Socio-economic characteristics of the Cachoeira de Emas small-scale fishery in Mogi-Guaçu River, State of São Paulo, Brazil

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Estudo da distribuição dos casos de Diabetes Mellitus em Presidente Prudente - SP

The main causes of illness and consequent death in patients affected by Diabetes Mellitus are the long-term complications. Depression can make it harder to control the level of glucose in the blood, as well as intensifying and worsening the clinical complications, thus reducing the quality of life. The aim of this study was to estimate the incidence of Diabetes Mellitus in Public Health Clinic in Presidente Prudente (SP) in patients enrolled in the Hiper-Dia Program. From October 2003 to July 2004, a descriptive survey was carried out. Data were obtained from doctor's records of 50 diabetes patients and also their answers to a specific questionnaire. The majority of the patients were female, had not completed elementary school, with a family income below five minimum wages, a nationally-defined amount related to the poverty line. It was observed that 24% of the patients had depression and 76% never followed a controlled diet. Pharmacological treatment was prescribed for 82% of the patients. Twenty-eight patients were receiving psyicological treatment, together with oral hypoglycemic agents. The glycated hemoglobin was measured in 68%. The association between depression and submission to treatment was not significant. No statistical association was found between the psychologically assisted patient's group and glucose control (p= 0.40), diet control (p= 0.37) and physical activities (p= 0.77). It was concluded that 24% patients had depression and the majority not under diet control, but 82% were under pharmacological treatment.

Education and income distribution in urban Brazil, 1976-1996

Includes bibliography

Avaliação do estado nutricional de gestantes do município de Botucatu, quanto a macro e micro nutrientes em relação à renda no período de 1996-1998

Pós-graduação em Fisiopatologia em Clínica Médica - FMB

The role of the State and the quality of the public sector

Sectoral policies make explicit and implicit assumptions about the behaviour and capabilities of the agents (such as dynamic responses to market signals, demand-led assistance, collaborative efforts, participation in financing); which we consider to be rather unrealistic. Because of this lack of realism, policies that aim to be neutral often turn out to be highly exclusive. They fail to give sufficient importance to the special features of the sector -with its high climatic, biological and commercial risks and its slow adaptation- or to the fact that those who take decisions in agriculture are now mostly in an inferior position because of their incomes below the poverty line, their inadequate training, their traditions based on centuries of living in precarious conditions, and their geographical location in marginal areas, far from infrastructure and with only a minimum of services and sources of information. These people have only scanty and imperfect access to the markets which, according to the prevailing model, should govern decisions and the (re);distribution of the factors of production. In our opinion, this explains the patchy and lower-than-expected growth registered by the sector after the reforms to promote the liberalization of markets and external openness in the region. In view of the results of the application of the new model, it may be wondered whether Latin America can afford a form of development which excludes over half of its agricultural producers; what the alternatives are; and what costs and benefits each of them offers in terms of production and monetary, social, spatial and other aspects. The article outlines the changes in policies and their results at the aggregate level, summarizes the arguments usually put forward to explain agricultural performance in the region, and proposes a second set of explanations based on a description of the agents and the responses that may be expected from them, contrasting the latter with the supposedly neutral nature of the policies.

Transporte ferroviário urbano: a mobilidade da população da região sudeste de Teresina e o trem urbano

Pós-graduação em Geografia - IGCE

Rural development and communication: a community media project in Uttar Pradesh (India)

Loaded with 16% of the world’s population, India is a challenged country. More than a third of its citizens live below the poverty line - on less than a dollar a day. These people have no proper electricity, no proper drinking water supply, no proper sanitary facilities and well over 40% are illiterates. More than 65% live in rural areas and 60% earn their livelihood from agriculture. Only a meagre 3.63% have access to telephone and less than 1% have access to a computer. Therefore, providing access to timely information on agriculture, weather, social, health care, employment, fishing, is of utmost importance to improve the conditions of rural poor. After some introductive chapters, whose function is to provide a comprehensive framework – both theoretical and practical – of the current rural development policies and of the media situation in India and Uttar Pradesh, my dissertation presents the findings of the pilot project entitled “Enhancing development support to rural masses through community media activity”, launched in 2005 by the Department of Mass Communication and Journalism of the Faculty of Arts of the University of Lucknow (U.P.) and by the local NGO Bharosa. The project scope was to involve rural people and farmers from two villages of the district of Lucknow (namely Kumhrava and Barhi Gaghi) in a three-year participatory community media project, based on the creation, implementation and use of a rural community newspaper and a rural community internet centre. Community media projects like this one have been rarely carried out in India because the country has no proper community media tradition: therefore the development of the project has been a challenge for the all stakeholders involved.

Soil Erosion and Conservation in Global Agriculture

About one-sixth of the world’s land area, that is, about one-third of the land used for agriculture, has been affected by soil degradation in the historic past. While most of this damage was caused by water and wind erosion, other forms of soil degradation are induced by biological, chemical, and physical processes. Since the 1950s, pressure on agricultural land has increased considerably owing to population growth and agricultural modernization. Small-scale farming is the largest occupation in the world, involving over 2.5 billion people, over 70% of whom live below the poverty line. Soil erosion, along with other environmental threats, particularly affects these farmers by diminishing yields that are primarily used for subsistence. Soil and water conservation measures have been developed and applied on many farms. Local and science-based innovations are available for most agroecological conditions and land management and farming types. Principles and measures developed for small-scale as well as modern agricultural systems have begun to show positive impacts in most regions of the world, particularly in wealthier states and modern systems. Much more emphasis still needs to be given to small-scale farming, which requires external support for investment in sustainable land management technologies as an indispensable and integral component of farm activities.

Elimination of racial/ethnic Hepatitis B vaccination disparities in the US in the 2007--2008 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey

Viral hepatitis is a significant public health problem worldwide and is due to viral infections that are classified as Hepatitis A, B, C, D, and E. Hepatitis B is one of the five known hepatic viruses. A safe and effective vaccine for Hepatitis B was first developed in 1981, and became adopted into national immunization programs targeting infants since 1990 and adolescents since 1995. In the U.S., this vaccination schedule has led to an 82% reduction in incidence from 8.5 cases per 100,000 in 1990 to 1.5 cases per 100,000 in 2007. Although there has been a decline in infection among adolescents, there is still a large burden of hepatitis B infection among adults and minorities. There is very little research in regards to vaccination gaps among adults. Using the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) question "{Have you/Has SP (Study Participant)} ever received the 3-dose series of the hepatitis B vaccine?" the existence of racial/ethnic gaps using a cross-sectional study design was explored. In this study, other variables such as age, gender, socioeconomic variables (federal poverty line, educational attainment), and behavioral factors (sexual practices, self-report of men having sex with men, and intravenous drug use) were examined. We found that the current vaccination programs and policies for Hepatitis B had eliminated racial and ethnic disparities in Hepatitis B vaccination, but that a low coverage exists particularly for adults who engage in high risk behaviors. This study found a statistically significant 10% gap in Hepatitis B vaccination between those who have and those who do not have access to health insurance.^

Dimensions and determinants of upward mobility : a study based on longitudinal data from Delhi slums

This study based on two primary surveys of the same households in two different years (2007/08 and 2012) assesses the extent of inter-temporal change in income of the individual workers and makes an attempt to identify the factors which explain upward mobility in alternate econometric framework, envisaging endogeneity problem. It also encompasses a host of indicators of wellbeing and constructs the transition matrix to capture the extent of change over time at the household level. The findings are indicative of a rise in the income of workers across a sizeable percentage of households though many of them remained below the poverty line notwithstanding this increase. In fact, there is a wide spread deterioration in the wellbeing index constructed at the household level. Among several determinants of income rise two important policy prescriptions can be elicited. Inadequate education reduces the probability of upward mobility while education above a threshold level raises it. Savings are crucial for upward mobility impinging on the importance of asset creation. Views that entail neighbourhood spill-over effects also received validation. Besides, investment in housing and basic amenities turns out to be crucial for improvement in wellbeing levels.

Anaemia and vitamin A deficiency in poor urban pregnant women of Bangladesh

This cross-sectional study investigated the prevalence of anaemia and vitamin A deficiency (VAD) among pregnant women in a poor urban population of Bangladesh. It also examined the association of various socio-economic and dietary factors with anaemia and vitamin A status. A maternal and child health clinic in Dhaka city, Bangladesh was used to obtain the sample. Three hundred and eighty three pregnant women, aged 20-30 years, of 20-30 weeks gestation were randomly selected from women on their first presentation for antenatal care. Socio-economic, pregnancy related information, usual dietary pattern, and anthropometric data were collected. Blood haemoglobin and serum retinol (vitamin A) concentrations were determined. About 40% of the pregnant women were anaemic (haemoglobin <11.0 g/dl) and 45% had low serum vitamin A levels (<30 mug/dl); with 8.6% having sub-clinical VAD (serum retinol <20 μg/dl). The women with low serum vitamin A levels had 1.8 times greater risk of being anaemic than did the women with normal vitamin A status. Food frequency data revealed that a large proportion of these women did not consume egg (49%), milk (25%), meat (31%), liver (83%), large fish (32%), small fish (39%) and sweet pumpkin (52%) at all; while about 25% of the women reported consuming dark green leafy vegetables (DGLV) and 64% reported an intake of fruit at least four servings a week. The pregnant women who were either illiterate or received only informal education (up to grade ten) had significantly lower haemoglobin and serum vitamin A levels compared to those who completed at least a secondary school certificate. The women whose husbands were illiterate or received only informal education had significantly (P=0.01) lower serum vitamin A levels than those whose husbands had received at least a secondary school certificate. The women who came from families with a per-capita income below the poverty line had significantly lower haemoglobin and serum vitamin A levels compared to those who came from families with a per-capita income above the poverty line. The women who consumed three servings or less of DGLV and fruit per week had significantly lower haemoglobin and serum vitamin A levels than those who consumed four or more servings a week. The women who never consumed large fish had significantly lower haemoglobin compared to those who reported at least one serving a week. Furthermore, the women who never consumed sweet pumpkin had significantly lower serum vitamin A than the women who ate at least one serving a week. By multiple regression analysis, intake of meat, DGLV and fruit, and serum vitamin A levels were found to have a significant independent relationship with haemoglobin. The overall F-ratio (9.9) was highly significant (P=0.000), the adjusted R-square was 0.086 (multiple R=0.309). Multiple regression analysis for serum vitamin A also revealed a significant independent relationship with per capita income, haemoglobin levels, intakes of DGLV and sweet pumpkin. The overall F-ratio (10.2) was highly significant (P=0.000), the adjusted R-square was 0.10 (multiple R=0.312). In conclusion, anaemia and vitamin A deficiency were highly prevalent among poor urban pregnant women in Bangladesh. Various socio-economic and dietary factors may influence the anaemia and vitamin A status of these women. The present study emphasizes the need for a comprehensive intervention strategy, which include both nutritional and environmental factors, to improve the nutritional status of this population.

BOLSA FAMÍLIA: IMPORTANTE DETERMINANTE PARA A EDUCAÇÃO E CRESCIMENTO SOCIOECONÔMICO DO BRASIL

Esta dissertação trata de um tema relativamente novo, com literatura escassa, praticamente sem estudos teóricos que o abordem. Referenciais são encontrados em publicações feitas em seminários e palestras bem como em artigos e notas jornalísticas. Esta dissertação se trata de trabalho exploratório, analítico descritivo com base documental. O Programa Bolsa Família, tema central deste trabalho, é uma ferramenta para distribuição de renda que funciona de forma simples e tem sido efetiva para o atendimento de famílias que vivem abaixo da linha de pobreza. Ele é resultado da fusão de vários outros programas dispersos e com efetividade questionável Bolsa Escola, Auxílio Gás e Cartão Alimentação. O Programa Bolsa Família beneficia famílias em situação de pobreza com renda mensal de R$ 70 a R$ 140 per capita e em extrema pobreza com renda mensal abaixo de R$ 70 reais per capita. Também estabelece condicionalidades de educação e saúde. Atualmente, há cerca de 13 milhões de famílias inscritas no Programa Bolsa Família que cumprem as condições do Cadastro Único esta é praticamente a totalidade das famílias pobres segundo critérios do PNAD 2006 (Pesquisa Nacional de Domicílios). Na realidade, houve substancial injeção de recursos em áreas outrora relegadas ao acaso, criando novos consumidores, bem como empreendedores, além de atrair investimentos. Quanto à educação, nota-se que há redução do analfabetismo. Há um crescimento vegetativo do Índice de Desenvolvimento Humano (IDH) no qual o Brasil situa-se em 84⁰ lugar dentre as 187 nações controladas pelo PNUD (Programa das Nações Unidas para o Desenvolvimento) em 2011. As variáveis que compõem o índice crescem timidamente, destaca-se queda no item expectativa de escolaridade esperada das crianças em idade de ingresso na escola (no Brasil, aos seis anos), que caiu no período 2000-2011, esse fato pode indicar falha estrutural no ensino brasileiro. Esse estudo indica que há desenvolvimento socioeconômico em áreas carentes, particularmente na Região Nordeste. Observa-se também a reversão da migração que historicamente era de norte/nordeste a sudeste. Também nota-se redução da taxa de fecundidade das brasileiras, o que é vantajoso. O Brasil também está com a vantagem do Bônus demográfico , quando a população economicamente ativa supera a população dependente, o que é um excelente fator de crescimento por atrair investimentos. Apesar de melhorias observadas na década 2000-2010, elas ainda são insuficientes. Quanto ao desenvolvimento humano , o Brasil está muito distante das nações desenvolvidas, com IDH de 0,718, que cresceu na última década à taxa de 0,769% ao ano. Nesse ritmo, até alcançarmos o IDH norueguês -- primeiro colocado, ou o australiano -- segundo colocado, que é de 0,943 serão necessários 35/36 anos. Isso nos leva a pensar que, a não ser que o acaso nos ajude, o sonho de nos juntarmos aos primeiros é questionável. Com respeito ao Programa Bolsa Família, esse prova ser uma frente social para a eliminação da desigualdade, seus beneficiários eram classificados como pobres e extremamente pobres e foram resgatados.

The Methodology of the Subsistence Minimum Calculation for Developing Countries and its Computation on the Georgian Example

This article shows the social importance of subsistence minimum in Georgia. The methodology of its calculation is also shown. We propose ways of improving the calculation of subsistence minimum in Georgia and how to extend it for other developing countries. The weights of food and non-food expenditures in the subsistence minimum baskets are essential in these calculations. Daily consumption value of the minimum food basket has been calculated too. The average consumer expenditures on food supply and the other expenditures to the share are considered in dynamics. Our methodology of the subsistence minimum calculation is applied for the case of Georgia. However, it can be used for similar purposes based on data from other developing countries, where social stability is achieved, and social inequalities are to be actualized. ACM Computing Classification System (1998): H.5.3, J.1, J.4, G.3.

Are marginalized women being left behind? A population-based study of institutional deliveries in Karnataka, India

Background While India has made significant progress in reducing maternal mortality, attaining further declines will require increased skilled birth attendance and institutional delivery among marginalized and difficult to reach populations. Methods A population-based survey was carried out among 16 randomly selected rural villages in rural Mysore District in Karnataka, India between August and September 2008. All households in selected villages were enumerated and women with children 6 years of age or younger underwent an interviewer-administered questionnaire on antenatal care and institutional delivery. Results Institutional deliveries in rural areas of Mysore District increased from 51% to 70% between 2002 and 2008. While increasing numbers of women were accessing antenatal care and delivering in hospitals, large disparities were found in uptake of these services among different castes. Mothers belonging to general castes were almost twice as likely to have an institutional birth as compared to scheduled castes and tribes. Mothers belonging to other backward caste or general castes had 1.8 times higher odds (95% CI: 1.21, 2.89) of having an institutional delivery as compared to scheduled castes and tribes. In multivariable analysis, which adjusted for inter- and intra-village variance, Below Poverty Line status, caste, and receiving antenatal care were all associated with institutional delivery. Conclusion The results of the study suggest that while the Indian Government has made significant progress in increasing antenatal care and institutional deliveries among rural populations, further success in lowering maternal mortality will likely hinge on the success of NRHM programs focused on serving marginalized groups. Health interventions which target SC/ST may also have to address both perceived and actual stigma and discrimination, in addition to providing needed services. Strategies for overcoming these barriers may include sensitization of healthcare workers, targeted health education and outreach, and culturally appropriate community-level interventions. Addressing the needs of these communities will be critical to achieving Millennium Development Goal Five by 2015.

Renda e Pobreza entre Famílias no meio Rural do Nordeste

MARIANO, J. L. ; NEDER, H. D. . Renda e Pobreza entre Famílias no meio Rural do Nordeste. In: CONGRESSO DA SOCIEDADE BRASILEIRA DE ECONOMIA E SOCIOLGOGIA RURAL, 42., 2004, Cuiabá - MT. Anais... Cuiabá, 2004. Dinâmicas Setoriais e Desenvolvimento Regional.