Main Decision Makers Research Articles

Factors Related to The Inaccessibility of HIV Tests for Women of Reproductive Age in Uzbekistan

HIV testing is important for women of reproductive age. It will be risky during the period of pregnancy, delivery, and breastfeeding and lead to MTCT (mother-to-child transmission) of HIV/AIDS. This study aimed to examine the factors associated with HIV testing. This study used MICS data that gathered the data from November 2021 to January 2022. The total respondents in this study were 1,893 women. The result revealed that 42.58% of women in this study found inaccessibility to HIV testing. The multivariate analysis found the impactful factors are living in rural areas, experienced more than one marriage, and husband/partner as the main decision maker in selecting health facilities, with AOR 1.29; 1.74; and 1.56, respectively. In sum, almost half of women of reproductive age in Uzbekistan cannot access HIV testing with experienced more than once marriage had the highest risk. A qualitative approach can be included in the future study.

A study on immunization practices of mothers with children under five years of age in government district hospital Kalaburagi

Background: Vaccines are the most powerful, safe and cost-effective interventions to prevent major illnesses that contribute to child mortality in the country. Negative parental perceptions of vaccination are also an important barrier to childhood vaccination.so this study was taken up to determine the knowledge, attitudes and practices (KAP) of mothers with children under five years of age, which will help the policy makers in implementing the immunization programme in a better way, to achieve >85% coverage. Methods: A semi structured pre-validated questionnaire designed to assess the KAP about vaccination was administered to 360 mothers fulfilling the inclusion criteria. The KAP data between fully immunized and partially immunized/unimmunized children was compared. Results: In our study, out of 360 children, 183 (50.8%) children were fully immunized, 155 (43.1%) children were partially immunized and 22 (6.1%) children were seen unimmunized. Mothers were the main decision makers regarding vaccination of their children. Majority, 183 (50.3%) mothers identified vaccine preventable disease as polio. On comparing the KAP data between mothers of fully immunized children and mothers of partially immunized/unimmunized children, mothers of fully immunized children found to have favourable knowledge, attitudes, perceptions and practices towards vaccination. Conclusions: We found significant lacunae in the KAP of mothers towards childhood vaccination, especially among mothers of partially immunized and unimmunized children.so, health education is also an essential component that can go a long way in improving the prevailing scenario of immunization in our country.

Factors associated with family decision-making self-efficacy among family members of patients with advanced cancer in mainland China.

In Chinese culture, family members are the main decision maker on end-of-life (EoL) issues for patients with advanced cancer. Yet little is known about Chinese families' confidence in making EoL decisions and its associated factors. This study aims to investigate the status and associated factors of Chinese family members' confidence in making EoL decisions for patients with advanced cancer. This cross-sectional study used a convenience sample of 147 family members of patients with stage III or stage IV cancer from a tertiary cancer center in Guangzhou, China. The questionnaires included demographic information of patients and their family members, patients' EoL preferences, and the Chinese version of the Family Decision-Making Self-Efficacy (FDMSE) Scale. A total of145 family members (98.64%) completed the questionnaires. The average score of FDMSE was 3.92 ± 0.53. A multiple regression analysis showed that the factors associated with FDMSE included patients' duration of disease, health insurance, participation in EoL decision-making, the expression of unfilled wishes, and family members' employment status. Chinese family members were not confident enough in making EoL decisions for patients with advanced cancer. It is recommended to develop cultural-tailored advanced care planning models to clarify patient preferences and to enhance the family members' self-efficacy in making EoL decisions with or for patients with advanced cancer.

How Does Information Acquisition Ability Affect Farmers’ Green Production Behaviors: Evidence from Chinese Apple Growers

Green production is crucial in promoting sustainable agricultural practices, ensuring food safety, and protecting the rural ecological environment. Farmers, as the main decision makers of agricultural production, and their green production behaviors (GPBs), directly determine the process of agricultural green development. Based on the survey data of 656 apple growers in Shaanxi and Gansu provinces in 2022, this paper uses a graded response model to measure the information acquisition ability (IAA) of farmers and constructs an ordered Logit model to empirically explore the influence mechanisms of IAA, green benefit cognition (GBC), and new technology learning attitude (NTLA) on farmers’ GPBs. The results show the following: (1) IAA has a significantly positive impact on the adoption of GPBs by farmers, and farmers with a high IAA are more conscious to adopt green production technologies; (2) in the process of IAA affecting farmers’ adoption of GPBs, GBC plays a positive mediating role; (3) NTLAs have a positive moderating effect on the process of GBC affecting farmers’ GPB adoption; (4) there are generational, educational and regional differences in the impact of IAA on farmers’ GPBs. Policy makers should improve rural information facilities, strengthen agricultural technology promotion and training, improve farmers’ IAA and benefit awareness level, and formulate relevant policies to mobilize farmers’ enthusiasm for learning new technologies.

Integrating nutrition in the Sasakawa Africa Association extension services: Knowledge, attitude and practices among smallholder farmers

This survey aimed to establish nutrition-related knowledge, attitudes and practices, and to observe how gender influences household food-related decision-making processes in the Sasakawa Africa Association (SAA) intervention areas in the Oromia and Southern Nation Nationalities and People regions of Ethiopia. The findings would inform implementation of communication for nutrition social and behaviour change among small-holder farmers as part of the SAA corporate strategy on nutrition-sensitive agriculture. The study population was smallholder farmers supported by SAA from which 311 respondents were selected through multistage sampling. Data were collected via a mixed methods approach consisting of a household survey, focus group discussions (FGDs) and key informant interviews (KIIs). Quantitative data were analysed using descriptive statistics while qualitative data was analysed using a narrative and content approach. The study focused on knowledge, attitudes and practices related to production and consumption of micronutrient-rich foods. Majority (59.5%) of the respondents were male. Men were the main decision makers on staple or commercial food crop production and proportion of produced crops to be consumed at home or sold in the market. Women mainly made decisions regarding production and consumption of fruits and vegetables, intra-household food distribution, preservation and storage. There was a lack of knowledge on iron and vitamin A fortified or biofortified sources of food. Nearly three quarters (72%) of women did not meet the minimum dietary diversity for women, a proxy indicator of adequacy of micronutrient intake and diet quality. The mean dietary diversity score was 3.8 with animal source foods being the least consumed. Not having sufficient money to buy food, unavailability of different food groups and poor intra-household food distribution were among the key reasons for lack of diverse diets. Majority of the respondents were aware of the importance of production and consumption of micronutrient-rich foods. However, there was a gap in practice and awareness about biofortified and fortified foods. While most of the respondents had produced fruits and vegetables in home gardens in the three months prior to this survey, more than half (54%) of the respondents thought it was not likely that they would produce fruits and vegetables for home consumption. More targeted nutrition campaigns are required to increase the ability of small-holder farmers to adopt best practices while reducing the barriers associated with access and consumption. Promotion of fruit and vegetable production in home gardens could be considered as option for improving household dietary quality as well as empowering women to make more decisions. Key words: Sasakawa Africa Association, Small-holder farmers, Nutrition, Knowledge, Practices

Neišsivystęs vystomasis bendradarbiavimas. Lietuvos atvejis

This article strives to reveal the reasons hindering smooth implementation of Lithuania’s development cooperation policy. Although Lithuania is less than 8 years away from the target of official development assistance at least 0.33% of Gross National Income (GNI) per year, it is currently contributing only about one-third of this amount, which naturally raises the question “Why?”. Theoretical framework of the motivations behind development cooperation enforcement, specifically, Europeanisation theory, is chosen to support the research. Bearing in mind the scarcity of the academic body of work for this topic, the main instrument, questionnaire for the in-depth interviews with the main decision makers of Lithuania’s development cooperation was created. 17 semi-structured interviews with experts from various backgrounds provided the valuable material for this analysis and helped to provide possible answers to the matter in question.

RESEARCH ON THE IMPACT OF MANAGERIAL CAPABILITIES ON THE DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION OF ENTERPRISES

Digitalization has brought profound changes to enterprises. As the main decision maker of firm, manager has an important impact on the digital transformation of enterprises that cannot be ignored. Based on the perspective of managerial heterogeneity, we tested the impact of managerial ability on the digital transformation of enterprises in China context. The results showed that managerial ability has a significant positive impact on the digital transformation of enterprises, that is, the stronger the managerial ability, the higher digitalization of firm. The mechanism study confirmed that managerial ability can overcome strategic inertia and improve capital allocation efficiency, then promote digital transformation of firm. Further research showed that the younger the top management team, the more significant the positive effect is; Independent directors can provide resources and play a consulting role to promote the impact of managerial ability on the digital transformation of firm; The older the firm is, the stronger the organizational inertia is, which can impede the impact of managerial ability on the digital transformation of firm. This study enriches the literature about executives, and has a certain practical significance for digitalization implement of enterprises.

Parental perspectives on the decision-making process on transport mode choice in adolescents: a qualitative study with mothers and fathers.

The present study aims to understand the familial decision-making process on transport mode choice in adolescents with a focus on the parental perspective within this process. Active travel contributes to adolescents' overall physical activity and its positive health effects. Based on the social-learning theory, especially parents are assigned a central role for adolescents' travel behavior. The aim of the present study was to examine how parents are involved in the decision-making process on transport mode choice in adolescents. The study is part of the cross-sectional mixed-methods ARRIVE study which includes semi-structured interviews with mothers (n = 12) and fathers (n = 7) of 11- to 14-year-old German adolescents. The interviews focused on travel behavior in adolescents and the decision-making process on transport mode choice from the parental perspective. All interviews were analyzed inductively using Thematic Analysis. Our study revealed that parents do not primarily decide for or against active travel in adolescents, but are mostly involved in the decision-making process, especially in case of a deviation from the main transport mode. Different forms of parental involvement in the decision-making process were identified. Some parents acted as main decision makers which is the highest form of involvement while others gave their children complete freedom of choose a transport mode for themselves. These parents accepted their child's choice fully which shows a low involvement in the decision-making process. The results provide a deeper understanding of the familial decision-making process on travel behavior in adolescents. The results indicate an occasionally parental involvement in the decision-making process on the mainly used transport mode by adolescents, and that mothers and fathers are always involved when deviating from the main mode. Further research should investigate changes in travel behavior from childhood to young adulthood to understand long-term travel decisions in families. Due to the findings that parents are often involved in the decision-making process on transport mode choice and that they mainly reported safety concerns as barriers to their children's active travel, further research should focus especially on the social and physical environment of adolescents.

KEBIJAKAN LUAR NEGERI KOREA SELATAN TERKAIT KERJA SAMA PERTUKARAN INFORMASI MILITER PADA TAHUN 2016

This study aims to analyze President Park's decision in formulating the GSOMIA (General Security of Military Agreement) cooperation. It is carried out using descriptive qualitative methods and secondary data collection techniques from literature studies, and relies on the Decision-Making Process theory of Richard C. Snyder which looks at the subjective factors of the main decision makers. This study shows that for the first time, South Korea and Japan managed to reach an agreement on military information exchange cooperation (GSOMIA) in 2016. After being delayed for four years, President Park Geun-Hye insisted on realizing GSOMIA in the midst of a crisis due to public rejection. It was found through policy analysis related to the formulation of GSOMIA from the South Korean point of view that President Park's perspective was shaped by several factors. Factors originating from internal South Korea are President Park's desire to increase South Korea's military capabilities. Meanwhile, the external factor that became the reason for the realization of GSOMIA was President Park's desire to protect the country from threats.

Zero-Shot Assistance in Sequential Decision Problems

We consider the problem of creating assistants that can help agents solve new sequential decision problems, assuming the agent is not able to specify the reward function explicitly to the assistant. Instead of acting in place of the agent as in current automation-based approaches, we give the assistant an advisory role and keep the agent in the loop as the main decision maker. The difficulty is that we must account for potential biases of the agent which may cause it to seemingly irrationally reject advice. To do this we introduce a novel formalization of assistance that models these biases, allowing the assistant to infer and adapt to them. We then introduce a new method for planning the assistant's actions which can scale to large decision making problems. We show experimentally that our approach adapts to these agent biases, and results in higher cumulative reward for the agent than automation-based alternatives. Lastly, we show that an approach combining advice and automation outperforms advice alone at the cost of losing some safety guarantees.

A Performance-Based Decision Support Workflow for Retrofitting Residential Buildings

The trend towards high-performance residential buildings with new building regulations necessitates fundamental changes in the residential market, which is currently driven by low initial investment costs and dominated by weak innovative cycles. This change involves a difficult decision-making process that must consider the multiple and generally conflicting objectives regarding optimal retrofitting for residential buildings. This study aimed to develop an approach that would provide feedback about a building’s energy and economic performance in relation to the decision-making process to ensure that the complex residence retrofitting process is more efficient. For this purpose, a performance-oriented decision support workflow is recommended for a typical multifamily apartment block within a hypothetical settlement context in Istanbul Province, which includes (i) an automated parametric energy simulation through the coupling of EnergyPlus and MATLAB® to determine differences between retrofit alternatives in relation to the building envelope, energy systems and renewable energy systems, and (ii) a multiple-criteria decision analysis to determine the retrofit alternatives by which the optimal performance can be achieved, taking into account the conflicting nature of key performance indicators (primary energy saving and life-cycle cost saving). Architects and residence owners—who are the main decision makers—can use this proposed workflow to explore effective retrofit alternatives and to make informed decisions about performance-based retrofitting by comparing the energy and economic performance of these alternatives.

Women’s Participation in Leadership in Schools and Local Government in Ibumu and Image Wards in Kilolo District, Iringa Region,Tanzania

This study assessed women’s participation in decision making at schools and political leadership at local government in Ibumu and Image Ward in Kilolo District, Iringa region, Tanzania. It also assessed factors contributing to women’s underrepresentation in leadership positions and low levels of their participation in decision making and what should be done in order to enable them have equal access to decision making and leadership. The study was conducted in Kilolo District. The study was guided by questions focusing on how women participated in decision making and leadership, reasons for the situation and strategies to address women’s low level of participation in decision making and leadership. The methods of data collection were semi-structured interviews, document analysis and observations. Data were analyzed using a thematic framework. The findings revealed that very few women participate in decision making and leadership positions due to lack of education, men were not ready to allow women to participate in decision making. The basis for the lack of women participation, came from threats from husbands, antiquated traditions and customs, family responsibilities, lack of confidence in women and stereotypes. Male leaders held most top political leadership position and were the main decision makers.

Impact of environmental literacy on farmers’ agricultural green production behavior: Evidence from rural China

Agricultural green production has been regarded as an effective way to solve the increasing level of agricultural environmental pollution and the frequent safety crises of agricultural products. As the main decision makers of agricultural production, farmers’ agricultural green production behavior directly determines the process of agricultural green development. However, few studies have explored farmers’ agricultural green production behavior from the perspective of environmental literacy, and the formation mechanism of farmers’ agricultural green production behavior is still unclear. This study aims to clarify the effect of environmental literacy on farmers’ agricultural green production behavior and its impact mechanism. Based on survey data from 830 farmers in China, this study constructs comprehensive index systems to evaluate farmers’ environmental literacy and agricultural green production behavior, and adopts multiple linear regression models and quantile regression model to explore the impact of environmental literacy on this behavior. Meanwhile, the mediation effect model is used to explore the mediation effect of agricultural green production cognition and agricultural green production willingness in the influence of environmental literacy on farmers’ agricultural green production behavior. Three conclusions arise. First, farmers’ environmental literacy and agricultural green production behavior are at the middle level, both of which should be strengthened. Second, environmental literacy has a significant positive impact on farmers’ agricultural green production behavior. Finally, environmental literacy influences farmers’ AGP behavior through the independent and chain mediation effects of AGP cognition and AGP willingness. Environmental literacy has heterogeneity impact on farmers’ agricultural green production behavior under different level of agricultural green production and external environment. This research not only provides theoretical support for the study of farmers’ agricultural green production behavior from the perspective of environmental literacy, it also provides a reference to the relevant government departments so that they can guide farmers to adopt more agricultural green production behavior.

Managerial Work Efficacy And Business Performance: The Role Of Altruis Innovative

This study aims to determine the antecedent variables that affect business performance and to determine the role of altruist innovative variables in mediating the relationship between managerial work efficacy and business performance. The object of this research is tour & travel industry in Central Java. The sample of this research is the director of each research object as the leader and main decision maker in dealing with the Covid-19 pandemic situation and the new normal era. Methods of data collection by distributing questionnaires, interviews, observation and literature study. The sampling method used purposive sampling. The data were analyzed using the Structural Equation Modeling technique. Based on statistical results, the six hypotheses that have been proposed show that the five hypotheses have a significant positive effect on all relationships between variables and one hypothesis has no effect. The indirect effect of independent variables on business performance is in two strategies, namely linking managerial work efficacy to business performance through altruism innovative and linking altruism innovative to business performance through the strength of the work team. The dominant influence between variables is shown from the relationship between the strength of the work team on readiness to change. Namely linking managerial work efficacy to business performance through innovative altruism and linking innovative altruism to business performance through the strength of the work team. The dominant influence between variables is shown from the relationship between the strength of the work team on readiness to change. namely linking managerial work efficacy to business performance through innovative altruism and linking innovative altruism to business performance through the strength of the work team. The dominant influence between variables is shown from the relationship between the strength of the work team on readiness to change.

Women’s and male partners’ socio-demographic and economic characteristics associated with contraceptive decision making in Nigeria

BackgroundWomen’s ability to make contraceptive decision can determine their contraceptive use which can improve their reproductive health and career. Improvement in such ability can increase contraceptive prevalence in Nigeria. However, factors that promote contraceptive decision-making among women are scarcely studied. This study examined factors associated with women’s individual or joint contraceptive decision-making in Nigeria.MethodsSecondary (cross-sectional) data were analysed. The data were extracted from the individual recode file of the 2018 Nigeria Demographic and Health Survey (DHS). Partnered women (i.e., currently married or living with a partner) aged 15–49 years and currently using contraceptives before the survey were considered. They constituted 4,823 in total. Their data were analysed using frequency and percentage distributions of variables, Chi-square tests of independence and multinominal logistic regression.ResultsFindings reveal that 23% (1,125) of women made their own contraceptive decision, nearly 67% (3,213) were joint decision makers, and 10% (491) stated that their male partners had decided for them. The probability of solely making contraceptive decision and being a joint decision maker (relative to being a male partner’s decision) was higher among women above 29 years and aged 30–34 years (than women aged 15–24 years) respectively as well as among the employed (than the unemployed) and among those from Yoruba ethnic group (than their counterparts from Hausa/Fulani/Kanuri/Beri Beri) respectively. The probability of being responsible for contraceptive decision (than being the male partner’s decision) was higher among women from the Igbo group and women whose male partners desired more children (than those with the same number of desired children) respectively. The probability of being the main decision maker (relative to being the male partner) was lower among women in the poorer (RRR = 0.39; 95%CI = 0.21–0.73; p = 0.01), middle (RRR = 0.47; 95%CI = 0.25–0.90; p = 0.02) and richest (RRR = 0.41; 95%CI = 0.20–0.82; p = 0.01) groups respectively, than the poorest women. The probability of being a joint decision maker was higher among women with secondary education (than the uneducated), practised Christianity (than the Muslims/ others), and among those residing in the North West region (than those in North East) respectively. However, the probability of being a joint decision-maker was lower among women whose partners desire more children and those who did not know their partners’ desires.ConclusionsWomen’s age, highest level of education, employment status, wealth index, ethnicity, religion, region of residence and male partners’ desire for children are associated with contraceptive decision making respectively. There is a need for reproductive empowerment interventions in Nigeria that devise effective ways of improving contraceptive decision-making power of partnered women aged 15–24 years, unemployed, in the poorer and richest groups, from the Hausa/Fulani/Kanuri/Beri Beri ethnic group, practising Islam/ other religions, have the same fertility desire as their partners and those who do not know their male partner’s desire for children respectively. Women whose partners desire more children should be empowered to participate effectively in contraceptive decision making.

Using instrumental variables to establish the relationship between household production diversity and household dietary diversity in northern Ghana

Despite the potential for agricultural diversification to improve nutrition, little scientific evidence exists in low- and middle-income countries on how the linkages between agriculture and nutrition work. In order to develop effective policies to address the nutrition-agricultural linkages in Ghana, it is important to understand and analyze the relationship between these variables. Agricultural production influences dietary quality because many rural households primarily depend on the food they produce. Households’ access to a diverse diet could enhance nutrition security as well as reduce mortality related to malnutrition. Thus, if households adopt a nutrition-sensitive approach in their production process, this may provide the necessary ingredients for diverse diets. However, over the years agricultural interventions in many developing countries have focused mainly on selected crops, particularly cereals, which may not meet household nutritional requirements. While these efforts have contributed to the reduction in hunger, over 800 million people in developing countries still suffer from hunger and micronutrient deficiencies. These effects show that eradicating hunger alone is not enough to ensure nutrition security. However, a potential solution comes from the agricultural sector through farm production diversity. A survey of rural farm households in Northern Ghana was conducted in the major and minor production seasons. Data were collected from six districts using a semi-structured questionnaire. The head of household (main decision maker) (n=505) and a woman mainly in charge of food preparation in the house were the main respondents in the surveys. Household dietary diversity score (HDDS) was measured as the number of counts of 12 food groups eaten by households within 24 hours prior to the interview and household production diversity score (HPDS) was measured as the total number of counts of crops and animals produced by the household in the last twelve months based on the same twelve food groups used in HDDS. A two stage least square with instrumental variables model was developed and estimated. After correcting for endogeneity, increased HPDS increased HDDS while increased distance to the nearest market, household size, proportion of produce sold, income, and price of maize decreased HDDS. Households are encouraged to diversify production but with caution because diversifying production may be unreliable due to the heavy reliance on rainfall in the area which is often unpredictable. Key words: production diversity, dietary diversity, nutrition-sensitive agriculture, instrumental variables, nutrition

Construction and validation of a revised satisfaction index model for the Chinese urban and rural resident-based basic medical insurance scheme

BackgroundQuality is the most important factor in satisfaction. However, the existing satisfaction index model of urban and rural resident-based basic medical insurance scheme (SIM_URRBMI) lacks the segmentation of perceived quality elements, it couldn’t provide a reference for quality improvement and satisfaction promotion. This study aims to construct a revised SIM_URRBMI that can accurately and detailly measure perceived quality and provide feasible and scientific suggestions for improving the satisfaction of urban and rural residents' basic medical insurance scheme (URRBMI) in China.MethodsBased on the theoretical framework of the American Customer Satisfaction Index, the elements of perceived quality were refined through literature review and expert consultation, and a pool of alternative measurement variables was formed. A three-stage randomized stratified cluster sampling was adopted. The main decision makers of URRBMI in the families of primary school students in 8 primary schools in Changsha were selected. Both the classic test theory and the item response theory were used for measurement variables selection. The reliability and validity of the model were tested by partial least squares (PLS)-related methods.ResultsA total of 1909 respondents who had URRBMI for their children were investigated. The SIM_URRBMI1.0 consists of 11 latent variables and 28 measurement variables with good reliability and validity. Among the three explanatory variables of public satisfaction, perceived quality had the largest total effect (path coefficient) (0.737). The variable with the greatest effect among the five first-order latent variables on perceived quality was the quality of the medical insurance policy (0.472).ConclusionsThe SIM_URRBMI1.0 consists of 28 measurement variables and 11 latent variables. It is a reliable, valid, and standard satisfaction measurement tool for URRBMI with good prediction ability for public satisfaction. In addition, the model provides an accurate evaluation of the perceived quality, which will greatly help with performance improvement diagnosis. The most critical aspects of satisfaction improvement are optimizing the scope and proportion of reimbursement as well as setting appropriate level of deductible and capitation of URRBMI.

Engaging community members in setting priorities for nutrition interventions in rural northern Ghana.

This study used "Choosing All Together" (CHAT), a deliberative engagement tool to prioritise nutrition interventions and to understand reasons for intervention choices of a rural community in northern Ghana. The study took an exploratory cross-sectional design and used a mixed method approach to collect data between December 2020 and February 2021. Eleven nutrition interventions were identified through policy reviews, interaction with different stakeholders and focus group discussions with community members. These interventions were costed for a modified CHAT tool-a board-like game with interventions represented by colour coded pies and the cost of the interventions represented by sticker holes. Supported by trained facilitators, six community groups used the tool to prioritise interventions. Discussions were audio-recoded, transcribed and thematically analysed. The participants prioritised both nutrition-sensitive and nutrition-specific interventions, reflecting the extent of poverty in the study districts and the direct and immediate benefits derived from nutrition-specific interventions. The prioritised interventions involved livelihood empowerment, because they would create an enabling environment for all-year-round agricultural output, leading to improved food security and income for farmers. Another nutrition-sensitive, education-related priority intervention was male involvement in food and nutrition practices; as heads of household and main decision makers, men were believed to be in a position to optimise maternal and child nutrition. The prioritised nutrition-specific intervention was micronutrient supplementation. Despite low literacy, participants were able to use CHAT materials and work collectively to prioritize interventions. In conclusion, it is feasible to modify and use the CHAT tool in public deliberations to prioritize nutrition interventions in rural settings with low levels of literacy. These communities prioritised both nutrition-sensitive and nutrition-specific interventions. Attending to community derived nutrition priorities may improve the relevance and effectiveness of nutrition health policy, since these priorities reflect the context in which such policy is implemented.

Shaping the leadership configuration of principals and vice-principals: The principal socialising agent

This article examines how principals socially construct the leadership configuration of principals and vice-principals in Singapore and what factors influenced the principal's shaping of this configuration. The qualitative study, involving the interview of 10 principals, sought to understand how principals made sense of their vice-principals roles vis-a-vis their own roles, as well as what influenced their perspectives. Coding involved a mix of codes from the literature and grounded from the interviews. Findings revealed that principals perceived themselves as the main and final decision maker, guarding certain responsibilities, and needing to be in the know. They perceived the vice-principal's role to be mainly a supporting role, while simultaneously expecting the latter to challenge the principal's thinking. Principals varied in how they include vice-principals in work perceived as more the principal's responsibility. A high-power distance culture and the principals’ own induction and experiences as vice-principals shaped the principals’ crafting of the leadership configuration. The study highlights the principals’ role as a community in reproducing the type of vice-principals that the system values, raising a concern that bounded empowerment limits the leadership and growth of vice-principals. However, there is some evidence that principals’ agency can counter predominant socialising forces.

Male Involvement in Maternity Care And Birth Preparedness Of Their Spouse

Lack of involvement in maternity care by male is a major public health issue and it is most neglected aspect of health in Pakistan .although males are involved in every decision making for female and children’s for health care facilities. Methods: A descriptive cross sectional study was conducted to select 461 male Participants a Systematic random sampling technique was used. Ethical approval was taken from Ethical Review Committee. The information collected by interview to assess the involvement of male. The data collection tool comprised of two parts demographic variable and maternity and birth preparedness related variables. The mean, standard deviation and percentage, was calculated and know the association and chi-square test applied for data analyze. Results: Mean age of male was 35.3 years S.D ±6.6, less than half of the participants (42.3%) were illiterate followed by primary (23.2%), middle (18.9%), and Matric (10.4%), above Matric (5.2%). Husbands were main decision makers for maternity care and place of birth (92.6%) followed by fathers (6.1%) and brothers (1.3%). During the antenatal visits 41.6% men had accompanied their spouses or women for antenatal visits but there is 58.4% men not accompany their spouses or women for antenatal visits. Conclusion: Male involvement in maternal care and birth preparedness is not appropriate enough and knowledge related complication and labor, about overall maternal and child health and complications of pregnancy and labor, level of education, encouragement of their spouses, are the decisive factors in availing the benefits of maternal and child care