Forest products monetary contribution to households' income: A means to improve the livelihood of a low-income rural community in South Ethiopia.

Forest products and forest-based activities in Ethiopia play a substantial economic contribution to the livelihoods of rural households. Despite its pivotal role, empirical data are inadequate on forests' monetary contribution across a range of ecological locations and social situation, particularly for rural agrarian communities of the developing nations, like Ethiopia. We estimated the economic contributions of forest products and forest-based activities to forest-dependent rural households' income and highlighted key socioeconomic characteristics in Wolaita, Ethiopia. We collected demographic, socioeconomic, and forest use data using a semi-structured questionnaire survey of 384 households, and surveyed markets to determine the prices of forest products for the valuation of forest use in three districts. We used descriptive statistics, the Chi-square test, the two-sample t-test, and one-way ANOVA to analyze the data. Findings showed that all respondents were engaged in one way or another in forest-based activities, while 84.6 % were involved in farming. The annual average income from forest products was 252.7US per household, contributing to 28.1 % of the total yearly average income (989.4US$), and 38.3 % relative forest income (RFI). Annual mean household income from crops was 648.1US$. Average annual household income from grazing, charcoal, firewood, woodcutting, cut-and-carry, NTFP, seed selling, medicinal plants, and seedling selling was 77.3 %, 58.4 %, 50.2 %, 24.1 %, 18.5 %, 12.7 %, 7.1 %, 6.8 % and 5.4 % of the total annual mean income, respectively revealing a significant difference (p < 0.05). Family size, farmland size, distance to the forest, and occupation were the determinants of the contribution of forest products to household income. In general, poor households derive the highest relative forest income implying high dependence of the poorer on forest resources in the study area. The findings provide useful information for developing sustainable forest management policies and strategies to enhance the economic and ecological benefits of forests, and highlight the need for funding projects to pay attention to the specific household variables that affect forest use. Mainstreaming conservation activities in development sectors and integrating development and conservation projects may improve the livelihood of the low-income family in the region.

Epidemiological characteristics and financial losses due to avian aspergillosis in households in the Almaty region, Republic of Kazakhstan.

Aspergillosis is a severe fungal disease that affects all species and ages of poultry and leads to significant economic losses within the poultry industry. The economic significance of aspergillosis is associated with direct losses due to poultry mortality, a decline in the production of meat and eggs, feed conversion, and poor growth of recovering poultry. Although a decrease in the production of poultry meat and eggs in Kazakhstan due to this fungal disease has been widely reported, studies on the consequent financial losses on affected farms (households) have not been carried out. This study aimed to estimate the financial losses and epidemiological parameters of avian aspergillosis among households affected by the disease in the Almaty region. To achieve the objectives of the research, a survey was conducted involving affected households from February 2018 to July 2019. The affected poultry were diagnosed based on clinical, macroscopical, and microscopical procedures, and once the infection was confirmed, household owners were interviewed. Data were collected from 183 household owners. The median incidence risk and fatality rates were 39 and 26% in chickens, 42 and 22% in turkeys, and 37 and 33% in geese, respectively, with young poultry having a higher incidence risk and fatality rate than adults. Approximately 92.4% of the household owners treated the affected poultry using natural folk methods and 7.6% of household owners used antifungal drugs and antibiotics, spending a median of US $35.20 (min US $0; max US $400) per household throughout the course of the infection. Egg production was reduced by a median of 58.3% when households were affected. The price of poultry fell by a median of 48.6% immediately after recovery due to weight loss. The median of the overall financial losses of households was US $198.50 (min US $11; max US $1,269). The majority of household owners (65%) did not replace their poultry, 9.8% of household owners replaced all their poultry, and the remaining 25.1% replaced only a proportion of the poultry lost at the time of the study. Newly acquired poultry were purchased from neighbors (10.9%), fellow villagers (50%), and state poultry farms (39.1%). This study demonstrates that aspergillosis has an immediate impact on subsistence household owners' livelihoods in the Almaty region of Kazakhstan.

Dirty versus clean fuel for cooking in Pakistan: regional mapping and correlates.

Based on the Pakistan Demographic and Health Survey (PDHS) 2017-18 data, the study intends to present the relative status of a particular fuel (type) in terms of its level of use in different regions of Pakistan. At the same time, the study investigates the determinants of the household type of fuel used for cooking in Pakistan. Socioeconomic characteristics of the households and household heads are taken as determinants of the main type of fuel (clean or dirty) used for cooking by the households. Binary logistic regression is applied as an estimation technique. Over the country, wood stands first as the most widely used type of fuel followed by natural gas followed by LPG. Animal dung and charcoal are respectively ranked as the fourth and fifth most commonly used types of fuel for cooking by households in Pakistan. In comparison amongst the four provinces of Pakistan, the use of wood as well as charcoal as the fuel type for cooking (in relative terms) is the most common in Balochistan province. Likewise, Punjab province is the most frequent user of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), crop residues, and animal dung, while Sindh province is the most frequent user of natural gas. Households possessing agricultural land and livestock and with large household sizes had more probability to use dirty sources of fuel for cooking. Households with better wealth status and residing in urban areas were more likely to use clean sources of fuel for cooking. Household head's higher educational status and male-gender had more likelihood to use clean sources of fuel for cooking.

Snakebite incidence in rural sub-Saharan Africa might be severely underestimated.

Snakebites in sub-Saharan Africa account for 20,000 to 32,000 annual deaths. But since most data is retrieved from hospital or incomplete central databases, and many victims do not seek hospital treatment or prefer traditional remedies, the current numbers are likely underestimated. In order to reduce snakebite incidence by 50% by 2030 as targeted by World Health Organization, it is crucial to accurately quantify and understand the current rates of snakebite incidence, which can only be reliably measured through household surveys. In this study, we interviewed 1037 households in nine communities in Cabo Delgado, northern Mozambique. Our aim was to quantify true snakebite incidence and under-reporting, by comparing the total number of snakebites reported to our team during household surveys with the subset of reports that reached health centers. We additionally quantified snakebite incidence in terms of species, location of the attack, type of treatment, season, and gender of the victims. These data allow us to propose conservative extrapolations of snakebite incidence and mortality for the province of Cabo Delgado and for Mozambique. Of all snakebites reported in the surveys (N = 296), most incidents were treated exclusively by traditional doctors (N = 174; 59%) and 25% were not seen by any doctor. Most bites occurred on farms and during the rainy season. Using a conservative estimation where we assume our results to be extrapolatable for the whole of rural Mozambique, but considering snakebites in urban areas to be inexistent, we propose that in Cabo Delgado, every year at least 6124 people are victims of snakebites, of which at least 791 result in deaths. In Mozambique, we extrapolated that every year at least 69,261 people are victims of snakebite, of which at least 8950 result in death (one in eight snakebites is fatal). Our estimates are the first for Mozambique based on data retrieved in the country, and despite being an underestimation they increase snakebite incidence levels ten-fold and the number of deaths by 30-fold. Urgent and widespread surveys are needed to further assess the full extent of snakebites in sub-Saharan Africa, explore regional patterns and develop mitigation plans.

Substrates, Plants, and Their Combinations for Water Purification of Urban Household Aquaponics Systems.

To make full use of urban household balcony space, an urban aquaponics system for balconies was constructed to investigate the purification effects of four different substrates (volcanic stone, ceramic pellets, ceramic rings, and nanorods) and six plants (mung bean sprouts, hollow cabbage, water celery, lettuce, leek, and water chestnut) on fish culture wastewater. Through the determination of contaminants such as nitrogen and phosphorus and through the use of 16SrDNA sequencing technology, the substrate material and plant combinations with the best purification effects were screened. The results show that volcanic stone and nanorods have strong purification capacities. Compared to the other substrate types, there were more unique bacterial species on the surface of volcanic stone, among which amoeba species were the most dominant (92.42%). Among the six tested plant species, mung bean sprouts had the highest contribution to nitrogen uptake (94.96%), and water chestnut had the highest contribution to phosphorus uptake at 12.07%. Finally, the combination of nanorods and water celery was the best at purifying the wastewater. This study provides a theoretical basis and new ideas for the construction of urban aquaponics systems on balconies, which will help to achieve green farming and the efficient utilization of water resources.

Effects of self-healing intervention on quality of life and mother-child interaction among female breadwinners.

OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of self-healing (the healing codes) intervention on quality of life (QoL) and mother-child interaction among female breadwinners. METHODS: The study population comprised all female breadwinners who referred to the welfare centers of Isfahan in 2020; using convenience sampling, we selected 30 women and divided them into experimental and control groups (n = 15 per group). The experimental group underwent fourteen sessions (90-min sessions per week) of self-healing training. RESULTS: The mean ± SD of QoL and mother-child interaction for experimental and control groups in the post-test stage were 84.33 ± 3.92 and 160.86 ± 8.74 respectively. Self-healing intervention had significant effects on QoL and mother-child interaction among female breadwinners. The intervention program improved the components of QoL and mother-child interaction among female breadwinners (p < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: Self-healing training can be used as a novel approach to enhance QoL and mother-child interaction in this group of women.

Impact of the consumer cooking practices on acrylamide formation during the preparation of French fries in Spanish households.

An observational study in 208 volunteers in households from 30 Spanish provinces was conducted from May to June 2017 in order to evaluate the formation of acrylamide during the preparation of French fries from fresh potatoes. Consumer cooking practices and household typology were evaluated with an ad-hoc questionnaire. Potatoes (fresh and fried) and frying oil were collected from the households. A total of 36.1% of samples contained acrylamide above the benchmark level for French fries (500 µg kg-1). The mean acrylamide content (550 µg kg-1) and P95 (1747 µg kg-1) were higher than values reported by EFSA (308 µg kg-1 and 971 µg kg-1, respectively). Although the colour 'golden' was the criteria to decide the end-point of frying, nearly 40% of the consumers misclassified it. Acrylamide was significantly correlated with the colour parameter a*, even in this random scenario of frying practices, and is able to distinguish above and below the established benchmark level of 500 µg kg-1 for acrylamide.

Analysis of the Difference in Nutrients Intake, Dietary Behaviors and Food Intake Frequency of Single- and Non Single-Person Households: The Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES), 2014–2016 / 대한지역사회영양학회지

OBJECTIVES: This study was performed to compare the dietary life of single- and non single-person households in the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES). METHODS: A nationally representative sample of 20,421 19-64-year-olds who had 24-hour recall data was taken from the 2014-2016 Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES). Single- and non single-persons were compared for nutrient intake, dietary behaviors, food consumption patterns, nutrition education and confirm nutrition label. RESULTS: The dietary intakes of dietary fiber and iron were lower in single-person households than in non single-person households. The lower the level of education and income, the lower the nutrient intake of single-person households. In the case of those aged 19 to 29, the breakfast skipping rate was higher in single-person households than in non single-person households. The higher the education level, the higher the breakfast skipping rate and the eating out frequency in the single-person households. In the food intake survey, the frequency of healthy food intake in single-person households was much lower than that of non single-person households. The confirmation rate of nutrition labeling was lower in single-person households than in non single-person households. CONCLUSIONS: This study shows that single-person households have poorer health-nutritional behaviors than multi-person households. Therefore, a nutrition education program based on the data of this study needs to be developed for health promotion of single-person households.

Analysis of the Difference in Nutrients Intake, Dietary Behaviors and Food Intake Frequency of Single- and Non Single-Person Households: The Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES), 2014–2016 / 대한지역사회영양학회지

OBJECTIVES: This study was performed to compare the dietary life of single- and non single-person households in the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES). METHODS: A nationally representative sample of 20,421 19-64-year-olds who had 24-hour recall data was taken from the 2014-2016 Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES). Single- and non single-persons were compared for nutrient intake, dietary behaviors, food consumption patterns, nutrition education and confirm nutrition label. RESULTS: The dietary intakes of dietary fiber and iron were lower in single-person households than in non single-person households. The lower the level of education and income, the lower the nutrient intake of single-person households. In the case of those aged 19 to 29, the breakfast skipping rate was higher in single-person households than in non single-person households. The higher the education level, the higher the breakfast skipping rate and the eating out frequency in the single-person households. In the food intake survey, the frequency of healthy food intake in single-person households was much lower than that of non single-person households. The confirmation rate of nutrition labeling was lower in single-person households than in non single-person households. CONCLUSIONS: This study shows that single-person households have poorer health-nutritional behaviors than multi-person households. Therefore, a nutrition education program based on the data of this study needs to be developed for health promotion of single-person households.

Rural Grandparent Headed Households: A Qualitative Description.

PURPOSE: To explore, from an emic perspective, the unique socio ecological context in which rural grandparent headed households (GHH) exist, and therefore provide a foundation for the development of culturally-appropriate interventions that might impact their health. METHODS: This qualitative descriptive study was based on the conduct of in-depth, semi-structured interviews with fifteen grandparents, residing in rural Appalachian Kentucky, who were the primary caretakers for their grandchildren. The interviews were conducted using an interview guide that was based on the premises of the Social Ecological Model (SEM). A basic assumption of this model is that intrapersonal, social-cultural, organizational, and policy factors influence individual health and health behaviors, and that these influences are interrelated and reciprocal. Data was analyzed by the research team using line by line coding of the audio recorded transcriptions of the interviews. FINDINGS: GHH experience both barriers and facilitators to maintaining the health of GHH. Many grandparents viewed the experience of belonging to a GHH as a positive one, believing that having their grandchildren in their home improved their health. They relied on formal and informal networks such as extended family and churches to help with caretaking responsibilities. Grandparents experienced notable barriers to health related to having the primary responsibility of their grandchildren, including lack of resources and family tension related to incarceration and/or opioid drug use by biological parents. CONCLUSIONS: GHH, one of the fastest growing family constellations in rural Appalachia and the US, may be particularly vulnerable to health threats elevating their risk for many chronic diseases. Effective health related interventions to address this risk should be based on the socio-ecological context in which these families exist.

Care and not wealth is a predictor of wasting and stunting of 'The Coffee Kids' of Jimma Zone, southwest Ethiopia.

BACKGROUND: The generation of cash from agricultural products is the mainstay of the livelihood of many households in developing countries. However, critics of cash cropping have highlighted its influence on dietary diversity and availability of food at the household level, eroding the potential for optimal child caring practices. METHODS: A community-based cross-sectional survey was carried out in three randomly selected coffee-producing districts of Jimma Zone in southwest Ethiopia. The underlying causes of malnutrition, food access, hygiene and care were assessed using the household food insecurity access scale, morbidity reports and infant and young child feeding practice core indicators of the World Health Organization. Anthropometric data were converted into weight for age, height for age, body mass index for age and weight for height Z-scores to determine child nutritional outcomes. RESULTS: Prevalence of underweight, wasting, stunting and thinness were 14.2%, 9.1%, 24.1% and 9.9%, respectively. Multivariable logistic regression showed that children with suboptimal meal frequency were more than three times more likely to develop wasting (AOR = 3.3, p < 0.0001). Female children were twice as likely to develop wasting compared with males (AOR = 2.00, 4.1, p = 0.05). Children with suboptimal dietary diversity were almost four times as likely to develop stunting (AOR = 3.95, p < 0.0001). Those who were not exclusively breastfed during their first 6 months were almost five times as likely to develop stunting (AOR = 4.66, p < 0.0001). CONCLUSIONS: The findings imply that in coffee-producing areas, child caring practices are stronger independent predictors of nutritional status than wealth or economic indicators alone.

Self-medication with antibiotics in Serbian households: a case for action?

Background Irregular antibiotic use, including self-medication contributes to the development of antibiotic resistance. One method of accessing antibiotic use in the community is through obtaining an in house inventory of drugs. Objective The aim of this study was to investigate the extent of storage and self-medication with antibiotics agents in households in Novi Sad, Serbia. Setting Households in Novi Sad. Method The study was performed during a 4-month period (October 2015-January 2016) using a sample of 112 households in Novi Sad, Serbia. Two trained interviewers performed the survey by visiting each household. The study consisted of making an inventory of all drugs in household and a semi-structured interview about drug use practices and perceptions. Main outcome measure Number of antibiotics obtained without prescription. Results Out of 112 surveyed households, antibiotics were encountered in 55 (49.1%). Antibiotics constituted 11.98% (92/768) of total number of drug items in households. Out of all antibiotics in households, 41 (44.57%) were not in current use, and presented left-overs from previous treatment. Antibiotics were usually acquired with prescription (67, 67.7%), while about a quarter of packages were used for self-medication-purchased at pharmacy without prescription (19, 20.65%) or obtained through friends or family member (6, 6.52%).The most commonly used antibiotics for self-medication was amoxicillin (reported indications included common cold, cough, pharyngitis and tooth-ache). Conclusion Antibiotics were present in large share of households in Novi Sad. Self-medication with antibiotics and sale of antibiotics without prescription represent an important problem in Serbia.

Factors Influencing Nutritional Adequacy among Rural Households in Nigeria: How Does Dietary Diversity Stand among Influencers?

This study examined the influence of food consumption diversity on adequate intakes of food calories, proteins and micronutrients among households in rural Nigeria within the framework of panel data econometrics using a nationally representative data. We found that substantial proportion of households suffered deficiency of calories, proteins and certain micronutrients; with higher percentage of sufferer households occurring in the post-planting season. The different measures of dietary diversity (constructed and used for analysis) consistently indicate significant and positive influence of dietary diversity on the likelihood of adequate consumption of food nutrients. While higher level of income, education and non-farm enterprise engagement may strongly stimulate adequate nutrient intakes, increases in the number of adolescents would substantially diminish it. Although our findings call for renewed attention on diet diverseness, we stress the complementary/synergistic roles of education and rural income improvement, especially through non-farm enterprise diversification in tackling multiple nutritional deficiencies in rural Nigeria.

Development of a point-of-use fortification technology for delivery of micronutrients in Honduras.

BACKGROUND: Micronutrient deficiencies continue to afflict children rural populations around the world. A micronutrient delivery vehicle (MDV) was developed as a point-of-use technology for fortification of meals for school-age children beneficiaries of the Healthy Schools Program (HSP) in Honduras. RESULTS: MDV combines micronutrient powder through a traditional dough-making process, using staple flours (wheat and nixtamalized corn), oil and water as ingredients. After mixing the ingredients and kneading, dough is extruded through a specially designed hand press into noodles. After drying (overnight, 23°C), noodles are broken into small pieces, mixed (1:100 w/w) with rice and cooked as customary. Dispersion studies with NaFeEDTA showed adequate distribution (<10% RSD) and recovery (>90%) in white rice. Color changes in MDV due to addition of vitamin A and iron (NaFeEDTA) carried forward into cooked rice. In Honduras, children from two rural schools (N = 47, 6-12 years) were not able to differentiate (triangle test) between control and unfortified MDV mixed (1:100 w/w) with white rice. Children from four schools (N = 83, 7-12 years) accepted control and iron fortified rice (3 mg Fe per serving) based on color and flavor similarly. CONCLUSION: This is a feasible point-of-use fortification technology for improvement of meals provided by the HSP in Honduras.

'Herbals she peruseth': reading medicine in early modern England.

In 1631, Richard Brathwaite penned a conduct manual for 'English Gentlewomen'. In Brathwaite's mind, the ideal English gentlewoman was not only chaste, modest and honourable but also an avid reader. In fact, Brathwaite specifically recommends English gentlewomen to first peruse herbals and then to deepen their medical knowledge via conference. Centred on the manuscript notebooks of two late seventeenth-century women, Margaret Boscawen (d. 1688) and Elizabeth Freke (1642-1714), this article explores women and 'medical reading' in early modern England. It first demonstrates that whilst both women consulted herbals by contemporary authors such as John Gerard and Nicholas Culpeper, their modes of reading could not be more different. Where Freke ruminated, digested and abstracted from Gerard's large tome, Boscawen made practical lists from Culpeper's The English Physitian. Secondly, the article shows that both supplemented their herbal reading with a range of other vernacular medical texts including printed medical recipe books, contemporary pharmacopoeia and surgical handbooks. Early modern English women's medical reading, I argue, was nuanced, sophisticated and diverse. Furthermore, I contend that well-informed readers like Boscawen and Freke made smart medical consumers and formidable negotiators in their medical encounters.

Sex role effects on female response to illness.

PIP: This study of sex differentials in health behavior and health service choice among the Korean rural population is based on 1421 individuals aged 14 and over who received medical care at hospitals or clinics, pharmacies, a government health center, or through Chinese medical practices. Logistic regression is used to explore the relationship between the dichotomous variable, the log of the odds of the probability of using formal health care services, and the independent variables (sex, age, education, marital status, perceived health status, perceived medical care need, illness days in bed, limited activity days, total sick days, date of illness). A profile of rural Korea shows for all ages fewer adult females than males, but more females 65 years who have been previously married, which suggests higher male mortality rates in the middle ages. Health service usage is higher among the elderly. Higher level of education is associated with greater use of formal medical service. The results of binomial and multinomial analysis indicate that women receive less medical care from the formal system in spite of complaints and restricted activity, and least of all from health centers. It is suggested that personnel at health centers may reduce the desire for care because of incompatible social backgrounds (young single males who are inexperienced, city bred, and completing required service). A woman must carefully choose from the formal system and may more easily use the informal system of pharmacies and Chinese medicine practice. The responses to self rated health showed many differences; males report better health than females and older people consider themselves more unhealthy than young or adult groups. Those with lower educational attainment also consider themselves unhealthy, and indicate greater need for health services. Females and older age groups also stated their need for professional medical care for an illness within 15 days prior to the survey. The mean number of bed days followed a similar pattern as the perceived need and self rated health. However, women had a lower volume of bed days than men in contrast to typical Western trends. Females reported more restricted days of activity. The old age group had the same restricted days but more bed days than the adult group. Reported chronic diseases were greater for lower socioeconomic groups.^ieng

The role of women in traditional healing among the Bambara of Mali.

Although the Bambara of Mali are patrineal and patrilocal, women play important roles in the traditional healing system. These roles extend from the home, where women are often the household authorities on herbal remedies, to practitioner level as herbalists and to highly organized women's societies which focus on disease prevention and cure.

PIP: The role of women in traditional healing among the Bambara people in Mali, Africa is investigated. The Bambara are a patrilineal and patrilocal society where men occupy the dominant role. This survey consisted of a questionnaire study of 262 households in 29 villages and a survey to determine the current level of functioning of traditional women's cults which engage in healing. The preparation of herbal remedies at the household level was found to be the responsibility of men in 76 (29%), of women in 68 (25.9%), and of both men and women in 118 (45.1%) households. An estimated 4.9 men herbalists and 0.9 women herbalists/1000 population were found. 246 (93.9%) male heads of households consulted men herbalists and 15 (5.7%) women herbalists. By contrast, 248 (41.2%) of 602 women of male household heads consulted women herbalists and 549 (91.2%) men herbalists. Most women herbalists limited their activities to women (menstruation, lactation, marriage, conception, and pregnancy) and children (nutrition deficiencies, fevers, rashes, and diarrhea). 5 of the 14 women herbalists also treated men. Women are the major authorities in home herbal therapeusis in a significant number of households (45.1%). Multipurpose women's societies and cults deal with illness prevention and disease cures. Those traditional medical practitioners provide most of the medical care to both rural and urban populations.