Poor Background Research Articles

Determining the Maternal Risk Factors Contributing to the Birth of Low Birth Weight Newborn: A Case-Control Study

Aim:To determine the maternal risk factors contributing to the birth of low birth weight newborn Study design: A case-control study Place and Duration:This study was conducted at ChildLife Foundation (CLF), Paediatric Emergency NICH Karachi Pakistan from August 2021 to January 2022. Methodology:A total of 920 mothers were included in the study that delivered the baby during the mentioned time frame, out of which 460 were cases and 460 controlled mothers for the comparative analysis of risk factors. All the newborns weighing less than 2500 grams of weight were considered as respective cases for the study. Newborns that weight more than 2500 grams were included in the control groups Results:The mean weight of newborn cases was 2.07 ± 0.45 kilograms and 3.14 ± 0.36 kilograms in the newborn control group. However, the mean gestational age of the cases was 37.2 ± 1.48, and the control was 38.3 ± 1.23 weeks. Whereas mothers of 37.2% of cases and 38.7% of control had no education background, 76% of cases had low HB levels, and 68.7% of cases had less than 24 months of the birth interval were relatedto low birth weight. There was no direct associationbetweenmaternal hypertension and low birth weight among newborns observed in the present study. Conclusion:The present study concluded that maternal low HB levels, poor socioeconomic status, low BMI, poor educational background and close birth spacing have a strong association with LBW among newborns. The country's child and maternal health care services should be prioritized to address these issues. Keywords: Childbirth, Infant mortality, Low birth weight, Neonatal mortality, Parental risk factors.

Economic and social deprivation predicts impulsive choice in children

Impulsivity is an individual difference in decision-making that is a risk factor for a number of health concerns including addiction and obesity. Although impulsivity has a large heritable component, the health concerns associated with impulsivity are not uniformly distributed across society. For example, people from poorer backgrounds are more likely to be overweight, and be dependent on tobacco or alcohol. This suggests that the environmental component of impulsivity might be related to economic circumstances and the availability of resources. This paper provides evidence that children aged 4 to 12 from the most deprived areas in England show greater impulsivity in the form of delay discounting than do children from the least deprived areas. The data are discussed with reference to scarcity-based models of decision-making and to public health inequalities.

Can education reduce traditional gender role attitudes?

Many studies report a strong correlation between gender role attitudes and the economy. Determining which factors are affecting them is crucial to avoid negative consequences. This paper identifies the causal relationship between education and traditional gender role attitudes. I use data from the European Social Survey for 14 European countries, along with a quasi-experimental approach that exploits exogenous variation in compulsory schooling across countries and year of birth. I find that for women from a poor family background, education reduces the probability of agreeing with traditional gender norms in more than 11 percentage points.

Beaten but not down! Exploring resilience among female sex workers (FSWs) in Nairobi, Kenya

BackgroundIn Kenya sex work is illegal and those engaged in the trade are stigmatized and marginalized.We explored how female sex workers in Nairobi, Kenya, utilize different resources to navigate the negative consequences of the work they do.MethodsQualitative data were collected in October 2019 from 40 FSWs who were randomly sampled from 1003 women enrolled in the Maisha Fiti study, a 3-year longitudinal mixed-methods study exploring the relationship between HIV risk and violence and mental health. All interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed and translated. Data were thematically coded and analyzed using Nvivo 12.ResultsParticipants’ age range was 18–45 years. Before entry into sex work, all but one had at least one child. Providing for the children was expressed as the main reason the women joined sex work. All the women grew up in adverse circumstances such as poor financial backgrounds and some reported sexual and physical abuse as children. They also continued to experience adversity in their adulthood including intimate partner violence as well as violence at the workplace. All the participants were noted to have utilised the resources they have to build resilience and cope with these adversities while remaining hopeful for the future. Motherhood was mentioned by most as the reason they have remained resilient. Coming together in groups and engaging with HIV prevention and treatment services were noted as important factors too in building resilience.ConclusionDespite the adverse experiences throughout the lives of FSWs, resilience was a key theme that emerged from this study. A holistic approach is needed in addressing the health needs of female sex workers. Encouraging FSWs to come together and advocating together for their needs is a key resource from which resilience and forbearance can grow. Upstream prevention through strengthening of education systems and supporting girls to stay in school and complete their secondary and/or tertiary education would help them gain training and skills, providing them with options for income generation during their adult lives.

Adaptive infrared and visible image fusion method by using rolling guidance filter and saliency detection

Infrared and visible images have good complementarity; thus, infrared and visible image fusion methods are extensively used in military, target detection, pattern recognition, and other applications. However, problems such as halo effect, poor background texture, and contrast reduction are encountered in image fusion methods. In addition, when the visible image is disturbed by smoke and high brightness, it will affect the quality of the fused image, making image fusion a challenge. To address these problems, an adaptive image fusion method is proposed in this paper. First, the image decomposition method based on rolling guidance filter and saliency detection (RGFSD) is proposed. Next, the source image is decomposed into three layers by using RGFSD: detail layer, salient layer, and base layer. The detail layer is then fused using the phase congruency strategy. Subsequently, the local entropy and gradient (LEG) method is proposed to simulate the perception of significant information by the human visual system to assign the weights for salient layer fusion. Next, the base layer is fused using the averaging method. Furthermore, an image enhancement method based on rolling guidance filter and contrast-limited adaptive histogram equalization is proposed to enhance the detail and contrast of the fused image. Finally, the proposed method is compared qualitatively and quantitatively with eight fusion methods. The experiment results show that compared with the existing methods, the proposed method can better enhance the contrast and retain details of the source images.

Fee-free education and the availability of teaching and learning materials for students with disabilities in public secondary schools in Morogoro municipality

Provision of fee-free education has facilitated children from poor socio-economic background to access secondary education. However, less has been known on whether the provision of fee-free education has influenced the availability of teaching and learning materials for students with disabilities in public secondary schools in Tanzania. This study, therefore, intended to examine the influence of fee-free education to the availability of teaching and learning materials for students with disabilities in public secondary schools in Morogoro municipality. The study used cross-sectional research design, whereby, questionnaires and interviews were employed to collect data. The study sample involved one (1) Educational Officer, five (5) heads of schools, and 24 students with disabilities, who were obtained through purposive sampling technique. Other study sample included 73 teachers and 98 students without disabilities, obtained by stratified sampling technique, making a total study sample of 201 respondents. Data was analysed through descriptive, factor, linear regression and correlational analyses. The study revealed that fee-free education had significant influence to the availability of teaching and learning materials for students with disabilities in public secondary schools. The study recommended to the government, the major funder of fee-free education in public secondary schools, to supply adequately all necessary teaching and learning facilities in public secondary schools to facilitate smooth learning for students with disabilities.

What We Know about Human Traffickers in Vietnam

Myths and misconceptions about traffickers, the nature of trafficking, and how the crime varies in different jurisdictions pose challenges for prevention work, rehabilitating offenders, and achieving justice for victims. This article, based on an analysis of over 100 human trafficking court cases in Vietnam, outlines the reality of one particular trafficking crime: the trafficking of Vietnamese women and girls for sexual exploitation in China. We show that the majority of the prosecuted traffickers are similarly poor and vulnerable as their victims. Most are from ethnic minorities, with a poor educational background, and few income generation opportunities. Based on this evidence, we discuss some challenges associated with prosecution of these particular traffickers and suggest more effective approaches for human trafficking prevention.

The Social Problems Of Disadvantageous Learner

Students from poor backgrounds, are in an environment of financial condition that is not too involved with education because there are alternative desires that are prioritized. A foggy perspective on children's schools and problems in the family due to financial problems also hinder the development and improvement of children so that their learning outcomes are low. The absence of the capacity and interest of young people to attend classes, the conditions in which the youth live, the community's views on training, customs and definite lessons. One of the works made to conquer the problem of students who experience social barriers is to offer types of social assistance and social security

Awareness, attitude and perceived knowledge regarding First Aid in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo: A cross-sectional household survey.

Emergency care can potentially address half of deaths and one-third of disability in low-and-middle income countries. First Aid (FA) is at the core of out-of-hospital emergency care and is crucial to empower laypersons to preserve life, alleviate suffering and improveemergencyresponse and outcomes. This study aimed to gauge FA awareness, the attitude and perceived knowledge in households in the low socioeconomic setting of Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). We undertook a cross-sectional community-based household survey in twelve health zones in Kinshasa. A three-stage randomised cluster sampling was used to identify 1217 households. The head of each household or an adult representative answered on behalf of himself/herself and the household. The primary outcome was FA awareness, attitude and perceived knowledge. Most households had a poor socio-economic background, with 70.0% living on <US$100 per person per month. Most respondents received formal education (98.4%), with 37.6% reaching the tertiary level. The majority (77.6%) believed that an emergency requiring FA was likely to happen in their household. There was a noticeable contrast between awareness (90.0% asserted that FA knowledge is a necessity) and positive attitude regarding FA (91.3% believed that FA increases wellbeing and survival) on one hand, and the insignificant rate of FA training (0.2%) on the other. Most (83.6%) acknowledged they did not think they had the required basic FA knowledge and skills for five selected common life-threatening emergencies. The age, area of residence and level of education of participants played a variable role regarding FA awareness, attitude and knowledge. Most participants reported inadequate knowledge of FA despite awareness and a positive attitude. Context-appropriate training programs are greatly needed to empower Kinshasa's communities and equip them with lifesaving skills.

PH Roundtable: Disparities in PH

PH Roundtable: Disparities in PH

People are Without Face: Physiognomies of Hegemonic Powers and Issues of Transformation in Henning Mankell’s Selected Literary Fiction

This research explores the representation of the subaltern characters in Henning Mankell's The Shadow Girls. Mankell foregrounds the peripheral characters whose voice has been silenced due to the lack of agency. The main characters like Tea-Bag, Tania, and Leila are submissive and inferior who live a life of absurdity. They are wretched and stifled because of the suppressive hegemonic power, poor economic background, and their inferior rank in terms of class, gender, inability, refugee status, and lack of agency. By bringing subaltern characters into the forefront, the novel shows that subalternity is not only limited to the South Asian context but could bring all the marginal voices of the world. On the surface, Mankell pretends to provide a platform for the minority group but the true voices of the subaltern characters remain unheard. This research is qualitative in nature. Theories presented by Antonio Gramsci, David Ludden, Sarah Crompton, and Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak help to find the answers to the research questions for this research. As the concern of the revolution from lower people, this novel does not provide the platform openly but desires to transform Leila as an actress, Tea-Bag neglects authoritarian power and some other characters somehow try to evoke the revolution from the lower in the novel.

Nuances and Repercussions of Virtual Learning Belonging to the Students of Traditional and Professional Programmes

The advent of Covid-19 has created tremendous impact in all spheres of life. The entire world experienced unprecedented halt. It has made technology as integral part of human life in the universe. Pandemic has given birth to the concept of New Normal. It consists of wearing mask, maintaining social distancing and nurturing hygiene through use of sanitizer. Covid-19 affected intensively on public and private sectors such as: business, banks, schools, colleges, tourism and hospitality industry. Schools and Colleges were closed in order avoid spread of virus through mass gathering. This situation created serious dilemmas about the process of teaching and learning in all the educational institutions. There were plenty of challenges in the mind of all the stakeholders in the realm of academics. The teachers as well as students were unprepared to adjust with online mode teaching and learning. Need is the mother of necessity. Therefore, students and teachers commenced the path of exploring new online Applications such as MS Team, Google Meet, Zoom, WebEx. Learning is considered as never ending and ever-changing. There is passionate desire in the mind of teacher and students for smooth teaching and learning in the turbulent time. The prominent challenges faced by the students were: availability of Digital devices, Poor internet connectivity, digital illiteracy and background noise. It was a transition period from Chalk and Talk to technology. This research paper primarily focuses on identification of nuances and repercussions of virtual learning amongst the traditional and professional programmes.

Reasons for Over-Identifications of Children with Disabilities in Pakistan: An Analytical Survey

The thought behind this research study was to explore the basic reasons for the over-identification of children in the special education department in Punjab. The population for the study was honorable teachers and the professionals working in this department. The research tool developed was a questionnaire created to record the opinions of the special education professionals and teaching staff against the tentative reasons. The sample who participated and provided their valuable opinions were249 teaching staff and professionals from all over Punjab. The major reasons for the over-identification of children recorded are professional inefficiency, poor family background, some behavioral, Social or Psychological issues, Substandard diagnostic process,Shortage of human resources, Mis-evaluation of the poor health of the student, and lack of strong advocacy by a professional organization to reduce over-identification. Key recommendations made by the researchers are aware of the identification process,hiring the professionals, and timely and updated training should be conducted to reduce the over-identification of children in Special education in Punjab.

Incidental Tuberculosis in sudden, unexpected, and violent deaths in the community Lusaka, Zambia - A descriptive forensic post-mortem examination study

Tuberculosis remains a global emergency. In Zambia only 55% of tuberculosis cases are diagnosed. We performed a study to determine incidental cases of tuberculosis seen at forensic autopsy of individuals who died suddenly and unexpectedly in the community in Lusaka, Zambia. Whole-body autopsies were performed according to Standard Operating Procedures. Representative samples obtained from relevant organs were subjected to pathological examination. Information on circumstances surrounding the death was obtained. Data on patient demographics, gross and microscopic pathological findings, and cause(s) of death were analysed. Incidental tuberculosis was found in 52 cases (45 male, 7 female, age range 14-66) out of 4286 whole-body autopsies. 41/52 (80%) were aged 21-50 years. One was a 14-year old boy who died during a football match. 39/52 (75%) deaths were attributable specifically to tuberculosis only. Other deaths were due to acute alcohol intoxication(4), violence(7), ruptured ectopic pregnancy(1), bacterial meningitis (1). All the cases were from poor socio-economic backgrounds and lived in high-density areas of Lusaka. Incidental cases of active tuberculosis undiagnosed antemortem seen at forensic autopsy reflects major gaps in the national TB control programs. More investments into proactive screening, testing, treatment activities, and accurate data collection are required.

World’s first black-seeded high yielding mungbean [Vigna radiata (L.) Wilczek] varieties ‘NIFA Sikaram-21 and NIFA Spinghar-21’

Globally, black-seeded mungbean is cultivated only in Kuram area of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) of Pakistan and adjacent areas of Afghanistan. The black-seeded mungbean land-race being cultivated in the area since unknown dates had poor genetic back-ground, and hence, low yield potential and susceptibility to diseases. In order to develop high yielding shiny black-seeded mungbean varieties for Kuram, a cross was attempted between a local Mungbean Yellow Mosaic Virus (MYMV) susceptible land-race collected from Kuram and later named as Kuram black mung (KBM) and an MYMV resistant black mottled-seeded mutant named as NIFA black mung (NBM) in the kharif season 2014 at the Nuclear Institute for Food &amp; Agriculture (NIFA), Peshawar. The F1 generation was planted in spring 2015. The F2 to F5 generations were raised in kharif 2016 – spring 2019. Single plants and lines based on shiny black seed coat color, short and medium plant stature, MYMV resistance and high grain yield were selected. Elite short and medium statured lines NBM-2-2-4-5 (NIFA Sikaram-21) and NBM-5-3-7 (NIFA Spinghar-21), respectively, were selected and tested in replicated yield trials along with black-seeded parents and green-seeded check varieties at NIFA and other locations in Kuram. On an average, NIFA Sikaram-21 produced seed yield of 1716 kg ha-1 and NIFA Spinghar-21 1724 kg ha-1 against KBM (880 kg ha-1) with 94% increase over KBM. However, its yield was lower than those of the green-seeded checks as green-seeded mungbean is well adapted to the growing conditions. Shiny black seeds, bold seed size and high grain yield are the distinguishing characters of NIFA Sikaram-21 and NIFA Spinghar-21. Furthermore, these are the first-ever black-seeded mungbean approved varieties in the world. The Provincial Seed Council of the KP approved both varieties in its 40th meeting held on April 07, 2021.

Kidney disease impact on family survival of a sick person in Sri Lanka

Aim: Kidney disease was first reported from the Padaviya area around the mid-1990s and today is prevalent in many areas in the dry zone. Most of the victims of this disease are people from poor socio-economic backgrounds who have made agriculture their main source of income. Therefore ’how does kidney disease affect the family economy?’ was the research problem. The main objective of this research was to identify the kidney disease impact on the family economy in rural Sri Lanka.Methodology: A qualitative research methodology was utilized in this research. Both primary and secondary data were used for the research. Thirty families were chosen for the primary data collection, and articles, books, and reports were used as secondary data. Mahadiwulwawa grama niladari division in Madawachchiya, Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka was the research field. Thematic analysis was used for the data analysis.Findings: The research concluded that kidney disease directly affects the family income status and adversely affects all other activities in the family.Implications/Novel Contribution: Kidney disease mainly becomes a medical condition. But it is also affecting the people and society in many ways. It has affected Sri Lankan society as one of the major social issues in the country. This research will contribute in literature by providing indepth impact of kidney disease on the family economy.

Exploring the Causes of Teachers’ Indiscipline in Public Secondary Schools Gairo District in Morogoro Region, Tanzania

Teachers during the past time were greatly honored, dignified and highly respected by parents in particular and the society at large. The teacher was as a custodian of knowledge and influential and inspiring person in the society. Indiscipline among teachers in public secondary schools is a major dilemma in the achievement of quality education since students’ academic achievement depends on ethical, committed and qualified teachers in consolidating school performance and accomplishment of educational goals. The purpose of the study is to explore the causes of teachers’ indiscipline in Public Secondary Schools in in Gairo district in Morogoro region, Tanzania. This study was conducted using a qualitative research approach because it provides the information which has a deeper insight into the phenomenon under study and relies on the interpretation of the view of the respondents. The target population of this study includes District Teacher Service Department, District Chief School Inspector, Heads of school; Teachers as well as Students who were justifiably provide significant information related to teacher indiscipline in public schools in Gairo district. The research findings revealed teachers’ that teachers’ indiscipline was a major problem towards realization of quality education in public schools. The study found that teacher unethical practices has negative impact towards teachers’ work performance as teachers who engage in various misconducts fail to commit themselves to their duties and responsibilities. It was disclosed that effects included inconsistency in teaching, ineffective supervision of students’ discipline, and misleading students when teaching. it was disclosed that teachers’ unethical practices has detrimental effects to students’ academic achievement such as students’ poor academic performance, students’ drop out and truancy, decline of students’ moral standard, hostility and enmity between teachers and students, and denial of students’ basic rights to quality education. On the basis of the research findings, the causes of teacher indiscipline were mainly attributed to social, economical, managerial and educational related factors including inadequate salaries and remuneration, lack of professional knowledge, poor living and working environment, influence of science and technology, infrequent visit by educational officials, poor school management by school heads, and poor home and family background. DOI: 10.7176/JEP/13-8-02 Publication date: March 31 st 2022

COMMUNITY FACTORS AND RECIDIVISM IN NIGERIA: A STUDY OF KUJE CORRECTIONAL CENTER ABUJA

The study examined Community factors and recidivism in Nigeria: A study of kuje correctional center Abuja. The study hard achieved specific objectives which looked at the impact of community based factor such factors could be explain as poverty, unemployment, ghetto area, poor educational background and lack of proper policies and programmes established by the government or any agency have triggered recidivism, the study to assessed the functionality and rehabilitative facilities in the effective programmes in Kuje correctional center. The study highlighted the causes of recidivism among inmates in Kuje Correctional Centre. to examine the inmates’ perception of the basic infrastructural facilities in Kuje Correctional Centre. The study additionally, introduced social survey research design was adopted and questionnaire instrument of data collection was used, 200 questionnaire were administered to inmates in Kuje correctional center, the questions were obtained and answers were provided through the assistance of research assistance which are the workers from the center, for easy interpretations. The study findings revealed that all the respondents were discovered to be male who are virtually single and within age bracket of 18-35 years. The study also discovered that all the available rehabilitative facilities and programmes are functional including educational programme, carpentry, welding, tailoring, games, guardian and counselling, among others. The study further discovered that poverty and lack of proper reintegration programme are the most causal factors in recidivism, the study had made up recommendations that could improve in the standard of living for those inmates so as it would serve as control mechanism for future occurrences

Towards National Identity: Analysis of Children of Purus and Anticipation to Mentawai Future

This article aims to know some problems of children of Purus, a coastal area in Padang city, especially related to factors leading to literary poor imagination of ‘Kelompok Purus Menulis’ members. The experience in manage of children Purus could became guidelines to develop the future of Mentawai's children. They have attended training and mentoring programs in three years organized by Universitas Negeri Padang. But their quality product likes poem is still poor. They tend to imitate others’ works. Few are confident and stand out of box. Why? Data for this article are based on district document, and interview during the training and mentoring activities. After collecting the data, the analysis and written report for the result of research will follow. The analysis will show the poor imagination of Purus children. There are three reasons for that. First, the writer will have an extensive knowledge from reading, observing, and discussing with others. But Purus children rarely read and write. Second, family supporting. Some children of the community come from poor family background and lower level of education that hinder them from growing any better. Third, social environment. The children live in market and tourist area. It makes the children less focus on study.

Classroom Challenges of Secondary Level English Teachers at Remote Government Schools in Nepal

The study was conducted to explore Secondary level English teachers’ classroom challenges in the government schools of remote Nepal. The purpose of the study was to identify classroom challenges of English teachers at the secondary level and analyze how the factors affect English Language Teaching in the classroom. Twenty English teachers responded to the questionnaire, four were selected for the interview and five agreed to participate in focus group discussion. The main findings of the study were; the teachers do not understand students’ local language, overcrowded classrooms, students’ mostly use their native language to communicate, limited lesson hours, students’ poor linguistic background and poor classroom condition. The most interesting finding is that none of the teachers was English graduates. They were from other streams like Major Nepali, Math, Commerce etc. Learning and applying various teaching methods and classroom management techniques, matching students’ linguistic level and the learning situation, making use of time, and self-reflection can help tackle English teachers’ challenges.Keywords: Challenges; English teachers; Government School; Remote; Secondary level.