Polar opposites? NGOs, left parties and the fight for social change in Nepal

In the early 1990s, when NGOs were rising to prominence as an ostensible force for social change in Nepal, the Maoists were also beginning to organise, and denounced NGOs as agents of imperialism. The Maoists came to prominence by fighting a People’s War launched in 1996, with the intention of improving life for the poor peasant and working-class majority. But after a decade-long struggle, the Maoists became incorporated into the parliamentary system. While Nepal’s first democratic revolution in 1990 met formal, popular political demands, which were consolidated in a subsequent revolution in 2006 overthrowing the monarchy and bringing the People’s War to an end, there was little socio-economic progress for the vast majority. The argument advanced in this article is that this lack of progress relied on the interplay of two phenomena: an anti-Maoist alliance consisting of the international community, the domestic ruling elite and NGOs, and a fundamental ambiguity at the heart of the Maoists’ political theory

Status and Trends of Physical Activity Surveillance, Policy, and Research in 164 Countries: Findings From the Global Observatory for Physical Activity—GoPA! 2015 and 2020 Surveys

Background: Physical activity (PA) surveillance, policy, and research efforts need to be periodically appraised to gain insight into national and global capacities for PA promotion. The aim of this paper was to assess the status and trends in PA surveillance, policy, and research in 164 countries. Methods: We used data from the Global Observatory for Physical Activity (GoPA!) 2015 and 2020 surveys. Comprehensive searches were performed for each country to determine the level of development of their PA surveillance, policy, and research, and the findings were verified by the GoPA! Country Contacts. Trends were analyzed based on the data available for both survey years. Results: The global 5-year progress in all 3 indicators was modest, with most countries either improving or staying at the same level. PA surveillance, policy, and research improved or remained at a high level in 48.1%, 40.6%, and 42.1% of the countries, respectively. PA surveillance, policy, and research scores decreased or remained at a low level in 8.3%, 15.8%, and 28.6% of the countries, respectively. The highest capacity for PA promotion was found in Europe, the lowest in Africa and low- and lower-middle-income countries. Although a large percentage of the world’s population benefit from at least some PA policy, surveillance, and research efforts in their countries, 49.6 million people are without PA surveillance, 629.4 million people are without PA policy, and 108.7 million live in countries without any PA research output. A total of 6.3 billion people or 88.2% of the world’s population live in countries where PA promotion capacity should be significantly improved. Conclusion: Despite PA is essential for health, there are large inequalities between countries and world regions in their capacity to promote PA. Coordinated efforts are needed to reduce the inequalities and improve the global capacity for PA promotion

Prevalence and Factors Associated with Tobacco Use among High School Students.

BACKGROUND: Tobacco use is the leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Tobacco use among school-level students is a growing a public health problem in Nepal. A number of factors may be associated with tobacco use, but there is lack of literature showcasing an in-depth understanding of the growing prevalence of tobacco use in the Nepalese context. Therefore, our study aims to determine the prevalence of tobacco use and examine the factors associated with tobacco use among high school students at public schools in Budhanilkantha municipality, Kathmandu, Nepal. METHODS: A cross-sectional survey was conducted, and 378 students were selected for this study. The schools were selected randomly. Data collection was carried out using the self-administered questionnaires adapted from the World Health Organization used Global Youth Tobacco Survey and the Center for Disease Control and Prevention used Youth Tobacco Survey. RESULTS: Overall, 31.7% of the students ever consumed any tobacco products, and 20.1% were current tobacco users. One in five students started smoking when they were less than ten years of age. The proportion of students seeing at least one family member smoking and using smokeless tobacco was 52.1% and 47.1% respectively. Male and older students were significantly more likely to consume tobacco products than female and young students. CONCLUSIONS: This study showed that a significant proportion of school students had experienced tobacco use. Age and sex of the students were significantly associated with the status of current smoking and the use of smokeless tobacco