scholarly journals Maternal smoking and breastfeeding

1999 ◽  
Vol 5 (3) ◽  
pp. 450-456
Author(s):  
F. Najdawi ◽  
M. Faouri
Keyword(s):  
Developing Countries ◽  
Social Class ◽  
Direct Effect ◽  
Maternal Smoking ◽  
Child Survival ◽  
Sociodemographic Factors

A 2-month study was undertaken to investigate the effects of maternal smoking on breastfeeding. A total of 500 mothers were interviewed twice postpartum and information about maternal smoking and sociodemographic factors was collected. After adjustment for maternal smoking and other confounders, results suggested that smoking had a direct effect on breastfeeding. The prevalence of breastfeeding reduced significantly among smokers but there was no significant reduction among non-smokers. Education and social class were related positively to continued breastfeeding but negatively to smoking. Because breastfeeding decreased with smoking, smoking should be discouraged, particularly in developing countries where breastfeeding constitutes an essential child survival measure

Effect of Iron Supplementation during Pregnancy on Birthweight: Evidence from Zimbabwe

2005 ◽  
Vol 26 (4) ◽  
pp. 338-347 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vinod Mishra ◽  
Shyam Thapa ◽  
Robert D. Retherford ◽  
Xiaolei Dai
Keyword(s):  
Developing Countries ◽  
Confidence Interval ◽  
Nutritional Status ◽  
Pregnancy Outcomes ◽  
Iron Supplementation ◽  
Child Survival ◽  
Population Based ◽  
Smoke Exposure ◽  
Living Standard ◽  
Premature Delivery

Background Iron deficiency in pregnant women has been shown to reduce the oxygen supply to the fetus, cause intrauterine growth retardation, and increase the risk of premature delivery and reduced birthweight. Yet the effects of iron supplementation programs on pregnancy outcomes are not well documented for developing countries. Objective To examine the relation between iron supplementation of mothers during pregnancy and children's birthweight using data from a national population-based survey in Zimbabwe. Methods The analysis uses information on 3,559 births during the five years preceding the 1999 Zimbabwe Demographic and Health Survey. The effect of iron supplementation during pregnancy on birthweight was estimated by multiple regression, controlling for potential confounding effects of prenatal care, child's sex and birth order, mother's education and nutritional status (measured by body-mass index), household living standard, smoke exposure, and other variables. Results Babies born to mothers who received iron supplementation during pregnancy were 103 g heavier (95% confidence interval, 42–164; p = .001), on average, than babies born to mothers who did not receive iron supplementation during pregnancy. The difference was 64 g (95% confidence interval, 2–125; p = .043) for children whose birthweights were taken from health cards and 163 g (95% confidence interval, 44–281; p = .008) for children whose birthweights were reported by their mothers. Conclusions Iron supplementation during pregnancy is associated with significantly higher birthweight, independent of other pregnancy care factors, mother's nutritional status, smoke exposure, and a number of demographic and socioeconomic factors. Prenatal iron supplementation programs can improve pregnancy outcomes and promote child survival in developing countries.

Extension particles, etc.

1992 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 179-203 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sylvie Dubois
Keyword(s):  
Social Class ◽  
Sociodemographic Factors ◽  
Syntactic Complexity ◽  
Universal Quantifier ◽  
Existential Quantifier ◽  
Discourse Functions ◽  
Age Grading ◽  
Occurrence Patterns ◽  
Good Number

ABSTRACTThe study of the 2700 occurrences of phrase-terminal extension particles (e.g., tout ça ‘all that’, des affaires de même ‘things like that’) in two large corpora of Montréal French reveals that they are typically formed of some combination of a quantifier, a generic and a comparative, and that the particle is optionally prefaced by a connector (the conjunctions puis, et ‘and’, ou ‘or’). The 76 particle types (not counting minor variations) also include a good number of fixed forms (e.g., et cetera) often having an onomatopoeic aspect (e.g., patati patata). Extension particles can be characterized through prosodic, syntactic, and semantic criteria. The analysis bears on the sociodemographic conditioning of overall rates of particle use; of choices within the quantifier, generic, and comparative categories; and of preference for each of four major classes of particle: those containing a universal quantifier, those containing an existential quantifier, those consisting of just a generic and a comparative, and fixed forms. The discourse insertion of the four classes is also analyzed in terms of connector, type of discourse transition, the complexity of the term(s) semantically “extended” by the particle, and the discourse genre. The clearest result pertaining to overall rates of use is an age-grading effect, whereby speakers use fewer particles as they grow older. Within the components, women use more quantifiers than men, and both generics and comparatives are sharply stratified by social class and age. The reconstituted particles tend to favor certain co-occurrence patterns and avoid others more than could be predicted from the component distributions, consistent with a stylistic concord effect. As for the four classes of particle, it is the presence and nature of the connector that have the strongest effects, where puis contrasts with both ou and the null connector, while the complexity of the extended term distinguishes among the classes both by virtue of the number of terms and their syntactic complexity. As is predictable from functional considerations the sociodemographic factors do not contrast the two semantically most distinct classes, involving universal versus existential quantifiers. The linguistic validity of the four classes is confirmed by the fact that their quantitative conditioning is not predictable from the strong sociodemographic conditioning of their component elements, but rather reflects their differential suitability for various discourse functions.

scholarly journals Levels of Physical Activity in the Adult Population of La Guajira, Colombia: A Focus on Ethnicity

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yaina Panciera-di-Zoppola ◽  
Juan Niño-Restrepo ◽  
José Melo-Freile ◽  
Rocío Ortiz-Moncada
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Social Class ◽  
Ethnic Groups ◽  
Sociodemographic Factors ◽  
Lower Probability ◽  
Activity Levels ◽  
Physical Activity Levels ◽  
Physical Activity Recommendations ◽  
Probability Of Compliance ◽  
Activity Recommendations

The objective of this study is to analyze the physical activity levels among the ethnic groups in La Guajira, Colombia, according to the different ethnic groups and their sociodemographic factors. With regards to ethnic groups, two groups were studied, ethnic (Indigenous and Afro-Colombian) and non-ethnic (White or Mestizo). In order to obtain the relevant data a non-probability sample of 251 people of ≥18 years of age were asked to complete the short version of the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ). In this analysis, physical activity (METs.min−1) levels were considered as the dependent variable, while the independent variables were linked to the sociodemographic factors: sex, age, social class, civil status, educational level, and municipality of residence. The individuals were then categorized based on their physical activity levels and their compliance with the World Health Organization's (WHO) physical activity recommendations. Next, using the sociodemographic variables, regression models were made to determine the likelihood of the participants meeting these physical activity targets; these models found that 78.1% of the studied participants met the targets. According to the results of the bivariate analysis, participants of ≥47 years of age, and those with only a primary education presented a lower probability of complying with the physical activity recommendations, while those who lived in large municipalities (Riohacha) displayed a larger probability of compliance [OR = 2.16; 95% CI: (1.18–3.96)]. Furthermore, the multivariate analysis showed that Indigenous and Afro-Colombian people in a low social class are more likely to comply with the physical activity recommendations [ORad = 4.88; 95% CI: (1.31–18.1)], while residing in a smaller municipality (Manaure) is associated with a lower probability of compliance [ORad = 0.39; 95% CI: (0.16–0.91)]. In addition, the educated participants were shown to be active and to comply with the physical activity recommendations is to a high degree, even when compared with national and global results. In the ethnic group however, low social class stood out as the sociodemographic factor most associated with high physical activity, while Afro-Colombians were shown to be more active than the Indigenous people. The results of this study offer evidence that can either form a base for future research.

scholarly journals Employment Creation Effects of Pakistan's Exports

1991 ◽  
Vol 30 (4II) ◽  
pp. 865-877
Author(s):  
Ashfaque H. Khan
Keyword(s):  
Developing Countries ◽  
Direct Effect ◽  
Economies Of Scale ◽  
Import Substitution ◽  
Capacity Utilization ◽  
World Market ◽  
Employment Creation ◽  
Output Analysis ◽  
Exchange Effect ◽  
Industrial Growth

During the past two decades, an increasing number of developing countries have sought to pursue export -oriented trade and industrial policies as against the import -substitution strategy of industrialization.1 It has been argued that production for the world market not only restores the momentum of industrial growth but it leads to efficient resource allocation, greater capacity utilization, permits the exploitation of economies of scale, generates technological improvement in response to competition abroad and, most importantly, creates productive employment opportunities for a labour-surplus country [Balassa (1978), p. 180). This paper is not concerned with the merits or otherwise of export -oriented trade and industrialization policies rather we concentrate on the most important contribution of outward looking or export-oriented policy, i.e., its employment creation effects. It has been argued that an increased level of activity in the export sector gives rise to dynamic external economies of scale besides having its own direct effect. For example, an increase in exports creates jobs for workers directly engaged in the production of the export commodities. This being the direct effect, an increase in exports also creates employment via the linkage effect, multiplier effect and foreign exchange effect.2 A large number of studies over the last two decades have attempted to measure the direct and indirect contributions of exports in employment creation in developing countries.3 Almost all studies have used static input-output analysis to quantify the contribution of exports in employment generation.

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