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PubMed1998

The small child: anthropometric and physical performance characteristics of short-for-age children growing in good and in poor socio-economic conditions.

OBJECTIVE: To ascertain whether individuals whose short stature is caused by poor living conditions differ in their other biological characteristics from those individuals who grow short, supposedly due to their genetic endowment, under favourable environmental conditions. DESIGN: From the growth survey of nearly 4000 children of the 'Cape Coloured' community aged 6-18 y half of whom lived in the middle-class suburbs of Cape Town [high socio-economic status (SES)], the other half who lived in poor rural settlements (low SES), boys and girls of similarly short stature were selected. Average body height by sex and age in each selected sample was close to the 5th percentile of height distribution among all high SES individuals surveyed. SETTING: Cape Town and neighbouring rural settlements in South Africa. SUBJECTS: Four thousand children of the Cape Coloured community aged 6-18 y. Among these were 109 high SES boys, 123 high SES girls, 302 low SES boys and 344 low SES girls selected for short stature study. INTERVENTIONS: Anthropometric measurements in public schools with appropriate permissions. RESULTS: Both short stature males and females from the low SES group tended to be significantly (P < 0.05) different from the high SES group of comparable stature in having lower body weights, shorter limbs, longer trunks, narrower shoulders, hips and chests, thinner skinfolds, smaller arm circumferences, and were very notably weaker and had poorer neuromuscular reaction times. Biepicondylar widths and pulse rates were little different between groups. Genetically short children do differ in various anthropometric and functional traits from those who are small from environmental causes.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2000

Are recent increases in deliberate self-harm associated with changes in socio-economic conditions? An ecological analysis of patterns of deliberate self-harm in bristol 1972-3 and 1995-6.

BACKGROUND: The incidence of deliberate self-harm (DSH) in Britain has increased markedly over the last 30 years. Reasons for this rise are not clear. We have investigated whether changes in the social and economic environment underlie any of the recent increase in DSH incidence. METHODS: An ecological analysis was used to assess associations between changes in census-based measures of the social and economic environment--the Townsend Deprivation Index and a three-factor social fragmentation index--and changes in age- and sex-specific hospital attendance rates for DSH for the 28 wards of the city of Bristol between 1972-3 and 1995-6. RESULTS: There were significant cross-sectional associations between the Townsend Index and rates of DSH in both males and females in both time periods. Increases in Townsend Index were also associated with increases in DSH. This association was statistically significant at the 5% level in 25-34 year-old females. Associations with the social fragmentation index were weak, although our index was based on rather limited data. CONCLUSIONS: This analysis suggests that changes in levels of socio-economic deprivation may influence area-specific patterns of DSH and such changes may have contributed to recent rises in DSH.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1969

Use of local variations in trachoma endemicity in depicting interplay between socio-economic conditions and disease.

A trachoma prevalence survey was conducted in 1960-61 in Taiwan prior to the introduction of a large-scale treatment campaign. Marked local differences in endemicity of trachoma were encountered in neighbouring administrative areas (lin). Use is made of these local variations in depicting the interactions between socio-economical factors and endemicity of the disease.The study demonstrates the interaction between the socio-economic development of the household, on the one hand, and of the community of which the household forms a part, on the other. In a community of low trachoma endemicity, persons who do not share in the general socio-economic level of development nevertheless benefit from a low risk of infection, while in a community of high endemicity those in the upper socio-economic groups suffer from an enhanced risk of infection, though to an appreciably lesser extent than the general average for the community.The study indicates a possibility of an absence of association between various bio-physical environmental factors; for example, in a small community, better housing does not necessarily mean a better water supply. However, if any of the factors are considered, whether there is an implied pattern in the other factors or not, the most striking index of relative prevalence appears to be provided by the number of persons per unit (i.e., ping; about 3.3 m(2)) of sleeping area.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1981

Serum ferritin in Ethiopian mothers and their newborn infants. Relation to iron intake and socio-economic conditions.

Ferritin estimations were performed in serum from 38 Ethiopian and 10 Swedish pregnant women and in cord blood from their newborn infants. The mean ferritin level in the Ethiopian mothers was significantly higher than in the Swedish mothers as well as in a non-pregnant population of apparently healthy Swedish women. The Ethiopian mothers consisted of two groups with different economic situations, a privileged and a non-privileged group. The non-privileged group consumed the iron-rich traditional diet unique for Ethiopia, whereas some of the privileged mothers had abandoned this menu in favour of more refined food items with a lower iron content. Subnormal ferritin levels, indicating iron depletion, were found in 33% of the privileged and in 8% of the non-privileged group, in spite of the fact that the infants of the privileged group had a significantly higher mean birth weight, indicating a better nutritional standard in general. It is concluded that the previously reported rarity of gestational anaemia in Ethiopia is due mainly to the good iron state of Ethiopian women, especially those who still eat the traditional cereal bread. no correlation was found between maternal and cord blood ferritin. The relevance of cord blood ferritin in the diagnosis of the iron state is discussed.

Ethiopia↗
PubMed2005

Exploring socio-economic conditions and poor follow-up rates of HIV-exposed infants in Johannesburg, South Africa.

In 2002, more than 280,000 HIV-exposed babies were born in South Africa. According to international PMTCT guidelines, these children require follow-up to 12 months of age. Worldwide, the high loss to follow-up rates experienced by PMTCT programs precludes them from identifying and managing HIV-infected children. Socio-economic factors have been identified as potential contributors to poor follow-up. A small descriptive study to examine socio-economic circumstances of women attending the Coronation Women and Children's Hospital PMTCT program was undertaken. Cross-sectional data from 176 women, interviewed at their infants' 12-month visit, was collected using a semi-structured questionnaire. Socio-economic factors such as poverty, geographical relocation and a lack of paternal support may affect the capacity of families to comply with the PMTCT follow-up program. Fifty-seven percent of mothers were unemployed, 25% of fathers did not support their children and only 58% of children remained resident in Johannesburg at the 12-month visit. The lack of follow-up of HIV-infected children denies them access to adequate medical care. Understanding the socio-economic factors that affect the ability of communities to comply with PMTCT programs will assist resource-poor countries in devising strategies to achieve follow-up of HIV-exposed infants.

Child Health Services↗
PubMed2003

An in depth study of the effects of socio-economic conditions on household waste recycling practices.

Waste is never consistent. Different areas use different materials, which give rise to waste streams that can vary widely in composition. With the increasing pressure on landfill operators and local governments over the amount and type of waste going to landfill, moves have to be taken to reduce, divert and recover materials. To undertake this function it is necessary to identify the composition of the waste stream. This paper contains the results of a household waste analysis conducted in a typical unitary authority of South Wales, a traditional industrial community. The waste analysis was conducted to determine whether there was a connection between an area's socio-economic standing and the quantities of waste produced. A selection of three different household categories were chosen, as described by the UK's ACORN geodemographical system. The three areas chosen were terracedd, council and semi-detached properties and were selected as they were the most dominant and easily recognised types of dwellings found in the study area. The results of the full waste analysis have been compared against a number of previous household waste characterisation studies.

Conservation of Natural Resources↗
PubMed2001

Alcohol abuse and economic conditions: evidence from repeated cross-sections of individual-level data.

This study presents novel evidence on the relationship between macroeconomic conditions and patterns of alcohol consumption. Prior research has suggested that alcohol abuse varies procyclically, implying that income effects dominate any drinking patterns related to the opportunity cost of time or the psychological stress of recessions. However, those inferences have been based either on aggregate measures of consumption volume or possibly confounded cross-sectional identification strategies. This study examines these issues by evaluating detailed consumption data from the more than 700 000 respondents who participated in the Center for Disease Control and Prevention's Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) surveys over the 1984-1995 period. The results provide robust evidence that the prevalence of binge drinking is strongly countercyclical. Furthermore, even among those who remain employed, binge drinking increased substantially during economic downturns. This combination of results suggests that recession-induced increases in the prevalence of binge drinking do not simply reflect an increased availability of leisure and may instead reflect the influence of economic stress.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1995

Taxes, divorce-transactions costs, economic conditions, and divorce rates: an exploratory empirical inquiry for the United States.

"This study argues that, given the tax deductibility of alimony payments in the United States, higher marginal federal income tax rates may reduce the expected transactions costs of divorce and act thereby to increase the divorce rate. After allowing for a variety of other factors, including inflation, female labor force participation, AIDS, the Vietnam War, age, the availability of legal assistance, and transfer payments, both first-differences estimates and Granger-causality tests strongly support the hypothesis."

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗
PubMed2004

Socio-economic conditions and other anthropogenic factors influencing tick-borne encephalitis incidence in the Czech Republic.

Laboratory confirmed cases of tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) have been reported in the Czech Republic since 1971. Peaks of incidence occurred at 2 to 5-year intervals. The incidence in the eighties was generally lower than in seventies. In the nineties there was a sharp increase in incidence that peaked in 1995 (7.2/100,000). TBE cases occur from April to November with maximum incidence in July. During the last decade the second peak of incidence occurred in most years in September and/or October. In the last decade, an extension of the TBE season towards the spring and autumn periods has been observed. In addition to a general increase in TBE incidence in the last decade, some other changes in the epidemiology of TBE were observed in the Czech Republic. During the whole period sex-specific incidence was higher in men than in women (men to women ratio 1.5:1). Age-specific incidence over recent years increased steadily in children and adolescent age groups. In the ten-year age groups from 25 to 65, it remains practically at the same level (6-8/100,000). In older persons it fell to 2-3/100,000. Tick bites infect patients mainly during their recreational activities. A very small proportion (less than 1%) acquires the infection through the alimentary route. We have tested the hypothesis whether the increase in TBE incidence in the nineties was due to economical or social changes after the velvet revolution of 1989. Between 1991 and 1995 unemployment largely remained on the same level (between 2-3%). Over the next years the percentage of unemployed persons increased rapidly to 9.3% in 1999 (7.8% in 2001). This trend differs significantly from the trend of TBE incidence that peaked in 1995. No correlation between the district incidence of TBE and the district percentage of unemployment in the years 1997-2001 was found (r=-0.20). The percentage of unemployed persons among the TBE cases was 1-3% in contrast to the Czech Republic figures which were 5-9% for the same period. The gross domestic product in USD per capita increased from dollars 2,600 in 1991 to dollars 5,000 in 1995. Since then it has varied between dollars 4,800 and dollars 5,600. This trend, therefore, differs from the trend of TBE incidence as well. Among the TBE cases the percentage of foresters and other persons working in the forests in the years 1997-2001 was 0.5-1%. The behavioral and socio-economic aspects of TBE cases remained stable despite the political changes which have take place in the Czech Republic since the beginning of the nineties. They are not, therefore, responsible for the increased TBE incidence. In the industrial areas most polluted by SO2 in the past in northern Bohemia the sharp increase in TBE incidence seems to be connected with measures aiming to eliminate SO2 emissions from brown coal power stations.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1991

Modifying drug-reinforced behavior by altering the economic conditions of the drug and a nondrug reinforcer.

Six rhesus monkeys were trained to self-administer orally delivered phencyclidine (0.25 mg/mL) and saccharin (0.03% wt/vol) under concurrent fixed-ratio 16 schedules. In Condition 1 the fixed-ratio requirement for phencyclidine was changed from 16 to 4, 8, 16, 32, 64, 128 and 16 while the fixed-ratio requirement for saccharin deliveries remained constant at 16. In Condition 2 the fixed-ratio value for saccharin was systematically altered while the fixed-ratio requirement for phencyclidine remained at 16, and in Condition 3 the fixed-ratio requirements for both phencyclidine and saccharin were altered simultaneously. Water was then substituted for saccharin, and the series of fixed-ratio manipulations was replicated. The phencyclidine concentration was reduced to 0.125 mg/mL and Conditions 1 and 3 were repeated. When the fixed-ratio requirement for phencyclidine was increased and the fixed-ratio requirement for saccharin or water remained fixed at 16, phencyclidine deliveries decreased when saccharin (vs. water) was concurrently available. The magnitude of the decrease ranged from 20% to 90% (of the concurrent water condition) as the fixed-ratio requirement for phencyclidine increased from 4 to 128. When the fixed-ratio requirement for phencyclidine remained at 16 and the fixed-ratio requirements for concurrent saccharin or water varied between 4 and 128, phencyclidine deliveries decreased by 30% to 40% due to the concurrent availability of saccharin (vs. water). This decrease occurred only at the three lowest fixed-ratio values when saccharin intake was relatively high. When the fixed-ratio requirements for both phencyclidine and concurrent saccharin or water were varied simultaneously, phencyclidine deliveries were reduced from 20% to 45% when saccharin (vs. water) was concurrently present. There was little effect of reducing the phencyclidine concentration when the data were analyzed in terms of unit price (responses per milligram). Thus, changes in the fixed-ratio requirement or drug concentration were functionally similar, and unit price of phencyclidine was the variable that was influenced by the presence of concurrent saccharin. These data indicate that drug-reinforced behavior is substantially reduced when the environment is enriched with an alternative nondrug reinforcer. The economic context in which these substances are presented is an important determinant of drug-reinforced behavior.

Animals↗
PubMed1994

Can our people afford to live? The effect of changing economic conditions on high density urban dwellers around Harare, March 1992 to June 1993.

The Department of Community Medicine with the assistance of fourth year medical students have been monitoring the basic cost of living of high density urban dwellers near Harare from March 1992 to June 1993. The cheapest diet able to provide sufficient calories, protein and vitamin A for a standard family of five people was calculated, and also the average cost of rent, rates, essential travel and schooling for a month. Sixty to 80 people were interviewed on each of four occasions. The cost of basic foods increased by over 50 pc from $157.50 in March 1992 to $349.20 in June 1993, and the cost of rents, rate, transport and schooling from $230.63 to $268.43 in the same period. This gave an average total monthly cost of $388.18 in March 1992 and $617.63 in June 1993. Minimum costs were calculated by using the mean cost of rent and rates etc.--2 standard errors. This increase in the basic cost of living is compared with the wages of security guards and the implications regarding the affordability of health care.

Adult↗
PubMed1998

Risk factors for mortality in young children living under various socio-economic conditions in Lahore, Pakistan: with particular reference to inbreeding.

Risk factors such as maternal age, parity, previous siblings' death, inbreeding of parents, birth weight, birth length were examined in a population-based prospective study in four population groups at different levels of urbanization in and round Lahore, Pakistan. From September 1984 to March 1995, 2967 full-term, single born infants were followed from the 5th month of gestation to 12 months of age. Logistic regression analysis showed a significant relative risk (RR) of infant death associated with parents' consanguinity (RR = 1.8), birth weight (RR = 1.8) and elder siblings' death (RR = 1.7). The risk attributed to these factors was 28, 17 and 25%, respectively. The number of lethal equivalents per gamete is about one. The B/A ratio 10.36 suggests that the genetic load is likely to be mutational. In countries like Pakistan, where consanguinity is favourably practiced, a substantial proportion of infant deaths may be prevented by cessation of such marriages. The implications of this finding for the Pakistani community are discussed.

Adolescent↗