Health and Health Behaviour Workbook Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Health and Health Behaviour Workbook - Essay Example Ethnicity, to a large extent is related to the genetic makeup of individuals. Individuals having identical ethnic origins are likely to possess similar genetic codes and it is for this reason that the pattern of disease in an ethnically similar population is characteristic of that ethnicity. Genetic information to a large extent determines the susceptibility of an ethnic group to certain diseases. The underlying mechanism may relate to over or under-production of certain factors (e.g. proteins or antibodies), absence of formation of certain chemical mediators, defects in immunity resulting in heightened vulnerability to certain infectious agents or anatomical differences arising due to genetic differences. Age is perhaps one of the most well-known factors that influence an individual’s health. Newborns with a naà ¯ve immune system are more prone to infectious disease. As the age advances, the various systems of the body start to function in an improved manner due to continuous development and exposure to external environment. Individuals of young age are less prone to the development of disease; however this is not a rule and it is likely that individuals develop certain conditions which are characteristic of young age, e.g. Acne is more common in the young age than at the extremes of ages. In the terminal part of the age, the waning function of the various systems of the body, render the individuals more prone to the development of disease. Gender has profound impact on the development or aggravation of disease. This complex effect is compounded by genetic factors, ultimately resulting in development of disease due to a complex interplay of the various factors that may include hormonal factors, immune status, dietary factors, ethnicity and various others. Physiological differences are closely related to genetic differences; for this reason the range of diseases that occur due to physiological difference are often closely related to

MICROFINANCE IN DEVELOPING ECONOMIES Dissertation

MICROFINANCE IN DEVELOPING ECONOMIES - Dissertation Example However, microfinance units cannot be equally successful in all economies, became they all have different demographics and social structures. Despite the fact that many nations have seen success following the inclusion of microfinance units, it cannot be established that all emerging nations would experience a similar degree of success. This present paper will examine the scope of success of microfinance units in Saudi Arabia through an examination of the profitability and efficiency of operations of these financial units in the economy. In most of cases it is an inefficient financial system which is found to be the prime reason behind the failure of microfinance units, which is why it is necessary to examine the extent to which the financial system of a nation is capable of bearing such a responsibility, before arriving at any conclusion. This paper will conclude that Saudi Arabian banks are currently in a poor state to make the microfinance movement a success. However, if necessary measures are undertaken, the trend could be reversed. Chapter 1 – Introduction 1.1 Definition and Brief History Microfinance institutions are responsible for boosting the social status of a poorer section of a nation’s population by providing financial assistance. Their prime function, however, is that of microcredit, which involves forwarding loans on a cooperative basis to groups of people so that no single individual is liable. This helps to reduce their burden substantially (Feigenberg, Field & Pande, 2010). Their popularity among the poorer sections of society, which comprise a major part of developing economies, has even spurred normal commercial banks to adopt some of their strategies. Microfinance institutions might be owned by government bodies or non-governmental ones, and they might also be involved in tasks other than forwarding credit to poorer sections of society (Consultative Group to Assist the Poor, 2011). The concept of microfinance has spread across the globe from a small region in Bangladesh where Muhammad Yunus, an economics professor at the University of Chittagong, advanced nearly $30 to a group of poor villagers. An important term of this loan was that the entire group as a whole stood liable for the debt, so that the burden was divided equally among the individuals in the group. The initial loan helped the villagers to generate a continual flow of future income and, eventually, sustain their respective households. When Yunus noted the importance of such loans advanced on cooperative terms, he decided to popularise the concept across Bangladesh. Such a measure was understood as an important stepping stone towards poverty eradication. Yunus initiated the construction of Grameen Bank in 1983,