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Water quality in irrigation areas is related to food security and many other national strategies. This study takes China’s Yingkou Irrigation District as the research object and analyzes 4 water quality indicators, including NH4+-N, TP, DO and COD, from 2017 to 2019 at 3 water quality monitoring points set up in the irrigation area. Simultaneously, a comprehensive pollution index is introduced to evaluate the quality of returned water in the irrigation area. Using Redundancy Analysis (RDA), the correlation between water quality indicators and Land-use and socio-economic indicators are analyzed separately. The results show that the water quality of the Yingkou Irrigation District varies greatly within and between years, and the months with poor water quality are concentrated in autumn and winter. This is mainly related to the geographical location of the irrigation area and the drainage cycle of rice planting. The quality of receding water shows a positive correlation with the water area and a negative correlation with the unused land. The RDA analysis with socio-economic indicators shows that PD and IP are the ones that have a more significant impact on the quality of return water in irrigation areas. The prevention and control of industrial point source pollution, as well as the interception of non-point source pollution in water regions, should be the focus of water pollution prevention and control in irrigation areas.

Monitoring indicators of breastfeeding practices is important to protect and evaluate the progress of breastfeeding promotion efforts. However, high‐income countries lack standardized methodology to monitor their indicators. We aimed to update and summarize nationally representative annual estimates of breastfeeding indicators in high‐income countries and to describe methodological issues pertaining to the data sources used. A review was conducted through population‐based surveys with nationally representative samples or health reports from nationally representative administrative data of electronic surveys or medical records. Methodological aspects and rates of all breastfeeding indicators available were summarized by country. The median and annual growth of breastfeeding in percentage points within countries with time‐series data were estimated. Data from 51 out of 82 high‐income countries were identified. The data were obtained through surveys (n = 32) or administrative data (n = 19). Seventy‐one percent of countries have updated their indicators since 2015. Ever breastfed was the indicator most frequently reported (n = 46), with a median of 91%. By 6 months of age, the median equals 18% for exclusive and 45% for any breastfeeding. At 12 months, the median of continued breastfeeding decreased to 29%. The annual growth rate for ever breastfed, exclusive and any breastfeeding at 6 months and continued at 12 months varied from 1.5 to −2.0, 3.5 to −3.1, 5.0 to −1.0 and 5.0 to −1.9, respectively, with positive changes for most countries. Stronger interventions are needed to promote breastfeeding in high‐income countries as a whole, and investments are required to monitor trends with standardized methodologies.

Aims Increasing numbers of patients with advanced heart failure and significant comorbidity and social barriers are considered for left ventricular assist devices (LVADs). We sought to examine health care utilization post‐LVAD implantation, including the influence of individual‐level socio‐economic position and multimorbidity. Methods and results We conducted a Danish nationwide cohort study linking individual‐level data from clinical LVAD databases, the Scandiatransplant Database, and Danish national medical and administrative registries. Socio‐economic position included cohabitation status, educational level, and employment status. Multimorbidity was defined as two or more chronic conditions from at least two chronic disease groups. Health care utilization (hospital activity, general practice activity, and redeemed medical prescriptions) within 2 years post‐discharge after LVAD implantation was evaluated using descriptive statistics at 0.5 year intervals. We identified 119 patients discharged alive with first‐time LVAD implanted between 2006 and 2018. The median age of the patients was 56.1 years, and 88.2% were male. Patients were followed until heart transplantation, LVAD explantation, death, 31 December 2018, or for 2 years. The median follow‐up was 0.8 years. The highest median use of health care services was observed 0–0.5 years post‐LVAD discharge compared with the subsequent follow‐up intervals: 0.5–1, 1–1.5, and 1.5–2 years, respectively. The median (interquartile range) number of hospitalizations was 10 (7–14), bed days 14 (9–28), outpatient visits 8 (5–12), telephone contacts with a general practitioner 4 (2–8), and total redeemed medical prescriptions 26 (19–37) within 0–0.5 years post‐LVAD discharge compared with the median utilization within the consecutive follow‐up periods [e.g. within 0.5–1 year: hospitalizations 5 (3–8), bed days 8 (4–14), outpatient visits 5 (3–8), telephone contacts 2 (0–5), and redeemed medical prescriptions 24 (18–30)]. The median use of health care services was stable from 0.5 years onwards. The median number of hospitalizations and bed days was slightly higher in patients living alone with a low educational level or low employment status within 0–0.5 years post‐LVAD implantation. Finally, the median number of in‐hospital days and redeemed prescriptions was higher among patients with pre‐existing multimorbidity. Conclusions Among patients who underwent LVAD implantation, health care utilization was high in the early post‐LVAD discharge phase and was influenced by socio‐economic position. Multimorbidity influenced the number of in‐hospital days and redeemed prescriptions during the 2 year follow‐up.

Objectives: Survival from lung cancer is worse in the UK than in some other countries, with late stage at diagnosis implicated in poor prognosis. The route and referral urgency by which patients obtain a diagnosis influence outcomes. This study investigated whether socio-demographic factors are associated with lung cancer routes to diagnosis in England. Materials and Methods: A total of 181,763 primary invasive lung cancers (ICD-10 C34.0-C34.9) diagnosed from 1 January 2012 to 31 December 2016 were abstracted from the English National Cancer Registration Database. Multivariable logistic regression was used to examine associations between patients’ socio-demographic characteristics and likelihood (adjusted odds ratios) of (i) emergency presentation versus all primary care-initiated routes and (ii) urgent (“two-week wait”/2WW) versus standard primary care-initiated referral. Models included the following factors: deprivation quintile of area of residence at diagnosis (IMD income domain); sex; age; ethnic group; rural/urban residence; and (in the emergency model) region. Results: Socio-demographic variations in diagnosis routes were observed. Patients presenting as emergencies (35.2%) were more likely to be 80 years of age or older, female, of non-White ethnicity, and resident in areas of greater deprivation or the London region. In contrast, 2WW patients (28.3%) were more likely to be aged between 50 and 69 years old, of White ethnicity, and resident in an area of greater deprivation or resident outside of an urban centre; diagnosis through 2WW did not vary by sex. Conclusions: Routes to diagnosis are subject to distinct socio-demographic patterning. Action is needed to ensure that new referral guidelines and lung cancer screening roll-out do not widen socio-demographic inequalities in diagnosis.

Prior research has identified a number of risk factors ranging from inadequate household sanitation to maternal characteristics as important determinants of child malnutrition and health in India. What is less known is the extent to which these individual‐level risk factors are geographically distributed. Assessing the geographic distribution, especially at multiple levels, matters as it can inform where, and at what level, interventions should be targeted. The three levels of significance in the Indian context are villages, districts, and states. Thus, the purpose of this paper was to (a) examine what proportion of the variation in 21 risk factors is attributable to villages, districts, and states in India and (b) elucidate the specific states where these risk factors are clustered within India. Using the fourth National Family Health Survey dataset, from 2015 to 2016, we found that the proportion of variation attributable to villages ranged from 14% to 63%, 10% to 29% for districts and 17% to 62% for states. Furthermore, we found that Bihar, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, and Uttar Pradesh were in the highest risk quintile for more than 10 of the risk factors included in our study. This is an indication of geographic clustering of risk factors. The risk factors that are clustered in states such as Bihar, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh underscore the need for policies and interventions that address a broader set of child malnutrition determinants beyond those that are nutrition specific.

Underground space is considered a critical urban resource that can significantly promote sustainable development under rational planning. This study, taking the Longgang region in SE China as an example, comprehensively considers the dual influences of geological environmental factors and socio-economic factors, incorporating socio-economic factors as key cost indicators. Following the principle of “stratification and classification”, a detailed assessment framework was developed to evaluate the suitability of underground space for development across various depths, and a systematic analysis of development suitability was conducted. Specifically, we employed a fuzzy comprehensive evaluation method to assess the suitability of underground space. During this process, an analytic hierarchy process (AHP) was used to determine the weights of geological environmental indicators, and the group judgment matrix approach was applied to assign weights to the socio-economic factors. The results indicated that, for shallow spaces, areas with high resource potential accounted for approximately 10.0% of the region, while areas with relatively high resource potential accounted for 28.5%. For medium-depth spaces, areas with high resource potential comprised 19.9% of the region, and areas with relatively high resource potential accounted for about 35.1%. These findings suggest that the study area demonstrated promising prospects for the development and utilization of underground space. The proposed approaches ensured that the evaluation results were both scientific and reasonable. By integrating the impact of socio-economic factors into suitability evaluation, the outputs provided more scientifically grounded guidance for urban planning.

Background The importance of postnatal care cannot be overemphasised. Various studies undertaken worldwide have found that PNC is critical for the survival of newborns. However, in Zambia, despite much emphasis by the government and various international Organisations on the need for PNC, coverage continues to be low. This study attempted to assess the demographic and socio-economic factors associated with newborns' receipt of PNC and the timing of first PNC in Zambia. Methods Based on data from the 2013-14 Zambia Demographic and Health Survey (ZDHS), this study used bivariate, stepwise binary and multinomial logistic regression analyses to examine PNC for births at home and at health facilities. Results The results indicate that different factors influence the utilisation of PNC among home births, these include: place of delivery, mothers’ exposure or access to media and having 4+ ANC visits. On the other hand, place of residence and mothers’ access or exposure to media were found to be the determinants of PNC among facility deliveries. The results further indicate that among the home births, mothers’ media exposure or access to media, having secondary or higher education, and having 4+ ANC visits during pregnancy increased the odds of having PNC within 48 hours. Furthermore, attending the first PNC 48 hours after delivery was determined by place of residence, media exposure and 4+ ANC visits. On the other hand, among the facility births, the timing of PNC within 48 hours, was influenced by the perceived size at birth of the newborn. Conclusion The study makes the following recommendations: more attention to be given to rural based women and newborns; encourage delivery at health facilities; more emphasis on the importance of ANC visits; and need to disseminate information through various media on the importance of PNC even in rural communities.

Air pollution is a vital concern for developing countries, and the growing concentration of air pollutants in Kabul—the most polluted city in Afghanistan—has raised concerns about the health of its citizens. This study examines Kabul’s ambient air quality from a socio-economic and environmental perspective, primarily focusing on some crucial parameters, such as the Air Quality Index (AQI), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), particulate matter (PM2.5), and carbon monoxide (CO). Using multiple regression analysis modeling in R and data from satellite imagery, air quality monitoring stations, and Geographic Information Systems (GIS), this study demonstrates a strong relationship between air quality and urban green spaces, population growth, vehicle count, temperature, and electricity availability. Key results indicate that increasing urban green areas improves air quality, but that population growth and heat make air pollution worse. This study suggests that airborne pollutants could be reduced through efficient emissions management, green energy sources, and urban planning. These observations provide policymakers and urban planners with practical recommendations to enhance Kabul’s air quality and general public health.

Entrepreneurship is the process of economic growth, development, creation, and poverty reduction while all Sustainable Development Goals (1), integrated towards No Poverty, is the sync that make the path in the needle for major livelihood. This article examines the internal and external factors that influence the growth of micro entrepreneurship in the hospitality industry. Internal factors include motives and issues and challenges of entrepreneurs and the external factors include socio-economic factors and financial factors related to hotel industry. A critical examination with few literature suggests to proceed further to understand the motives and challenges faced by the small hospitality business entrepreneurs along with socio-economic factors. As a result of the assessment of literature, identification of gaps in various sectors and as the world has recently been expanded to include socio-economic and financial kinds of entrepreneurial action, the researchers have narrowed the search to evaluate motivations and business obstacles faced by small business entrepreneurs in the hospitality industry. Considering some quantitative approach among different small hospitality business entrepreneurs, opinion towards the attributes like motivation factor, issues and challenges, growth and development of entrepreneurs were collected from a sample of 250 respondents from Coimbatore district. To gauge the same, the research proposed a model that assess the influence of internal and external factors on the growth of small business operators. Results indicate that there exist some influence among few of the internal and external factors on progress of the entrepreneurs based on the motivation they undergo to overcome the challenges and keep them engaged in the hospitality sector.

Studies examining the role of chikanda orchids in bolstering rural livelihoods coupled with the associated socio-economic intricacies remain absent, especially in African settings. This study examined the contribution of chikanda orchids in supporting rural livelihoods, taking into account socio-economic influences through a case study of the Mwinilunga District of northwestern Zambia. The study employed a mixed methods approach using 303 semi-structured questionnaires, complemented by three focus group discussions and nine in-depth interviews. Study findings showed that revenue generated from chikanda orchid sales supported rural livelihoods and served a crucial function in addressing food scarcity challenges. Income derived from chikanda orchid sales accounted for 30.8% of total household income and exhibited an income equalization effect of 8% among households. Participation in harvesting chikanda orchids exhibited a significant correlation with gender (χ2 = 6; p < 0.05) and marital status (χ2 = 8; p < 0.05). This study showed the significance of chikanda orchids in supporting livelihoods, including socio-economic influences, particularly for poorer households that exhibit vulnerability to food deficits. Consequently, the need to develop effective chikanda orchid management strategies that are locally tailored and acknowledge the socio-economic intricacies associated with the chikanda orchids trade is fundamental.