Article Summary
Reproductive Health of Tribal Populations in India: A Sustainability Approach
I-Title
Reproductive Health of Tribal Populations in India: A Sustainability Approach
II-Citation (APA format)
Salehin, M. (2017). Reproductive Health of Tribal Populations in India: A Sustainability Approach. Social Development Issues, 39 (2), 75-99.
III-Purpose
The study aims to examine the aggregate effects of the economic, ecological and social factors on the reproductive health of the Indian tribal women. This study considers a perspective of sustainability for the examination of the various factors’ correlation with the reproductive health of the tribal women. The aim is to highlight the strong correlation between the social, ecological and economic factors concerning the impact of the environment degrading on the Indian tribal women’s reproductive health.
IV-Constructs / Variables Investigated
The variables investigated in this study include the social, ecological, the reproductive health and economic factors of the tribal women mediated by power. It investigates on two aspects of the tribal women reproductive health: its reproductive capability and well-being. It also considers power as an important variable which plays a central part in the social relations of the tribal groups. Variables like economic opportunity, social opportunity, ecological resources, and power are investigated to determine the reproductive health of the tribal women. Dependent variables include reproductive health while the independent variable includes economic opportunity, social opportunity, ecological resources, and power.
V-Methodology:
The study used secondary data from the third National Family Health Survey of India. The survey used a representative sample of 124.385 women and 74,369 men belonging to 109,041 households. The study used the subsample of tribal women and their households only using a sample size of 10,205. The theoretical model considers income, knowledge of microfinance, and wealth as economic opportunity, education, age at first marriage, and gender view as a social opportunity, displacement experience, physical environment and proximity to mainstream as ecological resources, and economic desires, violence experience, and reproductive decisions as power.
Data Analysis is conducted by applying statistical methods. The descriptive statistical analysis was conducted to examine the variable’s distributional properties for describing the condition of the reproductive health of tribal women. Other than this, the path analysis model is also used, and structural equation modeling was used.
VI-Results
The results showed that the social, economic, the reproductive health and ecological resources have significant effects on of the tribal women via the mediating power factor. The results partly supported the model. The path analysis, on the other hand, supported all hypothesized paths except that for the straight effects of the power and economic chance upon the reproductive health. Regarding the structural equation modeling, the variables of social, economic and ecological resources effect upon the reproductive health had been found evident but not for the tribal women power. The results did not support the hypothesis that power acts as a mediating factor.
VII-Implications
The study can aid in the advancement of the knowledge base of the social work sustainability aspects and aid in policy perspectives for the reproductive health of the developing nation’s marginal health. Another important implication can be that of the consideration of the environment as more than just a context. The findings of this study can be used for the formulation of the policies for the similar marginal populations and tribal households.
VIII-Suggestions for Further Research
The study offers a new direction for research in the social work and on the Marginal populations of the developing countries consequently strengthening the social work research.