A Research Report submitted to the School of Public Health, University of the Witwatersrand in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Public Health. May 27, 2015 / Introduction: Studies across Sub-Sahara have established transactional sex as one of the of the keys factors contributing to young people’s risk of HIV infection. However, there are few studies that have explored the dynamics of transactional sex among young people in Malawi. The aim of this study was to investigate the extent of, and risk factors associated with transactional sex among (in and out of school) young men and women of ages 18 – 23 years in urban informal settlements in Blantyre, Malawi. Methods: This was a secondary analysis of data from a cross-sectional study conducted in 2013 on sexual risk-taking among young people aged 18 – 23 years in urban informal settlements in the city of Blantyre, Malawi. The analysis was restricted to sexually active young men and women (those respondents who reported ever having sexual intercourse in the primary study). Bivariate and multivariate analyses were conducted to detect associations between socio-demographic factors (i.e. age, socio-economic status, relationship status and education, as well as behavioral factors (i.e. sexual debut, number of partners, age disparity with sexual partner, coercive sex and alcohol consumption), and transactional sex. Results: The majority (60.06%) of the study population reported involvement in transactional sex. Stratified by sex, 67.10% of young men had ever given cash or material goods in order to get sex, and 53.45% of young women had ever received cash or material goods in exchange for sex. Half (50.75%) of the transactional sex reported was in exchange for cash and consumption/lifestyle goods and from this, over half of the young women (58.67%) reported receiving consumption and lifestyle goods in exchange for sex, and slightly over a quarter (26.32%) of the young men reported giving survival needs in exchange for sex. Among men, household structure (AOR 2.07, 95% CI 1.37 – 3.13) and severe food insecurity (AOR 1.67, 95% CI 1.05 – 2.67) emerged as important socio-demographic predictors of transactional sex, and number of sexual partners (AOR 2.67, 95% CI 1.78 – 4.08) and age disparity (AOR 0.34, 95% CI 0.21 – 0.57) were shown to be the behavioral factors that influence giving cash/material goods for sex. Among young women, only age at sexual debut (AOR 2.07, 95% CI 1.37 – 3.13) and number of sexual partners (AOR 3.02, 95% CI 1.65 – 5.52), were significantly associated with receiving cash or goods in exchange for sex. Conclusions: Overall, the study findings show that transactional sex is a common practice among young men and women, and that both young and women exchange luxury or aspirational items more than survival items for sex. Among young men, household structure, food security, age at sexual debut, number of sexual partners and age differentials with sexual partner were associated with giving material goods or money for sex. Among women on the other hand, age at sexual debut and number of sexual partners were associated with receiving material goods or money in exchange with sex. These findings suggest that young people in poor urban settings engage in risky sexual behavior such as Transactional sex, and highlight the need for HIV prevention interventions to deliberately target this group. Programmers should consider designing interventions that suit the needs of the different gender groups. The study findings also highlight the importance of targeting young women with behavioral change interventions before sexual debut, and integrating transactional sex interventions with those focused on reduction of multiple sexual partnerships may have beneficial implications for transactional sex among young people in poor urban settings. Further research should explore the influence of materialist and consumeristic cultures on transactional sex among young people.

The 16th of August 2012, has inscribed a never to be forgotten 'moment' in the history of postapartheid South Africa when the South African Police Service (SAPS) opened fire on striking Lonmin (Pic) mine workers, killing 34 and injuring 78 in Marikana, North West Province. The workers were part of an unprecedented strike wave on the platinum belt, which had begun at Impala Platinum Holdings (Implats) at the beginning of 2012, spread to Lonmin that August and to Anglo American Platinum (Am plats) in September. At the heart ofthe strikes was the demand for a 'living wage'- a clarion call that would be taken up by workers at other platinum mines, the gold, coal, transport and agriculture sectors and for a short while left the country in political and economic turmoil .This platinum belt strike wave was not led by the unions but by workers themselves. Workers emphatically refused to be represented by their unions and opted to form alternative structures of representation called the independent workers committees. This thesis examines these structures and the deadly contestation over representation that developed. It analyses the driving forces behind these committees, why they were formed, how they were formed and how they managed to self-organise, mobilise the mine workers, and engage directly in negotiations with management. This thesis argues, that a close examination of the workers committees is seminal to understanding the current nature of the South African working class and whether it is reasserting democratic control over trade union organisation, and whether the workers' committees represent a challenge to the corporatist arrangements that have underpinned the post-apartheid 'social contract' between labour and capital mediated through the state, since 1994.

Thesis (M.S.)--Boston University / PLEASE NOTE: Boston University Libraries did not receive an Authorization To Manage form for this thesis or dissertation. It is therefore not openly accessible, though it may be available by request. If you are the author or principal advisor of this work and would like to request open access for it, please contact us at open-help@bu.edu. Thank you. / 2031-01-01

Thesis (M.A.)--Boston University / Much of the literature dealing with employment in seasonal industries with sharp peaks or short active seasons states or implies that all such industries employ, mostly, temporar.y entrants to the labor force during their active seasons who withdraw when that season is over. This seems to be an e~ension of the observation of the practice in summer resort and other industries with a short summer peak to all (resort and other) industries with short active seasons. It is questionable whether this is actually true for seasonal winter resort industries, particularly in non-urban areas. This study proposes to examine the labor supplies of a winter seasonal industry with a test of that assumption in view. It is proposed, also, that the concepts of primary and secondary members of the labor force, introduced by Wilcock, be utilized in the study. Such concepts which differentiate between workers who belong regularly to the labor force and those who enter and leave at various intervals should prove useful when dealing with seasonal employment and seasonal workers [TRUNCATED]

Thesis (M.S.)--Boston University / PLEASE NOTE: Boston University Libraries did not receive an Authorization To Manage form for this thesis or dissertation. It is therefore not openly accessible, though it may be available by request. If you are the author or principal advisor of this work and would like to request open access for it, please contact us at open-help@bu.edu. Thank you. / 2031-01-02

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Boston University / PLEASE NOTE: Boston University Libraries did not receive an Authorization To Manage form for this thesis or dissertation. It is therefore not openly accessible, though it may be available by request. If you are the author or principal advisor of this work and would like to request open access for it, please contact us at open-help@bu.edu. Thank you. / We have investigated whether or not the behaviors of individuals who are differentially ranked along a consistency dimension within a profession are parallel to the behavior of similar categories in the population as a whole. We also examined the utility of the status inconsistency variable for the prediction of selected role behaviors of those within the social work profession. The three indices selected on which individuals were ranked on a high-low continuum were education, ethnicity and job position. The social work literature revealed that these three measures were related to differences in prestige and esteem within the profession. The population studied included all social workers who were charter members of the Eastern Massachusetts Chapter of the professional association - The National Association of Social Workers - who were (1) members of specialty sections or subdivisions of the chapter, and (2) who were employed in nonhospital settings. Data were gathered by means of mailed questionnaires. Seventy-six per cent of the population replied, and these respondents are shown to be representative of the entire group. Comparable scales for each of the three vertical hierarchies, education, job position and ethnicity, were established. The relative position of respondents in the several hierarchies were compared. On the basis of the information, the sample was divided into the two subgroups of consistents and inconsistents. We predicted that within the profession the inconsistents would be subjected to more stresses and strains than the consistents, and would more often deviate from the norms of the overall profession. The analysis reveals statistically significant differences between the major groups of consistents and inconsistents for two of the three categories of hypotheses. These were (a) those hypotheses patterned after Lenski 's findings in his pionee·ring study of status consistency and (b) those hypotheses dealing with satisfaction within the profession. We did not find significant differences between the two subgroups for a third group of hypotheses (c), those dealing with strength of identification with the profession. Our findings confirm Lenski 1s results in showing the utility of status inconsistency as an explanatory variable for political behavior and for voluntary association patterns. Compared with consistents, inconsistents are more politically liberal, participate less often in voluntary associations and, when they do participate in such associations, more often express 11nonsociable" reasons for membership. We also demonstrate that status inconsistency is one explanation as to why the traditional view of professions as a relatively homogeneous community is not always tenable. Inconsistents appear to derive less satisfaction from the practice of social work, to be less inclined to view social work as a terminal occupation and to have more unhappy experiences within the profession. Further analysis and significance tests concerning the three components of the status consistency index, education, job, and ethnicity were made. Overall the subvariable analysis did not invalidate the explanatory power of the composite concept of inconsistency. / 2031-01-01

Typescript (photocopy). / Digitized by Kansas Correctional Industries

Thesis (MPH) -- University of Limpopo, 2011. / Background: Health care workers (HCWs) are prone to occupational exposures to blood-borne viruses (BBVs), which include hepatitis B virus (HBV), hepatitis C virus (HCV), and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Post exposure prophylaxis (PEP) is available for both HBV and HIV, and if administered correctly can reduce the risk of HBV and HIV transmission by 80%. This study investigated the knowledge and practices of HCWs regarding PEP for BBVs at Medunsa Oral Health Care Centre (MOHC). Methods: This was a cross sectional study conducted among 166 HCWs at the MOHC using a self-administered, anonymous questionnaire on knowledge and practices of HCWs regarding PEP for BBVs. Binary logistic regression method was used to determine factors associated with reporting an occupational exposure and uptake of PEP. Results: The response rate was 67%. The mean age was 27yrs (SO =7.67yrs), and 68.7% of . respondents were female. The overall knowledge regarding PEP among the HCWs was inadequate as 46.9% had poor knowledge. The majority (77.7% [128/166]) of HCWs experienced occupational exposures and amongst them 39.0% (50/128) experienced it twice or more. Almost two-thirds (60.9%) of HCWs experienced an occupational exposure while performing scaling and polishing. Only 28.9% (37/128) of those who were potentially exposed to a BBV reported the incident to the authorities. Out of those who reported, 37% (14/37) took PEP for HIV, and 32.4% (12/37) took PEP for HBV. Among those taking HIV PEP, 21.4% (3/14) indicated that they completed the course. HCWs who haq five or more years of experience j were less likely (OR=0.138, p=0.043) to report compared to those who had less than five years of experience. Conclusion: Overall, participants' knowledge regarding PEP as well as reporting of an exposure was inadequate. The majority of HCWs experienced an occupational exposure while performing scaling and polishing.

This exegesis describes and interprets a body of work produced by the writer from 1991 until 2001. This work includes three State Government reports and a commentary on the Workers Compensation and Rehabilitation Act 1981 (WA) contained in a Loose-leaf service published by Butterworths. In addition four refereed journal articles are included to complement the final report completed in 200l.This work shows the progressive development of a framework to describe the Western Australian compensation system. The first report, completed in 1991, explores the links between the resolution of disputed compensation claims and other elements of the compensation system. The second report, completed in 1999, is concerned with the issue of cost containment within the compensation system and the final report, completed in 2001, combines the insights of the previous two reports with the work of other commentators to develop a broad holistic framework for a compensation system in Western Australia. Underpinning the compilation of the three government reports is the legal analysis contained in the Workers Compensation Western Australia Loose-leaf service. These works, taken together with the four journal articles, evidence a link between theory and practice which provides the framework for a holistic approach to workers compensation in Western Australia.

Thesis (M. Phil.)--University of Hong Kong, 2006. / Title proper from title frame. Also available in printed format.