31 research outputs found
Agricultural Knowledge of Students and their Awareness about the Role of Universities in Development Regional and Local Development Studies (Rlds)
No full textThe objective of this study was to assess and compare the difference
between the mean agricultural knowledge scores of first year university
students, when grouped by their high school agricultural education and
place of birth background, and to determine their awareness about the
role of universities in development particularly in solving the problem of
food insecurity in Ethiopia. A sample consisting of 148 students was
selected using Equal Probability Selection Method. The study instrument
was developed, validated by group of experts, tested and administered
to the sample of students. A survey was conducted in April 2003. The
means comparison, ANOVA and Independent Samples t-Tests using
SPSS PC version10 was employed to analyse the data at 0.05 alpha
level.
The dependent variables (summated scores of agricultural knowledge
ranging from 0-30 and summated score of awareness ranging from 1-5)
and the independent variables (dichotomous values of high school
agricultural education and place of birth background) were entered into
mean comparison and ANOVA test model. The result revealed that there
exists mean difference between both test groups. Students with high
school agricultural education scored M=19.6 and with no agricultural
education M=12.8. Students with rural background scored M=17.5
whereas with urban background scored M=16.4. The mean difference
between students grouped by their high school agricultural education
found to be significant (P=0.00) where as the mean difference between
students grouped by their place of birth revealed to be not significant
(P=0.189). This result was further verified by using Independent
Samples t-Test for both groups and the result revealed (P=0.00 for first
group and P=0.176 for the second group) which was similar to the
ANOVA tests.
Furthermore, Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) econometrics model was
conducted using GiveWin statistical package to estimate the extent by
which the value of dependent variable is explained by the independent
variable. To this end, four lag OLS test revealed (R^2= 0.56 and
DW=1.39) that 56% of the agricultural knowledge of students can be
explained by their previous high school agricultural education
background. The awareness section mean score was M=1.9 for
students with high school agricultural education and M=2.4 for students
with no agricultural education background. This indicates that students with high school agricultural education have a good awareness about
agriculture and agricultural higher education. More than 60% of students
support the integration of Universities in the national agricultural research
and extension system.
It was finally concluded that offering agricultural education at high school
level would help to build agricultural knowledge and awareness of the
future generation. Further national survey research is warranted to
determine the importance of offering agricultural education courses at all
levels of schooling and designing policies or national guidance to
integrate Universities in the development process particularly integrating
them in to the federal/regional agricultural research and extension
systems
Public Private Partnership in Development: Lessons in Devising Legal and Institutional Framework from South Korea
No full textPublic Private Partnership (PPP) is collaboration between public and private sectors in public service delivery as an alternative solution to the ever-increasing challenges in public service delivery. The success of implementing PPP around the world has been an attractive alternative for procuring public service works to the private sector. Establishing an enabling legal and institutional environment is the basic precondition to establish PPP arrangement in the development process. Accordingly, this study focuses on assessing international best practices as to how rapidly developing countries involve the private sector in their respective development process. This study takes the case of South Korea. Document review method was employed to assess how South Korea institutionalized PPP as part of its development strategy. Some selected government policy-documents, book chapters and articles are collected and consulted to finalize this study. The findings of this study reveal that the legal and institutional systems organized in South Korea are well established. Act on PPP and its Enforcement Decree constitute the major legal framework. Agencies like Ministry of Strategy and finance (MOSF) and Private Infrastructure Investment Management Center (PIMAC) represent institutional frameworks that can be taken as best practice for developing countries. Though most special government support schemes are introduced, some of the components, such as Minimum Revenue Guarantee (MRG) and allowing public property to private partners to use it free of charge, may be adopted with its appropriate controlling mechanisms. Hence, getting lessons from the experiences of South Korea with careful investigation of specific issues and contextualization of objective conditions in developing countries is warranted. KEY WORDS: Public, Private, Partnership, legal framework, institutional framework, development, PP
Intent to Vaccinate Children Against COVID-19 by Caregiver Vaccination Status in Northeast Tennessee
No full textTITLE: Intent to Vaccinate Children Against COVID-19 by Caregiver Vaccination Status in Northeast Tennessee
AUTHOR INFO
Yordanos Tafesse MD1 [email protected]
Olivia A. Sullivan, EMT, MPH1 [email protected]
Samuel Pettyjohn, DrPH, MPH1 [email protected]
1 Center for Rural Health Research, East Tennessee State University, Johnson City, TN.
Addressing vaccine hesitancy is crucial in mitigating the spread of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Children are mostly asymptomatic or have milder symptoms of COVID-19 than adults, and thus may remain undiagnosed, allowing the disease to spread to a large number of people; they are also at a high risk of long-term morbidity from as-of-yet undetermined effects of “long COVID.” Therefore, this analysis sought to examine caregivers’ intent to have their children vaccinated against COVID-19 based on the caregivers’ vaccination status and the age of the children. Using a secondary dataset from a survey in Northeast Tennessee, researchers found a significant difference between vaccinated and unvaccinated caregivers in intent to vaccinate their children in all age groups. Among caregivers with vaccine-eligible (12+ years children), unvaccinated caregivers (n=16) were significantly more likely than vaccinated caregivers (n=71) to not have had their child vaccinated (X2=24, df=1, p=7.8x10-7). Among caregivers who had not yet had their children vaccinated, unvaccinated caregivers (n=23) were significantly more likely to indicate they would “definitely not” get their children vaccinated than vaccinated caregivers (n=76) among all age groups of children: 0-4 years (X2=7.8, df=1, p=5.1x10-3), 5-9 years (X2=28, df=1, p=1.4x10-7), 10-13 years (X2=30, df=1, p=3.6x10-8), and 14+ years (X2=16, df=1, p=6.1x10-5) (Figure 2). The percentage of caregivers indicating they would “definitely not” get their child vaccinated differed by age of children among vaccinated caregivers (X2=11, df=3, p=0.011) but not unvaccinated caregivers (X2=5.1, df=3, p=0.16). Limitations include a small number of unvaccinated caregivers in the sample and the inability to account for correlation in the data. These results corroborate other findings nationwide, and demonstrate the need to provide high-quality education to address vaccine hesitancy in Northeast Tennessee
Racial Disparities Associated With Colon Cancer Screening in a Nationally Representative Sample; A Cross-sectional Study
No full textTITLE: Racial disparities associated with colon cancer screening in a nationally representative sample; A cross-sectional study
AUTHOR INFO
Yorandos Tafesse MD1
Manik Ahuja PhD, MA1
Author Affiliations:
1College of Public Health, East Tennessee State University, Johnson City, TN 37614, United States
Colon cancer impacts nearly 2 million individuals in the U.S. each year. Early detection of colon cancer using colonoscopy can reduce the risk of mortality. The United States Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) recommends routine screening for colon cancer for all adults 50 to 75 years of age. Colon cancer screening behavior is different across a variety of predictor variables. Previous studies have identified older age, male gender, higher education, higher income, marriage, and the presence of chronic diseases to be associated with increased odds of colon cancer screening. However, less is known about the role of racial differences in screening. This study aims to determine if colon cancer screening rates are different between Whites and racial minorities in the United States controlling for potential confounders. This research can help bridge the existing gap on this topic and aid in identifying high-risk racial groups that could be targeted by future intervention strategies. We used cross-sectional data from the 2019 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, a nationally representative U.S. telephone-based survey of adults aged 18 years or older. We extracted data for adults age 50 or older (n=10,972). Logistic regression analyses were conducted to test the association between race and colon cancer screening. We also included chronic disease status, alcohol use, smoking, gender, and age in our model. Chronic disease status was coded as self-report 2 or more, 1 and 0 chronic diseases (referent), which included the summation of heart disease, hypertension, COPD, and diabetes. Overall, colon cancer screening is as follows among Whites (77.2%), Blacks (72.4%), Asian (60.1%), American Indian/Alaska Native (69.7%), and Hispanic (68.6%). Logistic regression results revealed that having 2 or more chronic diseases (OR=1.73; 95% CI 1.53,1.96), 1 chronic disease (OR=1.45; 95% CI 1.31,1.65), and female gender (OR=1.14; 95% CI 1.04,1.23) were associated with higher odds of screening. Race/ethnic minority status (OR=0.72; 95% CI 0.65, 0.81), low income (OR=0.64; 95% CI 0.57,0.70), and less than high school education (OR=0.71; 95% CI 0.59,0.84) were associated with lower odds of screening. Our research showed that racial minorities have lower odds of colon cancer screening after adjusting for gender, age, chronic diseases, income, and education status. Preventive practices should focus on increasing awareness on and availability of colon cancer screening means to racial minorities in the United States. Further research on the association between race and other screening modalities will help maximize the impacts of targeted interventions
Public trust in the police: Investigating the influence of police performance, procedural fairness, and police-community relations in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
No full textIn Western countries, there is conclusive research on public trust in the police and the factors that affect it; however, the situation in developing countries like Ethiopia is largely unknown and unexplored. The current study utilized cross-sectional data from representative 616 households from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The study results found lower trust in the local police, less effective in reducing crime, and residents’ unfavorable perceptions of police procedural fairness, accompanied by poor relationships with the community. Moreover, perceptions of police effectiveness, procedural justice, and police-community relations were significant predictors of citizens’ trust in the police. The results of the study provide evidence for the applicability of the underlying assumptions of the performance model, procedural justice and community policing in the context of Ethiopia. As a result, to enhance trust in the police and improve relations with citizens, police should effectively control crime and communicate it, exert authority procedurally, exercise fair and respectful policing, and undertake activities that positively strengthen their relationship with the community. This study has theoretical and practical implications and provides insights for enhancing public trust in the police
Public-Private Partnership Financing Framework for Housing Development in Addis Ababa: Evidence from Planning and Implementation Phase
No full textHousing development financing faces significant challenges in Addis Ababa City Administration. Among others, inadequate planning, insufficient risk management, and lack of transparency in procurement constituted the gaps. These challenges undermine the effective implementation of Public-Private Partnership as a viable financing approach. This study employed a mixed methods design to investigate the planning phases of Public Private Partnership housing development of the city. Results indicated that planning dimensions such as integration of various components, defining the scope, and resource allocation demonstrated remarkable successes so far. However, inadequacy of institutional capacity, limited stakeholder engagement, and imbalanced risk identification and allocation comprise dimensions that seek further attention. The values for the path coefficients of procurement and resource allocation were found to be 0.99 and 0.66, respectively, highlighting the presence of correlation with institutional capacity. The findings further suggest the need to balance private sector incentives with deliverables, affordability, and transparency
Book Review: Handbook of Peace and Human Rights Education in Ethiopia
No full textTitle of the Book: Handbook of Peace and Human Rights Education in Ethiopia
Author: Habtamu Wondimu
Publisher: OSSREA, Addis Ababa
Year of publication: 2008
 
Conflicts and Conflict Resolution in the Horn of Africa: Toward the Study of Regional Peace and Security
No full textThe article attempts to provide an understanding of the phenomenon of conflict in the Horn of Africa. It identifies and discusses the political factor as the root cause of the problem of peace and security in the sub region. The paper does not argue that thee is a gap of literature on the conflicts in the Horn of Africa. The argument it is trying to present is that many of the works on the subject that the author has consulted and reviewed concentrate on conflict markers such as ethnicity, region, religion, etc. This way of understanding of the source of conflicts has the effect of obscuring the primacy of politics as a major root cause of the problem. The approach of academic research on the conflict problematic must not be based on the horizontal and asymmetrical society-society relations; but rather on the asymmetrical and undemocratic state-society relations. Based on this, the conclusion of the article, as the scenarios in the conclusion clearly illustrate, is that in conflict studies giving little or no attention to the role of state and its institutions as a a major root cause to conflicts and instabilities within and between states in the Horn of Africa would make it difficult to suggest practical/realistic copping strategies of dealing with the problem of peace and security in the sub region
Challenges of Tourism Destination Development in the Amhara National Regional State, Ethiopia.
No full textThe main objective of this study was to identify the major challenges hampering destination development in the Amhara Region. For the purpose of collecting, presenting and analyzing data for this study, a crosssectional study design with qualitative and quantitative approaches has been used. The researchers used both primary and secondary sources of data. The target populations were selected using purposive sampling from government officials, tourism experts of different levels, private tourism businesses, and local community leaders in Gondar, Bahir Dar, Debark (SMNP) and Lalibela. Self-administered structured
questionnaires, an in-depth open-ended and semi-structured interview, focus group discussion, observation checklists and document consultations were employed for data collection. The collected data from the various sources were analyzed and synthesized to draw inferences and make conclusions using both the qualitative and quantitative approach. Of the total respondents more than fifty-five percent either strongly agreed or agreed on the existence of current destination challenges such as poor community participation in tourist destination area; lack of benefit sharing; the lack of knowledge about the importance of tourism
by a large segment of the society, problems in trained staffs and employees in tourism development. Moreover, destruction of natural resources in destination, lack of funding for tourism development, and resource competition from other sectors, less priority given for tourism investment, insufficient investment
incentives, and lack of policy support were the major challenges in the four destination areas. Based on the analysis, we can conclude that major tourist destination in Amhara Regional State has been challenged by different factors including inter alia, low levels of community participation, lack of community leadership
and good governance, lack of stakeholders collaboration, tourism resources degradation, low/lack incentive to tourism investment, poor tourist facility and infrastructure and weak policy implementation. Therefore, it is recommended that the government bodies and other tourism sector stakeholders give special attention supporting initiatives aimed at reducing all challenges
