Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Missouri-Columbia, 1998. / Typescript. Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 87-91). Also available on the Internet.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Missouri-Columbia, 1998. / Typescript. Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 87-91). Also available on the Internet.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Missouri-Columbia, 2000. / Typescript. Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 96-100). Also available on the Internet.

Se hizo una revisión de la literatura publicada sobre el origen de la sociología médica y su campo de acción. Para ello, se analizaron diversas publicaciones y se resumieron los aspectos más relevantes. A pesar de que la enfermedad siempre ha estado ligada a aspectos socioculturales, recién a mediados del siglo XX, la medicina reconoce la importancia de la sociología en la explicación de temas relacionados a la salud, especialmente para explicar los determinantes sociales de la salud. En la actualidad, los sociólogos trabajan de manera multidisciplinaria con médicos para investigar y analizar cuestiones concernientes a la salud de las personas, para mejorar el bienestar y la calidad de vida de la población. En este sentido, el aporte de la sociología no solo ha enriquecido la comprensión de algunas enfermedades, sino también diferentes aspectos en el quehacer de la medicina. / Revisión por pares / Revisón por pares

Background Malnutrition is a major risk factor of infant mortality in India. Policies targeting poverty and food insecurity may reduce infant malnutrition. The Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), a wage-for employment policy of the Indian Government, targets deprivation and food insecurity in rural households. MGNREGA could prevent infant malnutrition by improving household food security or increase the risk of malnutrition by reducing the time devoted to infant care if mothers are employed. This study analyzed the effect and the pathways of effect of households' and mothers' participation in MGNREGA on infant malnutrition. Methods A community based mixed methods study using cross-sectional survey and focus group discussions (FGDs) was conducted in Dungarpur district of Rajasthan, India. Cross-sectional study included 528 households with 1,056 participants who were infants 1 to <12 months and their mothers/caregivers. Selected households were divided into MGNREGA-households and non-MGNREGA-households based on participation in MGNREGA between August-2010 and September-20ll. Anthropometric indicators of infant malnutrition-underweight, stunting, and wasting (WHO criteria) were the outcomes. Eleven FGDs with 62 mothers were conducted. Results Of 528 households, 281 participated in MGNREGA (53%). Mothers were employed in 51 (18%) households. Prevalence of wasting was 39%, stunting 24%, and underweight 50%. Households participating in MGNREGA were less likely to have wasted infants (OR 0' 57, 95% Cl 0•37-0'89; p=O'014) and underweight infants (OR 0'48,95% Cl 0•30-0'76; p=0'002) than non-participating households. Stunting did not differ significantly between groups. Although MGNREGA reduced starvation, it did not confer food security to the participating households because of lower than standard wages and delayed payments. Results from path analysis did not support an effect through household food security and infant feeding, but suggested a pathway of effect through birth-weight. Mothers' employment had no significant effect on the outcomes in the cross-sectional study, but the qualitative study indicated that it could compromise infant feeding and care. Conclusion Participation in MGNREGA was associated with reduced infant malnutrition possibly mediated indirectly via improved birth-weight rather than improved infant feeding. Providing child care facilities at worksites could mitigate the negative effects of mother's participation in MGNREGA. Further, improving mothers' knowledge of appropriate feeding practices in conjunction with providing employment (to address deprivation and food insecurity) is key in the efforts to reduce infant malnutrition.

No description available.

The aim of this diploma thesis is to evaluate the capital expenditures of regions in terms of their volume, structure and dynamics. Data analysis of 13 regions of the Czech Republic for the period 2002 to 2016 was carried out to determine the determinants of expenditure behaviour of local self-governing units. The explained variable was the amount of capital expenditures of regions per inhabitant. Through a panel regression, 5 key factors influencing regional capital expenditures were identified. The capital expenditures of the regions in the previous year, the amount of tax revenues of the previous year, non-tax revenues and received transfers of the current year, and finally the level of indebtedness of the region, were confirmed as significant. The other tested factors did not appear to be statistically significant.

Slash and burn shifting (Chitemene) cultivation has been the dominant traditional land use system in the Miombo woodlands of Northern Zambia. The land use system adopted by farmers depends on the interaction between biophysical and socio- cultural and economical resources available to them. Socio economic resources also include policies, which influence the farmers’ decisions. Despite the so many interventions that have been done and condemnation of this system, this practice of cultivation still persist up to today. It is estimated that Northern Province has lost 35% of its biomass, representing about 43000 km2 of forests land over the past 40 years. The continuation of Chitemene system is in the long term unsustainable. This is because if the rural population continues to grow and if the current trend in Chitemenecontinues, complete deforestation may occur in a few decades. This study tried to investigate the factors that determine this practice in Zambia. The study employed a binomial logit model in order to identify the factors that influence the farmers’ decision to practice chitemene and to quantify the relative importance of these factors. This was employed on data collected from a survey of 90 farmers from Kasama district in the Northern Province of Zambia.</p.> It was hypothesized that the farmers’ behavior is influenced by a complex set of socio economic, demographic, technical, institutional and biophysical factors. Some of the determinants of slash and burn practice found in studies done are structural adjustment programme in Zambia, population growth land tenure system, infrastructure, necessary support services, number of household members, age, gender, education level and amount of available land. It was also hypothesized that the traditional way of life of the people has more influence on the farmers’ decision to practice slash and burn than other factors such as land tenure and even availability of agricultural inputs. This is because despite the so many interventions the practice has continued. Also the older the farmer is in his farming practice and age the more likely he is to practice chitemene. The reason is that farmers usually base their practice on experience and older farmers are a bit conservative and often tend to perpetuate the practice. The other one was that farmers with bigger land area are more likely to practice chitemene than those with less total land area. Farmers with bigger land area have more woodland and therefore more likely to practice. The study revealed from the bivariate analysis results that availability of land increases the chances of the farmer practicing chitemene. It was also shown that non-availability of credit influences farmers’ decision to practice chitemene positively. Lack of money to acquire inputs contributed more to farmers’ decision to practice chitemene. In the econometric analysis, age of the farmer, effect of non-availability of credit facility, effect of household size and influence of tradition had a significant influence on chitemene practice. It was found that the main reason for chitemene practice is lack of money for acquisition of inputs. Policies that facilitate provision of credit and infrastructure development like roads are necessary if slash and burn is to be reduced. This study identified some entry points for policy. Poverty may prevent poor farmers from investing in land conservation due to imperfections in credit markets and high subsistence requirements. So unless the government employs policies that target these factors, there is every reason for the farmers to continue the practice of slash and burn. This study brings to light that practicing of Chitemene depends upon a number of factors that dictate its continued practice. It is imperative that the policy makers and all those involved in agricultural development and policy formulation understand these factors and their relative importance in order to have targeted policies. Moreover although a number of studies have been done on slash and burn and its effects in Zambia, these studies have not analysed the significance of these factors. This study has considered this. Apart from this, it has also contributed to the bulk of research literature on chitemene that might be relevant for future research. / Dissertation (MSc (Agricultural Economics))--University of Pretoria, 2007. / Agricultural Economics, Extension and Rural Development / unrestricted

A significant racial disparity in breast cancer mortality exists among women in the United States. Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is a breast cancer phenotype that may explain, in part, this disparity between white and African American women. The objective of this study was to determine the predictors of survival in TNBC and non-triple-negative breast cancer (NTNBC) patients. Data on 168,756 female patients with a diagnosis of invasive breast cancer in the Surveillance Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) program were stratified based on breast cancer receptor phenotypes in this retrospective longitudinal cohort study design. Multiple logistic regressions were used for exploring predictors of treatment which showed that not receiving surgery as standard treatment was associated (odds ratio: 95% CI) with TNBC (OR 1.151: 1.042, 1.177), uninsured (OR 3.552: 3.206, 3.937) and African American (OR 1.804: 1.702, 1.912) while not receiving radiation was associated with TNBC (OR 1.151: 1.113, 1.190), uninsured (OR 1.318; 1.217, 1.429). Cox’s hazard models were used, regressing age, race, ethnicity, marital status, health insurance status, histological tumor grade, and treatment status on survival time, the outcome measure. Analysis revealed that the mean survival time is lower for TNBC [15.60 (± 10.29)] months compared with NTNBC [16.01 (± 10.18)] (p < 0.0001), a difference though small is statistically significant. The independent determinants of survival in TNBC were: young age at diagnosis [(β = 0.033, HR 1.033 (1.026, 1.041)]; being African American [(β = 0.182, HR 1.200 (1.117, 1.289)], being married [(β = - 0.362, HR 0.697 (0.658, 0.737)]; higher tumor histological grades [β = 1.034, HR 2.812 (2.159,3.661)]; uninsured [(β = 0.541, HR 1.717 (1.481, 1.992)]; no surgery [(β = 2.156, HR 8.633 (8.152, 9.143)], or no radiation treatment [(β = 0.489, HR 1.630 (1.535,1.73)]. African American race, uninsured status, higher grade at diagnosis, inadequate treatment are independent predictors of poor survival among breast cancer patients; importantly, TNBC had a lower survival than that of NTNBC patients. A higher proportion of TNBC patients had a diagnosis at younger age, with higher tumor grade and was of the African American race. The survival disparity in African American patients may be partially explained by disproportionately higher TNBC cases among them, as well as, rates of not receiving standard treatments.

The UK's NHS is the largest employer in Europe with approximately 1.3 million staff. Around 83% of the journeys associated with the NHS are made by private car. In this context, every healthcare authority was required to produce a travel plan by December 2010, including an emphasis on promoting walking and cycling as a means of accessing hospitals. Evidence shows that although the take-up of travel plans is increasing across the NHS, the impact of travel plans in promoting walking as a travel option is relatively low among hospital staff. A scoping study has been conducted aiming to bridge the gap between research and practice by capturing the views of the NHS representatives on hospital travel plans by a nationwide survey and review of hospital travel plans. The survey findings show that despite having a high potential to promote walking as a key travel option among the hospital staff, the measures to promote walking were cited as the least effective. A Spearman's ρ correlation coefficient test was performed to evaluate the correlation between travel plan measures to promote walking and restrictive measures to reduce the use of cars. The results show that the effectiveness of measures to reduce the use of cars is positively correlated with the effectiveness of measures to promote walking. The effectiveness of travel plan measures to secure the targeted outcome is attributed to the methods used to address the determinants for changing travel behaviour whilst designing travel plan measures and the successful adoption of innovative strategies in the given context. A theoretical framework has been developed based on the Theory of Planned Behaviour and five key research hypotheses have been proposed to demonstrate the key determinants for changing travel behaviour. The analysis was based on a nationwide survey among the NHS hospital staff in England in 2013. There were 863 completed responses, out of which 459 responses were from hospital staff, who solely relied on car journeys for commuting purposes. Structural equation modelling was performed to investigate the effects of socio-economic, psychological and situational factors in determining intention to change travel behaviour among the car users only. The model estimation results show that the effects of cognitive attitude towards walking and objective mobility were significant on determining intention to change travel behaviour. The respondents exhibited a habitual nature of travel behaviour, which is characterised by longer commuting distance and journey time than the national UK average. The practical implications of the study were addressed by providing recommendations that need to be considered whilst designing travel plan measures. The recommendations were based on the concept of Model for Planned Promotion. This study provides a basis for further conceptualisation of travel behaviour change and identifies several areas that need further investigation in relation to designing interventions to promote walking in the context of healthcare.