The impact of prepaid electricity meters on low income households in Cape Town South Africa

2014 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kelsey Jack
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Cape Town ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Low Income Households

scholarly journals Reported Behavioural Patterns of Electricity Use among Low-Income Households in Makhanda, South Africa

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (13) ◽  
pp. 7271
Author(s):  
Uzziah Mutumbi ◽  
Gladman Thondhlana ◽  
Sheunesu Ruwanza
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Sustainable Consumption ◽  
Electricity Consumption ◽  
Developed Countries ◽  
Electricity Use ◽  
Behavioural Patterns ◽  
Education Levels ◽  
Basic Services ◽  
Low Income Households

Households consume up to 20% of overall electricity consumption globally; hence, they are important role players in efforts towards promoting sustainable consumption. Research on electricity use behaviour is important for informing intervention strategies; however, relative to developed countries, research on this subject is lacking in developing countries where electricity access is limited. In South Africa, electricity use behaviour among poor neighbourhoods remains little studied and understood. This study was carried out among low-income households in Makhanda, South Africa, characterised by high poverty and unemployment rates, low education levels, and limited access to basic services. Using a self-reporting approach, electricity use behaviour of low-income households was assessed against a list of common household electricity use actions. A survey of 297 households was conducted. The findings show mixed results, with households reporting both good electricity use behaviour (e.g., cooling down hot food before refrigeration and using washing machines on full load) and wasteful actions (e.g., leaving appliances on standby). Our results show that electricity use behaviour was influenced by socio-psychological values including universalism, benevolence, hedonism, and power. Some of the reported electricity behavioural patterns are consistent with those previously reported among high-income households. The theoretical and practical implications of these results are discussed.

The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Low Income Households in the Philippines

10.1596/35260 ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yoonyoung Cho ◽  
Jorge Avalos ◽  
Yasuhiro Kawasoe ◽  
Douglas Johnson ◽  
Ruth Rodriguez
Keyword(s):  
Low Income ◽  
The Philippines ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Low Income Households

The Impact of a Change in Bacille Calmette-Gu??rin Vaccine Policy on Tuberculosis Incidence in Children in Cape Town, South Africa

2006 ◽  
Vol 25 (12) ◽  
pp. 1167-1172 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hassan Mahomed ◽  
Maurice Kibel ◽  
Tony Hawkridge ◽  
H Simon Schaaf ◽  
Willem A. Hanekom ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Cape Town ◽  
Tuberculosis Incidence ◽  
The Impact

Linking a sugar-sweetened beverage tax with fruit and vegetable subsidies: A simulation analysis of the impact on the poor

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pourya Valizadeh ◽  
Barry M Popkin ◽  
Shu Wen Ng
Keyword(s):  
Low Income ◽  
Simulation Analysis ◽  
Fruit And Vegetable ◽  
Sugar Sweetened Beverage ◽  
Subsidy Rate ◽  
Sweetened Beverage ◽  
Financial Gain ◽  
Households With Children ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Low Income Households

Abstract Background US individuals, particularly from low-income subpopulations, have very poor diet quality. Policies encouraging shifts from consuming unhealthy food towards healthy food consumption are needed. Objectives We simulate the differential impacts of a national sugar-sweetened beverage (SSB) tax and its combination with fruit and vegetable (FV) subsidies targeted to low-income households, on SSB and FV purchases of lower and higher SSB purchasers. Design We considered a one-cent-per-ounce SSB tax and two FV subsidy rates of 30% and 50% and used longitudinal grocery purchase data for 79,044 urban/semiurban US households from 2010-2014 Nielsen Homescan. We used demand elasticities for lower and higher SSB purchasers, estimated via longitudinal quantile regression, to simulate policies’ differential effects. Results Higher-SSB purchasing households made larger reductions (per adult equivalent) in SSB purchases than lower SSB purchasers due to the tax (e.g., 4.4 oz/day at SSB purchase percentile 90 vs. 0.5 oz/day at percentile 25; p < 0.05). Our analyses by household income indicated low-income households would make larger reductions than higher-income households at all SSB purchase levels. Targeted FV subsidies induced similar, but nutritionally insignificant, increases in FV purchases of low-income households regardless of their SSB purchase levels. Subsidies, however, were effective in mitigating the tax burdens. All low-income households experienced a net financial gain when the tax was combined with a 50% FV subsidy, but net gains were smaller among higher SSB purchasers. Further, low-income households with children gained smaller net financial benefits than households without children and incurred net financial losses under a 30% subsidy rate. Conclusions SSB taxes can effectively reduce SSB consumption. FV subsidies would increase FV purchases, but nutritionally meaningful increases are limited due to low purchase levels pre-policy. Expanding taxes beyond SSBs, larger FV subsidies, or subsidies beyond FVs, particularly for low-income households with children, may be more effective.

scholarly journals The impact of a change in referral pathway on a paediatric short-stay ward in Cape Town, South Africa

2016 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 134 ◽  
Author(s):  
Heather Finlayson ◽  
L Smit ◽  
T M Esterhuizen ◽  
M Kruger
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Cape Town ◽  
Short Stay ◽  
The Impact

scholarly journals Perspectives on the psychological and emotional burden of having gestational diabetes amongst low-income women in Cape Town, South Africa

2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Lorrein Shamiso Muhwava ◽  
Katherine Murphy ◽  
Christina Zarowsky ◽  
Naomi Levitt
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
South Africa ◽  
Gestational Diabetes ◽  
Focus Groups ◽  
Lived Experiences ◽  
Cape Town ◽  
Psychological Burden ◽  
Pregnancy And Postpartum ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Depth Interviews

Abstract Background The diagnosis of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) may affect women’s mental wellbeing, functioning and quality of life, with potentially negative effects on treatment adherence. Identifying and addressing the psychological and emotional needs of women with GDM, could have benefits for sustainable long-term behavioural change following the affected pregnancy. This study explored the lived experiences of women with GDM and the impact of GDM on their experience of pregnancy and sense of well-being. Methods Purposive sampling was used to recruit women who had been diagnosed with GDM in their previous pregnancy and received antenatal care at a tertiary hospital in Cape Town, South Africa. This was a descriptive qualitative study using a combination of focus groups and in-depth interviews for an in- depth exploration of women’s lived experiences of GDM, their context and perceived needs. Data analysis followed an iterative thematic analysis approach. Results Thirty-five women participated in nine focus groups and five in-depth interviews. Women discussed the emotional and psychological burden of having GDM, highlighting (i) their initial emotional reactions to receiving a GDM diagnosis, (ii) their experience of adjusting to the constraints of living with GDM (iii) their feelings of apprehension about childbirth and their maternal role and (iv) their feelings of abandonment in the post-partum period once the intensive support from both health system and family ends. Conclusions The current biomedical model used in the management of GDM, is highly foetal-centric and fails to acknowledge important psychological factors that contribute to women’s overall wellbeing and experience of pregnancy. These results demonstrate the importance of incorporating mental health support in the management and care for women with GDM in public health services, along with facilitating emotional support from partners and family members. Based on our findings, we recommend routine mental health and psychosocial vulnerability screening and monitoring for women diagnosed with GDM throughout pregnancy and postpartum to improve prognoses.

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