Introducción. El vivir en grandes alturas genera que los pobladores se adapten biológica y socialmente al ambiente. El objetivo fue determinar la diferencia del rendimiento físico (RF) en poblaciones rurales a nivel del mar y a gran altitud. Material y métodos. Estudio transversal en comunidades rurales de Áncash, Perú, ubicadas a 3345 m s.n.m. y 6 m s.n.m. Se midió RF según el Short Physical Performance Battery (SPPB) y otros factores asociados. Se calculó las razones de prevalencia ajustadas (RPa). Resultados. Se evaluó a 130 adultos mayores en la comunidad de gran altitud y 129 en la costa, la mediana de la edad fue 71,4 y 55,6 % fueron mujeres. El bajo rendimiento físico (SPPB ≤ 6) fue de 10,0% a gran altitud y 19,4% en la costa (p<0,05). Los factores asociados con un bajo rendimiento físico fueron ser de costa (RPa: 2,10; IC95%: 1,02-4,33), tener una percepción de mala salud (RPa: 2,48; IC95%: 1,21-5,08), tener hipertensión arterial (RPa: 1,73; IC95%: 1,01-2,98), tener mayor edad (RPa: 1,04; IC95%: 1,01-1,07), mientras que ser agricultor (RPa: 0,49; IC95%: 0,25-0,97), y ser independiente (RPa: 0,37; IC95%: 0,20- ,072) serían factores protectores. Asimismo, se encontró que los pobladores de la costa tienen 0,86 puntos menos en el SPPB total que los de gran altitud (p=0,004). Conclusiones. Existe asociación entre residir en altura y RF en adultos mayores. La prevalencia de bajo RF en los adultos mayores de zonas rurales a nivel del mar es dos veces mayor en comparación a los que viven en comunidades rurales de altura. / Introduction. Living in high altitudes mandates that villagers adapt biologically and socially to the environment. The objective of this study was to determine the difference in physical performance (PP) in rural populations at sea level and at high altitude. Material and methods. A cross-sectional study was conducted in rural communities in Ancash, Peru, located at 3345 meters above sea level (m.a.s.l.) and also in communities located in coastal areas at 6 m.a.s.l. PP was measured by the Short Physical Performance Battery (SPPB) and other associated factors. Adjusted prevalence ratios (aPR) were calculated. Results. 130 older adults were assessed in the high altitude communities and 129 on the coast. The median age was 71.4 and 55.6% were female. Low physical performance (SPPB ≤ 6) was 10.0% at high altitude and 19.4% on the coast (p <0.05). Factors associated with low physical performance were residing at the coast (aPR: 2.10, 95% CI 1.02 to 4.33), self-reported poor health (aPR: 2.48, 95% CI 1.21 -5.08), hypertension (aPR: 1.73, 95% CI 1.01 to 2.98), and age (aPR: 1.04, 95% CI 1.01 to 1.07), while being a farmer (aPR: 0.49, 95% CI 0.25 to 0.97), and being independent (aPR: 0.37, 95% CI 0,20-, 072) were found to be protective factors. We also found that the inhabitants of the coast have on average a 0.86 point lower total SPPB than the high altitude ones (p = 0.004). Conclusions. There is an association between altitude of residence and PP in older adults. The prevalence of low PP in older adults in rural areas at sea level is twice as high compared to those living in high altitude rural communities.

Magister Scientiae (Physiotherapy) - MSc(Physio) / A spinal cord injury causes a major impact on the life of individuals who experience it. From the impact of the accident or disease causing spinal cord damage, one is left immobile, insensitive to touch and dysfunction of the urinal and anal organs, which in turn leaves bowel, bladder and sexual functions in jeopardy. These impairments and activity limitations restrict or exclude the individual from participation in everyday social interaction. There is also a perceived stigma from society, depending on the response from the surrounding physical and social environment. The aim of the current study was to explore the most valued constructs of quality of life among persons with spinal cord injury in in a Tanzania rural area. The study objectives were to deduce the participants’ own understanding of quality of life and exploration of its constructs in all domains of life namely physical, social, economic and environmental with consideration to the barriers and facilitators. A qualitative study design is employed in which a sample of 15 persons with spinal cord injury living in three selected districts of the rural Kilimanjaro region, were purposefully selected. Environmental observations and semi structured interviews were conducted in the home of each participant. Transcriptions were done verbatim before translation from Kiswahili (national language) to English by the researcher then back translated by two professional translators (Appendix M, page 145). The whole translated sample was compiled, proof read by the researcher several times; and major pre-determined themes were assembled by content analysis, parallel to a generation of sub themes to form the results part of this study. The findings of the current study showed that the most valued facilitators of Quality of life are support from family and friends, having faith in God, socioeconomic connections, income generating activities and an accessible home and environment.Barriers to quality of life were inaccessible environments, unreliable social support, and lack of empowerment, negative psychological traits such as anger, fear and worries that resulted from negative community actions, beliefs and attitudes (social environment). Such findings generate a package of intrinsic issues of concern from persons with spinal cord injury which adds to the body of knowledge pertaining to quality of life and spinal cord injury. The results from the current study indicate that persons with SCI in the selected rural area are partially satisfied with their current life due to various psychosocial, economic and environmental barriers. This dissatisfaction could be used as one of the major indications of poorly perceived quality of life. The researcher recommends that a comprehensive rehabilitation program should assess and take account of subjective needs from the client’s perspective to achieve better quality of life. Due to a known fact that the infrastructure of the rural area is complex, with a number of physical barriers, which further affects participation of persons with spinal cord injury in their communities, resolute social and political actions are necessary to rectify such environments to make it accessible for all.

This study was a secondary analysis of survey data on participants and nonparticipants in Thai rural education programs. The original data were collected in 1987 by the Office of the National Educational Commission, Office of the Prime Minister, Bangkok Thailand. This study was conducted in order to examine the effect of selected demographic variables on participation and to determine why some rural villagers participate in nonformal educational programs and other villagers do not. The data were collected from a survey of nonformal education in Thai rural areas conducted as part of the evaluation of the Fifth Five-Year Plan. The population consisted of 590 participants in nonformal education programs and 860 nonparticipants. The statistical techniques employed to analyze data were logit analysis, z-test, tables of binomial distribution, and ranking by each of the groups (participants and nonparticipants). The evidence from this study indicates that the average nonformal education participant is an adult between the age of 36 and 50 years, who has completed four or less years of education, and who is married and works in farming (cultivating rice). The findings reveal that participants and nonparticipants in nonformal education programs were significantly different according to their needs for health knowledge, agricultural knowledge, further education, knowledge for living, and vocational knowledge. The reasons associated with participation in nonformal education programs, in this study, were to gain knowledge useful for making a living, for personal interest, to interact with instructors and students, or to make new friends. In this study, the reasons that villagers did not participate in the program were because they lacked time and transportation. While majority of the participants responded that they were satisfied with the nonformal educational courses, four subgroups, adults from age 21 to 35 years, single adults, adults who completed P.5 (grade 5) and above, and farmers, indicated dissatisfaction.

Die Bewohner von sechs Dörfern der LEADER-Region »Elbe-Röder-Dreieck« wurden zur Versorgungssituation befragt. Im Ergebnis der geführten Interviews wird die jeweilige Versorgung mit Waren des täglichen Bedarfs, die medizinische Versorgung, das Dienstleistungsangebot und die Erreichbarkeit von Versorgungsangeboten außerhalb des Ortes unterschiedlich bewertet. In fünf Dörfern wird Verbesserungsbedarf bei der medizinischen Versorgung und beim Post- und Bankdienstleistungsangebot gesehen. Hingegen ist eine mobile und stationäre Versorgung mit Waren des täglichen Bedarfs in vier Dörfern, in zwei Dörfern aber nur in Form einer mobilen Versorgung derzeit gegeben. In allen Dörfern werden mobile Dienstleistungen mit Haustürservice wie Lieferdienste, Physiotherapie oder Frisör angeboten. Die Befragung ergab zahlreiche Beispiele wie private, gewerbliche und kommunale Initiativen zur Verbesserung der Versorgungslage beitragen können. In unterversorgten ländlichen Regionen ist jedoch eine kleinräumige Nahversorgungsstrategie nötig, um die Grundversorgung zu sichern.

Philosophiae Doctor - PhD / Community wireless mesh initiatives are a pioneering option to cheap ‘last-mile’ access to network services for rural low-income regions primarily located in Sub-Saharan Africa and Developing Asia. However, researchers have criticized wireless mesh networks for their poor scalability; and scalability quantification research has mostly consisted of modularization of per-node throughput capacity behaviour. A scalability quantification model to design wireless mesh networks to provide adequate quality of service is lacking. However, scalability quantification of community mesh networks alone is inadequate because rural users need affordable devices for access; and they need to know how best to use them. Low-cost low-end smartphones offer handset affordability solutions but require smart management of their small capacity battery. Related work supports the usage of Wi-Fi for communication because it is shown to consume less battery than 2G, 3G or Bluetooth. However, a model to compare Wi-Fi battery consumption amongst different low-end smartphones is missing, as is a comparison of different over-the-top communication applications.

Background: The global trend of population ageing causes in new challenges, one of them is a wider dedication to the mental health of the elderly. In line with the mental health of the elderly the alcohol consumption issues among this group are still in place and those are one of the crucial factors that might causes negative impact on the health of the elderly. There is a large group of seniors in the Czech population living in the cities however numerous groups of the seniors still live also in the countryside where the living is very different to the one in the cities and there are also many specifics in alcohol consumption among those living in the countryside. Aims: The qualitative study aims to learn about the subjective evaluation of the alcohol consumption among the elderly in a small village community through the deep interviews and thus enriches the contemporary knowledge of the alcohol consumption level among the elderly. Methods: Semi-structured interviews complemented by the AUDIT screening questionnaire were executed within the 14 elderly in a small village during July - August 2019. The research group consisted of 5 men and 9 women aged 65 and over was selected using a simple purposeful selection method. The data were processed by thematic analysis. Results: The results of the study...

1 Abstract The submitted diploma thesis evaluates the migration movements of the population in the rural area of the Czech Republic in the period 1992 and 2018. The aim of the work is to evaluate the modern development of internal migration of rural settlements in terms of the size of migration flows and to determine the main migration directions to and from the Czech countryside. The evaluation of the size and structure of migration flows was based on the analysis of data from a non-public database on internal migration, which contains almost six million cases of intra-state migration for the given period. These data were first aggregated on the basis of the affiliation of the municipality of eviction and the municipality of immigration to rural areas of the administrative districts of municipalities with an authorized municipal office. The results, which are presented in graphical and map form, show that the countryside is gaining population through internal migration. The results of the analysis showed that the situation is very diversed. The highest rates of migration indicators are reported by defined rural administrative districts of municipalities with an authorized municipal office in the vicinity of large cities, primarily Prague, and the lowest in border areas. Based on the performed analyses of...

This thesis investigate the role of entrepreneurship in the education sector of rural areas inIndia. The goal of this research is to elaborate on the needs of entrepreneurs in rural areas ofIndia where educational facilities and resources are inadequate for the upliftment ofeducation. The research focuses on the obstacles experienced by entrepreneurs in theeducation sector in rural areas and how they can be overcome. The study scrutinizes theimpact of entrepreneurship on education outcomes in rural India. To accomplish the aim, thestudy is based on a blended technique approach, which involves drawing upon survey datafrom the Ministry of Education India, Ministry of Rural Development, India, Ministry ofSkill Development and Entrepreneurship, India, a survey floated to an international andnational crowd, as well as individual interviews with people working in rural India and theeducation sector. The research is particularly relevant given the developing requirement ofquality education in rural areas of India, and the role that entrepreneurs can play in deliveringinnovative solutions to address this need. In the end, this thesis contributes to how we mightinterpret the potential for entrepreneurship to drive positive change in the education sector inrural India.

This study will provide background information about the region of Bangladesh, more specifically the coastal rural area of Bangladesh. This region has due to the global warming become a very disaster-prone region where disaster resilience work has become increasingly relevant. Displacement of the rural coastal population due to disasters is an ongoing issue in Bangladesh which inhibits the large urbanization the capital city, Dhaka faces. This has increased the need of housing which has stimulated the brick industry that has increased its contribution to Bangladesh GDP the last years. Though the brick industry has traditionally been dominated by environmentally unfriendly methods that has caused deforestation and severe air pollution contributing to the cause of its demand creating a negative feedback loop. This study will analyse four different building materials including the traditional one by collecting data, creating analyse models and discussing them to find a more financial, environmental and technical suitable alternative to respond to the current situation to try turn the tide focusing on the rural coastal areas of Bangladesh.

Leptin is a protein hormone primarily secreted by the subcutaneous adipose tissue and is responsible for regulating the energy balance. Individuals with more adipose tissue have much higher leptin levels and often suffer from a condition known as leptin resistance. Various factors such as gender, age, ethnicity, diet and physical activity influence the body's leptin concentration. Males have lower leptin levels than females of the same age and body fat content. Black people tend to have higher leptin concentrations than white people because of a more subcutaneous adipose tissue distribution. Physical activity serve as a main manipulator of the body's energy balance and influence leptin concentration through various adaptations associated with a more favorable body composition such as, an increase in lean tissue and a decrease in body fat. The object of this study was firstly to investigate the association between body composition - with special emphasis on adipose tissue and leptin concentration in black adolescent boys and girls of the North-West Province of South Africa. Secondly, the study aimed to determine the influence of physical fitness components and leptin concentration in the same population. In this study, 148 girls and 114 boys supplied overnight fasting blood samples. Anthropometric data: length (m), weight (kg), skin folds (mm) and circumferences of the waist (cm) and hip (cm) were measured. The percentage body fat were also measured in the BOD-POD. Finally a battery of physical fitness tests were done which included: the maximum number of sit-ups, push-ups and the bleep-test for indirect V&-max. Spearman Rank Order correlations determined that there should be adjusted for age and Tanner stage. Partial correlations were done with body composition variables, [BMI (body mass index), SSF (sum of 6 skin folds), body fat percentage], and physical fitness variables, bush-ups, sit-ups and indirect V02-max]. In both genders a strong positive relationship occurred between all the above mentioned body composition variables and leptin. In boys the strongest correlation (I= 0.8420) was found between SSF and leptin levels. In girls the strongest correlation (r = 0.7489) was found between BMI and leptin concentration. In both genders, body fat percentage indicated the lowest correlation, although it was still significant. In both genders the indirect V02-max values indicated a significant negative relationship with serum leptin concentration, although it was weak, it was the highest in boys (r = - 0314). In girls the indirect V02-max values (r = -0.235) and the maximum amount of push-ups (r = -0205) indicated significant, but weak correlations. According to the results of this study it is clear that serum leptin concentration has a strong positive relationship with body fat, more accurate, with the subcutaneous adipose tissue. It was also indicated that baseline physical fitness in these black adolescents from the selected school in Potchefstroom, North-west Province (South Africa) are statistically significant negatively correlated with leptin levels, although it was not a strong correlation. / Thesis (M.Sc. (Human Movement Science))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2006.