Level Household Survey Research Articles

Disparities in the contraceptive use among currently married women in Muslim densely populated States of India: An evidence from the nationally representative survey.


 Background: The rationalizations for low use of contraception and high fertility among Muslims compared to other religious group in India are highly controversial. The study was aimed to explain to what extent differences in the use of contraception exist among the religious groups and also examine its associated factors in the Muslim populated States in the country.
 Methods: The third round of District Level Household and Facility Survey (DLHS-3) was used to accomplish our objectives. Bivariate analysis was used to show the religion wise distribution of limiting, spacing and traditional methods of contraceptive use in relation to socio-economic characteristics. The multivariate logistic regression was also employed to estimate the odds ratio (95% CI) for contraceptive use. SPSS 20.0 version and Arc GIS 10.0 software were employed to carry out the analyses.
 Results: The study found that the prevalence of limiting contraceptive use was comparatively much lower among Muslims (19.9%) than Non-Muslims (39.3%). In comparison to Non-Muslims, Muslims used 3.5 percentage points and 2.6 percentage points spacing and traditional methods of contraception respectively. The Muslims women from Assam (3.4%), Uttar Pradesh (4.4%) and Bihar (8.3%) reported low use of limiting contraceptive methods as compared to other Muslim populated States. The highest difference in the limiting method was observed in Bihar (21 percentage points) and followed by West Bengal (19 percentage points) between Muslim and Non-Muslim. The level of education and place of residence appeared as the main explaining factors of family planning in the study.
 Conclusion: The study concluded that the significant inequalities exist among Muslims and Non-Muslims concerning the current use of limiting methods. The policy design and programmes should make on rural, uneducated women to take into account the inequalities in the contraceptive use. 

Translating observed household energy behavior to agent-based technology choices in an integrated modeling framework

SummaryDecarbonizing the building sector depends on choices made at the household level, which are heterogeneous. Agent-based models are tools used to describe heterogeneous choices but require data-intensive calibration. This study analyzes a novel, cross-country European household-level survey, including sociodemographic characteristics, energy-saving habits, energy-saving investments, and metered household electricity consumption, to enhance the empirical grounding of an agent-based residential energy choice model. Applying cluster analysis to the data shows that energy consumption is not straightforwardly explained by sociodemographic classes, preferences, or attitudes, but some patterns emerge. Income consistently has the largest effect on demand, dwelling efficiency, and energy-saving investments, and the potential to improve a dwellings' energy use affects the efficiency investments made. Including the various sources of heterogeneity found to characterize the model agents affects the timing and speed of the transition. The results reinforce the need for grounding agent-based models in empirical data, to better understand energy transition dynamics.

Impact of COVID-19 on food insecurity using multiple waves of high frequency household surveys

In response to the rapid spread of COVID-19, governments across the globe have implemented local lockdowns that have led to increased unemployment and have disrupted local and international transport routes and supply chains. Whilst such efforts aim to slow or stop the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, they have also resulted in increased food insecurity, whether due to reduced incomes or increased food prices. This is the first paper to track food insecurity and its determinants during the pandemic using multi-country and multi-wave evidence. Using data from 11 countries and up to 6 waves of High-Frequency Phone Survey data (household-level surveys) on COVID-19 and its impacts, we use a fixed-effects linear probability model to investigate the socioeconomic determinants of food insecurity during the pandemic for each country using household-level data over multiple waves. We control for socioeconomic characteristics including gender and education of the household head; income and poverty status of the households during the pandemic; safety nets in the form of cash and food assistance; coping strategies adopted by households; and price effects of major food items. Our findings suggest that cash safety nets appear to have been more effective than food in terms of reducing food insecurity during the pandemic; and that those particularly hard hit are female headed-households (highest in Malawi: 0.541, 95% CI 0.516, 0.569; lowest in Cambodia: 0.023, 95% CI 0.022, 0.024), the less educated (highest in Djibouti: − 0.232, 95% CI − 0.221, − 0.244; lowest in Nigeria: 0.006, 95% CI − 0.005, − 0.007), and poorer households (highest in Mali: 0.382, 95% CI 0.364, 0.402; lowest in Chad: 0.135, 95% CI 0.129, 0.142). In line with the existing literature, our results show that, even controlling for income loss and poverty status, those households who had to borrow rather than rely on savings had a higher probability of suffering from food insecurity. Distinct differences in the efficacy of safety nets across the 11 countries, and the differential impact of the pandemic on different groups within societies, suggest in-depth country-specific studies are needed to understand why some countries have coped better than others. Our paper highlights the importance of improving household resilience to future systemic crises, and using evidence-based best practice in the design of relevant policy instruments.

Determinants of farm-level adaptation strategies to flood: insights from a farm household-level survey in coastal districts of Odisha

Abstract Farmers choose different strategies to cope with disasters. The scientific information on what adaption strategies do farmers across different socio-economic and regional strata choose to cope with disasters can help policymakers to make informed farm-level support interventions. Odisha is a flood-prone state in eastern India. The flood adaptation strategy choices of farmers in Odisha have not been much studied in the literature. Along with identifying the most commonly adopted ex ante and ex post adaptation strategies of farmers, we also identified the common factors influencing the choice of these adaptation strategies. We used the Likert scale and the ordered probit model to analyse the primary data collected from the field survey conducted at the three selected coastal districts. It finds that migration, reduction in food consumption, and pest and disease management are the most common ex post strategies, whereas stocking of foodgrains and usage of flood-resistant seeds are the most common ex ante strategies adopted by the farmers. It also identifies that education, family size and the size of landholding are the main determinants of ex post adaptation strategies, whereas age, the size of landholding and family income are the major determinants of ex ante coping strategies.

Assessing the Economic Contribution of Forest Use to Rural Livelihoods in the Rubi-Tele Hunting Domain, DR Congo

Forest utilization makes a significant economic contribution to the livelihoods of rural households, especially those living in developing countries. This study was conducted to determine the absolute and relative forest income and measure the distributional impact of forest income on economic inequalities among rural households in the Rubi-Tele Hunting Domain (RTHD), Democratic Republic of the Congo (DR Congo). Household socioeconomic data and other qualitative informations were collected using structured household-level surveys, focus group discussions, and key informant interviews. The study used descriptive statistical analysis, Gini coefficient, and Lorenz curve computation. Additionally, the non-parametric alternative Kruskal–Wallis Test was also used. Findings revealed that 89.76% of the households’ sample were involved in forest-based activities. The annual average income from these forest-based activities was estimated at CDF 1,219,951.58 (USD 659.08) per household, contributing 32.46% to total annual household income. Other income sources share constituted 37.09%, 10.04%, 8.30%, 7.63%, 2.41%, and 2.08% from crop, livestock keeping, business activities, fishing, and non-forest environmental activities, paid employment, and other income sources, respectively. There was a significant difference between annual household income in terms of income sources (p < 0.5). Forest income constituted the second most crucial income portfolio after crop income. Bushmeat income share was higher than other forest products income share. However, the proportion of households involved in firewood extraction was substantial (80.70%). Gini coefficient and Lorenz curve analysis proved that forest income helped reduce economic inequality among the sampled households by 11%. Therefore, reducing access to forest would significantly impact rural households’ welfare and could increase income disparities. The present study provides valuable information for developing sustainable forest management policies and strategies to maintain and enhance the economic benefit of forest use without damaging biodiversity conservation.

Bioresource, energy and forest sustainability: A case study from Indian Himalayan region

Biomass and bioenergy are important for energy security in the rural areas of the developing countries. The sustainability of using biomass for energy security and reducing carbon emission for climate adaptation is an area of concern. Here we assessed the forest biomass use pattern in the Indian Himalayan Region (IHR) and factors influencing the usage within the rural community. We did the household level survey (n = 1346) in the 77 representative villages of Beas, Bhagirathi and Teesta basin of the IHR. We found that although 80% of the surveyed household had access to Liquidified Petroleum Gas (LPG), their dependency on common pool resources for energy security still exists, depending on the altitude, size of the family, dependent members, education and occupation of the family members and adult cattle unit present with the household. The fuelwood and fodder harvest varied between the three basins and also increases along the altitudinal gradient. The biomass harvest is linked with the forest degradation and attributed to more carbon emission along with the rural health. Most of the surveyed villages of Beas and Teesta basin lacked sufficient forest cover for sustainable harvesting of fuelwood and fodder. We suggest intersectoral linkages within different stakeholders to adopt and disseminate cleaner energy to remote rural areas to meet sustainable development goals and energy security in the IHR.

Farmers’ choice of varieties and demand for improved cassava stems in Nigeria

In this study, we used a household level survey to assess choices of varieties and demand for improved cassava varieties. A multivariate probit model was used to examine the determinants of choice decisions of the farmers for different varieties preventing potential endogeneity and measurement error. A Linearized Almost Ideal Demand System (LA/AIDS) model was used to analyze the demand system for improved cassava varieties. The results of the (LA/AIDS) model indicated farmers were very price sensitive to changes in improved stem prices and incomes. We suggest that intervention program that will improve the purchasing power of the farmers should be targeted towards the smallholder cassava farmers to accelerate adoption of improved cassava varieties. Int. J. Agril. Res. Innov. Tech. 11(2): 42-51, Dec 2021

Household Level Assessment of Climate Change Vulnerability of North Bank Plains Zone Farmers of Assam

The study was carried out to assess the vulnerability of farmers to climate change in northbank plains zone of Assam. For this 2 districts were selected randomly from the northbank plains zone of Assam i.e., Sonitpur and Udalguri. A household level survey was carriedout with the selected farmers to obtain the primary data. For this, total 120 farmers wereselected from 6 different villages through proportionate random sampling. Vulnerabilityindex was worked out by considering 10 different indicators. Findings revealed that 69.17per cent of farmers belonged to medium vulnerability category followed by 16.67 per centand 14.17 per cent in high and low vulnerability category respectively. The meanvulnerability score was 0.455 indicating that, on an average, respondents had mediumvulnerability to climate change. Most of the respondents are belonged to medium category.

Cash for Votes: Evidence from India

This paper investigates the prevalence of vote-buying in democratic elections where stringent restrictions on corporate donations to political parties exist. We combine data from state assembly elections in India with household-level consumer expenditure surveys (conducted by NSSO) over the period 2004-11. Exploiting a difference-in-differences methodology, we estimate the effects elections have on the consumption of various household items: food, clothes, education-related, etc. Moreover, there is heterogeneity in such consumption adjustments across households. Our estimates suggest that legal sources of funds are not sufficient for generating such spikes in consumption and indicate the role of the hidden economy in politics.

‘Kidney Health for All’ - Implications for India

‘Kidney Health for All’ - Implications for India

ROAD CONNECTIVITY AND PREVENTIVE HEALTHCARE IN INDIAN VILLAGES: FUZZY REGRESSION DISCONTINUITY ESTIMATION OF THE IMPACT OF NEW RURAL ROADS

The Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY) programme of India provides new road connectivity for unconnected habitations with a population of at least 500. This paper evaluates the causal effect of the new road connectivity on the healthcare benefits accrued to the previously unconnected village households, specifically the pregnancy care and contraceptive use, awareness and hygiene, and social interaction. The nonparametric fuzzy regression discontinuity design (FRDD) is applied to the data derived from the 2007-2008 District Level Household Survey (DLHS-3) an d the Socioeconomic High-Resolution Rural-Urban Geographic Platform for India (SHRUG) data. The FRDD estimates show that in the treatment villages, more women seek antenatal care, have delivery conducted in hospitals and use modern contraceptive methods. In the villages newly connected with roads, awareness of government health care programmes like prevention of sex selection and female foeticide, treat water and take health insurance coverage has increased. The provision of all-weather roads to unconnected villages is also more likely to impact social interaction and more participation in women self-help groups, and village assembly takes important decisions on preventive healthcare.

Manure matters: prospects for regional banana-livestock integration for sustainable intensification in South-West Uganda

ABSTRACT In South-West Uganda, manure is highly valued for sustaining yields of East African Highland Banana, but it is in short supply. As a result, banana growers import manure from rangelands up to 50 km away. We aimed to explore the potential of this regional banana-livestock integration to meet crop nutrient requirements for sustainable intensification of banana cropping systems. We used a mixed-methods approach supported by detailed data collection. Multiple spatial levels were integrated: field-level modelling to determine long-term nutrient requirements, a household-level survey to characterize farmer practices, and a regional-level spatial analysis to map banana production and manure source areas. For median to 90th percentile banana yields (37-52 t FW/ha/year), minimum K requirements were 118–228 kg/ha/year. To supply this with manure, 10.5–20.5 t DM manure/ha/year would be needed, requiring 47–91 tropical livestock units and 27–52 ha of rangeland, far more than what is potentially available currently. However, using only manure to satisfy potassium requirements increases the risk of N losses due to nutrient imbalances likely to result from large manure applications. For sustainable intensification, manure supplemented with K-based fertilizers is a better option than manure alone, as it is more cost-effective and reduces potential N losses.

A model for national assessment of barriers for implementing digital technology interventions to improve hypertension management in the public health care system in India

BackgroundThere is substantial interest in leveraging digital health technology to support hypertension management in low- and middle-income countries such as India. The potential for healthcare infrastructure and broader context to support such initiatives in India has not been examined. We evaluated existing healthcare infrastructure to support digital health interventions and examined epidemiologic, socioeconomic, and geographical contextual correlates of healthcare infrastructure in 544 districts covering 29 states and union territories across India.MethodsThe study was a cross-sectional analysis of India’s Fourth District Level Household and Facility Survey (DLHS-4; 2012–2014), the most up-to-date nationally representative district-level healthcare infrastructure data. Facilities were the unit of analysis, and analyses accounted for clustering within states. The main outcome was healthcare system infrastructural context to implement hypertension management programs. Domains included diagnostics (functional BP instrument), medications (anti-hypertensive medication in stock), essential clinical staff (e.g., staff nurse, medical officer, pharmacist), and IT specific infrastructure (regular power supply, internet connection, computer availability). Descriptive analysis was conducted for infrastructure indicators based on the Indian Public Health Standards, and logistic regression was conducted to estimate the association between epidemiologic and geographical context (exposures) and the composite measure of healthcare system.ResultsData from 32,215 government facilities were analyzed. Among lowest-tier subcenters, 30% had some IT infrastructure, while at the highest-tier district hospitals, 92% possessed IT infrastructure. At mid-tier primary health centres and community health centres, IT infrastructure availability was 28 and 51%, respectively. For all but sub-centres, the availability of essential staff was lower than the availability of IT infrastructure. For all but district hospitals, higher levels of blood pressure, body mass index, and urban residents were correlated with more favorable infrastructure. By region, districts in Western India tended towards having the best prepared health facilities.ConclusionsIT infrastructure to support digital health interventions is more frequently lacking at lower and mid-tier healthcare facilities compared with apex facilities in India. Gaps were generally larger for staffing than physical infrastructure, suggesting that beyond IT infrastructure, shortages in essential staff impose significant constraints to the adoption of digital health interventions. These data provide early benchmarks for state- and district-level planning.

The Economic and Social Impacts of Migration on Brand Expenditure: Evidence from Rural India

Households that send members to work away from home often receive information about the lifestyles and consumption behaviors in those migration destinations (i.e., social remittances) along with money or goods (i.e., economic remittances). The authors investigate the effect of having a migrant household member on household brand expenditures in rural India, a market characterized by substantial consumption of unbranded products. They collect and analyze household-level survey data from 434 households across 30 villages using an instrumental variable strategy. Economic remittances result in greater brand expenditure, and this level is higher for poorer households. After controlling for economic remittances, the authors find that the effect of migration on brand expenditures is more positive for households in more populous villages, with greater access to mobile phones, lower viewership of television media, and less recently departed migrants. They demonstrate how marketing resource allocation across villages can be improved by incorporating migration data and provide insights for household targeting in the context of door-to-door selling in villages. The results are robust to alternative, public policy–based instruments and can be generalized to expenditure on private schools. Using additional survey data from 300 households in 62 new villages, the authors replicate the results by comparing within-households brand expenditures before and after the migration event.

Identification of Factors for Cessation of Exclusive Breastfeeding among Mothers of Infants

Background: For the healthy growth of a child, it is essential that the child be breastfed exclusively for 6 months and continued up to 2 years of their age. Although the practice of breastfeeding is common in India, the District Level Household and Facility Survey showed that the percentage of exclusive breastfeeding (EBF) dropped from 63% <1 month to 49% under 3 months and 32% under 5 months. Aim: This study was undertaken to identify the factors for cessation of EBF among mothers in Puducherry. Materials and Methods: It was a hospital-based cross-sectional study where 80 mothers of infants who fulfilled the eligibility criteria were selected by purposive sampling technique. Fifteen factors addressing the main reasons for cessation of EBF were developed. Results: The results revealed that during the 1st month, 78 (97.5%) of the mothers provided EBF, during the 2nd month, 87.5% of the mothers provided EBF, and during the 3rd, 4th, and 5th month, 80%, 54%, and 26% of the mothers provided EBF, respectively. The factors leading to cessation of EBF by mothers were not having sufficient milk (77.5%), going back to work (51%), had too many household chores (60%), felt tired due to breastfeeding (42.5%) and baby-centered factors such as baby continuing to remain hungry even after taking breastfeed (51%), baby failed to breastfeed (47.5%), and baby not gaining adequate weight (48.5%). Conclusion: EBF continues to be low among the mothers. Strategies need to be undertaken to improve EBF.

Performance of tiered pricing policy for residential natural gas in China: Does the income effect matter?

The tiered gas pricing (TGP) policy has been implemented nationwide in the residential sector in China since Jan. 2016. However, knowledge about China’s TGP performance and its influencing factors are limited, particularly the heterogeneous impact of income effect. Using a household-level survey, we attempt to investigate China’s TGP policy performance from a micro perspective, and further examine the impact of income effect on TGP performance, as well as its heterogeneity analysis. The main findings are concluded as follows: (1) We find from a random survey that the proportion of respondents accepting the effectiveness of the TGP performance is slightly higher than 50%. (2) The empirical results prove that in Chinese households, there exists an income effect on the TGP performance, i.e., household income has a significant and negative impact on the TGP performance. (3) Our heterogeneity analysis indicates that the income effect is much larger for the second block groups of households. More specifically, the second block has the largest income effect, followed by the third block, and the first block is the smallest. This paper sheds new light on the tiered pricing policy for residential sector and its heterogeneity policy effectiveness. Accordingly, some targeted policy implications are proposed based on the findings.

Prevalence and Risk Factors of Anaemia among Adolescent Girls in Selected Schools

To assess the prevalence and risk factors which contribute to anemia among adolescent girls in selected
 Introduction: ‘Anemia is a disease in which, because of one or more vital nutrient deficiencies, the blood hemoglobin content is lower than average, irrespective of the cause of such deficiency. In Maharashtra, according to District Level Household Survey (DLHS) 2002-2006, the prevalence of moderate anemia in adolescent girls was estimated to be 53%, whereas severe anemia was 29%.
 Aims: To assess the Prevalence and risk factors which contribute to anemia among adolescent girls in selected Schools.
 Research Methodology: A cross sectional study was carried in 150 adolescent girls age between 10 to 15 years. Quantitative research approach was used. Non-probability convenience sample technique was used.
 Results: The data obtained to describe the sample characteristics including demographic variables (age of adolescent girls, education, mother education, type of family, monthly family income and type of diet), prevalence of anemia among adolescent girls, menstrual factors and dietary factors. The levels of anemia were seen into 4 categories, normal Hb% level, mild anemia, moderate anemia and severe anemia. In demographic variables, Type of family of adolescent girls (p=0.04) is statistically associated with prevalence of anemia. In menstrual factors, duration of blood flow is found to be statistically associated with menstrual factors of adolescent girls (p=0.0001). In dietary factors, it is interpreted dietary factors of adolescent girls is statistically not associated with their prevalence of anemia.
 Conclusion: The prevalence of anemia is more in adolescent girls. A statistically significant was found between nuclear family but not with the other socio-demographic factors. No association was found between status of menstrual factors except duration of blood flow.

Does property ownership by women reduce domestic violence? A case of Latin America

ABSTRACT It is widely believed that empowering women via various material means increases women’s outside options and, thereby, makes them less vulnerable to intimate partner violence. However, the effect of such empowerment on domestic violence could be subtle particularly in countries with pre-existing high tolerance to violence, weak law enforcement and male institutional domination. Using cross-sectional household-level survey data for Latin American countries, we test the effect of property ownership by women on domestic violence. The results show that a woman’s sole property ownership is not associated with less domestic violence against her; sometimes the correlation is even positive. However, married women who co-own the property are less likely to face domestic abuse by husbands.

Farmer perceptions and willingness to pay for novel livestock pest control technologies: A case of tsetse repellent collar in Kwale County in Kenya.

Tsetse-transmitted Animal African Trypanosomosis (AAT) is one of the most important constraints to livestock development in Africa. Use of trypanocides has been the most widespread approach for the management of AAT, despite the associated drug resistance and health concerns associated with drug metabolites in animal products. Alternative control measures that target tsetse fly vectors of AAT, though effective, have been hard to sustain in part because these are public goods applied area-wide. The International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology (icipe) and partners have developed and implemented a novel tsetse repellent collar (TRC) applied on animals to limit contact of tsetse flies and livestock, thereby reducing AAT transmission. The TRC has now advanced to commercialization. A household-level survey involving 632 cattle keeping households, was conducted in Shimba Hills region of Kwale County, where field trials of the TRC have been previously conducted to assess farmers' knowledge, perception, and practices towards the management of tsetse flies, their willingness to pay (WTP) for the TRC, and factors affecting the WTP. Almost all the respondents (90%) reported that tsetse flies were the leading cattle infesting pests in the area. About 22% of these correctly identified at least four AAT clinical signs, and even though many (68%) used trypanocidal drugs to manage the disease, 50% did not perceive the drug as being effective in AAT management (50%). Few respondents (8%) were aware of the harmful effects of trypanocidal drugs. About 89% of the respondents were aware of icipe TRC, and 30% of them were using the field trial collars during the survey. Sixty-three (63%) of them were willing to pay for the TRC at the same cost they spend treating an animal for AAT. On average farmers were willing to pay KES 3,352 per animal per year. Male educated household heads are likely to pay more for the TRC. Moreover, perceived high AAT prevalence and severity further increases the WTP. Wider dissemination and commercialization of the herd-level tsetse control approach (TRC) should be encouraged to impede AAT transmission and thus enhance food security and farm incomes among the affected rural communities. Besides the uptake of TRC can be enhanced through training, especially among women farmers.

The Role of Targeted Nutrition Education of Preschoolers and Caregivers on Sustained Consumption of Biofortified Orange-Fleshed Sweetpotato in Kenya.

ABSTRACTBackgroundPersistent prevalence of high malnutrition in poor households in developing countries calls for enhancement of cost-effective nutrition interventions among the vulnerable groups. One responsive way is to promote regular consumption of home-grown biofortified foods, particularly in the micronutrient-deficient groups. Previous nutrition interventions have targeted adults with behavior change education, but have rarely explored the potential of nutrition education of preschoolers as change agents.ObjectivesThis study sought to assess the effect of nutrition education targeting preschool children and their caregivers on their consumption of vitamin A–biofortified orange-fleshed sweetpotato (OFSP) in rural farm households in Homa Bay County, Kenya.MethodsA total of 431 preschooler-caregiver pairs from 15 village-level clusters were recruited into a randomized controlled trial. The sample was randomized into 1 control (3 villages) and 3 treatment groups (4 villages each). Treatments involved channeling nutrition education to preschoolers through their learning materials (preschooler treatment); the caregivers through their mobile phones (caregiver treatment); and to both preschoolers and their caregivers simultaneously (integrated treatment). Baseline and follow-up household-level surveys were conducted with the caregivers, and consumption data were collected from the preschoolers using a child dietary diversity register. Class teachers sought 24-h consumption recalls of the preschoolers for 19 consecutive schooldays.ResultsThe results of a zero-inflated Poisson regression showed that the phone-mediated and multichanneled nutrition education approaches significantly increased the number of days of OFSP consumption. The integrated nutrition education approach significantly increased the preschoolers’ likelihood to consume OFSP, number of OFSP consumption days, and likelihood to consume it more than once per week by 11%, 77%, and 20%, respectively.ConclusionsNutrition education through OFSP-branded preschoolers' learning materials and phone-mediated messages provides effective nudges to the caregivers to feed their preschoolers regularly with OFSP. This could have implications for realizing sustainable nutrition programs in biofortified crop-growing areas.