Assessing Assets Among Street-Connected Youth: New Angles With Participatory Methods in Tanzania

Street-connected adolescents in sub-Saharan Africa have been neglected in scholarly research. Extant literature is largely problem focused. This study describes strengths and assets among street-connected youth in Tanzania, using a participatory, mixed methods approach. Adolescents ( N = 38, 13-17 years) in a rehabilitation center for street youth in Northern Tanzania completed a Swahili version of the Developmental Assets Profile (DAP). They engaged in participatory activities designed to capture multiple perspectives and promote maximal engagement. A subsample of youth ( n = 8) took part in photovoice to elucidate contextual details. Although exploratory, we expected (a) participants would have lower scores on the external versus internal domain of the DAP; (b) qualitative methods would support the DAP and provide complementary, contextual information; and (c) participatory methods would be important for providing varied perspectives and engaging youth in the research process. Results revealed a moderately high level of assets, with strengths in constructive use of time and commitment to school. External assets were higher than internal assets; however, different assets were emphasized across different methods. Overall, results supported the DAP framework. The participatory approaches effectively engaged youth and illuminated the culture and context of their development.

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Mapping of affordability levels for photovoltaic-based electricity generation in the solar belt of sub-Saharan Africa, East Asia and South Asia

Scientific Reports ◽

10.1038/s41598-021-82638-x ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Sándor Szabó ◽

Irene Pinedo Pascua ◽

Daniel Puig ◽

Magda Moner-Girona ◽

Mario Negre ◽

...

Keyword(s):

East Asia ◽

South Asia ◽

Electricity Generation ◽

Sub Saharan Africa ◽

Solar Photovoltaic ◽

Term Operation ◽

Sub Saharan ◽

High Level ◽

Do So

AbstractLack of access to modern forms of energy hampers efforts to reduce poverty. The provision of electricity to off-grid communities is therefore a long-standing developmental goal. Yet, many off-grid electrification projects neglect mid- and long-term operation and maintenance costs. When this is the case, electricity services are unlikely to be affordable to the communities that are the project’s primary target. Here we show that, compared with diesel-powered electricity generation systems, solar photovoltaic systems are more affordable to no less than 36% of the unelectrified populations in East Asia, South Asia, and sub-Saharan Africa. We do so by developing geo-referenced estimates of affordability at a high level of resolution (1 km2). The analysis illustrates the differences in affordability that may be found at the subnational level, which underscores that electrification investments should be informed by subnational data.

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Selecting indicators of drought impacts: the importance of context

10.5194/egusphere-egu21-1134 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Sarra Kchouk ◽

Pieter van Oel ◽

Lieke Melsen

Keyword(s):

Early Stage ◽

Contextual Information ◽

Geographic Area ◽

Early Warning Systems ◽

Sub Saharan Africa ◽

Drought Impacts ◽

Direct Linkage ◽

Drought Indicators ◽

Sub Saharan ◽

Drought Early Warning

<p>Drought Early Warning Systems (DEWS) and Drought Monitoring Systems (DMS) are the principal tools used to tackle drought at an early stage and reduce the possibility of harm or loss. They are based on the use of drought indicators attributed to either : meteorological, agricultural and hydrological drought. This means that it is mostly hydro-climatic variables that are used to determine the onset, end and severity of a drought. &#160;Drought impacts are rarely continuously monitored or even not included in DEWS and DMS. In this configuration, the likelihood of experiencing impacts is linearly linked to the severity of climatic features only. The aim of our study is to question the direct linkage between the delivery of hydro-climatic information and the detection of drought impacts and their severity. We reviewed scientific literature on drought drivers and impacts and analyzed how these two compare. We conducted a bibliometric analysis based on 4000+ scientific studies sorted by geographic area in which selected (i) drought indicators and (ii) impacts of drought were mentioned. Our review points toward an attachment to a conceptual view of drought by the main and broader use of meteorological (computed and remotely sensed) drought indicators. Studies reporting impacts related to food and water securities are more localized, respectively in Sub-Saharan Africa and Australasia. This mismatch suggests a tendency to translate hydroclimatic indicators of drought directly into impacts while neglecting relevant local contextual information. With the aim of sharpening the information provided by DEWS and DMS, we argue in favor of an additional consideration of drought indicators oriented towards the SDGs.</p>

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Poverty prevalence and negative spillovers in Sub-Saharan Africa: a focus on extreme and multidimensional poverty in the region

International Journal of Emerging Markets ◽

10.1108/ijoem-01-2021-0028 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽

Author(s):

Olumide Olaoye ◽

Cleopatra Oluseye Ibukun ◽

Mustafa Razzak ◽

Naftaly Mose

Keyword(s):

Generalized Method Of Moments ◽

Spillover Effect ◽

Multidimensional Poverty ◽

Sub Saharan Africa ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Spatial Error ◽

Content Type ◽

The Sustainable Development ◽

Sub Saharan ◽

High Level

PurposeThe paper analyses the prevalence of extreme and multidimensional poverty in line with the sustainable development agenda. In addition, the paper examines the drivers of extreme poverty while accounting for the potential spillover effect of poverty in the region.Design/methodology/approachThe study adopts the pooled OLS with Discroll-Kraay robust standard errors to control for cross-sectional dependence. In addition, given the strong potential for endogeneity of poverty index, the authors also employ the generalized method of moments (GMM), which accounts for simultaneity and endogeneity problems, and the spatial error and lag models to control for all forms of spatial and temporal dependence since the factors that affect poverty disperse across borders.FindingsThe study finds that in addition to the traditional drivers of poverty (unemployment, low per capita GDP growth and public debt), poverty in Sub-Saharan Africa is a symptom of a deeper structural problem (lack of access to water and sanitation, high level of corruption and low level of financial development, and frequent economic busts). Likewise, the results from the spatial econometric specification show, consistently across all the specifications, that there is a substantial spillover effect of poverty across the region.Originality/valueThe main novelty of the paper is that the authors investigate the “economic shrinkage hypothesis,” and examined the potential negative spillover effect of poverty in the region.

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Homozygosity for TYK2 P1104A underlies tuberculosis in about 1% of patients in a cohort of European ancestry

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences ◽

10.1073/pnas.1903561116 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 116 (21) ◽

pp. 10430-10434 ◽

Cited By ~ 23

Author(s):

Gaspard Kerner ◽

Noe Ramirez-Alejo ◽

Yoann Seeleuthner ◽

Rui Yang ◽

Masato Ogishi ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Odds Ratio ◽

Genetic Basis ◽

Sub Saharan Africa ◽

European Ancestry ◽

Uk Biobank ◽

The United Kingdom ◽

The Common ◽

Sub Saharan ◽

The Uk ◽

High Level

The human genetic basis of tuberculosis (TB) has long remained elusive. We recently reported a high level of enrichment in homozygosity for the common TYK2 P1104A variant in a heterogeneous cohort of patients with TB from non-European countries in which TB is endemic. This variant is homozygous in ∼1/600 Europeans and ∼1/5,000 people from other countries outside East Asia and sub-Saharan Africa. We report a study of this variant in the UK Biobank cohort. The frequency of P1104A homozygotes was much higher in patients with TB (6/620, 1%) than in controls (228/114,473, 0.2%), with an odds ratio (OR) adjusted for ancestry of 5.0 [95% confidence interval (CI): 1.96–10.31, P = 2 × 10−3]. Conversely, we did not observe enrichment for P1104A heterozygosity, or for TYK2 I684S or V362F homozygosity or heterozygosity. Moreover, it is unlikely that more than 10% of controls were infected with Mycobacterium tuberculosis, as 97% were of European genetic ancestry, born between 1939 and 1970, and resided in the United Kingdom. Had all of them been infected, the OR for developing TB upon infection would be higher. These findings suggest that homozygosity for TYK2 P1104A may account for ∼1% of TB cases in Europeans.

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Provider-perceived barriers to diagnosis and treatment of acute coronary syndrome in Tanzania: a qualitative study

International Health ◽

10.1093/inthealth/ihz061 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 12 (2) ◽

pp. 148-154 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Julian T Hertz ◽

Godfrey L Kweka ◽

Preeti Manavalan ◽

Melissa H Watt ◽

Francis M Sakita

Keyword(s):

Acute Coronary Syndrome ◽

Healthcare Providers ◽

Care Patient ◽

Cost Of Care ◽

Sub Saharan Africa ◽

Coronary Syndrome ◽

Provider Perspectives ◽

Northern Tanzania ◽

Sub Saharan ◽

Clinical Officers

Abstract Background The incidence of acute coronary syndrome (ACS) is growing across sub-Saharan Africa and many healthcare systems are ill-equipped for this growing burden. Evidence suggests that healthcare providers may be underdiagnosing and undertreating ACS, leading to poor health outcomes. The goal of this study was to examine provider perspectives on barriers to ACS care in Tanzania in order to identify opportunities for interventions to improve care. Methods Semistructured in-depth interviews were conducted with physicians and clinical officers from emergency departments and outpatient departments in northern Tanzania. Thematic analysis was conducted using an iterative cycle of coding and consensus building. Results The 11 participants included six physicians and five clinical officers from health centers, community hospitals and one referral hospital. Providers identified barriers related to providers, systems and patients. Provider-related barriers included inadequate training regarding ACS and poor application of textbook-based knowledge. System-related barriers included lack of diagnostic equipment, unavailability of treatments, referral system delays, lack of data regarding disease burden, absence of locally relevant guidelines and cost of care. Patient-related barriers included inadequate ACS knowledge, inappropriate healthcare-seeking behavior and non-adherence. Conclusions This study identified actionable barriers to ACS care in northern Tanzania. Multifaceted interventions are urgently needed to improve care.

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Global prevalence and burden of HIV-associated neurocognitive disorder

Neurology ◽

10.1212/wnl.0000000000010752 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 95 (19) ◽

pp. e2610-e2621 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Yunhe Wang ◽

Moxuan Liu ◽

Qingdong Lu ◽

Michael Farrell ◽

Julia M. Lappin ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Data Extraction ◽

Sub Saharan Africa ◽

People Living With Hiv ◽

Neurocognitive Disorder ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Asymptomatic Neurocognitive Impairment ◽

Cd4 Cell Count ◽

Hiv Associated Neurocognitive Disorder ◽

Sub Saharan ◽

High Level

ObjectiveTo characterize the prevalence and burden of HIV-associated neurocognitive disorder (HAND) and assess associated factors in the global population with HIV.MethodsWe searched PubMed and Embase for cross-sectional or cohort studies reporting the prevalence of HAND or its subtypes in HIV-infected adult populations from January 1, 1996, to May 15, 2020, without language restrictions. Two reviewers independently undertook the study selection, data extraction, and quality assessment. We estimated pooled prevalence of HAND by a random effects model and evaluated its overall burden worldwide.ResultsOf 5,588 records identified, we included 123 studies involving 35,513 participants from 32 countries. The overall prevalence of HAND was 42.6% (95% confidence interval [CI] 39.7–45.5) and did not differ with respect to diagnostic criteria used. The prevalence of asymptomatic neurocognitive impairment, mild neurocognitive disorder, and HIV-associated dementia were 23.5% (20.3–26.8), 13.3% (10.6–16.3), and 5.0% (3.5–6.8) according to the Frascati criteria, respectively. The prevalence of HAND was significantly associated with the level of CD4 nadir, with a prevalence of HAND higher in low CD4 nadir groups (mean/median CD4 nadir <200 45.2% [40.5–49.9]) vs the high CD4 nadir group (mean/median CD4 nadir ≥200 37.1% [32.7–41.7]). Worldwide, we estimated that there were roughly 16,145,400 (95% CI 15,046,300–17,244,500) cases of HAND in HIV-infected adults, with 72% in sub-Saharan Africa (11,571,200 cases, 95% CI 9,600,000–13,568,000).ConclusionsOur findings suggest that people living with HIV have a high burden of HAND in the antiretroviral therapy (ART) era, especially in sub-Saharan Africa and Latin America. Earlier initiation of ART and sustained adherence to maintain a high-level CD4 cell count and prevent severe immunosuppression is likely to reduce the prevalence and severity of HAND.

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Improving Cooperation among Farmers for Communal Land Conservation in Ethiopia: A Public Goods Experiment

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su12219290 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 12 (21) ◽

pp. 9290

Author(s):

Shunji Oniki ◽

Haftu Etsay ◽

Melaku Berhe ◽

Teklay Negash

Keyword(s):

Developing Countries ◽

Public Goods ◽

Information Provision ◽

Individual Characteristics ◽

Land Conservation ◽

Sub Saharan Africa ◽

Natural Resource Conservation ◽

Communal Land ◽

Sub Saharan ◽

High Level

Farmers in developing countries depend on communal natural resources, yet countries in Sub-Saharan Africa are facing the severe degradation of communal lands due to the so-called “tragedy of the commons”. For the sustainable management of common resources, policy interventions, such as farmer seminars, are necessary to ensure high-level cooperation among farmers for land conservation. However, the effects of this type of information provision are not well known. The purpose of this study is to examine the effects of the dissemination of conservation information on collaborative communal forest management using an economic field experiment with 936 farmers selected by random sampling from 11 villages in the northern Ethiopian Highlands. We conducted a public goods game experiment using a framework of voluntary contribution to communal land conservation with an intervention to remind participants about the consequence of their behaviors. The results show that the volunteer contribution increased after the intervention, and thereafter the decay of the contribution was slow. The results indicate that providing information about the consequences leads to a higher contribution. The effects of information provision are heterogeneous in terms of social condition, such as access to an urban area and social capital, and individual characteristics, such as wealth. These findings imply that information provision effectively improves farmer collaboration toward natural resource conservation in developing countries.

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Proteomics and theTrypanosoma bruceicytoskeleton: advances and opportunities

Parasitology ◽

10.1017/s0031182012000443 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 139 (9) ◽

pp. 1168-1177 ◽

Cited By ~ 10

Author(s):

NEIL PORTMAN ◽

KEITH GULL

Keyword(s):

Life Cycle ◽

Trypanosoma Brucei ◽

Cell Biology ◽

Molecular Composition ◽

Etiological Agent ◽

Sub Saharan Africa ◽

Parasitic Disease ◽

Cell Cycles ◽

Sub Saharan ◽

High Level

SUMMARYTrypanosoma bruceiis the etiological agent of devastating parasitic disease in humans and livestock in sub-saharan Africa. The pathogenicity and growth of the parasite are intimately linked to its shape and form. This is in turn derived from a highly ordered microtubule cytoskeleton that forms a tightly arrayed cage directly beneath the pellicular membrane and numerous other cytoskeletal structures such as the flagellum. The parasite undergoes extreme changes in cellular morphology during its life cycle and cell cycles which require a high level of integration and coordination of cytoskeletal processes. In this review we will discuss the role that proteomics techniques have had in advancing our understanding of the molecular composition of the cytoskeleton and its functions. We then consider future opportunities for the application of these techniques in terms of addressing some of the unanswered questions of trypanosome cytoskeletal cell biology with particular focus on the differences in the composition and organisation of the cytoskeleton through the trypanosome life-cycle.

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Occurrence of haemoparasites in cattle in Monduli district, northern Tanzania

Onderstepoort Journal of Veterinary Research ◽

10.4102/ojvr.v81i1.843 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 81 (1) ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

Isihaka J. Haji ◽

Imna Malele ◽

Boniface Namangala

Keyword(s):

Domestic Animal ◽

Molecular Techniques ◽

Babesia Bovis ◽

Sub Saharan Africa ◽

Tsetse Flies ◽

Indigenous Cattle ◽

Human Interface ◽

Northern Tanzania ◽

Monduli District ◽

Sub Saharan

Haemoparasite infections are among the most economically important cattle diseases in sub-Saharan Africa. The present study investigated the occurrence of haemoparasites in 295 indigenous cattle from five villages (Mswakini, Lake Manyara, Naitolia, Makuyuni and Nanja) of the Monduli district, a wildlife-domestic animal-human interface area in northern Tanzania. The data showed that the overall occurrence of haemoparasites in the sampled cattle was 12.5% (95% CI: 8.7% – 16.3%), involving single and mixed infections with Theileria parva, Anaplasma marginale, Babesia bovis, Trypanosoma vivax and Trypanosoma brucei. The highest haemoparasite occurrence was recorded in Lake Manyara (18.3%; 95% CI: 8.5% – 28.1%), and the lowest was recorded in Nanja (6.5%; 95% CI: 0.4% – 12.6%). This preliminary study, furthermore, provided evidence of the possible arthropod vectors (ticks and tsetse flies) that may be involved in the transmission of haemoparasites to cattle in the Monduli district. It is envisaged that this survey will stimulate more studies to determine the prevalence of haemoparasites in livestock by using more sensitive molecular techniques.

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