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The paper seeks to analyse the constellation of social structures, administrative institutions and hierarchies that sustain the exclusion of the San minority group in Zimbabwe, with a particular focus on how the European expansion in the eighteenth century, the modern state and private property owners have colluded to perpetuate exclusion from accessing forest as their natural habitat. The purpose of this paper is to therefore highlight the various abuses, including those social, administrative legislative frameworks that discriminate against the San minority and it advocates for actions the right to consultation and the right to free, prior and informed consent to proposed developments.

Through the modern ethnographic approach, data generation was guided by the principles of indigenous and decolonising research methodologies, which place emphasis on the importance of San people telling their own stories thereby shifting the power of a researcher to the indigenous participants. This is a qualitative study that gives prominence to the descriptions of experiences (phenomenology) and interpretations (hermeneutic) of their survival. The paper employed cultural ecology theoretical framework as a lens through which to see the San’s exclusion from forest resources and how this has tragically shifted their egalitarian lifestyle characterised by reciprocity, sharing and levelling to adaptation to the unfamiliar sedentary farming practices.

The technical implementation of forest boundary demarcation and forcing the San to join sedentary farming form part of the state’s territorialisation that excludes, restricts and disrupts the San minority from accessing forest products. The treatment of the minority group reveals not only the enormous authority of the state to transfer alienation to individuals and companies but also to legitimise the exclusion by establishing laws and policies that safeguard the interests of those favoured by the state. The San, who are already overly dominated by the social administrative structures of the Ndebele and Kalanga tribes, lack systematic and organised responses to their marginalisation.

The San community in Zimbabwe is under-researched and under-theorised particularly in relation to how historically formed postcolonial hierarchies of exclusion and marginalisation manifest themselves in contemporary resource governance. Less is known about how those that are powerful – government officials, private property owners and Kalanga/Ndebele tribes benefit more from the environmental resources than the powerless minority San, whose livelihoods depend on the primary natural resources. The unequal power relations have been demonstrated by the evictions of the minority from wildlife areas that were converted into game parks. The study reveals how indigenous San not only resist exclusion but also develop adaptable strategies through negotiations to improve their situation with social and administrative institutions.

This study aims to assess the information-seeking behaviors, attitudes and beliefs about pregnancy-related nutrition, food-related myths and taboos and supplementation among pregnant women in different communities of Pakistan.

A cross-sectional quantitative survey method was used in this study, which included 150 pregnant women from various locations in Lahore and Faisalabad.

Most participants were between the ages of 25 and 29, having 14 years of education. Regardless of age or number of children, all selected women had the same dietary awareness. Regarding myths and taboos, highly significant values (p = 0.001) were found in various studied variables. No significant difference was observed in knowledge level between age and number of children. It was observed that food myths and taboos significantly (p = 0.001) impact pregnant women’s dietary choices.

This survey experienced limited representativeness; many participants provided incomplete food and nutritional information. This research was conducted in two major districts of Pakistan, i.e. Lahore and Faisalabad; therefore, the results can be generalized for a population of pregnant women living in the northeastern region of Pakistan.

This study can provide helpful insight for health-care professionals to improve pregnant women’s nutritional status and knowledge.

The outcomes of this study can help guide how pregnant women might be educated and have better nutritional awareness at domestic and professional levels.

In Pakistan, there is a lack of research on pregnant women’s nutritional knowledge, and this research can assist health-care professionals in providing diversified knowledge to promote maternal health.

In this paper, we explore the role of education in household financial technology (FinTech) adoption.

Using representative nationwide household data from the 2017 China Household Finance Survey, we employ the change in China’s compulsory schooling law in the 1980s as an instrumental variable for educational attainment.

We find that among Chinese households, education has statistically significant and economically important effects on the use of various FinTech services, including digital banking, mobile payment, digital wealth management and digital consumer credit. Further analysis indicates that exogeneous increases in education lead to higher levels of financial literacy and social trust, both of which are potential drivers of FinTech adoption. Our findings provide new insights into the importance of education for household financial decision-making and technology adoption.

The contribution of our study is mainly twofold. First, we provide evidence on the role of education in household financial decision making. Second, this study adds to the literature on household adoption of technological innovation in finance. Our findings are also policy-relevant.

The COVID-19 pandemic forced many employees to work from home, resulting in new demands that might cause older workers to reevaluate their retirement decisions. Building on the extended Job Demands-Resources model, which explains work-related outcomes in times of crisis, this study investigated the change in older workers’ intention to continue working during COVID-19 and the role of ICT-related strain and social support during teleworking.

A two-wave longitudinal study was conducted among 1,406 older workers (i.e. 50 years or older). Data were collected before the COVID-19 pandemic (2019: T1) and during the pandemic (2021: T2). In total, 967 older workers completed the survey at both waves.

Older workers’ nearing retirement experienced a decline in intentions to continue working during the pandemic, while intentions of older workers further away from their retirement increased. At T2, the negative relationship between telework intensity and the intention to continue working was mediated by ICT-related strain. Perceived social support at work seems to buffer the negative impact of telework intensity on ICT-related strain.

This study provides valuable insights into factors that may stimulate older workers' workforce participation by investigating effects of ICT-related strain and social support during telework. Organizations can implement interventions that enhance job resources and reduce job demands during telework to help mitigate ICT-related strain and postpone retirement.

Imprisonment impacts women’s childbearing and mothering experiences. Using sociological concepts of total institutions, pains of imprisonment and gendered pains of imprisonment, this study aims to explore the childbearing experiences of 18 Filipino incarcerated women.

A qualitative, inductive approach was undertaken to explore imprisoned women’s pregnancy experiences. This research project used reflexive thematic analysis to examine the data from semi-structured interviews with 18 Filipino pregnant prisoners.

The participants’ experiences of childbearing in prison were reflected in three overarching themes: lack of autonomy over pregnancy; reduced capacity to manage discomforts and needs; and coping with prison deprivations. These themes embody women’s experiences of how imprisonment disrupts Filipino women’s childbearing and mothering experiences. Furthermore, the results illustrated how the women navigated the prison regime to address their needs and cope with the pains of imprisonment.

Although there is a small but growing body of research specifically focusing on mothering and imprisonment, little consideration has been given to analyzing Filipino women’s pregnancy experiences in custody. This paper highlights an urgent need to reform correctional policies and practices to address incarcerated women’s distinct needs.

This systematic review (SR) aims to evaluate and summarize the effectiveness of using eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) intervention among individuals diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), as well as to highlight the standardized EMDR-based interventional protocol.

This SR is guided according to preferred reporting items for SRs and meta-analyses standards. Several online databases were used in searching for eligible studies in peer-reviewed journals relevant to the study keywords. The included studies were SRs and clinical trials that used EMDR interventions among patients experiencing PTSD symptoms, older than 18 years and were published in English language from 2015 to 2022. Three researchers independently contributed to study selections, data extraction and study evaluations from different aspects, including quality assessment, risk of bias and study synthesis.

A total of eight published studies met the inclusion criteria and were included in this SR; four articles were randomized controlled trials and four were SR and meta-analysis studies. In all included studies, the EMDR was used as a primary psychotherapy intervention for PTSD symptoms. The results of this extensive and comprehensive review showed that EMDR is an effective psychotherapeutic intervention to reduce and control the severity of symptoms among individuals with PTSD.

It is important to acknowledge several limitations inherent in this study. First and foremost, it is noteworthy to mention that only studies conducted in the English language were included in this review, potentially restricting the overall scope and diversity of the findings. Furthermore, the number of studies incorporated into this review was limited, which may have implications for the comprehensiveness and generalizability of the results. Finally, it is worth noting that certain studies within this review had a relatively small sample size, which could potentially limit the statistical power and precision of the conclusions drawn.

This paper, a review of the literature, gives an overview of EMDR effectiveness, provides baseline information and plays a significant role in decreasing the gap in Jordanian literature regarding using EMDR as the strongest evident psychotherapy approach for PTSD treatment to help psychiatrists, psychologists and psychiatric nurses in the health-care sectors to design comprehensive strategies to enhance and improve the quality of health care and patients’ status.

EMDR intervention offers significant alternative treatment opportunities for individuals suffering from PTSD, depression and anxiety. The implementation of EMDR for depression, anxiety and PTSD improves patient outcomes as compared to standard therapeutic modalities in PTSD.

This SR gives an overview and explains strong supportive evidence for the effectiveness of EMDR interventions among individuals with PTSD. Therefore, EMDR therapy could be assumed as one standard treatment option for PTSD, aiming at reducing treatment duration and cost of treatment and restoring the mental well-being and functionality of those suffering from PTSD.

This study aims to investigate how Australian Muslims make consumption-related decisions regarding the purchase of home loan products.

This exploratory research used in-depth semistructured interviews with community leaders from leading Muslim ethnic communities. Seventeen community leaders from the six largest Muslim community groups by country of birth and living in Melbourne and Sydney were selected for the interviews. The interview data was analyzed using NVivo 12.

The findings suggest that despite knowledge of and concern for Islamic tenets regarding the consumption of banking and financial products, including home loans, most Muslims viewed conventional home loans (CHL) as being permitted, essential or innocuous. Reasons for such views include the interpretation of Islamic tenets, limited awareness of available Islamic home loan offerings, convenience factors related to accessing CHL offerings, service quality levels, availability of technology-based services such as internet banking, and the influence of social groups and communities.

This research helps marketers understand the attitudes, subjective norms (SN) and behavioral factors related to the Muslim consumption of home loans.

The findings of this research can facilitate the development of financial products and marketing strategies that better appeal to Muslims. Such loan products can improve the uptake of home loans (and, in effect, homeowners) by Muslims, potentially improving social and financial inclusion.

This research helps marketers understand the attitudes, SNs and behavioral factors related to the Muslim consumption of home loans, which can facilitate the development of financial products and marketing strategies that better appeal to Muslims. Such loan products can improve the uptake of home loans (and, in effect, homeowners) by Muslims, potentially improving social and financial inclusion.

This qualitative study explores the drivers of Muslim consumers’ uptake of home loans in Australia. Drawing upon the theory of planned behavior and the literature, antecedents to attitude, SNs and perceived behavioral control that influence intention and behavior were investigated. It identifies factors influencing decision-making related to home loans by Australian Muslims, contributing to a theoretical framework to investigate Muslims’ consumption of financial products.

This study aims to contribute to the existing literature on corporate social responsibility (CSR) by examining the influence of national media environments on the economic consequences of CSR. Drawing on signaling theory, this study distinguishes between two country-level media environments − digital media accessibility and media freedom − of which the prior research has often implied their value in cultivating the stakeholders’ awareness about the firms’ socially responsible behavior, suggesting that they amplify the benefits of CSR actions.

This study conducts multilevel analysis with a sample of 44,222 firm-year observations representing 6,726 companies from 57 countries over the period 2003–2019.

This study finds supportive evidence that CSR is more positively related to financial gains in countries with greater digital media accessibility. This study concludes that digital media accessibility affects a firm’s reputation and legitimacy benefits derived from CSR actions, resulting in better financial performance (FP).

The findings of this paper contribute to the existing literature on the CSR–FP relationship by demonstrating the relevance of considering the media environment to better explain the link between CSR and FP. In doing so, this study enriches our understanding of the importance of the media at macro-level institutions by examining how and why these media environments cultivate a culture of CSR as a strategic tool for firms.

Bisphenol A (BPA) is a compound commonly used in the production of plastic bottles and containers, where it is used as a plasticizer and can migrate into food. Its intake may impair the functioning of endocrine glands and have a negative impact on the health of human, especially infants. Because it is also found in baby bottles. Generally BPA can enter the body through daily, cumulative and long-term consumption of various foods. The purpose of this study is to investigate the level of BPA and its migration through some food containers and bottles. It also explains the potential risks associated with its consumption.

In this study, some of the research conducted in this field has been used by searching in various Web databases, including ScienceDirect, Scopus and PubMed. Therefore, this study provides an overview of the migration of BPA from different packages and compares the obtained values with standard ranges.

Most studies showed samples below the reference value. However, the use of containers made with BPA should be controlled and government policies should be implemented to eliminate or reduce the use of these containers.

This paper collects evidence of migration of BPA to some foods through bottles and food containers.

The physical environment of correctional facilities promote infectious disease transmission and outbreaks. The purpose of this study is to compare the COVID-19 burden between the correctional facility (incarcerated individuals and staff members) and non-correctional facility population in Ontario during the COVID-19 pandemic.

All individuals in Ontario with a laboratory confirmation of SARS-CoV-2 between 15 January 2020 and 31 December 2022 and entered into the provincial COVID-19 data were included. Cases were classified as a correctional facility case (living or working in a correctional facility) or a non-correctional facility case. COVID-19 vaccination status was obtained from the provincial COVID-19 vaccine registry. Statistics Canada census data were used to calculate COVID-19 incidence and hospitalization rates for incarcerated cases and the non-correctional facility population.

Between 15 January 2020 and 31 December 2022, there were 1,550,045 COVID-19 cases in Ontario of which 8,292 (0.53%) cases were reported in correctional (63.8% amongst incarcerated individuals, 18.6% amongst staff and 17.7% amongst an unknown classification) and 1,541,753 (99.47%) were non-correctional facility cases. Most cases in correctional facilities were men (83.8%) and aged 20–59 years (93.1%). COVID-19 incidence and hospitalization rates were generally higher among incarcerated individuals compared to the non-correctional facility population throughout the study period. COVID-19 incidence peaked in January 2022 for both the correctional facility population (21,543.8 per 100,000 population) and the non-correctional facility population (1915.1 per 100,000 population). The rate of COVID-19 hospitalizations peaked for the correctional facility population aged 20–59 in March 2021 (70.7 per 100,000 population) and in April 2021 for the non-correctional facility population aged 20–59 (19.8 per 100,000 population). A greater percentage of incarcerated individuals (73.0%) were unvaccinated at time of their COVID-19 diagnosis compared to the non-correctional facility population (49.3%). Deaths amongst correctional facility cases were rare (0.1%, 6 / 8,292) compared to 1.0% of non-correctional facility cases (n = 15,787 / 1,541,753).

During the COVID-19 pandemic, individuals incarcerated in correctional facilities in Ontario had higher COVID-19 incidence and hospitalization rates compared to the non-correctional facility population. These results support prioritizing incarcerated individuals for public health interventions to mitigate COVID-19 impacts in correctional facilities.