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Fertility transition and socioeconomic development in districts of India, 2001–2016 J. Biosoc. Sci. (IF 1.207) Pub Date : 2021-01-19 Sayantani Chatterjee; Sanjay K. Mohanty
The fertility–development relationship is bi-directional, context-specific, multi-phased and inconsistent over time. Indian districts provide an ideal setting to study this association due to their size, diversity and disparity in socioeconomic development. The objective of this study was to understand the association of fertility and socioeconomic development among the 640 districts of India. Data
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Association of basic vaccination with cognitive and learning ability among children: insights from the India Human Development Survey, 2004–05 and 2011–12 J. Biosoc. Sci. (IF 1.207) Pub Date : 2021-01-13 William Joe; Ajay Kumar Verma
Basic vaccination is important to protect children from infectious diseases and illnesses. Adequate levels of vaccination coverage reduce the morbidity and mortality burden among children and promote their physical and mental development. This study aimed to assess the association between basic childhood vaccination and the cognitive and learning ability of school children in India. Nationally representative
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Induced abortion in Ghana: prevalence and associated factors J. Biosoc. Sci. (IF 1.207) Pub Date : 2021-01-11 Ololade Julius Baruwa; Acheampong Yaw Amoateng; Elizabeth Biney
The termination of unwanted pregnancies is a growing health-related issue around the world. This study used the 2017 Ghana Maternal Health Survey to examine the factors associated with the prevalence of induced abortion in Ghana. The study sample included 18,116 women of reproductive age who had a pregnancy in the 5 years preceding the survey. A multivariate logistic regression technique was applied
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Family planning communication through mass media and health workers for promoting maternal health care utilization in Nigeria J. Biosoc. Sci. (IF 1.207) Pub Date : 2020-12-18 Sanni Yaya; Ghose Bishwajit
Studies have demonstrated that health communication programmes, through community health workers or mass media, are a key strategy to promote awareness and uptake of essential maternal health services. This study investigated whether or not family planning communication through mass media and health workers has any association with maternal health care utilization uptake in Nigeria. Cross-sectional
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A success story of reduction in childhood stunting and underweight in India: analysis of pooled data from three rounds of Indian Demographic and Health Surveys (1998–2016) J. Biosoc. Sci. (IF 1.207) Pub Date : 2020-12-14 Swati Srivastava; Ashish Kumar Upadhyay
This study used a series of individual-level datasets from National Family Health Surveys conducted in 1998–99, 2005–06 and 2015–16 to assess the factors behind the reduction in childhood stunting and underweight in India between the years 1998–99 and 2015–16. A multivariable decomposition regression analysis was performed. Results showed that the prevalence of childhood stunting declined from 49.4%
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Does where mothers live matter? Regional variations in factors influencing place of child delivery in Nigeria J. Biosoc. Sci. (IF 1.207) Pub Date : 2020-12-11 Tunde A. Alabi; Sonnen Atinge; Chibuike Ejim; Samuel O. Adejoh
Utilization of health care facilities for child delivery is associated with improved maternal and neonatal outcomes, but less than half of mothers use these for child delivery in Nigeria. This study investigated the factors associated with facility delivery in Nigeria, and their variation between the Northern and Southern parts of the country – two regions with distinct socio-cultural make-ups. The
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Inter-relationships between percentage body fat, relative subischial leg length and body mass index among adolescents and adults from the Limbu community of Darjeeling, West Bengal J. Biosoc. Sci. (IF 1.207) Pub Date : 2020-12-09 Sudip Datta Banik
Leg length in humans is considered to be an indicator of the long-term impact of quality of childhood living conditions and nutritional status. The main objective of this study was to evaluate the magnitude of association of percentage body fat (PBF) with relative subischial leg length (RSLL), adjusting for age, sex and body mass index (BMI), among adolescents and adults in a population of poor socioeconomic
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Grandmaternal investment and early childhood injury: the role of X-chromosomal relatedness J. Biosoc. Sci. (IF 1.207) Pub Date : 2020-12-07 Antti O. Tanskanen; Mirkka Danielsbacka
Evolutionary theory posits that grandmothers can increase their inclusive fitness by investing time and resources in their grandchildren. According on the X-linked grandmother hypothesis, the asymmetric inheritance of X-chromosomes should be responsible for the biased effect of the investment by maternal and paternal grandmothers towards granddaughters and grandsons. The British Millennium Cohort Study
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Influence of women’s empowerment indices on the utilization of skilled maternity care: evidence from rural Nigeria J. Biosoc. Sci. (IF 1.207) Pub Date : 2020-12-02 Lorretta Favour C. Ntoimo; Friday E. Okonofua; Josephine Aikpitanyi; Sanni Yaya; Ermel Johnson; Issiaka Sombie; Olabisi Aina; Wilson Imongan
There is increasing evidence that women with the ability to exercise control over their sexual and reproductive lives have greater access to prompt prevention and treatment of maternal health disorders, resulting in a concomitant reduction in maternal morbidity and mortality. This study assessed the association between indices of women’s empowerment and utilization of skilled antenatal, intrapartum
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Intimate partner sexual violence against women in Sylhet, Bangladesh: some risk factors J. Biosoc. Sci. (IF 1.207) Pub Date : 2020-11-20 Md. Shahidul Islam
Intimate partner sexual violence (IPSV) is considered to be a multifarious critical problem in Bangladesh. This study explored the IPSV correlates in Bangladesh with a specific focus on a rural setting. Cross-sectional survey data were collected from 250 randomly selected married women aged 15–49 years in Kandigoan Union Parishad, Sylhet Sadar Upazila, Bangladesh in 2017. Chi-squared tests and multiple
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Poverty, dowry and the ‘good match’: revisiting community perceptions and practices of child marriage in a rural setting in Bangladesh J. Biosoc. Sci. (IF 1.207) Pub Date : 2020-11-17 Kazi Nazrul Fattah; Suborna Camellia
The high prevalence of child marriage in many South Asian countries is usually attributed to poverty, lack of access to education and economic opportunities and gender inequitable cultural norms. Yet in Bangladesh, despite economic growth, mass female education and concerted efforts to eliminate child marriage, its prevalence remains very high. This paper explores community-level perceptions, attitudes
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Child marriage, climate vulnerability and natural disasters in coastal Bangladesh J. Biosoc. Sci. (IF 1.207) Pub Date : 2020-11-16 M. Niaz Asadullah; Kazi Md Mukitul Islam; Zaki Wahhaj
This study examined the nature and correlates of child marriage in eight villages in climate-affected coastal Bangladesh using a mixed-methods approach: focus group discussions and in-depth qualitative interviews of female victims of child marriage as well as quantitative data collected using structured interviews of households. More than two-thirds of the qualitative survey respondents had encountered
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Risk factors for Caesarean sections in Ghana: evidence from the Ghana Maternal Health Survey J. Biosoc. Sci. (IF 1.207) Pub Date : 2020-11-12 Emmanuel Banchani; Eric Y. Tenkorang
A Caesarean section can be a life-saving intervention in case of pregnancy complications or difficult labour. The prevalence of Caesarean section continues to increase, especially in sub-Saharan Africa, yet the reasons for this remain largely unexplored. This study investigated risk factors contributing to the decision to perform Caesarean sections in Ghana using data from 8645 women aged 15–49 years
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Deprivation or discrimination? Comparing two explanations for the reverse income–obesity gradient in the US and South Korea J. Biosoc. Sci. (IF 1.207) Pub Date : 2020-11-06 SeungYong Han; Daniel Hruschka
In high-income countries, poverty is often associated with higher average body mass index (BMI). To account for this reverse gradient, deprivation theories posit that declining economic resources make it more difficult to maintain a healthy weight. By contrast, discrimination theories argue that anti-fat discrimination in hiring and marriage sorts heavier individuals into lower-income households. This
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Trends in and determinants of neonatal and infant mortality in Nigeria based on Demographic and Health Survey data J. Biosoc. Sci. (IF 1.207) Pub Date : 2020-10-29 Kamalesh Kumar Patel; Jang Bahadur Prasad; Rajeshwari A. Biradar
This study aimed to assess the changes in neonatal and infant mortality rates in Nigeria over the period 1990 to 2018 using Nigerian Demographic and Health Survey (NDHS) data, and assess their socio-demographic determinants using data from the most recent survey conducted in 2018. The infant mortality rate was 87 per 1000 live births in 1990, and this increased to 100 per 1000 live births in 2003 –
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Factors influencing women’s decisions regarding birth planning in a rural setting in Kenya and their implications for family planning programmes J. Biosoc. Sci. (IF 1.207) Pub Date : 2020-10-23 Francis Obare; George Odwe; John Cleland
Evidence suggests that socio-cultural barriers that limit the ability of women in sub-Saharan Africa to make decisions regarding contraceptive use and childbearing contribute to the slow uptake of contraception in this region. This paper explores factors influencing women’s decisions regarding contraceptive uptake, switching and discontinuation, and the implications of those decisions for family planning
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Multilevel influences of women’s empowerment and economic resources on risky sexual behaviour among young women in Zomba district, Malawi J. Biosoc. Sci. (IF 1.207) Pub Date : 2020-10-20 Melissa Ward-Peterson; Kristopher Fennie; Sarah Baird; Stefany Coxe; Mary Jo Trepka; Purnima Madhivanan
Gender disparities are pronounced in Zomba district, Malawi. Among women aged 15–49 years, HIV prevalence is 16.8%, compared with 9.3% among men of the same age. Complex structural factors are associated with risky sexual behaviour leading to HIV infection. This study’s objective was to explore associations between multilevel measures of economic resources and women’s empowerment with risky sexual
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Mother’s education level is associated with anthropometric failure among 3- to 12-year-old rural children in Purba Medinipur, West Bengal, India J. Biosoc. Sci. (IF 1.207) Pub Date : 2020-10-15 Pikli Khanra; Kaushik Bose; Raja Chakraborty
Maternal education plays a central role in children’s health and nutrition. Living conditions and socioeconomic status are linked with mother’s education, which in turn determines the health and development of a child. The Composite Index of Anthropometric Failure (CIAF) is a single indicator that reflects overall rate of three conventional indices of undernutrition: underweight, stunting and wasting
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Overweight/obesity among 15- to 24-year-old women in Ghana: 21-year trend, future projections and socio-demographic correlates J. Biosoc. Sci. (IF 1.207) Pub Date : 2020-10-15 Derek Anamaale Tuoyire
Although developing countries are experiencing some of the fastest rises in the prevalence of adult overweight and obesity, little is known about the pace of the problem among young people in transition from adolescence to adulthood. This study examined the trend and associated socio-demographic predictors of overweight/obesity (BMI ≥25kg/m2) from 1993 to 2014 among women aged 15–24 years in Ghana
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Post-abortion fertility desires, contraceptive uptake and unmet need for family planning: voices of post-abortion care clients in Tanzania J. Biosoc. Sci. (IF 1.207) Pub Date : 2020-10-14 Colin Baynes; Erick Yegon; Grace Lusiola; Japhet Achola; Rehema Kahando
Post-abortion care (PAC) integrates elements of care that are vital for women’s survival after abortion complications with intervention components that aid women in controlling their fertility, and provides an optimal window of opportunity to help women meet their family planning goals. Yet, incorporating quality family planning services remains a shortcoming of PAC services, particularly in low- and
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A qualitative examination of men’s participation in contraceptive use and its barriers in Tehran J. Biosoc. Sci. (IF 1.207) Pub Date : 2020-10-14 Reyhaneh Bagheri; Rashidah Shuib; Premalatha Karupiah; Panteá Farvid; Farideh Khalajabadi-Farahani
From 1989 to 2014, Iran was known as a country with a successful family planning programme, and has experienced a sharp decline in fertility over recent decades. This led to the introduction of pronatalist policies in 2014 and the restriction of family planning services. The aim of this study was to explore men’s views on their access to contraceptive information and services and the socio-cultural
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Understanding hard-to-reach communities: local perspectives and experiences of trachoma control among the pastoralist Maasai in northern Tanzania. J. Biosoc. Sci. (IF 1.207) Pub Date : 2020-09-25 Tara B Mtuy,Kevin Bardosh,Jeremiah Ngondi,Upendo Mwingira,Janet Seeley,Matthew Burton,Shelley Lees
As progress to eliminate trachoma is made, addressing hard-to-reach communities becomes of greater significance. Areas in Tanzania, inhabited by the Maasai, remain endemic for trachoma. This study assessed the effectiveness of Mass Drug Administration (MDA) through an ethnographic study of trachoma amongst a Maasai community. The MDA experience in the context of the livelihoods of the Maasai in a changing
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Rising burden of overweight and obesity among Indian adults: empirical insights for public health preparedness. J. Biosoc. Sci. (IF 1.207) Pub Date : 2020-09-23 Rajesh Kumar Rai,Chandan Kumar,Lucky Singh,Prashant Kumar Singh,Subhendu Kumar Acharya,Shalini Singh
With simultaneous efforts to address a huge burden of malnutrition, especially among children and younger women, India also encounters a mushrooming prevalence of overweight and obesity among the adult population. This study analysed data from two consecutive rounds of the National Family Health Survey (NFHS) conducted in 2005–06 and 2015–16, to present the burden of overweight and obesity among adult
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Co-existence of diabetes and TB among adults in India: a study based on National Family Health Survey data. J. Biosoc. Sci. (IF 1.207) Pub Date : 2020-09-22 Apyayee Sil,Dinabandhu Patra,Preeti Dhillon,Padmanesan Narasimhan
Multiple studies suggest that diabetes mellitus (DM) is a potential risk factor for tuberculosis (TB) development and treatment, especially in low- and middle-income countries. The study aimed to test concomitancy between DM and TB among adults in India. Data were from the 2015–16 National Family Health Survey (NFHS-4). The study sample comprised 107,575 men aged 15–54 and 677,292 women aged 15–49
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Men in maternal health: an analysis of men's views and knowledge on, and challenges to, involvement in antenatal care services in a Tanzanian community in Dodoma Region. J. Biosoc. Sci. (IF 1.207) Pub Date : 2020-09-22 Nyasiro Sophia Gibore,Ainory Peter Gesase
Promoting men’s involvement in antenatal care (ANC) requires an understanding of their views on how they ought to be involved. Their involvement in ANC services can help in reducing delay in deciding to seek care and facilitate women’s access to skilled antenatal services. This study sought to determine men’s views and knowledge on, and challenges to, involvement in ANC services in Tanzania. The cross-sectional
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Rounding as an indicator of bias in reported body weight in health surveys. J. Biosoc. Sci. (IF 1.207) Pub Date : 2020-09-15 Juan Manuel García-González,Enrique Martin-Criado
Due to the higher costs and selection bias of directly measuring weight, the majority of body weight data are based on survey responses. However, these statements are subject to systematic biases of social desirability; therefore, it is important to evaluate the magnitude of bias through indirect indicators such as rounding of weights. Data from seven rounds of the Spanish National Health Survey from
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Does unintended pregnancy have an impact on skilled delivery care use in Bangladesh? A nationally representative cross-sectional study using Demography and Health Survey data. J. Biosoc. Sci. (IF 1.207) Pub Date : 2020-09-14 Md Nuruzzaman Khan,Melissa L Harris,Deborah Loxton
Skilled delivery care has been targeted in the Sustainable Development Goals to reduce preventable maternal and newborn deaths, which mostly occur because of birthing complications. Birthing complications are more frequent in women with unintended than intended pregnancies, and around 43% of total pregnancies in low- and middle-income countries are unintended. This study quantified the impact of unintended
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Age at menarche in Nigerian demographic surveys. J. Biosoc. Sci. (IF 1.207) Pub Date : 2020-09-11 Michel Garenne
Age at menarche was investigated using data collected from demographic surveys (WFS, DHS) conducted in Nigeria between 1982 and 2018, all of which were based on large representative samples of the female population. Linear-logistic regressions were used to estimate mean age at menarche, its trends and its risk factors. Mean age at menarche had underwent a marked secular decline from 15.02 years for
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Men and maternal health care utilization in India and in selected less-developed states: evidence from a large-scale survey 2015-16. J. Biosoc. Sci. (IF 1.207) Pub Date : 2020-09-11 Aparajita Chattopadhyay,Dipti Govil
Male involvement in maternal health care utilization is an important contributor to maternal health, especially in male-dominated societies. This study aimed to understand the variations and determinants of women’s antenatal care (ANC) utilization and institutional delivery in India and three socioeconomically less-developed states (Bihar, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh) using NFHS-4 data (2015–16)
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Do tribal children experience elevated risk of poor nutritional status in India? A multilevel analysis. J. Biosoc. Sci. (IF 1.207) Pub Date : 2020-09-02 Tulsi Adhikari,Jeetendra Yadav,Niharika Tripathi,Himanshu Tolani,Harpreet Kaur,M Vishnu Vardhana Rao
Economic progress in India over the past three decades has not been accompanied by a commensurate improvement in the nutritional status of children, and a disproportionate burden of undernutrition is still focused on socioeconomically disadvantaged populations in the poorest regions. This study examined the nutritional status of children under 3 years of age using data from the fourth round of Indian
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Continuum of maternal health care services and its impact on child immunization in India: an application of the propensity score matching approach. J. Biosoc. Sci. (IF 1.207) Pub Date : 2020-08-24 Mohd Usman,Enu Anand,Laeek Siddiqui,Sayeed Unisa
Continuum of care throughout pregnancy, delivery and post-delivery has proved to be a critical health intervention for improving the health of mothers and their newborn children. Using data from the fourth wave of the National Family Health Survey (NFHS-4) conducted in 2015–16, this study examined the correlates of utilization of maternal health care services and child immunization following the continuum
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Concordance in spousal reports of current contraceptive use in India. J. Biosoc. Sci. (IF 1.207) Pub Date : 2020-08-17 Dipti Govil,Nidhi Khosla
Couple-level reports of contraceptive use are important as wives and husbands may report their use differently. Using matched couple data (N = 63,060) from India’s NFHS-4 (2015–16), this study examined concordance in spousal reports of current contraceptive use and its differentials. Reporting of contraceptive use was higher among wives (59.0%) than husbands (25.2%). Concordance was low; 16.5% of couples
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Investigating the risk factors for contraction and diagnosis of human tuberculosis in Indonesia using data from the fifth wave of RAND's Indonesian Family Life Survey (IFLS-5). J. Biosoc. Sci. (IF 1.207) Pub Date : 2020-08-17 Nathan Adam,Saseendran Pallikadavath,Marianna Cerasuolo,Mark Amos
Tuberculosis (TB) is a globally widespread disease, with approximately a quarter of the world’s population currently infected (WHO, 2018). Some risk factors, such as HIV status, nutrition and body mass index, have already been thoroughly investigated. However, little attention has been given to behavioural and/or psychological risk factors such as stress and education level. This study investigated
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Do costs and benefits of children matter for religious people? Perceived consequences of parenthood and fertility intentions in Poland. J. Biosoc. Sci. (IF 1.207) Pub Date : 2020-08-13 Christoph Bein,Monika Mynarska,Anne H Gauthier
The aim of this study was to examine the positive relationship between religiosity and fertility from the perspective of perceived consequences of parenthood. Previous studies in Germany have found that highly religious people ascribe higher benefits and lower costs to having children. Furthermore, the impact of costs and benefits on fertility is less pronounced among the highly religious. This study
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Socio-demographic risk factors for severe malnutrition in children aged under five among various birth cohorts in Bangladesh. J. Biosoc. Sci. (IF 1.207) Pub Date : 2020-08-13 Mohammad Rocky Khan Chowdhury,Hafiz T A Khan,Md Nazrul Islam Mondal,Russell Kabir
Tackling malnutrition is a major health priority for a developing country like Bangladesh. This study explored the differences in prevalence of having only one form, and multiple forms, of severe malnutrition (stunting, wasting and underweight) among under-5 children in Bangladesh, and aimed to identify the important factors affecting these. Data were extracted from the Bangladesh Demographic Health
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Predictors of the diets consumed by adolescent girls, pregnant women and mothers with children under age two years in rural eastern India. J. Biosoc. Sci. (IF 1.207) Pub Date : 2020-08-12 Sayeed Unisa,Abhishek Saraswat,Arti Bhanot,Abdul Jaleel,Rabi N Parhi,Sourav Bhattacharjee,Apollo Purty,Sudhira Rath,Babita Mohapatra,Avinash Lumba,Sonali Sinha,Nita Kejrewal,Neeraj Agrawal,Vikas Bhatia,Manisha Ruikar,Vani Sethi
Adolescents, pregnant women and mothers of children under 2 years of age are in stages of life characterized by higher nutritional demands. The study measured the dietary diversity of 17,680 adolescent girls, pregnant women and mothers of children under age 2 years in the eastern Indian states of Bihar, Chhattisgarh and Odisha using data from the Swabhimaan baseline survey conducted in 2016. The association
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Genetic load and biological changes to extant humans. J. Biosoc. Sci. (IF 1.207) Pub Date : 2020-08-11 Arthur Saniotis,Maciej Henneberg,Kazhaleh Mohammadi
Extant humans are currently increasing their genetic load, which is informing present and future human microevolution. This has been a gradual process that has been rising over the last centuries as a consequence of improved sanitation, nutritional improvements, advancements in microbiology and medical interventions, which have relaxed natural selection. Moreover, a reduction in infant and child mortality
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Gender contexts, dowry and women's health in India: a national multilevel longitudinal analysis. J. Biosoc. Sci. (IF 1.207) Pub Date : 2020-08-10 Samuel Stroope,Rhiannon A Kroeger,Jiabin Fan
Gender-biased contexts may impact women’s lives across a variety of domains. This study examined whether changes in district prevalence of a salient gendered practice – dowry – are associated with changes in poor health for women in India. Two waves of national multilevel panel data were used to assess the relationship between changes in district-level dowry prevalence and changes in self-rated health
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Spatial pattern and determinants of diagnosed diabetes in southern India: evidence from a 2012-13 population-based survey. J. Biosoc. Sci. (IF 1.207) Pub Date : 2020-08-10 Somdutta Barua,Nandita Saikia,Rayhan Sk
The diabetes epidemic is expanding rapidly in India, with 69.2 million people living with diabetes in 2015. This study assessed the spatial pattern and determinants of diagnosed diabetes prevalence in the districts of six states and one union territory (UT) in southern India – a region that has a high prevalence of diabetes. Using cross-sectional population-based survey data from the 2012–13 District
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Associations between depression, height and body mass index in adolescent and adult population of Penza city and oblast, Russia. J. Biosoc. Sci. (IF 1.207) Pub Date : 2020-07-22 Andrej Suchomlinov,Vsevolod V Konstantinov,Petras Purlys
The aim of this study was to investigate the possible associations between depression, height and body mass index (BMI) in the adolescent and adult population of Penza city and oblast, Russia. The study included 554 adults aged 16–89 years. The presence and severity of depression was evaluated using Beck’s Depression Inventory (BDI-II). The participants self-reported their height (cm) and weight (kg)
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Determinants of hypertension in Nepal using odds ratios and prevalence ratios: an analysis of the Demographic and Health Survey 2016. J. Biosoc. Sci. (IF 1.207) Pub Date : 2020-07-02 Rajat Das Gupta,Animesh Talukder,Shams Shabab Haider,Gulam Muhammed Al Kibria
This cross-sectional study investigated the factors associated with hypertension among Nepalese adults aged 18 years or above using data from the Nepal Demographic and Health Survey 2016. Prevalence ratios (PRs) and odds ratios (ORs) were obtained using log-binomial regression and logistic regression, respectively. Initially, unadjusted PRs and ORs were obtained. The variables that yielded a significance
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Addressing reproductive health knowledge, infertility and coping strategies among rural women in India. J. Biosoc. Sci. (IF 1.207) Pub Date : 2020-07-17 Shraboni Patra,Sayeed Unisa
An awareness of fertility and the factors affecting it is crucial to dealing with infertility, though little research has been conducted in the context of rural India. This study assessed Indian women’s perceived causes of, and strategies for coping with, infertility and the associations with levels of reproductive health knowledge in rural areas. Primary data were collected through mapping and listing
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Prevalence and determinants of consanguineous marriage and its types in India: evidence from the National Family Health Survey, 2015-2016. J. Biosoc. Sci. (IF 1.207) Pub Date : 2020-07-09 Santosh Kumar Sharma,Mir Azad Kalam,Saswata Ghosh,Subho Roy
The aim of the present study was to estimate the prevalence and examine the determinants of consanguineous marriage types in India. Data for 456,646 ever-married women aged 15–49 years were analysed from the National Family Health Survey (NFHS)-4 conducted in 2015–16. The overall prevalence of consanguineous marriage was 9.9%; the South region (23%) and North-East region (3.1%) showed the highest and
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Sociocultural and economic determinants of stunting and thinness among adolescent boys and girls in Nepal. J. Biosoc. Sci. (IF 1.207) Pub Date : 2020-07-08 Charlotte J W van Tuijl,Dónya S Madjdian,Hilde Bras,Binaya Chalise
Despite the increasing interest in the determinants of adolescent undernutrition in low- and middle-income countries, a comprehensive multi-level overview at the country level is missing. Using the nationally representative 2014 Nepal Adolescent Nutrition Survey, this study aimed to provide a comprehensive overview of the sociocultural and economic determinants of stunting and thinness of adolescent
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Gender, sexual experiences and sexual behavioural differences in Turkish university students. J. Biosoc. Sci. (IF 1.207) Pub Date : 2020-07-07 Feyza Nazik,Mehtap Omaç Sönmez,Mine Akben
This study was conducted to determine sexual experiences and gender differences in sexual behaviour in university students. In this cross-sectional and descriptive study conducted between 1st February and 12th November 2017. A total of 491 volunteer students were selected at a state university in the Mediterranean region of Turkey using a systematic sampling method. Questionnaires were distributed
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Postpartum and post-abortion contraceptive use among unmarried young women in Ghana. J. Biosoc. Sci. (IF 1.207) Pub Date : 2020-06-29 D Yaw Atiglo,Adriana A E Biney
Pregnancy outcomes impact subsequent contraceptive behaviour. The purpose of this study was to assess the relationship between previous pregnancy outcomes and subsequent contraceptive behaviours among unmarried young women intending to delay childbearing. Using data from the 2014 Ghana Demographic and Health Survey, among 1118 sexually experienced, fecund and non-pregnant unmarried women aged 15–24
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Does choice of health care facility matter? Assessing out-of-pocket expenditure and catastrophic spending on emergency obstetric care in India. J. Biosoc. Sci. (IF 1.207) Pub Date : 2020-06-25 Jalandhar Pradhan,Sasmita Behera
The key recommendation of the Child Survival and Safe Motherhood programme was the provision of Emergency Obstetric Care (EmOC) for the prevention of maternal mortality, especially in developing countries like India. The objectives of this paper were three-fold: to examine the socioeconomic differentials in mean out-of-pocket expenditure on EmOC in public and private health care facilities in India;
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'Asram is really killing us here': attribution for pregnancy losses and newborn mortality in the Ashanti Region of Ghana. J. Biosoc. Sci. (IF 1.207) Pub Date : 2020-06-24 Ashura Bakari,April J Bell,Samuel Oppong,Jessica Woodford,Elizabeth Kaselitz,Cheryl A Moyer
While overall neonatal mortality rates are improving in Ghana, the Ashanti Region has the highest mortality rate in the country. The clinical causes of newborn deaths are well known, yet local beliefs about illness aetiology, cause of death and care-seeking are less well understood. This exploratory qualitative study sought to understand how community members perceive and respond to neonatal illness
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What has contributed to the large sex differentials in lifespan variation and life expectancy in South Korea? J. Biosoc. Sci. (IF 1.207) Pub Date : 2020-06-16 Akansha Singh,Younga Kim
To date, research on sex differentials in lifespan variation and life expectancy has mainly been conducted in Western countries and there is a dearth of data from South Korea. This study aimed to further the understanding of mortality transition and life expectancy in South Korea, and the associated trajectories of age-at-death variation, through an analysis of life disparity by gender. Using complete
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Male participation in antenatal care and its influence on their pregnant partners' reproductive health care utilization: insight from the 2015 Afghanistan Demographic and Health Survey. J. Biosoc. Sci. (IF 1.207) Pub Date : 2020-06-15 Sharifullah Alemi,Keiko Nakamura,Mosiur Rahman,Kaoruko Seino
Afghanistan has made remarkable progress in reducing maternal mortality over the past few decades, and male participation in their pregnant partner’s reproductive health care is crucial for further improvement. This study aimed to examine whether male attendance at antenatal care (ANC) with their pregnant partners might be beneficially associated with the degree of utilization of reproductive health
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Share of current unmet need for modern contraceptive methods attributed to past users of these methods in India. J. Biosoc. Sci. (IF 1.207) Pub Date : 2020-06-15 Ankita Shukla,Anrudh K Jain,Rajib Acharya,F Ram,Arupendra Mozumdar,Abhishek Kumar,Subrato Mondal,Niranjan Saggurti
Despite persistent efforts, unmet need for contraceptives in India has declined only slightly from 14% to 13% between 2005–06 and 2015–16. Many women using a family planning method discontinue it without switching to another method and continue to have unmet need. This study quantified the share of current unmet need for modern contraceptive methods attributed to past users of these methods in India
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Testing the regional Convergence Hypothesis for the progress in health status in India during 1980-2015. J. Biosoc. Sci. (IF 1.207) Pub Date : 2020-06-10 Mohammad Zahid Siddiqui,Srinivas Goli,Anu Rammohan
The key challenges of global health policy are not limited to improving average health status, with a need for greater focus on reducing regional inequalities in health outcomes. This study aimed to assess health inequalities across the major Indian states used data from the Sample Registration System (SRS, 1981–2015), National Family Health Survey (NFHS, 1992–2015) and other Indian government official
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Religion and fertility patterns: comparison of life history traits in Catholics and Protestants, Hallstatt (Austria) 1733-1908. J. Biosoc. Sci. (IF 1.207) Pub Date : 2020-06-09 Alina Gavrus-Ion,Torstein Sjøvold,Miguel Hernández,Rolando González-José,Neus Martínez-Abadías,María Esther Esteban Torné,Mireia Esparza
Catholicism and Protestantism have different ways of promoting the family unit that could influence survival and fertility at a population level. Parish records in the Austrian village of Hallstatt allowed the reconstruction of Catholic and Protestant genealogies over a period of 175 years (1733–1908) to evaluate how religion and social changes affected reproduction and survival. Life history traits
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Consanguinity rates among Syrian refugees in Lebanon: a study on genetic awareness. J. Biosoc. Sci. (IF 1.207) Pub Date : 2020-05-13 Malak El Sabeh,Mohamed Faisal Kassir,Paola Ghanem,Omran Saifi,Dalia El Hadi,Yara Khalifeh,Abdul Rahman Ekkawi,Marc Ghabach,Monique Chaaya,Georges Nemer,Ossama Abbas,Mazen Kurban
Consanguineous marriage is a deeply rooted tradition in the Arab world. Such marriages are linked to higher rates of recessive genetic diseases. During the Syrian conflict, which started in 2011, around one million Syrian individuals became refugees in Lebanon. This study assessed the consanguinity rates among Syrian refugees living in Lebanon up to three successive consanguineous generations, and
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Unnatural death in India. J. Biosoc. Sci. (IF 1.207) Pub Date : 2020-05-13 Basant Kumar Panda,Udaya S Mishra
Rising adult mortality is an essential feature of the mortality transition. Vulnerability to disease and infection decreases with age, and adult mortality is more likely to be from unnatural causes such as suicide, homicide and road traffic accidents. This study aimed to assess the patterns of unnatural deaths in India as a whole and for various population subgroups. Data were obtained from the fourth
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Association between age at menarche and age at menopause among women of an indigenous population of North Bengal, India. J. Biosoc. Sci. (IF 1.207) Pub Date : 2020-05-07 Isita Sinha,Pushpalata Tigga,Nitish Mondal,Jaydip Sen
Menarche and menopause are two major components of a woman's reproductive life. Ages at menarche and menopause vary widely between and within populations and are influenced by various factors, both genetic and environmental. The present community-based cross-sectional investigation aimed to assess the association between ages at menarche and natural menopause among women belonging to the indigenous
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Disability-free life expectancy at old ages in Egypt. J. Biosoc. Sci. (IF 1.207) Pub Date : 2020-05-06 Soha Metwally
This study aimed to estimate among the older population in Egypt (aged 60 years and over): 1) disability prevalence rates, their levels of severity and the common types and 2) disability-free life expectancy (DFLE) by sex, age and disability type. Data were from the nationally representative 2016 Household Observatory Survey (HOS-2016), with 4658 persons aged 60+ constituting the study sample population
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Improving use of maternal care services among married adolescent girls: an intervention study in rural India. J. Biosoc. Sci. (IF 1.207) Pub Date : 2020-04-24 Ashok Dyalchand,Rohini Prabha Pande,Gopal Kulkarni,Manisha Khale
This study examined the effect of the Safe Adolescent Transition and Health Initiative (SATHI) programme on the use of maternal care services among rural, pregnant adolescents in India. This was an intensive community-based, multi-site intervention project conducted in Maharashtra state between 2008 and 2011. Its aims were to improve the reproductive health of married adolescent girls and avert the
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Socioeconomic determinants of community knowledge and practice in relation to malaria in high- and low-transmission areas of central India. J. Biosoc. Sci. (IF 1.207) Pub Date : 2019-07-12 Mrigendra Pal Singh,Kalyan Brata Saha,Sunil Kumar Chand,Deepali Savargaonkar
This study was undertaken with an aim of exploring community knowledge and treatment practices related to malaria and their determinants in high- and low-transmission areas of central India. A community-based cross-sectional study was carried out between August 2015 and January 2016 in two high- and two low-malaria-endemic districts of central India. A total of 1470 respondents were interviewed using
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The effect of child death on birth spacing in Nigeria. J. Biosoc. Sci. (IF 1.207) Pub Date : 2019-07-11 Jude Ewemade,Joshua Akinyemi,Nicole DeWet
Studies have focused on the effect of short birth spacing on childhood mortality, yet very little attention has been paid to the possibility of an inverse relationship such that child mortality might also positively or negatively affect birth spacing. In Nigeria, where both fertility and child mortality are high, this inverse relationship is a possible reason for the country's high fertility. The objective