures of central tendencies were used to answer the research question while nonparametric test such as chi-square was used to analyze non-normally distributed data at 0.5 level of significance. Results of data analysis indicated that the sociodemographic variables of gender, place of residence, level of education, geopolitical zone, and SES were significantly associated with HCT uptake. Among others, it was recommended that examining the efficacy of HCT treatments in Nigeria, along with conducting a demographic analysis of the at-risk population, could be beneficial in informing the authorities who are responsible for allocating finite medical resources.

Availability and social determinants of community health management service for patients with chronic diseases:An empirical analysis on elderly hypertensive and diabetic patients in an eastern metropolis of China

Objective:This study aimed to determine the availability of community health management services and the relevant social determinants for elderly patients with chronic diseases.Methods:All data were obtained from the 2013 random sampling household survey on an elderly population conducted by the School of Public Health of Peking University in an eastern metropolis in China.Information from the database of the above survey involving 1495 hypertensive or diabetic patients>60 years of age,as representatives of the city,were included.The study described the availability of follow-up services by community doctors among elderly hypertensive and diabetic patients during the 12 months before the survey.An ordinal multinomial logistic regression model was used to conduct the analysis on the influence of socio-economic background upon such availability.Results:Eighty-one percent of hypertensive patients and 84.7%of diabetic patients had not received any follow-up service from community doctors within 12 months prior to the survey.Among elderly hypertensive patients,those registered as non-agricultural household members,those with high and above-average income,as well as management personnel of government agencies,enterprises,and social programs have a greater chance of accepting follow-up service by community doctors because of their relatively higher socio-economic rankings.Among elderly diabetic patients,such socio-economic factors had no significant influence on the availability of the follow-up service for chronic diseases.Conclusion:The coverage of community health management services for elderly hypertensive and diabetic patients needs improvement.More effort should focus on promoting the availability of community health management services for elderly hypertensive patients,especially those with lower socio-economic status.

Diverging destinies:changing trends of induced abortion in China

In the era of the second demographic transition,“diverging destinies”theory states that women with the most economic opportunities often obtain gains while women with the least economic opportunities suffer from losses.Using nationally represent-ative data from the 2017 China Fertility Survey,we attempted to examine if diverg-ing destinies theory can explain differences in the incidence of induced abortion among women with differing economic opportunities.We found that women with good economic opportunities(i.e.,well-educated and holding urban hukou)were more likely to have induced abortions between 1980 and 2010 and less likely to do so between 2015 and 2017.Moreover,younger cohorts were far more likely to have induced abortions at a younger age and before marriage.These findings provide sup-portive evidence for diverging destinies in induced abortion scenarios in China.We thus advocate that sexual and reproductive health policy making shows an overarch-ing concern for the interests of disadvantaged groups.

A Data Collection on Secondary School Students’STEM Performance and Reading Practices in an Emerging Country

Science,technology,engineering,and mathematics(STEM)education has become a critical factor in promoting sustainable development.Meanwhile,book reading is still an essential method for cognitive development and knowledge acquisition.In developing countries where STEM teaching and learning resources are limited,book reading is an important educational tool to promote STEM.Nevertheless,public data sets about STEM education and book reading behaviors in emerging countries are scarce.This article,therefore,aims to present a data set of 4,966 secondary school students from a school-based data collection in Vietnam.The data set comprises of five major categories:1)students’personal information(including STEM performance),2)family-related information,3)book reading preferences,4)book reading frequency/habits,and 5)classroom activities.By introducing the designing principles,the data collection method,and the variables in the data set,we aim to provide researchers,policymakers,and educators with well-validated resources and guidelines to conduct low-cost research,pedagogical programs in emerging countries.