THE EFFECT OF WOMEN'S STATUS AND COMMUNITY ON THE GENDER DIFFERENTIAL IN CHILDREN'S NUTRITION IN INDIA

2011 ◽  
Vol 43 (5) ◽  
pp. 513-533 ◽  
Author(s):  
SUNITA BOSE

SummaryThis study uses the third National Family Health Survey (2005–06) in India to investigate whether differences in women's status, both at the individual and community levels, can explain the persistent gender differential in nutritional allocation among children. The results show that girls are less likely than boys to receive supplemental food and more likely to be malnourished. In general it appears that higher women's status within a community, as well as higher maternal status, have beneficial effects on a daughter's nutritional status. Further, the moderating effects of community appear to be more consistent and stronger than the individual-level characteristics. A positive relationship between the percentage of literate women in a community and the gender differential in malnutrition appears to be an exception to the general findings regarding the beneficial nature of women's status on a daughter's well-being, showing the need for more than just basic adult literacy drives in communities to overcome the problem of daughter neglect.

Author(s):  
Nguyễn Hữu An ◽  
Lê Duy Mai Phương

Determinants of the variation of happiness have long been discussed in social sciences. Recent studies have focused on investigating cultural factors contributing to the level of individual happiness, in which the cultural dimension of individualism (IND) and collectivism (COL) has been drawing the attention of a large number of scholars. At the cultural level of analysis, happiness is associated with personal achievements as well as personal egoism in individualistic cultures, while it is related to interpersonal relationships in collectivistic cultures. Empirical research yields unconventional results at the individual level of analysis, that is, individuals in collectivistic cultures favor IND to be happy, in contrast, people in individualistic cultures emphasize COL be satisfied in life. Using data from the fifth wave of the World Values Survey (WVS), this study takes the cultural dimension of IND and COL at the individual level of analysis to detect its effects on happiness (conceptualized as subjective well-being – SWB) in the comparison between the two cultures. Multiple linear regression models reveal results that individuals from the “West” experience greater happiness when they expose themselves less individualist, while, individuals from the “East” feel more satisfied and happier in their life when they emphasize more on IND or being more autonomous.


Author(s):  
Stefano Triberti ◽  
Alice Chirico

Recent literature shows that new technologies can be used to promote patient engagement. The present contribution focuses on Virtual Worlds (VWs), namely virtual environments that multiple users can experience together thanks to the use of avatars. Indeed, VWs offer interesting opportunities for patient engagement interventions on two levels. On the individual level, customized avatars are known to have relationships with users' inner experience and Self-conception, so that they may constitute a peculiar additional tool for psychological assessment. Moreover, they are able to promote healthy behaviors thanks to a strong vicarious reinforcement (Proteus effect). On the collective level, VWs constitute an ideal platform to support the emergence of collective flow states (Networked Flow) which are related to the patients' creative activity and well-being. The present contribution deepens these phenomena, presenting VWs as an innovative and interesting tool for the patient engagement interventions of the future.


Author(s):  
Courtney A Polenick ◽  
Kira S Birditt ◽  
Angela Turkelson ◽  
Benjamin C Bugajski ◽  
Helen C Kales

Abstract Objectives Individuals often manage chronic conditions in middle and later life that may diminish well-being. Little is known, however, about discordant conditions (i.e., two or more conditions with competing self-management requirements) among older couples and their links to depressive symptoms. We considered discordant conditions at both the individual level and the couple level (i.e., between spouses), along with their long-term implications for depressive symptoms. Methods The U.S. sample included 1,116 middle-aged and older couples drawn from five waves (2006–2014) of the Health and Retirement Study. Longitudinal actor-partner interdependence models evaluated whether individual-level and couple-level discordant chronic health conditions were concurrently linked to depressive symptoms, and whether these associations became stronger over time. Models controlled for age, minority status, education, prior wave depressive symptoms, and each partner’s baseline report of negative marital quality and number of chronic conditions in each wave. Results Wives and husbands reported significantly greater depressive symptoms when they had individual-level discordant conditions about 2 years after baseline, and these links intensified over time. Beyond this association, husbands had significantly greater depressive symptoms when there were couple-level discordant conditions. Discussion Individual-level and couple-level discordant conditions may have lasting implications for depressive symptoms during midlife and older adulthood.


2019 ◽  
pp. 1-24
Author(s):  
SANA RAFIQ

AbstractWe asked individuals about their willingness to pay (WTP) either: (1) for a mandate requiring restaurants to post calorie information on their menus; or (2) to avoid such a mandate. On average, more people were in in favor of the mandate and were willing to pay four times more than those who were against it, thereby leading to a Kaldor–Hicks improvement from this policy. To ensure robustness, we tested the impact of providing three types of information during individuals’ WTP determinations: (1) visual examples of the proposed calorie labels; (2) data on their effectiveness at the individual level; and (3) data on their wider social and economic benefits. For those in favor, providing a simple visual of the label had no impact on WTP. Data on the individual effectiveness of the labels increased the WTP, while evidence on broader obesity reduction and economic benefits reduced it. For opponents, WTP did not change with provision of additional information except when provided with information on social and economic benefits. Under this condition, the opponents increased their WTP 12-fold to avoid a mandate of this policy. Finally, we measured individual well-being under this policy and found directionally similar results, confirming a net improvement in aggregate welfare. Our results suggest that messaging that focuses on private benefits (providing calorie information so that individuals can effectively choose to reduce excessive caloric consumption) rather than wider public benefits (reduction in overall health-related costs and obesity) is more likely to be effective.


2019 ◽  
Vol 54 (7) ◽  
pp. 455-469
Author(s):  
Courtney A Polenick ◽  
Kira S Birditt ◽  
Angela Turkelson ◽  
Helen C Kales

Abstract Background Multiple chronic conditions may erode physical functioning, particularly in the context of complex self-management demands and depressive symptoms. Yet, little is known about how discordant conditions (i.e., those with management requirements that are not directly related and increase care complexity) among couples are linked to functional disability. Purpose We evaluated own and partner individual-level discordant conditions (i.e., discordant conditions within individuals) and couple-level discordant conditions (i.e., discordant conditions between spouses), and their links to levels of and change in functional disability. Methods The U.S. sample included 3,991 couples drawn from nine waves (1998–2014) of the Health and Retirement Study. Dyadic growth curve models determined how individual-level and couple-level discordant conditions were linked to functional disability over time, and whether depressive symptoms moderated these links. Models controlled for age, minority status, education, each partner’s baseline depressive symptoms, and each partner’s number of chronic conditions across waves. Results Wives and husbands had higher initial disability when they had their own discordant conditions and when there were couple-level discordant conditions. Husbands also reported higher initial disability when wives had discordant conditions. Wives had a slower rate of increase in disability when there were couple-level discordant conditions. Depressive symptoms moderated links between disability and discordant conditions at the individual and couple levels. Conclusions Discordant chronic conditions within couples have enduring links to disability that partly vary by gender and depressive symptoms. These findings generate valuable information for interventions to maintain the well-being of couples managing complex health challenges.


2001 ◽  
Vol 33 (4) ◽  
pp. 603-622 ◽  
Author(s):  
PAULA GRIFFITHS ◽  
ANDREW HINDE ◽  
ZOË MATTHEWS

Using cross-sectional, individual-level survey data from Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu and Uttar Pradesh collected under the Indian National Family Health Survey programme of 1992–93, statistical modelling was used to analyse the impact of a range of variables on the survival status of children during their first 2 years of life. Attention was focused on the potential impact of the mother’s autonomy. The strongest predictors of mortality were demographic and biological factors, breast-feeding behaviour, and use and knowledge of health services. Variables that can be interpreted as being related to maternal autonomy, such as the presence of a mother-in-law in the household, did not have a significant direct effect on child survival at the individual level, and their indirect effects were very limited.


2007 ◽  
Vol 39 (3) ◽  
pp. 355-366 ◽  
Author(s):  
MIAN B. HOSSAIN ◽  
JAMES F. PHILLIPS ◽  
BRIAN PENCE

Summary.In South Asia women are often the primary decision-makers regarding child health care, family health and nutrition. This paper examines the proposition that constraints on women’s status adversely affect the survival of their children. Survey data are used to construct indices of women’s household autonomy and authority, which are then linked to longitudinal data on survival of their children. Proportional hazard models indicate that enhanced autonomy significantly decreases post-neonatal mortality. Enhanced household authority significantly decreases child mortality. A simulation based on estimated effects of eliminating gender inequality suggests that achieving complete gender equality could reduce child mortality by nearly fifty per cent and post-neonatal mortality by one-third.


2019 ◽  
Vol 46 (10) ◽  
pp. 1385-1404 ◽  
Author(s):  
Esther F. J. C. van Ginneken ◽  
Hanneke Palmen ◽  
Anouk Q. Bosma ◽  
Miranda Sentse

Little is known about the relative influence of shared and individual perceptions of prison climate on adjustment to incarceration. This study investigated the relationship between prison climate and well-being among a sample of 4,538 adults incarcerated in the Netherlands. Prison climate dimensions were considered both as prison unit-level variables and as individual-level perceptions. Multilevel analysis results showed that most variance for well-being is found at the individual rather than the unit level. This implies that it does not make much of a difference for well-being in which prison unit someone resides. Positive effects of prison climate on well-being were primarily found for individual perceptions of prison climate, rather than for the aggregate unit measures. More research is needed to determine whether this finding holds true in other countries. The findings confirm the importance of disentangling the contribution of prison climate at the individual and group level.


2020 ◽  
Vol 34 (5) ◽  
pp. 697-715
Author(s):  
Justine Virlée ◽  
Allard C.R. van Riel ◽  
Wafa Hammedi

Purpose This study aims to develop a better understanding of how online health community (OHC) members with different health literacy (HL) levels benefit from their participation, through the analysis and comparison of their resource integration (RI) processes. It investigates through a RI lens how the vulnerability of community members – captured as their level of HL – affects the benefits they derive from participation. Design/methodology/approach Quantitative and qualitative methods were used to investigate the effects of healthcare service users’ vulnerability. Data were collected about their profiles and levels of HL. Furthermore, 15 in-depth interviews were conducted. Findings The study demonstrates how low levels of HL act as a barrier to the integration of available online health resources. Participation in OHCs appears less beneficial for vulnerable users. Three types of benefits were identified at the individual level, namely, psychological quality-of-life, physical quality-of-life and learning. Benefits identified at the community level were: content generation and participation in the development of the community. Originality/value This study has implications for the understanding of how service users’ activities affect their own outcomes and how the vulnerability of users could be anticipated and considered in the design of the community.


2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Javier Torres-Vallejos ◽  
Joel Juarros-Basterretxea ◽  
Juan Carlos Oyanedel ◽  
Masatoshi Sato

Improving citizens' subjective well-being (SWB) has become an increasingly visible policy goal across industrialized countries. Although an increasing number of studies have investigated SWB at the individual level, little is known about subjective evaluation at social levels, such as the community and national levels. While the relationships between these levels have been analyzed in previous research, these assessments, which are part of the same unique construct of SWB, are under-investigated. The purpose of this study was to examine the dimensionality and reliability of a single measure of SWB, which contained individual, community, and national levels across three Latin-American countries (Argentina, Chile, and Venezuela), using a bifactor model analysis. Findings showed that the bifactor model exhibited a good fit to the data for the three countries. However, invariance testing between countries was not fully supported because of each item's specific contribution to both specific and general constructs. The analyses of each country showed that the SWB construct was in a gray area between unidimensionality and multidimensionality; some factors contributed more to the general factor and others to the specific level, depending on the country. These findings call for integrating more distant levels (community and country levels) into the understanding of SWB at the individual level, as they contribute not only to an overall construct, but they make unique contributions to SWB, which must be considered in public policy making.


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