Thesis(M.S.)--Auburn University, 2004. / Abstract. Vita. Includes bibliographic references (p.71-72).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Hong Kong, 2009. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 80-91). Also available in print.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Physics, Georgia Institute of Technology, 2008. / Committee Chair: Eric A. Carlen; Committee Member: Jean Bellissard; Committee Member: Michael Loss; Committee Member: Predrag Cvitanovic.

This thesis explores the implementation of an area-based health improvement initiative in the north west of England called Target Wellbeing. In the decades before Target Wellbeing was commissioned in 2007, health inequalities between people living in different areas of the UK had been widening. ABIs were identified by the Labour Government as a key tool for improving the health and wellbeing of residents in areas of socio-economic disadvantage and addressing inequalities in health. ABIs such as this have been well evaluated but there remains no firm evidence about the ability of such initiatives to improve health or to reduce health inequalities. In addition to the problems associated with evaluation, the processes through which ABIs might be used to influence change are not well understood and the value of using area-based services to improve health has been taken for granted. There is little understanding about the processes through which service provider partnerships might develop and limited knowledge about the processes through which residents might develop relations with providers. The key aim of this research was to examine the social processes through which ABIs develop over time. Using a case study approach, the research examined one Target Wellbeing programme as a social figuration of interdependent people. Ethnographic methods, including documentary analysis, non-participant observation and interviews, were used to explore the processes and networks that mediated the planned public health development. The study also drew on relevant quantitative data to describe changes over time. Ideas from figurational sociology were used as sensitising concepts in the development of a substantive theory about the processes through which ABIs develop. The study developed theoretical insight into processes of joint working that helps to explain why, in the context in which services are commissioned and performance managed, provider co-ordination is unlikely to be implemented as planned. It also provided a more sociologically adequate account of the ways in which relations between residents and providers were influenced by the history of relations in the town. Changes to residents’ relations with other residents and providers in the town influenced a greater sense of control over their circumstances. These findings demonstrate that, in relation to public health policy and practice, ABIs might more usefully be conceptualised as a series of interrelated processes that might be used to establish the preconditions for influencing change among residents. However, the study showed that interventions targeted at a small part of much wider networks of interconnected people are unlikely to influence sustained changes for residents in deprived areas.

Background: Obesity and dental caries are two of the most common conditions affecting children and both have significant implications on children’s wellbeing and future health. Even though research into the relationship between the two conditions has been conducted for many years, results to date remain equivocal. Furthermore, the majority of the studies only examined individual-level determinants of the two conditions. Aim: The current work aimed to examine the nature, direction and effect size of the relationship between obesity and caries in children in Plymouth, United Kingdom. It also aimed to better understand the individual and the broader environmental determinants of the two conditions. Methods: The study was divided into three parts: a systematic review examining the relationship between the two conditions in children and adolescents using a validated and study design specific tool; an analysis of extant data concerning Plymouth children’s weight status and dental caries using a spatial approach; and lastly a school survey of local children aged four to six years, where different types of obesity were examined in relation to dental caries. In the latter survey, several neighbourhood-level and individual characteristics were also examined in relation to the two conditions. Results: The systematic review indicated that there was no consistent association between high Body Mass Index and caries in individuals less than 18 years old. The ecological study identified spatial clusters of obesity and caries in Plymouth children and the results supported the importance of developing geographically focused prevention and intervention strategies which take into account the presence of spatial heterogeneity. The school survey did not find evidence of a relationship between any type of obesity and caries in Plymouth children but identified several indicators that affect the distribution of the two conditions. Conclusions: This work has given insight into the nature, direction and size of the relationship between obesity and caries in Plymouth children and has highlighted several indicators which need to be considered when developing local public health interventions.

University of Macau / Faculty of Science and Technology / Department of Mathematics

No description available.

The dawn of democracy in 1994 brought hope to South Africans particularly those who had been previously disadvantaged as a result of apartheid policies. This new hope was premised on a vision of creating a people-centred society and a better life for all expressed in the Reconstruction and Development Programme (RDP) whose goals were to eliminate poverty and inequalities of the decades of apartheid. In order to meet this vision the RDP made explicit reference to building the capacity of civil society through extensive development of human resource. It provided a central role for nonprofit organizations. A vibrant and diverse civil society is important in consolidating and sustaining democracy as well as in holding government accountable. Since 1994 government has involved civil society in various stages of policy development aimed at alleviating poverty. This study therefore evaluates the extent to which programmes implemented by civil society, particularly in partnership with Social Development, are participative, empowering, effective and sustainable. This research indicates that civil society, have succeeded in mobilizing communities to take charge of their own development. This has been achieved through activities like needs and beneficiary identification, project implementation and fund raising. Despite this success the study shows that civil society experience challenges in ensuring that their programmes are effective and sustainable. These challenges include limited funding, lack of various skills including management skills, organizational skills, resource mobilization and accountability. The study contends that civil society has a critical role in implementing poverty alleviation programmes and in occupying space between the state and the community. In order to ensure long lasting impact of programmes, there is a great need for strengthening the organizational, management and administrative capacity of civil society. It is generally accepted that local organization capacity is recognized as key for development effectiveness and empowerment of the poor. / Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2012. / School of Public Management and Administration (SPMA) / unrestricted

The object of this paper is to consider necessary and sufficient conditions in order for certain important inequalities, which are frequently used in analysis, to reduce to equalities.

Violence against women (VAW) in India reflects encouraged patriarchal notions, societal despotism, and cultural subjugations. The Indian government is continuously striving to bring legal reforms that can deter perpetrators from inflicting violence on women. However, these changes are occurring only on the surface when in fact the issues are deep-seated. Therefore, this thesis addresses two main research questions: 1) What factors contribute to the increase in cases of VAW in India and how the legal system addresses these factors, and 2) What policies and schemes are employed to empower women and provide support services to women victims of violence, and what are the effects of these policies/schemes. To explore each of these questions, the thesis was divided into two parts. In part 1, a legal case analysis strategy was adopted to qualitatively analyze 26 High Court cases from Uttar Pradesh, India. Seven major themes emerged from the thematic analysis of these cases that highlight the reasons for the perpetration of violence, victim-blaming, barriers to report the crime, and legal systemic barriers. In part 2, a policy analysis framework was applied to review and analyze six major schemes and policies focused on VAW. All the schemes and policies were assessed, compared, and prioritized against different criteria which were constructed based on the research findings from part 1. Major results of this study suggest that the schemes and policies focused on VAW are structurally flawed and lack proper monitoring. In conclusion, efforts must be made to deter the act of perpetrating violence on women by implementing suitable community and family interventions, recognizing and eliminating factors that lead to revictimization, providing detailed guidelines to enhance services through local schemes and policies, and acknowledging patterns of patriarchal and cultural norms surrounding VAW.