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Jock J, Kobayashi L, Chakraborty R, Chen X, Wing C, Berkman L, Canning D, Kabudula CW, Tollman S, Rosenberg M. Effects of Pension Eligibility Expansion on Men's Cognitive Function: Findings from Rural South Africa. J Aging Soc Policy 2023:1-20. [PMID: 36975023 PMCID: PMC10533724 DOI: 10.1080/08959420.2023.2195785] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/25/2022] [Accepted: 11/11/2022] [Indexed: 03/29/2023]
Abstract
Two-thirds of people living with Alzheimer's disease and related dementias (ADRD) live in low- and middle-income countries, and this figure is expected to rise as these populations are rapidly aging. Since evidence demonstrates links between socioeconomic status and slower rates of cognitive decline, protecting older adults' cognitive function in resource-limited countries that lack the infrastructure to cope with ADRD is crucial to reduce the burden it places on these populations and their health systems. While cash transfers are a promising intervention to promote healthy cognitive aging, factors such as household wealth and level of education often confound the ability to make causal inferences on the impact of cash transfers and cognitive function. This study uses a quasi-experimental design, leveraging an exogenous expansion to the Old Age Pension for men in South Africa, to approximate causal associations with cognitive function. We found evidence that there is a potential benefit of cash transfers at an earlier age for older individuals. As such, transfers such as pensions or other forms of direct basic income transfers may hold promise as potential interventions to promote healthy cognitive aging.
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Affiliation(s)
- Janet Jock
- O'Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs, Indiana University-Bloomington, Bloomington, U.S.A
| | - Lindsay Kobayashi
- Department of Epidemiology, University of Michigan School of Public Health, Ann Arbor, U.S.A
| | - Rishika Chakraborty
- Department of Environmental and Occupational Health, Indiana University School of Public Health-Bloomington, Bloomington, U.S.A
| | - Xiwei Chen
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Indiana University School of Public Health-Bloomington, Bloomington, U.S.A
| | - Coady Wing
- O'Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs, Indiana University-Bloomington, Bloomington, U.S.A
| | - Lisa Berkman
- Harvard Center for Population and Development Studies, Cambridge, U.S.A
- MRC/Wits Rural Public Health and Health Transitions Research Unit (Agincourt), School of Public Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, Stephen Tollman, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - David Canning
- Harvard Center for Population and Development Studies, Cambridge, U.S.A
| | - Chodziwadziwa Whiteson Kabudula
- MRC/Wits Rural Public Health and Health Transitions Research Unit (Agincourt), School of Public Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, Stephen Tollman, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Stephen Tollman
- MRC/Wits Rural Public Health and Health Transitions Research Unit (Agincourt), School of Public Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, Stephen Tollman, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
- INDEPTH Network, Health and Population Research Center, Accra, Ghana
- Umeå Centre for Global Health Research, Division of Epidemiology and Global Health, Department of Public Health and Clinical Medicine, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden
| | - Molly Rosenberg
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Indiana University School of Public Health-Bloomington, Bloomington, U.S.A
- MRC/Wits Rural Public Health and Health Transitions Research Unit (Agincourt), School of Public Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, Stephen Tollman, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
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Vincent K. A review of gender in agricultural and pastoral livelihoods based on selected countries in west and east Africa. FRONTIERS IN SUSTAINABLE FOOD SYSTEMS 2022. [DOI: 10.3389/fsufs.2022.908018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
This scoping paper presents the results of a review of the landscape of research on gender and agricultural and pastoral livelihoods in select countries in west and east Africa (Burkina Faso, Chad, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Sudan, South Sudan, Somalia, and Uganda) published over 5 years (January 2016–March 2021). A keyword search of the Scopus database gave rise to an ultimate dataset of 169 papers which were coded for geographical location, approaches to gender, and theme based on inductive identification of clusters of research. There has been an increase in the number of published papers but there is an uneven geographical distribution of research. Studies vary in the way they treat gender: with an almost even split between modeling-based studies, where gender is one of many variables to be correlated with, or to determine, an outcome (e.g., poverty—for example, as a dummy variable in regressions); and studies where the expressed aim is to look at gender differences, whether through the gender of an individual or the gender of a household head. Clusters of papers look at gender differences in assets, health, perceptions of environmental degradation, agricultural perceptions and outcomes, and climate change perceptions, vulnerability, and adaptation. There is also a number of papers exploring women's empowerment, including intra-household decision making. Intersectional approaches have been employed both through modeling studies and through more in-depth qualitative studies that are able to trace changes in identity over time, and the implications therein. The household and household headship have remained common entry points and units of analysis, despite known critiques. The results highlight a need to address geographical gaps in gender research, expand the evidence base of intersectional approaches, explore other aspects of social inequality, and expand more innovative methodological studies.
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Gender Analysis of Landholding and Situation of Female-Headed Households after Land Registration: The Case of Machakel Woreda. LAND 2022. [DOI: 10.3390/land11071029] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Well-implemented and functioning land administration systems are able to improve the wellbeing of rural households and support the achievement of the UN Sustainable Development Goals. As cadastral data are an essential part of a modern land administration system for documenting and securing the boundaries of parcels, Ethiopia recently embarked on one of the largest land surveying programs for rural land registration in Africa. Cadastral and land registration data provided by the land administration office of the woreda were analyzed using a Geographical Information System to investigate whether parcels of female-headed households were disadvantaged compared to parcels of male-headed households with regard to parcel size, parcel features, and access to infrastructure. In addition, the situation of female-headed households after the land registration process was analyzed in more detail. To this aim, quantitative and qualitative data were collected in the Ethiopian Machakel woreda through a household survey, in-depth interviews, focus group discussions, and key informant interviews. The results document no significant gender discrepancies in parcel features and access to infrastructures. In general, women confirmed an improvement in the wellbeing of female-headed households after the land registration and certification process.
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Gendering post-harvest loss research: responsibilities of women and men to manage maize after harvest in southwestern Ethiopia. Food Secur 2022. [DOI: 10.1007/s12571-022-01259-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
AbstractPost-harvest losses are a significant problem worldwide, leading to a waste of resources when they are becoming scarcer. Rather than putting more energy into increasing production volume, addressing post-harvest losses can increase food availability without increasing yields. Using maize in Ethiopia to introduce gendering post-harvest loss research, we analyze the gendered division of labor in post-harvest management and then discuss implications. The study was conducted from 2014–2015 in southwestern Ethiopia as part of a broader research project from 2013–2018. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 208 male and female farmer heads of household. Our results show that although maize post-harvest activities are deemed to be the responsibility of women, the overall management of maize after harvest requires the cooperation of all household members. For example, both women and men contribute to time-sensitive harvest, packing and de-husking activities. Men tend to have the responsibility for ensuring that maize is stored well. Critically, women tend to sell small quantities of maize to pay for everyday household expenses including purchasing other foods to diversify diets. Often recommendations in literature to reduce maize post-harvest losses include building processing centers and formalizing the supply chain. However, as shown in this research, women’s role to decide which maize to consume in the home and which to sell is important for access to quality food. Without gendering post-harvest loss research, it is possible that gender harms are enacted when women’s livelihoods are impacted in the process of reducing post-harvest losses, and this may compromise food security.
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Matavel C, Hoffmann H, Rybak C, Steinke J, Sieber S, Müller K. Understanding the drivers of food security among agriculture-based households in Gurué District, Central Mozambique. AGRICULTURE & FOOD SECURITY 2022; 11:7. [PMID: 35127061 PMCID: PMC8807014 DOI: 10.1186/s40066-021-00344-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/17/2021] [Accepted: 10/14/2021] [Indexed: 12/05/2022]
Abstract
Background The prevalence of food insecurity in Mozambique is alarming, despite progress made during the 2010s. Several studies apply different proxy indicators of food security (FS) to assess the FS situation. However, these studies overlook the factors affecting FS, using only a single data point that results in an incomplete picture of FS. Food security is expected to fluctuate, being better and worse than what studies suggest. Using a sample of 296 households to assess FS, key drivers conditioning households’ capacity to achieve FS in Gurué District, Central Mozambique, are identified. Data were collected in the pre-harvest period and during the harvest period to capture relevant interseasonal variation of FS. Household FS is assessed using three standard indicators: Household Dietary Diversity Score (HDDS), Household Food Consumption Score (HFCS), and Months of Adequate Household Food Provisioning (MAHFP). Results Each household was classified into a specific FS status depending on the indicator applied. Generally, most households were classified as being severely or moderately food insecure during the pre-harvest season, while during the harvest season, medium and high levels of FS predominated. Nevertheless, varying outcomes were found depending on the indicator used to assess FS. MAHFP and HDDS are more related to the consumption of farm-sourced food, while HFCS responds more strongly to purchased food. Gender and age of the household head, geographic location, size and quality of land, staples production (especially cassava), livestock and crop diversity, as well as cash crops had a statistically significant effect on FS indicators. Conclusions The study concludes that the decision whether farmers should rely on staple foods production for increasing their FS status or specialize on cash crops production to generate income and buy food depends on the indicator used to assess FS, since each indicator captures a specific domain of food security. Thus, one central recommendation derived from our results is that policy makers should promote a balance between market-oriented agriculture and subsistence production to achieve FS. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s40066-021-00344-3.
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Affiliation(s)
- Custodio Matavel
- Leibniz Centre for Agricultural Landscape Research (ZALF), Eberswalder Str. 84, 15374 Müncheberg, Germany.,Department of Agricultural Economics, Faculty of Life Sciences, Humboldt University of Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Harry Hoffmann
- Leibniz Centre for Agricultural Landscape Research (ZALF), Eberswalder Str. 84, 15374 Müncheberg, Germany
| | - Constance Rybak
- Leibniz Centre for Agricultural Landscape Research (ZALF), Eberswalder Str. 84, 15374 Müncheberg, Germany
| | - Jonathan Steinke
- Leibniz Centre for Agricultural Landscape Research (ZALF), Eberswalder Str. 84, 15374 Müncheberg, Germany.,Department of Agricultural Economics, Faculty of Life Sciences, Humboldt University of Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Stefan Sieber
- Leibniz Centre for Agricultural Landscape Research (ZALF), Eberswalder Str. 84, 15374 Müncheberg, Germany.,Department of Agricultural Economics, Faculty of Life Sciences, Humboldt University of Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Klaus Müller
- Leibniz Centre for Agricultural Landscape Research (ZALF), Eberswalder Str. 84, 15374 Müncheberg, Germany.,Department of Agricultural Economics, Faculty of Life Sciences, Humboldt University of Berlin, Berlin, Germany
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Desai Z, Zhang Y. Climate Change and Women's Health: A Scoping Review. GEOHEALTH 2021; 5:e2021GH000386. [PMID: 34504988 PMCID: PMC8414962 DOI: 10.1029/2021gh000386] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/15/2021] [Revised: 06/07/2021] [Accepted: 07/08/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Climate change is a significant global health threat that is, underpinned by the existing issue of gender inequality. A scoping review was conducted to better understand the relationship between climate change and women's health. We found a notably higher proportion of existing studies focused on low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Most of the studies included were published after 2010, with predominantly qualitative study designs. Four key themes were identified, including women's exposure to climate change risks, the impacts on women's health, factors contributing to the vulnerability, and responding strategies in addressing climate change. The scoping review indicates that women's health is at higher risks due to the vulnerability to climate change, especially in LMICs. Meanwhile, it is beneficial to have insights from women in terms of adaptation and mitigation strategies to build stronger resilience. Mixed methods are strongly recommended to support evidence-based policy making in responding to climate change.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zalak Desai
- School of Public HealthUniversity of SydneySydneyNSWAustralia
| | - Ying Zhang
- School of Public HealthUniversity of SydneySydneyNSWAustralia
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