Children and youth

On an average, Odisha in India has an alarming 45% children not receiving full immunisation according to Annual Health Survey (AHS), 2010-11; child immunisation ranged from 12% in Rayagada to 82% in Kendrapada district. This paper employs correlation and multiple regression techniques to identify factors contributing to full immunisation using socio-economic and maternal health factors sourcing from AHS and Census, 2011.
Newborns receiving health care within 24 hours of birth is found to be a major determining factor for achieving high immunisation as per correlation analysis. At least 3 ANC visits, post-natal care and newborn care within 24 hours significantly positively correlated to full immunisation. Notably, unmet need of family planning and delivery at home are significantly negatively associated. Further, multivariate analysis indicates strong direct relationship between newborn check up within 24 hours of birth and post-natal care, and full immunisation after controlling other socio-economic factors such as female literacy and urbanisation, and maternal factors. Conversely, analysis also reveals that urbanisation and female literacy do not have significant effect. Study concludes that ensuring MCH services, including in remote areas, leads to improving the minimum level of full immunisation achievement across districts

The objective of this study is to investigate, using focus groups, aspects related to the life of public high school students of Ribeirão das Neves, Brazil, that may have an influence on their school performance . We will build on the findings of a previous study that applied multivariate logistic regression models to identify factors associated with grade repetition among junior high school students. In that study, we used data from 2009 Pesquisa Jovem (Youth Survey) and Censo Escolar (School Census). Overall, the results showed important differences by gender. Females who had left school until the 8th grade were more likely to repeat in high school. Males who had repeated until 8th grade or experienced violence at school were more likely to go through grade repetition in high school. Having no religion was a protective factor against grade repetition for males, whereas for females being Mainline Protestant was protective. What else matters in terms of grade repetition? What is the role of the family? Are state investments in schools and teachers important? What can be done to reduce or even mitigate this important problem in Brazil? The qualitative research to be carried out in 2013 will help us answer those questions.

In every corner of the world, city dwellers suffer disproportionately from poor health and these inequities leads to differences in their social and living conditions. The objectives of this study are: to compare the child immunization status among urban poor and non poor in the selected eight cities of India and to understand the effect of maternal health and socio economic characteristics in child immunization status by comparing urban poor/non poor and overall comparison of urban with the rural India. Data for analysis is drawn from NFHS –III. The analysis finds that the percentage of women age 20-24 married by age 18 and had home delivery is more than twice in urban poor and in rural as against urban non poor. Percentage of children immunized and births assisted by a health provider is 39.9 and 50.7 percent respectively in urban poor and is higher than rural India. Immunization coverage is much lower for urban poor than for non poor children in all the selected cities except Chennai. Educational status is low in urban poor as compared to urban non poor in both the sex in India. Thus, there is an obvious need to improve educational and health status of city dwellers.

The objective of this paper was to study working children and child labor among children in Uganda. The most important question paused was if children in child labor were orphans or not. This paper was based on secondary data from the 2005/6 Uganda National household survey.
Overall, 36 percent of the children were involved in some kind of work whether for pay or on own. There are also children who worked for pay, worked for own account and worked for the household. The results further show that child labor accounted for almost one in five (19.2%). Despite Uganda being a signatory to the UN convection on the rights of children, one in three children is working and one in five is involved in child labor.
In urban areas, the proportion of children working for money is also an indication of child labor. Whereas the pretext is that child involved in child labor are mainly orphans, results showed that orphans were not more vulnerable to child labor than other children.

Psychological difficulties among children seem to explode evidently, principally those in low socio-economic status. The study examines the impact of familial factors and life satisfaction toward risk of psychological difficulties among children. The risk of psychological difficulties is defined by parent-rated SDQ score (Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire). The findings show the significant relationship within family, particularly child caregiver’s mental health. The mental health of caregiver measured by SRQ score is positively correlated with the psychological difficulties among children assessed by SDQ score. Even the caregivers are children’s own mother or not, the mental health of caregivers is significant for psychological well-being on children. The inverse relation patterns are found, however. When child age is growing, risk of psychological difficulties among children is decreased. The same pattern of relationship can be found between family function and satisfaction on friendship, and psychological difficulties on children. If the family function score is up, risk of psychological difficulties among children is reduced. In addition, friendship is significant related to the decreased SDQ score, even the number of friends is not significantly included in the model.

Taiwan, with a traditional belief in family stability and togetherness, has experienced noteworthy demographic changes that may pose important concerns for the life of children such as increased proportion of children born out-of-wedlock and living with divorced or separated parents. This study aims to examine the relationship and potential pathways between family structure transition and children’s cognitive and socio-emotional development at age 3. Our analysis was based on 19,499 children who completed 6-month, 18-month and 3-year surveys of the Taiwan Birth Cohort Study. Using hierarchical multiple regressions with family selection factors controlled, we found that children living persistently in single-parent families or having ever experienced parent’s divorce/separation did poorer in both developmental outcomes. Living with cohabiting biological parents since birth, however, was found beneficial for socio-emotional development. The disparities in development could be tremendously explained by poverty status, level of family support and quality of the home environment.

The purpose of this study is estimating the role of the parental criminality in determining juvenile crime in Italy. We focus on the effect of probation, a policy applied in Italy to juvenile offenders that is alternative to other specific measures and punishments related to juvenile law. We follow criminal activities of a cohort of individuals (1987) before age 18 and merge a representative survey with data from Prison Administration Department to follow the same young criminal for the minimum of 6 years. To estimate this impact, we calculate recidivism rates at 5 and 6 years of individuals treated with probation. The presence of parents that determine an intergenerational transmission of crime increases the measures of the effect of the recidivism rate in a range from 10 and 25 percentage points, based on the estimator used but irrespective of length in which recidivism rate is measured. The clear role of the parents in determining juvenile crime suggests likely social and economic benefits to extend probation to young adult.

Patriarchal supremacy and low levels of women empowerment are two key factors resulting in low juvenile sex ratio in India. Census 2011 says 914 females against 1000 males alarming the situation as a matter of grave concern. Similar situation persists across all social groups in various geographical regions and this is much worse in case of vulnerable population for instance internally displaced population. Present study made an attempt to explore the reasons for low juvenile sex ratio among the Gutti Koya tribe who are migrated from Chhattisgarh state to Andhra Pradesh. Roughly 16 thousand Gutti Koya people, including 4000 children migrated, established their habitations in Khammam district and eking their livelihoods. Enumerated juvenile sex ratio among this tribe indicates less than 900 girls per 1000 boys.
Undoubtedly girl child is a welcome addition into the family among Gutti Koya tribes. However demographic realities flagging low juvenile sex ratio. In such a circumstance what is the key reason? Are there any hidden traditional practices behind such demographic imbalances? Is there any socio-cultural, health factors influenced this situation? Likewise there are certain hypothetical questions investigated in this study and evidence based policy recommendations to bring demographic balance were finally made in the study.

International migration has been a vital aspect of labor markets in the Middle East and North
Africa (MENA), particularly Egypt. Egypt is among the largest ten remittance-receiving countries in the world (Wahba 2007). The primary objective of this paper is to examine the determinants of migration intentions among youth in Egypt. Studying factors shaping development of migration intentions is important to understanding the migration decision process and predicting future migration flows. I use a recently fielded survey on adolescents and youth: the 2009 Survey of Young People in Egypt (SYPE). Based on SYPE, one in three young men in the age group 15-29 expressed willingness/intention to migrate. I found that having a migrant on one’s social network is one of the key factors in developing migration aspirations. The wealthiest youth are more likely to want to migrate to the West. Worrying about future prospects generally is a push-factor.

Adolescent pregnancy has been an important issue in Mexico, particularly in the past years. Recent data in Mexico have shown decline in fertility lower than expected, particularly among adolescents. Moreover, policies have largely ignored an important subgroup of adolescents: 10-14 year-old girls. Recently, Mexico has developed a new type of birth certificate that has allowed us to examine pregnancy characteristics among this particular age group, and to analyze the association between young maternal age and the risk of negative birth outcomes.
Our results show a steady proportion of pregnancies among women aged 14 or younger in the last 4 years, accounting for a little less than 0.7% of 8 million births registered. This group of adolescents exhibits a more disadvantaged position than the rest of the adolescents (15-19), in terms of education and socioeconomic level. Interestingly, our results show significant differences in birth outcomes, such as birth weight and gestational age. Additional and more accurate policies are required to attend this traditionally ignored age group.