Magister Public Health - MPH (Public Health)http://hdl.handle.net/11394/1362024-03-28T19:34:33Z2024-03-28T19:34:33ZExploring factors that influence youth’s experiences and adherence to the COVID-19 public health and social measures (PHSMs) in rural Bushbuckridge, Mpumalanga province.Ngomane, Zanelehttp://hdl.handle.net/11394/106902024-03-26T00:03:24Z2023-01-01T00:00:00ZExploring factors that influence youth’s experiences and adherence to the COVID-19 public health and social measures (PHSMs) in rural Bushbuckridge, Mpumalanga province.
Ngomane, Zanele
Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted many lives and caused various economic, psychological, educational, health-related, and social problems and disruptions in South Africa. Studies conducted on how young people were impacted found that the pandemic brought a lot of uncertainty and anxiety. The COVID-19 public health and social measures aiming to limit the spread of the virus, imposed restrictions that exacerbated the challenging socio-economic conditions of people living in South Africa.
Masters of Public Health - see Magister Public Health
2023-01-01T00:00:00ZPrevalence of metabolic risk factors for non-communicable diseases in treatment-naïve HIV patients in inner-city JohannesburgBhaskar, Shilpa Estherhttp://hdl.handle.net/11394/106572024-02-21T00:01:43Z2023-01-01T00:00:00ZPrevalence of metabolic risk factors for non-communicable diseases in treatment-naïve HIV patients in inner-city Johannesburg
Bhaskar, Shilpa Esther
Background: South Africa faces a quadruple burden of disease with a rising prevalence of both HIV and non-communicable diseases (Cage et al., 2023). Increased life expectancy in people living with HIV (PLWHIV) has contributed to increasing rates of metabolic diseases and co-morbidities. The prevalence of metabolic risk factors among PLWHIV and associated risks need to be addressed to allow strategic integration into healthcare and reduce the rising prevalence of non-communicable diseases. This study aimed to describe the prevalence and patterns of metabolic risk factors in HIV-positive, treatment-naïve participants (those that have not yet initiated treatment) in inner-city Johannesburg. Methodology: A retrospective, cross-sectional study design was conducted on all patients enrolled in the ADVANCE WRHI060 clinical trial from 2 February 2017 to 8 May 2018 at baseline, before the initiation of ART. Socio-demographic, behavioural and clinical characteristics were extracted from the patient electronic database. For all statistical comparisons, a 5% level of significance was applied; correspondingly 95% confidence intervals were used to describe effect size. Outcome variables were categorised, and the Chisquared test was used to analyse associations between data. Logistic-regression analysis was used to examine the association between metabolic risk factors and other sociodemographic or behavioural factors.
Master of Public Health - MPH
2023-01-01T00:00:00ZFactors affecting stroke patients’ access to physiotherapy services in a semi-rural township in South AfricaNkafane, Moshoeshoehttp://hdl.handle.net/11394/106562024-02-21T00:01:42Z2023-01-01T00:00:00ZFactors affecting stroke patients’ access to physiotherapy services in a semi-rural township in South Africa
Nkafane, Moshoeshoe
Background: There is a significant rise in the incidence of stroke worldwide. It is common for people with stroke (PWS) to sustain physical impairments and subsequently require rehabilitation services such as physiotherapy to gain partial to full functional independence. Physiotherapy services are available in most low-and- middle-income countries (LMICs), but there are various factors which affect their accessibility to people. Aim: This study aimed to explore factors affecting stroke patients’ access to physiotherapy services in a semi-rural township in South Africa. Methodology: A qualitative descriptive exploratory study was conducted. This involved the use of an interview guide with semi-structured interview questions to collect data from ten people with stroke. The participants were verbally recruited as they attended their scheduled physiotherapy appointments at Botshabelo District Hospital (BDH). The interview guide, informed consent form and participant information sheet were translated from English to Sesotho as this is the predominantly spoken language in Botshabelo. The interviews were audio recorded with permission from participants, transcribed verbatim and manually analysed using thematic coding analysis. Ethics approval was obtained from the University of the Western Cape’s Biomedical Research Ethics Committee (BMREC), University of the Free State’s Health Sciences Research Ethics Committee, Free State Provincial Department of Health (FSDoH) and Botshabelo District Hospital’s management.
Magister Public Health - MPH
2023-01-01T00:00:00ZAntiretroviral therapy adherence among people living with HIV accessing services at a primary health care facility in Livingstone, Zambia, during the COVID-19 pandemicChilumwaya, Cynthiahttp://hdl.handle.net/11394/105272023-11-14T00:02:41Z2023-01-01T00:00:00ZAntiretroviral therapy adherence among people living with HIV accessing services at a primary health care facility in Livingstone, Zambia, during the COVID-19 pandemic
Chilumwaya, Cynthia
Antiretroviral therapy (ART) has significantly enhanced the quality of life for individuals living with HIV on a global scale. In order to effectively manage HIV, optimal adherence to ART is of utmost importance, particularly with the enhanced accessibility to treatment. Inadequate adherence to ART has the potential to foster drug resistance, consequently leading to escalated costs for both individuals and national ART programmes, as patients necessitate a switch to more costly second- and third-line antiretroviral (ARV) regimens. The outbreak of the coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19) and the subsequent implementation of national restrictions in Zambia disrupted the provision of HIV services, thereby exacerbating the challenge of adhering to ART for individuals living with HIV. A quantitative, cross-sectional study was undertaken to ascertain the factors associated with adherence to ART among patients receiving care at a primary health care facility in Livingstone, Zambia. Data routinely collected from all patients on ART at this primary care health facility in Livingstone District, spanning from February 2020 to August 2022, were extracted from the electronic medical records. These data were then subjected to bivariate and multivariate regression analyses employing the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 28.
Magister Public Health - MPH
2023-01-01T00:00:00Z