Conditions In Rural Areas Research Articles

Assessment of clean cooking technologies under different fuel use conditions in rural areas of Northern India

The study was conducted to assess the performance of improved and traditional cookstoves using wood as a fuel and three combinations of other fuel mixes – (i) wood and cow dung, (ii) wood and mustard stalks, and (iii) cow dung and mustard stalks). Energy and emission parameters such as specific energy consumption (SEC), emission factors (EFs) of carbon monoxide (CO), particulate matter (PM) and black carbon (BC) were used to compare four different types of cookstoves. These included top-feed forced draft (TF-FD), top-feed natural draft (TF-ND), front-feed natural draft (FF-ND) and front-feed traditional (FF-TR) cookstoves. Controlled cooking test (CCT) was used as the test protocol. The results showed the performance of improved cookstove technologies can vary based on the fuel used for cooking. It was observed that emission factors for PM and CO increased by 67–96% and 45–90% respectively when all three improved cookstoves were tested with three fuel combinations against wood as cooking fuel. Among the tested cookstoves, a marked difference was observed between performance of forced draft and natural draft cookstoves. Forced draft cookstoves emitted higher amount of all pollutant emissions compared to natural draft cookstoves when used with mustard stalks in combination with either wood or cowdung. The results are of critical importance given that forced draft cookstoves have been promoted in geographical regions where fuel mix use is prevalent. Therefore, forced draft cookstove might not be the right choice when the goal is climate mitigation and reduction in impact on human health. It is imperative to study comprehensively the influence of various field variables on performance of cookstoves, which have severe implications on the performance of cookstoves.

Resource potential of rural areas and the role of local governments in its realization

Subject. The article addresses issues of rural development and involvement of local governments in the implementation of rural development programs. Objectives. We focus on exploring the status of rural areas, identifying their potential, developing sound mechanisms to spur sustainable rural development and involve local governments in the implementation of relevant policy measures. Methods. The study draws on general scientific methods of analysis, including the techniques of statistical and logical analysis. Results. The study established that the rural areas of the Republic of Dagestan are deteriorating; the migration flow of rural population to urban areas continues. Private subsidiary farming is the most important source of income generation for rural population, the capacity of agricultural organizations is noticeably impaired. Conclusions. We underpin the need to develop a set of measures for encouraging the efficient use of resource potential of rural areas, including through increasing the activity and efficiency of local governments at the rural level. The paper puts forward reasonable proposals for enhancing the government support to sustainable rural development.

Parenting practices and oral health status in rural areas in Egypt: a household survey

BackgroundParenting practices influence children’s health and development. The present study assessed the association between parenting practices and oral health status of children living in rural areas in Egypt.MethodsA cross-sectional household survey including 190 households and 392 children was conducted from May 2019 to January 2020 in four villages in Egypt. Data were collected through clinical examination and interview-based questionnaires of children. Clinical examination assessed caries (DMFT and dft), oral hygiene and gingival condition. Parenting practices were assessed using the short version of the Alabama Parenting Questionnaire (APQ) and oral health practices were assessed using the WHO questionnaire-child form. Four linear regression models were used to assess the relationship between four outcome variables (oral health indicators: (DMF, df, plaque and gingival indices) and parenting practices and oral health behaviors (exposure) after adjusting for potential confounders. Regression coefficients (B), 95% confidence intervals (CI) and model adjusted R2 were calculated.ResultsComplete questionnaires and clinical data were available for 392 children (response rate = 86.34%). The mean (SD) age = 9.93 (3.05) with 54.60% females. Most children (67.60%) had caries in their primary teeth, mean ± SD of df = 2.94 ± 3.10, while only 27.30% had caries in their permanent teeth, mean DMF ± SD = 0.57 ± 1.13. There was a statistically significant difference between parenting practices of both fathers and mothers (p < 0.001, < 0.001, < 0.001, 0.008 and < 0.001 for the five parenting constructs). The adjusted R2 of the models that included parenting practices (for DMF = 0.168, for df = 0.400, for plaque index = 0.061 and for gingival index = 0.090) were similar to the models that included oral health behaviors (for DMF = 0.197, for df = 0.421, for plaque index = 0.059 and for gingival index = 0.084).ConclusionThe association between oral health status and parenting practices which- although not statistically significant- was similar in impact to that between oral health behaviors and oral health status, highlighting the importance of parenting practices to oral health.

Accidents with workers and rural workers: from the case series to the evolution of cases

Rural work is considered vulnerable to acidentes due to the amount and diversity of risks involved. This study aimed to describe accidents with rural workers, from case series to the cases evolution, in municipalities covered by Reference Center for Occupational Health (CEREST) of Sobral - Ceará, Brazil. This is an epidemiological, descriptive and retrospective study, developed with 509 cases of rural work accidents, reported by Notifiable Diseases Information System (SINAN), between January 2009 and December 2013. Accidents was more frequently at the contracted's premises (50.7% - 258), most of which were classified as typical accidents (77.4 - 494). There was a predominance of male workers (90.5% - 461), aged between 20 and 59 years. The main cause was exposure to inanimate mechanical forces (43.4% - 221). The most affected part of body was hand (51.1% - 260). Most workers evolved with temporary disabilities. Working conditions in rural areas demonstrated vulnerabilities in tlegal structure, in supervision of the use of hand tools and safe machinery, and in the correct and frequent access and use of personal protective equipment.

Geospatial technology for mapping and analysis of social and infrastructural facilities at village level: a case study of Chinnapendyala village

With 70% of the population living in the villages, there is a need to improve the conditions in rural areas. Villages are in the same old state as the development activities are not reaching up to the micro-level. Lack of proper infrastructure facilities in villages are causing imbalances in the development and migration of the population. Sustainability at the village level can be achieved by a proper development plan which looks deep into the current status of the households in the villages and spatial variation of the demography. For such planning, there is a need for spatial information structure at the village level. GIS provides an environment to visualize and locate infrastructure facilities available in the village. The objective of the study is to collect all spatial and non-spatial data of the individual households of the village, put it into a common database using GIS and prepare maps that can be used by various government development bodies and policy-makers to plan effectively for the overall development of the village. A pilot study is done for the village Chinnapendyala of Jangaon District. The study demonstrates how GIS can be effectively used to map the social and economic conditions of individual households and infrastructure facilities in the village. Thirteen parameters are mapped for the village by conducting a door-to-door survey of each household present in the village.

Territorial Assessment of the Infrastructure in Rural Areas of the Republic of Bashkortostan

This paper presents integral assessment of the territorial infrastructural conditions in rural areas, which is based on aggregating the performance metrics of sociocultural infrastructures and public utilities. Sociocultural infrastructure assessment took into account the availability of schooling for children, inpatient hospital beds, doctors and nurses, as well as seats in cultural venues per person. Public utilities were assessed in terms of housing conditions, while the state of local roads was assessed in terms of road-grid density, the length percentage of hard-paved roads, and the length percentage of standard-compliant local roads. The authors hereof group the municipalities in the Republic of Bashkortostan by their infrastructural conditions and outline the priorities of such development for different rural areas.

Spatial assessment of losses in wheat production value: A need for an innovative approach to guide risk management policies

Despite the importance of wheat production, it does not fully meet the population's needs and the wheat producers denounce reduced margins. Considering its impact on the socio-economic conditions in rural areas, risk of losses in wheat production value has been analyzed at the level of 34 provinces, representing 70% of the total wheat cropping area in Morocco. To achieve this analysis, we adopted in this study an innovative approach that takes into account of both phenological stages of wheat crops in time and space, as well as the technological difference between different production units. First, the intensity of the risk of loss in wheat production value was estimated at the spatial scale using a new Production Value Intensity Index (PV_I), proposed in this research. Then, the probability of the identified risk was measured during the studied years (2001–2016). Taking into account variations in both spatial and temporal scales, the results identify four categories of agricultural areas according to their risk level of loss in wheat production value. The last one, accounting for 20.13% of total agricultural area, was the most affected by the loss in wheat production value. Overall, the followed approach, using PV_I index, allows an efficient identification, localization and evaluation of the risks associated to wheat productivity loss at the spatiotemporal scales and will helps decision-makers to implement a risk monitoring strategy.

Assessing Sustainable Development Potential of Rural Territories

The paper presents an analysis of the resource potential of sustainable rural development in two regions of the Russian Federation, namely, the Altay territory (which is an agricultural region) and the Kemerovo region (an industrial region with an auxiliary role of agriculture). Agriculture is predominantly developing in agricultural areas represented by a comprehensive complex of resources. The lack of systemic approach in agricultural development has led to the irrational distribution of productive forces, inferior development of social and household infrastructure, and other imbalances having adverse effects on agricultural economic performance and living conditions in rural areas. To address this problem, the authors have developed an original method of resource potential analysis for rural areas, including a combination of economic, social, and infrastructure indicators.

Household level food insecurity assessment: Evidence from panel data, Ethiopia

Ethiopia is one of the fastest growing economies and with the top 10 highest population growth, which is among the major resources that determine the dynamics of the welfare of the society. This study assesses the prevalence of food insecurity and the major household level determinants of food insecurity at the national level and ranks the coping strategies households use. Longitudinal data of over 5000 households is analyzed using logit model. Anthropometric indicators generally show an improvement over time, though malnutrition is still one of the highest in the world. Child nutritional status in rural areas is worse compared to urban areas. Also, it appears that a higher percentage of boys suffer from malnutrition than girls. The result of logistic regression revealed that average years of schooling of members of the household, proximity to service centers, assets and availability of credit services positively affect household food security, whereas dependency ratio and shocks increase the odds of a household to be food insecured. Households choose to reduce the variety of food eaten as a primary strategy to reduce the impacts of food insecurity. Continuous investment in education and rural development could help improve the household food insecurity.

Innovative multifunctionality in building competitive position of rural peripheral areas

Purpose: The aim of the study is to present opportunities for the development of innovative multifunctionality as a driving force of economic growth and improvement of living conditions in rural areas. Design/methodology/approach: The considerations were based on a critical analysis of the literature on the subject and materials obtained from online sources. Findings: The main factor of increasing the potential of rural areas are innovative activities enriching the rural economy, conducive to its compatibility with modern economic and social structures. They contribute significantly to the revitalization of the socio-economic fabric of the countryside, by creating new types of economic activity, developing multifunctionality conducive to creating real foundations for achieving sustainable economic growth. However, the future of the village cannot be built solely on its internal resources. Rural development is largely determined by external forces linked to markets and technology. The countryside requires significant innovative cooperation with external areas. Originality/value: In-depth analysis of the creation and adaptation of multifunctional innovations taking into account the appropriate combination of factors related to the local environment with factors related to general economic changes that brings global interdependence, as well as support for extensive business connections.

A study of 0-14-year-old children's access to health centers in rural areas using a buffer model (a case study of villages based in Kermanshah province, Iran).

INTRODUCTION:Children are among the most vulnerable groups in society, whose health is of prominent significance. Moreover, as a group of clients with special needs in the health care system, they require special attention. Therefore, the present study aimed to investigate the 0–14-year-old children's access to health centers in rural areas of Kermanshah Province, Iran.MATERIALS AND METHODS:In the present cross-sectional study, both the latest published demographic statistics related to the Population and Housing Census, announced by the Statistical Center of Iran in 2011, and the information about the public and private hospitals in the province, collected by Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences, were used as the basis for the analyses. In addition, given the importance of the spatial nature of the research, geographic information system was used for data analysis, and a buffer model was also applied.RESULTS:The results revealed that out of the total population of 0–14-year-old children residing in rural areas within 15,000 and 30,000-km radii of Kermanshah Province, 87.94% and 75.11% of girls versus 88.15% and 75.38% of boys lacked access to health centers, respectively.CONCLUSION:It was found out that the 0–14-year-old children's access to health centers was in poor condition in rural areas of Kermanshah Province, which would endanger the health of this age group.

A modelling approach to assess technology effect on wheat farms performance in semi-arid areas

In order to improve socio-economic conditions in rural areas, the purpose of this study is to develop models for estimating wheat yield based on the use of agricultural inputs. The emphasis is not only on increasing production, but on economically efficient production that optimises productive resources. Thereby, a cost efficiency analysis for wheat producers was conducted based on a sample of 111 farmers in the Tadla Plain in central Morocco. To achieve this objective, two models devoted to wheat yield estimation in terms of costs and quantities of agricultural inputs were developed, based on stepwise regression approach. Furthermore, data envelopment analysis (DEA) method was used to analyse the cost efficiency of farms. Overall, this work separates the excess costs related to technical efficiency and economies of scale to cost efficiency in order to understand the type of actions that farmers can take to reduce production costs and ensure their resilience.

НАУЧНО-ПРАКТИЧЕСКАЯ КОНФЕРЕНЦИЯ КАК ФОРМА ДЕЯТЕЛЬНОСТИ СООБЩЕСТВА СЕЛЬСКИХ ПЕДАГОГОВ

This article describes the experience of the conference «Development of rural educational organizations in the context of the National project «Education». The conference was organized by: Yaroslavl state pedagogical university named after K. D. Ushinsky, State educational institution of the Yaroslavl region «Institute of education development», Research center of the Russian Academy of education on the basis of YSPU, Yaroslavl regional public organization «Leaders of rural schools». The content of reports by well-known scientists of the country is briefly outlined, which identified the current problems of education and training of rural schoolchildren, due to the characteristics of the modern generation of children, the specifics of educational conditions in rural areas, and the resources of rural society. The speakers offered modern pedagogical ideas and tools for the successful implementation of the national project «Education» in rural schools. A number of presentations are devoted to the problems of professional development of teachers, scientific and methodological support of teacher training for rural areas. A review of the presentations of scientists and teacher-practitioners in seven sections is made: «Rural school-space for modernizing the content of education»; «Modern educational technologies»; «Rural school – space for equal opportunities for every child»; «Rural school – space for partnership and cooperation»; «Rural school – space for modern digital technologies»; «Professional development of rural teachers»; «Rural school – territory of public initiatives». Interesting experience of educational organizations is presented at master classes held on the basis of schools and kindergartens. The results of the scientific and practical conference, which was held for the first time in remote mode, were analyzed, the advantages of holding the conference in this format, as well as problems and difficulties, mainly of a technical nature, were identified. In conclusion, it is emphasized that the conference is an effective form of interaction between teachers from different organizations and regions, a means of stimulating their professional development and innovation in rural educational organizations.

Tackling girls dropping out of school in Malawi: Is improving household socio-economic status the solution?

This study used primary data from rural primary schools in Malawi and administrative data from the Malawi Education Management Information System to explore the impact of school bursaries and socio-economic status on girls dropping out of school. Lack of money to pay for school fees was a major reason for the high girl school dropouts. School bursaries appeared to help keep more girls in school and girls from households with better socio-economic status were less likely to drop out of school. The Malawi Government and its development partners should extend bursaries to needy girls in all secondary schools. Promotion of programmes that enhance household socio-economic status in rural areas should enable households to be financially capable of schooling their children.

Diverse Education Based on Specific Conditions in Rural Areas of China

Connecting the spiritual outlook of the future society, education is the cornerstone of the rejuvenation of a nation. By the year 2018, nearly 600 million people lived in rural areas of China. For being such a large group, their basic necessities of life, and each and every move are closely related to the country’s destiny. So when these two parts get associated, the problem become larger and more difficult. Nowadays we should view the rural education with new eyes. Affected by the deepening of the market economy, the expansion of higher education and the tough job market, rural residents’ views on education are changing and can gradually be divided into two categories: the one is that education is the steering wheel which can lead to the change of fate; the other one is that the education is no longer the only way out. The cost of continuing a child’s education must be seen first. This article holds that in the process of revitalizing rural education, we should take measures according to local conditions basing on rural characteristics, and attach importance to the development of a multi-level and diverse education so that students can see more possibilities besides study and work, which will not only benefit the development of individuals, but also contribute to the progress of the whole society.

The effects of heat wave on health indicators of the elderly during 2018 heat waves in Korea

PDS 66: Climate change, Exhibition Hall (PDS), Ground floor, August 28, 2019, 1:30 PM - 3:00 PM Background/Aim: There has been growing concern about the effects of heat wave on health. However, the effect on the health indicators for vulnerable group has rarely been examined. We aimed to investigate the acute effects of heat wave on body temperature and blood pressure of elderly individuals living in poor housing conditions in rural areas. Methods: Indoor temperature, body temperature (BT), blood pressure, and sleep disturbance were repeatedly measured up to six times for each 104 elderly individuals living in four southern rural areas in South Korea during heat waves in 2018. Changes in the BT, systolic blood pressure (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) according to variations in the indoor and outdoor temperature were analyzed using linear mixed effect models controlling for age, sex, drug use, and smoking. We also analyzed the health effects of heat wave from socioeconomic status. Results: The average of indoor temperatures measured during the study period was 30.5°C (range, 22.9~38.3°C) and that of daily maximum outdoor temperature 34.5°C (range, 29.5~37.5°C). Indoor temperature was higher in low-income group than relatively high-income group. BT increased by 0.05°C [95% confidence interval (CI), 0.03 to 0.06°C] with an increase in the indoor temperature of 1°C. The effect of increased indoor temperature on BT was greater in the elderly with hypertension and sleep disturbance. DBP generally decreased with increase in indoor temperature, while the DBP decrease in the elderly with hypertension showed a statistical significance [-0.41 mmHg (95% CI, -0.02 to 0.80 mmHg) per 1°C]. SBP increased as the indoor temperature increased, particularly for the elderly without air conditioner. Conclusions: The elderly with poor house condition are directly exposed to heat waves, while their vital signs respond sensitively to temperature increase indoors. More active strategies to cope with increasing heat wave are required, particularly for vulnerable group.

INNOVATIVE APPROACHES AND INNOVATIONS IN RURAL DEVELOPMENT IN BULGARIA

The LEADER approach has an important role for strengthening and the development of local communities and for stimulating innovations and innovative practices in rural areas. The aim of this paper is to analyze and evaluate the LEADER approach as an innovative approach and on this basis to prepare general conclusions about the innovative development of rural areas in Bulgaria. The local active group (LAG) is interpreted as an innovative "coordinating" activity and it is the core of the innovation system that solves conflicts, and creates and implements local strategies for rural development. The LEADER and the Community – led local development approaches introduce innovative practices for Bulgarian conditions in order to improve local governance and facilitate innovations. The main contributions of the LEADER and the Community approaches are related to: the establishment of local active groups in different network structures of partnership; activating stakeholders, broadcasting leaders and improving coordination between them; establishing local expertise and administrative capacities; support for business organizations, local authorities and the non-governmental sector in the development and management of innovative projects. The factors that influence the success of the LEADER approach and its importance for rural development in each country differ in their administrative, socio-economic, historical and cultural contexts. Bulgarian LAGs continue to implement the Community – led local development approach (CLLDA) in the process of adapting to the specific conditions of rural areas.&#x0D; The results are part of scientific project DN 15/8 2017 Sustainable multifunctional rural areas: reconsidering agricultural models and systems with increased demands and limited resources funded by the Bulgarian research fund.

Socio-Cultural Potential of Rural Regions of Belarus in the Context of Cultural Services Consumption: A Sociological Analysis

The author considers socio-cultural potential of rural regions in the context of the cultural services consumption by the rural population. The researcher carries out the analysis of social and cultural infrastructure development of the village, gives numerical indicators of the activities of concert organizations, libraries, club institutions and formations, paid services in dynamics for 2010–2016. The paper reveals the degree of satisfaction of various social and age groups of the rural population with the quality of educational and cultural services at the place of residence, the availability of opportunities to visit cultural and leisure activities and cultural institutions. The given survey is based on the data of empirical research conducted by the Institute of Sociology of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus in 2018. The author compares subjective assessments of their material well-being of groups with different social status with the average income per family member, the minimum subsistence budget in the context of opportunities to pay for educational paid clubs for their children, pre-school institutions. The researcher concludes that the most economically vulnerable group not having sufficient funds to pay for cultural services and activities are peasants, agricultural workers. Self-assessments of the modest financial situation and requests for cultural and leisure services correlate with the low level of income of this social group. The conducted study determines that the socio-cultural potential of rural regions largely depends on the specifics of the socio-cultural infrastructure of the modern village, the totality of social, cultural and economic resources. In contrast to the city, the socio-cultural infrastructure of rural regions is less developed and equipped with material and technical means. The author highlights that in successful realization of socio-cultural potential of different groups of rural population, a major role is played by the services of the population in the field of culture, which should be accessible regardless of social status and place of residence. The researcher underlines that it is necessary to create comfortable living conditions in rural areas, to provide local residents with not only material but also spiritual well-being. Ignoring the existing problems of the development of socio-cultural infrastructure and culture in rural areas will lead to a further outflow of young people and skilled working-age population to the city.

P135 Differential Effectiveness of Go NAP SACC in Urban and Rural Childcare Centers

Background Preschool children's obesity rate in Nebraska is fifth in the U.S. Rural areas tend to have more health disparities comparing to urban area. Limited research has identified the differences of the policy, systems and nutrition environment between rural and urban childcare centers. Objective To investigate differential effectiveness of the Nutrition and Physical Activity Self-Assessment in Child Care (Go NAP SACC) in urban and rural areas in Nebraska. Study Design, Settings, Participants With a sample (N = 171) childcare centers in Nebraska ([N = 102] urban and [N = 69] in rural areas), a quasi-experimental longitudinal study was conducted from 2014 to 2017. Measurable Outcome/Analysis Paired sample t-tests were conducted to compare pre- and post-test scores within urban and rural centers, separately. Independent sample t-tests was also used to examine differential effectiveness between urban and rural centers. Results Go NAP SACC was found to improve the nutrition environment in most assessment items (30 out of 42 items) including food provision and feeding environment. While rural centers showed significant improvement in the beverage provision section (P .05) at the post-test assessment. Conclusion Go NAP SACC program is an effective program to enhance the child nutrition environment in both rural and urban centers as well as decrease disparity in nutritional environments between urban and rural centers. Future research is needed to examine how to provide more adaptive obesity intervention program based on the multiple data such as poverty, isolation and neighborhood status in rural areas. Funding CDC.

MULTI-DIMENSIONAL ASSESSMENT OF HOUSING CONDITIONS OF THE POPULATION IN RURAL AND URBAN AREAS OF THE WIELKOPOLSKIE VOIVODESHIP

The aim of the study was to compare the housing conditions of the population living in rural and urban areas of Wielkopolska province communes. The multidimensional assessment of housing conditions was carried out using the TOPSIS method. The research drew on 2016 data published by the Central Statistical Office in the Local Data Bank. The housing conditions in rural areas of the Wielkopolska province were found to be significantly worse than in urban areas. Over 38% of all examined urban areas and only 5% of rural areas (mainly located in the Poznań Metropolitan Area) were classified as Class I with the highest level of housing conditions. Class IV – with the lowest level of housing conditions – included as many as 25% of rural areas and only one urban area located in a mixed, urban-rural commune. In many of the studies, dynamic, beneficial changes in housing conditions in rural areas are emphasized despite the continuous worse situation of rural areas compared to cities. However, due to the observed suburbanisation processes in rural areas in the vicinity of large urban agglomerations, it would be necessary to distinguish living transformations in these rural areas, from changes in housing conditions in rural areas that perform typical agricultural functions.