130 research outputs found
How soon do single mothers have another child? A competing risk analysis of second premarital childbearing in sub-Saharan African countries
No full textThis work is based on the research supported in part by the National Institute for the Humanities and Social Sciences (CRP015015), and the National Research Foundation of South Africa (Grant Numbers:105931).Background A considerable number of previous studies have examined the trends, correlates, and consequences of premarital childbearing among adolescents and young women in Africa. However, very little is known about whether and how soon single mothers have another premarital birth in sub-Saharan African countries. This study examines the timing of a second premarital birth among single mothers and assesses how it may differ across key socio-demographic variables. Methods We pooled recent Demographic and Health Surveys from 25 sub-Saharan African countries to create a database of 57, 219 single mothers aged 15–49 years. Cumulative incidence graphs and Fine and Gray’s competing risk models were used to delineate the timing of a second premarital birth and its socio-demographic correlates. Results More than one-third of single mothers in 16 countries have had a second premarital birth in their reproductive life. We also observed that more than 15% of the single mothers in Angola, Benin, the Republic of Chad, Liberia, Namibia, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, and Uganda, have had another premarital birth three years after the first. The incidence of a second premarital birth was significantly lower among women with secondary or higher education, compared to women with less than secondary education (p < 0.05) in most countries. Residence in an urban area compared to rural, was also significantly associated with a low incidence of second premarital birth in 10 countries (p < 0.05). Conclusions Findings indicate a rapid progression to having a second premarital birth in some sub-Sahara African countries, particularly among socio-economically disadvantaged women. The findings suggest the need for tailored interventions for improving the quality of life of single mothers, to reduce the associated burden and consequences of having a premarital birth.Peer reviewe
No to children, yes to childfreedom:: pronatalism and the perspectives and experiences of childfree women
No full textWhile women are pressured by our culture into believing that motherhood is essential for a woman to live a happy and fulfilling life, in reality most childfree women live happy and fulfilling lives while being free of the many burdens and sacrifices involved in childrearing. In addition, they enjoy many benefits and experiences that women who have children often must forego in order to take on the tremendous responsibilities of motherhood. Despite these benefits and opportunities, our culture treats the childfree lifestyle as one solely of lack and one that is not a viable or acceptable lifestyle option for women. The childfree lifestyle is either ignored or outright condemned by our culture and women who choose the childfree lifestyle are usually perceived as misguided, confused and selfish. My project will expose our culture as rampantly and unnecessarily pronatalist and will argue that such rigid lifestyle requirements for women have no place in a society built on the ideal of self-determinism.M.A.Includes bibiographical references (p. 51-54)
Adult mortality in Zambia: An ecological model
No full textA Thesis submitted to the Faculty of Humanities, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, in fulfilment of the requirements for the award of the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Demography and Population Studies
June 2018Background: Adult mortality has largely remained a major health concern and an under-researched area thus it does not feature prominently on the national development agenda of Zambia, even in development plans, health policy, national health strategic plan, consequently there are no specific programmes to address adult mortality in the country. Equally, the past Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) did not have a specific focus on adult mortality; the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as well have a broader health agenda but no specifics on adult mortality. Adult mortality just like child mortality is also linked to the socioeconomic development of a country. In Zambia, adult mortality has remained among the highest in southern Africa as noted by the National Population Policy of Zambia. The probability of dying between ages 15 and 60 years for the period 2010-2015 was estimated at 306.5 deaths per 1,000 persons alive at age 15 and above. Yet the adult population in age group 15 to 59 years constitutes about 50 per cent of Zambia's total population of over 13 million. Adult mortality has been an issue of public health concern for several decades now because of its impact at individual, household, community and national level in development terms as the consequences are immense to be neglected. Studies have shown that the community context plays a mediating role by influencing the type of life style which eventually determines individual outcomes like adult mortality. Previous studies have also argued that adult mortality is associated with factors such as education, income, marital status, religion, age, sex, neighbourhoods, smoking, and alcohol among others. However, these studies did not adequately address some of the contextual factors such as place of death, community health care utilisation, and community illness treatment received as they relate to adult mortality. This study addresses these issues with special attention to their effects on adult mortality at community level by applying an ecological model to reveal the previously unexamined associations between contextual factors and adult mortality variations. The study set out to achieve four specific objectives: (i) establish the level of adult mortality situation in Zambia; (ii) examine the causes of adult mortality in Zambia; (iii) explore the age- and cause-specific mortality contributions, and differentials in adult mortality; and (iv) determine the extent to which individual-, household-, and community-level factors influence adult mortality variations in Zambia.
Methodology: The study utilised two datasets, the 2010 census (10 per cent sample) and 2010-2012 Sample Vital Registration with Verbal Autopsy survey (SAVVY). The 2010 census reported 16,445 total deaths of which 6,693 occurred in age group 15-59; whereas the 2010-2012 SAVVY recorded 2,759 total deaths of which 1,078 were adult deaths in age group 15-59. The 2010 census data were utilised in deriving adult mortality rates in objective one as they were more
appropriate with the methods applied. The 2010-2012 SAVVY dataset was utilised in addressing
all the study objectives. Objective one was achieved by employing direct (life table and
siblinghood), and indirect (Hill's Generalized Growth Balance (GGB), Bennett and Horiuch's
Synthetic Extinct Generations (SEG)) demographic methods of adult mortality estimation to
establish the level of adult mortality at national and sub-national levels in Zambia, that is, the
probability of dying between ages 15 and 60 years ( 45 15 q ). Objective two was achieved by
computing proportions of causes of death, age-sex and cause-specific mortality rates to examine
the causes of death among adults in the age group 15-59 years. Objective three was achieved by
constructing cause-deleted life tables to determine the impact of cause of death elimination on
adult mortality. In addition, decomposition analysis was performed to determine the age- and
cause-specific adult mortality rates’ contributions to widening the life expectancy gap between
males and females. Multivariate multilevel survival analysis was employed to determine the extent
to which individual-, household-, and community-level factors influence adult mortality
variations in Zambia, to achieve objective four. Multivariate multilevel survival analysis was
employed because it is the appropriate method for the nature of time-to-event data, that is, the
risk of dying between ages 15 and 60 years. The unit of analysis was deceased adults in age group
15-59 years. The dependent variable is adult mortality operationally defined as the risk of dying
between ages 15 and 60 years and was measured as "1" mortality of deceased persons in age group 15 to 59, and "0" deaths of persons in other ages. Independent variables at individual-,
household-, and community-levels were selected based on the literature reviewed and the study
conceptual framework. Analysis was performed at univariate, bivariate and multivariate levels.
The study hypothesized that place of death, community health service utilisation, and community
illness treatment received were associated with the risk of adult mortality. Data analysis was
performed using Stata 14 and Microsoft Excel.MC201
Estimation of the level and trend of adult motrality in Zambia
No full textThe aim of this study is derive robust and reliable estimates of level and trend in adult mortality in Zambia. To derive the estimates of the level and trend in adult mortality, the study applies the following techniques: the Census Survival method and Preston-Bennett method to Zambian census data for 1980, 1990 and 2000 to estimate life expectancies at age 5 and above as well as probabilities of dying between ages 15 and 60 years; the orphanhood method to 1992, 1996, 2001/2 and 2007 Zambia Demographic and Health Surveys (ZDHS) and 1996, 1998, 2002/3, 2004 and 2006 Living Conditions Monitoring Survey (LCMS) information on survivorship of parents to estimate probabilities of dying between ages 25 and 35 ( 10 25 q ); and 25 and 40 ( 15 25 q ) for females; and 35 and 45 ( 10 35 q ) for males; the siblinghood method using the 1996, 2001/2 and 2007 ZDHS sibling histories data to estimate the probabilities of dying between ages 15 and 50 years ( 35 15 q ) for both males and females; the Generalised Growth Balance and Bennett-Horiuchi 'Extended SEG' methods using the 1996, 2004 and 2006 LCMS household deaths in the last 12 months to estimate completeness of reporting of deaths relative to the coverage of surveys and hence the probability of dying between ages 15 and 60. The Census Survival and Preston-Bennett method do not produce accurate measures of mortality, or trend for females but does for males. The orphanhood method does capture some of the trend but fails to provide definitive estimates of mortality. The siblinghood method produces an inconclusive pattern of adult mortality. The GGB and 'Extended SEG' methods perform well with the 1996- 2004, 1996-2006 inter-survey periods. The methods also perform well with male LCMS data for 2004-2006 inter-survey periods. The GGB and 'Extended SEG' methods produced a good fit to age ranges 5+ to 60+. The study finds that adult female mortality is higher than male adult mortality, 69 per cent and 64 per cent, respectively. These adult mortality rates are comparable to estimates from other sources. Further research is needed on how to refine the GGB and SEG method to perform better with survey data. Research is needed to understand why the siblinghood method produced inconclusive estimates of the level and trend of adult mortality. The study recommends that the LCMS survey should add month and year at death to questions on household deaths to deal with the problem of time reference. The 2010 Zambian census should add questions on orphanhood and household deaths
Le voyage de Bernward Vesper : la provocation comme posture existentielle
No full textDans l’œuvre de Bernward Vesper, Die Reise (Le voyage) publiée à titre posthume en 1977, l’auteur entreprend le récit d’un double voyage : celui en compagnie de son ami juif américain Burton avec qui il consomme les trips, les acides (ils traversent l’Europe de Dubrovnic à Munich) et le voyage intérieur dans le passé familial, où l’héritage idéologique nazi se manifestait au quotidien sous ses formes les plus pernicieuses. La provocation devient chez Vesper une posture existentielle assumée dans ses conséquences les plus radicales et constitue dès lors un moment fondamental dans la réalisation d’un véritable travail de mémoire sur la survivance subtile du fascisme dans la société allemande de l’après-guerre.In Bernward Vesper’s novel Die Reise (The trip), published posthumously in 1977, the author gives the account of a double trip: the one in company of his friend Burton, an American Jew, and the intense consumption of drugs it implied (they hitch-hiked together from Dubrovnic to Munich); the other into his ‘inner space’ in the dark family past where the Nazi legacy appeared in a particularly pernicious form. With Vesper, provocation becomes an existential posture accepted with his most radical consequences—his final suicide—and represents a fundamental moment in the realisation of a true work on memory, and on the underlying presence of fascism still pregnant in the German post-war society
Estimating adult mortality in Zambia using information on survival of parents from surveys
No full textThe aim of this study is to derive estimates of level of and trend in
adult mortality in Zambia. To do this the study applies the standard
orphanhood method to the data on survivorship of parents from various
Zambia Demographic and Health and Living Conditions Monitoring Surveys
to estimate 10q25 and 15q25 for females; and 10q35 for males, and
hence, the probability of a 15 year old dying before age 60 (45q15).
The study finds that the orphanhood method captures some of the trend
but fails to provide definitive estimates of mortality. The levels of
female adult mortality between ages 25 and 35 years have remained
constant at about 15 per cent from the mid-1990s. The female mortality
rate between ages 25 and 40 years has also remained constant, at
between 20 per cent and 25 per cent since 2000. Adult male mortality
between ages 35 and 45 years increased in the mid-1990s and has
remained between 20 per cent and 25 per cent from the late 1990s to
late 2000s. Adult mortality, 45q15, for both males and females, has
increased over time and has stabilised at about 60 per cent for males
and 50 per cent for females. These adult mortality rates are comparable
to estimates from other sources
The Genomics of Cancer Resistance in Long-Lived Vesper Bats
No full textabstract: Bats (order Chiroptera) are the longest lived mammals for their size, with particularly extreme longevity evolving in the family Vespertilionidae, or vesper bats. Because of this, researchers have proposed using bats to study ageing and cancer suppression. Here, we study gene duplications across mammalian genomes and show that, similar to previous findings in elephants, bats have experienced duplications of the tumor suppressor gene TP53, including five genomic copies in the genome of the little brown bat (Myotis lucifugus) and two copies in Brandt's bat (Myotis brandtii). These species can live 37 and 41 years, respectively, despite having an adult body mass of only ~7 grams. We use evolutionary genetics and next generation sequencing approaches to show that positive selection has acted on the TP53 locus across bats, and two recently duplicated TP53 gene copies in the little brown bat are both highly conserved and expressed, suggesting they are functional. We also report an extraordinary genomic copy number expansion of the tumor suppressor gene FBXO31 in the common ancestor of vesper bats which accelerated in the Myotis lineage, leading to 34\u201457 copies and the expression of 20 functional FBXO31 homologs in Brandt's bat. As FBXO31 directs the degradation of MDM2, which is a negative regulator of TP53, we suggest that increased expression of both FBXO31 and TP53 may be related to an enhanced DNA-damage response to genotoxic stress brought on by long lifespans and rapid metabolic rates in bats
Estimating adult mortality in Zambia using information on survival of parents from surveys
No full textThe aim of this study is to derive estimates of level of and trend in adult mortality in Zambia. To do this the study applies the standard orphanhood method to the data on survivorship of parents from various Zambia Demographic and Health and Living Conditions Monitoring Surveys to estimate 10q25 and 15q25 for females; and 10q35 for males, and hence, the probability of a 15 year old dying before age 60 (45q15). The study finds that the orphanhood method captures some of the trend but fails to provide definitive estimates of mortality. The levels of female adult mortality between ages 25 and 35 years have remained constant at about 15 per cent from the mid-1990s. The female mortality rate between ages 25 and 40 years has also remained constant, at between 20 per cent and 25 per cent since 2000. Adult male mortality between ages 35 and 45 years increased in the mid-1990s and has remained between 20 per cent and 25 per cent from the late 1990s to late 2000s. Adult mortality, 45q15, for both males and females, has increased over time and has stabilised at about 60 per cent for males and 50 per cent for females. These adult mortality rates are comparable to estimates from other sources
Estimating adult mortality in Zambia using information on survival of parents from surveys
No full textThe aim of this study is to derive estimates of level of and trend in
adult mortality in Zambia. To do this the study applies the standard
orphanhood method to the data on survivorship of parents from various
Zambia Demographic and Health and Living Conditions Monitoring Surveys
to estimate 10q25 and 15q25 for females; and 10q35 for males, and
hence, the probability of a 15 year old dying before age 60 (45q15).
The study finds that the orphanhood method captures some of the trend
but fails to provide definitive estimates of mortality. The levels of
female adult mortality between ages 25 and 35 years have remained
constant at about 15 per cent from the mid-1990s. The female mortality
rate between ages 25 and 40 years has also remained constant, at
between 20 per cent and 25 per cent since 2000. Adult male mortality
between ages 35 and 45 years increased in the mid-1990s and has
remained between 20 per cent and 25 per cent from the late 1990s to
late 2000s. Adult mortality, 45q15, for both males and females, has
increased over time and has stabilised at about 60 per cent for males
and 50 per cent for females. These adult mortality rates are comparable
to estimates from other sources
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Vesper flights ::new and collected essays /
No full textFrom the New York Times bestselling author of H is for Hawk and winner of the Samuel Johnson Prize for nonfiction, comes a transcendent collection of essays about the natural world. Animals don't exist in order to teach us things, but that is what they have always done, and most of what they teach us is what we think we know about ourselves. Helen Macdonald's bestselling debut H is for Hawk brought the astonishing story of her relationship with goshawk Mabel to global critical acclaim and announced Macdonald as one of this century's most important and insightful nature writers. H is for Hawk won the Samuel Johnson Prize for Nonfiction and the Costa Book Award, and was a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award and the Kirkus Prize for Nonfiction, launching poet and falconer Macdonald as our preeminent nature essayist, with a semi-regular column in the New York Times Magazine. In Vesper Flights Helen Macdonald brings together a collection of her best loved essays, along with new pieces on topics ranging from nostalgia for a vanishing countryside to the tribulations of farming ostriches to her own private vespers while trying to fall asleep. Meditating on notions of captivity and freedom, immigration and flight, Helen invites us into her most intimate experiences: observing the massive migration of songbirds from the top of the Empire State Building, watching tens of thousands of cranes in Hungary, seeking the last golden orioles in Suffolk's poplar forests. She writes with heart-tugging clarity about wild boar, swifts, mushroom hunting, migraines, the strangeness of birds' nests, and the unexpected guidance and comfort we find when watching wildlife. By one of this century's most important and insightful nature writers, Vesper Flights is a captivating and foundational book about observation, fascination, time, memory, love and loss and how we make sense of the world around us
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