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Infrastructure-making in interwar India was a dynamic, multilayered process involving roads and vehicles in urban and rural sites. One of their strongest playgrounds was Bombay Presidency and the Central Provinces in central and western India. Focusing on this region in the interwar period, this paper analyzes the varied relationship between peasant households and town-centred modernizing agents in the making of road transport infrastructures. The central argument of this paper is about the persistence of bullock carts over motor cars in the region. This persistence was grounded in the specific regional environment, the effects of the 1930s economic depression, and the priorities of social classes. Pinpointing these connections, the paper highlights that "modernization" of infrastructure was not a simple, linear process of progressivist change, nor did it mean the survival of apparently "old" technologies in the modern era. Instead, the paper pays attention to conflicting social complexities, implications, and meanings of the connection between infrastructure and modernity that modernization assumptions often overlook. Here, the paper shows how technological change occurred as a result of real, material class interests pulling infrastructural technology in different directions. This was where and why arguments of road-motor lobbyists and cart advocates eventually clashed, and Gandhian social workers resisted motor transport in defense of peasant interests. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper considers the way the outbreak of coronavirus and the subsequent lockdown has egregiously impeded the Hindu death ceremonies and mourning rituals in India. It makes a comparative analysis of how Hindu death rituals get renegotiated, modified and reinterpreted across two vastly different regions of India, both of which have their local customs. Whilst death rituals in India are contingent on the deceased's caste, community, class, gender and age, the impediment to the major death rituals creates a central conundrum for all mourners. It results from the substitution of 'sacred' ritual guidelines with new 'profane' ones for the 'disposal' of deceased COVID-19 patients. Departure from many significant pre-liminal rites, specific transition rites, and post-liminal rites has eschatological, ritual and cultural ramifications. The inability to grieve in unison during a Shraddh ceremony denies mourners any scope to quell distressing feelings about mortality which serves as a source of consolation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There appears to be a globally unifying discourse that suggests Muslim communities are not supportive of girls' education12. This paper aims to destabilize such a discourse by inserting the narratives of Muslim parents pursuing girls' education in Assam's Nagaon district. By paying attention to the concepts of bhal suwali (good girlhood) and bhal ghor (good family) articulated by parents in my study, this paper connects the performances of certain types of gender practices with the pursuit of class aspirations. It shows that good girlhood works as symbolic capital that helps Muslim parents to culturally authorize their daughters as legitimate actors in the field of education, while legitimizing themselves as good family. This paper draws attention to three practices of respectable femininity through which good girlhoods are enacted in the field of education, namely: negotiating poverty respectably, prioritizing gendered discipline, and merging career aspirations with marital prospects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study conducted a Marxist analysis of Arvind Adiga's The White Tiger The study aims to demonstrate how desire shapes the protagonist, Balram and influences broader societal dynamics within the framework of Marxist theory. By deploying this theory as its lens, the paper seeks to unveil the underlying structures perpetuating social inequalities in the depicted Indian milieu. The narrative unfolds through a dual exploration of two distinct social classes: privileged 'haves' in the India of Light and the marginalized 'have nots' in the India of Darkness. Through meticulous examination of specific instances in the novel, the analysis reveals the illicit use of state resources by political and economic elites, showcasing the intricate interplay between desire, corruption, and societal structures. The study illuminates how Adiga portrays the extreme and practical facets of Indian society, providing a nuanced understanding of the character's motivations and the broader socio-economic context. This exploration contributes to a deeper comprehension of the novel's socio-political commentary, elucidating the complex connections between individual aspirations, systemic corruption, and class divisions. In conclusion, the analysis not only enriches our understanding of The White Tiger, but also augments the broader discourse on literature, ideology, and societal critique. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Empowerment is a process of the powerless gaining power to exercise greater control over the circumstances of their lives. It refers broadly to the expansion of freedom and choices and actions by way of bargaining or negotiation to shape one's life. Empowerment per se results in substantial outcomes in the form of achievements for those having to choose. Empowerment is not only an end but also a strategy to achieve gender equity in human development and to better education and health outcomes for children. Much of the discourse on measuring women's empowerment focuses on various dimensions and their respective indicators. The present paper attempts to understand the conceptual framework for women's empowerment, the measurement of women's empowerment, and its linkages with children's and women's outcomes. The first section delineates the debate on women's empowerment, while the second section deals with the measurement of women's empowerment in India across states, economic classes, religions, and social groups. The paper makes use of NFHS (three rounds) to assess the WEI (Women Empowerment Index) across different categories and analyses the WE and its outcomes from an intersectional perspective. Findings throw light that poor women across all social groups rank low in women empowerment and also have low children's education & and health and women's health outcomes. Strengthening the human and economic resources dimension of women's empowerment through quality employment, and altering gender norms hold the key to realise better outcomes for women and children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we contend that urban middle-class older Indians engaged in "serious leisure" as a way to reimagine and reconfigure the structure of everyday life during the pandemic-led epochal downtime. In particular, we heuristically show that leisure activity patterns and constraint negotiation strategies among older Indians followed conceptual semblances with the dominant leisure-based typology of Serious Leisure Perspective. By thematically analysing household surveys (n = 71), time-use diaries and in-depth interviews (n = 15) of middle to upper middle-class individuals (55–80 years), we show how both men and women distinguished between serious leisure that is marked by motivation, agency and perseverance with that of unstructured, routinized free-time (or causal leisure). Time-use diaries suggested that despite the changed realities of heightened domestic time available to both genders due to the pandemic, women recorded higher proportion of their daily hours in household management and caregiving. Although women were governed by moral-cultural self-descriptions in their engagement with leisure, it was often associated with an enhanced sense of self-actualisation, self-management and identity. Overall, we show how the social codes of age and gender were inextricably linked with the practice of leisure during the pandemic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the multifaceted nature of social inequality in India. It focuses on the relationship between historical legacies and contemporary dynamics. It investigates how the caste system, shaped by late colonial and postcolonial states, continues to impact social structures in rural and urban settings. An in-depth analysis of contemporary village hierarchy, social class, and habitus formation aims to highlight the complex interplay between caste, class, and sociocultural elements. The study identifies 14 social types across three sociocultures, forming distinct yet co-existing hierarchies. It reveals the persistence of pre-capitalist and postcolonial habitus traits and the formation of hybrid habitus resulting from the encroachment of the capitalist urban economy into rural areas. The research emphasizes the significant impact of caste membership on social class, with the marginalized class predominantly consisting of Dalits and other underprivileged communities. The paper concludes that while capitalist transformation facilitates social mobility, the legacy of precolonial structures, colonialism, caste, and the developmentalist state persist and shape social classes, indicating the reproduction of social inequality from colonial to postcolonial times. To fully understand the nature of inequality in India, examining the interplay between historical legacies and contemporary dynamics is crucial. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the present times, there is a high influence caused by social media platforms in case of body image issues faced by an individual. Pregnancy is a stage for women where they go through several mental and physical changes. Realizing the inseparable role played by social media in this aspect, it is an attempt here to determine the effect caused by social media on the body image of pregnant women as well for those in their post-partum stages. The PRISMA method is used by the authors to arrive at 55 research papers from the Scopus databases that are systematically reviewed. The authors' review reveals that social media can have both negative and positive effects on women's perception of body image during pregnancy and the postpartum period. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to understand the patterns and incidence of child labour in India and to examine the magnitude of child labour across different social groups. It analyses the impact of the socio-economic background of the children on their participation in the labour market. Design/methodology/approach: The paper primarily relies on the data collected from secondary sources. The census of India data and the National Sample Survey Organisation (NSSO) 66th round data (2009–2010) on employment and unemployment in India for the study. The dependent variable on child labour has been computed by the author for the analysis in the paper. Findings: The findings of the paper suggest that poverty is not the only determinant of child labour, but gender and caste of a person is also a significant factor for child labour. The study found that children from lower-caste backgrounds in India seem to participate more in the labour market. In terms of gender, the study found that boys are more likely to engage in economic activities or paid jobs while girls are more likely to engage in household activities. Originality/value: Data used in this paper has been extracted by the author from unit level data provided by NSSO. The variables used for the analysis in the presented paper has been constructed by the author and the figures provided are the result of the author's estimation on data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dramatic differences in the quality of human life are a prominent feature of today's world. Poverty and inequality mutilate the life chances of millions around the globe, notwithstanding otherwise impressive economic achievements. To offset the challenges posed by the persistence and production of poverty and inequality, many governments and international development agencies have begun to formulate and implement agendas for social protection. Nevertheless, even as governments institute social protection programmes to ameliorate human misery, the outcomes of such initiatives remain vastly varied. Understanding the factors for such variations assumes urgent relevance. What explains such variations? In this paper, I contribute to the growing body of scholarship that seeks to reignite interest in class politics as shaping the implementation of social protections. I build on and develop a discussion of politics that takes seriously class politics, especially the ensemble of collaborations and competitions between classes. I nuance existing perspectives on class politics by emphasising the importance of both collaboration as well as conflict between social classes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Global education agendas frequently draw on the construct of 'school readiness', indexing the developmental trajectories of children to the expectations of school systems. Through in-depth ethnographic research in a village in Bihar, India, this paper examines how normative discourses of 'school readiness' govern family strategies for early childhood care and education (ECCE). To navigate the demandsof a competitive and socially stratified school system, marginalised families saw it as crucial for their young children to access multiple forms of educational capital: written literacy, discipline, and dominant caste-class codes. In the absence of functioning provision of ECCE by the state, the low-fee and low-quality private market of early childhood education was seen as a key site through which 'school readiness' could be secured. The paper illustrates how normative developmentalism in education, and the 'hegemonic aspirations' it enshrines, has entrenched the marketisation of ECCE and reinscribed forms of caste-class domination. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

On-demand work applications (ODWAs), a type of digital platforms (DPs), are technology-enabled intermediaries for gig workers. In this paper, we study these platforms and their impact on women belonging to the low socio-economic section in a developing economy. These women act as primary unpaid workers while being expected to make an economic contribution. Hence, they suffer from time scarcity where they need to find mechanisms to generate economic success from the limited time they have, in a largely informal economy. We employed the theoretical lens of affordances to delineate the affordances that are provided by the various features of ODWAs and their impact on life satisfaction of women. We conducted a mixed method study using interviews of 20 female gig workers, supplemented by a survey of 927 workers on one of the largest ODWAs in India. Our analysis points to the sense of identity and individuality that these platforms provide as well as lowering the market boundaries for greater inclusion. Our research is significant from both, the information systems and inclusion research perspectives, as it contributes to the theoretical understanding of the impact of DPs on breaking societal structures and providing avenues to marginalised sections. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyses method skew in India over more than two decades using a new method skew index. The analysis reveals clear regional pattern in method skew in the country. In north and east regions of the country, method skew is average and below average, but it is high or very high in the south region. We investigate roles of such factors as poverty, education, social class, and religion in deciding the method skew at the district level using the classification modeling approach and find that the roles of these factors are different in different regions of the country. An important finding of the analysis is that there is a positive correlation between the degree of the method skew and contraceptive prevalence at the district level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper examines gendered experiences of established adulthood with reference to role-related responsibilities in urban Indian families. In-depth interviews were conducted with 30 married adults aged between 35 and 45 years, from educated, high socioeconomic class families of Vadodara, India. The aim was to examine participants' reasoning about similarities and differences in potentials of men and women; and gender differences in responsibilities. Qualitative analyses revealed that both men and women attributed equal potentials for both genders, in fulfilling a range of adult roles within and outside the family. All participants also agreed that even if responsibilities were 'shared', women's involvement in different roles was much more intense than men's. Women were critical of patriarchal norms that hindered participation in the workforce and led to role overload. However, they navigated diverse roles with increased efficiency and multitasking. Men, on the other hand, showed passive acceptance and reinforced traditional gender norms in spite of complete awareness of demands generated from a rapidly changing socioeconomic milieu. However, in what may seem like a push and pull between the two genders, decisions of balancing work and family were always contextualized and embedded in an ethos of maintaining strong social and familial networks, indicating a clear preference for doing what was in everyone's best interest. Overall, results suggested that navigating traditional gender role expectations in marriage and parenthood, without compromising social and familial harmony, was a significant cultural marker of maturity in established adulthood in India. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to examine the socio-economic inequalities that exist in the use of unhygienic menstrual practices in India and its states, as well as to identify the contribution of various socio-economic factors that leads to these inequalities. Design/methodology/approach: Data from the National Family Health Survey-5 (2019–21) for 240,285 menstruating women aged 15–24 years is used to examine the above objectives. The concentration index for unhygienic menstrual practices is calculated to measure the socio-economic inequalities, which are then decomposed into their determining factors. Findings: The state of Punjab experiencing the highest level of economic inequality, followed by Telangana and Haryana. The results from decomposition analysis suggest that rural residence (13%), illiteracy (7%), poor economic status (53%), not reading newspaper (12%) and not watching TV (14%) contribute 99% to the total socio-economic inequality in using unhygienic menstrual practices in India. The contribution of economic status to total inequalities is more in all the states except for Kerala and Mizoram, where caste and residence play an important role. Originality/value: This paper signifies the role of economic inequality in the use of unhygienic menstrual practices in India as well as the contribution of various socio-economic factors contributing towards these inequalities. The results from decomposition analysis suggest the need for unique health intervention strategies for different states following the evidence of major contributions to total inequalities in the use of unhygienic menstrual practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper provides one of the most accurate estimates of the size of the Indian middle class, using an eclectic set of variables rooted in three major theories of class; Marxist, Weberian, and Bourdieuian. Using this original and theoretically inclusive method offers a solution to the problem of capturing the conceptual complexities of the middle class and provides a holistic examination of its composition. Through statistical analysis of the India Human Development Survey II (2011–12), the paper reveals three significant findings: firstly, it calculates the size of the middle class to be 28.05% of the urban and rural population in India. Secondly, it demonstrates that despite the occupational diversity that exists among middle classes, a large proportion of the middle class are salaried employees. Thirdly, and most importantly, it demonstrates that contrary to common assumptions in the growing literature on the middle class, a considerable segment of the Indian middle class resides in rural areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Maternal healthcare service utilization is a pivotal indicator of a nation's progress in safeguarding the health and well-being of its women and children. In this context, women's empowerment emerges as a critical determinant influencing the utilization of maternal healthcare services. The study aims to assess the relationship between women's level of empowerment and utilization of maternal healthcare services among currently married women in India. Data and Methods: The study uses data from the fifth round of the National Family Health Survey conducted in 2019–2021 and analyzed 26,552 (15–49 aged) currently married women who had a live birth in the last 5 years preceding the survey. Additionally, univariate and bivariate analyses, multivariate logistic regression, and the SWPER index were used for the analysis. Results: Over the years, utilization of antenatal care, skilled birth attainment, and postnatal care has increased extensively in India. However, the study found that utilization of services was higher among empowered women, and it varies across the state with the extent of empowerment. State-level analysis shows that the extent of women empowerment was higher in Goa, followed by Tamil Nadu and Kerala, and lower in Jharkhand, followed by Tripura, so as the utilization of maternal and health care services. The extent of empowerment and utilization of services also varies by level of educational attainment, employment, and socio-economic status. Conclusion: There is a need for comprehensive strategies to enhance women's empowerment through education, employment, political participation, self-awareness, and reduction in gender-based violence and child marriages, which may improve awareness demand for better public health structure, and may ensure higher utilization of maternal healthcare services. Ultimately, these strategies may converse the higher maternal death and child mortality. Significance: What is already known about this subject? Existing literature in India mostly highlights a clear connection between women's autonomy and maternal healthcare services utilization. Women with higher autonomy, decision-making power, and mobility are more likely to use these services. However, in exploring the link between women's empowerment and maternal healthcare, some studies focus on education, employment, and media access among Indian mothers, sidelining broader empowerment dimensions. What this study adds? This study is likely the first to investigate the relationship between women's empowerment and the level of maternal healthcare service utilization in India. It covers key dimensions of women's empowerment, including Attitude to Violence, Social Independence, and Decision-making Power. Moreover, it is possibly the first Indian research paper to employ a survey-based women's empowerment index in this context. Notably, the assessment highlights Social Independence as a significant dimension. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Oppari-the folksong of Tamil Nadu and North-Eastern parts of Sri Lanka, is known as the Tamil song of mourning. The practice of women singing oppari is prevalent in the suburban and rural spaces of Tamil Nadu. They form a circle, weep, beat their chest, wail and jump on the beats of Parai (single-sided drum) music on the death of a member of a family as reported by Srinivas (Oppari: An art of Weeping, Wailing and Lamenting, 2019). The women in the region express their grief over the death of their beloved with the lyrics of oppari songs. Of late, professional oppari singers, including both female and male, have been invited to rural and urban Tamil Nadu on the death of a member in the well-off families to mourn for the deceased person. This distinctively South Indian genre of weeping songs has evolved with time. The lyrics of the oppari songs have been blended with the essence of the periodical changes. The content, context, and presentation of the oppari songs have been playing important roles to reflect the makeovers of times. This study attempts to understand the reflection of times in the lyrics of oppari songs by assiduously employing semiotic analysis. The analysis of the words of the content, context indicated and presentation of subject, period, and expression in lyrics of the oppari songs has been made in the paper. The analysis of three oppari songs gives some significant ideas about the different times of history. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

From 2005-06 to 2015-16, proportion of cesarean deliveries in total deliveries has almost doubled in India. In this paper, we study changes in prevalence of cesarean deliveries across different social-economic groups and study factors affecting odds of undergoing cesarean delivery. The present paper was based on National Family Health Surveys and employs logistic regression. We find that rise in cesarean deliveries has been across social groups, religions, urban/rural India, wealth groups, though increase has not been uniform. Further, many economically affluent states have high proportion of cesarean deliveries. We find that women delivering at private hospitals had significantly higher odds of opting for cesarean delivery. Further, women belonging to rich households were more likely to go through surgery for birth. In case of earlier terminated pregnancies, odds were higher too. The higher odds of cesarean sections in the relatively affluent geographic regions, richer households and private institutions indicate that these procedures may be driven by non-medical reasons in many cases, pointing toward the use of surgical procedures for the convenience. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The COVID‐19 pandemic presents a threat to physical and psychosocial health of individuals. In lieu of the subsequent lockdown and containment measures, helpline counselling becomes a viable method of accessing psychosocial services during the pandemic. The present paper describes experiences of counsellors working with a special COVID‐19 counselling helpline initiated by iCALL, a national‐level technology‐assisted counselling service of the Tata Institute of Social Sciences, India, which aims to address the psychosocial impact of the pandemic and the lockdown. The paper is based on two focus group interviews held with 11 counsellors during the initial two months of the helpline's functioning. Findings of the study highlight the diverse profile of the callers, with individuals belonging to different strata of society and to marginalised communities. The nature of concerns presented by the callers were often a mix of psychological, relational and practical issues. The resultant distress emanated from an interplay of these factors with the relational contexts, their social locations and social structures the individuals were embedded in. This highlighted the need for conceptualising and responding from a psychosocial lens, whereby interventions involved traditional counselling approaches and strategies for addressing determinants of distress by connecting callers to required ground‐level resources. Counsellors' engagement with this process impacted their professional and personal selves, necessitating the need for structured and continuous training, supervision and support. At a larger level, the counsellors' narratives asserted the need for adopting a psychosocial paradigm for conceptualising and addressing mental health concerns in India. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The caste based discrimination does not only affect the spheres of education, work and employment but also the wide Horizons of life, which can be detrimental for the country's future. This paper concentrates on the detailed analysis of occupation segregation or should we say the discrimination and lower footing of the scheduled castes in India. The paper in its analysis focuses not only on the SCs but also the Other Backward castes, because both of these groups have been subjected to centuries' long discrimination. Therefore it is imperative that the paper dwells on lowers caste discrimination in a holistic manner. There is ample use of graphical, literary and explanatory techniques, the paper provides a widely spanning depiction of the situation, right from the 1992-93 to the 2014. Various aspects have been portrayed of caste based segregation in the sphere of employment in the modern India. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This paper explored the reliability of self-reported health and the impact of the social position in determining the inconsistent health response (IHR), in late life. Reliability of self-reported health is important to evaluate, as it is the primary step for asking health-care facility. As self-reported health is a subjective measure, elderly people might have a tendency of under-reporting the health problem because of lower socioeconomic status. This incidence can cause inaccurate estimate of the health problem of the aged at the time of formulating health policy or providing health-care infrastructure. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to explore the sources of inconsistent responses of self-reported health by comparing it with the existence of chronicle ailment and to identify the vulnerable group that health care supports. Design/methodology/approach: The study uses nationally representative unit-level data from the National Sample Survey of India. Using the bi-variate probit model, joint estimation of reported health and IHRs is determined. The study compares perceived and actual health status and explores how individual characteristics and socioeconomic position contributes to IHRs among the elderly population. Findings: Major findings of this study are as follows: firstly, self-reported health has little reliability, as it is compared with the existence of chronicle ailment. Older people in the rural areas have greater tendency to under-estimate the health problem, whereas urban elders tend to over-estimate it; and secondly, the inconsistency in health response is significantly associated with social caste, economic status and attainment of education. Social implications: The results of this study from bivariate probit model offer deeper understandings about the reliability of self-reported health and provide further insights to improve policy design formulated to mitigate the health inequality among the elders. This study might be helpful to design an inexpensive and easily available health measure, which is very important for a highly populated aging country with limited health-care resources. Originality/value: To the best of author's knowledge, it is the first study that has identified the sources of inconsistent health and direction of inconsistency that is where self-reported health over- or under-estimates the actual health response among the elderly in a developing country like India, where the growth rate of population aging is faster than the world. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Attacks perpetrated using acid are a particular form of interpersonal violence, possibly one of the most heinous manifestations of Intimate Partner Violence (IPV). Acid attacks are mainly motivated by extramarital cheating, marital conflicts, women's rejection of marriage proposals, and sexual advances. As these attacks are not well understood from a psychological perspective, we conducted a systematic review, following Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines, of 284 articles identified, 13 were eligible for inclusion. Three main focuses were identified: "Risk and vulnerability factors," "Consequences and implications," and "Interventions and treatments." Acid attacks seem to be more frequent in countries where social and economic development leads to greater tensions over traditional gender roles like Bangladesh, Pakistan, and India. Identified risk factors were young age, low socioeconomic status, low educational attainment, ethnicity, unemployment status of the victim, alcohol, and drug use of the perpetrator. Among the main psychosocial consequences of acid attacks, isolation and social exclusion emerged. Additionally, the paper will discuss the role of mental health consequences and specific treatments from psychological, clinical, and medical-legal points of view. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The recent development of the Global TALES Protocol provides a unique opportunity to conduct systematic cross-linguistic and cross-cultural comparisons of children's personal narratives. This protocol contains 6 scripted prompts to elicit personal narratives in school-age children about times when they experienced feeling happy/excited, worried, annoyed, proud, being in a problem situation, something important. Objectives: The objectives of this study were to examine the topics of the children's narratives when they responded to the 6 prompts and draw comparisons with the topics of narratives spoken by children from 10 other countries speaking 8 other languages as described in the original feasibility paper. Methods: We translated the Global TALES Protocol into Hindi and collected personal narratives of thirty Hindi-speaking children (aged 6–9 years), residing in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India. All personal narrative samples were elicited in person and audio recorded for manual coding of the topics. Results: Although we observed many similarities in the topics of children's personal narratives between this dataset and the dataset reported on in the initial feasibility study, we also documented some novel topics, such as "welcoming guests" in response to the "excited" prompt; "financial problems" in response to the "worried" prompt; "helping someone by actions or by advising someone morally" in response to the "problem" prompt; and "mishap/personal loss" and "exams" in response to the "important" prompt. Conclusion: Some of these novel topics likely reflected the Indian culture. Because our study involved a group of children who are linguistically and culturally different from previous studies using the Global TALES protocol and, at ages 6–9 years, slightly younger than the 10-year-olds in prior studies, this study adds to the evidence that the Global TALES protocol can be used to elicit personal narratives of children from diverse languages and cultures, as young as age 6. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: There is a paucity of information on health and nutritional status of tea-garden workers of West Bengal, which is crucial to meet their health needs by formulating appropriate public health interventions. Objectives/Aims: The objective of this study is to assess the morbidity pattern and nutritional status of tea-garden workers of West Bengal, India. Materials and Methods: The present cross-sectional study was conducted among 463 tea-garden workers of randomly selected three tea gardens of Alipurduar district of West Bengal, India, chosen by multi-stage sampling. Pre-designed and pre-tested questionnaire was used to collect information on socio-demographic and other variables by means of interview. Physical examination and anthropometric assessment were performed. The haemoglobin was estimated by the 'filter paper cyanmethemoglobin method'. Morbidities were assessed on the basis of history, clinical examination, evaluation of medical records if any and relevant laboratory investigations and classified and coded as per the 10th revision of the international classification of the diseases. Morbidity profile and nutritional status were assessed through history taking, clinical examination, review of medical records if any, anthropometric assessment and laboratory investigations. Statistical Analysis: Simple proportion was used for interpretation of point prevalence. Chi-square test was applied as the test of significance wherever applicable. Results: Out of total 463 tea-garden workers, majorities (76%) were female and from backward social class (81.2%). More than half (55.9%) were illiterate and three-fourth (67.2%) belonged to lower income quartile. Anaemia was found widespread (87.9%) and more than one-third (36.1%) of the tea-garden workers were found undernourished. Also 43.8% of the workers had airway obstruction as measured by peak expiratory flow rate. Majority (69.8%) of the garden workers had any form of morbidity. Non-communicable diseases (24.2%), musculoskeletal disorders (17.9%), skin disorders (17.7%), respiratory morbidities (16.2%), febrile illness (12.3%), gastro-intestinal disorders (8.6%), ocular problems (8.4%), vitamin and micronutrients deficiencies were found the common morbidities among tea-garden workers. Scheduled tribe caste, undernutrition and anaemia were found independent determinants of any morbidity among the tea-garden workers. Conclusions: Morbidities, anaemia and under-nutrition were found very much prevalent among tea-garden workers of West Bengal, which necessitates urgent public health interventions through multi-disciplinary approach in a focussed manner with an aim to improve the overall quality of life of the tea-garden workers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates the role played by education as a mediator of inter-generational social mobility in India. It uses a nationally representative data set (the National Election Study 2009) to describe and establish patterns of social mobility in India, and subsequently, to establish the role played by education with regard to this mobility. In particular, it attempts to test the ‘merit’ argument by analysing whether the effect of social origins (class and caste; along with locality and gender) on mobility and on gaining access to one class destination (where education is expected to be critical) has declined, and whether education plays a role. However, while the paper finds high rates of inter-generational stability, rural–urban disaggregation complicates the broader picture. The role of education is also key, especially for women. The paper finds that education plays an important role with regard to social mobility chances, but the effect of caste and class of origin remains significant. Focusing on one class destination – the professional class – once we control for education, the impact of caste seems to vary, while the role played by class of origin remains statistically significant. The implications of these patterns by gender and locality are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This paper explores how young male Dalit labourers negotiate the changes and continuities of labour relations in the construction industry, and power relations in rural Telangana in southern India. It looks at the fluidity between three segments of the classes of labour, namely debt-bonded, unskilled/self-employed and educated labourers. It examines how Dalit youths' experiences and representations of labour circulation and political clientelism shape and are shaped by the articulation between the construction industry and rural leaders, and by class, family, caste and generational relations in the village. Two points are made. First, circulation at the bottom of the labour hierarchy prevents labourers (even educated ones) to accumulate capital and participate in collective action: rather, the total lack of protection at work has brought about renewed and graded forms of dependence and political clientelism. Second, circulation serves as a locus that fosters and segments young male Dalit labourers' quests for respect, but hinders them from getting involved in political competition against rural leaders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Health outcomes in India are characterized by pervasive inequities due to deeply entrenched socio-economic gradients amongst the population. Therefore, it is imperative to investigate these systematic disparities in health, however, evidence of inequities does not commensurate with its policy objectives in India. Thus, our paper aims to examine the magnitude of and trends in horizontal inequities in self-reported morbidity and untreated morbidity in India over the period of 2004 to 2017–18. Methods: The study used cross-sectional data from nationwide healthcare surveys conducted in 2004, 2014 and 2017–18 encompassing sample size of 3,85,055; 3,35,499 and 5,57,887 individuals respectively. Erreygers concentration indices were employed to discern the magnitude and trend in horizontal inequities in self-reported morbidity and untreated morbidity. Need standardized concentration indices were further used to unravel the inter-regional and intra-regional income related inequities in outcomes of interest. Additionally, regression based decomposition approach was applied to ascertain the contributions of both legitimate and illegitimate factors in the measured inequalities. Results: Estimates were indicative of profound inequities in self-reported morbidity as inequity indices were positive and significant for all study years, connoting better-off reporting more morbidity, given their needs. These inequities however, declined marginally from 2004(HI: 0.049, p< 0.01) to 2017–18(HI: 0.045, P< 0.01). Untreated morbidity exhibited pro-poor inequities with negative concentration indices. Albeit, significant reduction in horizontal inequity was found from 2004(HI= − 0.103, p< 0.01) to 2017–18(HI = − 0.048, p< 0.01) in treatment seeking over the years. The largest contribution of inequality for both outcomes stemmed from illegitimate variables in all the study years. Our findings also elucidated inter-state heterogeneities in inequities with high-income states like Andhra Pradesh, Kerala and West Bengal evincing inequities greater than all India estimates and Northeastern states divulged equity in reporting morbidity. Inequities in untreated morbidity converged for most states except in Punjab, Chhattisgarh and Himachal Pradesh where widening of inequities were observed from 2004 to 2017–18. Conclusions: Pro-rich and pro-poor inequities in reported and untreated morbidities respectively persisted from 2004 to 2017–18 despite reforms in Indian healthcare. Magnitude of these inequities declined marginally over the years. Health policy in India should strive for targeted interventions closing inequity gap. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Equity and justice in healthcare payment form an integral part of health policy and planning. In the majority of low and middle-income countries (LMICs), healthcare inequalities are further aggravated by Out of Pocket Expenditure (OOPE). This paper examines the pattern of health equity and regional disparities in healthcare spending among Indian states by applying Andersen's behavioural model of healthcare utilization. Methods: The present study uses data from the 66th quinquennial round of Consumer Expenditure Survey, of the National Sample Survey Organization (NSSO), conducted in 2009-10 by Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI), Government of India (GoI). To measure equity and regional disparities in healthcare expenditure, states have been categorized under three heads on the basis of monthly OOPE i.e., Category A (OOPE > =INR 100); Category B (OOPE between INR 50 to 99) and Category C (OOPE < INR 50). Multiple Generalised Linear Regression Model (GLRM) has been employed to explore the effect of various socio-economic covariates on the level of OOPE. Results: The gap in the ratio of average healthcare spending between the poorest and richest households was maximum in Category A states Category B (richest/poorest = 14.60), followed by (richest/poorest 11.70) and Category C (richest/poorest 11.40). Results also indicate geographical concentration of lower level healthcare spending among Indian states (e.g., Odisha, Chhattisgarh and all the north-eastern states). Results from the multivariate analysis suggest that people residing in urban areas, having higher economic status, belonging to non-Muslim communities, non-Scheduled Tribes (STs), and non-poor households spend more on healthcare than their counterparts. Conclusions: In spite of various efforts by the government to reduce the burden of healthcare spending, widespread inequalities in healthcare expenditure are prevalent. Households with high healthcare needs (SCs/STs, and the poor) are in a more disadvantaged position in terms of spending on health care. It has also been observed that spending on healthcare was comparatively lower among backward or isolated states. No doubt, the overall social security measures should be enhanced, but at the same time, looking at the regional differences, more priority should be assigned to the disadvantaged states to reduce the burden of OOPE. It is proposed that there is need to increase government spending, especially for the disadvantaged states and population, to minimise the burden of OOPE. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper explores mobilization to reduce the deepest inequalities in the two largest democracies, those along caste lines in India and racial lines in the United States. I compare how the groups at the bottom of these ethnic hierarchies—India's former untouchable castes (Dalits) and African Americans—mobilized from the 1940s to the 1970s in pursuit of full citizenship: the franchise, representation, civil rights, and social rights. Experiences in two regions of historically high inequality (the Kaveri and Mississippi Deltas) are compared in their national contexts. Similarities in demographic patterns, group boundaries, socioeconomic relations, regimes, and enfranchisement timing facilitate comparison. Important differences in nationalist and civic discourse, official and popular social classification, and stratification patterns influenced the two groups' mobilizations, enfranchisement, representation, alliances, and relationships with political parties. The nation was imagined to clearly include Dalits earlier in India than to encompass African Americans in the United States. Race was the primary and bipolar official and popular identity axis in the United States, unlike caste in India. African Americans responded by emphasizing racial discourses while Dalit mobilizations foregrounded more porously bordered community visions. These different circumstances enabled more widespread African American mobilization, but offered Dalits more favorable interethnic alliances, party incorporation, and policy accommodation, particularly in historically highly unequal regions. Therefore, group representation and policy benefits increased sooner and more in India than in the United States, especially in regions of historically high group inequality such as the Kaveri and other major river Deltas relative to the Deep South, including Mississippi. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Alienation and isolation is an off-seen social aspect of gerontological crises. The purpose of this paper is to focus on the social isolation and loneliness of older people that emerge from inadequate integration with the social network, coupled with increasing social chasm between the aged and the young. The sample population is Cooch Behar municipal town, West Bengal, India. Design/methodology/approach: To conduct the study, data have been collected through a questionnaire followed by purposive random sampling and analyzed with the help of loneliness scale and correlated variables. Findings: The study reveals that marital status, social network, social class and health are some of the parameters that influence the level of social isolation and loneliness among the older people. Originality/value: The result highlights the importance of social relationships and interaction on the ageing process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Spinal cord injury causes temporary or permanent changes in spinal cord function. This case report highlights the significance of multidisciplinary rehabilitation team interventions after surgery for spinal cord injury. Method: The paper examines the case of a 16-year-old girl, diagnosed with spinal cord injury after a traumatic incident four months earlier. The adolescent (client), a 9th grade student from a lower socioeconomic background, presented with weakness in the lower limbs, pressure ulcer, and neuropathic pain. Along with dependency for lower limb activities of daily living, there was severe biopsychosocial impairment. The client's mother had no respite during the entire process of caregiving. On the basis of psychosocial findings, specific customised interventions were administered to the client and her mother, on a daily basis, for one and a half months. Results: Different scales were used to assess the quality of life (BREF-QoL), illness perception (Brief IPQ) and depression and anxiety (HADS) of the client, both pre and post interventions. A comprehensive tailor made psycho-social interventions were provided during and after the rehabilitation and significant improvement was found. Scales to assess the social and occupational functioning (SOFAS) of the family and perceived family burden also noted positive changes. Conclusion: Psychiatric social work interventions play a vital role in rehabilitating persons with neurological conditions. Adopting holistic rehabilitation approaches enhances the well-being and quality of life of persons with spinal cord injury and their families. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes overall socioeconomic gradients and the age patterns of socioeconomic gradients of health of Indian adults for multiple health indicators encompassing the multiple aspects of health. Cross-sectional data on 11,230 Indians aged 18 years and older from the WHO-SAGE India Wave 1, 2007 were analyzed. Multivariate logit models were estimated to examine effects of socioeconomic status (education and household wealth) and age on four health domains: self-rated health, self-reported functioning, chronic diseases, and biological health measures. Results show that socioeconomic status (SES) was negatively associated with prevalence of each health measure but with considerable heterogeneity across age groups. Results for hypertension and COPD were inconclusive. SES effects are significant while adjusting for background characteristics and health risk factors. The age patterns of SES gradient of health depict divergence with age, however, no conclusive age pattern emerged for biological markers. Overall, results in this paper dispelled the conclusion of negative SES-health association found in some previous Indian studies and reinforced the hypothesis of positive association of SES with health for Indian adults. Higher prevalence of negative health outcomes and SES disparities of health outcomes among older age-groups highlight need for inclusive and focused health care interventions for older adults across socioeconomic spectrum. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Women's empowerment status varies greatly in India according to caste, class, ethnicity and region. This paper aims to investigate the caste/tribe disparity in women's empowerment by region, the main correlates of each domain of empowerment, and the association of women's empowerment with nutritional and health care access outcomes, specifically anaemia, menstrual hygiene, and institutional delivery. Using National Family Health Survey-5 (2019–2021) data, we have created a modified survey-based women's empowerment index (SWPER) using principal component analysis with Oblique varimax rotation. The first four components are interpreted as an attitude to violence, freedom of movement, decision-making power and social independence. Several multivariate regression models were used to understand the factor associated with empowerment and the association of women's empowerment with different health outcomes. The results indicate that women from the forward castes are the most empowered in most domains except decision-making. However, after controlling other background variables, the forward castes women are found to be the most empowered in attitude to violence, whereas Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes women were found to be the most empowered women in decision-making. With regards to social independence, deprived castes women are more empowered than the forward castes women. The likelihood of empowerment in social independence domain increases with increasing wealth. There are wide regional variations in empowerment level between different social groups. Caste/tribe identity plays a significant role in determining health outcomes in India. Among all empowerment domains, social independence emerges as the most significant associated factor with improved health across all caste/tribe groups. The path to women's empowerment in India must recognize the intersectionality of caste/tribe identities, and address regional disparities. Social independence emerges as a critical determinant across all caste/tribe groups for improving health. Measures should be taken to empower women through the underlying factors of social independence. • This study uses SWPER index to assess women empowerment within India's caste/tribe. • Forward caste women are most empowered in all domains except decision-making. • Scheduled Tribe women from Northeast India are most empowered in decision-making. • Social independence empowerment domain is crucial for improving women's health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: In India, twenty-five percent of women who menstruate are unable to utilize sanitary methods, and even among those who have access, there are multiple obstacles to achieving proper menstrual hygiene management. The consequences of inadequate menstrual health may extend to affect a girl's socialisation, empowerment, overall well-being, and even survival. Objectives: To estimate the prevalence of unmet menstrual practice needs and its determinants among college going women in Coimbatore district, India. Methodology: A questionnaire based analytical cross-sectional study was conducted among 3144 college going women from October 2022 to January 2023. Menstrual Practice Needs Scale (MPNS-36) was used to collect data regarding the unmet needs and their mean scores were compared across socio-demographic variables, menstrual knowledge, and the choice of hygiene material. Results: The mean (SD) age of the study population was 19.3 (1.8) years. The prevalence of unmet menstrual practice needs was 62.8% with a mean (SD) MPNS score of 1.8 (0.4). The total MPNS score was low for those currently residing in rural or having a rural hometown. The unmet need was better for those residing in-campus of the educational institute and having educated parents. The socioeconomic class and presence of a personal income also influenced the total MPNS scores significantly (p < 0.05). Menstrual talks with friends before puberty and with friends and family after puberty improved the MPNS scores. Regarding menstrual hygiene methods, modern menstrual methods (MMM), disposable and bio-degradable materials had a lower unmet need. Marital status, freedom to manage expenses, pre-pubertal menstrual talks with family, and total number of family members did not influence the scores of MPNS. Multivariate regression analysis showed that maternal education, menstrual talks with family after puberty, and type of menstrual hygiene method including its disposability were independent predictors of total MPNS scores. Conclusion: Addressing unmet menstrual practice needs among college-going women in Coimbatore district necessitates a multifaceted approach encompassing education, access to affordable and sustainable menstrual products, and destigmatization efforts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Population ageing represents a significant global challenge, particularly pronounced in countries like India. Aims: This study aims to explore how factors such as socio-economic status, behaviour, and health influence healthy ageing across the Indian older population. Methods: In this study, we utilized the Longitudinal Ageing Study in India – wave 1 dataset for analysis purposes. Scores were generated for five dimensions of healthy aging, including physical, functional, mental, cognitive, and social aspects and these scores were treated as the target variables. Multivariate Regression Trees analysis was employed to identify the behavioural and socio-demographic factors associated with each dimension of healthy ageing. Results: Years of education emerge as crucial across all dimensions, positively impacting cognitive health and mitigating age-related decline in healthy ageing. Marital status, engagement in household activities, spiritual practices, and living arrangements impacts the scores of different aspects of healthy ageing. Gender disparities in healthy aging are noticeable in the 60–74 age group, with women generally having lower scores. Safety of the living environment is a crucial determinant of the mental health of the elderly across all age groups.These findings highlight the complex interplay of factors in healthy ageing outcomes. Conclusion: Our study emphasizes the pivotal role of education in fostering healthy ageing in India. Factors such as environmental safety and social participation also influence well-being. Targeted interventions addressing education, gender equality, safety, and healthcare access are vital for enhancing the ageing experience and overall well-being of older adults. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores equity challenges common to short-term cross-cultural research partnerships. We focus on a project-based activity in which U.S. undergraduate students and college faculty taught middle-school students in Goa, India how to make podcasts about complex environmental problems. Project team members conducted a collaborative auto-ethnography focused on questions of power, leadership, collaboration, and equity, and examined exit- interview photo elicitation data to identify the core challenges of ethical and equitable short-term cross-cultural research and programming. Our use of photographs as conversation prompts helped to highlight contradictions and asymmetries along axes of power, cultural imperialism, knower-knowledge, age, race/ethnicity, social class, and gender. We reflect on possibilities for educational research that rejects a "voluntourism" model and moves, if imperfectly, toward more equitable international collaborations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Adolescent girls vulnerable to early marriage and school dropout in rural India may be at elevated risk of psychosocial problems. However, few screening instruments have been culturally adapted and validated to measure this risk. This paper describes the process by which the Primary Health Questionnaire PHQ-9, a screening instrument for depression, was tested for cultural validity as part of the Samata evaluation – an intervention to support low caste adolescent girls in rural south India to attend and complete secondary school and to delay marriage until adulthood. Three focus groups discussions (FGDs) were held with 20 adolescent girls and six outreach workers of the Samata programme in rural north Karnataka, south India. The FGDs were used to explore local expressions of psychosocial problems and to understand the acceptability and appropriateness of PHQ-9 items. A thematic content analysis was conducted on the transcripts of the FGDs. Descriptions of local expressions of psychosocial problems generally matched the items on the PHQ-9. However, not all representations of psychological symptoms were captured by this tool. Persistent worry, loneliness and isolation, and externalised behaviours were also described by participants as common expressions of psychosocial distress. Based on the limitations of translation methods, local stakeholders must be involved in evaluating the cultural appropriateness of mental health screening tools. The current research demonstrates a strategy by which to assess the cultural validity of Western psychiatric instruments with key stakeholders in low- and middle-income settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While studies have investigated inequalities in child nutrition along single axes of social power such as, gender, caste and class, there has not been any study that has examined the intersection of the different axes in determining nutritional outcomes of children. This paper examines the intersection of gender, class and caste in determining children's nutritional outcomes for rural north, rural south and rural India as a whole. The paper investigates the intersectionality of the three axes in rural India and focuses on regional differences. The results show that children with particular disadvantageous group affiliations often find significant compensatory benefits from other beneficial identities. Class inequality dominates caste inequality and caste inequality dominates gender inequality in rural North India for all levels of stunting. In contrast, caste inequality dominates class inequality which in turn dominates gender inequality for severe stunting in rural South India. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Short birth interval (SBI) has profound implications for the health of both mothers and children, yet there remains a notable dearth of studies addressing wealth-based inequality in SBI and its associated factors in India. This study aims to address this gap by investigating wealth-based disparities in SBI and identifying the underlying factors associated with SBI in India. Methods: We used information on 109,439 women of reproductive age (15–49 years) from the fifth round of the National Family Health Survey (2019-21). We assessed wealth-based inequality in SBI for India and its states using the Erreygers Normalised Concentration Index (ECI). Additionally, we used a multilevel binary logistic regression to assess the factors associated with SBI in India. Results: In India, the prevalence of SBI was 47.8% [95% CI: 47.4, 48.3] during 2019-21, with significant variation across states. Bihar reported the highest prevalence of SBI at 61.2%, while Sikkim the lowest at 18.1%. SBI prevalence was higher among poorer mothers compared to richer ones (Richest: 33.8% vs. Poorest: 52.9%). This wealth-based inequality was visible in the ECI as well (ECI= -0.13, p < 0.001). However, ECI varied considerably across the states. Gujarat, Punjab, and Manipur exhibited the highest levels of wealth-based inequality (ECI= -0.28, p < 0.001), whereas Kerala showed minimal wealth-based inequality (ECI= -0.01, p = 0.643). Multilevel logistic regression analysis identified several factors associated with SBI. Mothers aged 15–24 (OR: 12.01, p < 0.001) and 25–34 (2.92, < 0.001) were more likely to experience SBI. Women who married after age 25 (3.17, < 0.001) and those belonging to Scheduled Caste (1.18, < 0.001), Scheduled Tribes (1.14, < 0.001), and Other Backward Classes (1.12, < 0.001) also had higher odds of SBI. Additionally, the odds of SBI were higher among mothers in the poorest (1.97, < 0.001), poorer (1.73, < 0.001), middle (1.62, < 0.001), and richer (1.39, < 0.001) quintiles compared to the richest quintile. Women whose last child had passed away were also significantly more likely to have SBI (2.35, < 0.001). Furthermore, mothers from communities with lower average schooling levels (1.18, < 0.001) were more likely to have SBI. Geographically, mothers from eastern (0.67, < 0.001) and northeastern (0.44, < 0.001) regions of India were less likely to have SBI. Conclusion: The significant wealth-based inequality in SBI in India highlights the need for targeted interventions focusing on economically disadvantaged women, particularly in states with high SBI prevalence. Special attention should be given to younger mothers and those from socially disadvantaged groups to enhance maternal and child health outcomes across the country. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To explore themes regarding work-related barriers to access to health care, we conducted 32 interviews, 16 with third gender people and 16 with cisgender women, all of whom were all living with HIV in Hyderabad, India. Most respondents were members of Dalit castes and had been living with HIV for several years at the time of the interview. Using thematic content analysis, interviews were coded by two researchers using a social determinants of health conceptual framework. Themes highlighted in this study include the burden of taking time off from work, the loss of pay associated with missing work, and the interruption of gendered care work responsibilities that respondents faced when seeking treatment. Findings from this study support the claim that equitable work policies and practices for marginalized laborers can increase access to medical care for people living with HIV. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The World Health Organization (WHO) reports that Asia and Africa have the highest Chronic Liver Disease (CLD) mortality rate. Cirrhosis, responsible for 22.2 fatalities per 100,000 people, is India's 10th most common cause of mortality. The increasing prevalence of chronic liver disease necessitates a study to identify predictive factors for patients who visit the emergency department. Identifying elements that enhance the predictive value of mortality in unstable patients with CLD complications is important in emergency departments. This study aims to determine Clinical and Laboratory Parameters as mortality predictors in adult chronic liver disease patients. Methodology: The study was conducted at the emergency department of a tertiary healthcare center in Northern India. Patients with chronic liver disease above 18 years of age who satisfied the inclusion criteria were clinically evaluated. Clinical and demographic details were collected, and data was analyzed. Results: Two hundred thirty-six patients were enrolled. The mean age was 50.77 ± 14.26 years. 78.4% of the participants were men. Abdominal distension, affecting 59.7% of patients, was the most common presenting ailment, followed by melena and hematemesis, affecting 41.9% and 32.6%, respectively. The mean stay in the emergency department was 10.29 ± 8.10 h. Refractory septic shock, the leading cause of mortality, accounts for 69.2% of all deaths, alongside grade 4 hepatic encephalopathy and massive Upper Gastrointestinal (UGI) bleeding, as identified in our study. Factors such as altered mental sensorium, high respiratory rate, low SpO2, increased heart rate, low systolic blood pressure, low diastolic blood pressure, and low Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) on Emergency Department (ED) arrival are significantly associated with mortality. Conclusions: Chronic liver disease, a prevalent condition in India, most commonly seen in middle aged men and lower socioeconomic groups. The parameters independently associated with mortality in our study were presence of altered mental sensorium, Glasgow coma scale, Child Pugh class and need for ICU admission. Understanding the presentation pattern, and mortality predictors can help ED physicians in managing acute events and follow-ups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: This is a need assessment study conducted on wheelchair users with limited locomotion ability in the legs in the Ahmedabad urban region in India. The results describe the unmet needs in the indoor and outdoor settings. Even though India is a large country with huge diversity in local climate and terrain and big socio-economic disparity, need assessment studies for assistive technology across various socio-economic or with region specificity are extremely scarce. Accordingly, this study aims to understand the needs and requirements of mobility assistive technology users that are not met by their current devices. Methods: Data from 69 participants having physical disabilities were collected through interviews and 6 of the participants were video-tapped to observe their daily routine. Meanwhile, a qualitative analysis of the collected data was carried out. Results: The analysis highlights problems of participants, such as working in the kitchen, inability to perform everyday indoor tasks, inaccessibility of toilets and public transport, etc. Discussion: A mixture of qualitative and quantitative data analysis showed that the major features that the Indian wheelchair users wanted were the ability to adjust the height of the chair, the ability to reach objects without too much maneuvering of the wheelchair, ease of transfer from wheelchair to toilet seat and back and also meet outdoor needs. Hence, a wheelchair that can be used in both indoor and outdoor settings is one of the most imminent needs for such wheelchair users. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Domestic workers (DWs) are integral to the daily lives of a significant portion of India's urban population, with an estimated 3.9 million individuals employed in domestic roles in urban areas, mostly women. This article explores the perceptions of home, house, and safe spaces among migrant women DWs in Delhi. Through in-depth interviews, it delves into their lived experiences as both breadwinners and survivors of domestic violence, revealing that (a) house and home are differently conceptualized by these workers; (b) their homes are perceived as warzones, reinforcing patriarchy through incidents of domestic violence and gendered subordination; and (c) women DWs navigate the complexities of conflicting identities as breadwinners and survivors within unequal gendered relationships. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cities are characterized by sociospatial differentiation. Intra-urban inequality is found in cities across the world. Cities in the 'peripheral south' have been neglected in spite of their significant role in theoretical formulations and generalizations. The present paper attempts to argue that sociospatial differentiation is an inherent characteristic of cities, although the spatial form of inequality may vary depending on the specific culture and physical geography of the area. In the remote city of Aizawl in the eastern Himalayan region of India, multi-storey buildings are cohabitated by higher and lower income classes - the former were found at the top floors and the latter at the bottom floors. The vertical arrangement of income classes within a single building is seen as an adjustment strategy of the increasingly urbanized 'tribal' society in the hilly terrain of the city. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Uttar Pradesh (UP) is the most populous state in India, with a historically lower level of family planning coverage than the national average. In recent decades, family planning coverage in UP has significantly increased, yet there are considerable geographic and socio-economic inequalities. Methods: The data used for the study is derived from a cross-sectional quantitative survey of 12,200 currently married women conducted during December 2020–February 2021 in UP by the Technical Support Unit. Univariate and bivariate analyses were performed and equiplots were used to make visualizing inequalities easy. Results: The findings of the study reveal significant variation in family planning coverage indicators amongst currently married women in reproductive ages by administrative divisions in UP. For instance, in the Jhansi division, it was 72.4%, while in Faizabad, it was 39.3%. Jhansi division experienced the highest modern contraceptive coverage with the lowest inequity compared to other divisions. However, the range of coverage within the division by Accredited Social Health Activist (ASHA) areas is 25% to 75%. In fact, for some ASHA areas in the Jhansi division, the family planning demand satisfied for modern contraception ranged from more than 85% to less than 22%. On the other hand, the Gonda division with the lowest coverage and lowest inequity for demand satisfied for modern contraception has some ASHA areas with less than 5% and some with more than 36%. The study also revealed intersectionality of education, wealth, place of residence and geographic divisions in identifying inequity patterns. For instance, in case of Mirzapur and Varanasi, the demand satisfied among the illiterates was 69% and the corresponding percentage for literates was 49%. With respect to place of residence, Basti division, where the coverage for modern contraception is extremely low, demand satisfied for modern contraceptive methods is 16.3% among rural residents compared to 57.9% in the case of urban residents. Conclusions: The findings showed inequality in the modern family planning methods coverage in UP in both best and worst performing divisions. The inequalities exist even in extremely small geographies such as ASHA areas. Within the geographies as well, the socio-economic inequalities persisted. These inequalities at multiple levels are important to consider for effective resource allocation and utilization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dalits, as ex-untouchable caste groups, are at the bottom of India's hierarchical social structure and are on the margin in the social, educational, cultural, political, and economic spheres of society. Land is one of the vital resources which does not merely determine one's socio-economic condition but also regulates social position in society. The historical marginalization and exclusion of Dalits denied them land ownership, which affects their socio-economic well-being. Therefore, the denial of Dalits from access to land ownership is not merely visible in their measurable socio-economic condition but also in their social position in society. However, over the period, the social and political mobilization of Dalits has emerged as a tool against structural discrimination and social exclusion, which contributed to their social and economic well-being. Therefore, drawing upon the experience of Lok Sangharsh Samiti (LSS) – an informal social group of Dalit community which was formed in 2002 for land rights in the District of West Champaran, Bihar, the article argues that collective struggle, informal collaboration, and social mobilization of Dalits contributed enormously to their land rights; and thus, Dalits are making a claim for social justice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Globally, adolescent pregnancy is one of the key issues in women's reproductive health. Adolescent mothers face a higher risk of obstetrical concerns, and motherhood in adolescence is strongly influenced by lower education level and lower socioeconomic status. The present study was carried out across all Indian states and Union Territories using the National Family Health Survey, rounds 1 to 5 (1992–1993 to 2019–2021) in which various socioeconomic and cultural factors associated with adolescent pregnancies was examined in detail. The article uses univariate, bivariate with chi-square test, and multivariate logistic regression models to understand the extent of which socioeconomic factors and sexual behavior of the couple are related to early motherhood experiences. It was found that age at marriage, respondent education, employment, age gap between partners, and religion are some of the important variables that affect the likelihood of adolescent pregnancy among females in Indian states. Comprehensive institutional efforts like free contraceptives and counseling services should be provided to address the increasing risk of pregnancy among adolescents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Changes in demography in developing countries haves led to new issues among older rural populations, such as self-neglect which is under researched.Self-neglect identified as poor self-care, unsafe living quarters, inadequate medical care and poor utilization of services increase the odds of morbidity and mortality. Methods Our study was conducted in Kaniyambadi, a rural block in Vellore district in the state of Tamil Nadu, India. Ten villages were randomly selected. The study was conducted among people older than 60 years who were selected by random sampling using a computer-generated list. The following assessments were done: (i) A 19-item questionnaire was used to assess self-neglect, (ii) Katz index of daily living to assess functional activity, (iii) Mini Mental State Examination to evaluate cognition, (iv) Geriatric Depression Scale to identify depression, (v) Duke Social Support Index to measure social supports. Clinical data and anthropometric data were also collected. Data were entered into Epidata v3.1. All analyses were performed using SPSS v23.0. Results One hundred fourteen people above 60 years of age participated. The prevalence of self-neglect was 21.1% (95% CI 14.9%—29%); about half of the elderly population (47.38%) refused to seek or follow medical advice. Lower levels of education (OR 3.678, 95% CI 1.017 – 13.301), lower social class (OR 4.455, 95% CI 1.236 – 16.050) and functional impairment (3.643, 95% CI 1.373 – 9.668) were found to be significant factors associated with self–neglect. Though prevalence of comorbidities (70%) and depression (27%) were high, there was no statistical evidence of association with self-neglect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: In July 2022, self‐collection became universally available as part of Australia's National Cervical Screening Program. This change aims to address screening inequities experienced among underscreened populations, including women of Indian descent. This study explored experiences of cervical screening, alongside the acceptability of self‐collection, among women of Indian descent living in Victoria, Australia. We also aimed to articulate the informational needs to promote self‐collection among this population. Methods: Five focus group discussions with 39 women living in Victoria were conducted in English (n = 3) and Punjabi (n = 2). Transcripts were thematically analysed, as informed by the Theoretical Framework of Acceptability. Results: Women were motivated by the choice to self‐collect, perceiving the ability to maintain modesty and greater autonomy as key enablers. Healthcare practitioners were seen as central in supporting patient‐centred models of care. Perceived barriers to self‐collection included concerns around its accuracy and women's confidence in collecting their own sample. Widespread dissemination of culturally tailored promotion strategies communicating concepts such as 'privacy' and 'accuracy' were suggested by women to promote self‐collection. Conclusion: Self‐collection was highly acceptable among women of Indian descent, particularly when assured of its accuracy, and sociocultural norms and previous screening experiences are considered. This study highlights the huge potential that self‐collection can play in increasing equity in Australia's cervical screening programme. Patient or Public Contribution: Members of the public were involved in focus group discussions. Findings were summarised and disseminated via a poster. A bicultural worker was involved in all stages of the research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]