Journal articles on the topic 'Group identity – Sri Lanka'
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1
Thurairajah, Kalyani. "“Who are we without the war?”: The evolution of the Tamil ethnic identity in post-conflict Sri Lanka." Ethnicities 20, no. 3 (May 12, 2019): 564–86. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/1468796819846960.
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Studies of post-conflict societies have often focused on inter-ethnic group dynamics following the end of conflict, specifically the process of reconciliation between groups, or resurgence of violence across groups. This paper focuses on intra-ethnic differences with respect to defining ethnic identity. This paper will examine how the end of the Sri Lankan ethnic conflict created cleavages amongst Sri Lankan Tamils with respect to how they define their ethnic identity and their ethnic group. Drawing upon 66 semi-structured interviews conducted in three regions of Sri Lanka, this paper presents three perspectives that were held among Tamils in post-conflict Sri Lanka. The first perspective was that the end of the ethnic conflict led to a loss in the fundamental tenets of the Tamil ethnic identity. The second perspective considered the promotion of a distinct Tamil ethnic identity to be a gateway to conflict. The third perspective articulated that the end of the ethnic conflict meant that the Tamil ethnic identity could move forward in a more cosmopolitan direction. The findings of this study demonstrate the importance of considering the social construction of ethnic identities, and their implications on post-conflict reconstruction.
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Jackson, Kenneth David. "Cant a Sen Vargonya." Journal of Pidgin and Creole Languages 2, no. 1 (January 1, 1987): 31–48. http://dx.doi.org/10.1075/jpcl.2.1.03jac.
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This study analyzes the oral traditions of Sri Lanka Creole Portuguese as a syncretism of European, African, and Asian sources, evidenced in literary themes, linguistic practice, and cultural traditions. Resulting musical, dramatic, and textual practices play a central role in defining tradition and maintaining group identity in the creole communities. Both the co-existence and the interrelationship of oral texts establish traditions which contribute to a system of creole culture that spread throughout Asia. References are primarily to Sri Lankan and Indian materials collected by scholars in the late nineteenth century and during my field work in the 1970s and 1980s. Sri Lankan verses refer to the east coast Burghers of Bat-ticaloa and Trincomalee and to the Kaffirs of Puttalam. This study also presents for the first time a unique source for data and comparative analysis from the H. Nevill collection at the British Library, which is an extensive manuscript of Sri Lankan Creole texts from the 1870s or 1880s written in Dutch orthography and including material subsequently published by Schuchardt, Dalgado, and others. The theoretical focus concerns the translation of European, African, and Asian materials into a Eurasian discourse that displaces the originals, creating a new textual system of Portuguese Creole oral materials in Asia. The texts that give definition to creole culture have proved remarkably persistent, surviving in Sri Lanka from the seventeenth century to the present.
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Ramakrishna, Kumar. "Deconstructing Buddhist Extremism: Lessons from Sri Lanka." Religions 12, no. 11 (November 5, 2021): 970. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/rel12110970.
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This article argues that it is not Buddhism, per se, but rather Buddhist extremism, that is responsible for violence against relevant out-groups. Moreover, it suggests that the causes of Buddhist extremism, rather than being determined solely by textual and scriptural justifications for out-group violence, are rooted instead in the intersection between social psychology and theology, rather than organically arising from the latter, per se. This article unpacks this argument by a deeper exploration of Theravada Buddhist extremism in Sri Lanka. It argues that religious extremism, including its Buddhist variant, is best understood as a fundamentalist belief system that justifies structural violence against relevant out-groups. A total of seven of the core characteristics of the religious extremist are identified and employed to better grasp how Buddhist extremism in Sri Lanka manifests itself on the ground. These are: the fixation with maintaining identity supremacy; in-group bias; out-group prejudice; emphasis on preserving in-group purity via avoidance of commingling with the out-group; low integrative complexity expressed in binary thinking; dangerous speech in both soft- and hard-modes; and finally, the quest for political power, by force if needed. Future research could, inter alia, explore how these seven characteristics also adequately describe other types of religious extremism.
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Rameez, A. "Challenges and Implications to Ethnic Identity of Minority Malays in Sri Lanka." Journal of Social Sciences Research, no. 54 (April 8, 2019): 1005–15. http://dx.doi.org/10.32861/jssr.54.1005.1015.
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Ethnicity of minority group shifts in a plural society with a strong influence of core ethnic groups and thus minorities give up their ethnic identity and become identified with the larger society. Although Malays in Sri Lanka constitute 0.3 % of total population and are dispersed widely throughout the country, the prospect of their integration with core ethnic groups is largely significant compared to other ethnic groups. Although much has been written about Malays and their genesis in the island, studies on integration of Malays and its implications on their ethnicity has suffered scholarly neglect for many years. Thus, this study examines the degree of integration of Malays with other ethnic groups in Sri Lanka and the factors contributing to endanger their ethnicity. This is a qualitative study consisting of observation, interviews and focus group discussion as data collection techniques. This study argues that high integration by Malays with other ethnic groups has significantly endangered their ethnicity. This is attributed to mixed educational and working environment, interspersed settlement, shared religion, and absence of prejudice and stereotype against Malays by others. It is assumed that the identity of Malays would be eroded in future if the present trend of integration persists in the community level.
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Rameez, A. "Challenges and Implications to Ethnic Identity of Minority Malays in Sri Lanka." Journal of Social Sciences Research, Special Issue 5 (December 15, 2018): 716–26. http://dx.doi.org/10.32861/jssr.spi5.716.726.
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Ethnicity of minority group shifts in a plural society with a strong influence of core ethnic groups and thus minorities give up their ethnic identity and become identified with the larger society. Although Malays in Sri Lanka constitute 0.3 % of total population and are dispersed widely throughout the country, the prospect of their integration with core ethnic groups is largely significant compared to other ethnic groups. Although much has been written about Malays and their genesis in the island, studies on integration of Malays and its implications on their ethnicity has suffered scholarly neglect for many years. Thus, this study examines the degree of integration of Malays with other ethnic groups in Sri Lanka and the factors contributing to endanger their ethnicity. This is a qualitative study consisting of observation, interviews and focus group discussion as data collection techniques. This study argues that high integration by Malays with other ethnic groups has significantly endangered their ethnicity. This is attributed to mixed educational and working environment, interspersed settlement, shared religion, and absence of prejudice and stereotype against Malays by others. It is assumed that the identity of Malays would be eroded in future if the present trend of integration persists in the community level.
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Laksmono, Miranti Dian. "The Position of Women in the Military: Ethnic Tamil Female Combatants in the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE)." Martabat: Jurnal Perempuan dan Anak 4, no. 2 (December 29, 2020): 239–50. http://dx.doi.org/10.21274/martabat.2020.4.2.239-250.
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This paper discusses various factors behind the ethnic Tamil women who decided to join the terrorist militia group, Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), in the northern and southeastern parts of Sri Lanka. In this discussion it is known that there are three factors that affect the decision of Tamil women to join the LTTE, namely: first, the existence of the Tamil community as an ethnic minority. Second, the occurrence of mass sexual violence and abuse among Tamil women, perpetuated by the Sri Lanka’s majority ethnic group. Finally, the decision of Tamil women to join LTTE is due to the pressure that structurally and culturally appears in communities in conflictual areas. Through these three factors, Tamil women then chose to leave their comfort zone and reconstructed their identity by joining the LTTE terrorist militia group. In this case, the involvement of female LTTE combatants in Sri Lanka is not only an attempt to eradicate negative views regarding femininity through military activities, but also a symbol of successful self-liberalization from the practice of gender oppression in conflict situations
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Abeysinghe, Nadeesha, and Ruwan Jayathilaka. "Factors influencing the timely completion of construction projects in Sri Lanka." PLOS ONE 17, no. 12 (December 15, 2022): e0278318. http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0278318.
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Timely completion is a crucial factor for the success of a construction project, especially in the Sri Lankan context. This study aims to identify the most influential factors that affect the timely completion of construction projects in Sri Lanka. Thirty-nine factors were identified through a comprehensive literature review and experts’ opinions. A questionnaire incorporating the 39 project delay factors was distributed among 163 Civil Engineers, and responses were obtained. Random sampling method was adopted to select the sample. The Relative Importance Index (RII) analysed and ranked the project delay factors. The top ranked significant project delay factors were identified as shortage of skilled subcontractors/suppliers, shortage of labourers (Skilled, semi-skilled, unskilled), financial difficulties of contractors, delay in delivering materials to the site, and Covid-19 pandemic situation. According to the main three respondent types, i.e., clients/owners, contractors and consultants, the contractor related factors was the key group among others that delay a construction project. The scientific value of the study includes assisting the Sri Lankan construction industry to identify the factors affecting the timely completion of construction projects, and developing mitigation methods and strategies. Also, the stakeholders could duly schedule the construction work by identifying areas that need more attention. The contribution of this study would assist stakeholders to adopt a proactive approach by identifying mistakes on their part and minimising potential issues that lead to construction project delays in Sri Lanka.
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Ukwatta, Wijayantha. "Develop the recruitment criteria for professionalisation of politicians: a focus to group study." Journal of Global Responsibility 8, no. 2 (September 11, 2017): 244–60. http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/jgr-02-2017-0012.
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Purpose The purpose of this study is to identify the fundamental elements necessary for formulating criteria to be used when recruiting politicians into the Sri Lankan political system with a view to professionalization. By means of a thorough examination of political practice issues, the paper focuses on the possibility of introducing the concept of political professionalization and endeavors to determine the prerequisite conditions needed to resolve or minimize those issues. Design/methodology/approach A total of 27 respondents: academics, clergy and journalists were purposively selected for this study and they were divided into three groups to enable data collection through focus group discussions. A thematic analysis method was used to analyze the data. Findings The main political practice problems were bribery and corruption, the misuse of state resources by politicians, the involvement of family in politics, and unscrupulous and unethical political campaigning. The majority of respondents cited greed for political power, low levels of education and an inadequate understanding of the parliamentary process as the leading factors which cause problems to arise in politics as practiced in Sri Lanka. The analysis revealed three main themes: “knowledge”, “skills” and “values”. Respondents recommended policy initiatives for political recruitment. Originality/value The findings suggested that the professionalization of political practice should be promoted by introducing knowledge C skills and values as criteria for political recruitment. And it also suggested that the introduction of professional political practice methods is vitally necessary to reduce political practice issues in the current political scenario of Sri Lanka.
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Susulovska, Solomia, Carolina Cantalapiedra-Navarrete, Andrij Susulovsky, Pablo Castillo, and Antonio Archidona-Yuste. "Morphological and molecular characterisation of Xiphinema ifacolum Luc, 1961 (Nematoda: Longidoridae) from Sri Lanka." Nematology 20, no. 10 (2018): 925–37. http://dx.doi.org/10.1163/15685411-00003187.
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Summary Females and juveniles from a population of Xiphinema ifacolum from Sri Lanka are described based on morphology, morphometrics and molecular analyses. Morphologically, females and juveniles from Sri Lanka are similar to original descriptions and other reports from Brazil, Cameroon, Liberia, and São Tomé and Príncipe. The identity of the species was also confirmed by 18S rRNA gene sequences deposited in NCBI from Brazil (AY297826). Integrative diagnosis was completed with molecular data using D2-D3 expansion segments of 28S rRNA, ITS1 region, partial 18S-rRNA and the partial mitochondrial gene cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 (coxI). This is the third molecular characterisation for a species of the X. non-americanum Group 4, after X. oleae and X. tica. The use of different ribosomal and mitochondrial markers in this study, particularly, D2-D3, ITS1 and partial coxI, provided a precise and unequivocal tool for the identification of X. ifacolum and contributes to a better knowledge of the diversity within Xiphinema. Morphospecies Group 4 appears to be a paraphyletic group within the X. non-americanum assemblage.
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De Costa, Merinnage Nelani. "Teaching and Learning of Queer Representation in Sri Lankan English Fiction: A Reception Study within Higher Education Institutions of Sri Lanka." Education Research International 2022 (August 28, 2022): 1–15. http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2022/3699260.
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Research related to reception studies on queer representation in fiction within higher education institutions (HEIs) is a vastly unexplored area in Sri Lanka. This study intends to fill the gap in existing research by prioritising the need to factor in receptors’ positions and practices in teaching and learning these works. This research aims to understand, deconstruct, and explore the varied positions and practices of receptors (lecturers and students) in the teaching and learning of a selected Sri Lankan English fiction, Funny Boy (1994) by Shyam Selvadurai at local universities. The contextual and pedagogical site selected includes three universities in the Western and Eastern provinces of Sri Lanka. The methodology of the study incorporates a qualitative research design to conduct a reception analysis. The primary data collection methods are in-depth interviews with three lecturers and two students and a focus group discussion with three students. The findings of this research identify and analyse the frames of reference, pedagogies, approaches, and strategies involved in the teaching and learning of the selected fictional work. These enable the analysis of varied reception positions and practices to explore their possibilities of incorporating critical and queer pedagogies to ensure a transformative learning experience within HEIs.
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ABESINGHE, AKILA, HIRANYA SUDASINGHE, ANJALIE AMARASINGHE, FAZLA FAREED, THARANI SENAVIRATHNA, and MADHAVA MEEGASKUMBURA. "The identity of the exotic Pterygoplichthys sailfin catfishes in Sri Lanka (Teleostei: Loricariidae)." Zootaxa 4852, no. 1 (September 14, 2020): 145–50. http://dx.doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.4852.1.10.
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Invasive alien species (IAS) are a major threat to biodiversity and have contributed to population declines in native species worldwide (Vilà et al. 2011; Gurevitch & Padilla 2004). IUCN’s Invasive Species Specialist Group lists some 80 invasive or potentially invasive species in Sri Lanka, which is part of a global biodiversity hotspot (Myers et al. 2000; Marambe et al. 2011). The major release of aquatic IAS on the island are routed through the ornamental-fish industry (Marambe et al. 2011; Sudasinghe 2016), though a minority represents deliberate, if unplanned, introductions by governmental and non-governmental agencies (Marambe et al. 2011).
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Liyanage, Chamodi, Kaushaka Athauda, Hesha Sendheera, Rochana Silva, and Vandana Dunuwila. "A Model to Manifest the Inadequacy of Awareness in Cyberbullying Among the Adolescents and to Accent Its Dire Need." SLIIT Business Review 01, no. 02 (December 1, 2021): 25–52. http://dx.doi.org/10.54389/vqal9153.
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Cyberbullying can be technologically expressed as the use of electronic communication to bully or threaten a person. It was identified that this has become a social debacle. Hence the research study was directed to identify the exact mean of cyberbullying, the reasons that lead to this cause, and how to prevent the victims getting exposed to this social dilemma. In Sri Lanka this subject was not majorly focused as a social issue, therefore the study was focused on the adolescents within the Sri Lankan context, as they are the major group of active users in social media. To identify the specific factors, previous research articles written by academicians were adopted throughout the study. The objective was to introduce a model that can be introduced as a mode of bringing awareness on the misuse of social media among adolescents. This study was based on qualitative techniques. Secondary and primary data were analysed through grounded theory and thematic analysis. The primary sources included an open-ended questionnaire and an in-depth interview while the secondary sources include the reviews of past literature. The Interviews conducted with Sri Lanka Computer emergency Readiness Team supported upon many findings of the study. With results gained from the interviews, it was clear that many adolescents were exposed to cyberbullying but somehow, they were unaware of the situations that they were exposed. As per the findings, a model was built that can be adopted to eliminate the malpractice amongst the social media users with proper awareness on the concept of cyberbullying. The level of awareness required in terms of Sri Lankan legal framework, the psychological instability residing among the minds of adolescents, and the technological illiteracy rate amongst the social media users are based for the identified model as the base of root causes in the study. Keywords: Cyberbullying, Adolescents, Electronic Communication, Technological Illiteracy, Legal Framework, Psychology
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Nanayakkara, Geethika N., and Eun-Ok Choi. "Knowledge gaps on HIV/AIDS among a group of nursing students in Sri Lanka." Journal of Nursing Education and Practice 10, no. 6 (March 22, 2020): 82. http://dx.doi.org/10.5430/jnep.v10n6p82.
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Objective: Prevalence of HIV is low in Sri Lanka. However, the incidence is rising gradually. Reducing stigmatization and discrimination of people living with HIV is important in health care settings. Nurses who have an important role in caring for HIV patients should have good knowledge to achieve this. The aim of this study was to identify the specific areas of knowledge deficit on HIV/AIDS among 2nd year nursing student in Sri Lanka.Methods: In-depth analysis of the knowledge component of the pretest responses of a study assessing the effectiveness of AIDS education program on nursing students’ AIDS knowledge and AIDS attitudes in Sri Lanka.Results: The results show poor knowledge of HIV and important knowledge gaps in areas of modes of transmission of HIV, mother to child transmission and universal precautions. Very high percentage believed they are at higher risk of contracting HIV due to the nature of their job, while the knowledge on post-exposure prophylaxis was poor.Conclusions: Correction of these knowledge gaps and improving knowledge on HIV/AIDS among nursing students is very important as they are going to be future nurses and they have a very important role in reducing the discrimination and stigmatization of people living with HIV.
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Adikaram, Arosha. "At their wits’ end? How divorced women cope with workplace harassment in Sri Lanka." Gender in Management: An International Journal 34, no. 6 (August 5, 2019): 489–509. http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/gm-10-2018-0123.
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Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine how and with what reasons, divorced women respond to harassment they face at work, within a patriarchal culture of stigma and prejudice about divorced women. This inquiry will be performed by integrating stigma-management and identity-management research with research on responding to and coping with harassment. Design/methodology/approach Using qualitative research methodology, semi-structured, in-depth interviews were carried out with 12 divorced working women. Findings Findings of the study illuminate the manner in which stigma management interacts with harassment coping/respond mechanisms in dynamic ways, leading to complex response strategies for divorced women, which can be broadly identified as stigma-focused response strategies and harassment-focused response strategies. A strategy typology – consisting of seven major quadrants and nine major strategies therein – is thus provided, explaining how divorced women struggle to maintain their identity and manage stigma while coping with harassment. Practical implications The paper point towards the need for organisations to be mindful of the struggles of stigmatised individuals in coping and responding to harassment, and their distinct situations and experiences in developing and implementing interventions such as training, awareness creation and policies on harassment. Originality/value While research on reaction to harassment is abundant, how divorced women – as a stigmatised and marginalised group of individuals in society – cope with harassment at work is almost non-existent. The present study fills this gap by exploring harassment responses at the nexus of stigma and identity management.
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Agampodi, Thilini, Neerodha Dharmasoma, Thushari Dissanayaka, Iresha Koralagedara, Janith Warnasekara, Rafael Pérez-Escamilla, and Suneth Agampodi. "Strengths and Barriers in Achieving “Green Status” of Breastfeeding; The Story of Frontline Health Care Workers in Sri Lanka." Current Developments in Nutrition 4, Supplement_2 (May 29, 2020): 151. http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/cdn/nzaa043_002.
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Abstract Objectives The achievements in breastfeeding in Sri Lanka are due to multiple factors and the work of frontline health care workers: public health midwives (PHMs) was crucial. Objective of this study is to explore the strengths and constraints of PHMs in optimizing breastfeeding practices in the Sri Lankan community. Methods We conducted a series of focus group discussions with PHMs in three different areas in Anuradhapura district Sri Lanka. Transcribed data were analyzed thematically to identify the types of strengths and constraints. Results Thirty six PHMs participated in the focus groups conducted. The well-established public health system that introduces and reinforce knowledge and skills on breastfeeding assured that mothers will adhere to the current recommendations on EBF. PHMs agreed on the support given by the hospital labor room, theatres and Lactation Management Center on early initiation and EBF. However, emphasis on attachment to breast rather than discharging a newborn on cup feeding was mentioned. PHMs devotion on establishing proper breastfeeding during the early postpartum home visits, the respect and acceptance of PHM by the mother and the community and the knowledge and skills they possess on breastfeeding counseling were highlighted. Irrational prescription of formula by medical practitioners, negative verbal comments by in-laws and unfavorable attitudes of mothers of high social class were seen as social obstacles to promote EBF. The PHMs seem to work with many barriers which could compromise care provision for mothers and children. Inability to attend for the home visit early due to scheduled work, the increased time needed to spent to counsel mothers and subsequent restriction of the daily duties, high population density and having to cover the vacant areas through out, excessive documentation work were problems needed to be addressed with regard to service enhancement. Conclusions The PHMs role is inevitable and Sri Lanka needs to enhance and facilitate service provision of grass root level health workers to optimize promotion, protection and support for EBF. Funding Sources No funding source.
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Gunawardena, Harinda, and Udaya Wickramasinghe. "Materialising Gender-fluidity through Fashion." Bolgoda Plains 01, no. 01 (October 2021): 08–09. http://dx.doi.org/10.31705/bprm.2021.7.
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As the final year comprehensive design project for the Honours Degree of Bachelor of Design, Department of Integrated Design, Faculty of Architecture, University of Moratuwa, I have selected a project which is based upon my own clothing brand. It is an emerging ready-to-wear clothing brand based in Sri Lanka, which was launched in August 2020 through the Colombo Fashion Week named “HARID”. Currently, HARID retails at the Design Collective store in Colombo for a consumer group based upon it. The brand philosophy of HARID is to challenge gender-related stereotypical concepts. As the brand identity, HARID uses heritage craft practices.
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Karthijekan, Karthikesu, and Ho Yu Cheng. "Effectiveness of a motivated, action-based intervention on improving physical activity level, exercise self-efficacy and cardiovascular risk factors of patients with coronary heart disease in Sri Lanka: A randomized controlled trial protocol." PLOS ONE 17, no. 7 (July 5, 2022): e0270800. http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0270800.
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Background Coronary heart disease (CHD), is the major contributor to cardiac-associated mortality worldwide. Lifestyle modification, including physical activity, is highly recommended for secondary prevention for patients with CHD. However, many people in Sri Lanka with CHD do not engage in adequate physical activity. Objective To develop a culture-specific, motivated, and action-based intervention and examine its effects on physical activity level, exercise self-efficacy, and cardiovascular risk factors among patients with CHD. Methods and materials This is an assessor-blinded randomized controlled trial that will recruit 150 patients with CHD from the inpatients cardiac unit of a hospital in Batticaloa, Sri Lanka, and will randomly assign them either to the intervention group or the control group. The participants in the intervention group will receive a culture-specific and motivated, action-based intervention in addition to the usual care, while participants in the control will only receive the usual care. The intervention consists of a face-to-face preparatory session and 12-week motivated, action-based sessions which were developed based on the health action process approach (HAPA) framework. The face-to-face preparatory session will identify the health needs of the participants, develop a goal-oriented patient-centered action plan, and provide knowledge and an overview of the program. The 12-week motivated, action-based sessions consist of three monthly group education and center-based group exercises, followed by three 20-min individualized telephone follow-ups. Outcomes will be assessed immediately after the intervention and at one-month post-intervention. Discussion This protocol proposes a supervised centered-based group exercise with group education, and individualized telephone follow-ups guided by the HAPA framework to improve the physical activity level, exercise self-efficacy, and cardiovascular risk factors of patients with CHD. Results from this study will inform the effectiveness of a motivated, action-based intervention in a low-resource setting and provide information on the feasibility, barriers, and facilitators for lifestyle modification in Sri Lanka. Trial registration ClinicalTrial.gov.org PRS: NCT05051774; Date of registration: September 21, 2021.
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Wijesekera, A. T., and R. Lalitha S. Fernando. "Ethical Leadership Measures for Public Service in Sri Lanka." International Business Research 11, no. 7 (June 15, 2018): 106. http://dx.doi.org/10.5539/ibr.v11n7p106.
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A lack of concern on ethics in public administration may be considered the biggest barrier to quality service delivery. Many efforts have been made to promote ethical standards between public servants. Among those efforts, improving leadership skills can prove to be effective in promoting ethics in public service (Hart 2001).Therefore, ethical leadership behavior is very vital as that ensures ethical guidance. In order to identify the ethical leadership behavior of the public sector, customized measures are essential. This study describes the process of development of a 30-item instrument for measuring ethical leadership behavior in the public service with reference to Divisional Secretariats in Sri Lanka. According to Hinkin's (1998) recommendations in items generating both qualitative and quantitative methods were utilized. First observed the articles which were published related to ethical leadership and examined to find items and dimensions. A focus group discussion was conducted with 20 in-depth interviews to generate additional items to determine whether additional dimensions of ethical leadership would emerge. Based on these two steps, the researcher found 30-items with five dimensions. They were fairness, employee orientation, role clarification, integrity and ethical guidance. These 30-items were included in a questionnaire and a quantitative study was undertaken with 100 respondents employed in the Divisional Secretariats within Gampatha District. Reliability test and factor analysis were used to ensure reliability and validity of this measures. Finally, these 30-items were loaded to four dimensions. Such as people orientation, integrity, ethical guidance and role clarification.
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WATT, MELISSA H., BILESHA PERERA, TRULS ØSTBYE, SHYAMA RANABAHU, HARSHINI RAJAPAKSE, and JOANNA MASELKO. "Care-giving expectations and challenges among elders and their adult children in Southern Sri Lanka." Ageing and Society 34, no. 5 (January 8, 2013): 838–58. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0144686x12001365.
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ABSTRACTThe elderly population in Sri Lanka is growing rapidly. Elders are traditionally cared for in the homes of their adult children, but the shifting socio-economic environment in Sri Lanka challenges this arrangement. This paper describes the dynamics of elder–care-giver relationships in Southern Sri Lanka. Data included four focus group discussions and five in-depth interviews with elderly, and ten in-depth interviews with adult children of the elderly. Discussion guide topics included care-giving arrangements, and roles/responsibilities of elders and care-givers. Using a grounded theory approach, a comprehensive analytic memo was developed and discussed to explore emerging themes on the care-giver dynamic. Both elders and care-givers felt that elders should be taken care of in the home by their children. They pointed to a sense of duty and role modelling of parental care-giving that is passed down through generations. Even as elders desired support from their children, they feared losing their independence, and saw financial autonomy as important for maintaining relationship balance. Care-giving challenges included: households where both the adult child and his/her spouse worked outside the home; households where elders had a disproportionate amount of household work; economically stressed households; and lack of direct communication between elders and care-givers regarding conflicts. Results point to strong values around caring for elderly in the home, but identify challenges to this arrangement in the future.
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Perera, Clifford. "Management of Dead in Mass Disasters: A Review of Sri Lankan Perspectives since 2004." Prehospital and Disaster Medicine 34, s1 (May 2019): s147—s148. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s1049023x19003297.
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Introduction:Sri Lanka has experienced a multitude of natural and man-made disasters during the last five decades. Man-made destructions were common during the 30-year-long conflict period. Though the local system in the country was able to manage the dead in such circumstances, the South-Asian tsunami in 2004 highlighted the limitations and deficiencies of the system that was in place to handle the management of the dead during major disasters. Though the first Disaster Management Act was introduced in 2005, it has no mentioning regarding management of dead in mass disasters. Inappropriate handling of the dead could hinder the establishment of the identity of the dead, loss of valuable forensic evidence, and dignified burial. Hence, the families could experience difficulties in calming insurances and inheritance, resulting in economic hardships. In this backdrop, the forensic community strongly felt the necessity of stipulating best practices in managing dead.Aim:To critically assess the measures taken to improve the standards of managing dead in mass disasters in Sri Lanka over the past 15 years.Methods:The process of drafting guidelines for management of dead was initiated with a series of consultative meetings with the Disaster Preparedness and Response Unit of the Ministry of Health, the Disaster Management Centre (DMC) and the Institute of Forensic Medicine and Toxicology (IFMT) in collaboration with the College of Forensic Pathologists of Sri Lanka. A working group representing forensic and legal experts, military, police, fire brigade department, and disaster management were involved in drafting these guidelines. Further guidelines for the effective conduct of mass burials following mass disasters were also prepared and published in 2007.Discussion:Despite all these efforts the efficacy of managing dead in recent mass disasters is still far from satisfactory.
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Jayasinghe, H. D. R. P., M. Riswan, and P. Ishaq. "Water Scarcity in Aligambai Village, Alayadivembu Divisional Secretariat, Sri Lanka." Shanlax International Journal of Arts, Science and Humanities 8, no. 3 (January 1, 2021): 6–12. http://dx.doi.org/10.34293/sijash.v8i3.3502.
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The scarcity of drinking water creates major impacts on the rural community, in particular. The people living in Aligambai have been facing numerous problems in getting a safe drinking water supply, even for their daily drinking purpose. This paper sets out to identify the contributing factors toward water scarcity and how to cope with it by increasing water productivity as an integrated approach in the study area. This study is a combination of research methods; quantitative and qualitative data collection techniques. It is built on the premise of the cultural theory, which can be used to study water scarcity issues in rural water points. Mainly, it tries to understand the gap between the performance of the rural water supply sector and the SDG Goal 6: ‘water & sanitation for all’ through networking with pluralist institutions and mechanisms. Research methods, such as interviews with key informants, direct observations, and Focus Group discussions, have been employed for the study. The secondary data were collected from the Aligambai Resource Profile, records from the GND/DS office, and the statistical records from the National Water Supply & Drainage Board. This study found that water scarcity has affected the community in terms of life and livelihood activities in Aligambai. Therefore, it tries to bring out potential solutions to coping with water scarcity by suggesting measures for water productivity at all levels through an integrated approach in the study area.
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BATUWITA, SUDESH, and ROHAN PETHIYAGODA. "Rediscovery of the Sri Lankan ‘house gecko’ Hemidactylus pieresii Kelaart (Reptilia: Gekkonidae) with a redescription of Hemidactylus depressus Gray." Zootaxa 3359, no. 1 (June 28, 2012): 17. http://dx.doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.3359.1.2.
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Hemidactylus pieresii Kelaart, a species first described from Kandy, Sri Lanka, in 1852 but not recorded since, is redescribedfrom two recently-discovered populations, one at the type locality and another in the rainforests of the island’s south-westernlowlands. It is shown to be similar to H. depressus (in the synonymy of which it has been since 1935), from which it is distin-guished by the possession of 53–58 (vs. 35–41) paravertebral tubercles, 17–19 (vs. 13–16) longitudinal rows of middorsaltubercles, possessing relatively small (vs. large) and closely (vs. widely) spaced middorsal tubercles, 1–3 (vs. no) postcloacalspurs, chocolate-brown (vs. light brown) coloration in life, and nape with distinct black longitudinal stripes (vs. without blackstripes). Hemidactylus pieresii, a member of the H. brooki group, is distinguished from all species of Hemidactylus in Sri Lankaand peninsular India by the combination of the following additional characters: maximum snout-vent length 79.2 mm; ventralscales across midbody, 32–39; dorsal scales heterogeneous; ventral scales smooth, with 3 serrae; precloacal-femoral pores17–20 on each side, separated mesially by 1–3 poreless scales; subcaudals smooth, the median row enlarged; supralabials toangle of jaws, 11 or 12; subdigital lamellae on digit IV of pes, 10 or 11; general body colour chocolate-brown; nape with dis-tinct black longitudinal stripes. The identity of H. pieresii is stabilized through the designation of a neotype. Unlike most otherspecies of Hemidactylus, H. pieresii appears to be restricted to rainforests. Hemidactylus depressus is also redecribed from freshly collected material from Sri Lanka and its syntype BMNH RR1962.190 (65.6 mm SVL) is designated lectotype.
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Heiyanthuduwage, Thilini Madushika, Samanmali P. Sumanasena, Gopi Kitnasamy, Hayley Smithers Sheedy, Gulam Khandaker, Romaniya Fernando, Saraji Wijesekara, et al. "Protocol for the Sri Lankan Cerebral Palsy Register pilot study." BMJ Open 10, no. 8 (August 2020): e039353. http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2020-039353.
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IntroductionCerebral palsy (CP) describes a heterogeneous group of motor disorders resulting from disturbance in the developing brain. CP occurs in approximately 2.1 per 1000 live births in high-income countries, but in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) the prevalence and severity of CP may be greater and aetiological risk factors different. In Sri Lanka, a LMIC, there have been no epidemiological studies of CP to date. Systematically collected data are required to identify opportunities for primary and secondary prevention, to plan and establish services to support children and adults with CP and their families and to act as a sampling frame for new research. Here we describe a pilot study protocol for a CP register in Sri Lanka.Methods and analysisThe aim of this study is to establish a CP register in Sri Lanka. We will use different surveillance methodologies in two provinces of Sri Lanka: hospital and community surveillance in the Western Province and community surveillance in the Eastern Province. A common record form will collect demographic, clinical and service data for children with CP <18 years living in these two provinces. Data will be transferred to a secure online data repository and used to describe the epidemiology of CP in these regions. We will describe the strengths and challenges of the surveillance mechanisms and estimate the resources required for ongoing hospital and community based surveillance in the Western and Eastern provinces and to include additional provinces across the country.Ethics and disseminationThis study has ethical clearance from The University of Kelaniya, National Health Research Council, the Institutional Ethics Review Committee of the Lady Ridgeway Hospital, Colombo South Teaching Hospital and the Director of the North Colombo Teaching Hospital. Results from this research will be disseminated through local and international conferences and through publications in peer-reviewed journals.
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THAMBUGALA, KASUN, DINUSHANI DARANAGAMA, SAGARIKA KANNANGARA, and THENUKA KODITUWAKKU. "Revealing the endophytic mycoflora in tea (Camellia sinensis) leaves in Sri Lanka: the first comprehensive study." Phytotaxa 514, no. 3 (August 17, 2021): 247–60. http://dx.doi.org/10.11646/phytotaxa.514.3.5.
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Endophytic fungi are a diverse group of microorganisms that live asymptomatically in healthy tissues of host and they have been reported from all kinds of plant tissues such as leaves, stems, roots, flowers, and fruits. In this study, fungal endophytes associated with tea leaves (Camellia sinensis) were collected from Kandy, Kegalle, and Nuwara Eliya districts in Sri Lanka and were isolated, characterized, and identified. A total of twenty endophytic fungal isolates belonging to five genera were recovered and ITS-rDNA sequence data were used to identify them. All isolated endophytic fungal strains belong to the phylum Ascomycota and the majority of these isolates were identified as Colletotrichum species. Phyllosticta capitalensis was the most commonly found fungal endophyte in tea leaves and was recorded in all three districts where the samples were collected. This is the very first investigation on fungal endophytes associated with C. sinensis in Sri Lanka based on molecular sequence data. In addition, a comprehensive account of known endophytic fungi reported worldwide on Camellia sinensis is provided.
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Bourk, Michael. "‘A Makara-like Wave Came Crashing’: Sri Lankan Narratives of the Boxing Day Tsunami." Media International Australia 141, no. 1 (November 2011): 49–57. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/1329878x1114100107.
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The Boxing Day tsunami in 2004 brought widespread loss of life and destruction to most of the coastal communities of Sri Lanka. Communities attempting to make sense of the natural disaster and subsequent destruction struggle to describe such unusual and cataclysmic events, which can transform benign physical local environments into disaster zones. Natural disasters force people to rethink the relationship between culture and nature, often using the bricolage of available signs and concepts. This case study uses data from Sri Lankan English-language newspapers, in-depth interviews and a focus group to identify prominent themes in the recollections of the tsunami and its aftermath. Four themes are drawn primarily from oral narratives of a small coastal community near Galle in the south: monster and monsterisation of victims; metaphysical reciprocity; reconsideration of mythical events; and unique corporeality. Arguably, these themes resonate to varying degrees with descriptive and explanatory force to facilitate psychological recovery for those affected. The findings suggest that communities affected by natural disasters make sense of traumatic events through descriptions and narratives that give symbolic and/or ideological agency to events in an effort to rationalise them and restore order to people's lives and place in the universe.
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Davis, Christina P. "Muslims in Sri Lankan language politics: A study of Tamil- and English-medium education." International Journal of the Sociology of Language 2018, no. 253 (August 28, 2018): 125–47. http://dx.doi.org/10.1515/ijsl-2018-0026.
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Abstract Sri Lanka is a conflict-ridden postcolonial nation-state that was ravaged by a civil war. Largely excluded from mainstream representations of the ethnic conflict, Muslims constitute the country’s second largest minority group. In contrast to Sinhalas and Tamils, they define their ethnic identities on the basis of religion rather than language. In this article, I draw on research at a multilingual government school to explore how Muslim teachers and students made sense of Tamil- and English-medium education in relation to ethnic, religious, and class differences. I investigate how Tamil-medium Muslim teachers responded to critiques of their speech by asserting that their heterogeneous linguistic practices were inextricably connected to their distinct ethno-religious identities. Muslim students’ lack of fit with the ethnolinguistic affiliations presupposed by the school enabled them to embrace English-medium education. However, the English bilingual program complicated Muslims’ narratives of identity by underscoring the relevance of English to class dispositions. I argue that English impacts the fraught relations of Tamil and Sinhala to ethnopolitical identities and mediates everyday social relations.
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Amarasinghe, Hemantha, Nilantha Ratnayake, Sajeeva Ranaweera, Thirupathy Suveendran, and Palitha Abeyakoon. "Qualitative analysis to identify determinants of use among different occupational settings and channels of communication to address smokeless tobacco use in Sri Lanka." PLOS Global Public Health 3, no. 1 (January 4, 2023): e0001349. http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pgph.0001349.
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Smokeless tobacco (SLT) use is a leading cause for oral and pharyngeal cancers in the Southeast Asian region which leads to considerable morbidity and mortality. This study aims to Identify the determinants of use and channels of communication to address smokeless tobacco use among specific user groups in Sri Lanka. The study uses a qualitative approach with purposive, snowballing sampling among groups. Specific high-risk demographic and occupational groups that are known to have high prevalence of SLT use were identified in five of the 25 administrative districts of Sri Lanka, were approached. Sixty-two in-depth interviews and 10 focus group discussions were carried out among different occupational groups in five districts. Thematic analysis coding each reported determinants and communication methods was carried out. Users of SLT of different groups revealed different determinants of use. Some of the determinants were common to several groups. When investigated the preferred methods to address SLT, it is found that the media use was also different among these groups. All preferred group level awareness programmes to individual level awareness programmes. Most groups watch specific television channels at specific times of the day. Most groups stated that they accepted the messages of religious leaders and cancer victim groups. Radio and newspapers were used rarely by these groups that were studied. Smart phones were used only by urban youth and others used basic mobile phones only for calling. Different risk groups were identified allowing preparation of an overall communication approach to address use of SLT. The findings here Identify determinants of use and the communication approaches that can be used to prepare an effective communication strategy to address SLT use among different and sometimes hidden groups in resource poor settings in low a middle-income country.
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Munasinghe, A. A. S. N. "Brand Personification: A Study on Humanizing Personal Care Products in Sri Lanka." International Business Research 12, no. 2 (January 11, 2019): 21. http://dx.doi.org/10.5539/ibr.v12n2p21.
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In the context of marketing communications where the concern is to create effective brand promotions, associating a brand with the personality of the consumers commonly known brand personification has become one of the most prominent aspects over recent years. In the process of designing the message, incorporating an appeal where the brand is associated to a human-like character is called the humanization of brands in advertising. There, the brand focuses on attracting the consumers with a reflection of the consumer’s personality in the brand being promoted. This strategy becomes thousand times more attractive to those products which are closely associated with the consumers. Thus, humanizing a brand alone isn’t sufficient, while humanizing them in the appropriate appealing manner is much more vital. Hence, this research will mainly be focusing on identifying the most suitable personality dimension to be associated for some of the top of mind personal care brands in Sri Lanka. The research approach, which takes the form of both quantitative and qualitative follows the use of multiple sources of data collection methods. The qualitative aspect clarifies the initial stage with the identification of the top of mind personal care brands and the personality dimensions which are closely associated with the targeted group. The quantitative aspect of the study is satisfied via the data gathered through a self-administered questionnaire developed by the researcher. The study then focuses upon an in-depth statistical analysis with the application of the Kruskal Wallis H Test followed by the Nemeyni Post Hoc test to identify the most suitable personality dimension to be associated with each brand in the humanizing them. The findings reveal some interesting facts over the consumer’s preferred dimensions to be reflected on those brands.
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Imtiyaz, A. R. M. "The Easter Sunday Bombings and the Crisis Facing Sri Lanka’s Muslims." Journal of Asian and African Studies 55, no. 1 (August 15, 2019): 3–16. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0021909619868244.
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This paper primarily examines the Easter Sunday bombing plotted and executed by a group of Sri Lankan Muslims and post-war Sri Lankan conditions among Sri Lankan Muslims, also known as Moors. The article will attempt to argue that (a) the post-war violence and organized Islamophobia among non-Muslim communities in general and the Sinhalese in particular increased fears and distrust among Sri Lankan Muslims in general; and (b) state concessions to Muslim political leaders, who supported successive Sri Lankan ruling classes from independence through the defeat of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in 2009, have meant an isolation of the community from the other two main ethnic communities. The concessions that the Muslim community has won actively helped the Muslim community to be proactive in its religious practices and thus paved the way for exclusive social and political choices. The rise of Islamic movements and mosques in the post-1977 period galvanized Muslims. In time this isolation has been reinforced by socio-religious revival among Muslims whose ethnic identity has been constructed along the lines of the Islamic faith by Muslim elites. Despite this revival it has been clear that the Muslim community has been reluctant to use Islamic traditions and principles for peace building, which could have helped to ease tensions, brought about by the 30-year-old ethnic conflict. Finally, some pragmatic ways to ease tensions between Muslims and non-Muslims in the greater discipline of conflict resolution are explored using traditions within Islam.
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Gilbert, Emily, Jodie Avery, Rebeccah Bartlett, Sandra Campbell, Anju Joham, Alice Rumbold, and Jacqueline Boyle. "The Prevalence of Clinical Characteristics of Polycystic Ovary Syndrome among Indigenous Women: A Systematic Search and Review of the Literature." Seminars in Reproductive Medicine 39, no. 03/04 (July 2021): 078–93. http://dx.doi.org/10.1055/s-0041-1730021.
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AbstractPolycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is the most common endocrine disorder among reproductive-aged women; however, to date there has been no synthesis of the burden of PCOS specifically among indigenous women. We aimed to systematically identify and collate studies reporting prevalence and clinical features of PCOS among indigenous women worldwide. We performed a comprehensive search of six databases (Ovid MEDLINE, MEDLINE In Process & Other Non-Indexed Citations, EMBASE, EBM reviews, CINAHL, and SCOPUS) supplemented by gray literature searches and the screening of reference lists. A narrative synthesis was conducted. Fourteen studies met inclusion criteria; however, one was excluded as it assessed only children and adolescents younger than 15 years, with limited clinical relevance. Studies examined indigenous women from Australia, Sri Lanka, New Zealand, and the United States. Prevalence of PCOS was reported in only four studies and ranged from 3.05% for women in Sri Lanka to 26% for women in Australia. All included studies reported on at least one clinical feature of PCOS. Of the studies that reported on a comparison group from the same country, there was evidence of more severe features in indigenous women from New Zealand and the United States. The limited evidence available warrants further investigation of the burden of PCOS in indigenous women to build the knowledge base for effective and culturally relevant management of this condition.
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Palliyaguru, Roshani, Dilanthi Amaratunga, and Richard Haigh. "IMPACT OF INTEGRATING DISASTER RISK REDUCTION PHILOSOPHIES INTO INFRASTRUCTURE RECONSTRUCTION PROJECTS IN SRI LANKA." Journal of Civil Engineering and Management 18, no. 5 (September 28, 2012): 685–700. http://dx.doi.org/10.3846/13923730.2012.723322.
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Major impacts on infrastructures due to natural and man-made hazards could result in secondary and additional impacts, compounding the problem for those communities already affected by the hazard. Integration of disaster risk reduction (DRR) philosophies into infrastructure projects has been an important solution to mitigate and prevent such disaster risks, as well as for a speedy recovery after disasters. “Vulnerability reduction” is defined by the research community as an enabler which facilitates the process of DRR. However, there is a research need to identify the most beneficial DRR strategies that would result in vulnerability reduction in an effective way. As part of this main aim, this paper seeks to explore the nature of various vulnerabilities within infrastructure reconstruction projects and their respective communities and to evaluate the DRR practises within these projects. Finally the paper attempts to map the effects of integration of DRR into infrastructure reconstruction on vulnerability reduction of infrastructure reconstruction projects and the communities which benefited from such projects. This study adopts the case study approach and the paper is entirely based on data collated from semi-structured interviews and a questionnaire survey conducted within one case study (a water supply and sanitation reconstruction project) in Sri Lanka and expert interviews conducted in Sri Lanka and the United Kingdom. Results reveal that emergency preparedness strategies are the most important group of DRR strategies, while physical/technical strategies are also very important. However, none of the emergency preparedness strategies are satisfactorily implemented, while most of the physical/technical strategies are adequately implemented.
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Weerasinghe, Manjula, Flemming Konradsen, Michael Eddleston, Melissa Pearson, Shaluka Jayamanne, David Gunnell, Keith Hawton, and Suneth Agampodi. "Potential Interventions for Preventing Pesticide Self-Poisoning by Restricting Access Through Vendors in Sri Lanka." Crisis 39, no. 6 (November 2018): 479–88. http://dx.doi.org/10.1027/0227-5910/a000525.
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Abstract. Background: In South Asia, up to one in five individuals who use pesticides for self-harm purchase them immediately prior to the event. Aims: From reviewing the literature we proposed four interventions: (a) farmer identification cards (ID); (b) prescriptions; (c) cooling-off periods; and (d) training pesticide vendors. We aimed to identify the most promising intervention. Method: The study was conducted in Sri Lanka. We mapped stakeholders' interest and power in relation to each intervention, and followed this by a ranking exercise. Seven focus group discussions (FGDs) were conducted to assess facilitators and barriers to implementation. Results: Vendor training was the most supported intervention, being ranked first by the stakeholders. The participants in the FGDs strongly supported training of vendors as it was seen to be easy to implement and was considered more convenient. Farmer IDs, prescriptions, and cooling-off periods were thought to have more barriers than facilitators and they were strongly opposed by end users (farmers and vendors), who would potentially block their implementation. Limitations: Cost considerations for implementing the proposed intervention were not considered. Conclusion: Training vendors might be the most appropriate intervention to restrict sales of pesticides to people at risk of suicidal behavior. This requires field testing.
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Hettiarachchi, Chamara J., Prabath Priyankara, Takehiro Morimoto, and Yuji Murayama. "Participatory GIS-Based Approach for the Demarcation of Village Boundaries and Their Utility: A Case Study of the Eastern Boundary of Wilpattu National Park, Sri Lanka." ISPRS International Journal of Geo-Information 11, no. 1 (December 30, 2021): 17. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/ijgi11010017.
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This study examines spatial knowledge of the local community and the participatory resource mapping (PRM) approach to demarcate land boundaries in the eastern boundary of Wilpattu National Park, Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka has four types of major administrative boundaries, namely, provinces, districts, divisional secretariat divisions (DSD), and Grama Niladari (GN) divisions. The smallest community segments are clustered inside each GN division. The lack of proper demarcation of these smallest community segments, called ‘villages’, has been identified as a significant issue when implementing community development plans and applications in government and non-government projects. Thus, the deliverables of community-based projects become less effective. The objective of this study was to explore means of demarcating land boundaries, to separately identify small community segments using participatory GIS (PGIS) techniques. The study was conducted covering 12 GN divisions adjoining the eastern border of Wilpattu National Park (WNP). The methods used included PGIS interviews and group discussions with PRM steps. Overall, around 100 selected community members, spread across 12 GN divisions, were chosen to participate in the study. Community society meetings were conducted in each village, and essential topographic information in the area was collected with the knowledge of local society members and GIS tools. Later, this was digitized and verified to improve the presentation and accuracy of the results. As a result, the study could identify villages in each GN division, while generating more precise digital maps. Through this study, it can be confirmed that PGIS has remarkable potential in land use planning applications. The study further shows the potential of the application of PGIS in community-based projects and their deliverables to the community, and in enhancing community education on spatial thinking and planning, while facilitating community empowerment and innovation.
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Maddumage, Shanshika Pramodini, Sameera Madusanka Withanage, and Asha Hansika Wettasinghe. "Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic on Physical Activity Level and Lifestyle Changes among Undergraduates of Faculty of Medicine, University of Colombo, Sri Lanka: A Cross Sectional Study." International Journal of Science and Healthcare Research 7, no. 1 (March 25, 2022): 300–306. http://dx.doi.org/10.52403/ijshr.20220144.
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Background: COVID-19 pandemic and related lockdown could prevent students from achieving the recommended levels of physical activity due to home confinement and it also could lead to changes in lifestyle related behaviour. University students are already known as a risk group for physical inactivity. Thus, the aim of this study was to identify physical activity levels and lifestyle changes during COVID-19 pandemic among undergraduate medical and physiotherapy students of University of Colombo, Sri Lanka. Methods: A web-based survey was used, which consisted of questions from short form of International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ - SF) and lifestyle related behaviour questionnaire. Results: A total of 349 participants (age= 22.59±1.96, n =141; 40.4 % males and n=208; 59.6 % females) completed the questionnaire. According to the IPAQ categorical score 49.9% were physically inactive and the mean weekly total metabolic equivalent (MET) minutes of the population was 1018.20±1271.13. A significant increase in sitting and screen time during the COVID-19 pandemic were found in 68.5 % of participants. The mean sitting time and screen time were 7.50±5.21 and 7.09±3.43 hours per day. A slight increase in stress and anxiety levels and sleeping hours were reported by 32.4 % and 41.5% of participants respectively while 31.5 % reported a slight decrease in consumption of junk food. Conclusion: An overall increase in physical inactivity such as reduced exercises, increased sitting and screen time were observed among study participants. Promotional educational strategies should include the development and implementation of interventions that promote active lifestyle behaviors during the COVID-19 pandemic. Keywords: Physical activity, COVID-19, lockdown, lifestyle, Sri Lanka, undergraduates.
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Somasundaram, Noel, Ishara Ranathunga, Kavinga Gunawardana, Muneer Ahamed, Dileepa Ediriweera, C. N. Antonypillai, and Nishan Kalupahana. "High Prevalence of Overweight/Obesity in Urban Sri Lanka: Findings from the Colombo Urban Study." Journal of Diabetes Research 2019 (November 22, 2019): 1–9. http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2019/2046428.
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Background. South Asian countries face a double burden of malnutrition characterized by high prevalence of underweight, overweight, and obesity. Understanding the distribution of this public health problem is important to tailor targeted interventions for communities. The objective of the current study was to find out the prevalence of obesity in urban Sri Lanka and to identify sociodemographic factors associated with it. Methods. Adult males and females residing in an urban government division of the Colombo District in Sri Lanka were included in this study (Colombo Urban Study). Stratified simple random sampling was used to select a sample of 463 from the total population. Sociodemographic data using an interviewer-administered questionnaire, anthropometric measurements, and serum samples were obtained for investigations. Results. When the global BMI cutoffs were applied, the community prevalences of underweight, normal weight, overweight, and obesity were 7.7%, 39.6%, 37.0%, and 15.8%, respectively. When the Asian BMI cutoffs were applied, the respective prevalences were 7.7%, 26.8%, 34.3%, and 31.2%. The community prevalence for abdominal obesity was 58.1% when using Asian cutoffs. Females had a higher prevalence of both obesity and abdominal obesity. There was an ethnic difference in obesity rates with Moors having the highest rates (65.5%) followed by Sinhalese (52.3%) and Tamils (40.2%). The highest obesity prevalence was observed in the most educated group. Multiple regression analysis showed that high BMI was associated with female gender and family history of hypertension. Serum LDL negatively associated with BMI while the strength of this relationship was impacted by serum HBA1c levels. Finally, serum triglyceride level showed positive association with BMI, and the effect was more marked in Moors compared to Sinhalese. Conclusion. Two-thirds of adults in the studied urban population were overweight or obese. This highlights the urgent need for interventions to curb this epidemic. The gender, ethnic differences in obesity, its associations with educational status, and the interactions with metabolic comorbidities indicate that these interventions may need to be targeted towards different groups in the population.
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Kapilawanse, Saman, R. P. Bichha, Sudath Samaraweera, Nirupa Pallewatte, Harshni Vitharana, Wasantha Jayakody, and M. Gangathesewaran. "Tuberculosis Among Young People on Rise in Sri-Lanka (An Analysis of Trend and Associated Factors)." SAARC Journal of Tuberculosis, Lung Diseases and HIV/AIDS 14, no. 2 (March 13, 2018): 18–30. http://dx.doi.org/10.3126/saarctb.v14i2.19334.
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Introduction: A descriptive cross sectional study was carried out in 5 randomly selected districts i.e Gampaha, Kandy, Badulla, Nuwara Eliya and Ratnapura during the period of March to September 2014. The general objective of the study was to describe the trend of TB among young population over past 6 years in Sri Lanka and to determine contributory factors associated with TB among young population.Methodology: The study was carried out in two stages. The first stage was analysis of the trend of TB over the 6 year period of 2008-2014. The analysis of the trend was carried out using the existing secondary data at the Medical Records Division of the National Programme for Tuberculosis Control and Chest Diseases (NPTCCD). Trend was analyzed for new cases of TB patients of 15--34 years of age and separately for 15-24 and 25-34 age groups and for each type of new TB cases. The second stage was a descriptive cross sectional study which was carried out to determine the associated factors. All the patients (new/ retreatment)in age group of 15-34 years and registered at the selected district chest clinics with confi rmed TB were selected as the study subjects. Operational Definitions were used to identify confi rmed TB cases ie, Sputum smear positive TB, smear negative pulmonary TB and Extra pulmonary TB. The data were collected using a pre tested interviewer administered questionnaire by the District Tuberculosis Control Officers attached to the relevant District Chest Clinics.Result: The main findings of the study were, The two peaks of TB incidence were observed in the trend across age groups and first one was in the age group of 25-34 years second peak in the age group of 45-54.Overall trend of TB in the country is more towards the older age groups (over 45 years), but shift to younger age groups were observed in 15 out of 16 districts in the country. A total of 223 patients were included in the descriptive study. The highest proportion (34%) of study population was from the district of Gampaha while least proportion (10%) of it was from Nuwara Eliya. Nearly 53% of the study population was above 25 years of age with the sex ratio of 1:1. A majority (68%) of the study population was Sinhalese while nearly 70% of the study population has passed the O/L, A/L, Diploma or a degree. About one third of the study population was unemployed. Nearly half (50.4%) of the study population was having monthly income of about Rs. 20,000.00 or above. 31% of the study population were current or past alcohol consumers and 29% were smokers and 7% of the study population were current or past cannabis consumers. Majority (77%) of the study population were under-nourished while 14% of them were less than 15 kg/m2. Nearly three fourth (72%) of the study population have been diagnosed by a consultant. Statistically signifi cant associations were found between the age category and more than 3 family members (χ2=5.063, df=1, p<0.017), ethnicity (χ2=4.229, df=1, p<0.04), employment category (χ2=13.859, df=3, p<0.003). Statistically significant associations were not found between the age category and residing district (χ2=5.962, df=4, p<0.202) and type of house (χ2=1.875, df=1, p<0.110),Conclusion: The study recommends more detailed assessment regarding the dietary habits of the patients, Emphasis on community awareness regarding nutritional aspects. Improving the nutritional status among adolescents and young adults. Modification of risky life style factors, Improvement of socio economic status through enhancement of financial stability, minimizing overcrowding and improvement of housing conditions and involving of non NTP health care providers and health professionals for TB diagnosis and management through capacity building and awareness. SAARC Journal of Tuberculosis, Lung Diseases and HIV/AIDS, Vol. 14, No. 2, 2017, Page: 18-30
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Mikunthan, G. "First Report of Web Blotch of Peanut Caused by Phoma arachidicola in the Dry Zone of Sri Lanka." Plant Disease 81, no. 7 (July 1997): 832. http://dx.doi.org/10.1094/pdis.1997.81.7.832a.
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Foliar symptoms of web blotch were observed on some peanut cultivars (Arachis hypogaea L.) grown in the Kilinochchi district in the dry zone of Sri Lanka during October 1993 to January 1994, following heavy rains (mean relative humidity 79 to 85%, mean temperature 25 to 27°C). Severe symptoms appeared on peanut cultivars ICGS 11 and ICGS 121. Cultivar ICGS 11 belongs to the Spanish group (A. hypogaea subsp. fastigiata var. vulgaris) and ICGS 121 belongs to bunch type (A. hypogaea subsp. hypogaea var. hypogaea). Initial symptoms of small, irregular, brown to reddish brown lesions along the midrib of both young and old leaves were observed. Large, nearly circular tan or dark brown blotches appeared on the adaxial surface of the leaves. Older lesions became dried and cracked. Lesions on the abaxial surface were pale brown, and less pronounced. These observations correlate closely with those made by Taber (2). Severe defoliation was observed in the infected fields of Spanish cultivars. Phoma arachidicola Marasus, G. D. Pauer, & Boerema was consistently isolated from symptomatic tissue. Colonies on potato dextrose agar were at first creamy white, and flattened with little aerial growth. Colonies eventually turned dark brown with a wide appressed margin. All isolates produced pale to dark brown and globose pycnidia. Dark-colored, globose, beaked pseudothecia were also observed in cultures, as reported by Subrahmanyam et al. (1). Dark-colored, round, single-celled pycnidiospores measuring 4 to 9 × 2.5 to 4 µm were observed in culture. The fungus was inoculated onto the leaves of 10 healthy plants of each cultivar and another 10 plants were maintained as uninoculated controls. All plants were covered with polypropylene bags to increase the humidity. Plants inoculated with the fungus produced symptoms 7 to 9 days after inoculation similar to those observed in the field. None of the control plants showed any disease symptoms. The fungus was reisolated from the diseased leaf tissue. Microscopic examination confirmed the identity of the fungus and satisfied Koch's postulates. All cultivars were then grown under irrigation during February to May 1994 (mean relative humidity 60 to 70% and mean temperature 32 to 35°C). No disease symptoms were observed, indicating that the proliferation of P. arachidicola on Spanish cultivars was influenced when the crop establishment period coincided with low air temperature (25 to 27°C) and high relative humidity (79 to 85%). This is the first report of web blotch in Sri Lanka and its occurrence was confined to the dry zone areas of the country. References: (1) P. Subrahmanyam et al. 1994. Web blotch disease of groundnut. Inform. Bull. No. 43, ICRISAT; and Peanut Collaborat. Res. Support Prog. (2) R. A. Taber. Web blotch. Pages 9–10 in: Compendium of Peanut Diseases. D. M. Porter, D. H. Smith, and R. Rodrigues-Kabana, eds. American Phytopathological Society, St. Paul, MN, 1984.
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Mohammed, Abrar J., Makoto Inoue, Ganesh P. Shivakoti, Tapan K. Nath, Mohammed Jashimuddin, Mangala De Zoysa, Hari Kaskoyo, Juan M. Pulhin, and Rose J. Peras. "Analysis of National Forest Programs for REDD+ Implementation in six South and Southeast Asia countries." Forest Systems 25, no. 2 (July 20, 2016): e061. http://dx.doi.org/10.5424/fs/2016252-08801.
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Aim of study: To facilitate REDD+ implementation and identify relevant attributes for robust REDD+ policies, this study evaluated and synthesized information from national forest programs in South and Southeast Asian countries.Area of study: Data was collected from six countries: Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Bangladesh, Philippines, India and Thailand.Methods: The data sources for the evaluation was an in-depth desk review of relevant documents and focus group discussion among experts from each study country. Main Results: We found out that diverse factors may influence program feasibility and the ability to achieve ‘triple benefits’: the nature of the forest targeted by the policy, the characteristics of the population affected by the policy, attributes of the policy instrument and the different actors involved.Research highlights: We argue that national policies and programs targeted for REDD+ implementation should focus on the identified features to achieve REDD+ goals.Keywords: policy evaluation; policy instruments; triple benefits; Southeast Asia.
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Wijenayake, Shanika, and H. M. R. P. Herath. "Critical Success Factors of Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) Systems Implementation in Sri Lankan Fast Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) Industry." Asia Proceedings of Social Sciences 2, no. 1 (December 2, 2018): 69–72. http://dx.doi.org/10.31580/apss.v2i1.365.
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Enterprise Resources Planning Systems (ERP) are implemented in organizations to optimize the supply chain to improve the overall performance. Yet, it is observed that many organizations have not achieved the desired level of performance through this strategic move. Literature suggest that the implementation barriers can be a main reason for this. Hence the problem centered in this study is to identify the success factors and challenges of ERP systems implementation in the FMCG industry in Sri Lanka. This study uses the case study approach for four companies in the FMCG industry. Focus group interviews were used to gather data and the participants of the focus group interviews were key users who had an important role during the implementation. Semi-structured interviews were conducted by an experienced interviewer using an interview guide with semi-structured questions. Success factors included the technological know-how, high management commitment, lesser government regulations, and experience of the process re-engineering. Challenges included investment in resources, information management, changing the organization culture to the best practices of the system, lack of the user training and limitation of the proper consultancy services. Findings of the study can be used as a framework to understand the ERP implementation success factors and the potential challenges faced by organizations in the FMCG industry.
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He, Baogang, Laura Allison-Reumann, and Michael Breen. "The Politics of Secular Federalism and the Federal Governance of Religious Diversity in Asia." Federal Law Review 46, no. 4 (December 2018): 575–94. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0067205x1804600406.
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A secular approach has dominated federal studies, perhaps because there seems a natural fit between federalism and secularism. However, the federal systems or practices of Asia bring that close association into question, and the federal accommodation of religious demands has not been examined fully. This article focuses on how religion has been approached, accommodated or resisted in federal and quasi-federal states in Asia. We select India, Malaysia, Pakistan, Myanmar, Sri Lanka and Nepal as cases. We first explore the relationship between federalism, secularism and religion, and find that secular values at the point of federalisation played an important role in federalism's establishment, but that they were later modified in the practice of federal accommodation of religion. We also identify and examine the federal governance of religious diversity, which features three types of accommodation—centrally-based, unit-based and group-based accommodation—with accommodative practices sometimes being for the benefit of a majority religion, and sometimes for a minority one.
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Priyangani, Yapa M. M., Gamaralalage S. K. Dharmaratne, and Sathasivam Sridharan. "Factors Associated and Response to Needle Stick Injuries among Nursing Officers in District General Hospitals of Sri Lanka." Global Journal of Health Science 9, no. 8 (May 29, 2017): 107. http://dx.doi.org/10.5539/gjhs.v9n8p107.
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INTRODUCTION: This study was carried out to find out the existing prevalence rates of the Needle Stick Injuries (NSIs) among nursing officers in Sri Lankan health delivery system and to identify the factors associated with NSIs including the level of knowledge, attitude and practice on prevention.METHODS: A descriptive cross sectional study was conducted in three District General Hospitals. Five routine working units identified from each hospital. Proportional allocations were made with a final step of simple random sampling to select the sample. Self- administered questionnaire was used for data collection.RESULTS: Response rate was 95% and the prevalence of NSIs was 43%. IV cannulation was the most risky procedure (51%). Re-capping was seen in 24% of the exposed group. Medical wards accounted for 78% of the NSIs. There was a significant difference in NSIs seen in maturity in age (p=0.015) and increase working experience (p=0.044) but no difference was found with increased work load (no. of patients seen per day, p=0.765, increase number of working hours per week, p=0.204) and participation in in-service training programs (p=0.592). Pre exposure Hepatitis B immunization was seen in only 64%. A significant 49% did not report the injury and the main reason was assumed less risk (46%).CONCLUSION: Prevalence of NSIs was still high and ignorance and neglect are the main causes. Health education and in-service training should be mainly directed at inculcating knowledge into practice and changing attitudes towards safe practices. Hepatitis B immunization should be provided as early as possible.
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Canagarajah,, A. Suresh. "Migrant ethnic identities, mobile language resources: Identification practices of Sri Lankan Tamil youth." Applied Linguistics Review 3, no. 2 (October 10, 2012): 251–72. http://dx.doi.org/10.1515/applirev-2012-0012.
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AbstractIn the context of multilingualism and migration, the place of ethnic identities has come into question. Applied linguists have to contend with the possibility that ethnic identities have to be redefined in the light of changing orientations in the field. The critique of essentialism, the dismantling of the ”one language = one community” equation, and the fluidity of translanguaging have raised the question whether ethnic identities can be treated as real anymore. In the face of these changes, one group of activist scholars invokes values of ecological preservation and language rights to insist on traditional ethnic identities. Another treats ethnic identities as transient and playful under labels such as ludic ethnicities and metroethnicities. Interpreting the identification practices of Sri Lankan Tamil diaspora youth in UK, USA, and Canada, this article argues for a middle position of strategic constructivism. That is, though the Tamil youth are multilingual, and do not claim full proficiency in Tamil language, they use their mix of codes to construct Tamil ethnicity in situated uses of their repertoire. The article argues that ethnicity should be treated as a changing construct, with different codes employed to index identity in changing times and places.
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Khaniya, Bhabishya, Isuru Jayanayaka, Pradeep Jayasanka, and Upaka Rathnayake. "Rainfall Trend Analysis in Uma Oya Basin, Sri Lanka, and Future Water Scarcity Problems in Perspective of Climate Variability." Advances in Meteorology 2019 (May 8, 2019): 1–10. http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2019/3636158.
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The effect of climate variability on the rainfall pattern is canvassed on the Uma Oya river basin, Sri Lanka, consisting of 5 rainfall gauging stations. The Uma Oya basin (720 km2) is given utmost precedence due to environmental concerns seen in the ongoing Uma Oya multipurpose development project (529 million USD worth) which is expected to divert water to the southeast dry zone of the country while adding 231 GWh/year electricity to the national grid. The rainfall data for a period of 26 years (1992–2017) were analysed using Mann–Kendall’s test and Sen’s slope estimator test to identify the rainfall trends. Both of these trend analysis test results depict only one negative trend for Hilpankandura Estate for the month of June; however, the seasonal trend analysis and annual trend analysis do not support this observation. Nevertheless, Mann–Kendall’s test showed potential positive trends for the 3 rainfall gauging stations Kirklees Estate, Ledgerwatte Estate, and Welimada Group only in the 1st intermediate period (March-April), and this is well supported by the monthly trend analysis. Other than these trends, the results do not show any significant negative trends in the Uma Oya catchment. Therefore, the results vividly explain that there is no threat of water scarcity to the catchment area being resistant to changing global climate for the past 26 years.
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Dayasiri, M. B. Kavinda Chandimal, Shaluka F. Jayamanne, and Chamilka Y. Jayasinghe. "Risk Factors for Acute Unintentional Poisoning among Children Aged 1–5 Years in the Rural Community of Sri Lanka." International Journal of Pediatrics 2017 (2017): 1–9. http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2017/4375987.
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Background. Acute poisoning in children is a major preventable cause of morbidity and mortality in both developed and developing countries. However, there is a wide variation in patterns of poisoning and related risk factors across different geographic regions globally. This hospital based case-control study identifies the risk factors of acute unintentional poisoning among children aged 1−5 years of the rural community in a developing Asian country. Methods. This hospital based case-control study included 600 children. Each group comprised three hundred children and all children were recruited at Anuradhapura Teaching Hospital, Sri Lanka, over two years (from February 2012 to January 2014). The two groups were compared to identify the effect of 23 proposed risk factors for unintentional poisoning using multivariate analysis in a binary logistic regression model. Results. Multivariate analysis identified eight risk factors which were significantly associated with unintentional poisoning. The strongest risk factors were inadequate supervision (95% CI: 15.4–52.6), employed mother (95% CI: 2.9–17.5), parental concern of lack of family support (95% CI: 3.65–83.3), and unsafe storage of household poisons (95% CI: 1.5–4.9). Conclusions. Since inadequate supervision, unsafe storage, and unsafe environment are the strongest risk factors for childhood unintentional poisoning, the effect of community education to enhance vigilance, safe storage, and assurance of safe environment should be evaluated.
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Doherty, Shannon, Giselle Dass, Anne Edwards, Robert Stewart, Bayard Roberts, and Melanie Abas. "Protocol of a randomised clinical trial to integrate mental health services into primary care for postconflict populations in Northern Sri Lanka (COMGAP-S)." BMJ Open 12, no. 1 (January 2022): e051441. http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2021-051441.
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IntroductionSri Lanka has a long history of armed conflict and natural disasters increasing the risk of mental health disorders in the population. Due to a lack of specialist services, there is a treatment gap between those seeking and those able to access mental health services. The aim of this research programme is to integrate mental health services into primary care to meet the needs of this postconflict population.Methods and analysisThis is a stepped wedge cluster design randomised clinical trial of the WHO mental health Gap Action Programme primary care mental health training intervention. We will provide a 10-day training to primary care practitioners of 23 randomly selected primary care facilities aimed at increasing their ability to identify, treat and manage common mental health disorders. Public health professionals and community representatives will receive a tailored training intervention to increase mental health awareness. Refresher courses will occur at 3 and 6 months post training. Supervision and monitoring will occur for 1 month pre and post training. Target sample sizes have been calculated separately for each group of participants and for each outcome.Ethics and disseminationThis trial has received ethical approval from the Faculty of Health, Education, Medicine and Social Care, Anglia Ruskin University, UK (SC/jc/FMFREP/16/17 076) and from the Faculty of Medicine, University of Jaffna, Sri Lanka (J/ERC/17/81/NDR/0170) and non-engagement approval has been received from the funding body, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2018-015). All participants gave written consent. Dissemination of study results will be completed through publication of academic articles, conference presentations, town hall meetings, written pamphlets in plain language, reports to Ministry of Health and other government organisations and through social media outlets.Trial registration numbersISRCTN registry: ISRCTN62598070. SLCTR registration number: SLCTR/2018/008.
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Dassanayake, L. "(A314) Challenges Faced in Establishing the Emergency Prehospital Ambulance Service in North Central Sri Lanka: Developing Something from Nothing." Prehospital and Disaster Medicine 26, S1 (May 2011): s88. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s1049023x11002986.
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The existence of a prehospital emergency care system signifies how secure an area is in aftermath of a health-related emergency. The systems save lives during most out-of-hospital health emergencies. Until 2010, there was no regular prehospital care system in Anuradhapura, or even in the entire north central region of Sri Lanka. Trauma patients were brought to the hospital generally with little or no prehospital care. They were transported to hospital by relatives or other people at the scene with using whatever vehicle was available at the time, which in many occasions was a trishaw. The concept of developing a prehospital emergency ambulance service to cover the municipality of Anuradhapura as a pilot project was formulated in 2009. The objectives were to: (1) provide emergency prehospital care in the municipality; (2) identify the difficulties; and (3) assess the feasibility of implementing it in the entire district. Some of the challenges faced in the process from the initial draft of the concept up to now include: 1. Studying an established emergency medical services (EMS) system; 2. Developing a pressure group in hospital; 3. Convincing the need to administration; 4. Funding in the initial period; 5. Selecting the proper team and supportive peers; 6. Providing standard training to selected staff; 7. Formulating duty norms and standard operating procedures; 8. Infrastructure development, acquiring instruments, and vehicles with limited fund capacities; 9. Cooperating with the trade unions and external/internal negative forces; 10. Rallying the collaborators with same interest; 11. Handling donors; 12. Getting the support of other key institutions (police/municipal council); 13. Utilizing local media to help promote the project; 14. Social mobilization to ensure sustainability; and 15. Ensuring worker satisfaction, encouragement, and liaison with other units of hospital.
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Dr. Sarathamani M. "Impact of Imperialism: As Reflected in The Glass Palace- Amitav Ghosh." International Journal For Multidisciplinary Research 04, no. 04 (2022): 387–94. http://dx.doi.org/10.36948/ijfmr.2022.v04i04.042.
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Colonization is a system of political, cultural and economic domination of the supreme country over the other countries. The political and cultural existence of the colonized country is marginalized by the colonizer. This attitude of the colonizer not only psychologically disturbs the moral conscience of the colonized but also it establishes a sense of inferiority complex over social, religious, cultural and political system of the colonized. The self-confidence of the colonized is questioned and more than their strength their weakness is targeted. The colonizer gradually starts exploiting the strength & weakness in order to establish their identity. The majority of the writers claim the major theme of literature as resistance towards the former colonizer and they represented the life of people authentically. As a result the post colonial writer practices to counteract and resists the approach of colonizer in educational, legal, political and social settings. As Amitav Gosh was born in Calcutta, he had ample chance to witness the cultural life of Calcutta, Dhaka (Bangladesh) and Colombo (Sri Lanka). And during Emergency period (1975-77) the author worked as a journalist with the Indian express group of news papers. All these helped the author to fictionalize his theme with the historical background. The novel The Glass Palace is about the dissolution of the Kingdom of Burma. Because of colonization the last King of Burma ‘Thebaw’ has been dethroned by the British Government and sent on exile to India.
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Gunasekera, Sanjeeva, Sanjeewa Seneviratne, Hasitha Pramod, Laura M. Carson, Scott Berry, Christopher M. Booth, and Thiwanka Wijeratne. "Addressing unmet needs of cancer care in a lower middle income country by establishing an electronic hospital based cancer registry." Journal of Clinical Oncology 40, no. 16_suppl (June 1, 2022): e13621-e13621. http://dx.doi.org/10.1200/jco.2022.40.16_suppl.e13621.
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e13621 Background: Sri Lanka (SL) is a Lower Middle Income Country (LMIC) which has seen its cancer incidence double in the last 25 years. National Cancer Institute Sri Lanka (NCISL) is the only dedicated cancer hospital in SL and provide care to around 40% of all patients diagnosed with cancer in the country. The existing SL Cancer Registry, primarily contains only socio-demographic data and there was no systematic method to capture cancer treatment and outcome data This presents a missed opportunity in identifying and bridging gaps in cancer care delivery and health equities in an effective manner. Methods: We built an electronic hospital based cancer registry using the “free to use” cloud based District Health Information System (DHIS2) software platform and prospectively collected disease, demographic, treatment and outcome data on selected cancers treated at the NCISL from 2016 onwards. This platform is easily adaptable and will allow downloading data to standard statistical software directly for data analysis and can be integrated with other existing health information systems. its easily adaptable . The variables captured were identified through focus group sessions with both healthcare workers and patient representatives. Results: To date, data from over 5,000 breast, 1500 colorectal and 600 thyroid cancer patients have been captured. From this database data on disease characteristics, demographic details, survival rates, treatment toxicities, referral pathways, health care seeking patterns, comorbidity data, health care related quality of life, treatment guideline concordance, out of pocket expenses incurred while on treatment, palliative care delivery, cancer care equity gaps can be elicited. Conclusions: Our database demonstrates that it is feasible to build low cost, easy to maintain yet good quality custom made data bases to collect cancer care related data. Careful selection of variables will allow health systems to identify existing gaps which is the key initial step in addressing them with a view of improving cancer related outcomes. Integrating demographic and outcome data within the same database will help in identifying health system inequities. Continuous data collection will allow assessing the efficacy of any intervention launched to bridge these gaps in the future. This database can also be adapted with minimal change by other LMICs to generate real world data to inform national cancer control policy planning.
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Luong, Ha. "Business grants following natural disasters and their different impact on the performance of female and male-owned microenterprises: Evidence from Sri Lanka." PLOS ONE 17, no. 12 (December 21, 2022): e0279418. http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0279418.
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Objective This paper investigates gender differences in the treatment effects of business grants on firm performance following natural disasters, and seeks to identify the mechanisms underlying the unequal effects. Method A panel data-set from an experiment in Sri Lanka is used to measure the difference in the treatment effects of a business grant on the performance of female and male-owned firms following the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami. The sample of 608 microenterprises includes 297 female-owned firms and 311 male-owned firms. There are 338 firms (Male = 176, Female = 162) in the treatment group that received the grant and 270 firms (Male = 135, Female = 135) in the control group that did not receive the grant. Data on firm performance, firm characteristics and owner characteristics were collected in 13 survey waves from April 2005 to December 2010. Firm performance, which is measured by firm profit, is assessed by employing linear regression with fixed effects in an intention-to-treat analysis. Findings The results suggest that the business grant has a positive impact on the performance of male-owned firms, but zero effect on that of female-owned firms. Several potential mechanisms drive the results, including gender differences in business investment, household expenditure and initial business closures. The results also show a positive treatment effect of the business grant on the psychological recovery of recipients, but there is no evidence supporting gender differences in this dimension. Contribution This paper provides new evidence on gender differences in the treatment effects of business grants on firm performance in the context of post-disasters, and has implications for business recovery programs aimed at supporting female microentrepreneurs in the aftermath of large-scale catastrophes.
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Fibiger, Marianne C. Qvortrup. "Lad guden komme til os: Tempelprocessioner hos srilankansk-tamilske hinduer i Danmark." Religionsvidenskabeligt Tidsskrift, no. 66 (June 15, 2017): 133. http://dx.doi.org/10.7146/rt.v0i66.26452.
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English abstract: Through a presentation and analysis of Ter, a wagon procession which is part of a ten-day temple anniversary festival held once a year among Sri Lankan Tamil Hindus in Denmark, I aim to show the importance and the meaning of procession among Hindus in diaspora. The article will especially take Bernhard Lang’s definition or characteristics of procession into account but will also emphasise the multifunctional character of this procession as well as its importance as religion on public display. The analysis is based on my on-going research on the Sri Lankan Tamil Hindus in Denmark, which began shortly before the first Sri Lankan Hindu temples were consecrated around the year 2000. This has given me the possibility to follow the development of the Ter procession over the years and to notice how it has grown both in size and popularity. I will argue that the procession has become not only a fulcrum for social cohesion and identity but also as a way of communicating belonging, both internally within the group and externally to the surrounding society at large.
Dansk resume: I denne artikel vil jeg præsentere og analysere processionen Ter, en vognprocession der er tilknyttet en ti-dages tempelfødselsdagsfest som afholdes blandt de srilankansk-tamilske hinduer i Danmark, og jeg vil vise betydningen af denne procession for hinduer i diaspora. Artiklen vil tage udgangspunkt i Bernard Langs definition eller måske mere præcist hans processions-typologier, men vil lægge vægt på processionens multifunktionelle, performative og offentlige karakter. Analysen vil basere sig på mit løbende feltarbejde af de srilankansk-tamilske hinduer i Danmark, hvilket begyndte før det første srilankansk-tamilske hindutempel var indviet omkring år 2000. Det har givet mig muligheden for at følge udviklingen af Ter-processionen, som er vokset i både størrelse og popularitet. Jeg vil derfor argumentere for, at processionen er blevet helt central for såvel identitet som social sammenhængskraft for de srilankansk-tamilske hinduer her i landet. Processionen kan ved at være offentlig kommunikere et bestemt tilhørsforhold både indadtil og udadtil.