Fundamental Cause Theory suggests that socioeconomic and demographic factors are causal to various illnesses, including depression. However, no known previously existing research has used Fundamental Cause Theory to create a model of depression among college students. To do this, the present study conducted a stepwise binomial logistic regression to examine how socioeconomic status and the sociodemographic variables of Gender, Race, and Sexual Orientation, and others predict depressive symptoms in a large sample of undergraduates when controlling for stressful life events and social support (N = 2,915). Results support the hypothesis that socioeconomic disparities in depressive symptoms are the result of stress. In the final model, low Social Support was the most predictive variable of high depressive symptoms (OR = 2.882), followed by being bisexual (OR = 2.061). Being black was significantly protective against high depressive symptoms (OR = 0.613). Implications for future research and university services are discussed.

Magister Commercii - MCom / Mental disorders are estimated to be experienced by one out of three South Africans in their lifetime. (Stein, Seedat, Herman, Moomal, Heeringa, Kessler & Williams, 2009:3). Empirical studies indicate, that people, who are poor, live in impoverished neighbourhoods, have lower education levels and are subsequently more likely to have mental disorders. This study focuses on depression. Empirical studies point to depression being negatively correlated with socioeconomic determinants, but is this the case in South Africa? From a theoretical standpoint the study considers how socio-structural aspects such as poverty and educational outcomes (amongst other socioeconomic variables) can lead to the prevalence and persistence of depressive symptoms. The main question the study aimed to investigate was whether depression was negatively related to socioeconomic status, and through which pathways does socioeconomic status affect depression. This study used panel data from the National Income Dynamics Study (NIDS) to examine the socioeconomic determinants of depressive symptoms. Waves 1 (2008) and 4 (2014/2015) of the NIDS data were used to answer the research question. Depressive symptoms were assessed using the 10-item version of the Centre for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale (CES-D). The scale measured depressive symptomatology. The cut off that was used was a score of 10 or higher, which indicated the occurrence of significant depressive symptoms. In order to assess which socioeconomic determinants increase the probability of experiencing significant depressive symptoms, a probit model was used to make this investigation. The results of the study indicate that, despite the recent increase in depression in 2012 and 2014/2015, the overall prevalence of depression in South Africa has declined significantly between 2008 and 2014/2015. Socioeconomic status was found to be negatively associated with depression. In particular, a low income and occupational status were associated with a significantly greater probability of being depressed. Disparities in depression outcomes followed the disparities in socioeconomic status. Hence the study found that women and Africans were particularly vulnerable to depression as they were socioeconomically disadvantaged.

Class of 2011 Abstract / OBJECTIVES: To examine the effects of pharmacist-provided direct patient care with consideration to the patients’ socioeconomic status as determined by the patients’ health insurance. METHODS: A meta-analysis was conducted to evaluate the effects of pharmacist-provided direct patient care on different socioeconomic populations as determined by the patients’ health insurance by including results from several independent randomized control trials. A standardized and tested data extraction form was used to collect primary data on outcome category (therapeutic, safety, and humanistic), disease category (diabetes, hypertension, cardiovascular, dyslipidemia, asthma, and other), insurance status (Medicaid, Medicare, Veterans Affairs/ Department of Defense, private and uninsured), and outcome measures. The potential for bias data were analyzed by calculating a total potential for bias score and by construction a forest plot ordered by bias score. RESULTS: Twenty-two studies were included in the meta-analysis. The insurances most often reported were Medicaid (13.6%), Medicare (18.2%), the Veterans Affairs/ Department of Defense (VA/DoD) (41%), and private insurance (27.2%). All insurance groups benefited from pharmacist intervention (p<0.01). The Medicare patients benefited the least from the pharmacist interventions [standard mean difference (SMD) = 0.21], and the benefit of intervention was significantly less than the benefit for subjects having Medicaid, Private Insurance or VA/DoD coverage (p<0.02). CONCLUSION: While patients in all insurance type benefited from pharmacist intervention, Medicare patients seemed to benefit the least; further studies are needed to verify the findings and to explore why the benefit is less than for other groups.

In an effort to improve instruction and better accommodate the needs of students, community colleges are offering courses delivered in a variety of delivery formats that require students to have some level of technology fluency to be successful in the course. This study was conducted to investigate the relationship between student socioeconomic status (SES), course delivery method, and course type on enrollment, final course grades, course completion status, and course passing status at a state college. A dataset for 20,456 students of low and not low SES enrolled in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) course types delivered using traditional, online, blended, and web enhanced course delivery formats at Miami Dade College, a large open access 4-year state college located in Miami-Dade County, Florida, was analyzed. A factorial ANOVA using course type, course delivery method, and student SES found no significant differences in final course grades when used to determine if course delivery methods were equally effective for students of low and not low SES taking STEM course types. Additionally, three chi-square goodness-of-fit tests were used to investigate for differences in enrollment, course completion and course passing status by SES, course type, and course delivery method. The findings of the chi-square tests indicated that: (a) there were significant differences in enrollment by SES and course delivery methods for the Engineering/Technology, Math, and overall course types but not for the Natural Science course type and (b) there were no significant differences in course completion status and course passing status by SES and course types overall and SES and course delivery methods overall. However, there were statistically significant but weak relationships between course passing status, SES and the math course type as well as between course passing status, SES, and online and traditional course delivery methods. The mixed findings in the study indicate that strides have been made in closing the theoretical gap in education and technology skills that may exist for students of different SES levels. MDC’s course delivery and student support models may assist other institutions address student success in courses that necessitate students having some level of technology fluency.

In this dissertation, we examine the socioeconomic impact of land reform schemes and discuss the policy implications of combining aspects of both state-led and market-based approaches to land reallocation through regional planning. We focus on land reform settlements in Northeast Brazil, where both approaches operated over the same time frame (1997-2002). Empirically, we identify the effects of various indicators on the socioeconomic growth of a sample of rural territories and localities, giving emphasis to the influence of the market-based Land Bill Programme (PCT) and the traditional state-led scheme (INCRA) on that growth through panel data analysis, cross-section regressions and field-based analysis. It has been concluded that: i) The scope for plan-led strategies towards sustainable development in the countryside has been given less than sufficient emphasis in the land reform literature; ii) There is not clear evidence that the market-based approach leads to higher socioeconomic growth regionally than does the state-led approach, or vice versa; iii) Although the market-based scheme contributed to improved access to title, the PCT settlements failed to impact positively settlers' welfare in the majority of sites; iv) Securing both higher access to land rights and better living conditions through land reform requires an approach that combines both state-led and market-based elements; v) Securing measurable positive impacts on the regional economy requires a land reform strategy that has a regional scope. As a policy implication, the work suggests the adoption of a plan-led land reform strategy that is coordinated at all government levels and between the public and private sectors, and one that involves establishing strategic portfolios of potentially sustainable areas, defining spending priorities for those areas along with funding possibilities through regional planning. Differently from the commonsense literature on land reform in developing countries, this work demonstrates that regional planning has an essential part to play in land reform through proposing a plan-led strategy that combines elements of both market-based and state-led approaches to the benefit of the regional economy.

Drawing from Pierre Bourdieu’s socio-cultural approach, this qualitative research project aimed to: (a) understand the responses to current body norms and expectations tied to health and physical appearances amongst underprivileged young women; and; (b) understand to what extent the dominant obesity discourse is inscribed in these women’s bodily habits. Results highlight that participants were aware of the dominant obesity discourse through their perceptions, sentiments, and dispositions towards bodily norms and expectations. Despite their awareness, underprivileged living conditions generated other sets of priorities, such as motherhood, achieving economic stability, completing education, and gaining physical independence which were far greater preoccupations. Underprivileged young women’s ‘choice of the necessary’ is based on optimizing resources and prioritizing needs and responsibilities. Findings support the use of Pierre Bourdieu’s concepts which consider the effects of various aspects of underprivileged living conditions on lifestyles.

This thesis is focused on municipal development of Hranice. In the theoretical part, the concept of town is defined and main functions of the town are determined. Then it deals with description of tools for support of municipal development. The practical part consists of complex socioeconomic analysis according to several spheres and then there are partial and complete SWOT analyses which characterize the town of Hranice. The last part is divided into six spheres of development where main potential and barriers of development of the town are specified. These potential and barriers are determined in terms of performed analyses.

This study is a part of a three stage pursuit to examine and to comprehend the relationship between the resources available, the apparent utilization patterns of those resources by the population being served, and the selected characteristics of the populations utilizing and not utilizing the prevailing medical care system. The first stage of the research involves the examination of the existing patterns of medical care utilization by socioeconomic status groups. Cross-national Comparison of Physician Utilization by the Socioeconomic Status Groups is the pilot research for the first stage and both modifies and develops the methodology for this type of research and also examines the physician utilization patterns of a population in well defined basic measurements — in this case the socioeconomic status index, the diagnosed disease, and the number of physician contacts. The comparison of the physician utilization patterns of socioeconomic status groups in respect to the prevailing medical care delivery system necessarily involves cross-area studies at least at regional level, but most likely cross-national comparisons as well. This study used already collected data, nevertheless, primary data, which had been collected and partly analysed in the World Health Organization/International Collaborative Study of Medical Care Utilization. The data came from twelve geographical areas, altogether from seven countries, and provided documented research material on the surveyed respondents' social characteristics, standard diagnostic procedures, and standard definitions of the interactions between the users and the prevailing medical care delivery systems. The social characteristics were used separately, but in a standardized way, in order to derive socioeconomic status groups in each area; the diseases distributions were examined in relationship to the socioeconomic status groups, and the physician utilization patterns were related to the socioeconomic status groups while controlling for the distributions of selected diseases, after which the study areas were compared to each other in terms of the exhibited relationships between the physician utilization and the socioeconomic status groups. The physician utilization patterns were found to vary only little from one area to another, however, consistently, to warrant the use of derived information for the second stage of the research. Physician utilizations were very weakly correlated to the socioeconomic status and these correlations were not substantially effected by the selection of the controlling disease, i.e., they were consistent. / Medicine, Faculty of / Population and Public Health (SPPH), School of / Graduate

Background: In addition to the influence of an individual’s socioeconomic status, the neighbourhoods in which people live may influence health-related behaviours including smoking. This study therefore sought to determine the influence of the socioeconomic context in which South African adults lived on their smoking behaviour, and explore the potential gender differences of contextual influences. Method: This study involved a representative sample of South African adults (≥16 years) who participated in the 2010 (n=3,112) and 2011 (3,003) South African Social Attitude Survey (SASAS). The 2009 General Household Survey (n =25,548 households) was used to obtain the socioeconomic characteristics of the neighbourhoods where SASAS participants lived, including proportion of households with access to tap water, access to flush toilets and the level of employment in the area (3-item deprivation index; α=0.84). Information obtained from SASAS included participants’ tobacco use status and socio-demographic characteristics, including participants’ self-rated socioeconomic position within the society. Data analysis included a multi-level Poisson regression analysis. Results: Of the respondents who participated in the 2010/2011 survey, 19.4% (n=1302) were current smokers (30% men and 9.8% women). Smoking was more prevalent among those living in areas in the upper-third socioeconomic status (SES) than in areas in the lower-third SES (22.9% vs. 13.5%; p= 0.01). The neighbourhood socioeconomic context had a greater influence on the prevalence of smoking among women than among men. In particular, the gender gap in smoking prevalence was higher among those living in areas in the lowest-third SES (24.6% men vs. 4.6% women) than among those in areas of highest-third SEP (31.5% men vs. 15% women). Overall, smoking was less likely among those with greater than high school education than among those with less than high school education (OR=0.68; 95%CI=0.56-0.82). Conclusion: The findings suggest a greater neighbourhood socioeconomic contextual influence on women than men and highlight the need for community-level interventions targeting the least educated living in areas of highest socioeconomic position in South Africa. Interventions and public health policies to decrease tobacco smoking should be developed with some neighbourhood-specific modifications and should also be actively implemented. / Dissertation (MPH)--University of Pretoria, 2015. / tm2015 / School of Health Systems and Public Health (SHSPH) / MPH / Unrestricted

Objetivos. Avaliar a associação entre experiência de cárie dental com fatores socioeconômicos e a influência desses fatores na redução dos índices de cárie em crianças de 12 anos de idade nas capitais brasileiras. Métodos. Dados oficiais sobre a experiência de cárie dental (CPO-D) em cada município foram reunidos a partir dos resultados de levantamentos epidemiológicos a respeito de saúde bucal realizados em âmbito nacional nos anos de 1996 e 2002-2003. Dados censitários e provenientes de publicações governamentais a respeito dos indicadores socioeconômicos foram associados à experiência de cárie em 2002-2003, e ao percentual de redução nos índices CPO-D entre 1996 e 2002-2003 utilizando-se análise de regressão linear múltipla. Resultado. Análise de regressão linear simples indicou associação significante entre experiência de cárie e diferentes indicadores socioeconômicos. Resultados da análise de regressão linear múltipla revelaram que menor experiência de cárie esteve associada positivamente ao índice de desenvolvimento humano do município (IDH) e renda per capita. Capitais com menores desigualdades na distribuição de renda (Coeficiente de Gini), menores índices de CPO-D e maior porcentagem de crianças livres de cárie em 2002-2003 apresentaram maiores níveis de redução de cárie. Conclusão. Municípios com melhores perfis socioeconômicos apresentaram uma menor experiência de cárie dental indicando que estratégias públicas de saúde devem ser direcionadas para esses determinantes. Os resultados também sugerem que redução de cárie dental demanda ações governamentais amplas que busquem diminuir as ineqüidades socioeconômicas. / Objectives. Investigate the association between dental caries and socioeconomic indicators in 12-years-old children from Brazilian capitals. Assess the influence of these socioeconomic indicators to dental caries decrease in this population between 1996 and 2003 Methods. Dental caries experience was estimated by gathering data on DMFT index supplied by two country-wide surveys performed in 1996 and 2002- 2003. Measurements of socioeconomic status at city-level used census data and official publications. Association between socioeconomic status with dental caries experience in 2002-2003 and percentage of reduction in DMFT indexes between 1996 and 2002-2003 were fitted using multiple linear regression analysis. Results. Simple linear regression analysis indicated significant associations between DMFT and different socioeconomic factors. Results from multiple linear regression analysis showed that a lower DMFT index was associated with higher values of human development index (HDI) and income. Capitals with lower levels of income inequalities, lowers values of DMFT and highest percentage of caries-free children in 2002-2003, presented highest percentage of DMFT reduction between 1996 and 2002-2003. Conclusions. Capitals with lower socioeconomic status presented highest levels of dental caries than better-off capitals, indicating that public health strategies should target these determinants. The results also suggest that improvements in dental caries experience demand broad governments actions to reduce socioeconomic inequalities.