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Article in press
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In Need of Care but Providers of Care: Grandparents Giving Fulltime Care to their Grandchildren in Rural Uganda
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Abstract [+]
Background
In most African countries, the elderly face challenges that affect their health and wellbeing and are more pronounced because of the systemic factors of inadequate health care, food insecurity and the general care. Increasing population of the elderly persons in Uganda is raising concern than ever before. The purpose of this paper to ascertain care available to the rural elderly persons and their role as carers for their grandchildren and implications on their wellbeing.
Methods
This was a qualitative study conducted among the rural elderly aged 60 years and above in eight purposively selected district that included Lira, Nebbi, Kampala, Luwero, Pallisa, Jinja, Mbarara, and Ntungamo. The study sample consisted of 101 elderly person from whom in-depth interviews were conducted. Data was analysed using qualitative thematic content analysis.
Results
Rural elderly in Uganda face a lot of constraints that include access to healthcare and information, poor economic status, food insecurity and poor nutrition, and poor accommodation and housing conditions. Two broader themes emerged inductively from the analysis that include care available for the rural elderly and providing care to grandchildren. These themes generated several subthemes. Taking care of grandchildren crippled the elderly and reduced the economic benefits. That said some rural elderly were happy and felt fulfilled to care of the grandchildren despite the lack of resources.
Conclusion
The rural elderly in Uganda are living in doleful conditions with limited care and support. They need care but are the providers of care to the grandchildren. They are frails and may not afford to provide adequate care. They care for grandchildren many of whom are orphans and vulnerable yet they themselves need care. It is important the government and the community re-enforce this care not to put strain on elderly. The rural elderly unique challenges necessitates special targeting and mobilization of resources at the household, local, district and national levels.
Keywords
Grandparents; Care; Orphans; Grandchildren; Skip-generation; Uganda.
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Gender, Creativity and Insanity: From an Anthropologist’s Notebook
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Abstract [+]
This essay has emerged through my research engagements with life history as a research method in anthropology. It is based on the life events of a woman artist. The past few decades have brought an explosion of cultural criticisms and also explorations of women’s creative expressions across cultures. Some of the queries addressed are, how do external forces shape the creativity of female artists. Also, how do creative women respond to such forces? Creative women, then, have a unique relationship to their cultural contexts, as well as to the creative genre to which they respond. This essay also delves into myths related to insanity and women. It discusses creativity, as a mode of engagement with rigid social structures.
Keywords
Life history; Women; Creativity; Body psyche; Insanity; Myths; Anthropology.
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Age Variations and Sexual Dimorphism in Linear Body Segments among Children Aged 2-6-Years of Bengalee Ethnicity from Arambagh, West Bengal, India
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Abstract [+]
Background
Sitting height (SH), sub ischial leg length (SILL) and the sitting height/leg length ratio (SH/SILL) are useful tools for assessing human body proportions. They are often used to detect the presence of abnormal growth, especially in school-aged children.
Materials and Methods
Our cross-sectional study was conducted among 1012 preschool children aged 2 to 6-years from Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) scheme centers at Bali Gram Panchayat, Arambagh, Hooghly District, West Bengal, India. Anthropometric measurements like height, weight, SH were measured following standard protocol.
Results
There was no age combined significant sex difference in any variable. However, age specific sex differences were there in few age groups. Highly significant (p<0.001) age variations existed in all variables. The body mass index (BMI) was significantly (p<0.01) negatively correlated with SILL (r=-0.443), SILLP (r=-0.302) and UTL (r=-0.346) in both sexes. It was significantly (p<0.01) positively associated with UTLP (r=0.302). Moreover, SILL was significantly positively correlated with UTL in both sexes (boys, r=0.821 and girls, r=0.871; p<0.01), whereas it was significantly negatively associated with UTLP (boys, r=-0.590 and girls, r=-0.552; p<0.01) in the participants.
Conclusion
Our results suggest that, in both sexes, there were significant age differences in SILL, SILLP, upper trunk length (UTL) and unified technology learning platform (UTLP). The BMI had significant associations with these variables in both sexes. Moreover, SILL had significant correlation with UTL and UTLP among the participants.
Keywords
Sub ischial leg length; BMI; Upper trunk length; Sub ischial leg length percentage; Upper trunk length percentage.
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Socio-Economic and Demographic Correlates of Overweight and Obesity: A Study on the Karbi Women of Assam, Northeast India
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Crossing the Loange: Congo Pax Service and the Journey Home – A Book Review
PDF
Localised Communities and Mass Healing Practice: The Case of Guangxi, China
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Very High Prevalence of Thinness Among Rural Bengalee Preschool Children of Integrated Child Development Service (ICDS) Scheme of Sagar Island, South 24 Parganas, West Bengal, India
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Previous Issue
Socio-Economic and Demographic Correlates of Overweight and Obesity: A Study on the Karbi Women of Assam, Northeast India
PDF 489.02 KB
Full-Text (HTML)
Abstract [+]
Background: Excess adiposity is a chronic condition that contributes to non-communicable
disease (NCD) related morbidities, mortalities and causes public health problems.
Objectives: The objectives of the present community based cross-sectional study were to assess
the prevalence of overweight and obesity and its socio-economic and demographic concomitants
among a group of Karbi women of Assam, Northeast India.
Material and Methods: The study was carried out among 600 Karbi married women aged 20-49
years in Karbi-Anglong district of Assam, Northeast India. Height and weight were recorded
and body mass index (BMI= weight (kg)/ height2
(m2
)} was calculated. The prevalence of
overweight (BMI≥23.00-24.99 kg/m2
) and obesity (BMI≥25.00 kg/m2
) were assessed using
the Asian-Pacific population reference cut-offs. Data on the socio-economic, demographic and
lifestyle variables were collected using a pre-structured questionnaire.
Results: The prevalence of overweight and obesity were 17.33% and 14.33%, respectively.
Binary logistic regression (BLR) analysis showed that age at the time of interview, family size,
≥4 number of dependent children, alcohol consumption, tobacco use and monthly per-capita
income were the significantly risk factors for both combined overweight-obesity and obesity
independently (p<0.05). Step-wise multiple logistic regression showed that age at the time of
interview (30-39 years) (p<0.01), consumption of alcohol (p<0.05) and use of tobacco (p<0.05)
remain the significant risk factors for combined overweight-obesity; and age at the time of interview
(30-39 years) (p<0.01), monthly per-capita income (p<0.05) and number of dependent
children (p<0.01) for obesity.
Conclusion: Prevalence of overweight and obesity is emerging as a public health issue among
the indigenous Karbi women of Assam. The results suggest that increase in age, alcohol consumption,
tobacco use, number of dependent children and family income were the major predictive
variables that increases the prevalence of excess adiposity. Appropriate healthcare strategies
and intervention programmes are required to reduce subsequent complications of excess
adiposity in this population.
Crossing the Loange: Congo Pax Service and the Journey Home – A Book Review
PDF 341.09 KB
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Localised Communities and Mass Healing Practice: The Case of Guangxi, China
PDF 365.72 KB
Full-Text (HTML)
Very High Prevalence of Thinness Among Rural Bengalee Preschool Children of Integrated Child Development Service (ICDS) Scheme of Sagar Island, South 24 Parganas, West Bengal, India
PDF 745.68 KB
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Editor-in-Chief
Bartholomew Dean, PhD
Associate Professor Department of Anthropology University of Kansas 1415 Jayhawk Blvd., 639 Fraser Hall Lawrence KS 66045-7540, USA
Associate Editors
Benjamin Blakely Brooks, PhD
Teaching Assistant Professor Department of Anthropology East Carolina University Greenville, NC 27858, USA
Gangadhar Mysore Rajagopal, PhD
Professor Department of Anthropology University of Mysore Manasagangotri Mysore-570006, Karnataka, India
Kaushik Sankar Bose, MSc
Department of Anthropology Vidyasagar University Midnapore - 721 102 West Bengal, India