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Ms. Smitha Rao
Boston College

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Accepted manuscript
Published: 01 June 2021 in Environmental Research Letters
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Adoption of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) is the primary policy approach in India to transition rural poor communities toward clean cooking behavior. Prior clean cooking studies show that affordability, accessibility, and awareness impact LPG adoption in India. There is scarce research that explores the association of personal networks of community members in their LPG adoption. In this cross-sectional study, we use standard egocentric personal network analyses and multivariate logistic regression models to examine the association of structure and composition of personal networks with LPG adoption in poor communities. Our results show that higher proportions of peers owning LPG are associated with higher likelihood of LPG ownership in the respondents (OR= 41.30, 95% Confidence Interval: 16.86 – 101.20, p=0.00). This study on personal network characteristics in clean cooking research offers a germane foundation for further large scale personal network studies on clean cooking adoption in poor communities.

ACS Style

Praveen Kumar; Liam Patrick McCafferty; Amar Dhand; Smitha Rao; Antonia Díaz-Valdés; Rachel G Tabak; Ross C. Brownson; Gautam N Yadama. Association of personal network attributes with clean cooking adoption in rural South India. Environmental Research Letters 2021, 16, 064087 .

AMA Style

Praveen Kumar, Liam Patrick McCafferty, Amar Dhand, Smitha Rao, Antonia Díaz-Valdés, Rachel G Tabak, Ross C. Brownson, Gautam N Yadama. Association of personal network attributes with clean cooking adoption in rural South India. Environmental Research Letters. 2021; 16 (6):064087.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Praveen Kumar; Liam Patrick McCafferty; Amar Dhand; Smitha Rao; Antonia Díaz-Valdés; Rachel G Tabak; Ross C. Brownson; Gautam N Yadama. 2021. "Association of personal network attributes with clean cooking adoption in rural South India." Environmental Research Letters 16, no. 6: 064087.

Journal article
Published: 01 January 2021 in Social Work
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Race, ethnicity, and racism (RER) are interconnected with the critical problems tackled in the Grand Challenges for Social Work (GCSW). Yet, the extent to which the GCSW discuss the central role of RER is less clear. This article investigates how the GCSW integrate RER in their discourse. Using content analysis, authors examined all 21 concept papers that comprise the 12 initial GCSW to determine their attention to RER. Authors assessed whether each paper made any reference to race or ethnicity, whether race or ethnicity was considered as a primary theme, and whether racism was mentioned. Nine GCSW had at least one paper that mentioned race or ethnicity; seven had at least one paper that treated race and ethnicity as a major construct. Five GCSW contained at least one paper that discussed racism’s impacts on their topical interests. None of the papers analyzed in the study defined or specified their conceptualization of racism. The GCSW are strategically positioned to widen and deepen social work’s focus on RER, and the recent adoption of the 13th GCSW to “Eliminate racism” is an important first step. Authors encourage the social work field to embrace a more explicit, renewed, and continued commitment to eradicating systemic racism.

ACS Style

Smitha Rao; Bongki Woo; Dale Dagar Maglalang; Melissa Bartholomew; Manuel Cano; Abril Harris; Ty B Tucker. Race and Ethnicity in the Social Work Grand Challenges. Social Work 2021, 66, 9 -17.

AMA Style

Smitha Rao, Bongki Woo, Dale Dagar Maglalang, Melissa Bartholomew, Manuel Cano, Abril Harris, Ty B Tucker. Race and Ethnicity in the Social Work Grand Challenges. Social Work. 2021; 66 (1):9-17.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Smitha Rao; Bongki Woo; Dale Dagar Maglalang; Melissa Bartholomew; Manuel Cano; Abril Harris; Ty B Tucker. 2021. "Race and Ethnicity in the Social Work Grand Challenges." Social Work 66, no. 1: 9-17.

Journal article
Published: 11 June 2020 in Sustainability
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Interventions in the clean cooking sector have focused on improved biomass stoves in a bid to address household air pollution (HAP) in low- and middle-income countries. These initiatives have not delivered adequate health and environmental benefits owing to the less than optimal performance of improved biomass stoves. There is an urgency to transition communities to cleaner cooking systems such as liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) to reduce the prevalence of HAP. Adoption of LPG also has challenges. This case-control cross-sectional study with 510 households examines how affordability, accessibility, and awareness (3As) are associated with LPG adoption in rural poor households of Andhra Pradesh, a state of India. Using binomial logistic regression analyses, the study examines the association of 3As with LPG adoption, adjusting for demographic predictors. Results show disparities in LPG adoption owing to affordability, accessibility, and awareness. Household income is positively associated with LPG adoption. Easy availability of biomass deters households from adopting LPG. Concerns for LPG safety reduces likelihood of LPG adoption. On the other hand, attending awareness campaigns on clean cooking benefits is strongly associated with LPG adoption. Awareness drives, primarily targeted marketing campaigns, could help expand LPG coverage among poorer households. This paper offers insights into the determinants of clean fuel adoption with implications for resource-poor settings across the world to advance energy justice and address energy poverty.

ACS Style

Praveen Kumar; Robert Ethan Dover; Antonia Díaz-Valdés Iriarte; Smitha Rao; Romina Garakani; Sophia Hadingham; Amar Dhand; Rachel G. Tabak; Ross C. Brownson; Gautam N. Yadama. Affordability, Accessibility, and Awareness in the Adoption of Liquefied Petroleum Gas: A Case-Control Study in Rural India. Sustainability 2020, 12, 4790 .

AMA Style

Praveen Kumar, Robert Ethan Dover, Antonia Díaz-Valdés Iriarte, Smitha Rao, Romina Garakani, Sophia Hadingham, Amar Dhand, Rachel G. Tabak, Ross C. Brownson, Gautam N. Yadama. Affordability, Accessibility, and Awareness in the Adoption of Liquefied Petroleum Gas: A Case-Control Study in Rural India. Sustainability. 2020; 12 (11):4790.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Praveen Kumar; Robert Ethan Dover; Antonia Díaz-Valdés Iriarte; Smitha Rao; Romina Garakani; Sophia Hadingham; Amar Dhand; Rachel G. Tabak; Ross C. Brownson; Gautam N. Yadama. 2020. "Affordability, Accessibility, and Awareness in the Adoption of Liquefied Petroleum Gas: A Case-Control Study in Rural India." Sustainability 12, no. 11: 4790.

Journal article
Published: 01 April 2020 in Social Work
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The words ``radical, zany, a fiscal fantasy” were among those used to describe the climate change–focused stimulus package known as the Green New Deal (GND), introduced by legislators Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York and Ed Markey of Massachusetts in February of 2019 (Recognizing the Duty of the Federal Government to Create a Green New Deal, H.R. 109, 2019). Calling for an ambitious unified strategy to tackle climate change that moves America to 100 percent clean energy, the GND draft resolution makes guarantees for employment, fair pay, high-quality health care, access to affordable housing, and robust workplace health and antidiscriminatory standards. The GND has, unfortunately, become a partisan and politicized issue. Congressional Republicans, in March of 2019, forced a for-show vote...

ACS Style

Smitha Rao; Samantha Teixeira. The Green New Deal: Social Work’s Role in Environmental Justice Policy. Social Work 2020, 65, 197 -200.

AMA Style

Smitha Rao, Samantha Teixeira. The Green New Deal: Social Work’s Role in Environmental Justice Policy. Social Work. 2020; 65 (2):197-200.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Smitha Rao; Samantha Teixeira. 2020. "The Green New Deal: Social Work’s Role in Environmental Justice Policy." Social Work 65, no. 2: 197-200.

Journal article
Published: 17 March 2020 in Sustainability
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We look at infrastructure and policies in India around the distribution of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) to rural communities and incorporate the experiences and perspectives of dissemination personnel. This qualitative study is part of a larger case control study aimed at examining strategies to promote adoption and sustained use of clean cooking technology, particularly among the rural poor in southern India. Our focus on dissemination personnel helps illuminate extant policy implementation and strategies to increase LPG uptake among the poor. Thematic analysis of 13 semi-structured interviews points to gaps in workforce training, infrastructure, and interface of the technology with social norms. Reduction in refill costs and removal of LPG subsidies was widely suggested to increase uptake and use. Themes identified underscore that policies promoting LPG for the poor will have limited success in the absence of commensurate infrastructure for LPG dissemination and awareness. Despite being primary policy beneficiaries, the under-representation of women within energy governance such as LPG distribution systems identified in this study presents a gap that interventions should focus on. Perspectives from those at the frontiers of implementation of a national energy policy provide insights into the high points as well as operational setbacks to help understand dissemination strategies within energy systems.

ACS Style

Smitha Rao; Sanjeev Dahal; Sophia Hadingham; Praveen Kumar. Dissemination Challenges of Liquefied Petroleum Gas in Rural India: Perspectives from the Field. Sustainability 2020, 12, 2327 .

AMA Style

Smitha Rao, Sanjeev Dahal, Sophia Hadingham, Praveen Kumar. Dissemination Challenges of Liquefied Petroleum Gas in Rural India: Perspectives from the Field. Sustainability. 2020; 12 (6):2327.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Smitha Rao; Sanjeev Dahal; Sophia Hadingham; Praveen Kumar. 2020. "Dissemination Challenges of Liquefied Petroleum Gas in Rural India: Perspectives from the Field." Sustainability 12, no. 6: 2327.

Journal article
Published: 01 February 2020 in Social Science & Medicine
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Natural disasters affect about 200 million people annually. Heightened intimate partner violence (IPV) is a gendered impact of these disruptive events. This study examines prevalence and correlates of IPV in four Indian states-TamilNadu, Kerala, AndhraPradesh, and Karnataka-before and after the Indian Ocean tsunami of 2004. Drawing on three waves of National Family Health Surveys of India-six years before, immediately after, and a decade after disaster, this paper evaluates if TamilNadu and Kerala (severely affected) exhibited higher prevalence of IPV than AndhraPradesh (moderately affected) and Karnataka (not directly affected). Logistic regression analyses determine association between IPV, state of residence (proxy for experience of disaster), and other covariates. To test hypotheses guided by vulnerability theory, IPV was regressed on socio-economic and demographic predictors for states across waves. IPV increased by 48% between 2005 and 2015. Increase in physical (61%) and sexual (232%) violence was highest in TamilNadu; emotional violence increased by 122% in Karnataka. State of residence was associated with IPV in the aftermath of disaster. In 2005, compared to Karnataka, odds of IPV were 98% higher in TamilNadu and 41% higher in Kerala. A decade after, odds were two times higher in TamilNadu than in Karnataka. Belonging to disadvantaged groups predicted higher odds of IPV in the year after disaster. Higher socio-economic status predicted lower odds of IPV, except in Kerala. Data point to ways in which socio-economic and demographic vulnerabilities factor into risk of IPV after disaster. Demographic factors of religion and caste appear to lose significance over time, but socio-economic factors continue to matter. Disaster response strategies seldom work without tackling long-standing inequities. Appropriate support systems for women and minorities in non-disaster situations are critical to ensure their conditions are not exacerbated.

ACS Style

Smitha Rao. A natural disaster and intimate partner violence: Evidence over time. Social Science & Medicine 2020, 247, 112804 .

AMA Style

Smitha Rao. A natural disaster and intimate partner violence: Evidence over time. Social Science & Medicine. 2020; 247 ():112804.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Smitha Rao. 2020. "A natural disaster and intimate partner violence: Evidence over time." Social Science & Medicine 247, no. : 112804.

Reference work
Published: 04 December 2019 in Encyclopedia of the UN Sustainable Development Goals
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ACS Style

Margaret Lombe; Smitha Rao; Yoosun Chu. Child Nutrition: Benchmarking Progress since Implementation of UN Sustainable Development Goals. Encyclopedia of the UN Sustainable Development Goals 2019, 1 -11.

AMA Style

Margaret Lombe, Smitha Rao, Yoosun Chu. Child Nutrition: Benchmarking Progress since Implementation of UN Sustainable Development Goals. Encyclopedia of the UN Sustainable Development Goals. 2019; ():1-11.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Margaret Lombe; Smitha Rao; Yoosun Chu. 2019. "Child Nutrition: Benchmarking Progress since Implementation of UN Sustainable Development Goals." Encyclopedia of the UN Sustainable Development Goals , no. : 1-11.

Reference entry
Published: 30 September 2019 in Encyclopedia of Social Work
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Energy poverty is lack of access to adequate, high-quality, clean, and affordable forms of energy or energy systems. It is a prominent risk factor for global burden of disease and has severe environmental, social, and economic implications. Despite recent international attention to address energy for the poor, there is a limited consensus over a unified framework defining energy poverty, which impacts almost 2.8 billion mostly poor people, especially in Asia, Latin America, and sub-Saharan Africa. Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia have the largest number of energy poor. India, in South Asia, comprises a significant proportion of energy-impoverished households. There is a continued effort by the Indian government, non-profit agencies, and private organizations to address the needs of energy poor. Social workers have a significant role to play in these interventions addressing energy poverty in India. Emerging research and practice in the energy poverty field in India calls for transdisciplinary collaboration especially between social work practitioners of community development, environmental health, public health, and social policy.

ACS Style

Praveen Kumar; Smitha Rao; Gautam N. Yadama. Energy Poverty in India. Encyclopedia of Social Work 2019, 1 .

AMA Style

Praveen Kumar, Smitha Rao, Gautam N. Yadama. Energy Poverty in India. Encyclopedia of Social Work. 2019; ():1.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Praveen Kumar; Smitha Rao; Gautam N. Yadama. 2019. "Energy Poverty in India." Encyclopedia of Social Work , no. : 1.