The metaverse promises an unimaginable future for digital travelers by enabling them to gain unique experiences (e.g., space travel) that would otherwise be impossible in non-virtual reality. Moreover, COVID-19 travel anxiety has triggered growing interest in virtual environments (e.g., metaverse travel) in the aftermath of the pandemic. The cost-conscious and tech-savvy behavior of travelers has been resurrected in the ‘new normal’; however, the fear of missing out (FOMO) is now dictating travelers’ choices for newness, immersive and rewarding travel experiences. To address these emerging trends, promising new technologies, and untested relationships, the present study explored the effects of COVID-19 travel anxiety on the readiness for metaverse space travel. In addition, the moderating influence of tech savviness and travel FOMO was tested on this relationship. Drawing on data of international expats (N = 386) in UAE, the finding based on structural equation modeling (SEM) revealed that the international expat’s readiness for metaverse space travel is positively influenced by their COVID-19 travel anxiety. Moreover, expats with high tendencies of travel FOMO and tech savviness will experience a stronger impact of COVID-19 travel anxiety on their readiness for metaverse space travel. These novel findings guided by prominent theories (e.g., self-determination, SOR, and protection motivation) offer new insights for policy makers and practitioners to strategically achieve digital-tourism transformation and sustainability through emerging and immersive metaverse technologies.

Although water insecurity has been discussed in general, its impacts on mothers’ physical and mental health, and infants’ and young children’s feeding (IYCF), has largely been ignored. This study explores household water insecurity experiences and their association with optimal health and nutrition of women and children in the Rajanpur district of Punjab Province. Using focus group discussions (FGDs) and key informants (KIIs) interviews from an area with high maternal-child malnutrition prevalence, a qualitative study was conducted to describe local experiences of water acquirement and arrangement, and of the consequences of water insecurity. The findings highlight that rural Western marginalized populations of the Rajanpur district rely on brackish, canal, or flood surface water as the water supply is absent, which intensifies mothers’ work burden and stress, and often makes them victims of violence, stigma, and sickness. Water fetching impacts women in unforeseen ways, impacting the psychosocial and physical health of mothers engaged in maternal breastfeeding. Water insecurity, originally rooted in regional disparities, compounds with gender inequities, which leads to maternal stress and child sickness. Justice in water resources is imperative and urgent in the deprived South of Punjab province for improving public health nutrition.

Better socioeconomic status and well-being in households decrease malnutrition and health risks in children. The objective of the present study is to assess the current nutritional status of pre-school children and to correlate the prevalence of malnutrition with Household Deprivation Status (HDS) in one of the deprived districts of the Punjab province in Pakistan. Using primary data collected from 384 households through a proportional purposive random sampling technique, this study calculates the z-scores of weight-for-age (WAZ), weight-for-height (WHZ), and height-for-age (HAZ). The study has used a cut-off point which is -2 standard deviations below the median of the WHO/NCHS reference population for each anthropometric indicator. The results indicate that the underweight, stunting, and wasting prevalence rates are 46.1%, 34.83%, and 15.49% respectively in district Rahimyar Khan. Also, the expected tendency of malnutrition is worst for HDS-1 and HDS-2 which are the most deprived segments of the population. As the household shifts from HDS-1 to HDS-2 and further to HDS-3, the rates of stunting (HAZ) and underweight (WAZ) decreases but wasting (WHZ) does not. The study concludes that the high prevalence of malnutrition in the district is correlated with overall socio-economic deprivation.

Objectives: This research investigates the association of malnutrition with social and economic factors in general and environmental factors in specific such as sanitation facilities and drinking water sources for Pakistan. Methods: Authors used the latest data of 1010 Under-Three children from Pakistan Demographic and Health Survey (PDHS) 2017–2018. Cumulative Index of Anthropometric Failure (CIAF) was developed to measure the malnutrition status among children based on z-scores of WHZ, WAZ, and HAZ, respectively. The study has applied the discrete-choice logistic methodology to find the relationship of malnutrition with socio-economic characteristics. The interaction terms of drinking water source and sanitation facility have been measured to see the impact of environmental factors on child malnutrition. Results: The study results depict that the likelihood of malnutrition increases when the child had diarrhea recently and the child belongs to the deprived region such as KPK, Sind, and Baluchistan. However, the chances of child malnutrition drop with (1) an escalation of mothers’ education, (2) a rise in wealth status of the household, and (3) the improved water source and sanitation facility in the household. The only water-improved sanitation category of the interaction term is significant in the model which depicts that households having both improved water and improved sanitation facilities had very fewer chances of malnutrition among their children. Conclusion: Authors conclude that malnutrition in younger children is associated with improved water as well as sanitation facilities, maternal education, and household wealth in Pakistan.

Severe Acute Malnutrition (SAM) is a serious public health problem in many low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Therapeutic programs are often considered the most effective solution to this problem. However, multiple social and structural factors challenge the social inclusion, sustainability, and effectiveness of such programs. In this article, we aim to explore how poor and remote households face structural inequities and social exclusion in accessing nutrition-specific programs in Pakistan. The study specifically highlights significant reasons for the low coverage of the Community Management of Acute Malnutrition (CMAM) program in one of the most marginalized districts of south Punjab. Qualitative data are collected using in-depth interviews and FGDs with mothers and health and nutrition officials. The study reveals that mothers’ access to the program is restricted by multiple structural, logistical, social, and behavioral causes. At the district level, certain populations are served, while illiterate, and poor mothers with lower cultural capital from rural and remote areas are neglected. The lack of funding for nutrition causes the deprioritization of nutrition by the health bureaucracy. The subsequent work burden on Lady Health Workers (LHWs) and the lack of proper training of field staff impact the screening of SAM cases. Moreover, medical corruption in the distribution of therapeutic food, long distances, traveling or staying difficulties, the lack of social capital, and the stigmatization of mothers are other prominent difficulties. The study concludes that nutrition governance in Pakistan must address these critical challenges so that optimal therapeutic coverage can be achieved.

This study accesses the impact of lady health worker (LHWs) visits in the community and distance to a healthcare facility on the nutritional status of under-five children. Additionally, it explores the perceptions and attitudes of the community about the performance of LHWs. A self-administered instrument was applied to gather data on different parameters, such as children’s height, age, weight, and socioeconomic status from 384 rural households in a marginalized district of Punjab province with the help of a purposive random sampling technique. The binary logistic regression model was employed for the computation of the probability of malnutrition. The prevalences of stunting, underweight children, and wasting in the district were 34.8%, 46.1%, and 15.5%, respectively. The logistic results illustrate that those households in which LHW visits occur regularly within 15 days (OR = 0.28 with 95% CI: 0.09–0.82) have a lower probability of malnutrition prevalence among their children. The distance to the health facility shows that the odds of malnutrition were higher from 3–4 Kilometers (Km) (OR = 2.61, 95% CI: 0.85–8.14), and odds were also higher for the ≥5 km category (OR = 2.88, 95% CI: 0.94–8.82). Children from richer families had lower chances of being malnourished (OR = 0.28, 95% CI: 0.07–1.14). Furthermore, the respondents show a positive attitude towards LHWs. They have given the first rank to their performance being beneficial to mothers and childcare, especially on checkups and safe deliveries, while they have shown negative responses and given lower ranks to their performance due to irregular visits (6th rank) and poor community awareness (7th rank). We conclude that LHWs’ regular visits to targeted households and less distance to healthcare facilities reduce the malnutrition risk in under-five children.