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"This book describes and Quantifies the major socioeconomic changes that have occurred in four new member states of the EU (Slovenia, Hungary, Romania and Bulgaria) since the early 1990s. The period covered was a particularly turbulent one, not only because of the transition process which was well underway but becase of the stablization packages and other economic, monetary and social policy measures, which have had a strong impact at individual and household levels. While previous comparable studies have been carried out, they cover the period only to the mid 1990s, thus this book contains unique and very valuable statistical and micro data. Within the broad framework of socioeconomic change, a number of topics are explored in greater detail. These include changes in activity, occupational status and educational attainment, household income sources and income inequality, and risk of income poverty. The analysis is based on household budget surveys and complemented with other statistical sources, enabling a coherent analysis of the impact of large changes in social policy at household level. The country chapters are all based on common methodological guidelines enabling comparisons to be drawn. This will be an invaluable book for researchers in comparative social policy, poverty and social stratification and economic sociology, and for specialists on Central and Eastern Europe."--Provided by publisher.

Foreword / Pedro C. Hallal -- Moving forward, moving more : putting low and middle-income countries firmly on the global physical activity agenda / Katja Siefken, Andrea Ramirez Varela, Temo Waqanivalu, Nico Schulenkorf -- Global physical activity : international perspectives with emphasis on low and middle-income countries / Andrea Ramirez Varela, Bojana Klepac Pogrmilovic, Pedro Hallal, Catalina del Portillo, Željko Pedišić, Harold Kohl, and Mike Pratt -- Physical activity : challenges and opportunities in low and middle income countries / Inácio Crochemore-Silva, Alan G. Knuth, Grégore I. Mielke, Andrea Wendt, and José Cazuza de Farias Júnior -- Physical activity policy actions : what is the role of governments? / Bill Bellew, Tracy Nau, Benjamin Smith, Bojana Klepac Pogrmilovic, Željko Pedišić, and Adrian Bauman -- Active societies : the global action plan on physical activity in low and middle income countries / Nicolas Aguilar-Farias and Sebastian Miranda-Marquez -- Physical activity surveillance in the context of low and middle income countries / Željko Pedišić, Cora L. Craig, and Adrian E. Bauman -- Foreign aid, the soft power of sport, and the sustainable development goals : an analysis of Australia's sport for development in the Pacific program / Thomas Wanner -- Progress and opportunities for advancing physical activity behavior change in LMICs / Lilian Perez, Elva Arredondo, Ding Ding, and Gregory W. Heath -- Case study from Latin America : understanding the relationship between the built environment and physical activity in Latin American contexts / Eugen Resendiz, Alejandra Jáuregui, and Deborah Salvo -- Case study from Africa : physical activity and safety from crime and traffic / Adewale L. Oyeyemi, Tracy L. Kolbe-Alexander, and Estelle V. Lambert -- Case study from the South Pacific : women's sport participation in Fiji : through a lens of structural inequality / Yoko Kanemasu, James Johnson, and Atele Dutt -- Case study from Central America : challenges and opportunities for physically active lifestyles in girls and young women in Costa Rica and countries in Central America / Inés M. Revuelta-Sánchez and Gerardo A. Araya-Vargas -- Case study from Asia : push for pedal power : urban mobility and rise of bicycling in Indian cities / Deepti Adlakha, Felix John -- Case study from Asia : active transportation: the missing part of the puzzle for physical activity promotion in India / Shifalika Goenka and Raji Devarajan -- Case study from Eastern Europe : physical activity in the Czech Republic a society in transformation / Josef Mitáš and Karel Frömel -- Moving the agenda forward : reflections and future outlook on physical activity in low and middle income countries / Nico Schulenkorf, Temo Waqanivalu, Andrea Ramirez, and Katja Siefken.

Examines the pervasiveness & income revenues of informal self-employment among recent immigrants from Mexico to Chicago, IL, to (1) assess the limitations of conventional labor force indicators for portraying the extent of immigrants' labor force activity, (2) document the share of household income produced outside the formal labor market, & (3) illustrate the importance of assessing immigrants' economic well-being using households rather than individuals as analytic units. Data from a random household survey (N = 330 usable responses) conducted in a Mexican-immigrant neighborhood are used to examine economic activity & income sources. Vignettes illustrate the income-packaging strategies of unskilled immigrant families, including the nature of informal activity. Findings show that, once multiple job holding is taken into account, labor force participation rates of women increased from 43% to 53% for all working-age women, & from 45% to 56% for the female respondent subsample (mainly household heads or spouses). For families involved in the informal economy (14% of sampled households), economic activity reduced earnings poverty by 9%. It is concluded that conventional census measures of labor force activity cannot reveal the full extent of immigrants' economic activity. Promising directions for further research are outlined. 3 Tables, 32 References. Adapted from the source document.

The presence of youth physical activity opportunities is one of the strongest environmental correlates of youth physical activity. More detailed information about such opportunities is needed to maximize their contributions to physical activity promotion especially in under resourced, lower income areas. The objectives of this study were to construct a comprehensive profile of youth physical activity opportunities and contrast profile characteristics between lower and higher income neighborhoods. Youth physical activity opportunities in eight lower (median household income $36,000) income neighborhoods were identified and described using interviews, neighborhood tours, site visits, and systematic searches of various sources (e.g., Internet). Lower income neighborhoods had a greater number of locations offering youth physical activity opportunities but similar quantities of amenities. Lower income neighborhoods had more faith-based locations and court, trail/path, event, and water-type amenities. Higher income neighborhoods had significantly more for-profit businesses offering youth physical activity opportunities. Funding for youth physical activity opportunities in lower income neighborhoods was more likely to come from donations and government revenue (e.g., taxes), whereas the majority of youth physical activity opportunities in the higher income neighborhoods were supported by for-profit business revenue. Differences between lower and higher income neighborhoods in the type and amenities of youth physical activity opportunities may be driven by funding sources. Attention to these differences could help create more effective and efficient strategies for promoting physical activity among youth.

ABSTRACTSelf‐help groups (SHGs) are formed to work for increased income through collective effort and use of banking facilities by initiating some income‐generating activities taking advantage of the financial strength of a group. Taking into consideration the significance of SHGs to economic growth, the present study analyzes and compares the management of the income‐generating activities of SHGs in rural and urban areas. It also explores the extent of resource mobilization through various income‐generating activities, and the constraints faced by the SHGs while undertaking these activities. It is an exploratory research in which a multi‐stage stratified cluster random sampling technique was used for the selection of SHGs. Data were collected at group level and member level through purposely developed interview schedules and focused group discussions.The study revealed that, because of various financial and marketing‐related problems occurring while initiating and conducting the activities, very few SHG members actually started new income‐generating activities. Testing of hypotheses indicated that SHGs do not fulfil all the requirements of income‐generating activities carried out by its members. An overall low to medium level of resource mobilization by a majority of the SHGs presented a poor picture of SHGs in generating resources for undertaking entrepreneurial activities.

In an effort to reduce food access issues for older adults, the United States Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Commodity Supplemental Food Program (CSFP) provides monthly food assistance specifically for low-income older adults through local food banks. The purpose of this study was to explore factors that influence an older adult's performance in food-related activities. Older adults eligible to receive a monthly senior food box from community food distribution sites were recruited to complete a survey. The survey included home information, Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information Systems (PROMIS®) v1.1 Global Health measure, individualized supplemental food utilization profile (FP), and a kitchen inventory. Descriptive and statistical analyses were performed. From December 2021 until March 2023, n = 200 participants were recruited and n = 36 took the survey for an 18% completion rate with a mean age of 71 years old; 61% were female and 36% were male. Of the participants who took the survey, 64% ( n = 23) acknowledged having at least one chronic disease and 89% ( n = 32) indicated they prepared meals for themselves. The OPMF revealed grocery shopping, cooking, and eating as "extremely important" and directly related to their performance and satisfaction. The FP rate revealed that 61% ( n = 22) of participants always use 100% of their food box by the end of each month. While the participants in this study report having at least one chronic disease, most are functional and independent when it comes to food-related activities, and most report that they have the tools to manage and use their food resources.