A South Asian Identity Constructed By The Indo-Pacific Discourse: India

s PLoS Medicine, Daniel Reidpath and Kit Yee Chan challenge the widely cited link between HIV-related stigma and the spread of the epidemic [1].This is an important question, given the heavy emphasis on stigma in policies of the World Health Organization, the Joint United Programme on HIV/AIDS, and other public health institutions, but in making their argument Reidpath and Chan misrepresent the connections that other authors have made between stigma and viral transmission, ignore evidence that does suggest an association, and propose a model of their own for which they offer no evidence.HIV infection establishes itself fi rst in certain high-risk groups-men who have sex with men, intravenous drug users, sex workers, mobile populations-and only later moves into the general population.In the early stages of the epidemic, stigma facilitates transmission within high-risk groups, because these already marginalized groups receive little attention from policy makers and the health-care community and are further discriminated against when they are identifi ed with HIV and AIDS [2].Stigma also prevents or makes it more diffi cult for members of high-risk groups to access preventive services, including HIV antibody testing [3].Reidpath and Chan distort this dynamic by describing a model in which stigma leads to fear which leads to unsafe behavior.We know of no one who suggests that stigma causes sex between men or intravenous drug use.Instead, there is evidence that HIV-related stigma makes it diffi cult for people to take actions to reduce their risks; for example, by accessing HIV education [4], exchanging needles [5], and negotiating condom use [6].Stigma may even lead women who know they are HIV positive to breast-feed their infants rather than arouse suspicion of their serostatus through formula feeding [7].This undoubtedly increases the risk of vertical viral transmission.Reidpath and Chan go on to propose that stigma may actually "slow the spread of infection from those [highrisk] groups to the general population."Although there is a plausible logic to this suggestion, there is no evidence for it.Even if stigma does reduce the opportunities that marginalized groups have to transmit HIV to the broader population, this would have little effect on the dynamics of a generalized epidemic.While they recognize that stigma presents a barrier to the treatment and care of people living with HIV, Reidpath and Chan fail to recognize the association this may have with increased transmission.HIV-related stigma discourages people from disclosing their status, entering care, and adhering to antiretroviral regimens, all of which represent missed opportunities for prevention.Around the world HIV capitalizes on and reinforces social stigma and discrimination, especially the low status of women.Defeating the epidemic requires an honest examination of all these phenomena and interventions that target both the virus itself and its widespread social impacts.

This article examines the formation of South Asian identities through transnational urban networks. Using narratives of South Asians in Toronto from diverse contexts of migration and settlement, I investigate the ways in which the city brings together geographies of South Asian transnationalism and diaspora in the production of identities. In the first section, I examine how connections across urban centers in Toronto, South Asia, and the South Asian diaspora re-spatialize identities. The second section focuses on the relation between discourses of urban multiculturalism and South Asian diasporic identities in Toronto. I find that South Asian identities are formed through connections across urban sites and in everyday encounters in the city. These identities cannot be contained within national conceptions of diaspora and are owed to the particular experiences of migration and settlement in the city and in the transnational spaces that shape diasporic imaginaries.

South and South-East Asian countries report a great liability for the world's road traffic injuries (RTIs) and deaths. A vast number of research studies tested various interventions including specific protective devices to prevent accidents, but no review papers have been conducted to find out the prevalence of RTIs in South-East and South Asian countries. This review paper was an attempt to find out the prevalence of RTIs and their associated factors in South-East and South Asian countries. Following the guidelines of Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA), we searched the articles in the electronic databases of PubMed/Medline, Scopus, CINAHL, ProQuest, and Web of Science. Articles were selected if they reported the prevalence of RTI, or road traffic accident (RTA) deaths. In addition, a data quality assessment was done. Out of the 10,818 article hits from the literature search, ten articles found the eligibility and inclusion criteria. Most of the studies reported that males are involved in the RTIs more than females. The male mortality rate is more than the female mortality in RTI mortality. Young adult males are the major victims when compared with the different age groups of male victims. Two-wheelers are the major contributors to the accident rate. Religious or national festivals are not free from accident-prone times. Climatic seasons and nighttime have a major influence on the RTIs. RTIs are increasing due to the sudden and huge increase in the number of motor vehicles and the development of cities and towns. Accidents are non-predictable but controllable disasters in society. Overspeeding, bad conditions on road, the vulnerability of the vehicles, and careless driving are the major reported reasons for RTIs. Making and implementing strict laws can help us to control RTAs. The major effect on the reduction of RTI can be assured only with the presence of responsible people. That can be achieved only by creating awareness in society about traffic rules and responsibilities.

Background Menopausal symptoms can have a significant impact on a woman's quality of life. Information on availability of menopausal hormone therapy (MHT) in National Essential Medicines Lists (NEMLs) of South Asian (SA) countries has not been widely studied. Objective To review the availability of non-injectable MHT included in NEMLs of SA countries and to assess differences in availability compared to the recommended MHT preparations in the World Health Organization (WHO) model essential medicines list and the list of MHT available to women of a developed country in the Asia Pacific Region, while comparing with the healthcare expenditure and country's economic status. Methods Most recent NEMLs were obtained from all eight SA counties by visiting the Ministry of health/regulatory website of the respective country. Latest WHO model essential medicines list and Pharmaceuticals Benefits Scheme (PBS) schedule from Australia were obtained from the WHO and PBS websites respectively. Per capita health expenditure was obtained from The WHO Global Health Expenditure Database. Two investigators extracted the non-injectable MHT preparations independently from NEMLs and conducted the comparison. Results Except in two countries, in all other SA coun­tries NEMLs were updated within the preceding five years. According to available data, seven SA countries had at least one separate preparation of oestrogen suitable for MHT while all countries had a separate progesterone preparation suitable for MHT. The oestrogen preparations available in the SA NEMLs were limited to either ethinyl estradiol or conjugated oestrogen tablets whilst in the WHO model, oestrogen preparations were not specified. In Australia, estradiol tablets were the only available oral oestrogen while there were four more different dosage forms of oestrogens available through the PBS Scheme. Progesterone preparations found in SA countries, WHO list and PBS schedule were similar, but oestrogen progesterone combination MHT preparations were only available in the PBS schedule. Per capita health expenditure was much higher in Australia compared to SA countries where a wide variation was observed. Conclusions The available evidence suggests that a larger population of SA women have access only to a very limited number of options if in need of MHT. In contrast, importance of MHT is highlighted in PBS Schedule. Although per capita health expenditure was low in SA countries, given that MHT products are relatively low cost and that there is a large proportion of women in menopausal age in this region, it would be imperative to update the WHO model list and NEMLs of SA countries to address the growing need of safe MHT and to improve the quality of life of postlnenopausal women in our region.

This paper explores the avenues to evolve a common identity, in South Asia. This paper has been divided into five parts. In the first part, Identity and Regional Integration, the concepts of identity and regional integration have been defined and the need for a common identity for regional integration has been discussed. The second part, analyses South Asia as a region and the need for developing a common identity there. The third part, explores the different types of identities existing in the political, economic, social and cultural spheres of the South Asian region. In the fourth part, the challenges in evolving a common regional identity in South Asia, a region marked by diversity and myriad number of complex problems in different spheres has been discussed. By way of conclusion, it has been argued that a common identity is much required for furthering the process of regional integration in South Asia, which should be built on the common indicators of human development in the social sector as well as upon the common values, lifestyle and socio-cultural norms of the peoples of this region, like the ASEAN vision of an ASEAN Socio Cultural Community (ASCC).

This study aims to estimate the effects of economic growth, renewable and non-renewable energy consumption and natural resources on carbon emissions for the period of 1990-2014, in 11 countries, using 3 panels: (i) full countries panel, (ii) South Asian countries and (iii) Southeast Asian countries. For all panels, the long-run elasticities were estimated. The results suggest that non-renewable and renewable energy consumption increase economic development in the three panels. Besides, natural resources impede the economic growth in South Asian and full countries panels while natural resources increase the economic activities in Southeast Asian countries. Non-renewable and economic growth increase CO2 emissions, whereas, renewable energy consumption lessens the carbon emissions. Natural resources also contributed to CO2 emissions in the case of South Asian and full countries panels while improved the environmental quality in the Southeast Asian region. It was also observed that there is cointegration among the variables in all three panels. Policy recommendations can be made, in the sense that renewable energy sources should be preferred to decrease CO2 emissions, and education and corruption should be improved to estimulate the economic growth in the studied areas.Keywords: Renewable Energy, Non-renewable Energy, CO2 Emissions, Natural resources, CS-ARDLJEL Classifications: Q43, Q44, Q56DOI: https://doi.org/10.32479/ijeep.9956

Fire and flames are among leading causes of injury death in South Asian (SA) countries. The overall male dominance worldwide, with a few exceptions not least among SA countries, creates...

South Asia, the world’s most populated region, is facing many environmental and healthcare challenges due to poor freshwater management/wastewater treatment. Most South Asian (SA) countries, such as India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh, are suffering from water pollution issues generated due to domestic and industrial effluents containing heavy/toxic ions, textile dyes, pharmaceuticals, bacteria/viruses inorganic/organic pollutants, etc. To overcome these challenges, extensive research is being carried out with an emphasis on technological development to maintain water sustainability. The present review discusses water pollution as well as various challenges in SA countries along with solutions through scientific research carried out by developing nanomaterials and technological wastewater treatment processes, i.e., photocatalytic/adsorptive removal, disinfection, tracing/sensing, etc. Particularly, syntheses of TiO2 nanoparticles and graphene oxide (GO)-based nanomaterials which were found to be most extensively investigated in the SA region have been discussed with emphasis on their multifunctional applications using various water treatment processes, mechanisms, and synergetic effects. Eventually, various challenging issues and solution opportunities are discussed for future development to maintain water sustainability in SA countries.

The prevalence of overweight/obesity (OW/OB-defined by body mass index) in low- and middle-income countries is rising, and the sociodemographic characteristics of the most affected populations are changing. The relationship between education, widely recognized as a gender-related variable, and OW/OB in high-income countries is well understood; however, the impact in South Asian (SA) countries is less clear. This systematic review interrogated the relationship between educational attainment and OW/OB, by searching Ovid MEDLINE, CINAHL, EMBASE, and Web of Science for studies published after 2013, reporting the prevalence of OW/OB by educational attainment in eight SA countries. Data were extracted and the association between education and OW/OB was coded as direct, indirect, null, or U-shaped. A total of 32 studies were included in the review. The mean age was 38.5 years. The prevalence of OW/OB ranged between 4.6% and 64.4%. Females were reported to be at higher risk of OW/OB compared with males. Most of the studies reported women with higher education at greater risk of being OW/OB. SA countries are undergoing substantial transformations in their economic and social frameworks that influence how sex and gender mediate cardiovascular risk factors like OW/OB. Preventive strategies must be tailored to the unique characteristics of the SA population.

Comparatively less research has examined the effect of corporate governance (CG) elements on environmental sustainability reporting performance (ESRP) in South Asian (SA) countries. Further, no study in literature documents a cross-country examination of CG and ESRP in this region. The study takes three SA countries (Bangladesh, India, and Pakistan) and 88 listed organizations’ sustainability reports during the years 2009–2016 from the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) database. The study considers a variety of mixed theoretical frameworks—i.e., agency, resource dependency, stakeholder, legitimacy and political cost theories—to indicate which ownership (foreign, institutional, director and family) and board characteristics (independence, size, diversity and committee) affect ESRP practices in the world’s most environmentally vulnerable region. Our empirical results indicate ESRP has a positive association with foreign and institutional ownership, board independence, and board size. Moreover, we find director share ownership significantly relates with ESRP. In contrast, our results also reveal no association between ESRP and family ownership, female directorship, and CSR and environmental committees. We conclude that more family control, a lack of female participation, and the unavailability of resourceful management personnel primarily impedes ESRP practices in the SA countries’ organizations. These findings have both theoretical and practical implications for academia, policy-makers, and corporate managers in this region.

Introduction: South Asian populations experience excess atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) risk. Social determinants of ASCVD risk factors in second generation, young adult South Asians have not previously been investigated. Cultural identity is one factor that may reflect health behaviors. Research Question: Is cultural self-identity associated with ASCVD risk factors in second generation, young adult South Asians? Methods: Among US South Asian adults age ≥18 years who are children of participants in the MASALA (Mediators of Atherosclerosis in South Asians Living in America) Study from the Chicago area, we evaluated the association of cultural self-identity (on a scale of very or mostly South Asian, bicultural, or very or mostly Western) with ASCVD risk factors including fasting glucose and lipids, blood pressure, body composition, and sleep duration, using multivariable linear regression adjusted for age, sex, educational attainment, and place of birth (in versus outside the United States). Results: Among 116 second generation South Asian Americans (mean age 34.3 [SD 9.3] years; 49% female, 51% male), 28% self-identified cultural identity as South Asian, 48% as bicultural, and 24% as Western. Mean (standard deviation) values of ASCVD risk factors in the overall sample were: fasting glucose 91 (7) mg/dL, hemoglobin A1c 5.3% (0.3), total cholesterol 180 (32) mg/dL, non-high density lipoprotein cholesterol 127 (31) mg/dL, triglycerides 103 (53) mg/dL, body mass index 23.5 (4.3) kg/m 2 , waist circumference 89 (13) cm, systolic blood pressure 115 (12) mmHg, diastolic blood pressure 73 (9) mmHg, and sleep duration 7.1 (1.1) hours. Compared to participants with South Asian identity (Table), young South Asian adults identifying as bicultural had a 0.5-hour lower sleep duration (95% CI -1.0, -0.02) and those identifying as Western had a 0.7-hour lower sleep duration (95% CI -1.3, -0.2). Young South Asian adults identifying as Western had a 31 mg/dL lower triglyceride level (95% CI -60, -1). Conclusions: Among South Asian young adult participants in the MASALA-2G Second Generation Study, those who identified as Western had lower triglyceride levels and shorter sleep duration, and those who identified as bicultural had shorter sleep duration, compared to those who identified as South Asian. Future research should investigate how cultural identity influences health behaviors related to sleep and other ASCVD risk factors.

Despite the considerable health and economic burden of disability in the South Asian (SA) region, there is limited evidence of impairments and disabilities prevalence and the need for Assistive Technologies (ATs). This scoping review aims to synthesise the evidence of the impairments and disabilities in SA countries. This review followed Arksey and O’Malley’s methodological framework. EBSCOhost, EMBASE, PubMed, and Web of Science databases were searched for original research articles from SA countries. In this study, impairment and disability refer to functional limitations restricting individuals from performing activities, including visual, hearing, speaking, cognitive, mobility, and self-care difficulties. The review included full-text, English-language articles addressing any impairment and disability, without restrictions on publication date. This review identified 105 articles distributed over the six impairment and disability domains: visual, hearing, mobility, self-care, speaking, and cognitive. Most evidence originated from India (50.5%) and focused on visual impairments (53.3%). The review identified that heterogeneity in methodologies, case identification definitions, and study settings contributed to variations in prevalence estimation and restricted the comparability within and across countries. Besides, the uneven distribution of studies across countries suggests varying inclinations of countries toward specific impairment and disability domains. The review identified variations in prevalence due to differences in methodologies, definitions, and contexts. The review also identified the uneven distribution of studies, limited evidence on ATs, reliance on self-reported data, and lack of nationally representative research. Future research should use standardised case identification and evidence-based approaches to enhance comparability and minimise response biases.

South Asians have high rates of acute myocardial infarction (AMI) at younger ages compared with individuals from other countries but the reasons for this are unclear. To evaluate the association of risk factors for AMI in native South Asians, especially at younger ages, compared with individuals from other countries. Standardized case-control study of 1732 cases with first AMI and 2204 controls matched by age and sex from 15 medical centers in 5 South Asian countries and 10,728 cases and 12,431 controls from other countries. Individuals were recruited to the study between February 1999 and March 2003. Association of risk factors for AMI. The mean (SD) age for first AMI was lower in South Asian countries (53.0 [11.4] years) than in other countries (58.8 [12.2] years; P<.001). Protective factors were lower in South Asian controls than in controls from other countries (moderate- or high-intensity exercise, 6.1% vs 21.6%; daily intake of fruits and vegetables, 26.5% vs 45.2%; alcohol consumption > or =once/wk, 10.7% vs 26.9%). However, some harmful factors were more common in native South Asians than in individuals from other countries (elevated apolipoprotein B(100) /apolipoprotein A-I ratio, 43.8% vs 31.8%; history of diabetes, 9.5% vs 7.2%). Similar relative associations were found in South Asians compared with individuals from other countries for the risk factors of current and former smoking, apolipoprotein B100/apolipoprotein A-I ratio for the top vs lowest tertile, waist-to-hip ratio for the top vs lowest tertile, history of hypertension, history of diabetes, psychosocial factors such as depression and stress at work or home, regular moderate- or high-intensity exercise, and daily intake of fruits and vegetables. Alcohol consumption was not found to be a risk factor for AMI in South Asians. The combined odds ratio for all 9 risk factors was similar in South Asians (123.3; 95% confidence interval [CI], 38.7-400.2] and in individuals from other countries (125.7; 95% CI, 88.5-178.4). The similarities in the odds ratios for the risk factors explained a high and similar degree of population attributable risk in both groups (85.8% [95% CI, 78.0%-93.7%] vs 88.2% [95% CI, 86.3%-89.9%], respectively). When stratified by age, South Asians had more risk factors at ages younger than 60 years. After adjusting for all 9 risk factors, the predictive probability of classifying an AMI case as being younger than 40 years was similar in individuals from South Asian countries and those from other countries. The earlier age of AMI in South Asians can be largely explained by higher risk factor levels at younger ages.

Spatiotemporal patterns and trends of community transmission of the pandemic COVID-19 in South Asia: Bangladesh as a case study

Energy efficiency is widely regarded as the most efficient means of supplying additional energy to meet the rising demand. However, extensive energy consumption causes greenhouse emissions, environmental destruction, and a decrease in energy efficiency (EE). This study investigates the role of energy efficiency and productivity growth in the ecological improvement of South Asia. Moreover, it evaluates the determinants (efficiency change or technology change) of energy productivity change across different SA (South Asian) countries. To estimate the energy efficiency and productivity change, we employed SBM-DEA and Malmquist Productivity Index methods with three inputs (capital stock, labor, and energy consumption), a single desirable output (gross domestic product) and a single undesirable output (CO2 emissions) on the well-extended dataset (2001-2019) for 6 South Asian countries. Furthermore, to check the impact of energy policy (2010) over the study period, the statistical significance of the change in mean scores for energy efficiency and productivity over two time periods (2001-2010 and 2011-2019) and six countries was examined using the Mann-Whitney U and Kruskal-Wallis tests. Results reveal that the average EE score of all 6 SA countries for the study period is 0.7278. This score shows that SA countries still have the potential of 27.22% to improve their energy efficiency to minimize the inputs to get the optimum output level with the least emissions. The primary determinant of energy productivity growth is technological change instead of efficiency. The average energy efficiency level is significantly different for two time periods, 2001-2010 and 2011-2019. Results conclude that energy efficiency and productivity in SA declined over the period, and potential causes are an inefficiency in the energy conversion process, extensive utilization of inputs, and less output growth.