RESUMO
The inadequate management of municipal solid waste (MSW) in fast-developing nations is a major public health problem. Trash collection is often inconsistent, leaving residents to use unsafe disposal methods such as incineration or unregulated dumping. The issue is especially pronounced in marginalized communities, where public service provision is scarce. Past research has identified factors that perpetuate harmful disposal practices. The current study expanded on previous work by exploring how individuals' perceptions of political, spatial, and economic marginalization affected their agency with regards to waste management. Researchers focused on a marginalized community in the Dominican Republic known as Esfuerzo de Paraíso. There, they conducted semi-structured interviews to explore residents' perceptions of marginalization at the individual, interpersonal, community, and institutional levels, and its effects on their agency. A qualitative coding process revealed that most community members were discontent with their trash disposal practices, but that long-standing marginalization left them feeling ill equipped to generate change at the individual level. Interviewees believed that change should be initiated at the community level and implemented with the support of institutional-level actors, namely the municipal government. Residents did not identify any non-governmental organizations as possible sources of help, which may suggest a limited view of institutional support networks.
Assuntos
Eliminação de Resíduos , Atitude , República Dominicana , Humanos , Incineração , Resíduos SólidosRESUMO
OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to assess sexual behavior of persons at risk of HIV infection. GOAL: The goal of this study was to identify sites where HIV prevention is needed. STUDY DESIGN: Customers at sites where persons meet new sex partners in St. James, Jamaica, were surveyed. RESULTS: Of 421 sites, 282 men and 200 women (random sample, 23 sites) and 320 men and 265 women (special sample, 26 sites) were interviewed. Over one fourth of men and 14% (special) and 4% (random) of women had one or more new sex partners in the last 4 weeks. Seventy-eight percent of men reported condom use at last sex with a new partner compared with 66% of women. Approximately 50% of respondents reported condom use at last sex with a regular partner. CONCLUSION: Sites at which people meet new sex partners were diverse with significant opportunities for prevention. Commercial and transactional sex are features at many sites.