Bushfires and Mothers’ Mental Health in Pregnancy and Recent Post-Partum

Background: The compounding effects of climate change catastrophes such as bushfires and pandemics impose significant burden on individuals, societies, and their economies. The enduring effects of such syndemics on mental health remain poorly understood, particularly for at-risk populations (e.g., pregnant women and newborns). The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of direct and indirect exposure to the 2019/20 Australian Capital Territory and South-Eastern New South Wales bushfires followed by COVID-19 on the mental health and wellbeing of pregnant women and mothers with newborn babies. Methods: All women who were pregnant, had given birth, or were within three months of conceiving during the 2019/2020 bushfires, lived within the catchment area, and provided consent were invited to participate. Those who consented were asked to complete three online surveys. Mental health was assessed with the DASS-21 and the WHO-5. Bushfire, smoke, and COVID-19 exposures were assessed by self-report. Cross-sectional associations between exposures and mental health measures were tested with hierarchical regression models. Results: Of the women who participated, and had minimum data (n = 919), most (&gt;75%) reported at least one acute bushfire exposure and 63% reported severe smoke exposure. Compared to Australian norms, participants had higher depression (+12%), anxiety (+35%), and stress (+43%) scores. Women with greater exposure to bushfires/smoke but not COVID-19 had poorer scores on all mental health measures. Conclusions: These findings provide novel evidence that the mental health of pregnant women and mothers of newborn babies is vulnerable to major climate catastrophes such as bushfires.</p

Member perspectives on the role of social capital in the success of the Heiveld Cooperative in the Northern Cape, South Africa

The aim of this qualitative study is to explore the perspectives of current members of the cooperative regarding the role of social capital in the success of the Heiveld Cooperative on the Suid Bokkeveld in the Northern Cape, South Africa (SA). This cooperative has been cited by several researchers as being successful for various reasons, including the existence of a marketable resource, a steady increase in production, and certification through Fairtrade, resulting in an export market. Social capital, as a contributing factor to the success of the cooperative, has not however previously been investigated in depth. In light of the unique success of this cooperative, it is important to obtain an in-depth understanding of the role of social capital, if any, in its success, particularly in the formation and day-to-day operation of the cooperative. With a particular focus on the members’ perspectives of the cooperative, this qualitative research adopted a case study approach to explore and to gain multiple and subjective understanding of the role played by social capital in the success of the Heiveld Cooperative. This may assist the organisation under study, as well as similar initiatives, in strategically harnessing the benefits of social capital as a resource in future. This report has three interrelated sections. The first part is an academic paper, which includes a condensed literature review, research methods, results and discussions. The second part is an expanded literature review, while the third section details the research methods. It is vital to note that these sections are separate, but interrelated. Convenience sampling was used to identify current members of the cooperative who participated in this exploratory qualitative study. Four heterogeneous focus group discussions, with a total of 44 members of the Heiveld Cooperative in the Suid Bokkeveld, were conducted. The focus groups were heterogeneous, as they included ordinary members, founding members and committee members. A guideline with questions based on the theory of social capital was developed, and used to initiate or stimulate discussion among the members of the cooperative in order to address the key research question, namely: What was the role of social capital, if any, in the success of the Heiveld Cooperative in the Northern Cape as perceived by current cooperative members? The primary source of data was collected through focus group discussions, while secondary data was obtained from documents in a form of internal reports and papers written for the Heiveld Cooperative. Data was analysed using open coding and constant comparison techniques in order to induce emerging themes from the data. Findings of this study revealed that social capital played a major and influential role during the inception and also in the successful operation of the Heiveld Cooperative, by bonding and bridging not just between individual members, but also between communities, trading partners and other collaborators. Another key finding of this study is that social capital was also critical in enhancing supportive knowledge sharing, and the promotion of pride and shared identity, which the study identifies as aspects of cognitive social capital. Interestingly, the cognitive dimension of social capital in the Heiveld Cooperative has contributed to the weakening of social capital, as evident in claims related to lack of transparency and procedural injustice. Last, but not least, leveraging the sense of community has also been useful in promoting collective efficacy, strengthening familial togetherness, and enhanced democratisation of decision-making. Diminished trust, based on perceived oligarchy and nepotism is gradually weakening relational social capital. Findings in this study are illuminated using the social capital theory described by Nahapiet and Ghoshal (1998) to depict the social, cognitive and relational aspect of social capital that are at work at Heiveld Cooperative. Additionally, the social network theory by Hoppe and Reinelt (2010) is used to highlight the systemic view of social capital, which embraces the structural, relational and cognitive nature not only internal to but also between networks of the cooperative. Recommendations are provided to ensure social capital is harnessed, rather than undermined. These include the need to promote the processes of learning, monitoring and discussion that have been implemented; harnessing the benefits of bonding and bridging social capital; leveraging the sense of community and applying a more systemic view of social capital; and addressing perverse aspects of social capital such as nepotism and oligarchy that have been identified

Factors affecting the relative competitiveness of cassava production in southwestern Trinidad

This study sought to determine the factors affecting the relative competitiveness (RC) measured as the normalized profit per acre, of cassava farmers in South Western Trinidad through a determination of the factors affecting the mean and variance of the RC inefficiency term of the farmers. A sample of 112 small farmers growing cassava as their main crop provided the data for the study. A normalized translog stochastic RC frontier model was estimated. The model also determined the factors affecting the variance of the symmetric random error. The results showed that the variance of the symmetric error was affected by age as well as the number of parcels of land owned by the farmer. Wage rate, crop acreage, wage rate squared and the cross product term of wage rate and family labour were significant variables affecting the RC. The study found that the larger the number of parcels of land owned by the farmer, the greater was the RC efficiency and the smaller the variance associated with that RC efficiency. In addition men had a higher RC efficiency, but women tended to have a lower variance in their RC efficiency. Increasing age significantly increased the variance of the RC efficiency, but reduced the variance of the symmetric random error term

FACTORS AFFECTING PROFITABILITY OF SMALL SCALE FARMING IN SOUTHERN TRINIDAD & TOBAGO

This study examined several possible factors determining the profitability of small scale crop farmers in Trinidad and Tobago in the Caribbean. Industrial/urban influence on profit efficiency was tested by the creation of a special variable (IFOUR). This variable along with farming and socio-economic variables were incorporated into a translog augmented stochastic profit frontier. The significance of coefficients was tested as well as the calculation of the elasticity of profit with respect to the wage rate. The study found a significant negative impact of wage rates on profitability. Also the age of the farmer negatively affected profitability, while the number of years farming had a positive effect. This latter variable also significantly influenced both the one-sided error and idiosyncratic error terms. However IFOUR measuring industrial/urban influence did not significantly affect the profitability. The farmers had a mean profit efficiency of 48.4%, which was low in international comparisons

Breech preterm infants are at risk of developmental dysplasia of the hip

Aim There is uncertainty about the risk of developmental dysplasia of the hip (DDH) in breech preterm infants and therefore uncertainty about the benefits of using ultrasound screening in this population. The aim of this study was to determine if preter

Contribution of Agriculture and Agri-Food Sectors to the Economy of Trinidad and Tobago

Trinidad and Tobago is a small country in the Caribbean. Between 1996 and 2005, the economy of Trinidad and Tobago grew at an average annual rate of 8.14%. Agriculture’s contribution to GDP at current prices fell from 1.4% in 2002 to 0.6% in 2006. Over this period also the average annual growth rate of the agricultural sector in real terms was -0.09 %. All Caribbean countries have seen the relative decline of agriculture as other sectors, particularly tourism and banking and finance have risen in relative importance in the economies. The main propositions of this paper are: that in Trinidad and Tobago, the “agri-food” sector has shown greater growth and contribution to the economy than agriculture; and that the growth of the agri-food sector has been accompanied by the declining importance of the “agriculture” component. The results showed that for every 10% drop in the percentage contribution of agriculture to agribusiness, there was an approximate 1% increase in the level of agricultural exports from the USA to Trinidad and Tobago. The study showed that in Trinidad and Tobago, the “agri-food” sector has shown greater growth and contribution to the economy than agriculture. Whereas the agri-food sector has grown over the last 20 years at a rate of growth per annum of 9.2%, and still makes about a 5% contribution to GDP, agriculture grew at an annual rate of 5.5% and now makes less than a 1% contribution to GDP. Also, whereas over the data period agriculture was making a declining contribution to the agri-food sector, the “Restaurants” sub-sector was making a rapidly increasing contribution to the agri-food sector

Potential of Aquaculture to Meet the 'Fish Protein' Consumption in Trinidad and Tobago

Commercial aquacufture is a viable and growing industry around the world. While there may be continuing decline in fish stocks in the inshore/coastal waters in Trinidad and Tobago, the demand for high quality fish protein continues to grow. Aquacufture has been viewed by many as a means to address the gap between seafood availability and consumer demand. This paper reports on a study, which was conducted to assess the potential of aquacufture in Trinidad and Tobago. Based on interviews with aquacufture operators, policy analysis matrices were developed for aquacufture production. For comparison policy analysis matrices were also developed for sheep and goat production based on a recent survey of the sheep and goat industry of Trinidad and Tobago. The study found that the DRC and EPC values for tilapia production, coupled with the lower cost per unit of protein compared with other sources of animal protein, indicate that tilapia production has a comparative advantage, especially as compared to sheep and goat production. The paper also discusses measures that need to be taken to unlock the potential for commercial aquaculture, mainly in the form of tilapia production in Trinidad and Tobago, to meet this country's demand for fish protein

FACTORS AFFECTING PROFITABILITY OF SMALL SCALE FARMING IN SOUTHERN TRINIDAD & TOBAGO

This study examined several possible factors determining the profitability of small scale crop farmers in Trinidad and Tobago in the Caribbean. Industrial/urban influence on profit efficiency was tested by the creation of a special variable (IFOUR). This variable along with farming and socio-economic variables were incorporated into a translog augmented stochastic profit frontier. The significance of coefficients was tested as well as the calculation of the elasticity of profit with respect to the wage rate. The study found a significant negative impact of wage rates on profitability. Also the age of the farmer negatively affected profitability, while the number of years farming had a positive effect. This latter variable also significantly influenced both the one-sided error and idiosyncratic error terms. However IFOUR measuring industrial/urban influence did not significantly affect the profitability. The farmers had a mean profit efficiency of 48.4%, which was low in international comparisons

The Volatility of the International Price and the Trinidad and Tobago Export Price of Cocoa

Cocoa prices are known to be volatile and this volatility has been known to affect the cocoa industry. This paper first examines the volatility of the international cocoa price and compares this volatility to the international price of coffee. The measure of volatility that is used is the moving standard deviation. The paper then measures the volatility of the export price of cocoa from Trinidad and Tobago and concludes by discussing how price volatility affects the marketing of tropical commodities like cocoa

Exploring Parental and Staff Perceptions of the Family-Integrated Care Model: A Qualitative Focus Group Study

Background: Family-integrated care (FICare) is an innovative model of care developed at Mount Sinai Hospital, Canada, to better integrate parents into the team caring for their infant in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). The effects of FICare on neonatal outcomes and parental anxiety were assessed in an international multicenter randomized trial. As an Australian regional level 3 NICU that was randomized to the intervention group, we aimed to explore parent and staff perceptions of the FICare program in our dual occupancy NICU. Subjects and Design: This qualitative study took place in a level 3 NICU with 5 parent participants and 8 staff participants, using a post implementation review design. Methods: Parents and staff perceptions of FICare were explored through focus group methodology. Thematic content analysis was done on focus group transcripts. Results: Parents and staff perceived the FICare program to have had a positive impact on parental confidence and role attainment and thought that FICare improved parent-to-parent and parent-to-staff communication. Staff reported that nurses working with families in the program performed less hands-on care and spent more time educating and supporting parents. Implications for Practice: FICare may change current NICU practice through integrating and accepting parents as active members of the infant's care team. In addition, nurse's roles may transition from bedside carer to care coordinator, educating and supporting parents during their journey through the NICU. Implications for Research: Further research is needed to assess the long-term impact of FICare on neonates, parents, and staff