Socioeconomic Indicators (socioeconomic + indicator)

Distribution by Scientific Domains


Selected Abstracts


Beehive fence deters crop-raiding elephants

AFRICAN JOURNAL OF ECOLOGY, Issue 2 2009
Lucy E. King
Abstract Previous work has shown that African elephants Loxodonta africana will avoid African honeybees Apis mellifera scutellata. Here we present results from a pilot study conducted to evaluate the concept of using beehives to mitigate elephant crop depredation. In Laikipia, Kenya, we deployed a 90-m fence-line of nine inter-connected hives, all empty, on two exposed sides of a square two-acre farm that was experiencing high levels of elephant crop depredation. Compared with a nearby control farm of similar status and size, our experimental farm experienced fewer raids and consequently had higher productivity. Socioeconomic indicators suggest that not only was the concept of a beehive fence popular and desired by the community but also that it can pay for its construction costs through the sale of honey and bee products. We are calling for experiments testing this concept of a ,guardian beehive-fence' to be conducted rigorously and scientifically in as wide a range of agricultural settings as possible to evaluate jointly its effectiveness and efficiency. Résumé Des travaux antérieurs ont montré que les éléphants africains Loxodonta africanaévitent les abeilles africaines Apis mellifera scutellata. Nous présentons ici les résultats d'une étude pilote réalisée pour évaluer le concept consistant à utiliser des ruches pour réduire la destruction des cultures par les éléphants. A Laikipia, au Kenya, nous avons installé une barrière de 90 m. de long composée de neuf ruches interconnectées, toutes vides, sur deux côtés exposés d'une ferme carrée de deux acres (arpents) dont les cultures subissaient une forte déprédation causée par les éléphants. Comparée à une ferme contrôle voisine, de statut et de taille comparables, notre ferme expérimentale a subi moins de raids et a donc eu une meilleure productivité. Des indicateurs socioéconomiques suggèrent que non seulement le concept de barrière en ruches était populaire et souhaité par la communauté, mais qu'il peut même couvrir les frais de sa propre construction grâce à la vente de miel et autres produits dérivés. Nous sollicitons que des expériences soient faites pour tester ce concept de « clôture en ruches » de façon rigoureuse et scientifique, dans une gamme aussi étendue que possible d'installations agricoles, afin d'évaluer son efficacité et sa faisabilité. [source]


Socioeconomic indicators and prosthetic replacement of missing teeth in a working-age population,Results of the Study of Health in Pomerania (SHIP)

COMMUNITY DENTISTRY AND ORAL EPIDEMIOLOGY, Issue 2 2009
Torsten Mundt
Abstract,,, Objectives:, To analyse the possible effects of the socioeconomic status (SES) on the prosthetic replacement of missing teeth in working-age people and to explore the role of potential confounders. Methods:, Cross-sectional data were collected from 2310 German adults aged 30,59 years. The relationship between each of the three SES indicators (education, income, and occupational status) and dental prostheses were examined by multinomial logistic regression analyses. For that, partially dentate participants with suboptimal and no replacement of missing teeth were compared with partially dentate participants having optimal replacement. Potential confounders (age, sex, dental status, social network and social support) were entered if their inclusion in the model led to ,10% change in the coefficient of interest. Results:, Social network and social support did not meet the criterion for confounding. In the maxilla, having no replacement was positively associated with lower categories for each of the three SES indicators [Odds ratios (OR) between 1.6 and 2.1; 95% confidence intervals (CI) between 1.1 and 3.4]. Low occupational status was the single predictor for suboptimal dental prostheses (OR = 3.2; 95% CI: 1.6,6.2). In the mandible, occupational status showed no association with the prosthetic status, whereas low educational level and low household income were determinants for having no replacement (OR = 1.9 and 1.9, 95% CI: 1.0,3.5 and 1.1,3.0, respectively). Low household income was the single determinant for suboptimal replacement of missing teeth (OR = 2.4, 95% CI = 1.1,5.2). Conclusion:, The findings may indicate the relevance of the financing of prosthodontic treatment. The strong association between various forms of upper dentures and occupational prestige can be seen as key contributing concept to how individuals, characteristics affect the outcome in prosthodontic care. [source]


Targeting Conservation Action through Assessment of Protection and Exurban Threats

CONSERVATION BIOLOGY, Issue 6 2003
DAVID M. THEOBALD
I developed a methodology to assess the level of threat to conservation of biodiversity to help guide conservation action. This method incorporates socioeconomic indicators of risk, including developed and roaded areas, and measures the proportion of conservation lands affected by developed areas. In addition, I developed a metric called conservation potential to measure the degree of fragmentation of patches caused by development. As an illustration I applied this methodology to Colorado (U.S.A.). Protection levels were determined by examining land ownership, resulting in protected lands (status levels 1 and 2) and unprotected lands (status levels 3 and 4). Areas were considered threatened (at risk) if a land-cover patch had >20% roaded area, >15% developed area, or was highly fragmented. Although 24 of 43 natural land-cover types were unprotected (49% of the state), 9 additional types were threatened. Combining conservation-status protection levels with patterns of threat targets the geographic area where conservation action is needed, provides a way to determine where so-called protected areas are at risk, and allows conservation strategies to be better refined. Resumen: Las evaluaciones de biodiversidad a nivel de paisaje se esfuerzan por proporcionar información para la planificación del uso del suelo y actividades de conservación mediante datos sobre áreas de alto valor de biodiversidad y bajo estatus de protección. Desarrollé una metodología para evaluar el nivel de amenaza para la conservación de la biodiversidad para ayudar a guiar acciones de conservación. Este método incorpora indicadores socioeconómicos de riesgo, incluyendo áreas desarrolladas y con caminos, y mide la proporción de tierras de conservación afectadas por áreas desarrolladas. Adicionalmente, desarrollé una medida llamada potencial de conservación para cuantificar el grado de fragmentación debido al desarrollo. Como un ejemplo, apliqué esta metodología a Colorado (E. U. A). Los niveles de protección se determinaron examinando la propiedad, resultando en tierras protegidas (niveles 1 y 2) y no protegidas (niveles 3 y 4). Las áreas se consideraron amenazadas (en riesgo) si tenían >20% de su superficie con caminos, >15% del área desarrollada o si estaban muy fragmentadas. Aunque 24 de los 43 tipos de cobertura natural no estaban protegidos (49% del estado), 9 más estaban amenazados. La combinación de estatus de conservación y niveles de protección con patrones de amenazas identifica al área geográfica donde se requieren acciones de conservación, proporciona una forma de examinar donde están en riesgo las llamadas áreas protegidas y permite que las estrategias de conservación sean mejor ajustadas. [source]


Black and White Differences in Cognitive Function Test Scores: What Explains the Difference?

JOURNAL OF AMERICAN GERIATRICS SOCIETY, Issue 12 2004
Kala M. Mehta DSc
Several studies have reported that older black and Latino adults have lower cognitive function test scores than older white adults, but few have comprehensively examined reasons for score differences. This study evaluates whether differences in health and socioeconomic indicators, including literacy level, can explain differences in cognitive function test scores between older black and white adults. [source]


Food patterns and socioeconomic indicators of food consumption amongst Inuvialuit in the Canadian Arctic

JOURNAL OF HUMAN NUTRITION & DIETETICS, Issue 2010
E. Erber
Abstract Background:, Inuvialuit in the Canadian Arctic have been experiencing a nutrition transition resulting in a decrease in nutrient-dense food consumption, which may, in part, explain this population's increasing chronic disease rates. Because the available literature is limited, the present study aimed to document the extent of this transition by examining current dietary patterns and socioeconomic factors affecting food group consumption. Methods:, This cross-sectional study was conducted in three Inuvialuit communities in the Northwest Territories between 2007 and 2008. A validated food frequency questionnaire determined intake frequency of fruit and vegetables (FV), traditional foods (TF) and non-nutrient-dense foods (NNDF). Socioeconomic status (SES) was assessed by questions on education, ownership of items in working condition used to create a Material Style of Life (MSL) scale and residents in household employed/on income support. Daily intake frequencies were compared by gender and age group using Wilcoxon rank sum test. SES association with food group intake was determined using logistic regression. Results:, The response rate was 65,85%. One hundred and seventy-five participants were female and 55 were male, aged 19,84 years [mean (SD) 44 (14)]. Mean frequencies of FV and TF consumption were 1.6 (1.5) and 1.6 (1.7) times per day, respectively. NNDF were reported 9.2 (3.0) times per day. The highest MSL score (>12) was significantly associated with higher fruit (,0.7 times per day) and higher TF intake (,1.1 times per day) compared with the lowest score (,7). An intermediate MSL score (8,12) was related to higher vegetable consumption (,0.4 times per day). Conclusions:, NNDF were consumed approximately seven times more frequently than TF in the present study, indicating that the dietary transition is well underway amongst Inuvialuit. Participants with higher SES were more likely to consume nutrient-dense foods, suggesting possible cost barriers. [source]


Modeling Socioeconomic Class in Variationist Sociolinguistics

LINGUISTICS & LANGUAGE COMPASS (ELECTRONIC), Issue 5 2009
Robin Dodsworth
Modeling socioeconomic class has been a persistent challenge in the analysis of sociolinguistic variation. While early stratificational models formulated on the basis of socioeconomic indicators such as income, occupation, and area of residence revealed compelling patterns of linguistic variation, they were critiqued for their lack of explanatory power at the interactional level and for their marginalization of those without paid employment. Subsequent models have employed cross-disciplinary concepts such as the linguistic market, social networks, and communities of practice, prioritizing local social distinctions that are understood to reflect or even constitute abstract structural categories such as ,working class' or ,middle class'. It is argued that a full socioeconomic class paradigm for sociolinguistics would also theorize class at the aggregate level, and to this end, sociological class models may prove useful. Contemporary sociological class analysis at the level of social practice offers additional avenues for interfacing with sociology. [source]


Sociodemographic determinants of growth among Malian adolescent females

AMERICAN JOURNAL OF HUMAN BIOLOGY, Issue 3 2010
Timothy F. Leslie
In Africa, research concerning the social determinants of poor nutritional status has typically focused on children under 5 years of age and has used defined categorical boundaries based on international reference standards. In this article, stunting and wasting of 1,157 Malian adolescent girls is measured through both categorical and continuous data. The focus on adolescent girls is significant because there is relatively little literature examining this group, and because adolescence marks the time when girls gain greater workload responsibilities, autonomy of food choices, and, as a result of the adolescent growth spurt, require the greatest amount of caloric intake respective to their weight since infancy. To differentiate stunting and wasting causes, a number of socioeconomic, geographic, and demographic factors are explored. The findings suggest that continuous data provides a basis for modeling stunting and wasting superior to utilizing international reference categories. Estimations show that decreasing age, the presence of servants, a greater number of wives in a compound, and residence in a large urban area correlate with improved nutritional status while wealthier families appear to correlate with greater stunting and wasting, and no correlation exists with estimated energy expenditure. Future studies should incorporate continuous data, and the need exists for greater analysis of social determinants of growth indicators among adolescent females. Further, these findings have significant implications in the development of nutrition intervention programs aimed at the vulnerable population in Mali, leading us to conclude that factors beyond socioeconomic indicators such as household structure and location should be more fully examined. Am. J. Hum. Biol., 2010. © 2009 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source]


Region of birth, income and breastfeeding in a Swedish county

ACTA PAEDIATRICA, Issue 11 2009
T Wallby
Abstract Aim:, To study the relationship between maternal region of birth, disposable income and breastfeeding initiation and duration. Methods:, The study population consisted of 12 197 term born, singleton infants, born 1997,2001 in the county of Uppsala. Data on breastfeeding at 1 week, 6 months and 12 months were collected from the register of statistics of the Child Health Care Unit in Uppsala and socioeconomic indicators from Swedish national registers. Multivariate analysis was conducted using Cox regression. Results:, No influence of disposable income or region of birth on breastfeeding initiation was observed. Breastfeeding rates at 6 months were lower for mothers with disposable incomes in quartile 1,3 compared with mothers with the highest incomes in quartile 4 (hazard ratios (HRs) 0.88,0.90, adjusted HRs 0.92). The breastfeeding rates at 12 months were higher for mothers born in all regions compared with mothers born in Sweden (HRs 1.25,2.45, adjusted HRs 1.20,2.14). Conclusions:, The findings in the present study show that disposable income is a strong predictor for breastfeeding at 6 months in the Swedish context. Region of birth of the mother predicted long term breastfeeding, ,12 months. This calls for professionals in the maternity and child health care to pay extra attention to breastfeeding in low-income mothers in all ethnic groups. [source]