Literature abounds with discussions regarding land degradation and the sustainability of land resources conservation programmes in sub-Saharan Africa. A thorough understanding of past and present intervention mechanisms and the consequences both to humans and to the entire ecosystem is necessary to advise stakeholders in conservation initiatives. This study employs comprehensive multiple participatory methodologies in analysing both the causes of land degradation and the importance of local communitiesâ real involvement in land resources conservation initiatives. The participatory methodologies include focus group discussions. The consequences of the paternalist classical model of land resources conservation programmes practised in the developing countries include endless conflicts between conservation officers and local communities, a lack of unequivocal acknowledgement of indigenous knowledge, denial to local communities of access to rights and adequate benefits, and a lack of local support and community participation which results in the sudden collapse and abandonment of conservation programmes. This indicates a wasting of government agenciesâ heavy investment in conservation initiatives. Yet, worldwide advocation of a shift from official to community-based conservation approaches does not mean the total withdrawal of government agencies. It only means a trimming down of government agenciesâ âdo it allâ recurrent roles to one of facilitation of the conservation initiatives of local communities. Government agencies may also give unconditional support in community-based initiatives. It has been established that the continuous occupation of the centre stage in land resources conservation programmes by government agencies has accelerated land degradation, has intensified conflicts between government officers and local communities, has wasted local available resources input, has denied local communities access, rights and benefits of land resources, and has increased the number of abandoned conservation projects. The hope of effectively practising real community-based land resources is an uphill task. This is so because government agencies operating in Lesotho have raised unsustainable expectations of food-for-work and/or cash payment incentives to local community members for participating in conservation work. This poor practice has established a false impression that land resources conservation is the sole responsibility of government agencies. This study has established that to practise community-based conservation would require drastic new training of government agencies; it would necessitate providing more sustainable incentives to local communities, and also re-orientating, empowering and capacitating the people for the challenging tasks ahead. Real involvement of local communities in the processes of identification of conservation needs, planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation are sure ways of ensuring sustainable land resources conservation programmes.

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Large dams are constructed for irrigation, generation of hydroelectricity, consumption and so forth. In the case of Lesotho, the LHWP was constructed with the sole purpose of selling water to South Africa in order to earn royalties and to generate hydroelectricity. Although a number of factors are used to justify the construction of large dams, worldwide experience has shown that the consequences emanating from their construction are sometimes irreversible and painful like having to be resettled. This study therefore sought to establish the extent of the impacts emanating from the LHWP Resettlement Programme at Makhoakhoeng, whether the standard of living of resettlees as measured in terms of access to services has improved or not, the extent of their participation in the resettlement programme, and their perception on their standard of living. The specific study objectives were to: i) determine the socio-economic impacts of the resettlement on the resettled communities; ii) elicit the perceptions of the displaced people about their participation in resettlement programme decision making; iii) evaluate the adequacy of the compensation and resettlement packages; and iv) ascertain the level of satisfaction of the resettlees with the resettlement programme. A combination of research techniques was used to collect both the qualitative and the quantitative data. Data collection instruments employed were: i) A literature review was undertaken to provide background information to the problem statement, the design of the methodology, and also on the theories and other factors used to justify the construction of large dams. Perusal of the existing literature also led to a deeper understanding of the impacts of large dams, international experiences and reaction towards construction of large dams and Lesothoâs experience regarding the construction of large dams. ii) Key informants interviews were conducted with selected individuals who in one way or another were key in terms of implementing the resettlement programme at Makhoakhoeng. iii) A questionnaire survey was conducted with the households who came from Molika-Liko and were resettled at Makhoakhoeng. iv) A focus group discussion was held with some of the resettlees. Information collected through filling in the questionnaire was keyed into the microcomputer network system using Microsoft Excel to produce graphs and tables. The data collected through key informants, special cases and focus group discussions were collated and written into descriptive reports, i.e., summarised field discussion records. The LHWP Resettlement Programme at Makhoakhoeng has resulted in both positive and the negative impacts. Furthermore, the study has concluded that there is a need to: i) engage with all the stakeholders affected by involuntary resettlement through an open and transparent public participation process ii) pay attention to the identification of more sustainable means of livelihoods iii) conduct SIAs that can point to those intangible aspects of resettlement iv) put in place an appeal system that is affordable and accessible to people who are dissatisfied with the resettlement package v) present resettlees with information on each of the options so as to enable them to make informed decisions vi) honour promises in order to build trust with the resettlees. The following recommendations are being made for future resettlement programmes: i) Change the mindset of those charged with the management of resettlement programmes so that they are more empathetic towards resettlees ii) Reform institutions within the water sector iii) Adopt a multidisciplinary approach in resettlement programmes iv) Differentiate resettlees into subgroups v) Engage in an open and transparent public participation process vi) Conduct SIAs with a monitoring and evaluation component vii) Identify sustainable means of livelihoods for the resettlees viii) Compensate affected people for loss of access to common property.

Sustained access to ART and adherence to ARV medications remain crucial for reducing AIDS-related mortality and morbidity, minimising the development of drug resistance, and for appropriate treatment decision-making by health care providers. Thus, the factors associated with non-adherence to ARV medication and poor sustained access need to be identified and addressed. Although there is a preponderance of treatment adherence research, in which social aspects that affect the way patients manage HIV/AIDS and related treatment have been identified, far less attention has been paid to the relevant gender dimensions of treatment, care and support. The aim of this study was to examine how gender influences adherence to ARV medications and sustained access to treatment among patients on ART in the Free State public health sector. To achieve this aim, several methods were deemed necessary. First, current literature was reviewed to identify factors that predict nonadherence to ARV medications and impede sustained access to ART. Second, a framework was adapted to focus on inequalities in treatment from a gender perspective, and to take cognisance of both biological sex and socially constructed gender influences on the health of patients on ARV treatment, with specific reference to access and adherence to treatment. Masculinity and femininity is discussed in respect of the varied resources that an individual has access to and control over, an individualâs decision-making power, the gender norms held by society, and gender roles that men and women are expected to adhere to. Third, an empirical investigation of data from a prospective cohort study was conducted to identify similarities and differences in factors associated with nonadherence to ARV medications and to poor sustained access among men and women on ART in the Free Stateâs public health sector. A total of 1609 patients were interviewed in face-to-face interviews using semi-structured questionnaires. Patients were interviewed six times during the course of this study with an average six-month interval between interviews. The outcome variables assessed included self-reported seven-day adherence to ARV medication regimens and self-reported adherence to scheduled appointments over a six-month period as a measure of sustained assess to treatment. Sex was used as the dependent variable in all analyses. Demographic, psychosocial/behavioural, clinical, and service delivery variables were all tested for a statistically significant association with non-adherence to medications and appointments in separate sex-disaggregated multivariate regression analyses (Pâ¤0.05). Logistic regression models showed that the strongest predictors of medication nonadherence among men included financial difficulties in visiting hospital facilities and poor treatment knowledge. Among women, tobacco use and perceived stigma were identified as the strongest predictors of medication non-adherence. Self-reported depression or anxiety and experiencing difficulties in visiting clinic and hospital facilities were similarly associated with non-adherence to appointments for men and women. Service satisfaction at clinics and having few self-reported service needs were also independently associated with appointment non-adherence among women, but not among men. Findings for men do however need to be interpreted with caution, as both outcomes, despite being valid measures for the combined sample and among women, were not valid for men. Marked differences and similarities in the factors influencing medication adherence and sustained access to treatment between men and women were identified, reflecting the different lived experiences of men and women on ART in the Free State. Gender-sensitive interventions - as opposed to standardised ones - are thus required to improve adherence and sustained access in this population. Further research and possible interventions are required in respect of gender-sensitive outcome measures for adherence, improving treatment knowledge among men, coping responses to gender role stressors among women, less stigmatising means for taking medications, improving mental health and improving the quality of services rendered at health care facilities.

The stress process model has become a prominent framework for understanding social variations in mental health. Though previous studies find compelling evidence that this model adequately explains variations in mental health among and between various population subgroups, no study has applied the full model to an all African American young adult sample. Using data from the Transitions Study, I examine the utility of the stress process model to explain variations in depressive symptomatology among African American young adults using cross-sectional and longitudinal analyses. Results indicate that overall, the model sufficiently explains variations in depressive symptoms among this subgroup. Sociodemographic characteristics shape stress exposure and availability of various social and personal resources in ways that impact depressive symptoms. Certain sociodemographic characteristics and coping resources, however, seem to have a different impact on this subgroup compared to other subgroups examined in previous research. Implications of these findings are further discussed.

Social interaction is the driving force of human society and extends far beyond one-on-one conversations it is how we learn about the behavioral expectations, beliefs and symbols of our culture. Sometimes these beliefs and expectations are related to celebrations and events that bring cultures together. Through interaction we learn that we are expected to bring a gift to a birthday party and why we even choose to celebrate birthdays at all. Yet that same framework which is tied to the way humans categorize each other to make interaction easier also allows cultures to share biases about different social groups that may lead to discrimination. Ridgeway (2009, 2011) argues that the fundamental processes of interaction are one of the structural elements that have kept women from achieving parity with men in society, both in terms of wages and in terms of cultural perception. In her argument, Ridgeway claims that the social norms surrounding gender have not evolved to reflect womens modern role in social life. Ridgeway and other social psychologists consider gender a major element of social structure that is relevant in every social interaction, making gender one of the major classifications used to frame interaction. That gender frame is used in every social interaction and, as such, lags behind because old norms are reinforced in every interaction. So, while women have greatly increased their human capital outcomes, their place in society is still lower than mens because it is based in gender norms that were introduced in earlier times and kept in place through interaction. In this dissertation, I begin with Ridgeways work on the gender frame and expand it to examine how the online presentation of sexist information may influence peoples gender beliefs. I test this theory with a social psychological experiment that exposes participants to sexist message board conversations and opinion columns and compares their scores on a measure of ambivalent sexism with participants exposed to non-sexist articles and message board conversations. Results show that the media format does have some influence on perception, but the mediums legitimacy and the sex and race of the participant also influenced their gender attitudes.

Using data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth Young Adult Sample (N = 1,609), I investigate the relationship between homeownership and mastery in the transition to adulthood. Also, I examine whether homeownership qualifies the effects of three important adult transitions: employment, marriage/cohabitation, and parenthood. Change model estimations show that, net of controls, homeownership increases the sense of mastery among young adults. With respect to other transitions, homeownership moderates employment such that homeowners who are unemployed receive a boost to mastery not experienced by those who are employed. Finally, homeownership raises the mastery of parents, while there is little benefit to those who are childless.

Utility of prostate cancer screening is a hotly debated topic among medical professionals and health agencies. As such, men are often conflicted regarding whether to follow guidelines for screening. With data from the 2008-09 Nashville Mens Preventive Health Survey (NMPHS), which sampled white and black men aged 40-70 years old living in Davidson County, TN, this study examines prostate cancer screening intention using the health belief model (HBM). This study also addresses methodological confusion regarding how to test the HBM by comparing results from four statistical approaches: (1) logistic regression, (2) logistic regression with interactions, (3) path analysis, and (4) structural equation modeling (SEM) with latent variables. Overall, little empirical support was found for the HMB in its current form. Even so, the present study recommends using path analysis as the standard to test the HBM. It also recommends that the HBM be revised. Revisions would include (1) adding a direct path from modifying factors to preventive health behavior and (2) adding a direct path from cues to action to preventive health behavior.

Using data from the National Survey of American Life (NSAL), this study examines the relationships among self-rated health, discrimination and racial group identity. Two types of discrimination are assessed: major discrimination and day-to-day discrimination. Additionally, two dimensions of racial group identity, closeness to other Blacks and Black group evaluation are explored. Specifically, I investigate whether racial group identity moderates the deleterious impact of discrimination on self-rated heath for a heterogeneous sample of Black Americans (2,963 African Americans and 1,149 Caribbean Blacks). Results show that after accounting for social and personal resources, the self-rated health of African Americans remains jeopardized by major discrimination while neither form of discrimination impacts the self-rated health of Caribbean Blacks. The evaluative aspect of racial group identity moderates the relationship between major discrimination and the self-rated health of African Americans such that, at low levels of Black group evaluation, those who report low major discrimination have higher self-rated health than those reporting high major discrimination. As levels of Black group evaluation increase, the self- rated health of those who report high major discrimination and those who report low major discrimination diverge such that, at high levels of Black group evaluation African Americans who report high major discrimination have markedly lower self-rated health. For Caribbean Blacks, the evaluative aspect of racial group identity moderates the relationship between day-to-day discrimination and the self-rated health. At low levels of Black group evaluation, Caribbean Blacks who report low day-to-day discrimination have higher self-rated health than those reporting high day-to-day discrimination. As levels of Black group evaluation increase the self- rated health of those who report high day-to-day discrimination and those who report low day-to-day discrimination diverge such that, at high levels of Black group evaluation those who report high major discrimination have markedly lower self-rated health.