Sex Differences in Obesity Rates in Poor Countries: Evidence from South Africa

Globally, men and women face markedly different risks of obesity. In all but of handful of (primarily Western European) countries, obesity is more prevalent among women than men. In this paper, we examine several potential explanations for this phenomenon. We analyze differences between men and women in reports and effects of the proximate causes of obesity -- physical exertion and food intake -- and the underlying causes of obesity -- childhood and adult poverty, depression, and attitudes about obesity. We evaluate the evidence for each explanation using data collected in an African township outside of Cape Town. Three factors explain the greater obesity rates we find among women. Women who were nutritionally deprived as children are significantly more likely to be obese as adults, while men who were deprived as children face no greater risk. In addition, women of higher adult socioeconomic status are significantly more likely to be obese, which is not true for men. These two factors can fully explain the difference in obesity rates we find in our sample. Finally (and more speculatively), women's perceptions of an 'ideal' female body are larger than men's perceptions of the 'ideal' male body, and individuals with larger 'ideal' body images are significantly more likely to be obese.

Fertility changes in Latin America in the context of economic uncertainty

We explore the relation between fertility and the business cycle in Latin American countries taking advantage of the existing cross-country and within-country differences in both fertility and macroeconomic conditions. First, we use a panel of 18 nations for over 45 years to study how different labor market and economic shocks may have affected fertility. Second, we estimate Cox proportional hazard models of transitions to 1st, 2nd, and 3rd births with individual Demographic and Health Survey data from ten countries. We find that periods of relative high unemployment are associated with lower fertility and with relative postponements of maternity (and to some extent second and third births). In general, women seem to postpone and even reduce childbearing in response to downturns. This behavior is mainly associated to increasing unemployment rather than slowdowns in GPD growth, although we find a positive relationship between first births and growth. Despite that periods of unemployment may be good to have children because opportunity costs are lower, maternity is reduced or postponed, in particular, among the most recent cohort and among urban and more educated women. This is consistent with the idea that, in this context, income effects are dominant

Why have poverty and income inequality increased so much? Argentina 1991-2002

This paper analyzes the sources of changes in poverty and income inequality among Argentine households during the 1991-2001 period. We assess the eect of changes in labor market participation, unemployment, education levels, and returns to human capital on income inequality and poverty by using a micro-simulation approach. This procedure allows us to evaluate the impact of each one of those changes on several measures of income inequality and poverty during the nineties. We found that unemployment accounts for a large part of the increase in income inequality and poverty that this country experienced in the last decade. In January 2002, Argentina declared the default on its external debt and devaluated the peso 40% ending the convertibility period. Since then, a growing inflation is aecting the purchasing power of Argentine households for the first time in more than ten years. Using our methodology we estimate the eect of the emerging inflation on poverty among households. Our findings indicate that inflation increases poverty significantly at least in the short run.

The Returns to Flexible Postsecondary Education: The Effect of Delaying School

We investigate the returns to postsecondary education relaxing the standard assumption that it proceeds in a continuous manner. Using a unique survey that collects information on a representative cohort of graduates, we are able to estimate the effects of delaying school among successful graduates abstracting from specific macroeconomic conditions at the time of graduation. Our results show that graduates that delayed their education receive a premium relative to graduates that did not, even after considering other factors such as experience or labour market connections. These estimates are robust to the possibility of selection in the decision to return to school.Human Capital, Postsecondary Education, Flexible School Choice, School Delay

Early childbearing, human capital attainment and mortality risk

This paper uses a rich longitudinal dataset to examine the relationship between teen fertility and both subsequent educational outcomes and mortality risk in rural South Africa. Human capital deficits among teen mothers are large and significant, with earlier births associated with greater deficits. In contrast to many other studies, we find no clear evidence of selectivity into teen childbearing in either schooling trajectories or pre-fertility household characteristics. Enrolment rates among teen mothers only begin to drop in the period immediately preceding the birth and future teen mothers are not behind in their schooling relative to other girls. Older teen mothers and those further ahead in school for their age pre-birth are more likely to continue schooling after the birth. Following women over a six year period we document a higher mortality risk before the age of 30 for teen mothers that cannot be explained by household characteristics in early adulthood.

Health Seeking Behavior in Northern KwaZulu-Natal

We examine patterns of health seeking behaviour prior to death among 1282 individuals who lived in the Umkhanyakude District of Northern KwaZulu-Natal. Information on the health care choices of these individuals, who died between January 2003 and July 2004, was gathered after their deaths from their primary care-givers. We examine choices made concerning public and private medicine, western and traditional medicine, and non-prescribed self-medication. We find that virtually all adults who were ill prior to death sought treatment from a Western medical provider, visiting either a public clinic or a private doctor. In this district, which is predominantly poor, ninety percent of adults who sought treatment from a public clinic also visited a private doctor. Fifty percent also sought treatment from a traditional healer, suggesting that traditional medicine is seen as a complement to, rather than a substitute for, Western care. Better educated people who were ill for less than a month before dying were significantly more likely to visit a private doctor, while those least well educated were more likely to visit a traditional healer. Controlling for length of illness, better educated and wealthier people sought care from a greater range of providers, and spent significantly more on their treatment.

Requiescat in Pace? The Consequences of High Priced Funerals in South Africa

We examine the costs associated with funerals and the effects of funeral spending on household functioning, using data collected in the Agincourt Demographic Surveillance Site in South Africa. We find that large outlays of money at the time of the funeral leave households vulnerable to future hardship. Households that buried a member report lower spending per person, poorer adult affect, and lower rates of school enrollment for children than do other households. We present evidence consistent with the financial burden associated with a funeral having direct, adverse effects on households.

Effect of the fungicide benomyl on spore germination and hyphal length of the arbuscular mycorrhizal fungus Glomus mosseae

The fungicide benomyl inhibited spore germination and hyphal length of the arbuscular mycorrhizal fungus Glomus mosseae when applied at doses of 21.25 μg/ml (agronomic dose), 10.62 μg/ml and 10 μg/ml. G. mosseae was able to germinate in the presence of 2.12 μg/ml of benomyl, and the percentage of spore germination was unaffected by dosis of 0.1, 0.01 and 0.001 μg/ml of the fungicide. However, all doses of fungicide tested in this study decreased the hyphal length. When ungerminated G. mosseae spores previously exposed to benomyl were transferred to water-agar medium without benomyl, the maximum germination was 16%. Small spores of G. mosseae were more resistant to benomyl than the larger ones. Our results show some of the factors which can explain the variability of the effect of benomyl on arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi

Influence of the insecticide dimethoate on arbuscular mycorrhizal colonization and growth in soybean plants

Application to the soil of the insecticide dimethoate had no effect on the growth of soybean colonized by the arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungus Glomus mosseae and by the indigenous AM fungus. The application of the recommended concentration of dimethoate decreased the percentage of colonization of soybean by the indigenous AM population, but no significant effect was observed on the colonization of soybean inoculated with G. mosseae. The insecticide did not affect the germination of G. mosseae spores; however, 0.5 mg/l of dimethoate increased the germination of Gigaspora roseae and 5 mg/l of dimethoate decreased the germination of Scutellospora castaneae spores

Arbuscular mycorrhizal populations associated with natural and cultivated vegetation on a site of Buenos Aires province, Argentina

The influence of tillage and monoculture on arbuscular mycorrhizae (AM) fungal species diversity in a field site of the Buenos Aires province (Argentina) was investigated through the morphological characterization of AM spores. Glomalean spores were isolated by wet sieving and decanting from three plots cropped either to wheat, barley or clover and from a grassland at the margins of the cultivated plots. Seventeen different Glomalean species were detected overall and seven of them were identified. Total species number as well as spore and species richness found in grassland and clover soil were higher than those found in soils planted either with barley or wheat. The most frequently occurring species in the site were Glomus mosseae, Scutellospora pellucida, Glomus sp. 7 and Gigaspora sp. 1. The first three were also the most dominant species and were found in the four types of analysed soils. In grassland soil and wheat, the dominant species was Glomus sp. 6. S. pellucida was dominant in barley, and in red clover the dominant species were G. mosseae and S. pellucida. Tillage and cereal monoculture negatively affected diversity of AM fungal species. Natural re-colonization of indigenous AM fungi was observed in cultivated soil with red clover for 3 years, suggesting that this host could be used as a cover crop to increase AM fungal inocula in disturbed soils. Arbuscular mycorrhizal populations were associated with natural and cultivated vegetation on a site of Buenos Aires province, Argentina.Fil: Menendez, Ana Bernardina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Universidad de Buenos Aires; ArgentinaFil: Scervino, Jose Martin. Universidad de Buenos Aires; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Godeas, Alicia Margarita. Universidad de Buenos Aires; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentin