The American Diabetes Association (ADA) data suggest that Latinos share a greater burden of disease than do non-Latino Whites with type 2 diabetes. As a result of poor glycemic control, Latinos also suffer consequences such as blindness, kidney disease, and limb amputation more often than do other ethnic groups. The purpose of this study was to compare demographic factors of Latinos with well-controlled type 2 diabetes, as measured by a HgbA1c of 7 or less (n = 118) to Latinos not well controlled (n = 105). This cross sectional study used a secondary data set with a sample selected from the population of an urban, federally-qualified health center. The sample included all who were diabetic and Latino. Demographic factors examined included distance to a supermarket and gym, age, gender, language, employment status, health insurance status, number in family, and role in family. Using Chi square analysis, each demographic factor was cross-tabulated with the HgbA1c, the proxy for control, to determine which, if any, factors were associated with poor disease control. The results of the analyses showed no correlation between the demographic factors examined and poor control of diabetes. Although no positive associations were determined, this study provided information that was lacking in the literature. It provided data indicating that these demographic factors do not seem to affect diabetic control. This information was not previously found in the literature. Using the social epidemiological model, suggestions for interventions were made, such as incorporating family and social factors into individualized diabetes care plans, to improve diabetes care. Implementing the suggestions could possibly minimize the burden of illness among Latino diabetics and reduce this health disparity for Latinos.

Wildfire hazard is increasing in much of the United States, posing a threat to human communities and natural ecosystem services, especially in areas at the wildland-urban interface. There are steps people can take to reduce wildfire hazard, but often they are not used. Understanding and addressing human perceptions of wildfire risk and of risk-mitigating behaviors requires knowledge of both social and ecological systems. To better understand this complex issue, three types of factors must be addressed: social, cultural, demographic, and biophysical. This dissertation incorporates these three essential factors to intensively investigate the risk perception and behaviors of residents living in wildland-urban interface communities in three states (Arizona, California, and New Mexico). The first study examines the effect that individual risk perceptions have on intention to mitigate wildfire risk by integrating two social-psychological theories, Theory of Planned Behavior and Cultural Theory, to investigate the causal relationship and motivational factors that influence the intention to mitigate wildfire hazard. Results suggest that attitudes toward wildfire mitigation practices and perceived behavioral control play a significant role in the decision process. The effect of an individual’s orientation toward nature is mediated by attitude and perceived behavioral control. It is important that these orientations are taken into consideration when designing strategies to increase incentives to mitigate fire risk. The second study explores the linkage between property owners’ perception of risk and scientifically measurable wildfire risks that vary across hazard zones in the three study locations. Individuals’ perceptions of wildfire can be substantially different from each other and from reality. This study proposes that the perception of risk is formed in a multistage process (individual and community level). Results show that homeowners’ worldview with respect to nature, length of residency, place-based influence, and attitudes about risk factors all are significant predictors for how residents of fire-prone areas perceive their risks. The variance in social and physical vulnerability associated with wildfire can explain, to a certain extent, the variation in individual perceptions of wildfire risk. The perception of risk is consistent with the level of exposure to fire hazards. The third study investigates spatial relationships among social and ecological factors on private property. The biophysical characteristics of individual properties were extracted to observe wildfire risk and incorporated with information about social context from mail surveys. Results demonstrate that mitigation behaviors in the three study communities illustrate a spatial clustering pattern. Moreover, orientations toward nature and physical attributes of property had an impact on decisions to undertake mitigation behaviors.

Field and laboratory investigations were conducted relating to factors controlling distribution and abundance of annual species growing in a deisturbed portion of the salt desert shrub zone on fine-textured soils. Dominant species on the site in the two study years were the nonnative, Halophytic, late-summer maturing, Halogeton glomeratus (Bieb.) C.A. Mey., and Bassia hyssopifolia (Pall.) Kuntze. Contrasting amounts of precipitation were received in the two years; in 1974, spring conditions were so dry that two early-maturing, sub-dominant annuals, Descurainia pinnata (walt.) Britton, and Lepidium perfoliatum L. were essentially absent. They successfully reproduced under more favorable 1975 conditions. Studies on species distribution centered around factors responsible for occurrence of large (20-30m across), adjacent, essentially pure stands of Bassia and Halogeton. It was determined that few seeds dispersed more than a couple of meters from parent plants; and that seedling establishment success of the species was significantly different in the two vegetation types, commensurate with soil surface physical and chemical differences. The less drought tolerant Bassia was confined to soils which had higher water potential in summer than the areas occupied by the succulent halogeton. Bassia responded with more rapid growth when water availability increased, and suppressed halogeton in both growth chamber competition studies. The adjacent pure communities are believed to be maintained by Bassia's inability to establish on soils dominated by Halogeton, and Bassia's competitive superiority when both species become established together. Studies on plant abundance involved making quantitative estimates of numbers of seeds or plants per unit area in different life cycle phases during the study period. The objective of these studies was to determine the manner in which each year's seed production was utilized, in terms of dormancy of seeds in soil, germination, mortality, or reproduction. It was determined that residence time of seeds in soil was short, since seeds germinated freely after overwintering. Consequently the vegetation composition was closely related to the previous year's seed production. Tremendous mortality occurs during the seedling establishment phase, as only eight percent of seeds sown into marked quadrants survived until mid May. Mortality during summer was highly density-dependent. Plant plasticity served a homeostatic function on one site which suffered a seed crop failure in 1974. The few plants established there in 1975 became very large so that total seed production was not greatly different from areas which had a substantial amount of seed production in 1974.

This study recognizes the need to identify and prioritize critical issues facing families. The literature review identifies and documents a number of critical issues facing families in American society. Survey questionnaires, which contained an abstract version of 33 previously identified issues, were sent to a sample of 2,000 people in Utah. The sample was randomly selected from resident listings in Utah telephone books. The survey asked respondents to rate each of 33 issues on a scale of 1 to 10, 1 being the least urgent and 10 being the most urgent. These issues include childhood, economic, health, and elderly concerns. Mean scores and variances of individual issues and factor-analyzed issue categories were utilized in this study. It was hypothesized that there would be no significant difference with regard to urgency between categories of six demographic variables for each issue. Hypotheses were tested on each issue and eight major issue categories identified by a factor analysis. The six demographic variables utilized in the analyses of variance were: rural/urban status, gender, family income, marital status, age, and education level. When viewing results from the issues, results show that the hypothesis of no difference between gender, income, and education categories was rejected. Testing this same hypothesis of issue categories resulted in rejection for gender and education. In looking at the variance of all 33 issues combined, results show that individuals in Utah most likely to view issues with a higher sense of urgency were: female, low income, and residents with a lower level of educational attainment. A ranking of the 33 issues, as provided, could assist policy makers and professionals in knowing what issues Utah residents perceive as being the most pressing. Information gained from this study may assist policy makers in the allocation of funding for the variety of family related difficulties that Utah faces. The results from the analyses of variance may help explain public concern and interest relative to specific counties or communities. The study also identifies a method of identifying and prioritizing family-related issues. This method may be beneficial to other states in the nation.

abstract: Evolutionary and economic theories of fertility variation argue that novel subsistence opportunities associated with market economies shape reproduction in ways that both increase parental investment per child and lower overall fertility. I use demographic and ethnographic data from Guatemala as a case study to illustrate how ethnic inequalities in accessing market opportunities have shaped demographic variation and the perceptions of parental investments. I then discuss two projects that use secondary data sets to address issues of conceptualizing and operationalizing market opportunities in national and cross-population comparative work. The first argues that social relationships are critical means of accessing market opportunities, and uses Guatemala household stocks of certain forms of relational wealth are associated with greater parental investments in education. The second focuses on a methodological issue in how common measures of wealth in comparative demographic studies conflate economic capacity with market opportunities, and how this conceptual confusion biases our interpretations of the observed links between wealth and fertility over the course of the demographic transition. / Dissertation/Thesis / Doctoral Dissertation Anthropology 2019

The following study aims to examine the infant mortality in Kronoberg county in southern Sweden during four intervals 1820–1840, 1860–1880, 1900–1920 and 1930–1949, and thereby during the three latter stages of the demographic transition. The empirical data has been obtained from the region's central town, Växjö, and 16 different parishes on the countryside. As stated, the main issue is to study the development of infant mortality, but also to investigate whether there was any regional variation and whether the mortality was higher among the illegitimate children. The results show that infant mortality decreased from 173 to 35 per mille and that the urban parts of the study area initially had the highest mortality, but until the last interval it was lo­west in the urban environment. The highest infant mortality rate was observed among those born out of wedlock, which also declined from 262 to 65 per thousand throughout the studied periods.

There are many factors that affect academic achievement among first year college students in Saudi Arabia. The aim of this study was to improve our understanding of academic achievement of first year college students in Saudi Arabia by investigating the relationship between a selection of demographic, academic, and psychological variables and their effects on first-year students’ GPA. All first-year students admitted to the King Saud University in fall 2016 or spring 2017 were invited to complete a self-report survey. 1457 students have completed and submitted the survey. Multiple regression analysis was performed with all independent variables in order to determine whether there were any significant relations between the independent variables and academic achievement. Among the study variables, six variables predicted first-year students’ GPA. Those variables were high school, Saudi aptitude test, Saudi achievement test, gender, stress, and mother’s education level.

No description available.

Objectives The study aims to describe the socio-demographic characteristics, clinical outcomes of the patients in the Gauteng public sector roll-out programme and establish the association between these. There are contradictory results from international studies on these associations, in the absence of SA results. Methods This is a retrospective cohort, exploratory, secondary data, record review study and a comparison between two sites. Routinely collected socio-demographic data and clinical data were used to establish the impact of socio-demographic factors on response to HAART. This was collected for patients who enrolled from April 2004 to August 2004. Chris Hani Baragwanaath (CHB) had 494 records, Helen Joseph (HJ) had159 records collected. Exposure variables (age, sex, marital status, education level, residential area, employment, baseline viral load and baseline cd4 count). Outcome variables were (CD4 and Viral load at 3 months, 6 months and 12 months). Data Analysis T tests were used for comparing means; logistic regression was used to find the effect of ordered exposure variables and binary outcome. Chi square and fishers exact were used to find frequencies and association between the categorical variables. Regression was used to find the association between the continuous exposure variables and the continuous outcome variables. In a multivariate model, to assess the effect of the exposure variables to the outcome variables Multivariate regression was used. Statistical significance was assessed at the 5% significance level, giving 95% confidence interval. Results The majority of the patients (653) were female, African, unemployed and were literate. At CHB, at the end of the first year, three quarters were still on treatment however; just under a fifth (19%) had died. The majority responded well to treatment and had a mean baseline CD4 count of 58.9cells/mm3 (CHB) and 78.4cells/mm3 (HJ) and mean CD4 count of 245 (CHB) and 268 (HJ) after 12 months. increasing age, and being widowed, lowers the immunological response. Employment, education, sex and had no impact on response. Conclusion • There is positive virological and immunological response to HAART in Gauteng ARV roll-out programme despite the low socio economic status of the majority of the patients. • Provision of free antiretroviral drugs and access to the disability grant has assisted in mitigating the effects of HIV/ AIDS on the socio-economically disadvantaged. • The elderly and the widowed might need close monitoring as their response appears to be lower than the others. • The group with no schooling is not well represented in this sample; the question is whether the HIV/AIDS prevention messages and treatment is accessible for this group. This needs further research.

This report examines the influence of parent’s migration status on childhood mortality in sending households in the South African rural sub-district of Agincourt. A survival analysis of a cohort of children born in Agincourt between 1 January 1997 and 31 December 2003 was conducted using the Cox proportional hazards model to estimate the influence of parent’s migration status on under-5 year mortality. Starting with a baseline census in 1992, the Agincourt Health and Demographic Surveillance System (AHDSS) data are collected and updated every 12 months wherein fieldworkers visit each household at the site to record the vital events, including births, deaths, and migrations that occurred since the previous census. Results of the survival analysis show that children born in households where the father was a temporary migrant while the mother remained at the rural household had a 35% lower risk of death compared to children in households where both parents were non-migrant (RR=0.647, 95% CI 0.439-0.954). The results also reveal that, controlling for parent migration status, children in single-parent (mother only) households had about 28% higher death hazard than children in two-parent households (RR=1.284, 95% CI 0.936-1.673). The findings suggest that temporary labour migration could be a means to improving household incomes and quality of life for children, particularly where the father is a temporary migrant while the mother remains behind taking care of the children. At the same time, children whose fathers are not indicated appear to be worse off whether their parents are temporary migrants or not.