Overseas migration and the well-being of those left behind in rural communities of Bangladesh

ABSTRACT Objective: The British Columbia Farmers’ Market Nutrition Coupon Program (FMNCP) provides low-income households with coupons valued at $21/week for 16 weeks to purchase healthy foods in farmers’ markets. Our objective was to explore FMNCP participants’ experiences of accessing nutritious foods, and perceived program outcomes. Design: This study used qualitative description methodology. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with FMNCP participants during the 2019 farmers’ market season. Directed content analysis was used to analyse the data whereby the five domains of Freedman et al’s framework of nutritious food access provided the basis for an initial coding scheme. Data that did not fit within the framework’s domains were coded inductively. Setting: One urban and two rural communities in British Columbia, Canada. Participants: 28 adults who were participating in the FMNCP. Results: Three themes emerged: Autonomy and Dignity; Social Connections and Community Building; and Environmental and Programmatic Constraints. Firstly, the program promoted a sense of autonomy and dignity through financial support, increased access to high-quality produce, food-related education and skill development, and mitigating stigma and shame. Secondly, shopping in farmers’ markets increased social connections and fostered a sense of community. Finally, participants experienced limited food variety in rural farmers’ markets, lack of transportation, and challenges with redeeming coupons. Conclusions: Participation in the FMNCP facilitated access to nutritious foods and enhanced participants’ diet quality, well-being and health. Strategies such as increasing the amount and duration of subsidies, and expanding programs may help improve participants’ experiences and outcomes of farmers’ market food subsidy programs.

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Social support, well-being and involvement of fathers in transnational families in the Philippines

Asian and Pacific Migration Journal ◽

10.1177/0117196820983760 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 29 (4) ◽

pp. 492-510

Author(s):

Melissa Garabiles

Keyword(s):

Social Support ◽

Peer Support ◽

Spousal Support ◽

Paternal Involvement ◽

Transnational Migration ◽

Well Being ◽

The Philippines ◽

Transnational Families ◽

Left Behind

This study investigated left-behind Filipino fathers and their involvement as child caregivers. It hypothesized that social support and well-being predict paternal involvement, with well-being as the mediator. Results showed that familial and peer support predicted involvement, with well-being as mediator. Spousal support did not predict involvement or well-being. Findings highlight the importance of familial and peer support to left-behind fathers. Interactions between significant predictors of involvement present novel pathways to childcare. The non-significant role of spousal support is discussed in the context of transnational migration. Several interventions involving families and peers are suggested.

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SEPARATED KIN: RURAL-URBAN MIGRATION AND MENTAL HEALTH TRAJECTORIES OF OLDER ADULTS LEFT BEHIND IN RURAL CHINA

Innovation in Aging ◽

10.1093/geroni/igz038.3223 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽

pp. S880-S880

Author(s):

Zhiyong Lin

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Older Adults ◽

Depressive Symptoms ◽

Rural China ◽

Well Being ◽

Migrant Children ◽

Urban Migration ◽

Left Behind ◽

Rate Of Increase ◽

The Impact

Abstract As the processes of urbanization and globalization have intensified across the world, a burgeoning literature has documented the impact of emigration on the health of family members left behind in emigrant communities. Although the association between children’s migration and parental well-being is well documented, few have examined the health implications of children’s migration in the milieu of multiple children and further differentiated between children’s short-term and long-term migration. Therefore, I argue that it is not the geographic locality of a single child but the composition of all children’s location that matters. I further suggest that the impact of children’s migration on parental wellbeing is conditioned on the duration of children’s migration. Using a six waves longitudinal data (2001-2015) collected in rural China, this paper compares mental health (measured as depressive symptoms) trajectories of old adults (aged 60 and older) across different compositions of local and migrant children over a 14-year span. Results from growth curve models show that parents having more migrant children relative to local children experience a more rapid increase in depressive symptoms. In addition, older adults who have their most children migrate away for three or more waves of data have experienced the steepest rate of increase in depressive symptoms. These findings provide new evidence to support the life course processes of mental health disparities among older adults from the perspective of intergenerational proximity.

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What are the determinants of subjective well-being of healthy adults in rural communities in and around forests?

10.7287/peerj.preprints.27375v1 ◽

2018 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Ike Aggraeni ◽

Saidatul Adnin ◽

Yuli Astria ◽

Muhammad Firmansyah ◽

Yessika Canigia ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Health Status ◽

Rural Communities ◽

Significant Relationship ◽

Well Being ◽

Subjective Well Being ◽

Ecosystem Degradation ◽

Rural Villages ◽

Working Adults ◽

East Kalimantan ◽

Self Assessed Health

Sustainability goals are seeking to jointly improve environmental conditions and the well-being of society. Yet achieving both environmental and human well-being goals remains challenging because improving the material well-being of people can often mean increasing the risk of environmental and ecosystem degradation. An alternative method that may help meet both goals is to target non-monetary determinants of subjective well-being. However. few studies have examined the determinants of subjective well-being in industrializing countries. Here, we report on an analysis examining the determinants of subjective well-being among health, working adults in rural villages in and around forests in the Berau Regency, East Kalimantan, Indonesia. We find there is no significant relationship between subjective well-being and measures of monetary well-being, such as income and assets. Instead, we find age, sex, self-assessed health status, and occupation are significantly associated with subjective well-being. Our results have implications for policies seeking to improve subjective well-being among these populations.

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Adult Children’s Migration and Well-being of Left Behind Nepalese Elderly Parents

Journal of Epidemiology and Global Health ◽

10.2991/j.jegh.2018.07.004 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 8 (3-4) ◽

pp. 154

Author(s):

Saruna Ghimire ◽

Devendra Raj Singh ◽

Dhirendra Nath ◽

Eva M. Jeffers ◽

Maheshor Kaphle

Keyword(s):

Well Being ◽

Elderly Parents ◽

Left Behind

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Study on the Differences and Influence Factors of the General Well-Being of the College Students with Left-Behind Experience

Education Journal ◽

10.11648/j.edu.20150405.24 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 4 (5) ◽

pp. 283 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Zhang Yong

Keyword(s):

College Students ◽

Influence Factors ◽

Well Being ◽

Left Behind

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Recoupling Economic and Social Prosperity

Global Perspectives ◽

10.1525/001c.11867 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 1 (1) ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Katharina Lima de Miranda ◽

Dennis J. Snower

Keyword(s):

Environmental Sustainability ◽

Well Being ◽

Technological Advance ◽

Economic Prosperity ◽

Human Needs ◽

Environmental Performance Index ◽

Left Behind ◽

Social Belonging ◽

Material Gain ◽

New Perspective

This paper explores a new theoretical and empirical approach to the assessment of human well-being, relevant to current challenges of social fragmentation in the presence of globalization and technological advance. We present two indexes of well-being—solidarity (S) and agency (A)—to be considered alongside the standard indexes of material gain (G) and environmental sustainability (E). The four indexes—SAGE—form a balanced dashboard for evaluating well-being. The solidarity index covers the needs of humans as social creatures, living in societies that generate a sense of social belonging. The agency index involves people’s need to influence their fate through their own efforts. While “economic prosperity” (material gain) is conventionally measured through GDP per capita, “social prosperity” can be measured through our solidarity and agency indexes, alongside environmental sustainability that is measured through the Environmental Performance Index. The SAGE dashboard is meant to provide a “sage” approach to assessing well-being, since it aims to denote sagacity in the pursuit and satisfaction of fundamental human needs and purposes. Many of the prominent challenges of the 21st century, including the dissatisfaction of population groups who feel left behind by globalization and technological advance, may be viewed in terms of a “decoupling” of economic prosperity from social prosperity. We present a theoretical model that provides a new perspective on the welfare effects of globalization and automation. The dashboard is meant to provide an empirical basis for mobilizing action in government, business, and civil society to promote a recoupling of economic and social prosperity.

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Features of Rural Communities in Latin America and Sub-Saharan Africa That Influence Well-Being of Older Persons

Innovation in Aging ◽

10.1093/geroni/igab046.1622 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 5 (Supplement_1) ◽

pp. 420-421

Author(s):

Andrew Banda ◽

Norah Keating ◽

Jaco Hoffman ◽

Jose Parodi ◽

Nereide Curreri

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Latin America ◽

Rural Communities ◽

Older People ◽

Scoping Review ◽

Older Persons ◽

Subjective Wellbeing ◽

Well Being ◽

Sub Saharan Africa ◽

Sub Saharan

Abstract In their recent volume, Critical Rural Gerontology, Skinner et al (2021) challenge us to set aside unidimensional notions of rural communities as bypassed vs very supportive; and to identify the elements of rurality that empower or exclude older people and how these differ across cultures and settings. Covid-19 has highlighted the need for safe and inclusive communities. Given that LMIC will be home to the majority of older adults (Gonzales et al. 2015), we undertook a scoping review of features of rural communities that influence wellbeing of older people in countries across Latin America and Sub-Saharan Africa. The review included literature in English, French, Spanish and Portuguese, using search engines MEDLINE, CINAHL Complete, PsycInfo, SocINDEX, SciELO, AJOL (Africa Journals Online), LILACS, Redalyc, LatinIndex and Clacso. Findings illustrate diversity in how community features including remoteness, infrastructure and belonging influence material, social and subjective wellbeing of older residents.

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Cooperative Extension as a Force for Healthy, Rural Communities: Historical Perspectives and Future Directions

American Journal of Public Health ◽

10.2105/ajph.2020.305767 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 110 (9) ◽

pp. 1300-1303

Author(s):

David R. Buys ◽

Roger Rennekamp

Keyword(s):

Public Health ◽

Rural Communities ◽

Cooperative Extension ◽

Well Being ◽

The United States ◽

Second Century ◽

Agricultural System ◽

Historical Perspectives ◽

Faculty And Staff ◽

Policy Systems

Cooperative Extension (Extension), part of the land-grant university system, has been engaged in rural communities for more than a century. While the focus of Extension’s efforts has largely centered on agriculture, there is an important thread of work that has similarities to public health. As Extension settles into its second century, we are working to be even more engaged in efforts that improve the health and well-being of rural communities in particular. Extension faculty and staff are accomplishing this through direct-to-the-population education and through partnerships with more classically oriented public health organizations able to leverage Extension’s networks and positive reputation in communities to engage them and improve their health. A component of these partnerships includes Extension faculty and staff increasingly engaging in policy, systems, and environment work and other initiatives that help ensure longer-term, systemic changes more likely to improve health outcomes. In short, Extension clearly changed the agricultural system of the United States, and because of its reach into rural communities, it has the capacity to do for health in rural communities in this second century what it did for agriculture in the first century.

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Parents and Technology

Early Childhood Development ◽

10.4018/978-1-5225-7507-8.ch030 ◽

2019 ◽

pp. 610-641

Author(s):

Sean W. Mulvenon ◽

Sandra G. Bowman

Keyword(s):

Early Childhood ◽

Rural Communities ◽

Early Childhood Development ◽

Well Being ◽

Childhood Development ◽

The Internet ◽

Resource Model ◽

Health And Nutrition ◽

Use Of Technology ◽

Parents And Technology

The use of technology to improve the health and nutrition outcomes of children has been improving in recent years with many resources available online. Additionally, the expansion and continued growth of the Internet allows a method of access to information that transcends the traditional geographical obstacles in providing educational resources to parents in rural communities. A review of research and resources online to support parents with early childhood development is presented. A challenge identified in use of technology is the “silo” mentality of resources and the integration of education, health, nutrition, and social well-being information as a single resource for parents. Based on the research a comprehensive resource model is presented that integrates essential maturational and academic development for children. Additionally, the use for improved metrics and their development is provided.

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