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Global Health and Georesources Management in Nigeria An AESEDA Penn State/Ibadan Partnership. Fogarty/NIH R25 TW007730 10/1/2006 – 9/30/2009. COLLLEGE OF EARTH AND MINERAL SCIENCES THE ALLIANCE FOR EARTH SCIENCES, ENGINEERING, AND DEVELOPMENT
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Global Health and Georesources Management in Nigeria An AESEDA Penn State/Ibadan Partnership Fogarty/NIH R25 TW007730 10/1/2006 – 9/30/2009 Fogarty Global Health Framework
COLLLEGE OF EARTH AND MINERAL SCIENCES THE ALLIANCE FOR EARTH SCIENCES, ENGINEERING, AND DEVELOPMENT IN AFRICA AESEDA Robert Crane, Ph.D. Director of AESEDA Fogarty Global Health Framework
Niger Delta: Prospect and Peril • PetroleumProspectsin N-Delta • Poverty-amidst-PlentyParadox • The opportunity • The anxiety Fogarty Global Health Framework
Niger Delta: epitome of debacle Source: National Geographic, February 2007 Fogarty Global Health Framework
AESEDA: Partnership for promoting Wealth and Health of Niger Delta • Solution: Capacity Building • Key: Education Fogarty Global Health Framework
Niger Delta Area Fogarty Global Health Framework
Niger Delta • Home to more than 10 million people from Delta, Rivers and Baylesa States in Nigeria. • The main ethnic group: Ijaws • Other ethnic groups: Isokos, Urhobos, Itsekiri, Ikot Abasi, Oron, Mbo, Ibibio, Anang, Efik and Kwale people • Major human occupations: • Primary occupations: farming and fishing • Secondary occupations: textile weaving, boat carving etc. • Tertiary occupation: trade and commerce, transportation • Oil exploration has become the major production activity in the region: • 2 million barrels of oil are extracted everyday in the Niger Delta area Fogarty Global Health Framework
Niger Delta Area • Low relief and poor ground drainage (responsible for the paucity of settlements) • Air, water and environmental pollution • Water-related diseases and waste disposal practices constitute serious problems in the area • Diseases affecting the Niger Delta people include: worm infestation, gastroenteritis, hypertension, and sexually transmitted diseases especially among adolescents Fogarty Global Health Framework
Global Health and Georesources Workshop: Niger Delta • Reverend Engineer Ette Etteh: • Advisory Board of Global Health and Georesources Management • Provided an emic view of the issues germane to the Niger Delta people • Overview of the Niger Delta Problem: • Pollution • Negligence • Unemployment • Loss of livelihood (e.g Ijaw people of Niger Delta relied on fishing as a source of livelihood. With the presence of oil companies, many fishermen lost their source of livelihood) • Poverty • Increased prevalence of diseases including HIV/AIDS and skin diseases Fogarty Global Health Framework
Global Health and Georesources Workshop: Niger Delta • Public Health Challenges • Prevalence of most diseases is unknown • Georesources Challenges • Level of metal in drinking water • Level of metal in soil content • Acid rain problems • Heavily polluted sea • Other Challenges • Governance • Socioeconomic issues • Gender and poverty • Nigerian Universities as Solution centers • Capacity Building Fogarty Global Health Framework
Global Health and Georesources Management Courses • Five major themes were identified: • Diseases and Health Conditions • Environmental Issues • Capacity Building • Research Methodology • Technology, Policy and Practice Fogarty Global Health Framework
Diseases and Health Condition • Malaria • Tuberculosis • HIV/AIDS • Skin conditions • Respiratory problems • Cancer • Reproductive Issues Fogarty Global Health Framework
Environmental Issues • Exposure to pollutants • Level of metal in soil, in water • Water and Sanitation • Climate change and adaptations • Environmental impact assessment • Environmental epidemiology • Environmental education • Environmental governance/communication • Land reclamation Fogarty Global Health Framework
Capacity Building • Empowerment • Participation/stakeholder • Leadership • Needs assessment • Poverty alleviation • Adaptive technology • Behavioral change • Youth resiliency • Gender issues • Conflict resolution/management • Indigenous knowledge • Intersectoral collaboration Fogarty Global Health Framework
Research Methodology • Complex systems approach • Ecosystems approach • Scenario thinking • Modeling • GIS • Laboratory Work • Evaluation/Monitoring/Surveillance • Field Research • Quantitative and Qualitative approach • Research Ethics Fogarty Global Health Framework
Technology, Policy and Practice • Remediation: Bio and phyto-remediation • Land reclamation • Waste to wealth • Green design • Water sanitation • Adaptive technology • Indigenous knowledge • Climate change • Air quality management • Sustainable mining Fogarty Global Health Framework
Global Health and Georesources Management Courses • Conceptual Framework: • Students trained with trans-disciplinary knowledge • Students concerned about issues and solutions • Holistic approach to issues of importance to global health and georesources management Fogarty Global Health Framework
Some Workshop participants • Reverend Engineer Ette Etteh: • Civil Engineer, Advisory Board Member • University of Ibadan • Dr. Catherine Olufunke Falade: Chairperson of the Local Organizing Committee of the workshop • Provost of the College of Medicine: Professor Akinyinka Omigbodun • Vice Chancellor of the University of Ibadan: Professor Oulfemi Bamiro • Professor J.D. Adeniyi: Advisory Board member • Professor Sirdhar: Professor of Environmental Health • Professor Gbadegesin: Professor of Geography • Penn State University: • Director of AESEDA: Professor Adewummi • Director of Global Health and Georesources Management: Professor Collins Airhihenbuwa • Dr. Petra Tschakert: Assistant professor of Geography • Dr. Zhengmin Qian: Assistant professor of environment and occupation sciences Fogarty Global Health Framework
Lower Mississippi Delta Fogarty Global Health Framework
Background • The Lower Mississippi Delta region of Arkansas, Louisiana and Mississippi includes 36 counties closely connected to the Mississippi river. Fogarty Global Health Framework
Background • The region is predominantly rural and the rural population is; • 55% in Arkansas • 24% in Louisiana • 69% in Mississippi (Casey, 2004) Fogarty Global Health Framework
Background • The Delta region is often considered a region of contrasts between great potential and pervasive problems. • There are numerous assets to draw from in the region, including fertile land, water and a warm climate for agricultural production. Fogarty Global Health Framework
Background • But despite its great potential, the Lower Mississippi Delta is also characterized as a region with; • High levels of underdevelopment • High rates of poverty and unemployment • Substantial deficits in education • Poor nutrition and inadequate access to health care (Green et al, 2006, Hall et al., 2004). Fogarty Global Health Framework
Population • It is estimated that 8.9 million people reside in the Lower Mississippi Delta region (HAC, 2005). • But, over a ten year span, (1990-2000), the LMD region has experienced a slow growth in population compared to the rest of the nation. Population based on 1970-2000 U.S. Census Data. Fogarty Global Health Framework
Population • Racially, the region is as diverse as its natural resources. • White Americans make-up two-thirds of the region’s population • African Americans comprise 31 percent, a rate twice the national level which is12 percent • Latino’s comprise 2 percent of the LMD’s population (a rate smaller than it is nationwide) • American Indians, Alaskan Natives, Native Hawaiians, Asians and Pacific Islanders combined comprise the remaining 1.9 percent of the region’s total population (HAC, 2005) Fogarty Global Health Framework
Population Fogarty Global Health Framework
Educational characteristics • Approximately, one-quarter of the LMD residents age 25 and over do not have high school education compared to 20 percent of for the nation (HAC, 2005). • Among African Americans, 36 percent never completed high school and only 11 percent have a college degree or higher (HAC, 2005) Fogarty Global Health Framework
Economic Characteristics • Despite the vast array of natural resources, the Lower Mississippi Delta region remains a depressed area economically (NPS, 2001). • Delta region has been referred to as a Third World country in the heart of America (Parham, et al. 2007). • It is estimated that residents of the Delta experience extreme rates of poverty that are much higher than the national level. Fogarty Global Health Framework
Economic Characteristics • Over eighteen percent of LMD’s populations are living in poverty • Over one-third of the region’s African American residents live in poverty • Female-headed households with children experience extreme levels of poverty as 47 percent of these households have incomes below the poverty level (HAC, 2005) Fogarty Global Health Framework
Critical issues in Health • The Lower Mississippi Delta region ranks high nationally among the poorest in the nation with respect to rates of chronic disease morbidity and mortality (Yardick et al., 2001). • In a study conducted by Smith et al. (1999), the authors found that the prevalence rates of obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol were higher in the states of the Delta region than in other states. Fogarty Global Health Framework
Critical Issues in health • Recently, the findings from the 2005 BRFSS data suggests that there is an increase in self-reported prevalence of chronic disease in these three states when compared to the U.S. Fogarty Global Health Framework
Natural Resources • LMD region provides habitat and ecological support for a wide variety of flora, fauna, and aquatic species integral to the health of the North American continent. • Significant bird and water fowl migration corridor Fogarty Global Health Framework
Mineral Exploration and Extraction • In the Lower Mississippi region, petroleum is the dominant mineral produced in this region (NPS, 2001). • Productions of petroleum and petrochemicals have added to a continuing pollution problem in the Delta Oil slick in the lower Mississippi Delta of southeast Louisiana. (Suncoast weather quarterly, 2004) Fogarty Global Health Framework
Fisheries • The Mississippi river supports one of the most diverse fisheries in the world as at least 183 species of freshwater fish live in the Delta (NPS, 2001). • But, approximately, 6% of the native fish species in the Delta are found on the endangered, threatened, or special concern of the US Fish and Wildlife service (NPS, 2001) Fogarty Global Health Framework
Water Quality • Water from the Lower Mississippi River plays a significant role in; • Consumption • Industrial • Agricultural production. • Environmental Protection Agency has identified the LMD region as an area of significant concern regarding surface and ground water quality Fogarty Global Health Framework
Conclusion • The Lower Mississippi Delta is a paradoxical region whereby dynamic natural resources exist next to pervasive underdevelopment, depressed economies and substantial deficits in education, poverty and unemployment. • Efforts should be made to address the unmet needs of the LMD region. Fogarty Global Health Framework
References • Casey, P, Horton, J, Bogle, M., Fomby, B., & Forsyt, W. (2004) Self-reported health of residents of the Mississippi Delta. Journal of Health Care for the Poor and the Undeserved, 15(4), 645-662. • Green, J. J. & Nylander, A. B. (2006) A community based framework for understanding problems and exploring alternatives: connecting underemployment, poverty and access to health care in the Mississippi Delta. Rural Poverty Research Center Working Paper Series, Retrieved from http://www.rprconline.org/WorkingPapers/WP06-02.pdf • Hall, H.I., Jamison, P. M., Coughlin, S. S. & Uhler, R. (2004) Breast and cervical cancer screening among Mississippi Delta Women. Journal of Health Care for the Poor and Undeserved, 15, 375-389 • Housing Assistance Council, 2005. “Housing in the Lower Mississippi Delta.” Retrieved from http://www.ruralhome.org/manager/uploads/missdelta.pdf. • National Parks Services (2001) Draft heritage study and environment assessment-Lower Mississippi Delta Region. Retrieved from http://www.nps.gov/history/delta/dhsea.htm • Parham, G. P. & Scarinci, I.C. (2007) Strategies for achieving healthy energy balance among African Americans in the Mississippi Delta. Preventing Chronic Disease: Public Health Research, Practice and Policy, 4 (4), 1-10. • Yardrick, K., Horton, J., Stuff, J., McGee, B., Bogle, M., Davis, L. et al. (2001) Perceptions of community nutrition and health needs in the Lower Mississippi Delta: A key informant approach. Journal for Nutrition and Education, 33, 266-277 • Smith, J., Lensing, S., Horton, J. A., Lovejoy, J., Zaghloul, S., Forrester, I., McGee, B. B., & Bogle, M. L. (1999) Prevalence of self-reported nutrition-related health problems in the Lower Mississippi Delta. American Journal of Public Health, 89(9), 1418-1421 • Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance (2005) Chronic Disease Indicators. Retrieved from http://apps.nccd.cdc.gov/cdi/Default.aspx • Lower Mississippi River Conversation Committee (1996) Watershed Indicators. Retrieved from http://www.lmrcc.org/Overall%20Watershed.htm Fogarty Global Health Framework