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From a sustainability perspective this study examines the aggregate effects of economic, social, and ecological factors on reproductive health of tribal women in India. In the context of globalization and deteriorating ecology, this study proposes a theoretical model suggesting associations between tribal women's reproductive health and socio-economic and ecological correlates mediated by their power. This article will analyze data from the National Family Health Survey of India using path analysis and a structural equation model. The results suggest the significant and consistent effects of social and ecological factors on reproductive health, endorsing sustainability as the essential dimension of tribal women's reproductive health.
Keywords: capability approach, ecology, ecosystem theory, globalization, marginality, power, reproductive health, structural equation modeling, sustainability, tribal
Introduction
Prior studies have examined reproductive health mainly from a demographic perspective, as the outcome of various economic (Crane, 2005; Danilovich, 2010; Jayasundara, 2011; Pillai & Gupta, 2006) and social factors (Wang & Pillai, 2001). This study uses a sustainability perspective to examine the effect of ecological or environmental as well as social and economic factors on the reproductive health of tribal populations in India. With a view to understanding the impact of ongoing environmental degradation on the reproductive health of marginal women in developing nations, this study proposes a theoretical model explaining the strong correlation between social, economic, and ecological factors and reproductive health mediated by power (Salehin, 2016). This study is particularly significant in view of the marginalization and exclusion of tribal or indigenous ethnic groups in India that results in disparities between tribal and non-tribal populations and the lack of prior research on the effect of socioeconomic factors on the reproductive health condition (Salehin, 2015, 2016). This article will discuss the result of analyzing the proposed theoretical model (Salehin, 2016) using data collected through a national survey in India (National Family Health Survey [NFHS], 2009) with a view to investigating the impact of social, economic, and ecological factors on the reproductive health of tribal women in India.
Theoretical Model
The theoretical model for tribal women's reproductive health proposed in the current study ascertains correlations between social, economic, and ecological factors and reproductive health mediated by power (Salehin, 2016). The current study theorizes that tribal women's power stems from economic, social, and ecological factors...