| 21. |
- Schmeer, Kammi K., et al.
(författare)
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Maternal resources and household food security : evidence from Nicaragua
- 2015
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Ingår i: Public Health Nutrition. - 1368-9800 .- 1475-2727. ; 18:16, s. 2915-2924
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Objective: Women (especially mothers) are theorized as critical to reducing household food insecurity through their work and caregiver roles. The present study tests these assumptions, assessing how maternal economic and social resources are associated with food insecurity in households with young children. Design: Data from a population-based sample of households was collected in Leon, Nicaragua (n 443). Data include a newly validated measure of household food insecurity (ELCSA), maternal resource measures, and household economic status and demographics. Regression analysis tests the statistical associations (P<0.05) of maternal resources with household, adult-specific and child-specific food insecurity. Setting: Municipality of Leon, Nicaragua. Subjects: Households with children aged 3-11 years in rural and urban Leon. Results: Only 25 % of households with young children were food secure, with 50 % mildly food insecure and 25 % moderately/severely food insecure. When mothers contributed substantially to household income, the odds of moderate/severe household food insecurity were 34 % lower than when their spouse/partner was the main provider. The odds of food insecurity were 60 % lower when mothers managed household money, 48 % lower when mothers had a secondary (v. primary) education, 65 % higher among single mothers and 16 % lower with each indicator of social support. Results were similar for adult-and child-specific food insecurity. Conclusions: This research provides new evidence that maternal economic and social resources are important for reducing household food insecurity and adult- and child-specific food insecurity. Women's social status, social support and access to economic resources need to be enhanced as a part of policies aimed to reduce food insecurity in high-poverty settings.
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| 22. |
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| 23. |
- Alm, Erika, 1975, et al.
(författare)
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Parenting the nation : state violence and reproduction in Nicaragua and Sweden
- 2023
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Ingår i: Struggles for reproductive justice in the era of anti-genderism and religious fundamentalism. - London : Palgrave Macmillan. - 9783031312595 - 9783031312625 - 9783031312601 ; , s. 213-240
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Bokkapitel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Reproduction is a core question for the state, a site of struggle between the reproduction of the nation and the reproduction of liveable lives, especially for those citizens whose rights are rarely recognized in the first place. What role does the exceptionalisation of reproductive rights play in the reproduction of the nation-state? Nicaragua and Sweden are countries where debates about reproductive justice highlight tensions in the projection of a state that cares for its citizens. Nicaragua, the second-poorest country in the Western hemisphere with one of the most repressive and punitive legislations on abortion in the world. Sweden with its reputation as a pioneering nation in matters of gender equality and reproductive justice. This chapter draws on a particular formulation of the centrality of the state in theories and practices of reproductive justice: the notion of the state as a parent with a particular responsibility to protect and foster, but also discipline and subjugate, its citizens. Political leaders, Fathers and Mothers of the Nation, form the discourse within which the state regulates its imagined children’s, the citizens, reproductive rights. As such the governance of reproduction is a vital aspect of the political fantasy about the nation-state and its futuriority.
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| 24. |
- Ziaei, Shirin
(författare)
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Women’s status and child nutrition : Findings from community studies in Bangladesh and Nicaragua
- 2016
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- The importance of women’s status for child nutrition has recently been recognized. However, pathways through which women’s status can affect their caretaking practices and child nutrition have not been fully determined. The aim of this thesis was to evaluate associations between aspects of women’s status – including exposure to domestic violence and level of autonomy and social support – with their level of stress, feeding practices and child nutritional status in two different cultural settings: Bangladesh and Nicaragua.Data were acquired from population-based studies. For Study I we used data from the Bangladesh 2007 Demographic and Health Survey, and Study II was embedded in the 2009 Health and Demographic Surveillance System conducted in Los Cuatro Santos, rural Nicaragua. Studies III and IV were part of the MINIMat study, conducted in rural Bangladesh. In-person interviews were conducted and validated questionnaires were used in each of the studies. Anthropometric characteristics of the children were recorded based on standardized World Health Organization techniques.In Bangladesh, we found women with lifetime experience of domestic violence to be more likely to report emotional distress during pregnancy, cease exclusive breastfeeding before 6 months and have a stunted child. Further, we found a negative association between experience of domestic violence and duration of excusive breastfeeding to be mitigated with breastfeeding counseling. In Nicaragua, a lower level of maternal autonomy was associated with more appropriate breastfeeding practices such as higher odds of exclusive breastfeeding and longer continuation of breastfeeding. Further, a maternal lower level of social support was associated with better child nutritional status.In conclusion, this investigation showed that different dimensions of women’s status were associated with their feeding practices and child nutritional status and also revealed that the strength and direction of these associations may vary by the child’s age, setting and other contextual factors. These findings suggest that women’s status might have an important public health impact on child health and its role should be considered in programs and policies aiming to improve child health and nutrition.
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| 25. |
- Lebbad, Marianne, et al.
(författare)
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Dominance of Giardia assemblage B in León, Nicaragua.
- 2008
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Ingår i: Acta Tropica. - : Elsevier BV. - 0001-706X .- 1873-6254. ; 106:1, s. 44-53
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Giardiasis is a major problem in León, Nicaragua, yet despite this no data are available regarding the prevalence of different Giardia genotypes in this area. To address this question, a molecular analysis of Giardia isolates from humans and dogs living in the same area in León, Nicaragua was performed. Giardia isolates from 119 Nicaraguan patients and 8 dogs were successfully genotyped using single and/or nested beta-giardin PCR with subsequent restriction length fragment polymorphism (RFLP) analysis. The analyses of human samples yielded 94 (79%) assemblage B isolates and 25 (21%) assemblage A isolates. Only the non-human-associated assemblages C and D were found in the dog samples. Sixteen isolates with assemblage A pattern, 26 isolates with assemblage B pattern and all dog isolates were further characterized by sequencing the nested beta-giardin PCR product and by molecular analyses of the glutamate dehydrogenase (gdh) gene. Within the study area the assemblage A isolates were highly genetically homogenous, showing only sub-genotypes A2 (n=3) or A3 (n=13) at the beta-giardin locus and AII only at the gdh locus while assemblage B showed a high genetic polymorphism at both loci. Seven different sub-genotypes were identified within 13 of the sequenced assemblage B beta-giardin isolates. The remaining 13 sequenced assemblage B-isolates appeared to contain several different variants of the beta-giardin gene since the chromatograms displayed one to seven double peaks. The gdh sequences showed an even higher polymorphism since only 2 of 26 assemblage B isolates were without double peaks. Two mixed infections between assemblage A and B were found when the gdh gene was analyzed. Polymorphisms were also observed in the dog-associated assemblages C and D, but to a lesser extent than in assemblage B.
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| 26. |
- Zelaya Blandon, Elmer
(författare)
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Adolescent pregnancies in Nicaragua. The importance of education
- 1999
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Early adolescent pregnancy implies increased social and medical risks. There is lack of understanding of the mechanisms behind early sexual debut and pregnancy. This contributes to the difficulties to meet the educational and health care needs of adolescents. In Nicaragua, few reproductive health interventions target adolescents and even fewer studies focus on sexual and reproductive health in this age group. Therefore, the aim of this thesis is to analyze the background of adolescent pregnancy in Nicaragua, for future interventions.Focus group discussions and in-depth interviews were carried out with young and adult women and men from different social backgrounds in the city of León. Results were used in the planning of a cross-sectional household study carried out in 1993, covering a population of 43,765 in 50 randomly selected clusters in rural and urban León. Reproductive histories were obtained from all women aged 15 to 49 years (n= 10,867), corresponding to 176281 person years of reproductive life. Random sub-samples of men (n=388) and women (n=413) were interviewed in privacy about their age at sexual debut, contraceptive use and reproductive history. The background to early adolescent pregnancy was further analyzed in a matched case-referent study of girls who got their first pregnancy before 17 years of age (146 cases, 242 randomly selected age-matched referents).Economic deprivation and disturbed family relations with an unsatisfied craving for parental affection influence adolescent sexual behavior. Girls' romanticism, belief in virginity until marriage and the contrasting male machismo culture contribute to a lack of empowerment of adolescents.At 15 years of age, 25% of boys and girls had had their sexual debut, and at 18 years this was the case for 85% of boys and 53% of girls. Among girls, the latency period from sexual debut to the end of first pregnancy was only 22 months, indicating very limited access to contraceptive counseling and services. At 17 years of age, one fourth had become pregnant. Contraceptive use was 54% among sexually active adolescents, aged 15-19 years, pills being the most common method. Among adults, female sterilization was the most common method, followed by Intra Uterine Device (IUD) and pilL Condom use was low as well as the use of traditional methods. Low educational attainment was a strong determinant for lack of contraception.Age at sexual debut and age at first pregnancy had been increasing, and fertility rate had declined in Nicaragua from the 1970s to the 1990s. The increase in women’s education was found to be the strongest explanatory factor behind this transition in fertility. Girls who had successfully completed at least 5 years of schooling had lower risk for early pregnancy. This protective effect of education was found for groups with high as well as low socioeconomic status.The background of adolescent pregnancy consists of a complex interaction of socioeconomic, familial and cultural factors. Lack of political will to challenge current values, religious influence in sexual and educational issues, romanticism and lack of empowerment, especially among adolescent women, are also influencing elements. Contraceptive use is still low among sexually active teenagers in Nicaragua, and pregnancy follows soon after first intercourse. There is a strong need for family life education at schools and health services geared to adolescents. Non-use of contraception is associated with poverty and lack of education. The association between education and fertility decline, and the protective effect of education in preventing early pregnancies, even among poor families, indicates that education is a powerful tool in breaking the vicious cycles of poverty and early pregnancy.
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| 27. |
- Corriols, Marvin, et al.
(författare)
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Geophysical characterization of the Leon-Chinandega aquifer, Nicaragua
- 2008
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Ingår i: Hydrogeology Journal. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1431-2174 .- 1435-0157. ; 16:2, s. 349-362
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Electrical geophysical surveys in the mode of vertical electrical soundings (VES) and continuous vertical electrical soundings (CVES) were conducted in the Leon-Chinandega plains, northwestern Nicaragua, in order to obtain detailed information about the geometry of the different hydrogeological layers in the aquifer and depth to the basement. A total of 51 VES were carried out within the plains. The results show a complex structure towards the north east of the area, and the southwestern part of the plains presents a smoother stratification. The geoelectrical measurements and borehole information indicate that the basement topography is characterized by hills and deep valleys with highly variable basement depths. Fifty CVES where done in a smaller area in the center of the plain. The resistivity data yielded considerable information revealing the existence of two main geo-electrical units. The combined interpretation of geological and geophysical data shows an environment typical of sedimentary volcanic coastal plains. The information collected during this investigation provides valuable data for estimating the fresh-water resources of the Leon-Chinandega aquifer system and for development of a groundwater management plan.
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| 28. |
- Karlén, Niklas
(författare)
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Changing Commitments : US Support to Rebels in Syria and Nicaragua
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Annan publikation (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- The provision of external state support to non-state actors in civil wars is a dynamic process. The calculus of state sponsors varies over time, which means that assistance provided to the armed opposition fluctuates. This is rarely recognized in existing research, which has focused more on the initiation of support and its subsequent effects on conflict dynamics. While we know many of the motives behind decisions to provide support, we know less about why state sponsorship of rebels changes over time. To address this, I propose a theoretical argument that is able to account for policy adjustments over time. The theory builds on the notion that leaders change their support commitment when there is adverse feedback and that support increases as long as the causes of policy failure can be attributed to external actors, while cutbacks occur when failure is attributed to the state sponsor’s own actions. The latter prompts domestic audiences to act in order to force leaders to back down. Process tracing is used to explore the value of this framework in within-case analyses of the United States’ support commitments to insurgent groups in Nicaragua during the 1980s and in Syria during the 2010s. The study demonstrates the utility of focusing on shifts in leaders’ perceptions rather than structural features of the international system or rebel behavior to understand temporal variation in external support.
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| 29. |
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