scholarly journals Differences in the Early Impact of COVID-19 on Food Security and Livelihoods and in Rural and Urban Areas in the Asia Pacific Region

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (Supplement_2) ◽  
pp. 229-229
Author(s):  
Yunhee Kang ◽  
Anurima Baidya ◽  
Alec Aaron ◽  
Jun Wang ◽  
Christabel Chan ◽  
...  

Abstract Objectives Lockdowns due to COVID-19 had health, economic, social, and political consequences globally. This study examined if the early impact of COVID-19 on livelihoods and food security differed between rural and urban areas in six Asia-Pacific countries. Methods Secondary data analysis was conducted in May 2029 using a total of 13,522 household survey data collected cross-sectionally among socially disadvantaged populations through a World Vision's rapid response assessment (n = 13,522) in Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Philippines, Myanmar, and Vietnam. Changes in food expenditure, availability of various food items, and accessibility and affordability of essential items (staple food, fresh foods, medicine, and hygiene) were tested between rural and urban areas using multivariate logistic regressions, accounting for confounding variables. Results Job loss or reduced income was prevalent (rang: 54.1%–89.6%), higher in urban than rural areas in all six countries. A higher percentage of households reduced food expenditure in urban areas (53.0%–80.3%) than in rural areas (34.2%–66.4%) in India, Myanmar, and Vietnam (all P < 0.001). The proportion of households having no food stock varied in six countries (13.4%-66.0%), with lower odds of available food stocks in urban areas than rural areas (OR range in Bangladesh, India, and Myanmar: 0.30–0.53, all P < 0.05). Access to essential items was moderate to high depending on the type of item. Essential medicines were more accessible in urban than in rural areas with an OR range of 1.88–5.63 in India, Myanmar, and Vietnam. Household affordability was low particularly for rent (3.8%-16.6%) and loan repayment (3.3%-19.9%), with higher affordability for rent payments in urban than in rural areas with an OR range of 1.98–22.2 across four countries (P < 0.05). Access and affordability for essential items were better in urban areas than in rural areas in Vietnam. Conclusions Disproportional differences were found in experiencing food security and livelihoods between rural and urban areas in six Asia Pacific countries. An understanding of the differential implications of lockdowns related to COVID-19 by residence can inform specifically recovery policies and guide mitigation efforts. Funding Sources N/A

2009 ◽  
Vol 30 (3) ◽  
pp. 217-226 ◽  
Author(s):  
Premananda Bharati ◽  
Suparna Shome ◽  
Suman Chakrabarty ◽  
Susmita Bharati ◽  
Manoranjan Pal

Background Anemia is still one of India's major public health problems, especially among adolescent girls. Objective To investigate the severity and distribution of anemia among Indian adolescent girls aged 10 to 19 years and its association with socioeconomic and sociodemographic factors. Methods The study used data from the District Level Household Survey, round II, 2002–04, conducted under the Reproductive and Child Health Project. Data were collected on hemoglobin along with socioeconomic and sociodemographic factors of the households. The survey covered rural and urban areas of 35 states or union territories. Data from 177,670 adolescent girls were analyzed. Results The highest prevalence of anemia (99.9%) was observed in Jharkhand in eastern India. The prevalence in the northeastern states was relatively low. The highest prevalence rates were observed among older girls (15 to 19 years), illiterate girls living in rural areas, girls in illiterate households, girls from households with a low standard of living, non-Christian girls, girls from Scheduled Tribes, girls living in west India, and married girls. The highest percentages of girls with normal hemoglobin were reported among Christian Scheduled Tribes (39.4%) and among girls in northeastern India (40.1%). Analysis by binary ordered logistic regression showed that anemia status did not depend on urban or rural residence or on age. Conclusions Enhancement of the economic status of families, especially poor families, is a prerequisite to the amelioration of anemia among adolescent girls. The level of education of the girls is also a major factor.


2012 ◽  
Vol 12 (51) ◽  
pp. 6027-6054
Author(s):  
AE Obayelu ◽  

Food security is a critical issue in Nigeria today as the country struggles with high rates of food prices and poverty. This study analysed the socioeconomic and demographic characteristics of Household Heads (HHH) and classified them according to food security status. Household level data from the cross-sectional survey was employed in November 2006 to February 2007through a well-structured questionnaire to 396 HHH with a multi-stage sampling procedure. Data were analysed through a descriptive statistics and Rasch model. Average age of the HHH was 42.45years with Standard Deviation (SD) of 9.57 years in Rural Areas (RA) against 43.29 years and SD of 9.83 years in Urban Areas (UA). The HHH level of education was much higher in UA compared to RA. The Household Size (HSZ) was 5.88 with SD of 2.29 in RA against 5.91 and SD of 2.17 in UA, and monthly income of N9, 244.86 with SD of N11, 071.77 in RA against N10, 194.15 and SD of N14, 936.30 in UA. The results from Rasch Model for classifying households according to food security status show that differences exist between households’ food security status in rural and urban areas of Kwara and Kogi States. While 15.6% HHH were food secure (FS) in RA of Kogi State, only 11.1% were FS in the RA of Kwara State. On the other hand, 20.7% HHH were FS in UA of Kogi State compared to 17.1% in UA of Kwara State. Disaggregating food security status of adults and children in households separately revealed that, 25.8% adults in RA of Kogi State were FS compared to 19.2% in Kwara, while 24.4% urban adults were FS in Kogi against 23.2% in Kwara. In addition, 40.6% children in RA of Kogi State were FS against 32.3% in Kwara, while only 29.9% Kogi urban children were FS against 46.3% in Kwara. In general, households were more FS in Kogi State compared to Kwara and more FS in UA compared to RA. The rural children in Kogi State were also more FS compared to the urban, while urban children in Kwara were more FS when compared to rural children. In order to improve households’ food security status in both rural and urban areas, there is the need to take into account some significant variables such as reduction in household size through birth control, and increase in household heads’ participation in agricultural activities especially those residing in urban areas through urban agriculture.


2021 ◽  
Vol 31 ◽  
pp. 100580
Author(s):  
Yunhee Kang ◽  
Anurima Baidya ◽  
Alec Aaron ◽  
Jun Wang ◽  
Christabel Chan ◽  
...  

Author(s):  
Remus Runcan

According to Romania’s National Rural Development Programme, the socio-economic situation of the rural environment has a large number of weaknesses – among which low access to financial resources for small entrepreneurs and new business initiatives in rural areas and poorly developed entrepreneurial culture, characterized by a lack of basic managerial knowledge – but also a large number of opportunities – among which access of the rural population to lifelong learning and entrepreneurial skills development programmes and entrepreneurs’ access to financial instruments. The population in rural areas depends mainly on agricultural activities which give them subsistence living conditions. The gap between rural and urban areas is due to low income levels and employment rates, hence the need to obtain additional income for the population employed in subsistence and semi-subsistence farming, especially in the context of the depopulation trend. At the same time, the need to stimulate entrepreneurship in rural areas is high and is at a resonance with the need to increase the potential of rural communities from the perspective of landscape, culture, traditional activities and local resources. A solution could be to turn vegetal and / or animal farms into social farms – farms on which people with disabilities (but also adolescents and young people with anxiety, depression, self-harm, suicide, and alexithymia issues) might find a “foster” family, bed and meals in a natural, healthy environment, and share the farm’s activities with the farmer and the farmer’s family: “committing to a regular day / days and times for a mutually agreed period involves complying with any required health and safety practices (including use of protective clothing and equipment), engaging socially with the farm family members and other people working on and around the farm, and taking on tasks which would include working on the land, taking care of animals, or helping out with maintenance and other physical work”


2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (13) ◽  
pp. 7313
Author(s):  
Mawuna Donald Houessou ◽  
Annemijn Cassee ◽  
Ben G. J. S. Sonneveld

A Rapid Food Security Appraisal among 240 rural and urban dwellers in southern Benin was conducted, using univariate and bivariate analyses, to evaluate the effects of the imposed COVID-19 ‘cordon sanitaire’ on food consumption patterns. As this is one of the first empirical studies on the COVID-19 food security nexus, we found that the raging pandemic has affected the food security pillars (availability, accessibility, utilization, and stability) in both rural and urban areas, within and outside the cordon sanitaire. The steepest decline was observed among respondents who live inside the cordon sanitaire, where rural producers and urban inhabitants without access to allotment gardens were hit hard. Increased food prices, disruptions in food logistics, and inability to work due to movement restrictions were most frequently indicated as reasons for the decline. Access to allotment gardens effectively supported households in mitigating the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the food crisis.


BMJ Open ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. e042762
Author(s):  
Shuai Yuan ◽  
Shao-Hua Xie

ObjectiveThe substantial differences in socioeconomic and lifestyle exposures between urban and rural areas in China may lead to urban–rural disparity in cancer risk. This study aimed to assess the urban–rural disparity in cancer incidence in China.MethodsUsing data from 36 regional cancer registries in China in 2008–2012, we compared the age-standardised incidence rates of cancer by sex and anatomic site between rural and urban areas. We calculated the rate difference and rate ratio comparing rates in rural versus urban areas by sex and cancer type.ResultsThe incidence rate of all cancers in women was slightly lower in rural areas than in urban areas, but the total cancer rate in men was higher in rural areas than in urban areas. The incidence rates in women were higher in rural areas than in urban areas for cancers of the oesophagus, stomach, and liver and biliary passages, but lower for cancers of thyroid and breast. Men residing in rural areas had higher incidence rates for cancers of the oesophagus, stomach, and liver and biliary passages, but lower rates for prostate cancer, lip, oral cavity and pharynx cancer, and colorectal cancer.ConclusionsOur findings suggest substantial urban–rural disparity in cancer incidence in China, which varies across cancer types and the sexes. Cancer prevention strategies should be tailored for common cancers in rural and urban areas.


Author(s):  
Ruchika Agarwala ◽  
Vinod Vasudevan

Research shows that traffic fatality risk is generally higher in rural areas than in urban areas. In developing countries, vehicle ownership and investments in public transportation typically increase with economic growth. These two factors together increase the vehicle population, which in turn affects traffic safety. This paper presents a study focused on the relationship of various factors—including household consumption expenditure data—with traffic fatality in rural and urban areas and thereby aims to fill some of the gaps in the literature. One such gap is the impacts of personal and non-personal modes of travel on traffic safety in rural versus urban areas in developing countries which remains unexplored. An exhaustive panel data modeling approach is adopted. One important finding of this study is that evidence exists of a contrasting relationship between household expenditure and traffic fatality in rural and urban areas. The relationship between household expenditure and traffic fatality is observed to be positive in rural areas and a negative in urban areas. Increases in most expenditure variables, such as fuel, non-personal modes of travel, and two-wheeler expenditures, are found to be associated with an increase in traffic fatality in rural areas.


Author(s):  
Barbora Frličková

The paper analyses construction and use of a selected indicator of pro-poor growth – the rate of pro-poor growth. It further explains the interpretation of this indicator in absolute and relative terms and indicates how economic growth affects poverty and inequality. The selected indicator is applied to the example of Indonesia and compares pro-poor growth in urban and rural areas of the country, examines regional disparities in terms of pro-poor growth for the period 1996–2019. From the absolute interpretation, pro-poor growth is observed in both urban and rural areas over the whole period. In relative terms, results of pro-poor growth for the first partial period (1996–2000) differ. While there was a relative pro-poor growth in the rural areas, there was a strong pro-poor growth in the cities with a significant decline in inequality observed (incomes of poor people increased while the average income of the whole population dropped). Indonesia achieved trickle-down growth in both rural and urban areas in two remaining periods (2000–2010 and 2010–2019).


2022 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. 33-42
Author(s):  
Suyanto Suyanto ◽  
Shashi Kandel ◽  
Rahmat Azhari Kemal ◽  
Arfianti Arfianti

This study assesses the status of health-related quality of life (HRQOL) among coronavirus survivors living in rural and urban districts in Riau province, Indonesia. The cross-sectional study was conducted among 468 and 285 Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) survivors living in rural and urban areas, respectively in August 2021. The St. George Respiratory Questionnaire (SGRQ) was used to measure the HRQOL of COVID-19 survivors. A higher total score domain corresponds to worse quality of life status. Quantile regression with the respect to 50th percentile found a significant association for the factors living in rural areas, being female, having comorbidities, and being hospitalized during treatment, with total score of 4.77, 2.43, 7.22, and 21.27 higher than in their contra parts, respectively. Moreover, having received full vaccination had the score 3.96 in total score. The HRQOL of COVID-19 survivors living in rural areas was significantly lower than in urban areas. Factors such as living in rural areas, female sex, having comorbidities, and history of symptomatic COVID-19 infection were identified as significant predictors for lower quality of life. Meanwhile, having full vaccination is a significant predictor for a better quality of life. The results of this study can provide the targeted recommendations for improvement of HRQOL of COVID-19 survivors.


Author(s):  
Vandon Borela

Purpose: The aim of this research study is to evaluate the implementation of Alternative Learning System (ALS) curriculum offered to juvenile delinquents in urban and rural areas in the Philippines. The study also aims to determine whether the current education programs meet the needs of the juvenile delinquents with reference to Juvenile delinquency acts. The study is an attempt to highlight the aspects of Alternative Learning System (ALS) that should be developed.  Approach/Methodology/Design: The study is qualitative and conducted in Marikina City and Rizal province, the Philippines. This study used exploratory study analysis. The respondents are the Alternative Learning System (ALS) teachers. For data collection, three semi-structured interviews were employed and the respondents’ answers were categorized using analytical coding to compare and analyze the implementation of the ALS curriculum for juvenile delinquents. Findings: The interpretation and analysis of the data collected shows that the ALS teachers from both the rural and urban areas have the same experiences on the implementation of the ALS program for juvenile delinquents in terms of curriculum, instruction and assessment. Furthermore, the teachers gave an emphasis that once the juvenile delinquents undergo the program, they are given a new hope and new direction in life to pursue their dreams. Lastly, the teachers from both areas have the same suggestions for the improvement of the implementation of the program, such as additional funds for the development of quality learning materials, increasing the number of learning centers, and designing various forms of assessment.  Practical Implications: The study will contribute positively to the understanding of Alternative learning System. The significance of this study lies in the comparison of the alternative learning system curriculum and how it is implemented to the juvenile delinquents in urban and in rural areas. Originality/value: This study engages ALS teachers in assessing the ALS curriculum, reflecting actual experiences to meet the expectations and needs of the juvenile delinquents.


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