Deprived Sectors Research Articles

Measuring small-area level deprivation in Belgium: The Belgian Index of Multiple Deprivation

BackgroundIn the past, deprivation has been mostly captured through simple and univariate measures such as low income or poor educational attainment in research on health and social inequalities in Belgium. This paper presents a shift towards a more complex, multidimensional measure of deprivation at the aggregate level and describes the development of the first Belgian Indices of Multiple Deprivation (BIMDs) for the years 2001 and 2011. MethodsThe BIMDs are constructed at the level of the smallest administrative unit in Belgium, the statistical sector. They are a combination of six domains of deprivation: income, employment, education, housing, crime and health. Each domain is built on a suite of relevant indicators representing individuals that suffer from a certain deprivation in an area. The indicators are combined to create the domain deprivation scores, and these scores are then weighted to create the overall BIMDs scores. The domain and BIMDs scores can be ranked and assigned to deciles from 1 (the most deprived) to 10 (the least deprived). ResultsWe show geographical variations in the distribution of the most and least deprived statistical sectors in terms of individual domains and overall BIMDs, and we identify hotspots of deprivation. The majority of the most deprived statistical sectors are located in Wallonia, whereas most of the least deprived statistical sectors are in Flanders. ConclusionThe BIMDs offer a new tool for researches and policy makers for analyzing patterns of deprivation and identifying areas that would benefit from special initiatives and programs.

Food security for sustainable agriculture development: A perception of women empowerment in Rajasthan, India

Women play a vital role in advancing agricultural development, food security and nutritional outcomes. They participate in all aspects of rural life, including paid employment, trade and marketing, as well as raising crops and animals, collecting water and wood for fuel and caring for family members. But women face multiple constraints in many of the activities they pursue that limit their productivity. Relative to men, women tend to own less land, have limited ability to hire labour and have impeded access to credit, extension and other training services. They started to work in almost all fields like men and are equal to men. Inspite of the various measures taken up by the government after independence women haven’t been fully empowered. The ground reality is deprivation and exploitation of women specially women from rural areas and those belonging to deprived sectors of the society. The study was conducted in Pali district. For this study, 160 rural women were selected and gathered information through structured interview schedule. The results of the study revealed that, majority of the women participated regularly in activities like sowing operations, weeding and intercultural operations, harvesting and post harvesting operations and animal husbandry activities. Major per cent of them participated in training demonstrations on vermiculture training and dairy training. Majority of the women perceived that losses at storage (due to storage pests attack), pests and diseases attack are the major causes for food grain losses. Empowerment of women in agriculture field is one of the major strategies for achieving food security. Hence, there is a need for empowerment of women in terms of social, cultural, economical and educational dimensions to play an important role in the overall development of the country. There is a need for empowerment of farm women to take care of food production and post harvest production losses for global food security through extension strategies.

University – society linkage projects: 20 years working with the underprivileged sectors in Ecuador

Bonding the university with the society is a widely discussed topic in international literature. However, the university social responsibility in relation with the underprivileged sectors has not been amply investigated. This current research makes an analysis of the university-society linkage with the underprivileged sectors in Ecuador. This research was carried out through a  case study at the Politecnica Salesiana University of Ecuador, which has more than 20 years of experience in making linking projects with deprived and disadvantage sectors. The methodology used for the analysis of these projects has been taken from the “Working with People” model, which is suitable enough for the planning of high social complexity development projects. The results show the suitability of the WWP model for the university-society linkage projects, and they also outstand thecontribution of the UPS (Politecnica Salesiana University) to the development of deprived sectors from three dimensions, which are the economic, technical, political – contextual, and social – ethical. Keywords: University-society; underprivileged sectors; working with people.

Traumatic dental injuries and socioeconomic position – findings from the Children's Dental Health Survey 2013

The aim of this study was to assess whether traumatic dental injuries (TDI) were socially graded among children and adolescents in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, using nationally representative data from the Children's Dental Health Survey (CDHS) 2013. This cross-sectional study used data from the Children's Dental Health Survey 2013 which was conducted among a nationally representative sample of schoolchildren in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Children's family socioeconomic position (SEP) was measured through free school meal eligibility and relative area deprivation using the Indices of Multiple Deprivation. The analytical sample included 6707 schoolchildren aged 8, 12 and 15. Multiple logistic regression was used to model the associations between experience of TDI and the two markers of SEP, after adjusting for sex and age. The overall prevalence of traumatic dental injuries to permanent incisors was 9% (n = 590). There were no statistically significant associations between TDI and either SEP measure. Further subgroup analyses (n = 2650) showed also no significant associations between TDI and additional SEP markers (parental education and social class). The odds of having sustained a traumatic dental injury were higher for boys than for girls and were greater in older age groups. This study found no significant relationships between the experience of traumatic dental injuries and two markers of family socioeconomic position among children living in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. This implies that rather than specifically targeting the more deprived sectors of society, TDI prevention policies should use upstream public health strategies incorporating a whole-population approach.

Tackling obesity, physical activity levels and dietary intake: the extent of the problem

Tackling obesity, physical activity levels and dietary intake: the extent of the problem

La responsabilidad social universitaria: Componente fundamental en la formación de los futuros docentes de la carrera de Pedagogía, de la Universidad Politécnica Salesiana

<p>El propósito de esta investigación fue determinar las directrices teórico-prácticas de Responsabilidad Social Universitaria (RSU), que orientaban desde la docencia, la formación de los estudiantes en la carrera de Pedagogía de la Universidad Politécnica Salesiana (UPS), sede Quito (Q).</p><p>En cuanto al enfoque metodológico, la investigación se desarrolló en dos momentos: en el primero, se establecieron los lineamientos conceptuales de RSU, en los escenarios universitarios e institucionales. En el segundo, se realizó el estudio de caso en la carrera de Pedagogía de la UPS-Q que abarcó sus tres instancias: directiva, docente y estudiantil, a través de una modalidad mixta: cualitativa y cuantitativa, de carácter evaluativo. La cualitativa, recogió datos e información mediante entrevistas con profundidad, realizadas a los integrantes del Consejo de Carrera y grupos focales de diez estudiantes, seleccionados aleatoriamente, de cada uno de los niveles 4o, 6o y 8o. La cuantitativa, a través de una encuesta, aplicada a todo el colectivo de docentes.</p><div class="page" title="Page 1"><div class="layoutArea"><div class="column"><p><span>Finalmente, se estableció que no hay una concepción clara sobre RSU en el nivel directivo, docente y estudiantil de Pedagogía de la UPS-Q; es un concepto que está en construcción. No obstante, subyace la idea del compromiso de la UPS, con los sectores sociales más necesitados que se expresa en los propósitos formativos de sus estudiantes. </span></p></div></div></div>

Islamist political movements in Yemen

This article presents an overview of Yemeni society before proceeding to a detailed account of research undertaken by the author into the factors behind the rise of Islamic extremism in Yemen and its appeal, especially among the young and most deprived sectors of society. The author draws on and relates his findings to a number of theoretical works, including those of authorities such as Max Weber as well as more recent analysts, in a discussion of what drives extremist group formation and what attracts their adherents, in general terms and in Yemen in particular. The findings of a survey of public opinion in Yemen conducted by the author are recounted in some detail.

Home/Social Environment and Asthma Profiles in a Vulnerable Community from Caracas: Lessons for Urban Venezuela?

Background. Asthma is a significant public health problem in Venezuela affecting the predominantly urban and poor majority of the population. Information regarding home and the social environment, key elements in asthma, is found to be deficient in these deprived socioeconomic sectors. This study was carried out to depict a life with asthma in this context which has been served over the years by a National Asthma Control Program. Methods. A survey of families residing in a socioeconomically deprived community of Caracas was carried out with the assumption that this community reflects the image of a life with asthma emanating from our deprived urban areas. Home physical settings were inspected for the following items: moldy walls, floors, ceilings, windows, sewage, garbage disposal, running water, plumbing, electricity, telephone, construction debris, furniture, bathrooms, food storage, and home appliances. In addition, we also gathered information regarding smoking habits, fumes exposure, pets and/or animals, and sighting of roaches and/or rodents. The presence of people with asthma was observed and their status of control was assessed through the asthma control test (ACT). Comparisons were made between families with asthmatics and those without asthmatics. Results. Randomly, 242 of 750 families (32.26%) were surveyed, with “head of family” providing information (75.6%) on most occasions. No significant association was found with respect to the previously explored items in those families with or without the presence of asthmatics. Medically diagnosed asthma was found in 14.91%, with ACT scores of <19 points in two-thirds of these adults and asthmatic children. Asthmatics reported symptoms occurring mostly during the night and an almost exclusive use of rescue medications. Families provided most treatments and children preferred to use the oral route for control medications. Significant work and school absenteeism were detected in more than 50% of these asthmatics. Conclusions. No physical home environmental/risk factors turned out to be significantly associated with families reporting the presence of asthmatics. The high impact of asthma found in this Caracas slum underscores the realities of Venezuela’s impoverished urban majority. To properly address this important challenge, our National Asthma Control Program needs to be reassessed.

Enhanced diabetes care to patients of south Asian ethnic origin (the United Kingdom Asian Diabetes Study): a cluster randomised controlled trial

Delivery of high-quality, evidence-based health care to deprived sectors of the community is a major goal for society. We investigated the effectiveness of a culturally sensitive, enhanced care package in UK general practices for improvement of cardiovascular risk factors in patients of south Asian origin with type 2 diabetes. In this cluster randomised controlled trial, 21 inner-city practices in the UK were assigned by simple randomisation to intervention (enhanced care including additional time with practice nurse and support from a link worker and diabetes-specialist nurse [nine practices; n=868]) or control (standard care [12 practices; n=618]) groups. All adult patients of south Asian origin with type 2 diabetes were eligible. Prescribing algorithms with clearly defined targets were provided for all practices. Primary outcomes were changes in blood pressure, total cholesterol, and glycaemic control (haemoglobin A1c) after 2 years. Analysis was by intention to treat. This trial is registered, number ISRCTN 38297969. We recorded significant differences between treatment groups in diastolic blood pressure (1.91 [95% CI -2.88 to -0.94] mm Hg, p=0.0001) and mean arterial pressure (1.36 [-2.49 to -0.23] mm Hg, p=0.0180), after adjustment for confounders and clustering. We noted no significant differences between groups for total cholesterol (0.03 [-0.04 to 0.11] mmol/L), systolic blood pressure (-0.33 [-2.41 to 1.75] mm Hg), or HbA1c (-0.15% [-0.33 to 0.03]). Economic analysis suggests that the nurse-led intervention was not cost effective (incremental cost-effectiveness ratio pound28 933 per QALY gained). Across the whole study population over the 2 years of the trial, systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, and cholesterol decreased significantly by 4.9 (95% CI 4.0-5.9) mm Hg, 3.8 (3.2-4.4) mm Hg, and 0.45 (0.40-0.51) mmol/L, respectively, and we recorded a small and non-significant increase for haemoglobin A1c (0.04% [-0.04 to 0.13]), p=0.290). We recorded additional, although small, benefits from our culturally tailored care package that were greater than the secular changes achieved in the UK in recent years. Stricter targets in general practice and further measures to motivate patients are needed to achieve best possible health-care outcomes in south Asian patients with diabetes.

Altering the model: the challenge of achieving inclusion

Besides “inclusion” meaning incorporation within the education system, there is also “inclusion” signifying the incorporation of knowledge, two distinct processes which went hand-in-hand to start with but which, as education systems expanded, have begun to drift apart. While the population as a whole, including the more deprived sectors, has improved its educational level over past decades, in more recent times there has been little to show for the considerable efforts made. It is as if the process had reached a ceiling, owing to practices of educational marginalization that are so embedded that they perpetually recreate themselves. The education system has lost its bearings because a new approach is needed with the emergence of the information and communication society, which implies a new definition of knowledge, cut off from its origins. The idea of “including” must also be a key notion in relation to the search for a fairer, more democratic society. This implies developing a number of viewpoints or fundamental attitudes when we consider inclusive education. There is the ideological/political point of view—which means developing the ideal of justice and democracy within the framework of education as a right; the epistemological aspect—which entails supporting the new educational approach in the very latest developments of the theory of complexity; the pedagogical aspect—which entails adopting the advances made in the new learning sciences in order to develop a new “technology of educational production” (didactics) that will guarantee the entire population’s ability to reason; and the institutional point of view—which requires reviewing the notion of a “school system” and incorporating other institutional spaces by considering the whole of society as offering potential “learning environments”.

Measuring socio-economic inequalities in the presentation of injuries to a paediatric A&E department: the importance of an epidemiological approach

To contrast the socio-economic pattern of childhood injuries presenting to a paediatric accident and emergency (A&E) department revealed by using both a numerator-based and a denominator-based approach to the analysis of injury surveillance data. Injury surveillance data collected during 1997-1998 at a Glasgow children's hospital A&E department were analysed. Socio-economic status was measured using Carstairs' deprivation index. Data from West Glasgow postcode sectors only were analysed in order to optimize epidemiological validity. Socio-economic patterning of injury was investigated in two ways-numerator-based and denominator-based. A total of 12,762 children (0-14 years) living in West Glasgow attended the A&E department of the Royal Hospital for Sick Children over the study period. Both analytical approaches showed a clear and statistically significant excess of injury presentations in children from more deprived postcode sectors, but the variation appeared much greater in the numerator-based rather than the denominator-based approach. In regression analysis, however, only the denominator-derived rates showed a statistically significant linear trend across deprivation categories. The most appropriate and accurate means of measuring the extent of socio-economic (and other) inequalities in injury risk is to adopt a population-based rather than numerator-based perspective on the data collected by injury surveillance systems.

The epidemiology of non-seminomatous germ cell tumours in the west of Scotland 1975-89

A total of 438 males resident in the six West of Scotland Health Board areas were notified to the cancer registry with a diagnosis of teratoma between 1 January 1975 and 31 December 1989. Non-registration was between 2% and 3.4%; a further 44 cases were ascertained through independent listings in the major tertiary referral centres. There were four (1%) duplicate registrations and 16 (4%) were incorrect on the basis of pathology (three) or residence (13). Of these, most (26) were registered with alternative diagnoses and eight were registered on the pre-1985 manual system. The positive correlation between socioeconomic status and incidence was confirmed by linking residential postcode at diagnosis to the Carstairs and Morris Deprivation Index. There was an increasing incidence, both overall and for men aged 15-44 years, with doubling times of 20 and 25 years respectively. The increase was confined to men resident in the more deprived postcode sectors; the incidence rate among men from the most affluent areas remained unchanged throughout the period of study.

Deprivation and mortality in Scotland, 1981 and 1991.

To compare the mortality experience of Scottish postcode sectors characterised by socioeconomic census variables (Carstairs scores) in 1980-2 and 1990-2. Variables derived from the 1981 and 1991 censuses were combined according to the method devised by Carstairs and Morris to obtain Carstairs scores for 1010 postcode sectors in Scotland in 1981 and 1001 sectors in 1991. For most analyses, these scores were grouped into seven deprivation categories ranging from affluent (category 1) to deprived (category 7) localities. Death rates and standardised mortality ratios for localities according to deprivation category. Postcode sectors in Scotland that were categorised as deprived in 1981 were relatively more deprived at the time of the 1991 census; the mortality experience of deprived localities relative to either Scotland or affluent neighbourhoods worsened over this period, with a 162% difference between the most affluent and most deprived categories in 1991-2. Although the age and sex standardised mortality for ages 0-64 in Scotland declined by 22% during the 1980s, the reduction in the deprived categories was only about half that of the affluent groups. Increases in the death rate for men (29%) and women (11%) aged 20-29 in the deprived groups were largely attributable to an increase in the rates of suicide. Death rates from ischaemic heart disease and carcinoma of the lung and bronchus at ages 40-69 were lower in all deprivation categories in 1990-2, but the reduction was greater in more affluent areas; the difference in rates for these conditions between affluent and deprived groups therefore increased over the decade. The observed worsening of the standardised mortality ratio for Glasgow relative to Scotland could be explained on the basis of these mortality differentials and the concentration of deprived postcode sectors in Glasgow. Differences in mortality experience linked to relative poverty increased in the 10 years between 1981 and 1991 censuses. Although mortality for Scotland as a whole is improving, the picture is one of an increasing distinction between the experience of the majority and that of a substantial minority of the population.

Urban/rural and deprivational differences in incidence and clustering of childhood diabetes in Scotland.

Scottish hospital discharges were monitored during the period 1977-1983 for new cases of diabetes in children aged 18 years or under. An estimated ascertainment rate of 94% was obtained by validation against an independent register of cases. The postcode sector at the time of admission was available for 2125 (97%) of the 2183 cases, and was used as the basis for a small-area analysis of urban/rural and socioeconomic differences in incidence and to test for clustering. Incidence rates standardized for age and sex showed important differences between the 16 Scottish postcode areas. At the sector level, the standardized rate was 20% lower in urban sectors compared to rural sectors, but this could be explained by area to area differences and by socioeconomic effects within areas. In contrast, significant socioeconomic differences in incidence were evident within areas which could not be explained by urban/rural effects, the children in deprived sectors having 80% of the risk of those in other sectors. Rates were particularly low among children in deprived urban sectors. Nevertheless, significant variations in incidence remained between the 16 areas which could not be explained by either urban/rural or socioeconomic differences, indicating the existence of other important factors. Tests for clustering of cases both within postcodes sectors and across adjacent postcode sectors were also performed. Although clusters could be identified, they were no more common than would be expected by chance. Tests for space-time clustering were also negative.

What looting in civil disturbances really means

Unlike the looting after disasters, looting in civil disturbances conveys an important message from the deprived sectors of the population.