scholarly journals Measuring Inclusive Growth in Nigeria: An Application of the Social Opportunity Function

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Patricia Iyore Ajayi ◽  
Chukwuedo S. Oburota

Abstract Inclusive growth, pro-poor growth and broad-based growth are all terms used to explain growth processes that enables the entire population including the poor to actively participate and benefit from the growth process. In the last two decades Nigeria’s GDP has averaged at about 7%, indicating a fast-growing economy. Despite having a high GDP growth rate, it has not translated to improved standard of living for majority of the people, rather the level of poverty is on the increase. Income inequality has also widened in the country. This clearly shows that increase in GDP alone is not a sufficient condition for reduction in poverty and inequality. In order to avoid the problem of unwanted labour reserves with high growth rate, it is important to make growth inclusive. This study utilised the opportunity index to analyse the growth and equity dimension of inclusive growth across the entire population distribution. Cross sectional data obtained from the General Household Survey (GHS) 2015, by the National Bureau of Statistics was used. This study revealed that inclusive growth was not achieved in the area of employment, provisions of health care in the private and rural health institutions, secondary and tertiary education.

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Opeoluwa Adeniyi Adeosun ◽  
Mosab I. Tabash

PurposeThis paper focuses on three key metrics of poverty, income distribution and employment to ascertain the pro-poor and inclusive-growth position of the western African region. The roles of governance structures and their interactive effects are also accommodated to capture the peculiarity of the region.Design/methodology/approachThe paper employs fixed and dynamic models.FindingsEvidence suggests that growth is pro-poor, although virtually all governance indicators are sterile in stimulating poverty reduction. The authors observe that health and education spending coupled with trade-openness stimulate pro-poor growth potentials, whereas conflicts culminate the pervasiveness of poverty in the region. By empirically answering the question of how inclusive is economic growth through the lens of income-distribution and employment, the authors show that growth has been exclusive as per-capita-GDP growth rather dampens income shared by the poorest 20%. Also, it is observed that growth has not been inclusive as the jobless-growth argument remains valid while high inequality further exacerbates unemployment in the region. It is further shown that governance has been generally weak in propelling inclusive growth except where the institutional-component of governance stimulates inclusive growth through improvement in equality and labor employability.Originality/valueThe study jointly examines the metrics of poverty, income distribution and employment to ascertain growth pro-poorness and inclusivity which are key for the achievement of African-union (AU) agenda 2063. The study captures cross-sectional dependence among selected countries which previous studies ignored.


2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Normaizira Hamidi ◽  
Yeung R’ong Tan ◽  
Suhana Jawahir ◽  
Ee Hong Tan

Abstract Background Community pharmacies provide alternatives for medication procurement and other basic and minor health-related services in addition to mainstream hospitals and primary healthcare services. This study aimed to determine the characteristics of community pharmacy users and associated factors for community pharmacy utilisation in Malaysia. Methods Secondary data analysis was performed using data from the National Health and Morbidity Survey 2019, a nationwide cross-sectional household survey that used a two-stage stratified random sampling design. Adults aged 18 years and over were included in the analysis. Respondents who reported visiting the community pharmacy for health purposes two weeks prior to the study were considered as users. Complex sample descriptive statistics were used to describe the respondents’ characteristics. Logistic regression analyses were employed to determine factors associated with community pharmacy utilisation. Results Of the 11,155 respondents interviewed, 10.3 % reported community pharmacy utilisation for health purposes. Females (OR = 1.41, 95 % CI = 1.14, 1.73), those with tertiary education (OR = 2.03, 95 % CI = 1.26, 3.29), urban dwellers (OR = 1.42, 95 % CI = 1.13, 1.79), and those with self-reported health problems (OR = 7.62, 95 % CI = 6.05, 9.59) were more likely to utilise the community pharmacy. Conclusions Demographic and socioeconomic factors were important determinants of community pharmacy utilisation in Malaysia with sex, age, education level, locality, and self-reported health problems as the associated factors. These findings serve as evidence for policy interventions, crucial for improvements in accessibility to healthcare services.


2021 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Shouling Wu ◽  
Luli Xu ◽  
Mingyang Wu ◽  
Shuohua Chen ◽  
Youjie Wang ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Triglyceride–glucose (TyG) index, a simple surrogate marker of insulin resistance, has been reported to be associated with arterial stiffness. However, previous studies were limited by the cross-sectional design. The purpose of this study was to explore the longitudinal association between TyG index and progression of arterial stiffness. Methods A total of 6028 participants were derived from the Kailuan study. TyG index was calculated as ln [fasting triglyceride (mg/dL) × fasting glucose (mg/dL)/2]. Arterial stiffness was measured using brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity (baPWV). Arterial stiffness progression was assessed by the annual growth rate of repeatedly measured baPWV. Multivariate linear regression models were used to estimate the cross-sectional association of TyG index with baPWV, and Cox proportional hazard models were used to investigate the longitudinal association between TyG index and the risk of arterial stiffness. Results Multivariate linear regression analyses showed that each one unit increase in the TyG index was associated with a 39 cm/s increment (95%CI, 29–48 cm/s, P < 0.001) in baseline baPWV and a 0.29 percent/year increment (95%CI, 0.17–0.42 percent/year, P < 0.001) in the annual growth rate of baPWV. During 26,839 person-years of follow-up, there were 883 incident cases with arterial stiffness. Participants in the highest quartile of TyG index had a 58% higher risk of arterial stiffness (HR, 1.58; 95%CI, 1.25–2.01, P < 0.001), as compared with those in the lowest quartile of TyG index. Additionally, restricted cubic spline analysis showed a significant dose–response relationship between TyG index and the risk of arterial stiffness (P non-linearity = 0.005). Conclusion Participants with a higher TyG index were more likely to have a higher risk of arterial stiffness. Subjects with a higher TyG index should be aware of the following risk of arterial stiffness progression, so as to establish lifestyle changes at an early stage.


Science ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. eabh0635
Author(s):  
James A. Hay ◽  
Lee Kennedy-Shaffer ◽  
Sanjat Kanjilal ◽  
Niall J. Lennon ◽  
Stacey B. Gabriel ◽  
...  

Estimating an epidemic’s trajectory is crucial for developing public health responses to infectious diseases, but case data used for such estimation are confounded by variable testing practices. We show that the population distribution of viral loads observed under random or symptom-based surveillance, in the form of cycle threshold (Ct) values obtained from reverse-transcription quantitative polymerase chain reaction testing, changes during an epidemic. Thus, Ct values from even limited numbers of random samples can provide improved estimates of an epidemic’s trajectory. Combining data from multiple such samples improves the precision and robustness of such estimation. We apply our methods to Ct values from surveillance conducted during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic in a variety of settings and offer alternative approaches for real-time estimates of epidemic trajectories for outbreak management and response.


2013 ◽  
Vol 740-742 ◽  
pp. 323-326
Author(s):  
Kassem Alassaad ◽  
François Cauwet ◽  
Davy Carole ◽  
Véronique Soulière ◽  
Gabriel Ferro

Abstract. In this paper, conditions for obtaining high growth rate during epitaxial growth of SiC by vapor-liquid-solid mechanism are investigated. The alloys studied were Ge-Si, Al-Si and Al-Ge-Si with various compositions. Temperature was varied between 1100 and 1300°C and the carbon precursor was either propane or methane. The variation of layers thickness was studied at low and high precursor partial pressure. It was found that growth rates obtained with both methane and propane are rather similar at low precursor partial pressures. However, when using Ge based melts, the use of high propane flux leads to the formation of a SiC crust on top of the liquid, which limits the growth by VLS. But when methane is used, even at extremely high flux (up to 100 sccm), no crust could be detected on top of the liquid while the deposit thickness was still rather small (between 1.12 μm and 1.30 μm). When using Al-Si alloys, no crust was also observed under 100 sccm methane but the thickness was as high as 11.5 µm after 30 min growth. It is proposed that the upper limitation of VLS growth rate depends mainly on C solubility of the liquid phase.


2021 ◽  
pp. jech-2020-216030
Author(s):  
Benjamin J Gray ◽  
Richard G Kyle ◽  
Jiao Song ◽  
Alisha R Davies

BackgroundThe public health response to the SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) pandemic has had a detrimental impact on employment and there are concerns the impact may be greatest among the most vulnerable. We examined the characteristics of those who experienced changes in employment status during the early months of the pandemic.MethodsData were collected from a cross-sectional, nationally representative household survey of the working age population (18–64 years) in Wales in May/June 2020 (n=1379). We looked at changes in employment and being placed on furlough since February 2020 across demographics, contract type, job skill level, health status and household factors. χ2 or Fisher’s exact test and multinomial logistic regression models examined associations between demographics, subgroups and employment outcomes.ResultsOf our respondents, 91.0% remained in the same job in May/June 2020 as they were in February 2020, 5.7% were now in a new job and 3.3% experienced unemployment. In addition, 24% of our respondents reported being placed on furlough. Non-permanent contract types, individuals who reported low mental well-being and household financial difficulties were all significant factors in experiencing unemployment. Being placed on ‘furlough’ was more likely in younger (18–29 years) and older (60–64 years) workers, those in lower skilled jobs and from households with less financial security.ConclusionA number of vulnerable population groups were observed to experience detrimental employment outcomes during the initial stage of the COVID-19 pandemic. Targeted support is needed to mitigate against both the direct impacts on employment, and indirect impacts on financial insecurity and health.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Xue-Ming Zai ◽  
Jun-Jun Fan ◽  
Zhen-Ping Hao ◽  
Xing-Man Liu ◽  
Wang-Xiang Zhang

AbstractBeach plum (Prunus maritima) is an ornamental plant, famous for its strong salt and drought stress tolerance. However, the poor growth rate of transplanted seedlings has seriously restricted its application in salinized soil. This study investigated the effects of inoculation with arbuscular mycorrhizal fungus (AMF), Funneliformis mosseae, and phosphate-solubilizing fungus (PSF), Apophysomyces spartima, on the growth, nutrient (N, P, and K) uptake, and photosynthesis of beach plum under saline (170 mM NaCl) and non-saline (0 mM NaCl) conditions. We aimed to find measures to increase the growth rate of beach plum in saline-alkali land and to understand the reasons for this increase. The results showed that salinization adversely affected colonization by AMF but positively increased PSF populations (increased by 33.9–93.3% over non-NaCl treatment). The dual application of AMF and PSF mitigated the effects of salt stress on all growth parameters and nutrient uptake, significantly for roots (dry weight and P and N contents increased by 91.0%, 68.9%, and 40%, respectively, over non-NaCl treatment). Salinization caused significant reductions in net photosynthetic rate (Pn), stomatal conductance (Gs), transpiration rate (E), and intercellular CO2 concentration (Ci) value, while inoculation with AMF and PSF inoculations significantly abated such reductions. The maximum efficiency of photosystem II (PSII) (Fv/Fm), the photochemical quenching coefficient (qP), and the nonphotochemical quenching (NPQ) values were affected little by inoculation with AMF, PSF, or both under non-NaCl treatments. However, plants inoculated with AMF and/or PSF had higher Fv/Fm, qP, and ФPSII values (increased by 72.5–188.1%) than the control under NaCl treatment, but not a higher NPQ value. We concluded that inoculation with AMF or PSF increased nutrient uptake and improved the gas-exchange and Chl fluorescence parameters of beach plum under salt stress environment. These effects could be strengthened by the combination of AMF and PSF, especially for nutrient uptake, root growth, and Pn, thereby alleviating the deleterious effects of NaCl stress on beach plum growth.


Author(s):  
Matthew J. Leach ◽  
Sue Nichols ◽  
Sven Trenholm ◽  
Martin Jones

Background Supporting a child’s healthy development is determined, in part, by a parent’s ability to seek, access, interpret and effectively utilize health information. This aspect of parenting draws on a set of skills referred to as health literacy. Objective To assess the level of health literacy among parents/carers in a regional South Australian community. Methods Parents/carers of primary school-aged children, residing in Whyalla, South Australia, were invited to complete the 13-item All Aspects of Health Literacy Survey. Results 155 parents/carers completed the survey (79% mothers). Most participants were English-speaking (97%), employed (62%) and had 2–3 children (62%), with 52% completing tertiary education. Median total health literacy scores were mostly in the moderate-high range (median 27, IQR 26,27), as were critical health literacy scores (median 7, IQR 6,8). Higher scores were reported for functional health literacy (median 8, IQR 7,9), communicative health literacy (median 9, IQR 8,9) and empowerment health literacy (median 4, IQR 3,5). Conclusions Our findings reveal modest levels of health literacy among a sample of parents/carers of primary school-aged children in a regional South Australian community. Further work is needed to understand the differential effect of parental health literacy on child health outcomes, and the types of strategies that may mitigate the impact of these barriers on a child’s healthy development.


2020 ◽  
Vol 22 ◽  
pp. 100816 ◽  
Author(s):  
A.L. Vikharev ◽  
M.A. Lobaev ◽  
A.M. Gorbachev ◽  
D.B. Radishev ◽  
V.A. Isaev ◽  
...  

1986 ◽  
Vol 64 (5) ◽  
pp. 1046-1049 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. D. DeAngelis ◽  
T. E. Nebeker ◽  
J. D. Hodges

Formation of radial resin ducts and their associated secretory cells in loblolly pine (Pinus taeda L.) is influenced by the age and growth rate of the annual ring in which the ducts are formed. The spatial pattern of radial ducts on the tangential plane is nonrandom, exhibiting a regular or dispersed pattern. A significantly higher density of radial ducts was found in the inner, first-formed growth rings at all heights within the tree. Radial duct formation was found to be positively correlated with radial growth rate, when growth rate is expressed as increment of cross-sectional area growth. These findings may partially explain why older, slower growing trees tend to be more susceptible to attack by the southern pine beetle, Dendroctonus frontalis Zimmermann, and associated microorganisms, since the resin-producing system is a primary defense against these agents.


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