Month: April 2024

Abstract

Communities play an important role in ensuring the well-being of children since child maltreatment often occurs at the micro level of society. Hence, there are several interventions organised using community child-protection models. However, there is a dearth of information on how leaders in the communities respond to child maltreatment. This paper, therefore, explored the narratives of social workers on the type of community leaders and how they respond to child maltreatment. This is to provide empirical evidence for community programme design and engagement for child protection practitioners to ensure the best outcomes for children. The study presents narratives from in-depth interviews with 15 social workers in the Ashanti region of Ghana on how community leaders respond to child maltreatment. The findings indicate that different types of community leaders are involved in ensuring punitive actions are taken against perpetrators but the actions are focused on internal resolutions and victim compensation rather than legal redress. These have implications for social workers, as families who value monetary redress are less likely to inform the state of any child maltreatment. Therefore, social workers have to intensify community engagement and education by highlighting the consequences of less punitive actions against perpetrators of child maltreatment. It is also recommended that children must be empowered to disclose child maltreatment concerns regardless of their relationship with the perpetrator.

Abstract

Objectives

The aim of this study was to examine the behavioural health conditions associated with parents’ retrospective adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) scores and their children’s early childhood caries (ECC) in parent–child dyads.

Materials and methods

Parents with children younger than 72 months were included in the study. A relational screening model was used. Interaction among ACEs, ECC, nutritional habits and oral hygiene habits were evaluated. Chi-square tests and t-tests were used in the study. Multiple variables were evaluated using the artificial neural network (ANN) model.

Results

The mean age of the 535 children included in the study was 46.5 months, and 52% were female. Using the ANN model, there was a statistically significant relationship between the educational status of the mothers in both the ECC and severe ECC (S-ECC) groups and the socioeconomic status of the family (p < 0.05). If the number of snacks consumed daily was three or more, the risk of ECC was statistically significantly higher (chi-square test p = 0.034). The parents’ ACEs scores had an impact on both ECC and S-ECC formation (p = 0.001, t-test). The higher the ACEs score, the higher the risk of S-ECC. The mean ACEs scores of the parents were also significantly higher in both the ECC and S-ECC groups compared to those of the parents of children without dental caries (p = 0.001, t-test). It was calculated that ACEs scores were effective at a rate of 18.2% on ECC (p = 0.045, ANN).

Conclusions

The ACEs scores of parents have an impact on the oral health of young children and ECC/S-ECC formation.

Clinical relevance

The long-term effects of parental ACEs are reflected in their children’s oral health. Therefore, reducing the psychosocial determinants ACEs and providing parental support may help in overcoming barriers to the well-being of young children and may facilitate better oral health.

Abstract

Gmelina asiatica is one of medicinal plants that is famous in traditional medicines. It is known as Asian bushbeech under the family Lamiaceae. Gmelina asiatica is widely used in Indian folklore to treat many illnesses and disorders, such as treatment of jaundice, hemorrhoids, dysuria, arthritis, edema, liver diseases, neurological disorders, fever, heart diseases, dandruff, skin infections, acne, diabetes mellitus, catarrh of the bladder, syphilis, as antiseptic, astringent, demulcent, contraceptive and blood purifier. As well as, there are various reports on the pharmacological activities of this plant that scientifically support some of its traditional uses. These activities have been shown to include anticancer, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, antihyperglycemic, antipyretic, nematicidal, anxiolytic, neuroprotective, anti-microbial, hepatoprotective, nephroprotective and analgesic activity. Gmelina asiatica is rich in furofuran lignans and flavonoids and contains many other secondary and primary metabolites, but only a few studies have been conducted to identify and isolate its phytoconstituents. The current review aims to provide the published information on Gmelina asiatica, its features, traditional uses, ethnobotanical uses by different tribes, pharmacological activities, and reported phytoconstituents, from 1961 to September 2023, which was collected from books and online databases such as Scopus, Google Scholar, PubMed, Science Direct, SpringerLink, and Wiley Online Library.

Graphical Abstract

Abstract

Objective

We aimed to identify the health and quality-of-life research priorities of Australians with diabetes or family members.

Methods

Through an iterative, three-step, online survey process we (1) qualitatively generated research topics (long list) in response to one question “What research is needed to support people with diabetes to live a better life?”; (2) determined the most important research questions (short list); and (3) ranked research questions in order of importance (priorities). We aimed to recruit N = 800 participants, with approximate equal representation of diabetes type and family members.

Results

Participants (N = 661) were adults (aged 18+ years) in Australia with a self-reporting diagnosis of diabetes (type 1, n = 302; type 2, n = 204; prior/current gestational, n = 58; less common types, n = 22, or a family member, n = 75). Retention rates for Surveys 2 and 3 were 47% (n = 295) and 50% (n = 316), respectively. From 1549 open-text responses, 25 topics and 125 research questions were identified thematically. Research priorities differed by cohort, resulting in specific lists developed and ranked by each cohort. The top-ranked research question for the type 1 diabetes cohort was “How can diabetes technology be improved …?” and for the type 2 diabetes cohort: “How can insulin resistance be reversed …?”. One question was common to the final lists of all cohorts: “What are the causes or triggers of diabetes?” Within cohorts, the top priorities were perceived as being of similar importance.

Conclusions

The research priorities differ substantially by diabetes type and for family members. These findings should inform funding bodies and researchers, to align future research and its communication with community needs.

Abstract

Background

There is evidence to suggest that undocumented, unaccompanied migrant youths confront emotional and physical hardships while working in the U.S. agriculture industry. However, little is known about the type of support available to these youths that could protect them from negative developmental outcomes.

Objective

This qualitative research was designed to explore Guatemalan migrant youths’ available support types, expectations of coming to the U.S. for work, and the life lessons learned from being undocumented, unaccompanied minors in the agriculture industry.

Methods

A total of 10 unaccompanied Guatemalan youths (age range 15–17 years, Mage = 16.4 years; 100% male; 100% undocumented) participated in individual semi-structured audio-voice-recorded interviews in the Southeast. Interview responses were transcribed, coded, and analyzed.

Results

Thematic analysis yielded three primary interconnected themes: (1) “Coping and managing sadness by reaching out to others,” (2) “I have a dream but then, reality hits,” and (3) “Life lessons for future migrants.”

Conclusion

Findings suggest that despite their vulnerable social position, Guatemalan migrant youth in U.S. agriculture displayed an optimistic attitude, exercised persistence, and developed resourcefulness. Besides these competencies, youth possessed social networks with left-behind families, developed and leveraged new social ties to “manage sadness,” and built a tight-knit community away from their countries of origin.

Abstract

Residence of unauthorized immigrants is a stable feature of the Global North’s liberal democracies. This article asks how liberal-democratic policymakers should respond to this phenomenon, assuming both that states have incontrovertible rights and interests to assert control over immigration and that unauthorized residence is nevertheless an entrenched fact. It argues that a set of liberal-democratic commitments gives policymakers strong reason to implement both so-called ‘firewall’ and ‘regularization’ policies, thereby protecting unauthorized immigrants’ basic needs and interests and officially incorporating many of them in society. It then explains that the background imperative of immigration control creates a dilemmatic tension between these policies, as regularization is envisaged alongside the removal of the ineligible, which is in turn hindered by the implementation of firewalls. This creates a dilemma between the pursuit of two policy goals that are both underwritten by the same value commitments. Though it cannot be entirely dissolved, I argue that the best way to mitigate this dilemma is to design regularization policy in a way that leaves only a small number of unauthorized immigrants subject to removal.

Abstract

The East Kolkata Wetlands (EKWT), designated as a Ramsar Site for its crucial role in sewage water purification, agriculture and pisciculture, faces escalating environmental threats due to rapid urbanisation. Employing the pressure-state-response (PSR) framework and Environmental Risk Assessment (ERA), this study spans three decades to elucidate the evolving dynamics of EKWT. Using Landsat TM and OLI images from 1991, 2001, 2011 and 2021, the research identifies key parameters within the PSR framework. Principal component analysis generates environmental risk maps, revealing a 46% increase in urbanisation, leading to reduced vegetation cover and altered land surface conditions. The spatial analysis, utilizing Getis–Ord Gi* statistics, pinpoints risk hotspots and coldspots in the EKWT region. Correlation analysis underscores a robust relationship between urbanisation, climatic response and environmental risk. Decadal ERA exposes a noteworthy surge in high-risk areas, indicating a deteriorating trend. Quantitative assessments pinpoint environmental risk hotspots, emphasizing the imperative for targeted conservation measures. The study establishes a direct correlation between environmental risk and air quality, underscoring the broader implications of EKWT’s degradation. While acknowledging the East Kolkata administration’s efforts, the research recognises its limitations and advocates a holistic, multidisciplinary approach for future investigations. Recommendations encompass the establishment of effective institutions, real-time monitoring, public engagement and robust anti-pollution measures. In offering quantitative insights, this study provides an evidence-based foundation for conservation strategies and sustainable management practices essential to safeguard the East Kolkata Wetlands.