Jed Friedman

Family size and children’s education in Vietnam

Data from the nationally representative 1994 Inter-Censal Demographic Survey are used to examine the association between family size and children s schooling in Vietnam. The data provide information on several education measures for all children over age 10, including children no longer residing in the household. Although a clear inverse bivariate association between family size and children s school attendance and educational attainment is evident, multivariate analysis controlling for urban/rural residence, region, parents’ education, household wealth, and child’s age, reveals that much of this association, especially that predicting educational attainment, is attributable to these other influences. Moreover, much of the effect that remains after statistical adjustment for the other influences is seen mainly at the largest family sizes. We consider the implications of these findings for current population policy in Vietnam and the possible features of the Vietnamese context that might account for the modest association.

Mental Health in Sumatra after the Tsunami

OBJECTIVES We assessed the levels and correlates of posttraumatic stress reactivity (PTSR) of more than 20,000 adult tsunami survivors by analyzing survey data from coastal Aceh and North Sumatra, Indonesia. METHODS A population-representative sample of individuals interviewed before the tsunami was traced in 2005 to 2006. We constructed 2 scales measuring PTSR by using 7 symptom items from the Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) Checklist-Civilian Version. One scale measured PTSR at the time of interview, and the other measured PTSR at the point of maximum intensity since the disaster. RESULTS PTSR scores were highest for respondents from heavily damaged areas. In all areas, scores declined over time. Gender and age were significant predictors of PTSR; markers of socioeconomic status before the tsunami were not. Exposure to traumatic events, loss of kin, and property damage were significantly associated with higher PTSR scores. CONCLUSIONS The tsunami produced posttraumatic stress reactions across a wide region of Aceh and North Sumatra. Public health will be enhanced by the provision of counseling services that reach not only people directly affected by the tsunami but also those living beyond the area of immediate impact.

Intergenerational exchanges in Vietnam: Family size, sex composition, and the location of children

This study examines variations in intergenerational support by family size, family composition, and location of children in Vietnam. Results from two regional surveys confirm the central role of children in assisting elderly parents but relationships with family size depend on the type of support considered. Co-residence with married children varies little with family size but incidence of material support, and the numbers providing it, increases with the number of children. Non-co-resident sons and daughters differ minimally in providing material and social support. In the north, co-residence with married children is limited largely to sons while in the south more flexibility is evident. While having a son increases the chance of co-residence, having more than one son has no additional effect. Although future elderly will have smaller family sizes this is unlikely to have a major adverse impact on their well-being except possibly for northern elders without sons.

Gender Dimensions of Support for Elderly in Vietnam

Although women and the elderly are assumed to be disadvantaged in much of the world, systematic empirical studies of gender differences in well-being among the elderly are rare. This article examines gender differences in elderly support and socio-economic well-being in Vietnam using census and survey data. Sources of support examined include work, nonfamilial support, and especially familial support including living arrangements. The authors consider the gender of the support recipient and provider. Substantial regional differences in the patriarchal/patrilineal family system, manifested in the wide regional variation in coresidence with married sons rather than daughters, make Vietnam a particularly interesting context for the study. The receipt of intergenerational transfers shows little variation across gender once the mediating effect of marital status differences is controlled. Gender differences in economic well-being, as measured by household wealth and self-perceptions of economic satisfaction, are modest, especially when marital status and age are controlled.

Work and Retirement among the Elderly in Vietnam

This article examines patterns of work and retirement in Vietnam based on two recent surveys of the elderly. Vietnam provides a unique context for addressing elderly labor force participation due to its transition from a socialist to a market economy. As expected, elderly persons are less likely to be working to the extent that they are older or sick, although there is little variation by socioeconomic status. There are, however, distinct patterns of work stoppage across employment sectors (agricultural, state, and nonstate), due in part to the nature of work in these sectors. The data permit measurements across time, including job switches from one sector to another, or to retirement. Most notably, the data demonstrate the strong outflow of elderly employees from the state sector. We discuss explanations for these findings, paying particular attention to Vietnam’s recent history and social policies designed to facilitate the transition toward a market-based economy.

Community perceptions on malaria and care-seeking practices in endemic Indian settings: policy implications for the malaria control programme.

BackgroundThe focus of India’s National Malaria Programme witnessed a paradigm shift recently from health facility to community-based approaches. The current thrust is on diagnosing and treating malaria by community health workers and prevention through free provision of long-lasting insecticidal nets. However, appropriate community awareness and practice are inevitable for the effectiveness of such efforts. In this context, the study assessed community perceptions and practice on malaria and similar febrile illnesses. This evidence base is intended to direct the roll-out of the new strategies and improve community acceptance and utilization of services.MethodsA qualitative study involving 26 focus group discussions and 40 key informant interviews was conducted in two districts of Odisha State in India. The key points of discussion were centred on community perceptions and practice regarding malaria prevention and treatment. Thematic analysis of data was performed.ResultsThe 272 respondents consisted of 50% females, three-quarter scheduled tribe community and 30% students. A half of them were literates. Malaria was reported to be the most common disease in their settings with multiple modes of transmission by the FGD participants. Adoption of prevention methods was seasonal with perceived mosquito density. The reported use of bed nets was low and the utilization was determined by seasonality, affordability, intoxication and alternate uses of nets. Although respondents were aware of malaria-related symptoms, care-seeking from traditional healers and unqualified providers was prevalent. The respondents expressed lack of trust in the community health workers due to frequent drug stock-outs. The major determinants of health care seeking were socio-cultural beliefs, age, gender, faith in the service provider, proximity, poverty, and perceived effectiveness of available services.ConclusionApart from the socio-cultural and behavioural factors, the availability of acceptable care can modulate the community perceptions and practices on malaria management. The current community awareness on symptoms of malaria and prevention is fair, yet the prevention and treatment practices are not optimal. Promoting active community involvement and ownership in malaria control and management through strengthening community based organizations would be relevant. Further, timely availability of drugs and commodities at the community level can improve their confidence in the public health system.

What Does Variation in Survey Design Reveal About the Nature of Measurement Errors in Household Consumption

This paper uses data from eight different consumption questionnaires randomly assigned to 4,000 households in Tanzania to obtain evidence on the nature of measurement errors in estimates of household consumption. While there are no validation data, the design of one questionnaire and the resources put into its implementation make it likely to be substantially more accurate than the others. Comparing regressions using data from this benchmark design with results from the other questionnaires shows that errors have a negative correlation with the true value of consumption, creating a non-classical measurement error problem for which conventional statistical corrections may be ineffective.

Responding to HIV in Afghanistan.

Impoverished and war-torn Afghanistan is now facing an epidemic of HIV infection owing to its increasing numbers of injecting drug users many of whom have returned from refugee settings in Pakistan and Iran. Other vulnerable groups are also at high risk of HIV infection. As a low-prevalence but high-risk country Afghanistans national authorities recognise HIV control as a major priority. The country is adopting a public-health approach that includes harm reduction to reduce the spread of HIV among injecting drug users. Although the financial costs of HIV prevention will be substantial the costs of failing to control HIV and AIDS will be far greater. Early and decisive action is crucial for containing HIV infection. Afghanistan is one of the poorest countries in the world with a yearly income per head estimated at

Purchasing power parity exchange rates from household survey data: India and Indonesia

US300 in 2005. After nearly three decades of war and 5 years of drought the populations health social and economic conditions have declined greatly. Life expectancy at birth is only 43 years and maternal and child mortality remains among the highest in the world. The literacy rate in the general population is very low (28%) especially for women (13%). The government installed after the military intervention that began in 2001 now controls most of the country with continuing major US and NATO military support. However anti-government forces have made some advances in recent years especially in the southern provinces bordering Pakistan where 70% of the countrys opium is cultivated. (excerpt)

Impact evaluation of school feeding programs in Lao PDR

Purchasing power parity (PPP) exchange rates are extensively used by researchers and by policymakers. This paper proposes and implements a new methodology for calculating PPPs using information on unit values from household surveys. Although unit values are not identical to prices, they have compensating advantages. Large household surveys contain several million unit values, they are tied to actual transactions, and they are naturally linked to household characteristics such as income. In consequence, it is possible to calculate PPPs for different social groups, including PPPs for the poor. The paper calculates multilateral price indexes for the states and sectors of India, as well as PPPs for rural and urban Indonesia together with rural and urban India. PPPs for the poor are distinguished from general PPPs. The internal PPPs for India are not very different from previous estimates based on bilateral comparisons, but the estimated PPP between India and Indonesia is very different from the numbers calculated by either the Penn World Table or the World Bank. It implies that either India is much better-off, or Indonesia much poorer (or both) than is generally supposed.