Magister Artium (Psychology) - MA(Psych) / Substance use is certainly not a new phenomenon, however, it is one that remains a significant problem in the lives of adolescents, especially in low-income communities. This phenomenon not only affects the individual and society, but also the family and parents/guardians of the substance user. Parents within low-income contexts may feel overlooked in planning and service delivery initiatives, which may lead to a lack of appropriate knowledge and resources for parents when confronted with a child who uses substances.

Objective To reduce prevalence of anaemia in low-income postpartum women.Design A randomised, non-blind clinical trial was conducted among 959 low-income, postpartum women in eleven clinics in Mississippi. The clinics were randomised to one of three treatment groups: (i) selective anaemia screening of high-risk women as recommended currently (control); (ii) universal anaemia screening and treatment of anaemic women (group I); and (iii) universal Fe supplementation of 65 mg/d for two months to all low-income women (group II). All study participants within each clinic received the same treatment. Women were followed up at 6 months after delivery. Hb was measured at baseline and at follow-up. The primary outcome variable was the proportion of women with anaemia after treatment.Setting Eleven health clinics in Mississippi.Subjects Low-income, postpartum women.Results Baseline characteristics of the three study groups were compared using one-way ANOVA and an appropriate post hoc test for continuous variables and the χ 2 test for categorical variables. Fifty-two per cent of postpartum women were anaemic (Hb < 12.0 g/dl) and the rate decreased to 33 % at 6 months after the intervention. Group II women, who received universal Fe supplementation, improved their Hb status significantly (P < 0.001) at 6 months postpartum compared with the other groups. Prevalence of anaemia was also significantly lower among group II women (22.5 %) compared with controls (34 %) and group I women (43 %; P < 0.001).Conclusions A universal Fe supplementation strategy was effective in reducing the prevalence of anaemia among low-income postpartum women.

Family conflict is known to have detrimental impacts on the social development of young children. An important issue in counseling parents and the development of intervention for children is the extent to which other family environmental conditions are the path through which conflict impacts children's development. This study examined two maternal parenting behaviors (harsh discipline and warmth) that may alter the impact of interpartner conflict on child social development and behavior in a large (n = 440 girls, n = 451 boys) sample of ethnically diverse, low-income families of preschool children. Interpartner conflict was associated with poorer child social development and behavior problems. This study found that interpartner conflict increased harsh discipline, which resulted in poorer child social development. This study, however, found no evidence that interpartner conflict impacted child development through its impact on maternal warmth in that mothers experiencing conflict did not alter the level of warm parenting practices. These findings suggest that, when encountering families experiencing interpartner conflict, clinicians should not only direct families to interventions to lessen family conflict but also counsel them on the mechanism (harsh discipline) by which children are impacted by the conflict.

The problem is children from low socioeconomic status households are often underrepresented in gifted and talented programs. Only a small percentage of these students is selected to participate in the district's gifted program. The purpose of the study was to help appropriately identify and include low SES children in the district's gifted program. The social constructivist foundation was applied for a better understanding of how the environment affects a child's learning and how social factors contribute to cognitive development, which could possibly alter the perceptions of how successful children can be. The guiding questions revolved around the teachers' perceptions of elementary (K-6) gifted and talented program's identification process in finding all children in need of advanced curriculum and instruction regardless of socioeconomic status level. A qualitative case study is designed to collect data from 6 elementary gifted and talented teachers from 1 district. Information was gathered through interviews, then transcribed and through the lens of the social constructivist framework, axial coding followed as well as use of open coding. Through the field notes some strengths, weaknesses, and recommendations were gathered about the gifted program. The identified the codes used supported answering the research question and subquestions. This project study has the potential to create social change by guiding teachers to understanding all children, regardless of their background, can learn through developing a stronger identification process and more locations to grow awareness of the opportunity.

No description available.

No description available.

A research report submitted to the Faculty of Engineering and the Built Environment, University of the Witwatersrand, in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Masters of Built Environment in Housing / This study unpacks the obstacles in the trajectory of parallel development implementation in Zimbabwe. Parallel development approach to housing allows housing construction to be carried out simultaneously with the provision of services (Government of Zimbabwe, 2012).Parallel development was implemented in Victoria Ranch with the aim to improve home ownership through affordability. The implementation of parallel development approach in Victoria Ranch produced a township without basic infrastructure and supporting services. Despite rapid house construction beneficiaries are unable to connect to services. This scenario affects the technical and social sustainability of the township. Thus this study interrogates the obstacles in the trajectory of the Victoria Ranch development. I employ a qualitative design which involved policy evaluation through a case study. I conducted fourteen semi-structured interviews with beneficiaries and officials from relevant ministries who are involved in the development of the Victoria Ranch. The interviewees were selected purposively. I also employed observation and transact walks. Following the study, this research report found that the project is affected by the politicisation of the project, lack of transparency, change of currency, lack of proper guidelines on policy implementation and less monitoring of the developers. / GR2018

A variety of programs exist that provide assistance to underprepared and at-risk students at 2-year and 4-year institutions of higher education. One of these programs is Student Support Services (SSS), a federal program funded by the U. S. Department of Education. The SSS program provides opportunities for academic development, assists students with basic college requirements, and serves to motivate students toward the successful completion of their postsecondary education. The goal of SSS is to increase the college retention and graduation rates of its participants and help students make the transition from one level of higher education to the next. SSS may also provide assistance to students receiving Federal Pell Grants (84.063). Those eligible to participate in SSS programs include students from low-income families, those who are first-generation college enrollees and students with disabilities evidencing academic need. The program includes tutoring; academic counseling, personal counseling, career advising; study skills enhancement and personal development workshops. Assistance is also given to students to apply for various forms of financial aid, including state and federal grant programs and local scholarships. Most programs also provide cultural enrichment activities. This study investigates the impact of the SSS program on the retention of students at SKCTC. Participants in this study were 125 students in the SSS program and 125 non-SSS students who entered SKCTC in the fall of 2003 and ended in 2007. The study compares the demographic profile of these groups.

The purpose of this preference study is to identify the effects that the presence of a healing garden may have, on the perceived stress of African American women living in in low-income public housing. Literature states that women who live in public housing experience higher rates of malnutrition, fatigue, susceptibility to infection, and premature death (Adler et al., 1994; Whelch and Kneipp, 2005). Few of these studies address healing gardens as solutions. The explanation of behavior while visiting a healing garden in this study will help to identify particular aspects of gardens that are perceived as therapeutic. This research compared two groups of women residing in low-income public housing, where they were asked to rate their perceived level of stress throughout intervals of the study. Findings suggest that the presence of healing gardens in low-income public housing developments can be an effective stress management tool for African American women.

This study reintroduces the disciplines of feminism and planning with the hope that planners will incorporate aspects of feminist theory, which has historically been overlooked by traditional western planning, into practice and subsequently better serve their communities. In an effort to demonstrate how a feminist approach can be useful to planners, this qualitative study rooted in grounded theory aims to develop an accurate portrayal of the food insecurity of low-income mothers in a rural Massachusetts county. Through an analysis of 33 interviews from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA)-funded Rural Families Speak project, categories of hunger, participant attitudes and opinions of different types of food assistance, and breaking stereotypes emerged. From these categories, the theory of tradition and the norm shed light on the food situations of participants and illuminated the influence of social expectations and subsequent participant reactions to such. By delving deep into the interviews and gaining a more complete understanding of the experiences of participants, planners are better equipped to function as advocates. Further implications for planners are discussed.