Living arrangements in sub-Saharan Africa between modernization and ethnicity

Context/Background: Sub-Saharan Africa is characterized by an extraordinary diversification of living arrangements. It is a debatable question whether these features are evolving alongside the deep economic and social changes observed in the past few decades. Despite numerous studies on family changes and their effects, very few analyses consider different ethnic and geographical contexts. Data Source and Methods: The paper observe the interaction between modernization and cultural heritage in shaping living arrangements in 10 sub-Saharan countries and in 38 ethnic groups. A temporal perspective has been adopted, comparing two successive DHS carried out between 1990 and 2013. Stratifying by ethnic groups and rural/urban contexts, factor analysis and hierarchical classification analysis investigate how living arrangements combine with fertility levels and socio-economic characteristics. Findings: The results support the large heterogeneity of living arrangements and the increase of new family forms, rather than the existence of a convergence process on a single nuclear family pattern. Ethnic background is confirmed a valid interpretative key, necessary to understand the cultural substrate in which the modernization factors brought by globalization act. Conclusion: National governments should develop and implement family policies that can raise the wellbeing of the emerging family models. In particular, family policies should support households in providing care and economic, material, psychological and affective support for their members

Analysis of a Temporal Cluster of Shigella Boydii Isolates in Mpumalanga; South Africa; November to December 2007

Background: Shigellosis is a global human health problem. The disease is most prevalent in developing countries with poor access to safe potable water and sanitation. Shigella boydii is of particular epidemiological importance in developing nations such as African and Asian countries. In the present study; we report on the analysis of a temporal cluster of 29 S. boydii serotype 2 strains; isolated in the Mpumalanga Province of South Africa (SA) over the period of November to December 2007. Methodology: Bacteria were identified as S. boydii using standard microbiological identification techniques and serotyped using commercially available antisera. Susceptibility testing to antimicrobial agents was determined by the Etest. Genotypic relatedness of strains was investigated by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) analysis of digested genomic DNA. Results: The cluster of 29 isolates revealed comparable antimicrobial susceptibility profiles; while dendrogram analysis of PFGE patterns showed that the cluster of isolates grouped together and could clearly be differentiated from a random selection of unrelated S. boydii serotype 2 strains. Our data has strongly suggested that this cluster of isolates may share a common ancestry. However; this cannot be substantiated by epidemiological data because a detailed epidemiological investigation was not conducted. Conclusions: We have documented the first cluster of S. boydii infection in SA. Due to the lack of adequate epidemiological investigation; we cannot emphatically state that an outbreak had occurred. However; we do hypothesis that this was an outbreak for which a waterborne source cannot be excluded. This study has highlighted the urgent need for timely and appropriate systems of epidemiological investigation of all suspected outbreaks of disease in developing countries

Primary health care baseline survey : Tonkolili District

The methodology used for data collection was cluster ananlysis. Using the criterion of localities with population of 5;000 or more as urban; and those with less as rural; 30 urban clusters were chosen from Magburaka town (Kholifa Rowalla Chiefdom); Masingbe town (Kunike Sanda Chiefdom) and Mile 91 (Yoni Chiefdom); and thirty rural clusters from all eleven chiefdoms in the district. 20 households were surveyed in each cluster giving a total of 600 urban and 600 rural households surveyed

Primary health care baseline survey : Kenema District

"The usual methodology; cluster sampling; was used for the collection of data in the field. 30 urban clusters were selected from Kenema Town; Tongofield (Tokoombu; Kpandebu; and Lowoma); rural clusters were spread over all the sixteen chiefdoms (i.e. including the rural areas of chiefdoms from which urban clusters were selected). Towns with population of 5;000 or more were designated ""urban"" and all other localities (i.e. with a population less than 5;000) were ""rural"". 20 households were surveyed in each cluster. Thus a total of 600 urban and 600 rural households were surveyed. These households had 3;980 and 4;371 persons in the urban and rural clusters respectively"