An Analysis of the Differences Between Non-Profit Board Members According to the Method by Which Non-Profit Board Positions Are Acquired

This dissertation examines the differences between individuals who acquire non-profit board positions by actively seeking out these positions and individuals who acquire non-profit board positions in other ways in regards to the concept of public service motivation, antecedents of public service motivation, and characteristics of service. First, Public Service Motivation (PSM) theory is used to study how the concept of public service motivation relates to the method by which individuals acquire positions on non-profit boards. Second, using PSM theory, this dissertation examines how antecedents of public service motivation, such as religious socialization and family socialization, are related to an individual’s method of acquiring a position on a non-profit board. This dissertation also examines the differences in characteristics of service between individuals who actively seek out board positions and individuals who acquire board positions in other ways, regarding their roles on the board, length of service, skills contributed on the current board, and organizational characteristics of non-profits served, such as non-profit size and focus area. This study utilizes secondary data from a pre-existing online survey (Board Member Motivation survey) administered to approximately 3,000-member organizations of the Georgia Center for Nonprofits (Miller-Stevens & Ward, 2013). The findings demonstrated that public service motivation and the theory’s antecedents did not have significant effects on the method of actively seeking out a non-profit board position, and the method of actively seeking out a non-profit board position had to a considerable extent no effect on characteristics of service. The current study also exposed the relationship between PSM and characteristics of service, revealing that PSM possibly had statistically significant positive relationships with a significant number of characteristics of service. In conclusion, although the findings showed no evidence that indicated that individuals who actively seek out positions on non-profit boards are significantly different from those who acquire these positions in other ways in relation to the concept of public service motivation, antecedents of public service motivation, and characteristics of service, the study uncovered valuable information on viable relationships between PSM and characteristics of service. This suggests that PSM theory can be applied, in part, to the study of the motives and resulting behaviors of governance volunteers. This research is theoretically significant because it contributes to the field of public administration by adding to the growing body of literature on the relationship between PSM theory and the characteristics of service of public service of volunteers. This research also further expands the application of PSM theory to the study of the motives and characteristics of service of governance volunteers in the non-profit sector. This research is practically significant because an understanding of the association between PSM, the method of acquiring a board position, and ensuing characteristics of service can be used to design efficient and effective processes related to the recruitment, engagement, and retention of suitable non-profit board members and public service volunteers in both the public and non-profit sectors

Caries experience by socio-behavioural characteristics in HIV-1-infected and uninfected Ugandan mothers – a multilevel analysis

Objectives To assess caries experience in Ugandan mothers according to HIV status, socio-behavioural-characteristics, gingival bleeding status and to examine whether HIV status impacts the association of socio-behavioural characteristics with caries experience. Third, using multilevel analysis, this study assessed to what extent surface-specific caries experience varied between and within individuals. Materials and methods Caries experience was recorded using the World Health Organization’s Decayed, Missed and Filled Teeth/Surfaces indices from a cohort of 164 HIV-1-infected Ugandan mothers and a cross sectional comparison group of 181 negative controls. Mixed-effects logistic regression was conducted with surface-specific caries experience as the outcome variable. Results The prevalence of caries in HIV-1-infected and uninfected mothers was 81% and 71%, respectively. Significant associations occurred between caries experience at surface level and women’s increasing age (odds ratio [OR] = 1.8, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.1–2.8) and presence of gingival bleeding (OR = 2.0, 95% CI: 1.2–3.2). Intra-class correlation (ICC) coefficient amounted to 0.54 (95% CI 0.48‒0.59). Conclusions Caries prevalence was higher in HIV-1 infected than in uninfected mothers and increased with age and gingival bleeding. ICC indicated that 54% of the variance was attributable to variation between individuals. Socio-demographic differences in dental caries did not vary by HIV-1 status.publishedVersio

TH1.1: Intra-household decision-making and sustained use of agricultural crop technologies: Evidence from smallholder women farmers in rural Uganda

This research used a mixed method approach to examine how intra-household decision-making patterns shape sustained use of crop technologies among agricultural rural households in eastern Uganda. We estimate how empowerment in decision making, measured using indicators drawn from the project level Women's Empowerment in Agriculture Index mediates sustained use of improved crop varieties. Further, spousal differences in decision-making power and technology use are examined. The results indicate that both men and women use diverse improved crop varieties for different purposes. Overall, we observe differential patterns of use of improved crop varieties with a high proportion of women reporting sustained use of food-related crops while a high proportion of men report income crops. There was a significant association between level of decision making power and sustained use of improved crops by men and women. Women with higher level of participation in decision making power have more sustained use of improved varieties for the main crops grown. Note to be taken that a gender gap still exists in access to improved varieties with men having 6years of use on average as compared to 5 years for women. We also find significant differences between men and women in the same household in their rating of the distribution and extent of involvement in key decisions with less agreement (and mis-attribution) observed among men and women in decision-making scores. Women decision makers tend to allocate themselves higher scores than was assigned to them by their counterparts. We conclude that women's empowerment in decision making has potential to contribute to closing the gender gap in sustained use of agricultural technologies. We therefore need to be more intentional about women's participation, decision making and agency in development interventions if we are to achieve greater impacts in sustained use of agricultural technologies towards better livelihoods

Linking HIV-positive family planning clients to treatment and care services in Kenya

A project from the Population Council’s USAID-funded FRONTIERS program found that integrating HIV counseling and testing into family planning (FP) services was feasible and acceptable to clients and providers, and led to significant improvement in the quality of care provided. However, a major limitation was that FP clients who tested HIV-positive were not actively linked to care and treatment services, including antiretroviral treatment, and screening and management of sexually transmitted infections. A new initiative aimed to design and test a referral framework for linking HIV-positive FP clients to treatment and care in selected health facilities; assess the acceptability of the proposed referral framework to providers; and assess its effectiveness in increasing the number of eligible HIV-positive FP clients receiving HIV care and treatment services. The findings of the project evaluation show that the referral mechanism put in place was effective and the study recommends that the Division of Reproductive Health, NASCOP, and other units within the Ministry of Health, such as the Health Management Information System, support the provincial and district health management teams to scale up the use of the referral form developed under this project to other FP clinics within Central and other provinces

Engaging Men in Prevention and Care for HIV/AIDS in Africa

Ed Mills and colleagues argue that a more balanced approach to gender is needed so that both men and women are involved in HIV treatment and prevention

Factors impacting antiretroviral therapy adherence among human immunodeficiency virus-positive adolescents in Sub-Saharan Africa: a systematic review

© 2018 The Royal Society for Public Health. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.Objectives: Eighty-two percent of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)–positive adolescents live in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Despite the availability of antiretroviral therapy (ART), adherence levels are suboptimal, leading to poor outcomes. This systematic review investigated factors impacting ART adherence among adolescents in SSA, including religious beliefs and intimate relationships. Methods: A systematic review was conducted between June and August 2016 using eight electronic databases, including Cochrane and PubMed. Published, ongoing and unpublished research, conducted in SSA from 2004 to 2016, was identified and thematic analysis was used to summarise findings. Results: Eleven studies from eight SSA countries, published in English between 2011 and 2016, reported on factors impacting ART adherence among adolescents living with HIV (ALHIV). Forty-four barriers and 29 facilitators to adherence were identified, representing a complex web of factors. The main barriers were stigma, ART side-effects, lack of assistance and forgetfulness. Facilitators included caregiver support, peer support groups and knowledge of HIV status. Conclusions: Stigma reflects difficult relations between ALHIV and their HIV-negative peers and adults. Most interventions target only those with HIV, suggesting a policy shift towards the wider community could be beneficial. Recommendations include engaging religious leaders and schools to change negative societal attitudes. Limitations of the review include the urban settings and recruitment of predominantly vertically infected participants in most included studies. Therefore, the findings cannot be extrapolated to ALHIV residing in rural locations or horizontally infected ALHIV, highlighting the need for further research in those areas.Peer reviewedFinal Accepted Versio