Abstract

     Systemic racism and discriminatory practices continue to disproportionally expose Black children and families to less than optimal health and economic resources. COVID-19 sheds existing light on how longstanding systemic inequalities affecting Black children and families create racial disparities in accessing material resources. The purpose of this study (N = 704 Black caregivers) is to better understand the relationship between experiences of racial discrimination, access to material resources (i.e., health-promoting resources and economic resources), and Black children’s behavioral functioning during the pandemic. Through the application of ordinary least squares regression analysis, we find that inadequate material resources (both health-related risks and economic hardship) during the pandemic were associated with heightened caregiver report that their child was frequently fussy or defiant (externalizing) and frequently anxious or fearful (internalizing). The study found no significant links between caregivers’ experiences of discrimination during the pandemic and children’s behavioral functioning. However, the study found a significant link between caregivers’ concern for their children’s experiences of discrimination and their children’s externalizing behaviors. Findings from this study offer an important contribution to understanding how factors rooted in systemic racism—access to material resources—and experiences of discrimination affect Black children’s well-being during COVID-19.

Introduction

     While countless studies demonstrate the positive relationship between access to material resources (e.g., health-promoting resources and economic resources) and children’s externalizing (e.g., impulsivity, noncompliance, and aggression) and internalizing (e.g., depression, anxiety, and social withdrawal) behaviors, there is a stark reality that access to these much-needed resources is differentially patterned across children and families of various racial and ethnic backgrounds. Inequities in material resources directly affect children’s early developmental outcomes (Duncan, Magnuson & Votruba-Drzal, 2015). For instance, difficulty paying for basic needs (e.g., food, housing, utilities, health care, etc.) and economic insecurity have also been linked to children’s externalizing and internalizing behaviors. Specifically, researchers note that developing in financially stressed environments has the potential to alter positive caregiver behaviors associated with children’s positive cognitive, emotional, and behavioral development (e.g., Longo, McPherran Lombardi & Dearing, 2017). Furthermore, health-related risks, conceptualized broadly to include threats such as mental health symptomology and lack of health insurance coverage, among both caregivers and children pose threats to children’s development. Caregiver depressive symptoms, which are heightened among families possessing low-income socioeconomic resources (Silva, Loureiro & Cardoso, 2016), have shown deleterious links with children’s behavioral functioning (e.g., Trapolini, McMahon & Ungerer, 2007). Additionally, children who lack health insurance coverage are more likely to experience delayed or unmet physician care, such as well-baby and well-child visits (Lave et al., 1998). When children miss well-baby or well-child visits, their caregivers also miss opportunities to receive support and guidance about their children’s behavioral and emotional functioning (Weitzman et al., 2015). These threats to children’s development are particularly pronounced during early childhood, when children’s biology and behavior are rapidly shaped by their environments and experiences (e.g., Shonkoff et al., 2012).

Conclusion

     Early childhood is a sensitive period for children’s development impacted by biological, neurological, and environmental contexts. However, not all children are afforded the same opportunities to meet their potential due to their socio-demographics (i.e., skin color, socioeconomic status). The findings from this study offer an important contribution to understanding how factors rooted in systemic racism—access to material resources (health-promoting resources and economic resources) — and experiences of discrimination, affect young Black children’s well-being during COVID-19, a global pandemic that disproportionately impacts Black children and their families and communities. While interventions in the early years cannot address all problems, especially problems due to historical racism, equitable opportunities during the first year of life could stymie disparities later in life.

     The structural determinants of early learning must be placed at the center of policy decision making to ensure equitable access, experiences, and outcomes for Black children and their families (Iruka, 2020). Addressing the challenges faced by young Black children and their families requires attending to social policies that impact their daily lives from housing, education, and labor, policies that impact families’ socioeconomic position and upward mobility. Families’ socioeconomic status greatly influences their access to resources, opportunities, time, and functioning to meet their children’s needs, critical in the early years (McLoyd, 1990). Families’ socioeconomic position also influences the experiences children have inside and outside the home, such as access to high quality early care and education and health care services. The findings from this study underscore the importance of delivering on the promise for Black children and their families as they remain resilience in the face of 2 pandemics – COVID-19 and racism.

Abstract

     The rapid development of information and communication technology (ICT) has resulted in several improvements in diverse aspects of the organizational structures, including the introduction of virtual teams (VTs). Organizations rely on VTs since they bring a lot of benefits, such as the enhancement of organizational performance. However, effective VTs cannot exist without the proper implementation of decision-making processes. There is a lack of scientific research that attempts to understand the factors affecting decision-making processes in VTs. Studies in this area have only been conducted in the United States and Europe. However, such research has not been conducted in the Middle East, where specific scientific solutions are still required to improve the performance of VTs. Therefore, this study is conducted in the Middle East to gain scientific knowledge on this region’s specificity. Thus, the objective of this study is to identify the factors that affect VT decision-making processes. An online survey was used to collect data (Google forms) from companies in the IT industry in UAE, which are engaged in VTs. A literature review, survey methods, and structural equation modeling were used. The results showed that culture intelligence (CQ), transformational leadership (TL), and task conflict have a positive effect on VT decision-making processes, and relationship conflict has a negative impact on VT decision-making processes, which provides the management teams with a guideline on what to concentrate on in the measuring and enhancement of the effectiveness of VT decision making.

Introduction

     The most important changes that face organizations are caused by information and communication technology (ICT) (Al Majzoub and Davidaviˇciene˙ 2018). ICT has caused the formation of a new type of team work called virtual teams. The use of virtual teams is important for organizations because they allow team members to communicate, despite distance and time constraints. They allow organizations to hire the most talented people regardless of the location, which increases the efficiency of the team (Schmidtke and Cummings 2017). VTs are defined as “groups of people who are geographically and/or organizationally dispersed and who rely on collaboration technologies to carry out tasks” (Lowry et al. 2015). VTs bring advantages to organizations, such as the presence of diverse staff, innovation allocation of resources, flexible organizational structure, enhanced decision making and an increase in organizational performance (Bhat et al. 2017). Even though VTs provide benefits to the organization, they impose challenges to perform effectively. One of the essential factors that affects VT performance is decision-making processes (Wei et al. 2017). To date, there exists a case of scarcity in academic research in the field of decisionmaking processes in virtual teams (Davidaviciene et al. 2020; Drouin and Bourgault 2013; Tan 2019; Zakaria 2017). Most of the research is conducted on university students instead of actual organizational virtual teams (O’Neill et al. 2016; Organ and Flaherty 2018; Paul and Dennis 2018). From the literature review, it could be concluded that there is a lack of research that examines the effect of these three factors—conflict, culture and leadership—on the decision-making process in UAE.

Conclusions

     VT decision making is an important key indicator of VT performance, and hence organizational performance. Organizations must understand and measure the key factors that affect decision making and team performance in an organization and work to enhance it to be able to obtain its market share and be competitive. This article aimed to identify the following factors—CQ, TL, and task and relationship conflict—that affect VT decisionmaking processes. Based on the empirical research conducted, it can be concluded that CQ, TL, and task and relationship conflict are important factors to consider when measuring VT decisions, as the results show that culture intelligence (CQ), transformational leadership (TL), and task conflict are positively correlated with decision-making processes, and relationship conflict is negatively correlated with decision-making processes in VTs. This article provides a guideline for management in an organization to measure VT decision making. For example, when measuring decision making in VT, management should concentrate on how to enhance the following factors—cultural intelligence, transformational leadership, and task conflict—and how to eliminate or reduce relationship conflict factors between members in VTs. Measuring and controlling these factors will help an organization to enhance its VT decisions, which in turn will improve VT performance. In addition, this study proposes a framework for future studies to add factors to these models and create new models, not only to measure but also to implement strategies that can be used to enhance the VT decision-making process and hence improve VT performance. As all research does, this study has limitations. The first limitation of this study is the use of four factors affecting decision-making processes. However, there are other factors that affect decision making that were not included in this study, such as trust, ICT, etc. Second, the study was conducted among organizations in the IT industry. Future studies should include other industries. Third, this study was conducted in the U.A.E. Future studies should include countries in the Middle East in comparison with other regions. Future studies also should include all the mentioned limitations

1- Introduction

2- Data and methods

3- Results

4- Discussion and conclusions

References

Abstract

In the past 15 years, Tanzania has made considerable progress in the fight against child undernutrition. This paper analyses in what respects an enabling environment for nutrition action in Tanzania has emerged. It critically investigates the nature of government political commitment and assesses the breadth and depth of a range of public policies, initiatives and actions within and across nutrition-specific and nutrition-sensitive sectors, and at the national, sub-national and community levels. It finds that Tanzania has undertaken substantial policy innovation and institutional development, carrying significant promise to accelerate nutrition improvements, provided they are accompanied by stronger domestic investments, and greater political space enabling communities to hold the government to account for its performance combating malnutrition.

Introduction

During the past 15 years, Tanzania has made considerable progress in the fight against child undernutrition. Stunting levels for children under five years of age have seen gradual declines, from nationwide averages of 48 per cent in 1999, to 44 per cent in 2005, and to 34 per cent in 2015 (Government of Tanzania, 2016). A recent re-analysis of the Demographic and Health Survey data suggests that official figures are underreporting the achievements, finding stunting levels to have declined to 30 per cent in 2015 (Headey et al., 2019). This downward trend is replicated among neighbouring countries’ under-five stunting rates, with Malawi, Kenya and Uganda exhibiting similar reductions. For example, between 2003 and 2014, Kenya’s under-five stunting rate declined from 36 per cent to 26 per cent (Government of Kenya, 2015). Faster declines over a similar period were noted in South East Asia, where Nepal experienced a reduction in stunting level of 21 per cent between 2001 and 2016 (Government of Nepal et al., 2017) and Cambodia a decline of 18 per cent over a 14 year period (Government of Cambodia et al., 2015). These figures have contributed to the overall global reduction in stunting, with levels falling by more than 10 per cent, from 33 per cent in 2000 to 22 per cent in 2017 (UNICEF et al., 2018). Several studies have sought to explain the reduction of stunting in Tanzania by exploring the drivers of improved nutritional status, with notable attention given to the positive role of better access to general health interventions, wealth gains and strengthened education of mothers (Masanja et al., 2008; Semali et al., 2015). Using a decomposition analysis to quantify the empirical drivers of positive change in underfives’ height-for-age, Headey et al. (2019) find dramatic increases in infants’ birth size to be the most significant factor, attributed to, in order of significance, improved maternal health monitoring, malaria prevention, HIV infection testing and improved water and sanitation facilities. However, overall, relatively little has been reported on the role of the enabling environment for nutrition action in Tanzania. This paper hence seeks to investigate the ways in which changes in the enabling environment may have underpinned the contributions of determinant factors towards declining stunting rates. Gillespie et al. (2013, p. 553) define enabling environments as the ‘political and policy processes that build and sustain momentum for the effective implementation of actions that reduce undernutrition’. Drawing upon this definition, we examine the role that the Government of Tanzania has played. The study thus adds to a portfolio of country case studies documenting the mechanisms by which nutrition has improved over the past 15 years in several countries as part of the Stories of Change in Nutrition project (Gillespie and Van den Bold, 2017; Harris et al., 2017; Kampman et al., 2017; Nisbett et al., 2017).

Introduction

Participants and methods

Results and discussion

Conclusion

References

Abstract

Objective
To determine the potential and limitations of Primary Health Care professionals to identify situations of violence against women.
Location
A municipality of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil.
Design
Descriptive and exploratory study with a qualitative approach.
Participants
Twenty-one health professionals of three Family Health Strategy units, as well as one Basic Health Unit. The inclusion criterion consisted of being a health worker in these services. The exclusion criterion was to be absent from work by any kind type license during the period of data production.
Method
The technique used to produce data was individual, semi-structured, interviews in order to collect sociodemographic data and the monitoring by professionals related to the potentials and limitations to identify violence situations. The data collection was suspended based on the saturation criterion. The data were systematized and analyzed by the content analysis technique, according to the analytical categories of health care network and gender.
Results
The potential to identify themes were: professional experience, receptive atmosphere, bonding, and listening to the reports of women, children and/or neighbors and observing their behavior; to identify the lesions; prenatal consultations; and home visits. As to the limitations: silence, denial/non-recognition of violence, lack of complaints by women; fear and guilt; flaws and unpreparedness of the health team; and fear due to the presence of aggressor.
Conclusions
It is urgent to recognize the potential of Primary Care and to promote the qualification of professionals in order to identify the situation among visible and invisible complaints, leading to the confrontation of violence.

Introduction

Violence against women is a kind violation of human rights that affect women from all over the world, presenting a high prevalence and impact on health services. It is defined as every act of violence against women that cause physical, psychological and sexual suffering, as well threats and deprivation of freedom. It is permeated and determined by gender issues and has as intrinsic component the divergences between sexes, and it represents the social relations of power and the different roles of men and women. It is estimated that 30% of women around the world have experienced physical and/or sexual violence. Studies point to the consequences of violence to women’s health. As for mental health, they point to psychiatric problems, such as depressive disorders, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder, somatoform and personality disorder. Also, the use of licit and illicit substances and psychotropic and analgesic medication. Sleep-related disorders, improper feeding, body aches, bruises, low self-esteem and panic syndrome are also presented by these women. In this context, the health sector has fundamental assignments in the intersectoral response to the violence against women as well the identification the kind of violence, a prerequisite for providing immediate care and conducting referrals to specialized services. So, it is important that attention to women’s health in situation of violence occur in the Health Care Network (HCN), which is a network of organizations that provides or makes arrangements to offer equitable and integral health services to a specific population.

1- Introduction

2- Social networks, social capital, social support and higher education outcomes

3- Method

4- Description of the studies included in the review and major themes

5- Relationship between social networks, social capital, social support and academic achievement in higher education

6- Conclusion and discussion

References

Abstract

Widening higher education participation has resulted in efforts directed towards increasing higher education access. However, inequality in higher education completion continues to exist. Social factors have been found to play an important role in academic achievement. Given the role of social factors, this article examines the academic outcomes of students from a social network, social capital, and social support perspective with a special focus on underrepresented groups in higher education. The article is based on a systematic review of literature where evidence shows that the networks of students including their family, ethnic and religious affiliations, friends, and faculty play a role in academic success. The article details a framework describing how network members of underrepresented groups complement each other with regard to resources offered and contribute to academic success.

Introduction

Widening higher education participation has gained increased political focus globally in recent years, resulting in efforts directed towards expanding higher education access (Marginson, 2016; Osborne, 2003). Indeed, these political reforms have resulted in an increase in the number and diversity of students entering higher education. For instance, in the last ten years, the enrolment of students aged 25–34 years in tertiary education has increased in all OECD countries, with some countries e.g., Australia, Czech Republic, Greece, Iceland, Italy, the Netherlands, Switzerland even reporting an increase of over 10% (OECD, 2018). Furthermore, previously underrepresented groups such as students from low social background are now increasingly becoming a part of the higher education system. Nonetheless, disparities in education achievement continue to exist as increased participation within these groups alone cannot guarantee academic success (Crozier, Reay, Clayton, Collinader, & Grinstead, 2008; Marginson, 2016). It is observed that first-generation learners (Müller & Schneider, 2013; OECD, 2018), those with migration background (Ebert & Heublein, 2017) are still at-risk of dropping out of university without obtaining a degree. The achievement gap between students from high and low socio-economic backgrounds can be attributed partly to the differences in family’s resources vis-à-vis finances, academic guidance or information, parental involvement or language skills (Willingham, 2012). Alongside family members, the role of peers and support groups at university also influence academic outcomes. Hossler, Schmidt, and Vesper (1999) highlight the importance of peer support in improving understanding of course materials and clarifying difficult concepts (Gallop & Bastien, 2016). Peer support and networks also determine student’s integration and acceptance in higher education institutions which subsequently affects retention and success (Gallop & Bastien, 2016; Nagasawa & Wong, 1999).

1- Introduction

2- Background

3-Data

4- Methodology

5- Results

6- Conclusion

References

Abstract

This study identifies the impact of access to and the speed of divorce on the welfare of children in a middle income largely Catholic country. Using difference-in-difference estimation techniques, I compare school enrollment for children of married and cohabiting parent households before and after the legalization of divorce. Implementing pro-homemaker divorce laws increased school enrollment anywhere from 3.4 to 5.5 percentage points, and the effect was particularly salient on secondary school students. I provide evidence that administrative processes influencing the speed of divorce affect household bargaining and investments in schooling. With every additional six months wait to the finalization of divorce, school enrollment decreased by approximately one percentage point. The impact almost doubles for secondary schooling. When contemplating development policies, advocates, policymakers, and leaders should not overlook the impact changes in family policies and administrative processes can have on advancements in child welfare and, ultimately, economic development. (JEL: D12, D13, J12, I21, I25).

Introduction

Implementing development policies focused on improving child welfare can be expensive, time consuming, and, sometimes, ineffective (Filmer, 2003; Glewwe and Kremer, 2006; Ingram and Kessides, 1994). This is particularly true if the intervention is country-wide and focused on major activities like building infrastructure, purchasing supplies, or developing advocacy groups (Ingram and Kessides, 1994). Can alternative policy paths like changes to family law lead to major advancements in child welfare and, eventually, economic development? To study this, one needs a rarefied environment where a national policy is implemented with enough leverage to induce a redistribution of household resources in certain households, restrict the household’s ability to manipulate the magnitude or speed of the redistribution, and data overtime of those exposed and not exposed to the policy to estimate outcomes. I find a natural experiment environment close to this in Chile where gendered family norms are relatively rigid, geographic immobility is common, family legal procedures are tied to the local geography where one lives, local family court districts are independent, and a major policy shock – the legalization of divorce – happened in 2004. After almost a decade of intense national debate, the Chilean Congress passed a revised Civil Marriage Act in 2004. For the first time in the country’s history, Chileans could divorce.

In this manuscript, we integrate work on political public relations research, strategic management, and multitrack diplomacy (from international relations scholarship) to advance the concept of citizens’ political public relations (PR), defined as strategies and choices devised by organized, local citizens to enhance inter-group and/or intra-group relations among conflicting groups. We demonstrate citizens’ political PR in action, using a case study to show how one activity planned by a group of organized everyday Ghanaian citizens, a football (soccer) tournament, helped promote better relationships among conflicting communities. We articulate the impact of not only a deliberate strategy devised by the group, but also of an emergent strategy that became evident through the choices made by the citizens in organizing the tournament. Theoretical implications of this new integrative conceptualization of citizens’ political PR for public relations scholarship are discussed.

Introduction

That public relations and/or communication as an organizational function is gaining increased legitimacy around the world is indisputable. Indeed, recent reports indicate that not only are organizations in North America recognizing the importance of public relations (Penning & Bain, 2019), so too are organizations around the world, including in Asia (Kim, Krishna, & Plowman, 2018), South America (Alaimo, 2016), and Africa (Nsehe, 2015). Such growth in the practice of public relations around the world has been paralleled by the development of a robust academic discipline, with conceptualizations and articulations of different theoretically driven and grounded models of public relations. From normative, systems approach-based models (e.g., Grunig, Grunig, & Dozier, 2002), relationship-centric models (Ledingham & Bruning, 1998), and dialogic models (Kent & Taylor, 2002), to critical explorations of public relations practitioners being activists within the organization (Holtzhausen & Voto, 2002), public relations scholars have contributed extensively to our understanding of what public relations practice is and what it should be. However, one enduring criticism of public relations scholarship continues to be the ethnocentrism of North American-dominated models of public relations. For years scholars have called for further models of public relations and its practice that are informed by the cultures and societies in which they are set rather than applications of models from the West (e.g., Sriramesh, 2003; Halff & Gregory, 2014). To this end, scholars have offered insights from and examples of public relations practice from around the world, including the Middle East (Duthler & Dhanesh, 2018), South Africa (Venter, 2010), India (Patwardhan & Bardhan, 2014), Ghana (Wu & Baah-Boakye, 2009), and Colombia (Pastrana & Sriramesh, 2014) among many others. Notably, however, few models and examples exist of public relations strategies in action in Africa, particularly West Africa. Although a rich body of knowledge exists on public relations in South Africa (e.g., Benecke & Oksiutycz, 2015; le Roux, 2014), fewer examples of public relations in other parts of Africa, particularly West Africa, have been forthcoming.

1- Introduction

2- Material and methods

3- Results

4- Discussion

References

Abstract

The high turnover rate among child welfare workers is a constant, well-documented issue. This study aimed to examine how organizational factors, particularly leadership, affect child welfare worker turnover intentions in order to help child welfare agencies establish a practice model that prevents the turnover of qualified workers. In order to do so, it is important to examine the effects of organizational commitment on employees’ turnover intentions.
A cross-sectional survey was distributed among workers in public child welfare agencies in a Midwestern state in the United States (N = 214). A path model was developed to test the direct and indirect effects of transformational leadership on the turnover intentions of child welfare workers using STATA. The survey results indicated that the transformational leadership styles of local office directors had direct and negative effects on child welfare workers’ turnover intentions. Therefore, this study recommends that child welfare services provide local office directors with leadership training in order to reduce the preventable turnover of child welfare workers.

Introduction

The quality of child welfare services provided to clients significantly depends on the person who delivers the services and the stability of the child welfare service workforce (National Association of Social Work 2016; Schweitzer, Chianello, & Kothari, 2013). Researchers who study child welfare worker turnover identified the negative effects of other factors that affect children and families and thus cause poor child welfare outcomes (Griffiths & Royse, 2017; Healy, Meagher, & Cullin, 2007; National Child Welfare Workforce Institute, 2016; Schweitzer et al., 2013; Strolin, McCarthy, & Caringi, 2007). In addition, Healy et al. (2007) took the existing research one step further and identified the negative effects of these factors on the social work profession. Because the employee turnover rate is higher in social work than in other industries (Tham, 2007; The British Association of Social Workers, 2012), the consequences of child welfare worker turnover on the social work profession were also considered. Despite the importance of the workforce in child welfare services, the average rate of worker turnover in child welfare organizations varies from 20% up to 57% annually (Burstain, 2009; Child Welfare League of America, 2008; Healy & Oltedal, 2010; Mack, 2001; Mor Barak, Nissly, & Levin, 2001; National Child Welfare Workforce Institute, 2011), and some studies claim 100% annual turnover (see Mor Barak et al., 2001; Fulcher & Smith, 2010). Because child welfare agencies suffer from higher staff turnover rates than other human services do, turnover and retention of child welfare workers at every level have been extensively studied for decades (Mor Barak, Levin, Nissly, & Lane, 2006; Ellett, 2009; Ellett, Ellis, Westbrook, & Dews, 2007; Fulcher & Smith, 2010; General Accounting Office, 2006; Hwang & Hopkins, 2012).

1. Introduction

2. Moral space

3. Toward an analysis

4. Analysis

5. Conclusion

Appendix A. Supplementary data

References

Abstract

As social beings, we are compelled to take moral position toward one another but the nature of the relationship between morality and social structure remains a point of discussion. This article proposes a relational perspective on the debate, which involves reconceptualizing moral views as simultaneously status markers and attempts to achieve self-worth. In order to do so, the argument borrows from Bourdieu a depiction of the class structure as a multidimensional space and follows Douglas’s understanding of culture and worldviews. The argument is supported by an analysis of an experimental survey design, relying on vignette questions to gauge moral worldviews. The data are processed using Multiple Correspondence Analysis, revealing that (1) people exhibit a consistency in their moral position-taking and that (2) a strong homology exists between the moral space and the space of social classes.

Introduction

Moral concern is intrinsic to people’s relation to the world as continuously evaluating our surroundings, positions and experiences is an integral part of the human condition. Our lives do not consist merely of a relentless pursuit of physical safety or power over others. But, as social beings, we are also involved in an endless quest for moral recognition or self-worth (De Keere, 2018b; Honneth, 1996; Lamont, 2017; Sayer, 2011). Therefore, the role of morality has always been a vital element within the study of social cohesion and conflict, albeit in different disguises, leading to different research avenues. Durkheim’s (1934) classical take on morality, as the cultural cement that holds communities together, was later picked up by Parsons (1967), who conceptualized moral values as shared guiding principles that shape common goals and expectations. However, another strand of sociologists was more inspired by Weberian or Marxist accounts of morality, emphasizing not only its cohesive power but simultaneously seeing it as a driving force behind status and power conflicts. Yet, during the latter half of the 20th century, the topic of morality fell into sociological disgrace as it “went down with the functionalist ship” (Hitlin & Vaisey, 2013:53). But, the sharp increase in inequality, accompanied by a steady rise of radical politics in Europe and the US, have catapulted the importance of moral worth back into the scientific spotlight.

1- Introduction

2- Methods

3- Results

4- Discussion

References

Abstract

Global discourses on the governance of food security span competing approaches. For example, a neoliberal approach advocates commercialized, industrial agriculture, while food sovereignty and resilience are part of an alternative discourse to food security that prioritizes locally-based agroecological food production. Understanding how global discourses play out locally and how they impact the environment and biodiversity is important to identify appropriate pathways towards sustainability. In addition to their effects on food security, different approaches could reinforce or impede the success of biodiversity conservation because of the strong interdependence of food security and ecosystems. We applied the Q-methodology to examine alternative approaches to food security and biodiversity conservation pursued by 50 stakeholders from local to national levels in southwestern Ethiopia. We identified four distinct approaches, focusing on (1) smallholder commercialization, (2) agroecology and resilience, (3) local economy and equity, and (4) market liberalization. All approaches prioritized smallholders, but perspectives on how to achieve food security varied. Agricultural intensification, commercialization, and profit were widely considered important, while support for agroecology and resilience was largely restricted to non-government organizations. With the exception of supporters of the agroecology and resilience approach, biodiversity conservation was considered as a secondary goal. We conclude it is important to acknowledge plurality of food security approaches because local conditions are characterized by a multiplicity of stakeholder interests, and because food security is a complex problem that requires a multidimensional approach. However, major contradictions among existing approaches need to be reconciled, and the agroecology and resilience approach should be strengthened to ensure the sustainable achievement of food security and biodiversity conservation.

Introduction

Ensuring food security is a central aspect of the sustainable development goals (UN, 2015) and of the development agenda of the African Union (FAO, 2012; African Union Commission, 2015). The World Food Summit defined food security as “a condition that exists when all people, at all times, have physical and economic access to sufficient safe and nutritious food to meet their dietary needs and food preferences for a healthy and active life” (WFS, 1996). In the context of this study, we conceptualized food security as universal access to sufficient, safe, and culturally acceptable food, without negative effects on biodiversity. Here, we included the issue of biodiversity because food security and biodiversity goals are strongly interdependent (Chappell and LaValle, 2011), and thus approaches that address food security could either reinforce or impede achieving the goal of biodiversity conservation (Fischer et al., 2014). Hence, our study sought to uncover how approaches to ensuring food security could also affect biodiversity conservation. Universally the goal of food security is widely agreed upon, uninterruptedly ensuring the availability and accessibility of food to all people. However, the approaches to achieve this goal remain deeply contested (Shilomboleni, 2017).

Introduction

Methods

Results

Discussion

References

Abstract

Objectives To analyze the geographic inequalities in life expectancy (LE) and the probability of survival up to 40 and 60 years in Brazil between 1991 and 2010, to partition the variance of these indicators by including municipalities, states, and macroregions in the analysis, and to test the association between municipal socio-economic and health services indicators with life expectancy.
Study design Multilevel analysis.
Methods Census data from 1991, 2000, and 2010 were used to calculate the outcomes and the socio-economic variables. Municipalities were separated into centiles according to their values in each outcome. Absolute and relative differences were calculated for each year. Multilevel linear regression models were performed, taking into account three levels: regions, states, and municipalities. Municipal socio-economic and health services variables were included in the model with the 2010 data.
Results All 5545 Brazilian counties showed improvement in the three indicators, but the magnitude varied significantly across the country. The highest gains in LE were observed in the North and Northeast regions. The gap in LE between the 1st and 99th percentile decreased from 19.6 years to 12.2 years. The relative difference also fell, from 1.37 to 1.18. Most counties’ socio-economic and health services indicators were associated with the outcomes and explained 86.7%, 31.2%, and 32.4% of the variation in LE attributable to regions, states, and counties, respectively.
Conclusions The average life expectancy increased between 1991 and 2010. Concomitantly, a reduction in geographic disparities was observed. The counties’ socio-economic and health services variables explained much of the variation of the outcomes in 2010.

Introduction

Globally, life expectancy (LE) has increased substantially throughout the twentieth century and the first decades of the twenty-first century. Between 1950 and 2017, the LE went from 48.1 to 70.5 years among men and from 52.9 to 75.6 years among women.1 Brazil follows the same pattern in LE, increasing from 36.5 to 75.4 years between 1930 and 2015.2,3 This indicator reflects changes in the living conditions of the population, including increases in income, improvements in educational level and sanitary conditions, and advances in medicine.1 However, at the same time that LE is increasing, and humanity is expanding its knowledge of how to live longer, the literature has shown an increase in the geographic and socio-economic inequality of LE within many countries. In Belgium, the educational difference in LE (and LE without disabilities) increased between the 1990s and 2000s.4 The widening of social inequality in LE and/or quality-adjusted life expectancy (QALE) was also observed in Denmark (1980se2010s),5 United States (1980se2010s),6 England (1980se2010s),7 Netherlands (2000se2010s),8 Estonia (1980se2000s),9 New Zealand (1980se2000s)10 and Russia (1980se2000s),11 whether between regions or populational groups. Brazil has been one of the most unequal countries in the world for decades.

1- Introduction

2- Method

3- Discussion

4- Conclusion

References

Abstract

Recruitment and retention of low-income African Americans in clinical trials is challenging. This paper reports recruitment and retention strategies that yielded high rates for both in a clinical trial pilot to improve hypertension self-management among low-income African Americans. The study successfully recruited 96.7% (59 of 61 participants) within a seven month period. Retention rates for the 1, 3, and 6-month post-baseline assessment visits were 91.5%, 88.1%, and 83.1%, respectively. Recruitment and retention strategies include two grounded in previous literature: a culturally sensitive and diverse research team and use of incentives. Four additional strategies were developed for this study to meet the needs of the study site and participants, which included: study site collaboration; ongoing communications; responding to the clinical environment; and addressing participants’ health literacy levels. A discussion of key recruitment and retention strategies and suggestions for future studies focused on low-income African American participants ensues.

Introduction

Effective recruitment and retention strategies are essential to the overall success of clinical trials. Low recruitment and high attrition rates result in inequitable distribution of research risks and benefits and undermine the trial results [1]. Despite the well-established finding that health disparities in minority populations persist, minorities are underrepresented in health research. This creates barriers to meaningful research as it reduces analytic sample sizes, statistical power, generalizability, and consequently the validity of overall study outcomes. This negatively affects the validity of research and undermines the collection of evidence for eliminating health disparities [2–4]. Recruitment and retention of African American participants are major challenges in research. They are particularly daunting challenges for follow-up assessment monitoring behavior change [1,3,5]. Low levels of participation by minorities are often attributed to a lack of trust in researchers because of historical breeches of ethical research conduct [2,3]. Research exploring interventions designed to reduce the health disparities of hypertension and other chronic illnesses in low-income African Americans is needed [6]. Among all race/ethnicity subgroups in the US, African Americans have the highest hypertension prevalence (58.6% among men and 56.0% among women), which, when compared to the prevalence among whites (48.2% among men and 41.3% among women) [7], is a major disparity. There is a need to explore culturally appropriate strategies to improve recruitment and retention successes with African Americans. This would provide a stronger foundation for designing interventions that eradicate health disparities in hypertension for low-income African Americans [2,3,8]. Literature on promoting hypertension self-management in lowincome African Americans is scarce and lacks critical information on recruitment and retention strategies. In a thorough review of papers examining this, we found only a few intervention studies with hypertensive low-income African-Americans adults and all indicated recruitment and retention challenges [9–12]. We found one study specifically on hypertensive low-income African-Americans adults [13]. Although the study reported a high retention rate (100%) over 8 weeks, the strategies used were not described. Other studies reported recruitment and retention strategies designed to enhance participation of African Americans of all incomes in clinical trials on chronic diseases other than hypertension [8,14–16]. Strategies included benefits to participation, convenience of participation, safety assurances, and trust.