Socio-cultural Risks Research Articles

Developmental Impacts of Heavy Metals and Undernutrition

A recent Lancet series highlighted enormous loss to young children's developmental potential in developing countries, from exposure to sociocultural and health risks. The possibility that nutritional deficiencies might exacerbate the adverse impact of environmental exposures to developmental toxicants such as heavy metals and pesticides has not been explored. While both arsenic and manganese exposures have known neurotoxicity in adults, systematic investigation in young children has only recently begun. Five hundred and ninety 6- and 10-year-old Bangladeshi children participated in three overlapping studies. Well-water arsenic and manganese were measured from home wells; urine and blood samples were provided; and sociodemographic and household characteristics obtained. For new analyses, 'stunting' was defined as 2 or more standard deviations below the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention gender-specific height-for-age norms. Developmental assessments employed culturally adapted variants of the WISC-III (age 10) or WPPSI-III (age 6). In prior analyses, after adjusting for social factors, well-water arsenic and manganese were both significantly associated with poorer developmental scores at age 10; associations for water arsenic at 6 years were significant, but attenuated. Negative associations with metal exposures held up in newer analyses, and stunting was significantly associated with lower intellectual functioning in analyses considering either metal. There were no significant stunting-by-metal interactions. Developmental risks often co-occur. Millions in South Asia are exposed to naturally occurring arsenic and manganese through household wells. Stunting affects more than 25% of young children in developing countries. The combined neurocognitive loss from both risks, although rarely jointly studied, represents a substantial loss of global potential.

Restoration of the Chesapeake Bay Using a Non-Native Oyster: Ecological and Fishery Considerations

In 2004, the State of Maryland and Commonwealth of Virginia proposed to introduce a non-native oyster species, Crassostrea ariakensis, into the tidal waters of Maryland and Virginia. The states planned to take action as soon as a rigorous, scientifically based Environmental Impact Statement and Record of Decision could be prepared. The benefits advanced by the supporters of this introduction included: improving water quality; providing important habitat for oysters, finfish, crabs and a diversity of other species; rehabilitating an oyster population capable of supporting an economically viable oyster industry; and preserving Chesapeake Bay communities and culture. As part of the broader Environmental Impact Statement (EIS), the authors were contracted to evaluate the sociocultural risks and benefits of introducing C. ariakensis, as compared to a number of alternative actions. In this article, we describe some emergent findings from the cultural and socioeconomic risk analysis portion of the EIS analysis. ...

Pilgrim Tourism in the Central Himalayas

Abstract As a follow-up to the International Year of Ecotourism (IYE 2002) and the International Year of Mountains (IYM 2002), scholars and practitioners need to continue to address the challenges inherent in building pilgrim tourism on principles of sustainable tourism that reconcile cultural, developmental, conservational, and commercial interests. This article begins by reasoning that the increasing use of mechanical transport to pilgrim sites in the Central Himalayas erodes the cultural notions that have underpinned the Himalayan pilgrimage for centuries. Then, it seeks to demonstrate in two respects the relevance of insights into how sacred journeying interconnects persons, places, and time. The first insight concerns the travel patterns of and income potential from pleasure and pilgrim tourists in Nepal in the current situation of unstable national and international security. The second insight relates to local perceptions of sociocultural, economic, and environmental risks involved in the opening o...

Party-drugs: sociocultural and individual background and risks.

Party-drugs: sociocultural and individual background and risks.

Cultural risks of technological innovation: the case of school violence

Affluent nations have instituted various systems for heading off some of the worst consequences that new technologies can pose for the environment and for human health/safety. Action to protect against sociocultural risks from innovation is uncommon, however, despite the fact that intangible aspects of social life are crucial in determining whether humans experience their lives as meaningful and satisfying. To help raise the visibility of the social risks of technological innovation, we focus on one small piece of this large domain: the application of technology to affect human behavior. To date, most applications of surety technology in schools have been designed to enable response to an undesirable incident rather than prevention by foresight, but that may be changing. Use of many of these technologies is controversial, yet the decision-making process allows some people to make choices that affect many others without their consent. Inasmuch as humans' peaceful coexistence depends in no small part on shared cultural norms and voluntary cooperative behavior, the rush to substitute technological fixes for the difficult, time-consuming process of social negotiation is a trend which thoughtful technologists will want to ponder.

Promoting sexual health in the age of HIV/AIDS

Identifying, managing, and preventing HIV infection and other sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) are essential components of women’s health care. Biological, sociocultural, and epidemiological risks, including STDs, increase the likelihood that a woman will become infected with HIV. Infection with a STD facilitates the likelihood of infection with HIV, and many of the same risk behaviors and interventions are relevant. Promoting sexual health in the age of HIV/AIDS necessitates the acknowledgment of behavioral and social aspects of sexuality, as well as clinical approaches and skills that support safer and satisfying sexual lives for women. This article reviews the use of sexual and substance use risk assessment, individualized counseling, and risk-reduction strategies for women to improve sexual health.

On the construction of drinking norms in work organizations.

Alcohol abuse and dependence is the result of multiple risk factors. Although this article focuses primarily on workplace risk factors, it discusses them within a framework of biological, psychological, familial, social class and sociocultural risks, and argues that a comprehensive explanation of alcohol problems must encompass all of these factors. In addition, the article argues that by constructing drinking norms, especially within the context of the workplace, these risks may be contained and reduced. Consequently, the article also reviews data on the workplace strategy of constructive confrontation and calls for research on similar interventions for containing risks from outside the workplace.

Nursing's role in promoting health for elders in the community

Identifying, managing, and preventing HIV infection and other sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) are essential components of women’s health care. Biological, sociocultural, and epidemiological risks, including STDs, increase the likelihood that a woman will become infected with HIV. Infection with a STD facilitates the likelihood of infection with HIV, and many of the same risk behaviors and interventions are relevant. Promoting sexual health in the age of HIV/AIDS necessitates the acknowledgment of behavioral and social aspects of sexuality, as well as clinical approaches and skills that support safer and satisfying sexual lives for women. This article reviews the use of sexual and substance use risk assessment, individualized counseling, and risk-reduction strategies for women to improve sexual health.