Low-income Caucasian married parents described lifespan processes and conditions that contributed to their individual assessments that their marriage was healthy. Spouses participated in an interview together, followed later by an individual interview with each. Interview scripts referenced the study‘s primary research questions which sought their reflections on (a) external conditions that they considered to be important to their development, and (b) personal thoughts, emotions and behaviors they deemed relevant to the success of their marriage. A third research question called for integration of participants‘ reflections into a cogent grounded theory regarding successful low-income marriages. Analysis incorporated grounded theory methods, and those procedures were assisted by computer software such as NVIVO 7.0 ® and Microsoft Excel ®. This work revealed a developmental systems theoretical framework that posits that individuals‘ developmental factors gave rise to certain personal actual qualities, and also had affect upon the qualities individuals desired and perceived in their partner. Qualities desired and perceived in their partner may have greater or lesser priority to a spouse depending upon the range of acceptable variance that the spouse assigns to any given quality. While several high-priority qualities emerged from the words of the twenty spouses who participated, four high-priority qualities emerged as fundamental to the success of the marriage: (a) being loving, (b) being committed, (c) being appreciative, and (d) being child-centered. Four abstract sets of developmental factors, assigned the term synergists, strongly promoted these qualities among study participants: (a) a sensitizing experience, (b) a partner-as-rescuer mindset (PARM) preceded by a person‘s adverse history, (c) influences from one or more parents, and (d) religious influences. These findings provide a foundation of information critical to those researchers and practitioners interested in the quest toward an increase in successful marriages among households whose income falls within 200% of the published guideline for poverty as determined by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

More than half of the human population will be living in urban areas in 2008, of which 81 percent will be in poor areas of towns and cities of the developing world. Governments of most African cities are unable to provide the urgently needed sanitation facilities amongst other services. The informal sector (small independent providers) rather than externally supported efforts provide the majority of household sanitation facilities. The commonly held assumption amongst sector professionals is that partnership with the informal private sector to develop the sanitation market is a sustainable way of increasing access to improved sanitation in low-income urban areas. This research assesses the capacity of small independent providers of sanitation services (SIPS) to up scale and accelerate the delivery of improved sanitation. The thesis adds to an · improved understanding of the capacity of small independent sanitation providers to upscale the delivery of improved sanitation and answers the following questions: what is their level of knowledge, skills and experiences of various sanitation options?; what are house owners' preferences?; and what are their experiences of obtaining sanitation services from small independent providers?. The research adopted a mix of qualitative and quantitative research methodologies in order to ensure the validity and reliability of the findings. The field work was conducted in the three municipalities in the city of Oar es Salaam, Tanzania. The thesis concludes that small independent providers have the potential to upscale the delivery of improved sanitation facilities but not without capacity building, particularly in the areas of developing appropriate sanitation technologies; appropriate enabling environment (infrastructure to support hygienic emptying and sludge disposal, and effective policy and regulatory framework) and support with demand generation. The implications of the research highlight the need to integrate any SIPS capacity enhancement and 'official' involvement in sanitation provision as part of an urban improvement programme. The recommendations from the thesis outline key support areas for the respective SIPS typologies, and the responsibilities of the various stakeholders (government, NGOs, donors) and SIPS. Potential areas of further research include development of appropriate sanitation technology for low-income urban settlements and creating an effective enabling environment.

Effective management of the excreta or faecal sludge (FS) emptying, transport and disposal mechanisms from the on-plot latrines in urban areas of many low-income countries is critical for the sustainability of urban sanitation. However the literature mentions the lack of an effective management system for urban FS emptying, transport and disposal in the low-income countries. The current management of FS has been fragmented and improper with attendant poor health and environmental pollution problems. In particular, no substantive information was found relating to how far the excreta or sludge removed from the latrines is transported to the disposal points. Also information on household financial needs and their perceptions regarding emptying and transport services was lacking. No study had been done regarding the effects of disposal distance and accessibility on the cost of emptying and transport; neither has work been done on FS reuse implications for emptying, transport and disposal mechanisms. Based on these issues, the research questions and hypothesis were formulated to guide the study. Qualitative and quantitative research techniques were used to triangulate and ensure the reliability and validity of the findings and analysis. From the analysis of the findings, the thesis concludes on these key issues: i) Emptying, transport and disposal mechanisms of the excreta and FS as well as the costs of these depend on the type of latrines, latrine use and the technology available for emptying and transport. ii) Owing to the nature of latrines and the emptying methods used the disposal of the FS was indiscriminate and much was found closer to its source of generation. iii) FS was in high demand for reuse but lacked appropriate marketing strategy that could match supply with the demand. iv) The Household Centred Environmental Sanitation (HCES) approach was found to be limited in content and capacity to effectively address the urban excreta and FS emptying, transport and disposal without the active and full involvement of the municipal and local authorities with clear roles and regulations that address the key processes, linkages, and capacity development issues. Thus, the HCES approach needs periodic review and modifications to take care of the new developments and peculiarities of each urban setting. The study also recommends the need to look at streamlining technologies and developing capacity to address cross-cutting issues in urban sanitation. It further recommends the need for households, the sanitation authorities and practitioners to understand the links between latrine technology in terms of type, size, use and location vis-à-vis the required emptying, transport and disposal mechanisms in the urban areas of the low-income countries.

Water is one of the most precious but least valued common property resource. Efficient ways of water resources management are vital to socio-economic development and the overall feat of societal stability. However, water conflicts have further exacerbated the access to water especially in low-income developing countries. Most notably, little attention has been given to studying water conflicts at the local level when compared to international water conflicts. As a result, there is insufficient information and theory on the exponentially increasing number of local water conflicts. In the Middle East, water was a tool for military purposes; in Asia disputes over water occur due to development-related activities, whilst in Africa, control over water resources has been the root cause of many conflicts affecting millions of vulnerable communities. This research investigates the nature, causes and dimensions of local water conflicts in the context of low-income developing countries based on the Afar region, which is located in the Awash Trans-regional River Basin of Ethiopia. The research suggests a new multidimensional approach for pre-identification, early warning services and local water conflict neutralization. This approach also introduces preparedness techniques, which play a significant role in reducing potential risks and tensions that trigger local water conflicts between communities sharing the same water resources. The study further proposes a policy guideline matrix that would serve as a technique for reducing local water conflicts by providing new ways of thinking about the links between sustainable developments, local water conflict management and strategic partnerships. The research is implemented through the process of designing a framework based on essential theoretical and practical findings supported by survey data of 134 household representatives of local communities and 26 institutions, together with 22 interviews. The introduced multipurpose framework is based on five fundamental parameters, namely: contribution to Sustainable Development, Information, Preparedness, Tolerance Capacity and Interaction (DIPTI). The research proposes the Sparkling Effects of Conflict , a new approach in understanding and predicting the coverage of the effects of conflicts other than the primary conflicting parties and conflict location. In addition, two pillars of the conceptual frameworks emerged from the findings. First, the WEC (Water, Early Warning and Conflict) information pyramid, a framework designed to indicate the core components of local WEC-related information identification and management. Second, the Pillars of Conflict Pyramid, the simplest conceptual framework, easily helps to pre-identify the effects of local water conflicts with certain limitations. Besides, the study addressed six additional conflict neutralization and resolution inputs that incorporate the significance of the participation of women and other vulnerable members of communities. These findings also highlight the advantage of co-existence between useful traditional and modern practices in neutralizing conflicts. Overall, the study will assist local people, policy and decision makers and institutions in low-income developing countries with a similar context to that of the study area.

The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) aimed to increase accessibility to medical resources for those previously uninsured. Certainly, the ACA has expanded insurance to millions of Americans, however, the evidence and discourse surrounding health accessibility calls into question why, despite the growth of insured Americans, the increase in health insurance coverage under the ACA has not lead to greater accessibility for low income minorities. I propose that disparities in preventive care, the emergency room, and primary care provider services stand as barriers for low income minorities. Insurance coverage does not necessarily equate to greater accessibility if individuals do not have the means to utilize those resources.

Self-determination Theory postulates that there are innate psychological needs for autonomy, competence, and relatedness, and that satisfaction of these needs fosters the development of autonomous motivation. Research suggests that autonomous forms of motivation are important for behavior change and maintenance. With increasing research on Self-determination Theory and its possible applications, there is a demand for research that develops and tests behavioral interventions. This study seeks to apply Self-determination Theory to a prenatal care intervention for low-income pregnant women in the Los Angeles area. The Self-determination Theory based and the non-Self-determination Theory based prenatal care interventions will be compared. Perceived autonomy, competence, relatedness, and autonomous motivation will be measured as well as health care behaviors (healthy behavior habits, prenatal care return rates, and adherence to doctor’s regimen). Perceived autonomy competence, relatedness, autonomous motivation, and healthy behavior will be measured before and after the intervention. Return rate and adherence to doctor’s regimen will be measured post-intervention. The Self-determination Theory based intervention group is expected to report higher levels of autonomous motivation, perceived autonomy, competence, relatedness, and healthy behavior, higher return rates, and better adherence to doctor’s orders than the control group. The findings may help shape prenatal care interventions for low-income pregnant women resulting in healthier pregnancies and reduced risk factors for infant disease and mortality.

Availability of good housing may no longer be an important issue for most U.S. citizens. Nowadays most are well housed and the problems confronting those who are not- except in the case of the homeless- are not highly visible. During the last decade, old warehouses in downtown Richmond, Virginia have been converted to new uses as restaurants, apartments, and offices. This reuse of old buildings has brought more people to the downtown area, making streets safer for pedestrians and residents than when the areas were abandoned. However, these well-designed and newly renovated apartments are not for everyone, especially low and moderate-income households because of the high rental costs.This thesis design provides a model for enhancing the character and diversity of low-income-family housing by transforming an abandoned urban structure in downtown Richmond into a holistic living environment.

[pt] A pesquisa procura identificar influências temporais nas tomadas de decisão de consumidores de baixa renda, relacionadas ao endividamento. Inseridos em uma sociedade cuja cultura exalta o consumo como forma de ser e pertencer, os indivíduos dessas classes vivem hoje a oportunidade de possuir bens antes inacessíveis. O incentivo dado pelo crédito facilitado e por um ambiente macroeconômico favorável, onde juros e taxa de desemprego corroboram para a sensação de estabilidade, pode se mostrar uma armadilha para esse grupo de indivíduos, que querem consumir, mas dependem do crédito como forma de ampliar seu poder de compra. A pesquisa é de natureza qualitativa, baseando-se em entrevistas em profundidade. Baseada em narrativas individuais, revelam-se sonhos e aspirações de um grupo de 16 indivíduos e a necessidade de decidir pelo consumo imediato ou poupar para atingir seus objetivos. Apesar de, racionalmente, concordarem com a importância de se pensar e planejar o futuro, a experiência de vida própria, ou de familiares e amigos, testemunha contra qualquer previsibilidade e reforça o pensamento de que o futuro, a Deus pertence. / [en] The research seeks to identify temporal influences in decision making of low-income consumers, relating to indebtedness. Living in a society whose culture glorifies consumption as a way of being and belonging, those individuals have today the opportunity to buy goods previously inaccessible. The encouragement given by easy credit and a favorable macroeconomic environment, where interest and unemployment rates corroborate the sense of stability, may prove a trap for this group of individuals who want to consume, but depend on the credit as a way to expand your purchasing power. The research is qualitative in nature, based on in-depth interviews. Based on individual narratives that reveal the dreams and aspirations of a group of 16 individuals and their need to decide between immediate consumption or saving for achieving your goals. Although rationally agree on the importance of thinking and planning for the future, the experience of life itself, or from family and friends, witness against any predictability and reinforces the thought that the future belongs to God.

[pt] Alguns trabalhos já foram realizados sobre a compra de alimentos por consumidores de baixa renda (Grossi, Motta e Hor-Meyll, 2008; Parente, Barki e Kato, 2005). Entretanto, tais trabalhos foram conduzidos com base em relatos feitos a posteriori pelos consumidores. Este estudo, de caráter exploratório, procurou melhor conhecer o comportamento desses consumidores no ponto de venda. Inicialmente, foi feita observação dos trajetos e comportamentos dos consumidores em mercados localizados em quatro bairros de baixa renda per capita na cidade do Rio de Janeiro. O comportamento dos consumidores, incluindo reações durante a compra, comparações entre opções disponíveis, hesitações, demora para escolher e trocas realizadas, foi observado. Em seguida, esses consumidores foram entrevistados, com temas envolvendo a formulação de sua lista de compras e sobre os comportamentos observados durante a compra. O estudo revelou que, apesar da forte influência que a restrição de renda impõe ao processo de compra de alimentos, outros fatores também parecem ajudar a explicar sua tomada de decisão no ponto de venda. Das observações realizadas e do discurso dos informantes sobressaíram influências ligadas ao ambiente do mercado, à relação dos consumidores com as marcas disponíveis e ao risco percebido por esses consumidores. / [en] Some studies focused on food purchase by low-income consumers have been published in the last years (Grossi, Motta e Hor-Meyll, 2008; Parente, Barki and Kato, 2005). However, these studies were based in data collected after the purchase and provided by consumers. This exploratory study aimed to increase understanding of low-income consumers behavior at the point of sale. Initially, consumer routes and behaviors in four supermarkets located in low-income areas in Rio de Janeiro were observed and noted. Then, those consumers whose purchase paths had been observed answered questions about shopping list formulation, behavior in store, decisions made in store, hesitation in making some choices. The results show that, beside the fact that income constraint played an important role in food purchasing, other factors help to understand decision making in supermarkets by low-income consumers. From observation and interviews emerged influences related to store environment, to how available brands are perceived and to the risk perceived by consumers at the bottom of the economic pyramid.

O governo municipal de São Paulo elaborou um programa para recuperar aproximadamente 1.000 cortiços destinados ao aluguel de cômodos para a população de baixa renda na região central. Tais imóveis caracterizam-se pelas más condições de habitabilidade decorrentes da superlotação de pessoas e da degradação geral dos ambientes internos que ocorrem no âmbito de uma negociação informal da locação residencial. Esta dissertação relata as atividades desenvolvidas pelo poder público no período de 2005 a 2010, que promoveram melhorias na qualidade de vida de moradores de cortiços através da fiscalização das condições de habitabilidade desses imóveis. Outrossim, analisa a aplicação da legislação que rege tais iniciativas, apresentando recomendações de revisão dessa legislação, como meio de contribuição para o aperfeiçoamento dos instrumentos de recuperação dessas habitações precárias. / The city hall of São Paulo plans the renovation of 1,000 cortiços (literally translated: beehive; overcrowded, decaying and precarious tenements), occupied for low-income families in the inner-city área. These tenements are characterized by low living conditions caused by the general decay of interior spaces and overcrowding through informal subletting. The present dissertation relates the methodology (developed by the municipal administration between 2005 and 2010) used to achieve substantial improvement to the residents quality of life. Moreover, this dissertation reviews applicable law and recommends its revision in order to develop improved legal instruments for upgrading this substandard housing.