scholarly journals Factors influencing the use of firewood post-electrification in rural South Africa: The case of Ga-Malahlela village

2021 ◽  
Vol 32 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mahlodi Esther Masekela ◽  
Khomotso Semenya

Despite improved electrification rates and several government policies introduced to encourage rural households to switch from traditional to modern fuels, most South African households still rely on firewood for their energy needs. This study sought to assess the factors that influence the use of firewood in Ga-Malahlela village in the Limpopo province. To this end, a structured questionnaire was administered to 67 households. Microsoft Excel and the Statistical Package for Social Sciences were used to code and log in the data. The chi-square test was used to determine the relationship between the choice of energy source(s) and socio-economic factors. It was established that firewood was still widely used: by 61% of the participants for cooking, by 64% for space heating, and by 46% for water heating. For lighting, electricity was used by 98.5% of the participants, while liquefied petroleum gas was used by 1.5%. The dependency on firewood was mainly due to the socio-economic status of the surveyed households, which included income, education level, household size, and preference. Rural firewood reliance continues, due to socio-economic factors such as indigence, preference, and the inaccessibility of services like free basic electricity. It is therefore recommended that the Polokwane Local Municipality should play a part in assisting poor communities with cleaner, cost-effective fuel alternatives such as solar energy, biogas, and liquefied petroleum gas.

2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-24
Author(s):  
Resky Nanda Pranaka ◽  
Fathul Yusro ◽  
Indah Budiastutik

ABSTRACT Medicinal plant was used to solve the health problems by community both for prevention and medication. The medicinal plants utilization has a pivotal role on the sustainability and biodiversity of plants. Sambas Regency of West Kalimantan is dominated mostly by Malay ethnicity. They have different perspective in medicinal plants utilization, using a system of religion and belief that is continuously handed down from generation to generation. The study aims to analyze the patterns of medicinal plants utilization, plant use values, the degree of community approval, the most important plant species and to analyze the influence of socio-economic factors in the utilization of traditional medicinal plants, especially the Malay ethnic community in Sambas Regency. The study was conducted in Teluk Keramat Subdistrict (Sungai Serabek village, Sungai Baru village) and Tekarang (Sempadian village) where 80% of the population knew the use of medicinal plants. The data was collected by interview and observation to the head of the family or housewife with a purposive sampling technique. The data was analyzed using botany indexes i.e. Use Value (UV), Informant Consensus Factor (ICF), Fidelity Level (FL), and socio-economic factors using Chi Square test. The highest ICF value of 233 species for 103 groups of diseases, namely smallpox (1), promoting the brain (1), ear pain (1), and appendicitis (1). The highest value of FL are 81 species. The  highest values of UV ​​is sirih (0,4926), follow by kunyit (0,3312), sirsak (0,3185), bawang merah (0,2994), kalimao (0,2972), jahe merah (0,2314), kumis kucing (0,1996), saudagar (0,1911), jambu biji putih (0,1614), mengkudu (0,1486), pegagan (0,1338), kencur (0,1253), cocor bebek (0,1253), cengkodok (0,1168), and sirih merah (0,1040). The socio-economic factors that influence the utilization of traditional medicinal plants are gender, age, and religion. Keywords: Sambas regency, melayu ethnic, medicinal plants ABSTRAK Pemanfaatan tanaman obat merupakan salah satu solusi masalah kesehatan dimasyarakat baik untuk pencegahan maupun pengobatan. Penggunaan tanaman obat berdampak besar terhadap kelestarian dan keanekaragaman hayati tumbuhan. Kabupaten Sambas merupakan wilayah di Kalimantan Barat yang sebagian besar masyarakatnya ber-etnis (Suku) Melayu. Mereka memanfaatkan tumbuhan obat dengan cara pandang yang berbeda yakni menggunakan sistem religi dan keyakinan yang terus-menerus dan turun-temurun.. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk menganalisis pola pemanfaatan tumbuhan obat, nilai guna tumbuhan, derajat persetujuan masyarakat dalam pemanfaatan tumbuhan obat, dan jenis tumbuhan yang paling penting serta menganalisis pengaruh faktor sosial ekonomi masyarakat dalam pemanfaatan tanaman obat tradisional khususnya masyarakat suku melayu Kabupaten Sambas. Penelitian dilakukan pada Kecamatan Teluk Keramat (desa Sungai Serabek, desa Sungai Baru) dan Kecamatan Tekarang (desa Sempadian) yang secara  persentase 80% mengetahui penggunaan tumbuhan obat. Proses pengambilan sampel adalah melalui wawancara dan observasi dengan informan Kepala Keluarga atau Ibu Rumah Tangga menggunakan teknik purposive sampling. Data dianalisis menggunakan beberapa indeks seperti  Use Value, Informant Consensus Factor, dan Fidelity Level, sedangkan sosial ekonomi faktor dianalisis menggunakan Chi Square test. Nilai ICF tertinggi dari 233 spesies untuk 103 kelompok penyakit yakni cacar, keremut (1), mencerdaskan otak (1), sakit telinga (1), dan usus buntu (1). Nilai FL tertinggi (100%) sebanyak 81 spesies. Nilai UV tertinggi adalah sirih (0,4926), diikuti oleh kunyit (0,3312), sirsak (0,3185), bawang merah (0,2994), kalimao (0,2972),  jahe merah (0,2314), kumis kucing (0,1996), saudagar (0,1911), jambu biji putih (0,1614), mengkudu (0,1486), pegagan (0,1338), kencur (0,1253), cocor bebek (0,1253), cengkodok (0,1168), dan sirih merah (0,1040). Faktor sosial ekonomi yang berpengaruh dalam pemanfaatan tanaman obat tradisional adalah jenis kelamin, umur, dan agama.


LaGeografia ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
pp. 38
Author(s):  
Sri Wulan Abdulah ◽  
Risman Jaya ◽  
Talha Dangkua

This research was conducted at Biyonga Sub-watershed area of Gorontalo Regency. The aim of this research was to determine the effect of the socio-economic status of farmers on land damageand determine the behavior of farmers in land management in the Biyonga Sub-Watershed area, Gorontalo Regency. The researcher used descriptive quantitative method with Chi-Square test as data analysis technique. The results of the research showed that socio-economic factors that affecting land damage in the Biyonga Sub-Watershed are the educational status of farmers. They are predominantly elementary school graduates with lower income. This factor encouraged them to depend more on agricultural land. Farmers have suffiecient knowledge of good agricultural land management, but they do not care about the benefits and objectives of land conservation.


Author(s):  
S. B. Shamaki ◽  
L. N. Bucham

The study was designed to assess different sources of energy and to establish relationship between socio-economic factors that influence the choice of energy types within Sokoto metropolis. The study area was divided into three locations based on the income level as low, medium and high income classes. Forty respondents were randomly selected from each location thereby having a total of 120 respondents for the study. Variables of interest included choice of energy, types of energy sources, factors that influence such use and preferences for the different types of energy. Semi structured questionnaire was used for data collection. Descriptive statistics (frequencies and percentages) and chi square test of association were used for data analysis. The findings showed that households use different energy sources daily and some factors were found to influence the choice of energy used in homes (electricity 0.5%, cooking gas 42.5%, fuelwood/charcoal 33.5%, and kerosene 19.2%). Such factors include area of residence (chi-square value 14.53 and p- value 0.024), educational level (chi-square value 49.246 and p-value 0.000) and income (chi-square value 14.950 and p-value 0.021). Based on the findings of this study, it was concluded that households in Sokoto state metropolis tend to climb the energy ladder from low energy types to modern energy types and it was recommended that households be sensitized on the negative effects of the traditional energy sources on the environment.


Author(s):  
Vilas R. Kirdak ◽  
Sambhaji G. Chintale ◽  
Sonali P. Jatale ◽  
Kaleem A. Shaikh

<p class="abstract"><strong>Background:</strong> Diseases of thyroid gland are extremely common. Majority of palpable thyroid swellings are asymptomatic occurs in 5% of the population. The main objective of present study is to know the accuracy of FNAC in preoperative diagnosis of clinically palpable thyroid swelling and evaluate the efficiency of FNAC, USG, and TFT in differentiating between benign and malignant thyroid swelling and their confirmation by histopathological reports after operation.</p><p class="abstract"><strong>Methods:</strong> This prospective study is carried out in 120 cases of thyroid swelling attending to the ENT opd at our hospital. Pearson chi square test used as statistical tool to analyse the data. All patients informed written consent taken. The patients are subjected to detailed history with thorough clinical examination, pathological and radiological investigation. FNAC, USG and TFT were done in each case. The result of FNAC was interpreted.  </p><p class="abstract"><strong>Results:</strong> The present study includes 120 cases. All patient examined clinically, pathologically and radiological. The common age group of presentation of thyroid swelling is between second to fourth decade. Youngest patient is of 15 yrs. old and oldest is being 68 yrs of age. All 120 cases were evaluated preoperatively and provisional diagnosis was made on the basis of FNAC, TFT and USG. 111 Cases were operated out of total 120 cases. So, the overall accuracy of FNAC in comparisons to HPR is 99.15% with no false positive reports.</p><p class="abstract"><strong>Conclusions:</strong> The overall incidence of the malignancy in thyroid swelling varies from 10% to 30% according to various studies, in our study the overall incidence of malignancy in thyroid swelling was 5.8%. High index of suspicion should be kept in mind during physical examination for detection of malignancy. FNAC should be done in all cases preoperatively FNAC is safe procedure and cost effective.</p><p> </p>


2013 ◽  
Vol 3 (4) ◽  
pp. 24-31
Author(s):  
Suddhasatta Ghosh ◽  
Dilip Mukherjee ◽  
Riddhi Dasgupta

Introduction: The average age of menarche has declined over the last century but the magnitude of the decline and the factors responsible remain subjects of contention. Aims and Objectives: To study a group with delayed menarche in a cohort of Bengali Indian females with low to normal body weight. To investigate anthropometric characteristics (height, mid-parental height, weight, BMI), Socio-economic Status, Sexual Maturity Rating (SMR) stages and 2D: 4D ratio ( ratio of lengths of second and fourth digits of both hands) in those with delayed menarche. To analyse the correlation of these factors with delayed age of menarche. Materials and Methods: A total of 614 children , aged 11- 16 completed years, of low to middle income family groups and attending suburban schools, were evaluated on the basis of predetermined questionnaire and anthropometric measurements. Correlation of factors with delayed age of menarche was done by appropriate statistical methods Results and Analysis: Out of 190 children having delayed menarche (cases) and 424 children with normal age of menarche (controls) , the height percentile (p value: 0.642), BMI ( p value: 0.091), weight (p value: 0.12)and Mid-Parental Height (p value: 0.26) had no significant correlation , while SMR ( p value:0.00), 2D:4D ratio (p value:0.002) and low Socio-economic Status (p value: 0.00) had a significant correlation with delayed menarche. Conclusion: This study is the first to examine such a wide variety of anthropometric and socio-economic factors at a time in a single cohort of females with delayed menarche. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3126/ajms.v3i4.5902 Asian Journal of Medical Science Vol.3(4) 2012 pp.24-31


2018 ◽  
Vol 18 (17) ◽  
pp. 23-32
Author(s):  
Sunil Kumar Acharya

BPCR practices by women in Nepal are still low. Still a relatively high percentage of women do not make BPCR to its fullest extent. Researches in developing countries show that various demographic, social and economic factors influence the BPCR practices by pregnant women. This paper examines the likelihood of BPCR practices based on women’s demographic, social and economic status in Nepal. NDHS 2011 data set has been utilized by applying bivariate logistics regression analysis technique to examine the effects of these variables on BPCR practices in Nepal. The analysis result shows high variations and gaps in BPCR practice based on demographic, social and economic status of women. Against this finding the study recommends implementation of appropriate policy and program measures by the government and other agencies to address the existing variations and gaps in BPCR practices among subgroups of women in Nepal. Further research studies focusing on the existing barriers on BPCR practice need to be conducted in Nepal especially among the women who are disadvantaged and marginalized.


2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. 571-580
Author(s):  
Tshilidzi O. Ramakulukusha ◽  
Sunday S. Babalola ◽  
Ntsieni S. Mashau

Background: Violent behaviour in youth is regarded as a significant public health problem associated with severe physical and psychological consequences. Despite the availability of rehabilitation programmes rendered at child and youth care centres (CYCC's) in the Limpopo Province, South Africa, there is an escalation and repetition of violent behaviours among the youth due to some underlying socio-economic factors. Objective: The study sought to explore and describe the factors contributing to violent behaviours among the youth. Methods: A qualitative, explorative, and descriptive research design was used. A non-probability, purposive sampling method was used to select participants in this study. The study population consisted of youth, from the age of 15-20 years old, who were admitted to the child and youth care centres due to violent behaviours. Focus group discussions and in-depth individual interviews were used to collect data from participants. A semi-structured interview guide and focus group discussion guide were used to collect data until data saturation which occurred after interviewing 48 participants. Data were analysed following Tesch’s open code data analysis technique. Measures to ensure trustworthiness and ethical principles were adhered to. Results: Two themes emerged from the analysed data, namely, the socio-economic factors contributing to violent behaviours among the youth in CYCCs and the effectiveness of rehabilitation programmes for violent youth behaviours in CYCCs. Eight sub-themes were derived from the two main themes. The home environment, the influence of delinquent peers, availability, and misuse of drugs and alcohol were most cited as the factors contributing to violent behaviours among the youth in CYCCs in the Limpopo Province. The study's findings revealed that youth had little knowledge of the impact that violent behaviour has on the victim, themselves, their families, and society. Conclusion: Rehabilitation programmes for violent behaviours among the youth will have better outcomes by involving the youth's family, especially the parents/guardians. Also, the child and youth care centres and youth violence policymakers need to emphasise family education as one of the most crucial violence prevention strategies in vulnerable youth.


2012 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 312-316
Author(s):  
R V Mohite ◽  
V R Mohite ◽  
S V Kakade

Background : Breast feeding, the most natural way of infant feeding to satisfy nutritional, metabolic and psychological needs of the baby. Objectives : To assess the knowledge of breast feeding among primi- gravida mothers attending ante-natal clinic and to determine the association between socio-demographic variables with their knowledge. Materials and Methods : Hospital based cross sectional study was conducted at Ante-natal clinic of Krishna Hospital and Medical Research Center, Karad district Satara. Pre-tested structured proforma used to collect information from 590 married primi gravid mothers attending anti-natal clinic during study period by utilizing personal interview method. Statistical Analysis : socio-demographic frequency percentage distribution, knowledge scoreing and statistical association was analysed by using chi-square test. Results: Out of 590 primi gravida mothers,59.66% showed fair quality of knowledge about breast feeding. knowledge about rooming in, family support for breast feeding & burping after breast feeding  was 97.7%, 95.4% , 93.5% however weaning, colostrums feed, hazards of bottle feeding and prelactal food was 84%, 82.7%,75.5% and 54% respectively. Statistical association was existed between age, education, religion, socio-economic status & occupation of respondents with their knowledge about breast feeding (?2=151.52, p < 0.0001*; ?2=211.27,p<0.0001*; ?2=133.91,p < 0.0001*; ?2=35.59,p < 0.0001* and    ?2=131.04,p<0.0001*) respectively. Conclusion: knowledge of breast feeding among primi gravida mothers attending ANC clinic was of fair in quality. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/bjms.v11i4.12603 Bangladesh Journal of Medical Science Vol. 11 No. 04 Oct’12


2020 ◽  
Vol 41 (6) ◽  
pp. 1188-1197
Author(s):  
Ronghua Jin ◽  
Jiaming Shao ◽  
Jon Kee Ho ◽  
Meirong Yu ◽  
Chunmao Han

Abstract Liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) is a widely used environment-friendly fuel. Previous studies have shown an increasing number of LPG-related burns. Our study was designed to evaluate the epidemiologic pattern of these injuries and provide recommendations for burn prevention. This retrospective study included all patients with LPG-related burns from eight burn centers in Zhejiang Province, China between 2011 and 2015. Database variables included patient demographics, accident characteristics, and injury characteristics. The association between different categorical variables was identified using the chi-square test. And the association between two or more means of quantitative variables was analyzed by the one-way analysis of variance or t-test. A total of 1898 patients were included, 47.31% were males and 52.69% were females. The predominant age group was 31 to 70 years (74.50%), and the majority were poorly educated and the incidence peaked from June to September. The most common place of occurrence was home (74.08%) and gas leak (96.52%) was the most common cause. The four limbs (43.33%) were the most frequently affected areas; the mean burn area was 25.19 ± 20.97% of the total body surface area and most patients (46.89%) suffered from moderate burns. The mean length of hospital stay was 17.66 ± 16.55 days and the majority of patients (89.36%) recovered with a 0.84% mortality rate. Our findings reflected that the increase in incidence rate was alarming, and the causes resulting in LPG-related burns have not gained much attention yet. Therefore, this calls for simple but strict measures aiming at each hazardous step during the use of LPG to prevent these burn injuries.


2008 ◽  
Vol 39 (1) ◽  
pp. 87-94 ◽  
Author(s):  
B. Jablonska ◽  
L. Lindberg ◽  
F. Lindblad ◽  
A. Hjern

BackgroundPrevious studies have shown an elevated risk for self-harm in adolescents from ethnic minorities. However, potential contributions to this risk from socio-economic factors have rarely been addressed. The main aim of this article was to investigate any such effects.MethodA national cohort of 1009 157 children born during 1973–1982 was followed prospectively from 1991 to 2002 in Swedish national registers. Multivariate Cox analyses of proportional hazards were used to estimate the relative risk of hospital admission for self-harm. Parental country/region of birth was used as proxy for ethnicity.ResultsYouth with two parents born outside Sweden (except those from Southern Europe) had higher age- and gender-adjusted hazard ratios (HRs) of self-harm than the majority population (HR 1.6–2.3). The HRs decreased for all immigrant groups when socio-economic factors were accounted for but remained significantly higher for immigrants from Finland and Western countries and for youth with one Swedish-born and one foreign-born parent.ConclusionsSocio-economic factors explain much of the variation by parental country of birth of hospital admissions for self-harm in youth in Sweden.


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