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Jo Vearey

Bio: Jo Vearey is an academic researcher from University of the Witwatersrand. The author has contributed to research in topics: Population & Public health. The author has an hindex of 17, co-authored 48 publications receiving 793 citations. Previous affiliations of Jo Vearey include University of Edinburgh & South African Medical Research Council.


Papers
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Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The importance of creating an ‘enabling environment’ for migration and health research at national, regional and global levels is emphasized and the development of meaningful linkages – such as through research reference groups – to support evidence-informed inter-sectoral policy and priority setting processes are called for.
Abstract: With 244 million international migrants, and significantly more people moving within their country of birth, there is an urgent need to engage with migration at all levels in order to support progress towards global health and development targets. In response to this, the 2nd Global Consultation on Migration and Health– held in Colombo, Sri Lanka in February 2017 – facilitated discussions concerning the role of research in supporting evidence-informed health responses that engage with migration. Drawing on discussions with policy makers, research scholars, civil society, and United Nations agencies held in Colombo, we emphasize the urgent need for quality research on international and domestic (in-country) migration and health to support efforts to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The SDGs aim to ‘leave no-one behind’ irrespective of their legal status. An ethically sound human rights approach to research that involves engagement across multiple disciplines is required. Researchers need to be sensitive when designing and disseminating research findings as data on migration and health may be misused, both at an individual and population level. We emphasize the importance of creating an ‘enabling environment’ for migration and health research at national, regional and global levels, and call for the development of meaningful linkages – such as through research reference groups – to support evidence-informed inter-sectoral policy and priority setting processes.

119 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The international community must step up efforts to support Syrian refugees and their host governments.
Abstract: Around 3% of the world’s population (n = 214 million people) has crossed international borders for various reasons. Since March 2011, Syria has been going through state of political crisis and instability resulting in an exodus of Syrians to neighbouring countries. More than 1 million Syrian refugees are residents of Lebanon, Jordan, Turkey, Egypt and North Africa. The international community must step up efforts to support Syrian refugees and their host governments.

83 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Migrant-sensitive, sex work-specific health care and health education are needed in southern Africa, where cross-border migrants appear more tenacious in certain aspects of sex work, but require increased health service contact.
Abstract: Intersections between migration and sex work are underexplored in southern Africa, a region with high internal and cross-border population mobility, and HIV prevalence. Sex work often constitutes an important livelihood activity for migrant women. In 2010, sex workers trained as interviewers conducted cross-sectional surveys with 1,653 female sex workers in Johannesburg (Hillbrow and Sandton), Rustenburg and Cape Town. Most (85.3 %) sex workers were migrants (1396/1636): 39.0 % (638/1636) internal and 46.3 % (758/1636) cross-border. Cross-border migrants had higher education levels, predominately worked part-time, mainly at indoor venues, and earned more per client than other groups. They, however, had 41 % lower health service contact (adjusted odds ratio = 0.59; 95 % confidence interval = 0.40–0.86) and less frequent condom use than non-migrants. Police interaction was similar. Cross-border migrants appear more tenacious in certain aspects of sex work, but require increased health service contact. Migrant-sensitive, sex work-specific health care and health education are needed.

81 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Respondents in the informal settlements were more nutritionally vulnerable, and households who experienced periods of food shortages during the previous 12 months had a lower mean DDS than those from food secure households.
Abstract: Background: This paper considers the question of dietary diversity as a proxy for nutrition insecurity in communities living in the inner city and the urban informal periphery in Johannesburg. It argues that the issue of nutrition insecurity demands urgent and immediate attention by policy makers. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was undertaken for households from urban informal (n = 195) and urban formal (n = 292) areas in Johannesburg, South Africa. Foods consumed by the respondents the previous day were used to calculate a Dietary Diversity Score; a score < 4 was considered low. Results: Statistical comparisons of means between groups revealed that respondents from informal settlements consumed mostly cereals and meat/poultry/fish, while respondents in formal settlements consumed a more varied diet. Significantly more respondents living in informal settlements consumed a diet of low diversity (68.1%) versus those in formal settlements (15.4%). When grouped in quintiles, two-thirds of respondents from informal settlements fell in the lowest two, versus 15.4% living in formal settlements. Households who experienced periods of food shortages during the previous 12 months had a lower mean DDS than those from food secure households (4.00 ± 1.6 versus 4.36 ± 1.7; p = 0.026). Conclusions: Respondents in the informal settlements were more nutritionally vulnerable. Achieving nutrition security requires policies, strategies and plans to include specific nutrition considerations.

53 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Examination of the association between material deprivation and sexual risk behavior among young people aged 18–23 years in urban slums showed that material deprivation was significantly associated with increased odds of high sexual risk taking for young men and young women.
Abstract: Young people in urban slums adopt HIV risk behaviors influenced by their neighborhood factors. Three critical factors in urban slums of Southern and Eastern Africa—the region most affected by the HIV epidemic in the world—are unmet needs of housing, food, and health care, which are associated with HIV sexual risks. Yet, there has been limited attention on how the combination of unmet needs of housing, food, and health care—i.e., material deprivation—relates to sexual risk behavior among young people in urban slums. Cross-sectional data were extracted from the LoveLife survey in South African four provinces—KwaZulu Natal, Mpumalanga, Eastern Cape, and Gauteng, to examine the association between material deprivation and sexual risk behavior among young people aged 18–23 years (263 males, 267 females) in urban slums. Adjusted logistic regression models showed that material deprivation was significantly associated with increased odds of high sexual risk taking for young men (adjusted OR = 1.20; 95 % CI = 1.10, 5.58) and young women (adjusted OR = 1.43; 95 % CI = 1.35, 3.28). Financial difficulty—a proxy for other deprivations—was the most salient influence on young women’s high sexual risk taking (adjusted OR = 2.11; 95 % CI = 1.66, 2.70). Localized behavioral HIV prevention interventions should target young people in deprived households.

45 citations


Cited by
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01 Jan 2006

629 citations

01 Jan 2016
TL;DR: In this article, the visual anthropology photography as a research method is available in our book collection and an online access to it is set as public so you can get it instantly, and our book servers spans in multiple locations, allowing you to get the most less latency time to download any of our books like this one.
Abstract: visual anthropology photography as a research method is available in our book collection an online access to it is set as public so you can get it instantly. Our book servers spans in multiple locations, allowing you to get the most less latency time to download any of our books like this one. Merely said, the visual anthropology photography as a research method is universally compatible with any devices to read.

481 citations

Posted Content
01 Jan 2014
TL;DR: The economic growth in South Africa is below the real potential of the country because of the low skilled labor, high crime and a lack of political will in supporting productive activities and investments as discussed by the authors.
Abstract: At the end of 2013, Republic of South Africa has lost its position of the main economy in Africa for Nigeria. The problems of the labor market and the economic situation in the EU and the US have influenced the South African economic performance. Mining law and the law governing the work of private security companies may constitute a barrier to foreign investors in the future. The African National Congress won the elections this year, and Jacob Zuma gained a new term as president of the republic. Therefore, no essential changes in the economic policies are expected in the near future. The economic growth in South Africa is below the real potential of the country because of the low skilled labor, high crime and a lack of political will in supporting productive activities and investments.

270 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Alarcon, Durand, and Gonzales as discussed by the authors described the social process of international migration from Western Mexico, including return to Aztlan: The Social Process of International Migration from Mexico.
Abstract: Return to Aztlan: The Social Process of International Migration from Western Mexico. Douglas S. Massey. Rafael Alarcon, Jorge Durand, and Humberto Gonzales. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1987. + 335 pp., maps, figures, tables, bibliography, index. $37.50 (cloth). ISBN0-520-06079-2

263 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Research findings affirm the value of rights-based HIV responses for sex workers, and underscore the obligation of states to uphold the rights of this marginalised population.

261 citations