Search Results (28)

Coastal areas are rich in diverse resources and are ideal locations for developing the tourism industry. Thus, in coastal tourist centers, the growth rate is high, although often disorganized and unsustainable. In Mexico, tourist centers have fostered poverty belts where inhabitants live in conditions of high vulnerability due to hydrometeorological and geological phenomena in regular and irregular settlements. Thus, various coastal tourist areas in Mexico have been impacted by these types of phenomena, causing deaths, a high number of victims, and significant economic losses. Previous studies have confirmed that tropical cyclones can trigger landslides resulting from intense rainfall; however, risk estimation models and their components are presented separately. This paper presents a model based on the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) framework to estimate vulnerability to tropical cyclones and landslides in the context of climate change. The integration of both disruptive phenomena and climate change was carried out in the exposure sub-index. The socioeconomic situation of the inhabitants was included in the sensitivity sub-index. Vulnerability was modeled for the near, medium, and distant future, with population growth projections for the towns of Cabo San Lucas and San José del Cabo, Mexico. Climate change associated with urban expansion will increase exposure from 121.27 to 956.74 km², while the vulnerable population is expected to increase from 133,266 to 250,386 by 2100. The model proved to be an effective tool for determining the combined vulnerability of both phenomena, allowing for the generation of strategies for decision-makers to implement actions focused on reducing vulnerability and building resilience. Full article

Background: As the number of large-scale outbreaks continues to rise worldwide, clinical trials are increasingly engaging disease-affected peoples within the Minority World (nations with over 80% poverty rates). Yet global health research inadequately addresses potential ethical issues of including impoverished, disease-affected populations and their contextual vulnerabilities in medical research. Objective: This paper presents a mixed-method analysis from our 2022 semi-structured survey capturing the experiences of Liberian Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) survivors serving as study participants in the Partnership for Research on Ebola Virus in Liberia (PREVAIL) clinical trials. Methods: Firstly, we conducted an extensive literature review of the scholarship related to biomedical research and ethical standards protecting study participants to inform our survey method and design. Applying a theoretical framework on vulnerability, we then qualitatively explored the survey responses of 19 EVD survivors’ perceptions and experiences taking part in PREVAIL, including their expectations, treatment, delivered benefits, and quality of care. We further quantitatively codified their statements for underlying themes of reported negative experiences against standard ethical regulations in biomedical research, conducting a statistical analysis to inform generalizability. Most of the 19 survivors reported facing extreme ongoing vulnerabilities related to their disease status, including physical impairments, psychosocial stress, and socio-economic inequity. Results: Initially, the survivors tended to experience a sense of hope and pride in volunteering for PREVAIL. One in five participants reported benefiting from PREVAIL’s regular medical diagnoses. However, most of their survey responses indicated prevalent negative shared experiences, including continually being confused or misinformed of their study participant rights, roles, and benefits; being burdened by heavy participation transaction costs; and repeated incidents of poor treatment and discrimination by PREVAIL staff after initial recruitment. PREVAIL participant satisfaction ranking is negatively correlated with receiving insufficient financial compensation (r = −0.51), extensive time requirements for each medical visit (−0.40), and being poorly treated by clinical staff (−0.67). Full article

The Pendjari Biosphere Reserve is one of the protected areas of Benin where biodiversity conservation policies intertwine with the economic development of local populations. It is located in the Atacora region in northern Benin, which has a high prevalence of poverty and food insecurity among households. Agriculture and livestock farming are the primary activities of the local communities in the villages surrounding the reserve. However, wild animals sometimes cause damage to people’s fields or livestock. To deal with the damage caused by wild animals, local populations have developed several mitigation measures that may not be effective, leading them into a vulnerable situation. Vulnerability is often associated with the impacts of natural disasters and their management, anticipation, and recovery. In the context of human–wildlife conflict, vulnerability refers to the level of risk farmers face from issues such as crop raiding, livestock depredation, and human injury caused by wildlife, as well as farmers’ ability to cope with such damage. To assess the vulnerability of households, we used the Livelihood Vulnerability Index (LVI). Data were collected from July to December 2019 through questionnaires and interviews. We surveyed 320 households to collect data on their socio-demographics, livelihoods, social networks, natural capital, food and water security, and the incidence and severity of human–wildlife conflicts. The results showed that farmers around the Pendjari Biosphere Reserve are highly sensitive to human–wildlife conflicts, with a low adaptive capacity, revealing their vulnerability. More precisely, farmers are vulnerable in terms of major components of the LVI such as water, food, social networks, and livelihoods. Conservation policies are expected to pay more attention to local populations’ vulnerability to human–wildlife conflicts in order to improve their tolerance towards wildlife and guarantee the success of conservation efforts. Full article

Background: Socio-economic status, living environments, and race have been implicated in the development of different congenital abnormalities. As orofacial clefting is the most common anomaly affecting the face, an understanding of its prevalence in the United States and its relationship with different determinants of health is paramount. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to determine the modern prevalence of oral–facial clefting in the United States and its association with different social determinants of health. Methods: Utilizing Epic Cosmos, data from approximately 180 US institutions were queried. Patients born between November 2012 and November 2022 were included. Eight orofacial clefting (OC) cohorts were identified. The Social Vulnerability Index (SVI) was used to assess social determinants of health. Results: Of the 15,697,366 patients identified, 31,216 were diagnosed with OC, resulting in a prevalence of 19.9 (95% CI: 19.7–20.1) per 10,000 live births. OC prevalence was highest among Asian (27.5 CI: 26.2–28.8) and Native American (32.8 CI: 30.4–35.2) patients and lowest among Black patients (12.96 CI: 12.5–13.4). Male and Hispanic patients exhibited higher OC prevalence than female and non-Hispanic patients. No significant differences were found among metropolitan (20.23/10,000), micropolitan (20.18/10,000), and rural populations (20.02/10,000). SVI data demonstrated that OC prevalence was positively associated with the percentage of the population below the poverty line and negatively associated with the proportion of minority language speakers. Conclusions: This study examined the largest US cohort of OC patients to date to define contemporary US prevalence, reporting a marginally higher rate than previous estimates. Multiple social determinants of health were found to be associated with OC prevalence, underscoring the importance of holistic prenatal care. These data may inform clinicians about screening and counseling of expectant families based on socio-economic factors and direct future research as it identifies potential risk factors and provides prevalence data, both of which are useful in addressing common questions related to screening and counseling. Full article

The global crisis associated with COVID-19 and the Russia-Ukraine conflict has affected progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Projections for SDG7 (Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable, and modern energy for all) indicate a slowdown in the pace of electrification. Thus, the problem of poverty will persist in many regions as long as access to electricity remains difficult. This work analyzes some solutions to the lack of electricity supply in a rural community using organic waste from its economic activity and the integration of other available renewable sources to make electricity affordable and reliable. A model that minimizes the levelized cost of energy and restricts the proportion of annual energy not supplied to less than 5% of the community’s annual demand optimizes the performance of off-grid and on-grid systems. These systems have in common the production of electricity from biogas produced from swine manure, supplemented with wind and solar generation. Batteries and diesel generators support the operation of off-grid systems. As expected, the grid-connected system presented the best performance; however, the result reaffirms the need for governments to ensure the policy and infrastructure conditions that facilitate the grid connection of vulnerable communities to achieve SDG7. Full article

Global warming is expected to lead to longer and more intense heatwaves, which will have negative environmental and socioeconomic impacts around the world. South Africa is projected to experience significant warming, with surface temperatures possibly increasing by up to 3 °C by mid-century. This warming trend has implications for architecture, as the demand for cooling in buildings could rise dramatically. However, socioeconomic conditions in developing countries may limit the use of air conditioning to mitigate indoor overheating. In South Africa, research has shown that government provided low-cost housing structures are thermally inefficient, with temperatures occasionally exceeding outdoor levels. Residents often rely on natural ventilation and personal actions to cope with heat. However, the effects of climate change may render these strategies insufficient if energy poverty and housing improvement are not addressed. This study aims to examine the impact of global warming on a high mass, naturally ventilated, affordable housing structure in Johannesburg, South Africa. Measured operative temperature data from a long-term experimental study, alongside adaptive temperature limits to evaluate overheating, highlight the vulnerability of indoor spaces without adequate insulation and/or thermal mass. The results underscore concerns about the performance of low-cost and affordable housing in warmer future climates in the South African interior. Full article

The severity of the COVID-19 pandemic on overall welfare depends on the resilience of microeconomic units, particularly households, to cope and recover from the shocks created by the pandemic. In Sub-Saharan Africa, where the pandemic has been less pervasive, the pandemic is expected to increase food insecurity, vulnerability, and ultimately poverty. To accurately measure the welfare impact of the pandemic on the macroeconomy, it is important to account for the distributional impact on households and the ability of households to cope with it, which reflects their microeconomic resilience. In this paper, we seek to determine the differential impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on household microeconomic resilience in Sub-Saharan Africa. We use direct measurements of economic indicators to measure the impact of the pandemic on 6249 households across Ethiopia and Nigeria. Given that resilience is a latent variable, the FAO’s Resilience Index Measure Analysis (RIMA) framework is utilized to construct the resilience index. We hypothesize that the pandemic created differential economic impacts among households and ultimately household microeconomic resilience. Study findings show that government containment measures improved household microeconomic resilience, while self-containment measures lowered microeconomic resilience. Additionally, households that relied on wage employment and non-farm businesses as their main source of livelihood were found to be more microeconomic resilient. Full article

As the world’s population structure is aging and China is at a critical stage in consolidating the results of poverty alleviation, this study intends to explore the pathways of the elderly group, which is very vulnerable to falling back into poverty, to prevent or slow down the possibility of this group falling back into poverty. In this study, 79 elderly farmers’ data were collected by household interviews as research samples, and the Vulnerability as Expected Poverty index was selected to measure the dynamic changes of poverty in aging farmers in Donglu Island Village. The correlation between the participation of aging farmers in the tourism industry and their own poverty vulnerability was analyzed through multiple linear regression. It is found that whether aging farmers participate in tourism is not correlated with their absolute poverty vulnerability. Whether aging farmers participate in tourism is significantly negatively correlated with their relative poverty vulnerability, and developing rural tourism and increasing the participation of aging farmers can alleviate the poverty vulnerability of aging farmers. Finally, with the mindset of “teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime”, the development of rural tourism suitable for aging farmers is proposed. Full article

The middle class has become an important force in enhancing social cohesion and alleviating the polarisation between the rich and the poor. However, the extent of vulnerability in the middle class is not yet known, especially in developing countries, where a large proportion of middle-income households are still vulnerable and severely vulnerable. This study provides important insights into the middle class and the extent of their vulnerability in developing countries. Specifically, this study utilizes the Vulnerability as Expected Poverty (VEP) methodology to measure the vulnerability of middle-income class in China and analyses the relative importance of different determinants based on data from the China Family Tracking Survey (CFPS) in 2018. The main finding is that in China, only 34.5% of the population belongs to the middle-income class, with 62.3% of the middle-income population still exhibiting vulnerability. Notably, at the top of the pyramid within middle-income class, nearly half of the population is at risk for slipping into the low-income class in the future (44.3%). In addition, rural areas are particularly vulnerable (70.5%). We also found that education and household properties are decisive factors in reducing the vulnerability of the middle-income class, especially the latter, which remains a key impact on reducing household vulnerability. In addition, we further estimate heterogeneity in terms of income and household size, and the results remain robust, with a greater mitigating effect of education and household properties as household income and size increase. Full article

In Chinese households, there is a significant shift away from basing poverty alleviation on the relative poverty line as opposed to the absolute poverty line. Based on VER and the concept of poverty capacities, this study evaluated the impact of development capacities and indicators on the vulnerability to poverty of elderly households. The three most important findings are as follows: (1) This study employed the multidimensional vulnerability methodology to evaluate the effects of potential factors on the Chinese elderly household’s vulnerability. Rather than analysing current poverty, this study focused on the estimation of future poverty, which is prospective. (2) Contrary to the expectations of empirical studies, the application of difference-in-difference and propensity score matching in this study revealed that the government’s institutional pension reform decreases the vulnerability rate further. (3) Both development capacities and indicators are critical determinants of further poverty, and in order to effectively alleviate poverty, policymakers should strengthen capacities and grant rights to vulnerable households. Full article

The geographical environment adaptation of the resettled population is a deep-seated problem that determines whether the goal of the poverty alleviation resettlement (PAR) policy can be achieved. Scientific assessment of adaptive capacity (AC) and adaptation level (AL) provides a basis for subsequent policy formulation, which is of practical significance. This study took the poverty-stricken areas of northwest Yunnan as the study area and calculated the adaptive capacity index (ACI) and adaptation level index (ALI) based on survey data of 1002 resettled households and regional socioeconomic statistics by constructing the vulnerability as expected poverty (VEP) model and multi-factor analysis model. The results showed that (1) The ACI and ALI were 0.660 and 61.2 respectively, indicating that the resettled population has obvious environment adaptation barriers and a relatively high risk of returning to poverty. (2) The AC and AL of the resettled population had significant geographical differentiation. In general, Diqing Prefecture was significantly better than Nujiang Prefecture and the problems in Gongshan County, Fugong County and Lanping County were more prominent. (3) AC is a determinant of AL. However, these two indices in Gongshan and Lanping counties deviated from the general trend due to different policy effects. Based on the evaluation results and differentiation mechanism analysis, the study finally emphasized the importance of formulating and implementing the follow-up development plan of the resettled population and put forward measures to promote the resettled population to adapt to the geographical environment around the three core tasks of employment income increase, public service and bottom guarantee. Full article

Poverty eradication is one of the global challenges, and land transfer provides an effective path to address farmers’ poverty; however, the effect of poverty reduction can show heterogeneity depending on the location, household, and head of household. This study employs the propensity value matching technique to compare the effects of the land transfer on the future alleviation of poverty among farm households, based on the vulnerability as expected poverty, using data from 4608 household tracking surveys. The findings point to the following: In general, rural land transfers can significantly lessen farm households’ VEP. In terms of regional variations, the positive effects of land transfers on farm households’ VEP are mainly in the west. In terms of the differences among households, it was found that land transfers contribute to lower VEP for non-poor, non-financing-constrained, and government-subsidized farm households. With regard to differences in household headship, land transfers have abating effects on the VEP of self-employed heads of farm households. The results of the study can provide a useful reference for policy-making on land management and poverty reduction among farmers Full article

China launched the “critical battle against poverty” nationwide in 2012. As its main battlefield, Yunnan province promulgated the “triple medical security” (TMS) policy in 2017. This study, based on the pooled cross-section database of 2015–2020 of registered poor households in Yunnan province, employed the logit model to examine the effect of TMS on the vulnerability as expected poverty (VEP) of these households. It found that increasing the reimbursement rates for overall medical expenses and inpatient expenses and decreasing the proportion of out-of-pocket medical payment to income reduced the VEP; increases in the number of sick people in the family increased its VEP, and although the increase in the reimbursement rate for overall medical expenses or for inpatient expenses partially offset the VEP caused by the increase in the number of chronically ill people in the family, the VEP caused by the increase in the number of critically ill people would increase in the short term with the increase in the reimbursement rate for overall medical expenses or for inpatient expenses. The findings help improve policies concerning the medical security and health of the rural poor population, providing theoretical reference and practical guidance for future research. Full article

This study proposes a subjective poverty line for each household to quantify the vulnerability to poverty in urban and rural households by considering residents’ expectations and their propensity to compare their perceived welfare level with those of other community members. The findings show that the overall vulnerability incidence in urban households is lower than in rural households. The regional differential in terms of vulnerability to poverty continues to exist, but the western province in both urban and rural households has not shown a significantly higher vulnerability rate than in other regions. Educational qualification is a determinant of the vulnerability of rural residents, whereas it does not have remarkable positive effects on urban households. Meanwhile, the impacts of welfare systems upon both urban and rural households are larger than expected, while the coverage of them is incomplete and calls for government to implement more social reforms in order to mitigate the risk and buffer the vulnerability, and to adopt a more equalising approach (instead of unrestrained growth). Full article

This study examines the effects of weather shocks on household consumption and how the land registration and certification program facilitate coping strategies to mitigate the negative income shocks. Using the difference-in-differences (DID) approach and household panel data from Ethiopia, we find that weather shocks negatively affected household consumption expenditure. As expected, households are not able to protect themselves from weather shocks. However, the land certification program facilitated coping strategies (obtaining credit and receiving gifts and assistance from informal sources) to mitigate the negative effect on food consumption against weather shocks. This effect is only found among smaller landowners. Therefore, the program is pro-poor and beneficial for improving the welfare of poorer households and protecting vulnerable households from entering into poverty traps. Full article