Ahmedabad City Research Articles

Food City: Ahmedabad as a Globalised Vegetarian Space

Existing studies, highlighting that dining out forms an important part of public cultures in India, have focused on the growing influence of consumer cultures on India’s middle classes and their identity formation. However, insufficient scholarly attention has been paid to the distinctly different ways in which middle-class experiences with modernity and cosmopolitanism unfold across different cities in India and in the worldwide South Asian diaspora. This article argues that in the major Gujarati city of Ahmedabad, middle-class engagement with new and global culinary practices is couched within dominant, regionally coloured vegetarian cultures, redefining vegetarianism as integral to the project of modern middle-class identity among certain upwardly mobile social groups. This ethnographic study of popular pizzerias sheds light on the transformative capacity and significance of vegetarian food. From being a symbol of exclusionary bourgeois hegemonic cultures, it has turned into a consumer item regarded as accessible and desirable for supporting middle-class aspirations to experience ‘global’ forms of consumption. The concluding analysis suggests that, since there are many diverse, cosmopolitan urban spaces like Ahmedabad, more research is needed especially on how global Gujarati food culture has been developing.

Urinary Incontinence, Its Risk Factors, and Quality of Life: A Prevalence Study, among Young Adult Women of Ahmedabad City, Gujarat

Context: Urinary incontinence (UI) is a chronic debilitating disease that is often underreported, but it has a significant impact on one’s quality of life (QoL) thus it is of public health importance. Aims: This study aims to find out the prevalence of UI among young adult women, its associated risk factors, and treatment-seeking behavior, QoL in affected women. Methods: It is a clinic-based observational study and simple random sampling conducted on 8th March 2022 in young adult women, A Prevalence of 285 women for the survey for urinary incontinence was taken, where 206 women between 30 to 45 age were included in the study on basis of answering appropriately with a response rate of 72.2%. women having urinary incontinence in their lifespan have filled out the Questionnaire for Urinary Incontinence Diagnosis (QUID). Results: The result shows the descriptive characteristic of the study from 206 responses, prevalence rate shows 51% of women had suffered from urinary incontinence in their lifespan. women having urinary incontinence while coughing or sneezing is 20% rarely, 42% once in a while, 30% often, 6% most of the time, women’s having urinary incontinence while bending down or lifting something is 36% rarely, 29% once in a while, 23% often, 10% most of the time, women’s having urinary incontinence while walking quickly, jogging or exercising is 40% rarely, 31% once in a while, 20% often, 7% most of the time, women’s having urinary incontinence in their life span Conclusions: In conclusion, our result has shown that more than 50% of young adult women have suffered from urinary incontinence in their lifespan and need physiotherapy for the different types of urinary incontinence

Caste, gig-economy, and youth: the resurgence of a new age caste politics in urban Gujarat

ABSTRACT This article interrogates the connections between caste and gig economy, and how these connections play out in the political actions by youth in the erstwhile mill-neighbourhoods in the western Indian city of Ahmedabad, in the state of Gujarat. It asks, how do the gig-economy workers from the lower castes navigate in the highly caste segregated urban spaces of Ahmedabad? What drives them to join their own caste collectives while looking for gig work in the city? The article explains through ethnographic inquiries that while the recent emergence of the gig economy provides the young jobseekers from the lower castes an escape route from the caste-based occupations in the rural, their caste identities are strategically masked and highlighted in informing their choices, political aspirations and economic anxieties while navigating in the urban. The unpredictable and uncertain nature of the contractual work consolidates caste and kinship networks to get work and information about available work in the urban gig economy. This in turn facilitates a renewed political activism of the youth in the urban neighbourhoods that strengthens caste politics in the region.

Profile of Deaths Due to COVID-19 in Three Zones of Ahmedabad City during the all Three Waves of Pandemic: A Record Based Study

Introduction: Mortality due to COVID- 19 was observed in India including Gujarat during the pandemic. Death audit of all the deaths among cases of COVID- 19 during the pandemic was carried out in Municipal Corporation area of a city of Gujarat in India. Objective: Present research was carried out to describe socio-demographic and clinical profile among deceased due to COVID-19. Method: Descriptive cross sectional record-based study was carried out. Case papers of 1078 deaths from three zones of municipal corporation were allotted for death audit to a tertiary care teaching hospital and the findings were described as proportions, mean, median, and associations were demonstrated through appropriated tests like Chi square test, t-test. Results: Mean age of deceased was 63.66+11.99 years. Male:Female ratio was 2.5:1.The median duration of stay of the deceased in the hospital was 7 (IQR: 3-12). The most commonly recorded immediate cause of death was Type 1 Respiratory failure 533 (49.44%). Proportion of comorbidities increased with increase in age and this was statistically highly significant. However, there was no gender-wise association of comorbidities. There was no association of SpO2 levels with age. However, SpO2 levels were significantly associated with fever, sore throat, breathlessness and ischaemic heart disease. Conclusion: Based on the findings of the study, individuals more than 60 years of age were identified as high risk group, Emphasis on early referral and proper management of comorbidities is required to decrease the mortality.

A STUDY OF ACHIEVEMENT MOTIVATION AND ANXIETY AMONG THE CHILDREN OF WORKING AND NON-WORKING WOMEN

The aim of the present study is to investigate the effects of achievement motivation (AM) and anxiety (AN) on the children of working and non-working women. These kids are in high school. A random sample of 10 secondary schools in the city of Ahmedabad was selected for this study. A unit of 250 children was selected for data collection, of which 90 were working children and 160 were non-working women. The resulting analysis showed that the children of working women were more affordable than the children of non-working women. Moreover, there is a significance difference between the anxiety of working and non-working women’s children. After the analysis of anxiety of working and non-working women’s children, girls of working women showed the highest anxiety. These may be associated with some reasons, like girls have to share part of their women responsibility and the girls working women do not get required attention, guidance and care during their formative period.

Spatial analysis of food and water-borne diseases in Ahmedabad, India: Implications for urban public health planning

Spatial analysis of infectious diseases can play an important role in mapping the spread of diseases and can support policy making at local level. Moreover, identification of disease clusters based on local geography and landscape forms the basis for disease control and prevention. Therefore, this study aimed to examine the spatial-temporal variations, hotspot areas, and potential risk factors of infectious diseases (including Viral Hepatitis, Typhoid and Diarrhea) in Ahmedabad city of India. We used Moran's I and Local Indicators of Spatial Association (LISA) mapping to detect spatial clustering of diseases. Spatial and temporal regression analysis was used to identify the association between disease incidence and spatial risk factors. The Moran's I statistics identified presence of positive spatial autocorrelation within the considered diseases, with Moran's I from 0.09 for typhoid to 0.21 for diarrhea (p < 0.001). This indicates a clustering of affected wards for each disease, suggesting that cases were not randomly distributed across the city. LISA mapping demonstrated the clustering of hotspots in central regions of the city, especially towards the east of the river Sabarmati, highlighting key geographical areas with elevated disease risk. The spatial clusters of infectious diseases were consistently associated with slum population density and illiteracy. Furthermore, temporal analysis suggested illiteracy rates could increase risk of viral hepatitis by 13 % (95 % Confidence Interval (CI): 1.01–1.26) and of diarrhea by 18 % (95 % CI: 1.07–1.31). Significant inverse association was also seen between viral hepatitis incidence and the distance of wards from rivers. Conclusively, the study highlight the impact of socio-economic gradients, such as slum population density (indicative of poverty) and illiteracy, on the localized transmission of water and foodborne infections. The evident social stratification between impoverished and affluent households emerges as a notable contributing factor and a potential source of differences in the dynamics of infectious diseases in Ahmedabad.

A study on consumer attitude towards Smoking amongst Males and Females of Gen. Z in Ahmedabad

This research paper provides the valuable insights on the consumer behaviour towards smoking in Ahmedabad by focusing on both gender [ males and females]. We have conducted the survey to gather the insights into habits and awareness related to smoking. This survey involves various types of people like students going school and colleges, office going males and females of Gen. Z. This study involves the main reason of starting smoking are they all have same reason or problem for which they have started.&#x0D; The sampling method we have used here stratified sampling technique that ensures covers participants from different socio-economic backgrounds within Ahmedabad. The factors we have taken into consideration are attitudes towards smoking, why it became their habit, and peoples reviews and recommendation for starting campaign or programs related to less consumption of smoking.&#x0D; Analysis done that shows that people of 21-25 smoke more because the main reason overall we got is the pressure and stress. The future scope for the research is to reduce the percentage of people who are currently and formally smoking by running a campaign or short and comedy programs.&#x0D; This study is not only focused of present situation pf consumer attitude towards smoking but to provide foundation for better future analysis in this field in Ahmedabad city. The outcomes we expected is the percentage of people smoking should reduced to low they understand the harmfulness behind smoking and stop it.

Burden of Infertility, Its Risk Factors, Perceptions and Challenges Faced by Women of Peri-urban Community from Ahmedabad City: Mixed Method Study.

Infertility is globally prevalent and India accounts for 25% of the global burden, but it is still a neglected reproductive health issue. To estimate the prevalence of infertility, its determinants, perception and challenges faced by couples from the peri-urban area of Ahmedabad City. A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted in peri-urban areas of Ahmedabad City. For quantitative data collection, 689 couples were selected through probability proportion-based sampling (PPBS). Data was collected through a questionnaire during (1) phase I for socio-demographic details of the community and identification of eligible couples, (2) phase II for assessing the presence of infertility and its risk factors along with the assessment of depression and anxiety, and (3) phase III for Clinico-social profiling of all infertile couples (detected during second phase). Some of these women were involved in qualitative components to know the perceptions, challenges, etc. faced while seeking infertility treatment. Study population of 917 families (n = 3891) yielded 689 women of reproductive age group (RAG) with a period prevalence of 7.4% (5.5%-9.4%); separately being 3.5% and 3.9% for primary and secondary type respectively. Socio-demographic determinants like age, education, occupation, addiction, and lifestyle-related illnesses like diabetes and hypertension exhibited no significant association with infertility. However, asthma, mental illnesses, and hormonal diseases like polycystic ovarian disease (PCOD) were associated and exhibited a significant association with infertility. Preventable risk factors like reproductive tract/sexually transmitted infections (RTI/STI) showed a significantly positive association with infertility. The period prevalence of infertility was 7.4%, with the secondary type being more common. Asthma, mental illness, RTI/STI and age at menarche showed significant association. Screening and treatment for RTI/STI can prevent complications like infertility. Stigma associated with infertility and lack of treatment facilities in the government sector makes it difficult to deal with and neglected health problems.

Assessment of breast-feeding and weaning practices of under-fives and their associated co-morbidities in urban and rural areas of Ahmedabad City, Gujarat, India.

Shaping up the post-2015 development agenda is of crucial importance in the development process around the Globe as 20151 was the last year of milllenium development goals. It is the right time to asses our own progress vis-a-vis the Millennium development goals. Appropriate feeding and weaning practices are the key contributor for decreasing morbidities and mortalities in under-five children. As per national family health survey-5 (NFHS-5), only 55.8% of the Indian infants between 0 and 6 months were exclusively breastfed in Gujarat. Children age 6-8 months receiving solid or semi-solid food and breast milk were only 49.4% in Gujarat. Only 5.8% of breastfeeding infants aged 6-23 months receive an adequate diet in Gujarat. Hence the following study was done to know the practice of breastfeeding and weaning in mothers of urban and rural area of Ahmedabad city, Gujarat. The primary objective of this study was to describe the breastfeeding and newborn care practices and the factors affecting the initiation and duration of breastfeeding in urban and rural areas of Ahmedabad city, Gujarat and the secondary objective was to describe the comorbidities associated with them. Cross-sectional study was done in anganwadis of slums of urban and rural field practice area of B.J. Medical College, Ahmedabad. Half of the under-five children were provided jaggery as pre-lacteal feed both in urban (45%) and rural (53%) area. In urban area most common reason for providing pre lacteal feeds was due to family customs (55%) followed by their belief that it leads to help in removal of meconium from gut (22%) followed by as advised from their relatives (23%) as compared to in rural area where there was belief that it leads to help in removal of meconium from gut (52%) followed by family customs (31%) and advise from relatives (17%). There were 7.5% under-five children in urban area in whom breastfeeding was not initiated immediately compared to rural area in which there were 42% under-five children. Frequent occurrence of acute illness among under-fives may have lead to undernutrition.

Eating Disorders: Assessing Its Prevalence and Pattern Among Adults With Type 2 Diabetes.

Eating disorders (EDs) are severe and multifaceted mental health issues that affect a person's perception of their body weight in relationship with food. Existing evidence shows that EDs significantly affect the physical and emotional health of individuals with Type-2 Diabetes (T2D) and are associated with impaired metabolic control and a high risk of medical complications, including higher mortality rates. However, there is a paucity of research looking into the prevalence of EDs. A cross-sectional study was conducted to map the prevalence of EDs and to assess its pattern among adults with T2D from Ahmedabad City, Gujarat, India. Two hundred fifty-four T2D individuals aged 30-60 were enrolled in the study. A questionnaire was developed using the Sick, Control, One, Fat, Food (SCOFF) questionnaire and a five-question screening tool intended to identify the possibility of EDs as well as the Eating Disorder Examination-Questionnaire (EDEQ), which is used to identify the pattern of EDs with subscales like Restraint, Eating Concern, Shape Concern, and Weight Concern. Written informed consent was obtained from all participants. Descriptive statistics, Pearson's Correlation, and Logistic Regression analysis were used.A p-value of < 0.05 was considered significant. The results revealed that 90 (35%) of the total participants were at a high risk of EDs.Among these, 54 (21% of the total population) were males, and 36 (14% of total participants) were females. There was a mild statistically significant negative correlation between age and exercise with the presence of ED (r = -0.151, p = 0.016 and r = -0.186, p = 0.003, respectively), while education showed a significant positive correlation (r = 0.150, p = 0.017). Males had significantly higher scores for eating concerns than females (19.75±4.88 vs 17.88±5.92; p = 0.008). The logistic regression model revealed that education was a significant predictor of EDs (OD = 1.47, 95% CI 1.00-2.16 and p = 0.04). The study identified that people with T2D are at risk of EDs, and eating concerns worry them the most. Thus, counseling sessions should focus on identifying the determinants of EDs and educating the patients regarding quality eating. This will have implications in addressing the other morbidities as well as health risks related to BMI; especially obesity as it is more prevalent in the T2D population.

Estimation of vehicle control delay using artificial intelligence techniques for heterogeneous traffic conditions

The conventional standardized theoretical models (such as Webster, Alcelik, Indo-HCM) used for the delay estimation revolve around the mathematical hypothesis and assumptions, making them static with limitations in accommodating the dynamic traffic behaviors. Recent advances in artificial intelligence make machine learning techniques suitable for estimating vehicle control delay compared to conventional methods. This paper demonstrates the application of several machine learning models developed by focusing on the fluctuations of traffic observed at an intersection having heterogeneous traffic conditions in Ahmedabad city for delay estimation. Several parameters are extracted from on-field and video surveys. However, not all parameters are relevant for accurately estimating vehicle control delay. Hence, a feature selection process consisting of several feature-scoring techniques from filter, wrapper, and embedded methods is applied to all the parameters. This process gave insights into the most statistically relevant independent parameters, and out of all the parameters, cycle time was found to be insignificant, with a feature score of 0 from almost all techniques. Hence, it was removed,and then the prominent parameters were then used to build a vehicle control delay model using support vector regression (SVR), K-nearest neighbor (KNN), artificial neural network (ANN), random forest regression (RF), and decision tree regression (DT). Error distribution, standard deviation of errors, coefficient of Determination (R2), and Root Mean Squared Error (RMSE) are the parameters used for evaluating the performance of the machine learning models. RF outperformed them all with a standard deviation of errors, R2, and RMSE of 11.065, 0.926, and 11.081 on testing data. But ANN, KNN, and DT also performed satisfactorily. Compared with conventional standardized theoretical models, all the machine learning models except SVR performed better.

Novel approach for the LULC change detection using GIS & Google Earth Engine through spatiotemporal analysis to evaluate the urbanization growth of Ahmedabad city

Changes in Land Use and Land Cover (LULC) have a significant impact on both urban and environmental planning, especially in the context of rapidly urbanising areas. The largest city in the state of Gujarat, Ahmedabad, has experienced substantial growth. Utilising the powerful tools of Geographic Information System (GIS) and Google Earth Engine (GEE), this study uses a thorough methodology to track and examine changes in LULC over the last ten years. Modifications in LULC have a significant impact on both urban and environmental planning, especially in light of the fast urbanisation cycle. This study uses a comprehensive approach to monitor and analyze Landsat imagery changes in LULC over the past ten years, leveraging the powerful capabilities of Google Earth Engine and GIS. Important insights into LULC patterns are revealed by analysing Landsat imagery from Ahmedabad from 2013 to 2023. Pre-processing with GIS and GEE, accuracy evaluation, and classification of satellite images are all included in the methodology. With a notable 0.85 Kappa and 89 % accuracy in LULC classification, the resulting LULC classifications cover settlements, vegetation, water bodies, arid land, and other relevant features. Results show that over the previous ten years, Ahmedabad has seen a noteworthy decrease in agricultural lands of 13.74 % and a reduction in barren areas of 4.78 %. Meanwhile, the total LULC patterns have shown a significant expansion of 23.56 %. This study is significant because it highlights how urbanisation reduces vegetation cover. The results will helpful for urban planning strategies that take changing environmental dynamics into account.

Armani Exchange: the dilemma of store expansion

Learning outcomes In the light of the case study and the accompanying case study questions, the incumbent would be able to gain a comprehensive understanding on the theoretical underpinnings of retail store expansion, identify the challenges for expanding a brand into emerging markets such as India and apply various marketing strategies aimed at in-depth analysis retail expansion. Learners can further comprehend the importance of brand communication incorporated by the brand to attract its customer subset. Case overview/synopsis It was in December 2022, when Mason Chatterjee, the Indian brand head of Armani Exchange (A|X), was confronted with the managerial dilemma whether launching the second store in the city of Ahmedabad would be a right decision. Another issue that was troubling him was how to go about launching a second store in a city which was not a home to other luxury sublabels. The case study illustrates the decisional aspect of retail expansion adopted by Chatterjee, considering the distinct managerial perspectives. Chatterjee found potential in the city of Ahmedabad, owing to an increased number of high-net-worth individuals and other macro factors. The case study is primarily an outcome of research carried out at A|X store at Ahmedabad One mall, Ahmedabad, for over a fortnight in the month of February 2023. The expansion decision of Chatterjee proved to be a success in the city of Ahmedabad reaching a sales figure of INR 1 crore (US$130,344.11) in the very first month of its launch. However, he was confronted with the managerial dilemma of further expansion, just six months after the launch of the latest expansion. Complexity academic level The case study is intended for advanced undergraduates or postgraduate programs in management or electives such as marketing, retail management and strategic management. It has not only been specifically designed for teaching the concept of retail expansion but can also be used to integrate contexts on brand’s merchandise mix, retail positioning, visual merchandising and brand communication. The case study has an overview of each of these elements. The instructor may choose them into the context for a wider encompassing detailed lesson or particularly on the main aspect of the case. Supplementary materials Teaching notes are available for educators only. Subject code CSS8: Marketing

“Investment Cognizance and perceptivity of Future investors towards the Socially Responsible Investment juncture available in India with special consideration to Ahmedabad city”

“Investment Cognizance and perceptivity of Future investors towards the Socially Responsible Investment juncture available in India with special consideration to Ahmedabad city”

Tall Tales and Half-Truths: Negotiating Anxiety and Precarity in Contemporary Ahmedabad

ABSTRACT This article explores the import of tall tales, half-truths, and fantastical narratives in historical scholarship. I draw from oral historical and ethnographic fieldwork conducted in the western Indian city of Ahmedabad. In the recent decades, Ahmedabad has been the site of widespread industrial restructuring and religious violence, to a large extent targeting the Muslim community. Both of these historical processes have had far-reaching consequences on the lives and spaces of the city’s working poor. This article follows one precarious worker, M. R. Sayyad, and his elliptical, fragmented, and fabulous life story, presenting it alongside the context in which it was told. Through the focus on Sayyad’s stories, it offers a way of engaging with and analyzing narratives that may be false and fictitious. My aims are twofold: first, to consider the possibilities contained in fantastic and fabulous tales, and second, to tease out the structures of everyday anxieties and dispossession that are embedded in these stories. I show that Sayyad’s narratives reveal as much as they conceal and suggest that they present ways of understanding self-fashioning and creative forms of claim-making at a time of insecurity and anxiety.

"To Study the Impact of Online Fraud and Scams on Online Purchasing Behaviour of Consumers in Ahmedabad City"

"To Study the Impact of Online Fraud and Scams on Online Purchasing Behaviour of Consumers in Ahmedabad City"

A Study of Loyalty Programs on Customer Engagement For Bluestone Jewellery and Lifestyle Pvt Ltd. With Special Reference to the Shivranjani Store In Ahmedabad City

A Study of Loyalty Programs on Customer Engagement For Bluestone Jewellery and Lifestyle Pvt Ltd. With Special Reference to the Shivranjani Store In Ahmedabad City

Assessment of Quality of Life among Terminally Ill Cancer Patients Receiving Palliative Care at Hospice Centre, Ahmedabad City, India.

Cancer has been the leading cause of death worldwide, and palliative care is an approach that improves the quality of life (QoL) of patients and their families facing the problem associated with life-threatening illness. Hospice care helps patients and their family to cope with the change from treating the cancer to living life as fully as possible through their final days. This study aimed to (1) assess the sociodemographic and clinical profile of terminally ill cancer patients, (2) assess the QoL among terminally ill cancer patients receiving palliative care, and (3) study various determinants affecting their QoL. A cross-sectional study was conducted among terminally ill cancer patients receiving palliative care at the Hospice Centre, Community Oncology Centre, Ahmedabad. Based on previous years' admission data, a sample size of 360 was taken. Patients who are seriously ill up to the extent that they were unable to respond and had a previous positive history of psychiatric illness before the diagnosis of cancer were excluded. Institutional ethical committee (IEC) permission was obtained before the study. Statistical analysis was performed using the Chi-square test in Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) software. The mean age of participants was 48.1 ± 13.0 years. The gender distribution of participants was males and females (226 (62.8%) and 134 (37.2%)), respectively. On studying, the involvement of various anatomical sites as "primary site of cancer" revealed that head and neck carcinoma had the highest (63.3%) involvement and hematological cancer had the lowest (0.6%) involvement. Of total, 62% of participants had "below-average QoL," followed by 34.9% of participants having "significantly poor QoL." There was a significant association between different age groups, time lag in cancer diagnosis, and treatment initiation and QoL. Spearman's rank correlations between the majority of factors fell in "low partially positive" category except for the physical well-being (factor 2) and psychosocial well-being (factor 3) with optimism and belief (factor 7), where they were in "low partially negative" category.

To Study the Impact of Online Fraud and Scams on Online Purchasing Behaviour of Consumers in Ahmedabad City

To Study the Impact of Online Fraud and Scams on Online Purchasing Behaviour of Consumers in Ahmedabad City

Study on Awareness Regarding Health and Safety in Catering Industry in Ahmedabad City

Study on Awareness Regarding Health and Safety in Catering Industry in Ahmedabad City