Equity and utilization of preventive health care services. The case of immunization completion among children 12-23 months in Kagera region Tanzania

Objective: The aim of this study was to determine factors associated with completion of immunization as an input in to strategies to raisethe immunization coverage in Tanzania.Methods: This study used a panel data collected over four survey rounds at a minimum of six months apart to determine the causes offailure to complete immunization in Tanzania. The data were collected during between 1991 and 1994 in Kagera region Tanzania amongchildren 12-23 months old. Data analysis was done using Statistical Analysis Software (SAS) version 9.1. Pooled logistic regression was usedto determine the likelihood odds ratio of completing immunization.Results: The study observed 550 children contributing 1541 children observation rounds across all panels. Immunization coverage was 87.7percent and factors that significantly (

Between Past and Present: The Sociopsychological Constructs of Colonialism, Coloniality and Postcolonialism

If one of the major aspirations of postcolonial theory is to re-establish a balance in the relationship between the (former) colonizer and the colonized by engaging the voices of the “subaltern”, and on the other hand to illuminate how power relations of the present are embedded in history (Mills 2007), we argue that important theoretical insights might inform research by anchoring post-colonial theory within a sociopsychological framework. While there is a growing corpus of sociopsychological research articles focusing on how major geopolitical events and historical processes bear on people’s lives, we aim to investigate the theoretical potential of postcolonial theory within the disciplines aiming at a sociopsychological approach. By focusing on the social dynamics of power imbalances, post-colonial theory finds its operational meaning: the feelings stemming from actions committed in the past are indeed crucial in determining reparatory attitudes and policies towards members of former colonized groups. Firstly, drawing from the sociopsychological scientific production related to consequences of colonial past, seen in recent years as a growing research interest in the field, we will explore patterns and trends through a thematic analysis of literature. Social Psychology as well as adjacent disciplines can greatly benefit from this theoretical fertilization, especially in the way post-colonial ideologies relate to the symbolic promotion versus exclusion of indigenous culture (Sengupta et al., International Journal of Intercultural Relations, 36(4), 506–517, 2012). Furthermore, by comparing and contrasting the ideological cosmologies relating to this particular topic, this study aims to establish the state of knowledge in the field, to identify how research methods and thematic fields are paired, to find “gaps” and create spaces for research that become integrative of postcolonial theory. While focusing on academic production, we also hope to contribute to develop the idea of cosmopolitism within academia but also beyond academic doors