Use of Face Masks in India During COVID-19 : An Exploration of the Behavioral Tendencies of Mask Users

Covid-19 has necessitated mask use to safeguard oneself from coronavirus. The mask usage and safety practices followed by the public in India are reported in this paper. Sixty per cent of the subjects purchased masks on their own while 19 per cent stitched their masks; masks were used regularly (76%) for less than 4 hours (64.22%). During the lockdown, at workplaces, masks were removed for less than 30 minutes per day. Subjects reported that safety feeling was experienced when masks were donned (87%); felt that masks were unnecessary in Covid-19 unaffected areas/cities (67 %); whilst 47 per cent admitted to pulling down masks during use. An interesting fact emerging from the study was that the younger populace adhered less conscientiously to regular mask use as opposed to the elderly; paradoxically the elderly (49 and above) were the ones to pull down masks more frequently during use than the younger ones. Amongst them, 25 per cent repeated it 1-2 times a day. It was heartening to observe that most people (89%) exercised caution during mask use. A positive significant relationship existed between age and employer modes on regular mask usage; a highly positive significant relation was seen between the employment sector and regular mask use and a negative correlation among profession and mask use. Two-way ANOVA between demographic data on type and regular mask use yielded a significant difference. A highly significant relationship between gender, employer mode, and profession on different types of safety measures; and a significant relationship between the level of education and safety measures were found.

Effect of COVID-19 on Socio-economic Status of Entrepreneurs Engaged in Mithila painting

Mithila painting is a business or source of income of the artist around the Mahbubani district of northern Bihar. Livelihood of these people depend on this painting but during COVID-19 pandemic these artists faced many troubles because all shops were closed due to the lockdown and tourists could not visit here, so it worstly affected their selling of products. The socioeconomic status of entrepreneur is combination of economic and sociology that measure total work experience of an individual or whole family income and social position in community. High socioeconomic status enhances the social standing of entrepreneur in community. The activity of entrepreneur depends on economic, social and psychological factors. A structured questionnaire method was used for collection information from Mithila’s painting professional artist and specialist. The study was carried out in Madhubani district of Bihar. For the analysis, a total of 60 samples of female were taken from 2 blocks i.e. Rahika and Rajnagar of Madhubani district. Results of the research investigation are showed that Majority of respondents have significant changed in their family occupation, ownership of fixed assets, farm assets and annual income between before and during crisis. Finding revealed that Majority (83.33%) of respondents diverted Mithila painting in mask making during pandemic crisis for employment generation

Impact of Nutrition Education on Knowledge, Attitude and Practice (KAP) Levels of Selected Osteoporotic Subjects

The study was undertaken to evaluate the impact of nutrition education on knowledge, attitude and practice levels of thirty volunteer osteoporotic subjects visiting orthopedic clinics of Davangere district of Karnataka state. Socioeconomic and nutritional status was assessed by standard procedures and nutrition education imparted on relevant aspects. A well-structured questionnaire of 15 statements with multiple answers was developed and used before and after one day counselling to determine knowledge, attitude and practice of the subjects. Hypertension was the common family medical history followed by diabetes mellitus and fractures. Absence of physical activities or exercises was evident. Rice was consumed on daily basis whereas ragi on weekly basis by maximum number of respondents. Grade I obesity was more prevalent among males (20%) than female (5%) whereas Grade II obesity was only observed in females (30%). Assessment of knowledge gain after nutrition education revealed that Per centage gain in knowledge was more among male subjects (54.8%) than female subjects (36.9%) and that of attitude for both the subjects was at a range of 35.6 to 36.5%. The per cent gain in practice was slightly higher among male subjects (19.3%) compared to female subjects (15.0%) The overall per centage gain of knowledge, attitude and practice for all subjects was 42.9 per cent, 37.4 per cent and 15.4 per cent respectively which was statistically significant (p<0.05) indicating the positive impact of nutrition education on KAP levels of the subjects.

Effectiveness of the Multimedia Training Module on Farmer’s Knowledge in using Bio-control Agents : An Experimental Investigation

The present study aims to analyze the effectiveness of the multimedia training modules in terms of knowledge gain among bio-control user’s farmers. The study was purposively conducted in Chhattisgarh where, a total of 200 biocontrol user’s farmers were selected randomly and divide into eight groups equally. Bio-control agents was selected as farm technology based on new and need based one. The Barsch learning style inventory was used to access the learning style of farmers and results showed that majority (67.67%) of them were preferred visual learning style. The knowledge was assessed through in-build knowledge test on the specific aspects. From the result, at Dhamtari district, the Group-I (Katalboard) has highest (144.37%) knowledge gain and in Raipur district Group-V (Baronda) has lowest (37.60%) knowledge gain. The overall knowledge gain ranges from 37.60 per cent to 144.37 per cent in the study area; this variation indicated that the farmers having different level of knowledge aspects in the biocontrol agents. There was also statistically significant gain in knowledge (t-test 23.91) from pre to post exposure mean scores which can be interpreted that the multimedia training module had significant effect on the knowledge gain on bio-control agents farming practices. The results of the study clearly indicate the importance of multimedia training modules in transfer of knowledge and skill on scientific farming practices.

Domestic Violence Against Women in During Covid-19 Lockdown

The problem of violence for women has increased during the pandemic period of COVID- 19. The present study was conducted to assess the status of women related to domestic violence during lockdown. This study was conducted in Badaun District and total fifty-five respondents were selected by snow ball technique. The data was collected through telephonic communication. The findings of the present study show that the status of physical, psychological, financial and sexual violence for working women was similar that of women who were housewives and this similarity was found to be insignificant (t= 1.01, 0.17, 0.08, 0.45) continuously. The status of sexual violence in women of below 30 years (4.11) was not different to that of women above 30 years (4.45) and it was evident from the t value (0.97) which was insignificant. This study highly recommended focusing on the situation of women and it suggests that awareness programs should be arranged by which the women would not hesitate to discuss their problems regarding the violence which they might be facing.

Institutional Factors Driving Participation of Marginalized Section(s) in Livestock Extension Programs in Tamil Nadu

Livestock plays an important role in livelihood of small and marginal farmers with 5.47 per cent of state GDP (Gross domestic product) and one of the primary sources of employment to marginalized section(s) of rural Tamil Nadu. This study was undertaken to identify the factors driving participation of marginalized section(s) in livestock extension programs in Tamil Nadu. The study was conducted in Tamil Nadu from February 2020 to September 2021 at Tamil Nadu Veterinary and Animal Sciences University, India. Primary data was collected from the selected sample of 23 extension centres using structured questionnaire in google form and secondary data was collected from the Directorate of Extension Education, TANUVAS for the period of 2017 to 2019. Descriptive statistics (frequency, percentage, chi-square and Mann-Whitney U test) were used to analyze the data. The results revealed that better staff availability in the centre and higher proportion of off-campus programs significantly influenced the inclusiveness of marginalised sections in overall extension programmes. Furthermore, improving transport facilities through mobility innovations such as pooling of transport and hiring models during on-campus programmes may facilitate better participation / inclusion level of marginalised sections.

Using Social Network Analysis to Identify Opinion Leaders in Agricultural Knowledge Exchange and Decision-Making Network of Farm Women

The use of social network theories dates back to 1930s with the pioneering works of psycho-sociologist Moreno. With the advent of advanced technologies, there has been an explosion of its applications to various disciplines. The study applies social network theory to analyze agricultural knowledge exchange and decision-making network of farm women. The analysis identifies farm women who occupy central and strategic positions and acts as opinion leaders in the network. The study was carried out in the Himalayan regions of Uttarakhand, India. Descriptive research design and multi-stage sampling were adopted. A total of 298 respondents were selected purposively from the two villages of Uttarakhand. Data were collected through survey sociometric method. UCINET and SPSS were used for data analysis and interpretations. The findings showed that high in degree and Out degree centrality was recorded by 24 (12, 12) and 48 (26, 22) farm women in the two study villages. Total 24 opinion leaders were identified within the agricultural knowledge exchange and decision-making network. Their extent of opinion leadership was influenced by age, marital status, farming experience, socio-economic status, innovativeness, achievement motivation, decision making ability, risk preference, economic motivation, information seeking behaviour, cosmopoliteness and social participation.

Academic Stress among Rural Adolescents due to COVID -19 : A Comparative Analysis

Adolescence is a period during which individuals’ transit from puberty to adulthood. Children go through many changes throughout this time, including biological, cognitive, and emotional changes. Excessive stress caused by studies, high expectations, and lack of capacity to maintain studies is referred to as academic stress. The study’s major goal was to assess the academic stress among rural adolescents owing to COVID- 19. The study was conducted in Udaipur district of Rajasthan. For the sample selection from four villages having Sr. Sec, schools were randomly selected. From selected schools, 180 students of age group of 16-18 years were selected randomly. The sample consisted equal no. of adolescent boys and adolescent girls. Slightly modified Academic stress scale developed by Rao (2012) was used to assess academic stress in adolescent boys and girls. Collected data was further classified, in tabulated form and analyzed through using suitable statistical measures. Results indicated that adolescents’ boys and girls faced moderate to high academic stress. Furthermore, girls were facing high academic stress as compared to boys.

Traditional Piscicidal Knowledge along the Chakpi River and other Water Bodies in Chandel District, Manipur State : Past and Present Scenario

The present study was undertaken with an aim to expound the various indigenous technical knowledge (ITK) practices centring around the stagnant or semi-stagnant water bodies in Chandel district of Manipur. The prevailing indigenous practices were considered and only three groups of indigenous practices were found to be rational in the present scenario which could be further assessed, documented and propagated for the benefit of farming community. The three group of indigenous practices involve the age-old methods of stupefying the fish in ponds or rivers using tree barks, roots and leaves of specific trees or plants having ichthyotoxic properties. Two filters were applied to identify the ITKs. The first filter being rationality therein only ITK practices having rationality score more than 2.4 being explained in the study. The second filter was mean perceived effectiveness index (MPEI). Of the 17 practices evaluated, 3 were rational (42.08%) while the remaining 14 were rejected as irrational (57.92%). The perceived effectiveness and adoption rate analysis of these age-old ITKs indicated that, the traditional use of stupefying barks was rated as rational (3.01), perceived as highly effective (2.60) and adopted by 78 per cent of the respondents whereas on the lower end, the method incorporating the juice extract of ichthyotoxic leaves was rated as rational (2.48), perceived as effective (1.9) and adopted by 48 per cent of respondents.

A Measurement Tool for the Assessment of Farmers’ Perception about Impact of Changing Climate on Agriculture in India

Changing climate is a serious environmental problem affecting agricultural productivity at global level. It is important to study the perceptions of farmers’ towards changing climate and its impact on agriculture as it is one of the strong interpreters of changing farmers’ behaviour to mitigate climate change and adopt adequate and appropriate measures to ensure agricultural production. For the construction of the scale to measure the farmers’ perception, summating rating method suggested by Likart (1932) was followed. Based on review of literature 79 statements were enlisted initially and 21 statements were finalized for the final construction of the scale. The reliability and validity of the scale was calculated to find out the precision and consistency of the results. This scale will be helpful for interested policy makers, academicians and researchers who willing to study the farmers’ perceptions about climate change and its impact on agriculture.