1
The Effects of Poli/cal Marginaliza/on on Childhood Health Minna Sabbahi¹ ,2 , Daniel Hoffman, PhD² ¹Department Poli/cal Science, ²Department of Nutri/onal Science, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ Abstract Discussion Objec1ves & Methodology To conduct content analysis and historical studies of poli/cal and health policies of Pales/ne and Brazil To demonstrate the correla/on between poli/cal marginaliza/on and deteriora/ng childhood health To closely examine sta/s/cal data on weight regula/ons and func/ons Future Direc1ons Future work must be done to study the efficacy and response of interna/onal policies to the health statuses of marginalized people. In doing so, this research will further develop our understanding of the rela/onship between nutri/on and food policy. Introduc1on Acknowledgements This research is funded in part by the Ronald E. McNair Post Baccalaureate Achievement Program at Rutgers University. A special thanks is given to Dr. Daniel Hoffman and to the McNair advisors and staff. Pales/nians face numerous health complica/ons, due to the policies and blockades established by the Israeli government. Such policies prevent basic needs from being within civilians’ reach. Similarly, in Brazil, the favela, more commonly known as slums or shantytowns, are constantly barred from the poli/cal realm because of racial and socioeconomic bigotries, in turn worsening the quality of childhood health. Poli/cal Marginaliza/on a process in which individuals are deliberately blocked from enjoying the rights of full ci/zenship and social privileges that include the rights to basic economic and social welfare as well as par/cipa/on in society, including work opportuni/es, educa/on, and fulfillment of basic needs in terms of access to medical aid and food supplies¹ References ¹Giacaman, R. (2001). A community of ci/zens: disability rehabilita/on in the Pales/nian transi/on to statehood. Disability & Rehabilita.on, 23(14), 639644. doi:10.1080/09638280110036544 ²Sawaya, A. L., Mar/ns, P. A., Grillo, L. P., & Florêncio, T. T. (2004). Long term effects of early malnutri/on on body weight regula/on. Nutri.on Reviews, 62(7), 127133. doi:10.1301/nr.2004.jul.S127S133 ³Rahim, H. F. A., Wick, L., Halileh, S., HassanBitar, S., Chekir, H., Waj, G., & Khawaja, M. (2009). Maternal and child health in the occupied Pales/nian territory. The Lancet, 373(9667), 967977. doi:10.1016/ S01406736(09)601082 ⁴Devi, S. (2004). Health under fire. Lancet, 364(9439), 10271028. 5 Perlman, J. E. (2010). Favela : Four decades of living on the edge in Rio de Janeiro. Oxford; New York: Oxford University Press. Table 1: Nutri1onal Deficiencies in Favela² Physical and Psychosocial Barriers Poli1cal Marginaliza1on Denial of Access to Basic Needs Nutri1onal Status Mental and Physical health Social Instability Further Exclusion Poli1cal Marginaliza1on Poor Childhood Health Poli/cal marginaliza/on indirectly affects the totality of health condi/ons of those ostracized. The exclusion of groups from the poli/cal process leads to the denial of access for basic needs, such as medical aid and food supplies. Consequently, this may create nutri/onal deficiencies in children. Demographic characteris/cs indicate which group are excluded and for what purposes. This study aims to offer familiarity in the coexistence between poli/cal marginaliza/on and childhood health by assessing Pales/ne and Brazil as two separate case studies. Through these findings, this study will show the universality of marginaliza/on and the causal pathway to poor childhood health, a factor that limits overall health and long term social and mental development. Figure 1: Stun1ng in children younger than 5 years in the occupied Pales1nian territory by year and region³ Data from Pales/nian Central bureau of Sta/s/cs. Stun/ng (heightforage index) was determined by use of the interna/onal reference popula/on defined by the US Na/onal Center for Disease Control and Preven/on. Children who were below –2 SD from the reference median were classified as stunted, and those who were below –3 SD from the reference median were classified as severely stunted The analy/cal concept of marginaliza/on, although applied differently around the world, has a global relevance. Any group of individuals, regardless of where they are situated, once marginalized, face various repercussions. The most prominent is childhood health, as demonstrated by the two separate case studies of Pales/ne and Brazil. Both Brazilians and Pales/nians deal with the widespread problem of malnourishment, par/cularly stun/ng, which predisposes those children to long term health effects leading into adulthood. The grave effects on childhood health then trickle down into social instability, violence, poor mental and physical health, which diminishes the quality of life for those ci/zens. Figure 2: Marginaliza1on Cycle Nutri/onal Status of Children Under 10 Living in a Slum in Maceio, Alagoas, Brazil, According to Standard Devia/ons of Weightforage and Heightforage as Compared to the NCHS Distribu/on Results Pales1ne Checkpoints Blockades Sejlements Lack of funding Ongoing conflict Brazil Inequality Discrimina/on Violence Misuse of power Disenchantment voluntary isola/on 5 “A Refugee Diary” By: Najwa Sheikh, 6/3/12 “Majority of Gazans are now dependant on welfare and humanitarian organisations for food supplies. If any of these organisations were to experience a sudden funding crisis, many Gazan families would find themselves begging on the streets.” (UNRWA)

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Page 1: McNair Poster Session

The  Effects  of  Poli/cal  Marginaliza/on  on  Childhood  Health  Minna  Sabbahi¹,2,  Daniel  Hoffman,  PhD²    

¹Department  Poli/cal  Science,  ²Department  of  Nutri/onal  Science,    Rutgers  University,  New  Brunswick,  NJ    

Abstract   Discussion    

Objec1ves  &  Methodology      

 

             

•  To  conduct  content  analysis  and  historical  studies  of  poli/cal  and  health  policies  of  Pales/ne  and  Brazil  

•  To  demonstrate  the  correla/on  between  poli/cal  marginaliza/on  and  deteriora/ng  childhood  health  

•  To  closely  examine  sta/s/cal  data  on  weight  regula/ons  and  func/ons  

   

Future  Direc1ons          Future  work  must  be  done  to  study  the  efficacy  and  response  of  interna/onal  policies  to  the  health  statuses  of  marginalized  people.  In  doing  so,  this  research  will  further  develop  our  understanding  of  the  rela/onship  between  nutri/on  and  food  policy.    

Introduc1on    

             

Acknowledgements            This  research  is  funded  in  part  by  the  Ronald  E.  McNair  Post  Baccalaureate  Achievement  Program  at  Rutgers  University.  A  special  thanks  is  given  to  Dr.  Daniel  Hoffman  and  to  the  McNair  advisors  and  staff.    

       Pales/nians  face  numerous  health  complica/ons,  due  to  the  policies  and  blockades  established  by  the  Israeli  government.  Such  policies  prevent  basic  needs  from  being  within  civilians’  reach.              Similarly,  in  Brazil,  the  favela,  more  commonly  known  as  slums  or  shantytowns,  are  constantly  barred  from  the  poli/cal  realm  because  of  racial  and  socioeconomic  bigotries,  in  turn  worsening  the  quality  of  childhood  health.      Poli/cal  Marginaliza/on-­‐  a  process  in  which  individuals  are  deliberately  blocked  from  enjoying  the  rights  of  full  ci/zenship  and  social  privileges  that  include  the  rights  to  basic  economic  and  social  welfare  as  well  as  par/cipa/on  in  society,  including  work  opportuni/es,  educa/on,  and  fulfillment  of  basic  needs  in  terms  of  access  to  medical  aid  and  food  supplies¹    

References  ¹Giacaman,  R.  (2001).  A  community  of  ci/zens:  disability  rehabilita/on  in  the  Pales/nian  transi/on  to  statehood.  Disability  &  Rehabilita.on,  23(14),  639-­‐644.  doi:10.1080/09638280110036544  ²Sawaya,  A.  L.,  Mar/ns,  P.  A.,  Grillo,  L.  P.,  &  Florêncio,  T.  T.  (2004).  Long-­‐term  effects  of  early  malnutri/on  on  body  weight  regula/on.  Nutri.on  Reviews,  62(7),  127-­‐133.  doi:10.1301/nr.2004.jul.S127-­‐S133  ³Rahim,  H.  F.  A.,  Wick,  L.,  Halileh,  S.,  Hassan-­‐Bitar,  S.,  Chekir,  H.,  Waj,  G.,  &  Khawaja,  M.  (2009).  Maternal  and  child  health  in  the  occupied  Pales/nian  territory.  The  Lancet,  373(9667),  967-­‐977.  doi:10.1016/S0140-­‐6736(09)60108-­‐2  ⁴Devi,  S.  (2004).  Health  under  fire.  Lancet,  364(9439),  1027-­‐1028.  5Perlman,  J.  E.  (2010).  Favela  :  Four  decades  of  living  on  the  edge  in  Rio  de  Janeiro.  Oxford;  New  York:  Oxford  University  Press.          

Table  1:  Nutri1onal  Deficiencies  in  Favela²      

Physical  and  Psychosocial  Barriers  

Poli1cal  Marginaliza1on    

Denial  of  Access  to  Basic  

Needs    

Nutri1onal  Status  

Mental  and  Physical  health    

Social  Instability  

Further  Exclusion    

Poli1cal  Marginaliza1on    

Poor  Childhood  Health    

       Poli/cal  marginaliza/on  indirectly  affects  the  totality  of  health  condi/ons  of  those  ostracized.  The  exclusion  of  groups  from  the  poli/cal  process  leads  to  the  denial  of  access  for  basic  needs,  such  as  medical  aid  and  food  supplies.  Consequently,  this  may  create  nutri/onal  deficiencies  in  children.  Demographic  characteris/cs  indicate  which  group  are  excluded  and  for  what  purposes.    This  study  aims  to  offer  familiarity  in  the  coexistence  between  poli/cal  marginaliza/on  and  childhood  health  by  assessing  Pales/ne  and  Brazil  as  two  separate  case  studies.  Through  these  findings,  this  study  will  show  the  universality  of  marginaliza/on  and  the  causal  pathway  to  poor  childhood  health,  a  factor  that  limits  overall  health  and  long  term  social  and  mental  development.  

Figure  1:  Stun1ng  in  children  younger  than  5  years  in  the  occupied  Pales1nian  territory  by  year  and  region³  Data  from  Pales/nian  Central  bureau  of  Sta/s/cs.  Stun/ng  (height-­‐for-­‐age  index)  was  determined  by  use  of  the  interna/onal  reference  popula/on  defined  by  the  US  Na/onal  Center  for  Disease  Control  and  Preven/on.  Children  who  were  below  –2  SD  from  the  reference  median  were  classified  as  stunted,  and  those  who  were  below  –3  SD  from  the  reference  median  were  classified  as  severely  stunted    

       The  analy/cal  concept  of  marginaliza/on,  although  applied  differently  around  the  world,  has  a  global  relevance.  Any  group  of  individuals,  regardless  of  where  they  are  situated,  once  marginalized,  face  various  repercussions.  The  most  prominent  is  childhood  health,  as  demonstrated  by  the  two  separate  case  studies  of  Pales/ne  and  Brazil.  Both  Brazilians  and  Pales/nians  deal  with  the  widespread  problem  of  malnourishment,  par/cularly  stun/ng,  which  predisposes  those  children  to  long  term  health  effects  leading  into  adulthood.  The  grave  effects  on  childhood  health  then  trickle  down  into  social  instability,  violence,  poor  mental  and  physical  health,  which  diminishes  the  quality  of  life  for  those  ci/zens.    

Figure  2:    Marginaliza1on  Cycle    

Nutri/onal  Status  of  Children  Under  10  Living  in  a  Slum  in  Maceio,  Alagoas,  Brazil,  According  to  Standard  Devia/ons  of  Weight-­‐for-­‐age  and  Height-­‐for-­‐age  as  Compared  to  the  NCHS  Distribu/on      

Results  

Pales1ne  

Checkpoints  

Blockades    

Sejlements    

Lack  of  funding  

Ongoing  conflict        

Brazil  

Inequality  

Discrimina/on    

Violence  

Misuse  of  power    

Disenchantment  à  voluntary  isola/on5  

“A  Refugee  Diary”    By:  Najwa  Sheikh,  6/3/12  

“Majority  of  Gazans  are  now  dependant  on  welfare  and  humanitarian  

organisations  for  food  supplies.  If  any  of  these  organisations  were  to  

experience  a  sudden  funding  crisis,  many  Gazan  families  would  find  

themselves  begging  on  the  streets.”  (UNRWA)