Open Access

Article

Article ID: 1525

Joking relationships and humor among the Yorùbá of southwestern Nigeria in the twenty-first century

by Enoch Olujide Gbadegesin

Environment and Public Health Research, Vol.2, No.1, 2024; 214 Views, 135 PDF Downloads

I argue that compromises are reached, and interpersonal relationships are negotiated and maintained among the Yorùbá people through joking relationships. I raise questions on how and when joking relationships can lead to interpersonal, interethnic or intra-ethnic conflict, inclusion or exclusion and the socio-cultural and legal consequences that these could generate. I use the hermeneutic and phenomenological methods to determine the impact of joking relationships on the violent crises that have characterized the twenty-first century Nigerian society. I conclude that whereas joking relationships are still socially acceptable Yoruba patterns of behaviour which have served the people well, the freedom that this practice enjoyed in the ancient times may now be coming under social and legal pressure in the socially and religiously sensitive modern Yorùbá and pan-Nigerian societies. However, the vacuum that may be created if joking relationship were to disappear may be filled by socially dysfunctional outcomes including depression and suicide.

Open Access

Article

Article ID: 1280

Dealing with extreme weather events in India—A vulnerability assessment study, current status and way forward

by Vaishali Jaiswal, Deepshikha Deepshikha, V. K. Tiwari

Environment and Public Health Research, Vol.1, No.1, 2024; 95 Views, 49 PDF Downloads

Introduction: Climate change has increased the frequency and intensity of daily weather extremes. Extreme weather events (EWE) can result in damage to health. As climate-related events become more frequent and intense, the implications for healthcare systems and access to medical services become even more pronounced. The study aims to estimate the vulnerability of India and its states towards the EWE by calculating a vulnerability index by identifying the specific extreme weather conditions in India. It also explores ways to make the healthcare system resilient to climate change. Methodology: The study combines quantitative data analysis and qualitative content analysis to assess vulnerability, analyze the current healthcare system, and propose recommendations for managing the impact of EWE on healthcare. Secondary data on historical climate and weather from IMD was collected to identify patterns and trends in EWE in India. Healthcare data on healthcare infrastructure, admissions rates related to EWE, and disease outbreaks was collected from reports. Policy documents, reports, and research articles related to healthcare system preparedness for EWE were analyzed quantitatively to identify vulnerability indicators and previous disaster experiences. The vulnerability index was calculated by combining selected indicators using appropriate weighting and normalization techniques to quantify the vulnerability of the healthcare system to EWE. After the calculation of sensitivity, exposure, and adaptive capacity separately, the vulnerability index was calculated using the following formula: Vulnerability is equal to exposure plus sensitivity minus adaptive capacity. Results: The association between daily variation in meteorological conditions and mortality has been found to be significant, as reported from previous studies on a wide range of populations in India. The ten most vulnerable states to EWE due to climate change, according to the estimations on the vulnerability index, are Meghalaya at the topmost followed by Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Gujarat, West Bengal, Assam, Karnataka, Odisha, Tripura, and Uttar Pradesh. Conclusion: The study shows that linkages between climate change and human health are complex and multi-layered, and predictions of future health impacts of climate change are still uncertain.

Open Access

Article

Article ID: 1534

Swings and slippery slopes: Reflecting on processes of higher education curriculum in the space of globalization and a pandemic

by Rob Townsend, Gerald Doyle, Sharon Sperling

Environment and Public Health Research, Vol.2, No.1, 2024; 160 Views, 89 PDF Downloads

The Asia-Pacific is the most expansive region for social services and health care, ranging from New Zealand in the south to the border of the Russian Federation in the north. Professional education in human services, social work, and allied health is rapidly expanding in this region and globally as the power and influence around these professions ‘swings’ between different countries in the region. The globalization of social and health care issues is challenging professional higher education and accreditation processes to adjust to producing education graduates who are global professionals, multi-lingual, culturally responsive, and able to work in diverse community contexts and within the ‘slippery slopes’ of social and economic change. This article explores the development of a new social work curriculum and course for an international higher education provider that was implemented in 2022 and aims to meet the challenges of intercultural learning and skills development in the new plural-lingual and fragmented global contexts. The ethnographic study reveals that education organizations and educators can advocate for and develop globalized, internationalized social work and social care curricula in this unsteady context when supported to do so by regulatory authorities.

Open Access

Review

Article ID: 490

SARS-CoV-2: Mapping its features that made it as a unique virus

by Amro Abd Al Fattah Amara

Environment and Public Health Research, Vol.1, No.1, 2023; 107 Views, 40 PDF Downloads

SARS-CoV-2 has attracted the attention of nearly the whole world during the last four years. It is a Corona virus that is responsible for the deaths of millions. It is responsible for economic corruption in many countries. As a response, excessive vaccination programs were installed everywhere. But many variants are elevated, and the virus proves its ability to escape from the immune system because of different mutations. The progress in different scientific domains—instrumentation, bioinformatics, and the like—makes fast vaccine development easier. As a response, new strategies were introduced, including new vaccine production and administration strategies, genomic surveillance, immunopeptidome, gene sequencing, and the like, to enable the vaccine to cover all the targeted populations at the correct time and to install an early alarm system against any elevated new variants. This review contains more information about some important stations in the history of vaccine development and the strategies invented by scientists to control different viruses and other microbes. Some important issues that might influence the type of vaccine used for SARS-CoV-2 are addressed. They include their symptoms, the virus evasion of the innate immune system, the response of adaptive immunity, and the like. Although the world still needs to better understand the SARS-CoV-2 behavior to win the war against it, previous historical successful vaccine productions, important examples, and stations during the human struggle against the viruses are described and discussed.

Open Access

Article

Article ID: 1448

Examining perceptions of Kwande residents on traditional songs aired on Ashiwaves radio station for curbing the COVID-19 pandemic in Benue State

by Terwanger Daniel Aliough, Iliya Jeremiah Ovey, Eric Msughter Aondover

Environment and Public Health Research, Vol.1, No.1, 2023; 120 Views, 56 PDF Downloads

Traditional songs are useful in mobilising natives for genuine causes that promote the wellbeing of society, especially when the issue is life-threatening. This research was carried out to ascertain how traditional songs were used on Ashiwaves FM to curb the COVID-19 pandemic among Kwande residents in Benue State. The research adopted a survey method that relied on a questionnaire that was administered to 400 respondents using the Taro Yamane statistical formula. The theories used to anchor the research were Uses and Gratification and Agenda Setting, which explained how Kwande residents satisfied their need for deriving information and education on how to avoid contracting COVID-19 and how Ashiwaves Radio station repeatedly played traditional songs specifically meant for sensitising the public on the coronavirus, prompting people to think about it. Findings of the study revealed that Ashiwaves Radio station played traditional songs on their station (100%), which was useful in sensitizing Kwande residents to curb the spread of the pandemic. It was also discovered from the findings that the song by Rapizo (98%) was the most instrumental in educating Kwande residents to stay at home and avoid crowded areas (40%), wash their hands (24%), and maintain social distance (14%). The research concluded that traditional songs are essential to every ethnic group in carrying out sensitisation on health issues. Therefore, it is recommended that other ethnic groups in Nigeria also encourage their indigenous artists to compose songs that can be used for educating their locals in the wake of future health challenges to avert casualties.

Open Access

Article

Article ID: 1519

The cost of doing nothing: Preventable premature births for at-risk women

by Karen H. Larwin, Susan E. Horne

Environment and Public Health Research, Vol.1, No.1, 2023; 75 Views, 37 PDF Downloads

Background: The effects of poverty in the United States are growing, and the impacts are most severe for the already vulnerable populations. This analysis looks at the cost of doing nothing for at-risk pregnant women in one county in NE Ohio. Most of these women are living at or below the poverty level, lack safe, affordable, and stable housing, and often do not receive the recommended levels of prenatal care. This examination uses data from Mahoning County, Ohio, where one program has provided wrap-around support for any at-risk pregnant mother since 2016. Objective: Examine the cost/savings of providing wrap-around support services to at-risk pregnant women. Methods: Data was provided by the Mahoning County Pathway HUB (MCPH) regarding all births since its 2016 inception. Data was extracted from the Ohio Department of Health, the CDC, and other sources regarding the cost of births, specifically premature births. These sources of data were analyzed using causal-comparative methods in order to understand the frequency of premature births with and without the support services provided by the MCPH. Conclusion: The results of these causal-comparative analyses suggest that the cost of doing nothing for at-risk pregnant women is substantial for all stakeholders. The results demonstrate a savings of 2.45 million dollars for the five years included in the analysis. Because most of the services provided by the MCPH are billable to public health insurance, this model of supporting pregnant mothers who are at risk is important. The cost of doing nothing can lead to a lifetime of avoidable suffering and financial hardship for women and infants who are born premature. The results from the MCPH suggest that this model of support and service delivery is making a difference, based on the lower-than-expected pre-term births over their tenure of operation.