Women’s Experiences with Gender Violence and the Mental Health Impact: Qualitative Findings

The purpose of this study was to describe women’s experiences with gender violence and the impact on mental health. The research was a qualitative observational study. Participants were n = 72 women clients of (02) Primary Health Centers at the University of Carabobo-Venezuela. The technique to gather the information was focus group discussion (FGD). The interpretation of data was an analytical process based on Mayring’s approach. The principal findings showed that, women clients of primary health centers experienced different levels of violence in everyday life. Physical violence was the most frequent abuse reported by victims. Death threats were the most frequent conduct used by the partners in terms of psychological violence. Women expressed being under the control of a dominant partner without physical aggression or threats, but they felt a lack of autonomy. Additionally, women who experienced different levels of abuse specified some symptoms that could suggest an impact on mental health. In conclusion, women naturalized dominance and control because they understood this kind of abuse as normal behavior between relationship partners.

Ethnobotanical Studies on the Use of Medicinal Plants among Forest Fringe Communities around the Kasewe Forest in Moyamba District, Southern Sierra Leone

Forests are home to many flora and fauna species. Forest flora have been very important to man and sustainability of forest ecosystem. Forest flora provides provisional, regulatory, protective and cultural services. These services have been the foundation of civilization and development. Local communities depend on these natural resources for livelihood generation and cultural services. Local communities have been using medicinal plants to cure different ailments. In this study, an ethnobotanical survey was conducted to document medicinal plants diversity and use in forest fringe communities. The study adopted a method used by Martin in 1995 on Ethnobotanical reviews of medicinal plants. Ethnobotanical information was gathered through structured questionnaires administered to 57 inhabitants constituting key informants, community leaders, and household heads who are believed to have vast indigenous knowledge of medicinal plants. The snowball technique was used to identify respondents in communities around the Kasewe forest. For the diversity of medicinal plants use and associated indigenous knowledge, a plot of size 25 m × 25 m was demarcated with a linear tape and ranging poles in the different habitat types in the study area. Sampling was stratified based on the size of habitat types. A total of 10 sample plots comprising of 4 plots in the closed forest;3 plots in disturbed areas, 2 plots in farmland, and 1 plot in the grassland were studied. A total of 3377 individual plant stems were documented comprising of 84 individual species belonging to 53 families and 78 genera. Of the 84 individual plant species, 42 were medicinal. The most dominant family was Malvaceae. Tree species were the most dominant life form representing 32.14% followed by shrubs 30.5, herbs 26.8% and climbers 10%. Majority of the plant species are of little conservation concern and few have been categorized as endangered and vulnerable that need special conservation attention. Species with the highest density was Chromolaena odorata 110 m2, while Xylopia quintais 0.1 m2 had the least density per hector. The Shannon-wiener index recorded 1.236 as the highest in plot 3 while plot 10 in the grassland was considered as the lowest with 0.757. The finding revealed that 92.98% of respondents around the Kasewe forest in the Moyamba district used medicinal plants to treat therapeutic ailments. At the same time, a very limited proportion depends on other medication sources to treat therapeutic ailments. 98.25% of the respondents, mostly older people, know medicinal plants to treat therapeutic ailments. All parts of the plant were indicated to be used for treatment of different ailments. However, the root (43.8%), bark (36.8%) and leaves (35%) are the most common plant parts used to treat different therapeutic ailments. 96.49% of the respondents have knowledge on administering prepared herbal medicine.

Six-year trends and intersectional correlates of meeting 24-Hour Movement Guidelines among South Korean adolescents:Korea Youth Risk Behavior Surveys,2013-2018

Background:Grounded in intersectionality theory,this study examined the 6-year prevalence trend and correlates in meeting Canada’s 24-Hour Movement Guidelines(Guidelines hereafter)in a nationally representative adolescent samples of South Korea(officially the Republic of Korea).Methods:Self-reported,annually repeated cross-sectional data collected between 2013 and 2018 were used(n=372,433,12-17 years old,47.9%females).Adolescents were categorized as meeting or not meeting different sets of physical activity,screen time(ST),and sleep recommendations within the Guidelines,separately for weekdays and weekend days.Intersectional correlates included sex and social class(i.e.,family economic status,parental education level,and academic performance).Multiple logistic regression analyses were performed.Results:Overall,the proportion of adolescents meeting physical activity,ST,and sleep recommendations were 5.3%,60.3%,and 10.2%on weekdays and 5.3%,28.2%,and 46.4%on weekend days,respectively.Between 2013 and 2018,no substantial changes were observed for meeting the physical activity or sleep recommendation,while meeting the ST recommendation was markedly lower in 2018.The proportion of meeting all 3 recommendations were 0.5%for weekdays and 0.8%for weekend days.Overall,compared to female adolescents,male adolescents were consistently associated with more favorable patterns of meeting different sets of recommendations,regardless of social class.Among females only,social class appeared to be not important or even detrimental in meeting different sets of recommendations.Being male,compounded with social class,was associated with meeting the ST recommendation.Conclusion:Less than 1%of Korean adolescents met the overall Guidelines.Intersectionality-based analysis and intervention may be important in promoting healthy active lifestyles among South Korean adolescents.

Effect of regional factor productivity on manufacturing sector: The case of Sino-Pak economic ties

Introduction:Economic ties and trade blocs increase the flow of trade between participating countries and lead to different levels of economic and structural changes.Case description:This paper focuses on the structure of industrial value-added between China and Pakistan,as the two countries recently launched the CPEC(China-Pakistan Economic Corridor)project.Discussion and evaluation:This study utilizes panel data from 1995 to 2015 to test certain factor effects on regional value-added through econometric analyses.The results show that each country has its own economic growth rate and market size that respond differently to industrial value-added production.Conclusion:Aggregate factor productivity at China is higher than in Pakistan but growth in factor productivity in the latter is higher than the former;similarly,the share of bilateral trade is higher in the case of Pakistan.Although each country responds differently to the new economic ties,the macroeconomic results support bilateral economic ties between them.

Social Dynamics of Ebola Virus Disease: A Case of Bundibugyo District, Uganda

Background: Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) presents with a high global mortality and is known to be a highly infectious disease with devastating and gendered effects on the social fabric, yet most of the science has focused on the disease’s biology. However, little has been documented with regard to the gender and social aspects of Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) in two sub counties (Kikyo and Bundibugyo Town Council) in Bundibugyo District in Western Uganda. The study was set to examine the gender differences in the level of knowledge, attitudes and perceptions about EVD. Methods: The study employed a cross-sectional design using both quantitative and qualitative data collection methods. A structured questionnaire was administered to 254 respondents, 50% of whom were women. Simple random sampling was used to select the participants. Questionnaire data were analysed using SPSS at univariate and bivariate levels. Qualitative methods such as key informant interviews (with 6 participants) and Focus Group Discussions (three, one with men alone, another with women alone and the last one with both men and women) were also used to collect additional information from participants. Results: The findings indicated that socio-demographically, the majority (35%) of the respondents were aged between 20 and 29 years, 53% of whom were females. More women (about 56%) compared to men (44%) attained secondary education while more men (about 51% versus 49% of the women) reported that they were married. In terms of religion, the majority of the survey participants were Catholics (59% females and 49% males). With regard to communities’ knowledge about EVD, there was no significant relationship between men and women in terms of prior knowledge about EVD, risk factors and control measures. However, slightly more males (about 51%) than females (49%) had heard about EVD and more males (about 52%) than females (48%) admitted that they were at risk of contracting the disease. On the control measures, slightly more females than males (about 53% vs. 47% respectively) proposed avoiding contact with infected persons. The results further revealed that more males (about 51%) than females (49%) were willing to relate with EVD survivors, and this was due to the latter’s fear of contracting the disease. The major devastating effects of EVD that were reported included loss of lives, disruption of peoples movements, isolation of people, disruption of children’s school activities, stigma and discrimination of survivors. More females (about 52%) than males (about 48%) reported that EVD survivors were discriminated during the EVD outbreak in Bundibugyo District. Conclusions: This study has shown that whereas both men and women demonstrate average knowledge about EVD, there is need for more training and sensitization targeting women who have delusions about the severity of the disease, its risk factors, stigma and the integration of survivors in the affected communities. Communities also need to be sensitized about the gender roles that increase both the burden of EVD and the risk of men and women contracting the disease. This will lead to more culturally sensitive responses to EVD outbreaks in future.

Generation, Characterization and Management Practices of Household Solid Wastes in Cowfield, Paynesville City, Liberia

The success of any waste management system requires accurate and up-to-date data on quantity, composition of waste. Waste generation data from household are needed to address issues relating to municipal solid wastes such as management method, performance improvement, policy, regional and local planning, administrative, cost accounting, design and operation of landfill facilities and environmental quality. This study was conducted to provide empirical data on generation rates, quantity and composition, management practices, challenges and strategies from urban household. Waste collection, weighing, questionnaires survey and field observation were methods used during the study. Waste was collected and weighed from 60 households using multi-stage sampling technique for seven days. Questionnaires were analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences version 20 and Excel. A total of 1125.2 kg of waste was recorded. The average household waste generation was 3 kg per day with per capita generation rate of 0.41 kg/cap/day. The compositional analysis showed that Organic (53%), Plastic (11%), Textile (6%), Metal (2%), Glass (1%), Paper and Cardboard 4% and others (22%). Solid waste management practices are very rudimentary. Burning (53.7%) and Open Dumping (30%) were found to be the most commonly used method of disposal with very limited collection service (33.3%) and segregation. The most challenges faced by households were communal disposal area (66.7%) and waste service providers (21.7%) storage bins (11.6%). Waste to energy (48.3%) and compositing (23.3%) were the most considered option for waste management by the respondents.

Profiles of HIV-Affected Households in Ghana

Background: To contribute to a fuller appreciation of Ghana’s HIV epidemic, this paper presents various profiles of the Ghanaian HIV-affected household. To comprehensively tackle the HIV epidemic in Ghana, the profiles would provide stakeholders with ready information for policy formulation. Methods: We used data from a nationally representative survey that measured livelihood activities, household asset wealth, household composition, health, and nutrition variables of 1745 HIV-affected households. From these emerged various profiles. Results: About 50% of the households are headed by females. Households headed by men have an average size of three members, compared to two for female-headed households. There are far more AIDS widows than widowers. The annual death rate among the surveyed households was about 1000 per 100,000-households. Relatively more deaths occurred in male-headed households. Two-thirds of the households were asset poor. Various coping strategies were instituted by the households in reaction to threat of food insecurity. The national prevalence of chronic energy deficiency is 16%. Conclusions: Our data show that age of household head, hosting of a chronically ill member, and average size of household differed by sex of household head. The annual death rate of 1000 per 100,000 households is very high.

Evaluation of the Cooking Cultures and Practices in Rural Uganda

Many communities across the globe still practice poor cooking cultures as part of their well-being to prepare food and other heating activities. Such bad cooking practices are not environmentally friendly, are wasteful and have adverse health effects. This work presents the results of the survey that was conducted to establish the existing cooking practices commonly used in Uganda, identify the commonly used fuel during cooking, identify perceptions on improved cooking stoves (ICS), perceived preferences during cooking as well as identify whether users are aware of the health challenges due to poor cooking and describe community opinions of ICS for rural communities in Uganda. The interviews were conducted on household levels across all the regions covering Uganda’s major rural regions. It was observed that the largest population of rural Ugandans still use the 3 stone stove fire for cooking with a percentage of 53.5%, Charcoal stove, 27.3%, Improved cooking stove, 16.9%, Electric cookers,1.2%, LPG 0.7% and biogas 0.5% for the preparation of their various types of cooked foods while forest firewood is the commonly used biomass fuel for cooking with a percentage of 66.8% compared to Charcoal, Briquettes, Saw dust and others with a percentage of 27.1%, 0.7%, 0.7%, 1.1% respectively. This reveals the great majority of users whose life is at risk as 3 stone stoves are characterized by low efficiency and high smoke production which increases the health risks of the users as well as increase the risk of deforestation rates. Household cooks showed great willingness to pay for a novel stove type in all the 4 regions but from the survey data, it was indicated that the preferences varied from one region to another with a great majority preferring minimal smoke production with increased heat retention capacity. It was revealed that 91.4% of the interviewed households were aware of the health challenges due to poor cooking methods which they resolved by using open space during cooking. There was variation in the quantity of food cooked in a day, time spent on cooking and how often the cooking is done from one region to another due to the difference in economic activities as well as the different climate factors. While using cooking stoves, users preferred large cooking pot space with minimal smoke production and rapid heating. Such information can act as a basis for the design of an improved cooking stove for the rural Ugandan community as engineered products must be designed to suit the needs of the end-user.

Climate change,24-hour movement behaviors,and health:a mini umbrella review

Background:The worsening climate change and alarming prevalence of communicable and non-communicable diseases continue to threat human life and existence.Accumulating evidence suggests that favorable patterns of 24-h movement behaviors,high physical activity,low sedentary behavior,and adequate sleep,may positively contribute to achieving dual benefits of climate change mitigation and disease prevention.The purposes of this mini umbrella review were to summarize the most up-to-date,high-level evidence exploring the relationships between climate change,24-h movement behaviors,and health and elaborate on the mechanisms linking the three variables of interest.Methods:A systematic search of electronic databases was performed in PubMed and Google Scholar during March–October 2020.Inclusion criteria were:(1)systematic review;(2)reviewed relationships between climate change and movement behaviors and/or health in any directions;(3)written in English;(4)published in 2010–2020.Narrative synthesis was conducted to highlight the main relationships observed and address the current state of knowledge and priorities for future research.In order to illustrate the potential mechanisms between climate change,movement behaviors,and health,the main results from included systematic reviews were summarized and a conceptual framework was developed for future research.Results:Based on the evidence from eight systematic reviews published in the past decade,multi-directional(i.e.,uni-,bi-,or U-shaped)links were observed between climate change and varying human health outcomes.However,little is understood about the association between climate change and 24-h movement behaviors.Two reviews suggested the negative impact of climate change on sleep and bi-directional relationships between climate change and physical activity/sport.One review included two studies suggesting the unfavorable impact of climate change on sedentary behavior;however,the evidence was limited.Finally,no reviews examined the mechanisms by which climate change,movement behaviors,and health impact one another.Based on the findings of this mini umbrella review,a conceptual framework is proposed that could guide future work to unpack mechanisms between climate change,movement behaviors,and health.Conclusions:This mini umbrella review highlights the importance of better understanding the mechanisms between climate change,movement behaviors,and health in developing effective mitigation and adaptation strategies to climate change,while paying close attention to vulnerable countries/communities/population groups.

Present Arsenic Status in Drinking Water and Its Impacts on Human Health: A Socio-Environmental Study on Villagers Living in Most Arsenic Prone Area in Bangladesh

Bangladesh is an agricultural country facing severe natural hazards in recent times. This results in agricultural damage, ecological damage, economic damage and human health damage. Keshabpur upazilla, Jashore district is considered one of the most arsenic prone areas in Bangladesh. However, there was no research data found regarding presence of arsenic in ground water and its transfer to crops and impacts on human health. A questionnaire-based research was conducted to evaluate the present scenario of this area. However, two representative water samples were collected and analyzed. The data showed that 24% people didn’t know about As, 27% people didn’t know about arsenic effects on human health, 61% people depends on neighbor’s deep tubewell (600 - 750 feet depth) for drinking water, 40% people depend on government-provided deep tubewell for irrigation water, 19% peoples are suffering water scarcity in dry season because groundwater level decreased at that time and people mostly suffered with fever. The other diseases were headache, diarrhea, vomiting, stomach ache, allergy, water pox and asthma. Doctors are providing general treatments but never try to find out the reasons based on As. Therefore, it is still unknown to them about which diseases are caused by As. Water analysis data showed that free CO2, EC, BOD, NH4+, NO3−, Ca2+, Mg2+, As and Fe for drinking water and NH4+, NO3-, As and Fe for irrigation water were found to be higher than the DoE permitted safe water standards. The soil data collected from SRDI also supported the present research data. Continuous irrigation with water builds higher concentration of Ca, Mg, Cu, Fe and Mn in the soil. Unfortunately, no data on As was found from SRDI. This research might work as a baseline research for policy makers and researchers to apply proper management plan in this area.

妇女的组织行动与女性空间的变化——以郑州北大女寺为例

动态的、承载价值的、有变动能力且占据者发生变化的空间概念,是我们关于中原及其他地方穆斯林妇女如何根据传统和权利,拥有属于自己的清真寺这一研究的重要概念。女寺的宗教事务由女阿訇负责,日常事务由穆斯林妇女选举的虔诚、能干的清真寺管理委员会成员掌管。在漫长的历史发展过程中形成的独特的女性宗教文化,对穆斯林妇女的宗教身份和社会身份认同有重要影响。只有将其置于国家与少数民族的历史关系和中华人民共和国成立前后中国妇女的历史背景中,才能理解。中国清真女寺与郑州北大女寺的历史表明,莱弗布瑞夫雷(Lefebrvre)的'对应空间(counterspace)'在此处的特定含义是,妇女凭借对真主的信仰和对妇女能力的自信积极对话。男性发起的改革导致妇女参与宗教教育和宗教活动,并使她们拥有了属于自已的空间,但这个空间并不拒绝男性的支持或参与。在这个意义上,我们认为,中原穆斯林社会中用来维护正统的比达尔替,演变为强有力的伊斯兰的解放允诺:妇女有权参与宗教和社会变革进程。

Globalization, Women, and Poverty： A Transcultural Reading of Sheng Keyi＇s Northern Girls

China＇s rise within a global economy has had diverse consequences for Chinese women. For the super rich and the rising middle class, it has offered opportunities for vast wealth. For the newly emergent underclass of migrant workers who have flooded to the cities, it has engendered exploitative states of vulnerability, especially for rural women. In this paper we locate our inquiry in the context of globalization and its impact on rural women＇s lives as witnessed through the medium of a unique and distinctive women＇s life narrative, Sheng Keyi＇s Bei mei （Northern Girls）. The text testifies to the underside of women＇s lives within the new market economy, documenting the cruelty of global capitalism. It presents an alternative version of the history of China＇s rise in the global economy and maps a trajectory of increasing inequality from a previously silenced female perspective. Sheng Keyi＇s world speaks to the sordid world of women, the world of yin. It coexists with the dizzying ascent of the yang--as the powerful nation grapples with social inequality and fragmentation. In its international circulation, Northern Girls opens readers to the contradictions and ambivalent aspects of China＇s economic rise and its consequences specifically for migrant women.

Different pathways of the second demographic transition in four East Asian societies:evidence from the 2006 and 2016 East Asian Social Surveys

This study uses the 2006 and 2016 East Asian Social Surveys to map value changes related to the second demographic transition in China's Mainland,Japan,South Korea,and Taiwan.The study examines trends in attitudes towards cohabitation,childrearing,and divorce over a 10-year period in the four East Asian societies.The findings suggest that the second demographic transition,if any in East Asia,is an uneven process between societies,and China's Mainland stands out as the only society in which attitudes had become more conservative,even after controlling for compositional differences in population.In the other three societies,attitudes had shifted to be more liberal.Moreover,the study finds little evidence on the diffusion within societies,given their similar trends across different sociodemographic groups.From an ideational perspective,China's Mainland and the other three East Asian societies illustrated different patterns of attitude changes regarding marriage and family.From a behavioral perspective,trends in attitudes do not always align with demographic patterns at the macro level,especially in China's Mainland.More studies are needed to understand the nuanced differences in ideational shifts between societies and the relationship between ideational and behavioral changes in East Asia.