Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Texas at Austin, 2008. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (B.A.)--Haverford College, Dept. of Political Science, 2009. / Includes bibliographical references.

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No / This paper reports on a study of Pakistani people with epilepsy. It explores their attitudes towards their condition, others’ attitudes, its impact on their lives, and the extent to which they considered themselves as disabled. Epilepsy was variously interpreted within biomedical, folk and religious paradigms. In line with popular understandings, participants associated disability with stable, permanent and visible physical impairments and did not consider themselves as disabled. However, they also recognised a social dimension to their experience. Much of the distress and disadvantage they experienced was socially determined, both through direct prejudice and discrimination, and indirectly through a fear of others’ negative reactions. However, the invisible and unpredictable nature of epilepsy meant that they could conceal their condition and thereby mitigate its social effects. ‘Disability’ was not experienced as a static and permanent state but as a potential identity that was both contingent and contested. The literature portrays people moving from biomedical to social interpretations of disability. However, the tensions experienced by people in the study were more between competing religious interpretations of their condition and, to some extent, between religious and medical approaches. Conceptions of disability, which are presented in the literature as antagonistic and mutually exclusive, were experienced as different dimensions reflecting the complexity of experience. The paper concludes by suggesting that for many people, for whom disability is an ambiguous, contingent and contested identity, public self-identification as disabled is an unrealistic goal. Rather than conceiving of disability as primarily physical or primarily social, it would be better construed as a complex interweaving of multiple factors—physical, environmental, socio-cultural and psychological factors.

Pakistani Americans grow up dealing with two very different cultures. The Pakistani culture is more traditional and is dealt with inside the home while the American culture is more modern and is dealt with outside the home. So, when making a life-altering decision such as what kind of partner to marry, what factors do Pakistani Americans rely on to pick their mates? Are they more traditional or are they modem? And do the drastic love-based themes of Bollywood movies have any influence on this decision? Surveys were conducted with 31 students from the University of Central Florida's Muslim Students' Association to find the amount of influence from factors such as enculturation, acculturation, parents and friends~ Bollywood movies, and ethnic identity. Results showed a slight gender difference in that woman seemed a bit more influenced than men by Bollywood films. The results also suggested that the more students showed influence by parents, the more they showed interest in love-based relationships and the viewing of Bollywood films.

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Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Texas at Austin, 2003. / Supervisor: Kamala Visweswaran. Vita. Includes bibliographical references. Available also from UMI Company.

No / This chapter considers responses to epilepsy in members of the Pakistani community living in Bradford, a city in the north of England. A complex picture is presented of allegiance to the epistemology of Western medicine and adherence to its medication, while at the same time there is widespread use of folk and religious remedies. People live with a plurality of health beliefs and undertake practices that are apparently contradictory. Belief in therapeutic efficacy is only one element in the intricate mix of factors which influenced a person's use of a particular therapy. Other influences include family and community pressures, opportunity and cost. Over-riding all these are the uncertainty and sense of desperation experienced when conventional biomedicine fails to effect either a cure or adequate control of seizures. Considering beliefs about epilepsy and examining choices about care allows us to explore how the interaction of structural factors and individual preferences in making choices is influenced by the existence of differing health systems and beliefs. The resulting hybrid experience, we argue, is likely to be a characteristic of migrant communities worldwide.

Thesis advisor: Eve Spangler / Thesis advisor: Clifton Shawn Mcguffey / The research explores the influence of US culture on Pakistani graduate students studying in the US. I investigate how the students navigate through the different elements of US culture, while adhering to their pre-existing ideals of the home culture. I examine the role of gender and inter-generational differences of the students, in the process of interaction with the host culture. I use qualitative methods and conducted twenty-eight life history interviews across the students from both F1 and J1 visa categories, while maintaining the gender ratio. The duration of their stay spans over a period of 5 months to 5 years. I argue that the students adopt a keepers and explorers approach while navigating the different cultural elements of the host culture. The explorer approach is further facilitated by a select and drop mechanism, developed by the students, as they navigate the different elements of US culture, while using the value system of the home society. / Thesis (MA) — Boston College, 2013. / Submitted to: Boston College. Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. / Discipline: Sociology.

Background: Self-medication with antibiotics is a global phenomenon and potentialcontributor to human pathogen resistance to antibiotics. Amongst Pakistanis, antibioticself-medication rates are high. At present, no data is available on prevalence and practicesof self-medication with antibiotics among Pakistani students abroad. Aim: The aim of this study was to assess prevalence and comparative practices ofPakistani students in Sweden and Finland regarding self-medication with antibiotics. Methods: The study used an anonymous cross-sectional Web-based questionnaire surveywith convenience census sampling targeted to Pakistani students in Sweden and Finland.Questionnaire asking use of antibiotics and six-month recall of antibiotic self-medicationbefore the survey was administered to the 9333 potential respondents. Data was analyzedusing statistical software R version 2.8.1. Descriptive statistic was used to analyze theresults. Associations were tested using Pearson's Chi-squared test. Findings: Response rate was 2.3% after five reminders. Of 213 participants (mean age27.9 years), 151 were from Sweden and 57 were from Finland. One hundred eleven(52.1%) reported antibiotic self-medication in their life time and forty two percent knewthat it could be injurious to health. Sixty-eight participants (31.9%) did self-medicationwith antibiotics during their stay in the study countries and almost all used oral antibiotics.Unrestricted pharmacy sale was the commonest source (37%) of such antibiotics.Common symptoms triggering antibiotic self-medication were respiratory (42.6%) andoro-dental (13.2%). Preferred antibiotics were broad spectrum Penicillin (41.2%),Macrolides (23.5%) and Quinolones (6.2%). Almost all (98.8%) antibiotics for suchmedication were obtained from Pakistan. About 27% reported that they would considerself-medication with antibiotics in future. The most common reason for antibiotic selfmedicationwas affordability of health care consultation and antibiotics (23.9%). Therewas no significant difference between the self-medication practices of participants basedon country of studentship (p=0.6). Self-medication rates were not significantly lower instudents who were aware that it may harm (p=0.2) and is unsafe (p=0.2). Conclusion: High prevalence of self-medication with antibiotics among participants is amatter of concern from individual and public health perspective. There is need to augmentawareness and implement legislations to promote judicious and safe practices. Furtherstudies are needed concerning resistance impact of antibiotic self-medication. Key wards: self-medication, antibiotics, Pakistani students, abroad, practices