003984   Trivedi K;Bohra P (Home Science Dep, Faculty of Science, Jai Narain Vyas University, Jodhpur, Rajasthan) : Quality of life of children with mental retardation. Asian J Home Sci 2008, 3(1), 97-100.

Family is the first and lasting environment to which a child is exposed to and in turn it is his presence which impacts the family. Like all children the quality of life of children with mental retardation (MR) is affected by how effectively the family takes care of its children. Each family has a unique climate, characteristic strengths and weaknesses and different ways of meeting stress situations. The level of family efficacy of MR children was assessed in the study with the aim of exploring the quality of life of MR children residing in the city of Jodhpur. Standardized scale on Family Efficacy by Peshawaria (2000) was used on either parents of 30 MR children. The obtained results are presented in tabular and graphical format and are discussed in the light of reviewed literature and personal observations.

1 illus, 2 tables, 10 ref

003983   Mohanty M;Mohanty S (Family Resource Management Dep, Orissa University of Agriculture and Technology, Bhubaneswar, Orissa) : Adoption of solar cooker by rural women. Asian J Home Sci 2008, 3(1), 7-11.

Sustainable development requires an organized effort to develop and defuse new technology appropriate for agricultural produciton system, renewable energy system and pollution controls. Energy is one of the vital resources for development and survival of mankind. We are fortunate enough to have abundant sunlight during mst part of the year. This untapped renewable energy could be the best substitute to save non-commercial fuels used in kitchen and keep the environment pollution free. In contrast, the trditional chullha used in villages are not considered efficient and environment friendly. Therefore, to save rural women from their drudgeries, soalr cooker could be an easy and alternate answer. The study was designed to find out the attributes of solar cooker for acceptabililty among rural women and to know their attitudes to apply this innovation in future. Traaining cum demonstration was conducted in two districts namely Puri and Khurda district with 415 respondents. The limitations of solar cooker cited by the respondents were its inability to work in cloudy weatehr, long time taken to cook food, high cost and lesser utility in a large family which influenced its whole hearted acceptance by rural women. About 57.10% respndent expressed favorable attitudes towards the future acceptabillity of solar cooker.

5 tables, 4 ref

003982   Bhalerao V S;Shaikh R M;Gaikwad S R (Child Development Dep, College of Home Science, Marathwada Agricultural University, Parbhani, Maharashtra) : Self esteem, decision making, mental health and knowledge awareness on parenting among rural women. Asian J Home Sci 2008, 3(1), 4-6.

Fifty rural women (25-35 yrs) from 5 villages of Parbhani district were studied by administering inventories on self esteem, knowledge awareness on parenting, mental helath scale and decision making developed by AICRP-CD component. All rural women assessed to have medium level of self esteem and mental health while with regrad to role in decision making and knowledge on parenting were found to be low. The decision making capacities and knowledge awareness on parenting rural women revealed to have significant positive correlation with their mental health while their socio eonomic status and self esteem found to have no significant correlation with it.

6 tables, 7 ref