Children and youth

As a hot social concern, the mode and process of matching about the young people is changing. Ten thousand People Blind Date (TTPBD) provides a new type of mating field for urban youths, as our society to make efforts for solving the problem of marriages of them. Empirical Analysis found, as social fields for marriage choosing, TTPBD could be a platform to help communicate for youths, but it failed in gaining any effect. There are several factors influencing it greatly, such as conflict of interest between supply and demand caused by the information asymmetry and public opinion, the restricting of activities of the public welfare due to elite and media conspiracy, the dislocation about the logic of marriage mating leaded by marketization operation and blind date panic, and the fuzzy of choosing from attendances. Although the operation rules by its own influence, it can’t directly solve mating-selection problem for urban youths. Therefore, this field is also useful to them.

Martha B. Melo
Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Argentine
School of Public Health

Abstract

Emotional and physical abuses suffered in childhood have been conceptualized as an important predictor of adolescent sexual behavior.
When young people grow with violent family interactions, the onset of sexual life is conditioned by insecurity, low self-esteem and a strong interdependence with the partner
Objective: This study gives a contribution in the understanding of causal relation between violence in childhood and risk sexual behavior among adolescents in Argentine
We analyze the impact of violence in relation with some outcome variables: premature sexual initiation, sexual promiscuity, use of contraceptive methods and the risk to be diagnosed with sexual transmitted diseases.
Similarly we analyze gender differences, socioeconomic status, and educational level
We study adolescent sexual behavior considering 5 outcomes variables: age of sexual debut, sexual promiscuity, use of birth control methods, use of condom, and the number of diagnosed sexually transmitted diseases in the last year.
Just we completed the quantitative study with a qualitative study
We conclude that violence in childhood does not predict in a univocal way the sexual behaviors in adolescence

In this paper an attempt to study the spatial existence of gender bias in child health care has been made based on which the problematic region is identified and thus the various socio-economic determinants affecting child health on the problematic area is studied.
Uttar Pradesh records highest infant and child mortality with huge gender gap in mortality rates. General neglect of the girl child can be attributed to the traditional importance of the males in this patriarchic society. A Triangle Zone of high mortality differentials is identified which is called “a zone of survival disadvantage for girls” by some scholars. In spite of all the developmental efforts child mortality, underweighted children, prevalence of chronic and preventable diseases in study area remains to be significantly high. The regression analysis shows that education of the mother and the standard of living has a strong positive influence over child health. More educated mothers are more likely to have higher age at first birth and thus lesser number of births. Working mothers usually tend to have more vaccinated but result in underweighted children. However, social factors like religion, caste and also the place of residence do not seem to affect child health much.

A study was undertaken to assess the underlying determinants of stunting among under-5 children in Ugandan cattle corridor; A case study of Nakaseke and Nakasongola districts with specific objectives; assessing the effect of demographic and socio-economic factors on stunting of children below five years. Secondary data of household socio-economic and demographic characteristics as well as anthropometry for children below five years was used. The findings indicated a statistically significant relationship between stunting and maternal occupation specifically those who did pastoralism (pr=0.013) and business (pr=0.015).
In the multivariate logistic regression model, maternal occupation remained a significant determinant on child stunting status especially on women who did pastoralism (pr=0.051*). Women who did pastoralism as their occupation were less likely to have stunted children than women who did peasantry as reference category (OR=0.12).
In conclusion, there is need to obtain primary data at an appropriate time, taking into consideration, the use of an appropriate indicator of child nutrition status that is, by obtaining data on child weights to enable use of wasting as an alternate regressor/indicator.

Present study investigates prevalence of reproductive health morbidities among unmarried adolescent men and women, their treatment-seeking behaviour and its association with socio demographic correlates in India. Data drawn form Youth in India: Situation and Needs study, conducted during 2006-08. It focused on 28,884 unmarried young women and men aged 15–24. Results of study witnessed a significant association between male and female adolescents with regard to prevalence of reproductive morbidity. It is quite high among unmarried men (28.0percent) than women (19.5percent). Bi-variate analysis shows that place of residence, age, caste, educational status, occupation, and wealth index variables emerged as significant association with prevalence of RH problems among unmarried female. in contrast, age, occupation, stayed outside home and exposure to media variables shows significant correlates with prevalence of RH problems among unmarried male. Residence and media exposure emerged as significant correlates of treatment-seeking practices among both unmarried men and women. Prevalence of reproductive health morbidity in this vulnerable group, particularly unmarried young men, requires urgent intervention of health planners.

Today, malnutrition is the underlying cause of approximately one-third of child deaths. It is therefore necessary to have a good understanding of the risk factors for malnutrition to improve interventions. This study aimed to illustrate the effect of the quality of drinking water and sanitation facilities on the nutritional status of children. This is a cross-sectional study using data from the MICS3 survey realized in 2006 in Cameroon. We used z-scores for the weight-for-age and height-for-age indices as indicators of children’s nutritional status. We used two dummy variables to indicate whether or not households had satisfactory drinking water and sanitation facilities. Control variables related to child, mother and household were included and we used a multiple linear regression model. Using an improved drinking water source and improved sanitation facilities has a positive impact on children's health in Cameroon (higher z-scores). The effect on underweight is greater than it is on growth retardation. Drinking water of good quality and satisfactory sanitation seem to be protective factors with respect to child malnutrition in Cameroon. In addition to actions usually taken (eg. educating mothers), improving hygiene conditions in households is an important issue to be considered by stakeholders involved in children’s health.

The world population is galloping ahead at the rate of 100,000 births per day.More than two-third of these newborn will suffer from severe malnutrition.Majority of the malnourished will be born in overpopulated and underdeveloped countries.This paper studies the prevalence of malnutrition in India particularly, West Bengal.It shows the effect of demographic and socioeconomic variables on the nutritional condition of the child.Study uses secondary data of NFHS and the indices of child malnutrition are: stunting,wasting, and underweight.Methodology includes cross tabulation,Pearson’s chi-square and Logistic Regression.The prevalence of malnutrition is mainly due to retarded growth of height, (long term insufficient food intake).Children of 36-59months were found worst malnourished.Significant impact of breast feeding was found on underweight children.Sex of the child does not have much effect on the nutritional status.Mothers with higher education have shown better health status of child.It is high among children born within two years of a previous birth and children of higher birth orders.Malnutrition is common for children of underweight and anemic mothers.Interestingly it is found that overweight mothers are more likely to give birth to underweight children.
Keywords: Malnutrition,West Bengal,Regression,Health,Underweight

Family as an institution in the ancient India laid down certain principles,
which regulate the relationship between husband, wife and their children in anuclear family. The domestic violence causes a breach especially in thehusband and wife relationship due to many reasons. The inmates, especially
the children who are innocent in nature are greatly affected as they are in the
formative & or developing stage of the life. Children who witness violence at
home display emotional & behavioral disturbances as diverse as withdrawal,
low self-esteem, nightmares and aggression against peers & family members.Those who have witnessed their parents’ domestic violence are more likely to abuse their own wives than children of non-violent parents. The sons of the most violent parents are 1000 times more likely to become wife beaters. Adolescents, who have been exposed domestic violence, get so entrenched that they find it difficult to engage themselves in more positive ways of social interaction. It has been found that the level of inter parental conflict, parentaldomestic and gender of the adolescent were predictive of severe adolescent
problems. Conflict between parents in combination with a dominant opposite sex parent was significantly predictive of major adolescent psychopathology. In the light of above an attempt has been

Child labour was utilized to varying extents through most of history, but entered public dispute with the beginning of universal schooling, with changes in working conditions during industrialization and with the emergence of the concepts of workers' and children's rights. During the Industrial Revolution, children as young as four were employed in production factories with dangerous and often fatal working conditions. The inhuman conditions under which child labourers work, the exploitation they face, the neglect they experience and the work that deprives them from developmental opportunities are matters of serious concern. It is in this perspective that an attempt has been made in this paper to look at this issue in line with development. More specifically in terms of meaning of child labour and measurement issues, global trends, sectors or areas where it is practiced, causes, consequences, government interventions, limits and way forward.

Asian Americans youth gradually gain an academic advantage over their white peers in the years from elementary to high school. What accounts for this Asian-white divergence in academic performance over time? Using two longitudinal data sets, the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study – Kindergarten Cohort (ECLS-K) and the Educational Longitudinal Study (ELS), we construct academic trajectories of Asians and whites in U.S. schools and attempt to answer this question. Our research rejects a cognitive explanation, i.e., Asians become cognitively more able than whites over time. Instead, we find substantial support for a non-cognitive explanation: Asian students gradually outperform white students because the former develop better non-cognitive skills than the latter over time. This research adds an already large literature attesting the importance of non-cognitive skills for child development as well as for human capital formation.