The Internet Journal of Allied Health Sciences & Practice, 2011
Mentoring is a professional development approach that can be effectively used in improving public... more Mentoring is a professional development approach that can be effectively used in improving publication outputs among academics. The challenge to develop academics in the area of publication is essential. This study highlights the role of the mentor in the process of encouraging academics to improve their skill in publishing. used in this study. Nine academics, with the authors as mentors, participated in a support group over a 10 monthly follow ups for 12-months. Results receiving feedback, and continuous support and motivation. Support in developing novice authors does not end when the manuscript is submitted but has to be maintained throughout the process until publication. the development of academics regarding the skil INTRODUCTION The primary focus at the university level is shifting from teaching to staff has to develop and explore methods of finding a balance between teaching and research. not been spared this shift and have had to adjust to these changes. Cur educators to teach at a tertiary institution is a Masters degree. Africa is divided into teaching, research, administration, and communit but promotion is dependent on adequate output in each identified area. With this shift in higher education, it is not clear w facilitates this process from student to clinician and finally to educ academic field to assist in providing a "unique perspective on career development" in different fields. identified that there is "the need to develop adequate research skills in research writing." 2 The question that arises is who provides the opportunity and guidance for individuals to learn new skills and develop positive attitudes toward research? Various authors have define supports. 4 In the academic arena, the mentor has to focus on the teaching and research skills of their protégé. Part of the development of research skills is scholarly writing. Product includes the number of articles published in peer reviewed journals. Thus, there is a need to assist novice academics in the process of publication and research. Mentoring approaches have been used increasingly in the academic environment to improve and empower young educators in all aspects of academia. Mentorship can be used to successfully develop and grow new staff at the university level. an ongoing process, either by virtue of current responsibility of the mentor, or by default in the case of the student alth Sciences and Practice, 2011
Abstract: The objective of this study was to determine the factors that increase the risk of HIV ... more Abstract: The objective of this study was to determine the factors that increase the risk of HIV infection in rural school-going adolescents and young adults. This was a cross-sectional study of 430 secondary school students (47.4 % boys and 52.6 % girls) from two rural schools in South Africa. Data were collected with a self-administered questionnaire on demographic information, sources of HIV/AIDS information, HIV knowledge, sexual behaviors, communication and negotiation skills, self-efficacy to refuse sex, peer influence and time perspective. Out of 113 (27.2%) participants who reported being sexually active, about 48 % reported having had sex before the age of 15 and 42.2% reported penetrative sex with more than one partner in their lifetime. Only 44.8 % of them reported consistent and regular use of condoms for every sexual encounter. Peer influence (OR = 3.01 (95 % CI = 1.97–4.60)), gender difference (OR = 6.60 (95 % CI = 1.62–26.84)) and lack of HIV information (OR = 1.22 (9...
African Journal for Physical, Health Education, Recreation and Dance, 2015
Research has highlighted the decline of physical activity during the last twenty years and identi... more Research has highlighted the decline of physical activity during the last twenty years and identified adolescence as the age of the greatest decline. Despite the fact that the benefits of physical activity have been proven, many children and youth do not meet the current guidelines for sufficient physical activity. There are however various factors that influence physical activity levels amongst the youth and researchers have highlighted the links between environmental conditions and health-related behaviours such as physical inactivity. Therefore an increased emphasis exists on the role of the social and physical environment as key modifiable determinants of physical activity. The aim of this study is thus to explore the social environmental factors that influence the physical activity participation among female school-going adolescents in the Western Cape. Focus group discussions were held with 55 school-going adolescents in a selected community in the Western Cape. The discussion...
Physical activity for an individual is a strong means for prevention of diseases and for nations,... more Physical activity for an individual is a strong means for prevention of diseases and for nations, a cost-effective method to improve public health across the population. A decline in physical activity of youth has however been noted in various world regions. Schools present unique opportunities to provide time, facilities and guidance for young people to participate in physical activity. The aim of this study is to determine the patterns of physical activity participation among high school girls and their perceived social support for physical activity in the school environment in Kigali, Rwanda. Three hundred and fifty (350) learners from six schools participated in the study. The mean age of the study sample was 16.06. The majority of learners did not meet the number of days required for moderate days of physical activity (66%) and for vigorous days of physical activity (70.9%). Overall the study sample responded negatively when asked about support for physical activity from Physic...
African Journal for Physical, Health Education, Recreation and Dance, 2015
The importance of determining the prevalence of modifiable health risk behaviours among specific ... more The importance of determining the prevalence of modifiable health risk behaviours among specific populations for effective preventive and therapeutic measures has been emphasized in literature. Worksites have been identified as strategic locations for the delivery of interventions to decrease the prevalence of chronic diseases of lifestyle among adult populations. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of modifiable risks factors for cardiovascular diseases of employees at an urban university in Kigali, Rwanda. Physical activity levels were assessed by the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ). Body mass index was computed from weight and height measurements. Blood pressure readings were taken and hypertension for the study was defined as ≥ 140/90 for systolic and diastolic respectively. A total of 36 participants were classified as being hypertensive. Both systolic blood pressure (r=0.627; p<0.05) and diastolic blood pressure (r=0.598; p<0.05) si...
A growing shift towards research and evidence based practice in academia is associated... more A growing shift towards research and evidence based practice in academia is associated with requirements to disseminate research results in the form of publication in peer reviewed journals. Mentoring has been identified as an important component of developing young authors, as it increases confidence and competence, and facilitates professional development. This led to the formation of a support group to stimulate peer-review publication in the physiotherapy department at the University of the Western Cape. The Kirkpatrick Framework of Evaluation was used to evaluate the success of the mentoring process which made use of a participatory action research methodology. The writing group consisted of nine academic members of staff and took place over ten weeks. The programme included writing, giving feedback, discussion and peer review on a weekly basis. Focus group discussions were taped and transcribed in order to evaluate the...
The increase in the prevalence of overweight and obesity in low- and medium-income countries has ... more The increase in the prevalence of overweight and obesity in low- and medium-income countries has a negative impact on overall health. Correct perception of one&amp;amp;#39;s body weight is a step in seeking healthy help toward weight reduction in overweight and obese individuals. This study was carried out to assess the body weight misperception and dissatisfaction among overweight and obese adults in an urban African setting. This study was part of a larger cross-sectional study that was designed to plan an intervention for overweight and obese adults in an urban African setting. For this study, we randomly selected only overweight and obese adults (≥18 years old) who consented to participate in the study from 15 enumeration areas in Alimosho Local Government Area of Lagos State, Nigeria. We followed the World Health Organization guidelines for conducting community surveys in recruiting overweight and obese participants. We assessed body weight perception and dissatisfaction through their responses to the following: &amp;amp;quot;How do you describe your weight?&amp;amp;quot; and &amp;amp;quot;I feel bad about myself because of my weight.&amp;amp;quot; Data for this study were collected between November 2012 and March 2013. We recruited 567 participants, of whom more than half (n=304, 53.6%) misperceived their weight as either underweight or normal weight, and 61.2% (n=186) of whom were women. The strength of agreement between the actual body mass index and weight perception was very poor (κ=.032, SE .015, P=.04). The strongest predictor of weight perception was sex (female) with an odds ratio of 1.63 (95% CI 1.13-2.35). About 41.1% (n=233) of the participants were dissatisfied with their weight, of whom 30.0% (n=70) were men. Age (young adult) was a predictor of weight dissatisfaction with an odds ratio of 2.37 (95% CI 1.62-3.46). More than half of the participants misperceived their body weight as either underweight or normal weight, and the majority of them were women. More men were not happy with their body weight, and participants in the young adult age group were more dissatisfied with their body weight.
Interprofessional collaborative practice is widely documented as a strategy to improve quality of... more Interprofessional collaborative practice is widely documented as a strategy to improve quality of healthcare. To develop collaborative practitioners, educators need interprofessional curricula with proper cognitive demand and methods of delivery and assessment. The University of the Western Cape in South Africa incorporated an Interprofessional Core Courses Curriculum for all undergraduate students enrolled in the health sciences faculty. The objective of this study was to analyse the curriculum content to determine its cognitive rigor. Cognitive rigor can be measured by the quantitative content analysis method using the Depth of Knowledge (DOK) framework. This approach tests whether the rigor of instructional activities and assessments is aligned with learning outcomes. The curriculum content evaluated in this study found that assessment activities were less demanding than instructional activities and infrequently aligned with learning outcomes. This approach may be useful to other...
The increase in the prevalence of overweight and obesity in both developed and developing countri... more The increase in the prevalence of overweight and obesity in both developed and developing countries is associated with musculoskeletal and other non-communicable diseases. To address this, an accurate measure of body adiposity, bearing in mind several shortcomings of body mass index (BMI), should be used. This study determined the relationship between BMI and body fat (BF)% among adult Nigerians of different ethnic groups residing in an urban setting. Using multistage cluster sampling technique were recruited 1571 subjects (>18 years; male=51.2%) in a cross-sectional study. Body adiposity indices were assessed using BMI and BF%. Using BF%, the result shows that a total number of 156 (9.9%) had low BF% while 291 (18.5%) had very high BF%, while the BMI classifications of body adiposity, 68 (4.3%) were underweight while 271 (17.3%) were obese. There was a strong and positive statistical relationship between BF% and BMI when both were paired without controlling for gender and age (r...
To evaluate the extent to which the rehabilitation outcome levels (ROL) and the spinal cord indep... more To evaluate the extent to which the rehabilitation outcome levels (ROL) and the spinal cord independence measure (SCIM) III could be mapped to the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) and the brief core set for spinal cord injury (SCI) in the post-acute context. Two professionals used the published protocol to map the concepts derived from both measures to the ICF categories. Further, the endorsed categories at the second level of the ICF were used to determine the coverage of the Brief ICF Core Set for SCI. Three items of the ROL could not be conceptualised within the ICF, while the rest were mapped to 42 second-level categories, mainly to the activity and participation domain. All the items of the SCIM III were mapped, yielding 52 ICF categories, mostly at the third level (32). For the mapping to the Core Set for SCI, the ROL covered five and the SCIM III all nine categories of 'activities and participation' included as the candidate cat...
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 2014
The objective of this study was to determine the factors that increase the risk of HIV infection ... more The objective of this study was to determine the factors that increase the risk of HIV infection in rural school-going adolescents and young adults. This was a cross-sectional study of 430 secondary school students (47.4% boys and 52.6% girls) from two rural schools in South Africa. Data were collected with a self-administered questionnaire on demographic information, sources of HIV/AIDS information, HIV knowledge, sexual behaviors, communication and negotiation skills, self-efficacy to refuse sex, peer influence and time perspective. Out of 113 (27.2%) participants who reported being sexually active, about 48% reported having had sex before the age of 15 and 42.2% reported penetrative sex with more than one partner in their lifetime. Only 44.8% of them reported consistent and regular use of condoms for every sexual encounter. Peer influence (OR = 3.01 (95% CI = 1.97-4.60)), gender difference (OR = 6.60 (95% CI = 1.62-26.84)) and lack of HIV information (OR = 1.22 (95% CI = 1.03-1.44)) influenced the sexual risk behaviors of the adolescents. Greater numbers of school-going adolescents in rural areas are sexually active. Peer influence, especially in boys, is a factor that increases the preponderance of risky sexual behaviors in adolescents. Positively, adolescents with high knowledge of HIV infection are more likely to use condoms for every sexual encounter. There is a need to strengthen comprehensive sexual health education and youth-friendly
African Journal of Primary Health Care & Family Medicine, 2013
Background: Although the use of surveys has been supported for assessing understanding of health ... more Background: Although the use of surveys has been supported for assessing understanding of health care service quality, it could also be argued that their main function is to quantify perceptions. The importance of assessing patient satisfaction in individuals’ own language has been highlighted in research. However, important culture-specific differences can be revealed during the adaptation process of a scale, and if not attended to can influence the validity ofthe scale.Objectives: The aim of this study was to assess the validity and reliability of the isiXhosa version of the Patient Survey for Quality of Care (PSQC) in primary health care (PHC) facilities in a selected district in the Western Cape, South Africa.Method: The PSQC was translated into isiXhosa by two independant translators and the translated back into English by a third translator. All three translators reviewed the back translation. Face and content validity of the scale were assessed. Fifteen isiXhosa-speaking clie...
African Journal of Primary Health Care & Family Medicine, 2014
Background: The efficacy of treatment for clients with diabetes is highly dependent on the indivi... more Background: The efficacy of treatment for clients with diabetes is highly dependent on the individual’s ability to manage the disease. Several constraints, such as poverty, illiteracy and insufficient resources (finances and specialised healthcare professionals), especially communities of low socio-economic status, could influence clients’ ability to manage their disease.Aim: The main aim of this study was to outline the obstacles encountered by individuals with type 2 diabetes mellitus from an urban community with regard to management of their disease.Setting: The study was conducted at a primary health care facility in the Western Cape, South Africa.Methods: Ethical clearance was obtained from all relevant authorities. Eight (8) conveniently selected clients with type 2 diabetes mellitus per participating community healthcare centre (six approved centres in total) were invited to take part in focus group discussions. Twenty six clients, 15 females and 11 males, with a mean age of ...
This paper presents HIV/AIDS experiences of elderly persons in Uganda as revealed by an ongoing d... more This paper presents HIV/AIDS experiences of elderly persons in Uganda as revealed by an ongoing descriptive cross-sectional study covering eight districts, namely: Pallisa, Kampala, Jinja, Lira, Nebbi, Ntungamo, Luwero and Mbarara. These districts represent both the rural and urban areas of the four regions of Uganda, including: Western, Northern, Eastern and Central region. The study employed a mixed method approach
African Journal for Physical, Health Education, Recreation and Dance, 2004
Physical inactivity is one of the major underlying causes of mortality in the world. Various stud... more Physical inactivity is one of the major underlying causes of mortality in the world. Various studies have proven that a moderate amount of physical activity can help to reduce various chronic diseases of lifestyle. The current article reviews literature pertaining to the prevalence of chronic diseases of lifestyle in South Africa, and the rationale for promoting physical activity among the youth in order to prevent the prevalence of chronic diseases of lifestyle in later years. Recommendations on how to promote physically active lifestyles among South African youth are proffered. Key words: Physical activity, lifestyle, chronic diseases, youth, promotion. (Af. J. Physical, Health Education, Recreation and Dance: 2003 9(2): 200-206)
African Journal for Physical, Health Education, Recreation and Dance, 2011
The impact of the HIV/AIDS pandemic is mostly felt by adolescents as half of all new HIV/AIDS inf... more The impact of the HIV/AIDS pandemic is mostly felt by adolescents as half of all new HIV/AIDS infections have occurred in people aged 15-24 years. Statistics show that campaigns implemented by the South African government have failed to bring about positive behavioural change among young people. The aim of this study was to determine the HIV/AIDS-related knowledge among students at a college and the association between knowledge, self-efficacy, self-concept in sexual practices. This study was conducted at a Further Education and Training College in Cape Town. Data were collected using self-administered questionnaires consisting of five sections including demographic information; sexual practices; knowledge of HIV/AIDS, levels of self-efficacy; and self-concept. Fifty four percent of the participants indicated no condom use when having sex, either by themselves or by a partner; 43% indicated that they had more than 2 sexual partners in the 12 months prior to the study. The odds that a person with higher HIV/AIDS knowledge will use a condom were 1.047 times greater than someone with less HIV/AIDS knowledge. The odd's ratio for self-efficacy indicates a positive relationship with the number of partners of an individual. The findings of the present study suggest adequate/high HIV/AIDS knowledge among the study sample. The study further highlights that for males, there is a greater likelihood that lower self-efficacy would predict more sexual partners in comparison to females. The results further suggest that although governmental organisations' efforts improved knowledge of HIV/AIDS, programmes avidly promoting self-efficacy for males should be implemented.
African Journal for Physical, Health Education, Recreation and Dance, 2014
The prevalence of diabetes mellitus in South Africa has increased drastically over the last two d... more The prevalence of diabetes mellitus in South Africa has increased drastically over the last two decades and ranks third in terms of mortality and morbidity for the general population. Urbanisation plays an important role in the emergence and high prevalence rates of type 2 diabetes mellitus and is associated with more availability of food, eating of unhealthy fast foods and a less physically active lifestyle. Physical activity has gained much attention for its role in preventing premature disease and disability and has become widely recognised as a key health behaviour, associated with reduced morbidity and mortality of chronic diseases of lifestyle such as hypertension and type 2 diabetes, diabetic complications, improved glucose tolerance and insulin sensitivity. This study explored urban community dwellers with diabetes mellitus experiences and or challenges with regards to the inclusion of physical activity in their management of their disease. Focus group discussions were condu...
Introduction: There is mounting evidence of the health risk behaviours that adolescents are invol... more Introduction: There is mounting evidence of the health risk behaviours that adolescents are involved in on a daily basis. Local and national governments have advocated for intervention programmes to prevent an increase in the health risk behaviours among young people. In order to introduce effective prevention strategies, evaluation of the current situation is needed. The University of the Western Cape, identified Youth Wellness as one of the niche areas for research. Aim: This paper aims to synthesize the studies on youth wellness conducted at the University of the Western Cape. Findings: The studies conducted included epidemiological studies and intervention studies. Studies used both qualitative and quantitative designs. Most of the studies highlighted the need for intervention programmes at various levels such as personal (individual), community and policy. Conclusion: The findings of the research clearly highlights the need for researchers at UWC to identify appropriate criteri...
Introduction: Although women fulfil and play meaningful roles in the academic life of universitie... more Introduction: Although women fulfil and play meaningful roles in the academic life of universities, their contributions have seldom been acknowledged. The voices of women outside of the dominant western context of knowledge production, such as women in South African historically black universities (HBUs), remain largely marginalized. Women at these HBUs have indicated a need for mentoring and support to assist with their scholarly endeavours. Objectives: The objective of the present study was to determine the participants' views on the ways in which the mentoring process was used to overcome the challenges of publishing their academic work. Methods: Using a qualitative method and a focus group discussion to collect data. Participants: Lecturers who attended an academic writing skills development program. Setting: University of the Western Cape. Intervention: Academic writing skills development program. Results: The findings of this study indicates that dedicated time, learning to write, a supportive network and a culture of publishing in the institution was needed to assist black academic women conquer their publishing silences. Conclusion: A mentoring process can facilitate academic publication output.
Background The development of rehabilitation services promoting participation in people living wi... more Background The development of rehabilitation services promoting participation in people living with a traumatic spinal cord injury (TSCI) is of major concern for physical therapists. What the client sees as effective participation, barriers, and facilitators might be different due to their particular context. This study was conducted to gain insight into the experiences of attaining an important outcome in a developing context. Objective The aim of this study was to explore the experiences of reclaiming participation in community-dwelling people with TSCI in South Africa. Design This was an explorative, qualitative study with inductive content analysis. Methods Individual semistructured interviews were conducted with 17 adults living with a TSCI in order to explore their experience of participation. The verbatim transcripts were analyzed, and the end result was an overall theme that included 4 emerging categories. Results The theme “participation possibility” denotes the eventual in...
The Internet Journal of Allied Health Sciences & Practice, 2011
Mentoring is a professional development approach that can be effectively used in improving public... more Mentoring is a professional development approach that can be effectively used in improving publication outputs among academics. The challenge to develop academics in the area of publication is essential. This study highlights the role of the mentor in the process of encouraging academics to improve their skill in publishing. used in this study. Nine academics, with the authors as mentors, participated in a support group over a 10 monthly follow ups for 12-months. Results receiving feedback, and continuous support and motivation. Support in developing novice authors does not end when the manuscript is submitted but has to be maintained throughout the process until publication. the development of academics regarding the skil INTRODUCTION The primary focus at the university level is shifting from teaching to staff has to develop and explore methods of finding a balance between teaching and research. not been spared this shift and have had to adjust to these changes. Cur educators to teach at a tertiary institution is a Masters degree. Africa is divided into teaching, research, administration, and communit but promotion is dependent on adequate output in each identified area. With this shift in higher education, it is not clear w facilitates this process from student to clinician and finally to educ academic field to assist in providing a "unique perspective on career development" in different fields. identified that there is "the need to develop adequate research skills in research writing." 2 The question that arises is who provides the opportunity and guidance for individuals to learn new skills and develop positive attitudes toward research? Various authors have define supports. 4 In the academic arena, the mentor has to focus on the teaching and research skills of their protégé. Part of the development of research skills is scholarly writing. Product includes the number of articles published in peer reviewed journals. Thus, there is a need to assist novice academics in the process of publication and research. Mentoring approaches have been used increasingly in the academic environment to improve and empower young educators in all aspects of academia. Mentorship can be used to successfully develop and grow new staff at the university level. an ongoing process, either by virtue of current responsibility of the mentor, or by default in the case of the student alth Sciences and Practice, 2011
Abstract: The objective of this study was to determine the factors that increase the risk of HIV ... more Abstract: The objective of this study was to determine the factors that increase the risk of HIV infection in rural school-going adolescents and young adults. This was a cross-sectional study of 430 secondary school students (47.4 % boys and 52.6 % girls) from two rural schools in South Africa. Data were collected with a self-administered questionnaire on demographic information, sources of HIV/AIDS information, HIV knowledge, sexual behaviors, communication and negotiation skills, self-efficacy to refuse sex, peer influence and time perspective. Out of 113 (27.2%) participants who reported being sexually active, about 48 % reported having had sex before the age of 15 and 42.2% reported penetrative sex with more than one partner in their lifetime. Only 44.8 % of them reported consistent and regular use of condoms for every sexual encounter. Peer influence (OR = 3.01 (95 % CI = 1.97–4.60)), gender difference (OR = 6.60 (95 % CI = 1.62–26.84)) and lack of HIV information (OR = 1.22 (9...
African Journal for Physical, Health Education, Recreation and Dance, 2015
Research has highlighted the decline of physical activity during the last twenty years and identi... more Research has highlighted the decline of physical activity during the last twenty years and identified adolescence as the age of the greatest decline. Despite the fact that the benefits of physical activity have been proven, many children and youth do not meet the current guidelines for sufficient physical activity. There are however various factors that influence physical activity levels amongst the youth and researchers have highlighted the links between environmental conditions and health-related behaviours such as physical inactivity. Therefore an increased emphasis exists on the role of the social and physical environment as key modifiable determinants of physical activity. The aim of this study is thus to explore the social environmental factors that influence the physical activity participation among female school-going adolescents in the Western Cape. Focus group discussions were held with 55 school-going adolescents in a selected community in the Western Cape. The discussion...
Physical activity for an individual is a strong means for prevention of diseases and for nations,... more Physical activity for an individual is a strong means for prevention of diseases and for nations, a cost-effective method to improve public health across the population. A decline in physical activity of youth has however been noted in various world regions. Schools present unique opportunities to provide time, facilities and guidance for young people to participate in physical activity. The aim of this study is to determine the patterns of physical activity participation among high school girls and their perceived social support for physical activity in the school environment in Kigali, Rwanda. Three hundred and fifty (350) learners from six schools participated in the study. The mean age of the study sample was 16.06. The majority of learners did not meet the number of days required for moderate days of physical activity (66%) and for vigorous days of physical activity (70.9%). Overall the study sample responded negatively when asked about support for physical activity from Physic...
African Journal for Physical, Health Education, Recreation and Dance, 2015
The importance of determining the prevalence of modifiable health risk behaviours among specific ... more The importance of determining the prevalence of modifiable health risk behaviours among specific populations for effective preventive and therapeutic measures has been emphasized in literature. Worksites have been identified as strategic locations for the delivery of interventions to decrease the prevalence of chronic diseases of lifestyle among adult populations. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of modifiable risks factors for cardiovascular diseases of employees at an urban university in Kigali, Rwanda. Physical activity levels were assessed by the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ). Body mass index was computed from weight and height measurements. Blood pressure readings were taken and hypertension for the study was defined as ≥ 140/90 for systolic and diastolic respectively. A total of 36 participants were classified as being hypertensive. Both systolic blood pressure (r=0.627; p<0.05) and diastolic blood pressure (r=0.598; p<0.05) si...
A growing shift towards research and evidence based practice in academia is associated... more A growing shift towards research and evidence based practice in academia is associated with requirements to disseminate research results in the form of publication in peer reviewed journals. Mentoring has been identified as an important component of developing young authors, as it increases confidence and competence, and facilitates professional development. This led to the formation of a support group to stimulate peer-review publication in the physiotherapy department at the University of the Western Cape. The Kirkpatrick Framework of Evaluation was used to evaluate the success of the mentoring process which made use of a participatory action research methodology. The writing group consisted of nine academic members of staff and took place over ten weeks. The programme included writing, giving feedback, discussion and peer review on a weekly basis. Focus group discussions were taped and transcribed in order to evaluate the...
The increase in the prevalence of overweight and obesity in low- and medium-income countries has ... more The increase in the prevalence of overweight and obesity in low- and medium-income countries has a negative impact on overall health. Correct perception of one&amp;amp;#39;s body weight is a step in seeking healthy help toward weight reduction in overweight and obese individuals. This study was carried out to assess the body weight misperception and dissatisfaction among overweight and obese adults in an urban African setting. This study was part of a larger cross-sectional study that was designed to plan an intervention for overweight and obese adults in an urban African setting. For this study, we randomly selected only overweight and obese adults (≥18 years old) who consented to participate in the study from 15 enumeration areas in Alimosho Local Government Area of Lagos State, Nigeria. We followed the World Health Organization guidelines for conducting community surveys in recruiting overweight and obese participants. We assessed body weight perception and dissatisfaction through their responses to the following: &amp;amp;quot;How do you describe your weight?&amp;amp;quot; and &amp;amp;quot;I feel bad about myself because of my weight.&amp;amp;quot; Data for this study were collected between November 2012 and March 2013. We recruited 567 participants, of whom more than half (n=304, 53.6%) misperceived their weight as either underweight or normal weight, and 61.2% (n=186) of whom were women. The strength of agreement between the actual body mass index and weight perception was very poor (κ=.032, SE .015, P=.04). The strongest predictor of weight perception was sex (female) with an odds ratio of 1.63 (95% CI 1.13-2.35). About 41.1% (n=233) of the participants were dissatisfied with their weight, of whom 30.0% (n=70) were men. Age (young adult) was a predictor of weight dissatisfaction with an odds ratio of 2.37 (95% CI 1.62-3.46). More than half of the participants misperceived their body weight as either underweight or normal weight, and the majority of them were women. More men were not happy with their body weight, and participants in the young adult age group were more dissatisfied with their body weight.
Interprofessional collaborative practice is widely documented as a strategy to improve quality of... more Interprofessional collaborative practice is widely documented as a strategy to improve quality of healthcare. To develop collaborative practitioners, educators need interprofessional curricula with proper cognitive demand and methods of delivery and assessment. The University of the Western Cape in South Africa incorporated an Interprofessional Core Courses Curriculum for all undergraduate students enrolled in the health sciences faculty. The objective of this study was to analyse the curriculum content to determine its cognitive rigor. Cognitive rigor can be measured by the quantitative content analysis method using the Depth of Knowledge (DOK) framework. This approach tests whether the rigor of instructional activities and assessments is aligned with learning outcomes. The curriculum content evaluated in this study found that assessment activities were less demanding than instructional activities and infrequently aligned with learning outcomes. This approach may be useful to other...
The increase in the prevalence of overweight and obesity in both developed and developing countri... more The increase in the prevalence of overweight and obesity in both developed and developing countries is associated with musculoskeletal and other non-communicable diseases. To address this, an accurate measure of body adiposity, bearing in mind several shortcomings of body mass index (BMI), should be used. This study determined the relationship between BMI and body fat (BF)% among adult Nigerians of different ethnic groups residing in an urban setting. Using multistage cluster sampling technique were recruited 1571 subjects (>18 years; male=51.2%) in a cross-sectional study. Body adiposity indices were assessed using BMI and BF%. Using BF%, the result shows that a total number of 156 (9.9%) had low BF% while 291 (18.5%) had very high BF%, while the BMI classifications of body adiposity, 68 (4.3%) were underweight while 271 (17.3%) were obese. There was a strong and positive statistical relationship between BF% and BMI when both were paired without controlling for gender and age (r...
To evaluate the extent to which the rehabilitation outcome levels (ROL) and the spinal cord indep... more To evaluate the extent to which the rehabilitation outcome levels (ROL) and the spinal cord independence measure (SCIM) III could be mapped to the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) and the brief core set for spinal cord injury (SCI) in the post-acute context. Two professionals used the published protocol to map the concepts derived from both measures to the ICF categories. Further, the endorsed categories at the second level of the ICF were used to determine the coverage of the Brief ICF Core Set for SCI. Three items of the ROL could not be conceptualised within the ICF, while the rest were mapped to 42 second-level categories, mainly to the activity and participation domain. All the items of the SCIM III were mapped, yielding 52 ICF categories, mostly at the third level (32). For the mapping to the Core Set for SCI, the ROL covered five and the SCIM III all nine categories of 'activities and participation' included as the candidate cat...
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 2014
The objective of this study was to determine the factors that increase the risk of HIV infection ... more The objective of this study was to determine the factors that increase the risk of HIV infection in rural school-going adolescents and young adults. This was a cross-sectional study of 430 secondary school students (47.4% boys and 52.6% girls) from two rural schools in South Africa. Data were collected with a self-administered questionnaire on demographic information, sources of HIV/AIDS information, HIV knowledge, sexual behaviors, communication and negotiation skills, self-efficacy to refuse sex, peer influence and time perspective. Out of 113 (27.2%) participants who reported being sexually active, about 48% reported having had sex before the age of 15 and 42.2% reported penetrative sex with more than one partner in their lifetime. Only 44.8% of them reported consistent and regular use of condoms for every sexual encounter. Peer influence (OR = 3.01 (95% CI = 1.97-4.60)), gender difference (OR = 6.60 (95% CI = 1.62-26.84)) and lack of HIV information (OR = 1.22 (95% CI = 1.03-1.44)) influenced the sexual risk behaviors of the adolescents. Greater numbers of school-going adolescents in rural areas are sexually active. Peer influence, especially in boys, is a factor that increases the preponderance of risky sexual behaviors in adolescents. Positively, adolescents with high knowledge of HIV infection are more likely to use condoms for every sexual encounter. There is a need to strengthen comprehensive sexual health education and youth-friendly
African Journal of Primary Health Care & Family Medicine, 2013
Background: Although the use of surveys has been supported for assessing understanding of health ... more Background: Although the use of surveys has been supported for assessing understanding of health care service quality, it could also be argued that their main function is to quantify perceptions. The importance of assessing patient satisfaction in individuals’ own language has been highlighted in research. However, important culture-specific differences can be revealed during the adaptation process of a scale, and if not attended to can influence the validity ofthe scale.Objectives: The aim of this study was to assess the validity and reliability of the isiXhosa version of the Patient Survey for Quality of Care (PSQC) in primary health care (PHC) facilities in a selected district in the Western Cape, South Africa.Method: The PSQC was translated into isiXhosa by two independant translators and the translated back into English by a third translator. All three translators reviewed the back translation. Face and content validity of the scale were assessed. Fifteen isiXhosa-speaking clie...
African Journal of Primary Health Care & Family Medicine, 2014
Background: The efficacy of treatment for clients with diabetes is highly dependent on the indivi... more Background: The efficacy of treatment for clients with diabetes is highly dependent on the individual’s ability to manage the disease. Several constraints, such as poverty, illiteracy and insufficient resources (finances and specialised healthcare professionals), especially communities of low socio-economic status, could influence clients’ ability to manage their disease.Aim: The main aim of this study was to outline the obstacles encountered by individuals with type 2 diabetes mellitus from an urban community with regard to management of their disease.Setting: The study was conducted at a primary health care facility in the Western Cape, South Africa.Methods: Ethical clearance was obtained from all relevant authorities. Eight (8) conveniently selected clients with type 2 diabetes mellitus per participating community healthcare centre (six approved centres in total) were invited to take part in focus group discussions. Twenty six clients, 15 females and 11 males, with a mean age of ...
This paper presents HIV/AIDS experiences of elderly persons in Uganda as revealed by an ongoing d... more This paper presents HIV/AIDS experiences of elderly persons in Uganda as revealed by an ongoing descriptive cross-sectional study covering eight districts, namely: Pallisa, Kampala, Jinja, Lira, Nebbi, Ntungamo, Luwero and Mbarara. These districts represent both the rural and urban areas of the four regions of Uganda, including: Western, Northern, Eastern and Central region. The study employed a mixed method approach
African Journal for Physical, Health Education, Recreation and Dance, 2004
Physical inactivity is one of the major underlying causes of mortality in the world. Various stud... more Physical inactivity is one of the major underlying causes of mortality in the world. Various studies have proven that a moderate amount of physical activity can help to reduce various chronic diseases of lifestyle. The current article reviews literature pertaining to the prevalence of chronic diseases of lifestyle in South Africa, and the rationale for promoting physical activity among the youth in order to prevent the prevalence of chronic diseases of lifestyle in later years. Recommendations on how to promote physically active lifestyles among South African youth are proffered. Key words: Physical activity, lifestyle, chronic diseases, youth, promotion. (Af. J. Physical, Health Education, Recreation and Dance: 2003 9(2): 200-206)
African Journal for Physical, Health Education, Recreation and Dance, 2011
The impact of the HIV/AIDS pandemic is mostly felt by adolescents as half of all new HIV/AIDS inf... more The impact of the HIV/AIDS pandemic is mostly felt by adolescents as half of all new HIV/AIDS infections have occurred in people aged 15-24 years. Statistics show that campaigns implemented by the South African government have failed to bring about positive behavioural change among young people. The aim of this study was to determine the HIV/AIDS-related knowledge among students at a college and the association between knowledge, self-efficacy, self-concept in sexual practices. This study was conducted at a Further Education and Training College in Cape Town. Data were collected using self-administered questionnaires consisting of five sections including demographic information; sexual practices; knowledge of HIV/AIDS, levels of self-efficacy; and self-concept. Fifty four percent of the participants indicated no condom use when having sex, either by themselves or by a partner; 43% indicated that they had more than 2 sexual partners in the 12 months prior to the study. The odds that a person with higher HIV/AIDS knowledge will use a condom were 1.047 times greater than someone with less HIV/AIDS knowledge. The odd's ratio for self-efficacy indicates a positive relationship with the number of partners of an individual. The findings of the present study suggest adequate/high HIV/AIDS knowledge among the study sample. The study further highlights that for males, there is a greater likelihood that lower self-efficacy would predict more sexual partners in comparison to females. The results further suggest that although governmental organisations' efforts improved knowledge of HIV/AIDS, programmes avidly promoting self-efficacy for males should be implemented.
African Journal for Physical, Health Education, Recreation and Dance, 2014
The prevalence of diabetes mellitus in South Africa has increased drastically over the last two d... more The prevalence of diabetes mellitus in South Africa has increased drastically over the last two decades and ranks third in terms of mortality and morbidity for the general population. Urbanisation plays an important role in the emergence and high prevalence rates of type 2 diabetes mellitus and is associated with more availability of food, eating of unhealthy fast foods and a less physically active lifestyle. Physical activity has gained much attention for its role in preventing premature disease and disability and has become widely recognised as a key health behaviour, associated with reduced morbidity and mortality of chronic diseases of lifestyle such as hypertension and type 2 diabetes, diabetic complications, improved glucose tolerance and insulin sensitivity. This study explored urban community dwellers with diabetes mellitus experiences and or challenges with regards to the inclusion of physical activity in their management of their disease. Focus group discussions were condu...
Introduction: There is mounting evidence of the health risk behaviours that adolescents are invol... more Introduction: There is mounting evidence of the health risk behaviours that adolescents are involved in on a daily basis. Local and national governments have advocated for intervention programmes to prevent an increase in the health risk behaviours among young people. In order to introduce effective prevention strategies, evaluation of the current situation is needed. The University of the Western Cape, identified Youth Wellness as one of the niche areas for research. Aim: This paper aims to synthesize the studies on youth wellness conducted at the University of the Western Cape. Findings: The studies conducted included epidemiological studies and intervention studies. Studies used both qualitative and quantitative designs. Most of the studies highlighted the need for intervention programmes at various levels such as personal (individual), community and policy. Conclusion: The findings of the research clearly highlights the need for researchers at UWC to identify appropriate criteri...
Introduction: Although women fulfil and play meaningful roles in the academic life of universitie... more Introduction: Although women fulfil and play meaningful roles in the academic life of universities, their contributions have seldom been acknowledged. The voices of women outside of the dominant western context of knowledge production, such as women in South African historically black universities (HBUs), remain largely marginalized. Women at these HBUs have indicated a need for mentoring and support to assist with their scholarly endeavours. Objectives: The objective of the present study was to determine the participants' views on the ways in which the mentoring process was used to overcome the challenges of publishing their academic work. Methods: Using a qualitative method and a focus group discussion to collect data. Participants: Lecturers who attended an academic writing skills development program. Setting: University of the Western Cape. Intervention: Academic writing skills development program. Results: The findings of this study indicates that dedicated time, learning to write, a supportive network and a culture of publishing in the institution was needed to assist black academic women conquer their publishing silences. Conclusion: A mentoring process can facilitate academic publication output.
Background The development of rehabilitation services promoting participation in people living wi... more Background The development of rehabilitation services promoting participation in people living with a traumatic spinal cord injury (TSCI) is of major concern for physical therapists. What the client sees as effective participation, barriers, and facilitators might be different due to their particular context. This study was conducted to gain insight into the experiences of attaining an important outcome in a developing context. Objective The aim of this study was to explore the experiences of reclaiming participation in community-dwelling people with TSCI in South Africa. Design This was an explorative, qualitative study with inductive content analysis. Methods Individual semistructured interviews were conducted with 17 adults living with a TSCI in order to explore their experience of participation. The verbatim transcripts were analyzed, and the end result was an overall theme that included 4 emerging categories. Results The theme “participation possibility” denotes the eventual in...
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Papers by Julie Phillips