Hearing loss in preschool children from a low income South African community

2018 ◽  
Vol 115 ◽  
pp. 145-148 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shouneez Yousuf Hussein ◽  
De Wet Swanepoel ◽  
Faheema Mahomed-Asmail ◽  
Leigh Biagio de Jager
Keyword(s):  
Hearing Loss ◽  
Preschool Children ◽  
South African ◽  
Low Income ◽  
African Community

scholarly journals Prevalence and characteristics of hearing and vision loss in preschool children from low income South African communities: results of a screening program of 10,390 children

2022 ◽  
Vol 22 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Susan Eksteen ◽  
Robert H. Eikelboom ◽  
Hannah Kuper ◽  
Stefan Launer ◽  
De Wet Swanepoel
Keyword(s):  
Hearing Loss ◽  
Preschool Children ◽  
South African ◽  
Vision Loss ◽  
Screening Program ◽  
Vision Screening ◽  
Community Based ◽  
Sensory Impairments ◽  
African Community

Abstract Background The majority of children with sensory impairments live in low- and middle-income countries. More studies of hearing and vision impairment prevalence are needed, in order to generate more accurate estimates of trends in sensory impairments. This study aimed to estimate the prevalence and describe the characteristics of hearing and vision loss among preschool children (4–7 years) in an underserved South African community following community-based mobile health (mHealth) supported hearing and vision services. Methods A screening program of sensory impairments was undertaken of children attending preschools in the communities of Khayelitsha and Mitchell’s Plain, Cape Town, from September 2017 until June 2019. Hearing and vision screening were done by trained community health workers using mHealth technology. Children who failed hearing and vision screening were seen for follow-up assessments at their preschools. Follow-up assessments were conducted using smartphones that host point-of-care validated and calibrated hearing and vision testing applications (hearTest app, hearX Group, South Africa and PeekAcuity app, Peek Vision, United Kingdom). Descriptive statistical analysis and logistic regression analysis were conducted after extracting data from a secure cloud-based server (mHealth Studio, hearX Group) to Microsoft Excel (2016). Results A total of 10,390 children were screened at 298 preschools over 22 months. Of the children screened, 5.6 and 4.4% of children failed hearing and vision screening respectively. Community-based follow-up hearing tests were done at the preschools on 88.5% (514) of children of whom 240 children (54.2% female) presented with hearing loss. A preschool-based follow-up vision test was done on 400 children (88.1%). A total of 232 children (46.1% female) had a vision impairment, and a further 32 children passed the test but had obvious signs of ocular morbidity. Logistic regression analysis found that age was a significant predictor of vision loss (p < 0.05), but not for hearing loss (p = 0.06). Gender was not a significant predictor of hearing (p = 0.22) or vision loss (p = 0.20). Conclusions Hearing loss is prevalent in at least 22 per 1000 and vision loss in at least 23 per 1000 preschool children in an underserved South African community. Timely identification of sensory losses can be facilitated through community-based hearing and vision services supported by mHealth technology.

scholarly journals Understanding the influence of 24-hour movement behaviours on the health and development of preschool children from low-income South African settings: the SUNRISE pilot study

2020 ◽  
Vol 32 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-7 ◽  
Author(s):  
Catherine Draper ◽  
Simone A Tomaz ◽  
Caylee J Cook ◽  
Sasha S Jugdav ◽  
Candice Ramsammy ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Preschool Children ◽  
Pilot Study ◽  
Sedentary Behaviour ◽  
South African ◽  
Motor Skills ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Screen Time ◽  
Early Years ◽  
Gross Motor

Background: The International Study of Movement Behaviours in the Early Years, SUNRISE, was initiated to assess the extent to which young children meet movement behaviour guidelines (physical activity, sedentary behaviour, screen time, sleep). Objective: The South African SUNRISE pilot study assessed movement behaviours in preschool children from two low-income settings, and associations between these movement behaviours, adiposity, motor skills and executive function (EF). Methods: Preschool child/parent pairs (n = 89) were recruited from preschools in urban Soweto and rural Sweetwaters. Height and weight were measured to assess adiposity. Physical activity was assessed using accelerometers while sedentary behaviour, screen time and sleep were assessed via parent report. Fine and gross motor development were measured using the Ages and Stages Questionnaire-3, and EF was assessed using the Early Years Toolbox. Results: The proportion of children meeting the physical activity guideline was 84% , 66% met the sleep guideline ,48% met the screen time guideline , and 26% met all three guidelines. Rural children were more active, but spent more time on screens compared to urban children. Most children were on track for gross (96%) and fine motor (73%) development, and mean EF scores were in the expected range for all EF measures. EF was negatively associated with screen time, and gross motor skills were positively associated with physical activity. Conclusion: The South African SUNRISE study contributes to the growing literature on 24-hour movement behaviours in SA preschool children, and highlights that these behaviours require attention in this age group.

scholarly journals Sleep and BMI in South African urban and rural, high and low-income preschool children

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Dale E. Rae ◽  
Simone A. Tomaz ◽  
Rachel A. Jones ◽  
Trina Hinkley ◽  
Rhian Twine ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Preschool Children ◽  
South African ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Urban Environments ◽  
Z Score ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Rural And Urban ◽  
Sleep Parameters ◽  
Z Scores

Abstract Background The extent to which income setting or rural and urban environments modify the association between sleep and obesity in young children is unclear. The aims of this cross-sectional observational study were to (i) describe and compare sleep in South African preschool children from rural low-income (RL), urban low-income (UL) and urban high-income (UH) settings; and (ii) test for associations between sleep parameters and body mass index (BMI). Methods Participants were preschoolers (5.2 ± 0.7y, 49.5% boys) from RL (n = 111), UL (n = 65) and UH (n = 22) settings. Height and weight were measured. Sleep, sedentary behaviour and physical activity were assessed using accelerometery. Results UL children had higher BMI z-scores (median: 0.39; interquartile range: − 0.27, 0.99) than the UH (− 0.38; − 0.88, 0.11) and RL (− 0.08; − 0.83, 0.53) children (p = 0.001). The UL children had later bedtimes (p < 0.001) and wake-up times (p < 0.001) and shorter 24 h (p < 0.001) and nocturnal (p < 0.001) sleep durations than the RL and UH children. After adjusting for age, sex, setting, SB and PA, for every hour less sleep obtained (24 h and nocturnal), children were 2.28 (95% CI: 1.28–4.35) and 2.22 (95% CI: 1.27–3.85) more likely, respectively, to belong to a higher BMI z-score quartile. Conclusions Shorter sleep is associated with a higher BMI z-score in South African preschoolers, despite high levels of PA, with UL children appearing to be particularly vulnerable.

South African community in Auckland

2019 ◽  
Vol 29 (3) ◽  
pp. 390-404
Author(s):  
Osamuede Odiase ◽  
Suzanne Wilkinson ◽  
Andreas Neef
Keyword(s):  
South African ◽  
Affordable Housing ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Longitudinal Research ◽  
Community Resilience ◽  
Potential Hazard ◽  
The South ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Secondary Sources ◽  
African Community

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate the resilience of the South African community in Auckland to a potential hazard event. Design/methodology/approach The research collected data from both primary and secondary sources. The research used parametric and non-parametric analytical procedures for quantitative data and a general inductive approach to qualitative data analysis and a three-step coding cycle for interviews. A content analytical process of theme formation was used to analyse secondary materials. The research discussed findings in line with related studies on community resilience. Findings The aggregate community resilience index was above average on the scale of 1–5. The highest and lowest contributions to the resilience of the South African community came from communication and information and physical capacities of the community. Although the highest contribution came from the communication domain, there is a need to sensitise the community on the importance of real-time information for resilience. Community ability to respond as a first responder and to access diverse sources was low because of a lack of interest in disaster risk reduction activities and membership of associations. Intervention in the economic domain and affordable housing is needed to assist low-income earners in coping with a potential disaster and enhance future resilience. Research limitations/implications The practical resilience of the community is limited to the time of this research. The state of resilience might change in longitudinal research due to changes in resources and ecosystem. The research did not consider institutional and natural domains because its focus was to predict resilience at the individual level. Practical implications At-risk societies could enhance their resilience through a periodic audit into its resources, identify indicators of low resilience and carry out interventions to address potential vulnerabilities. Besides the importance of resource in resilience, the research illuminates the need to address the question of who is resilient and resources distribution in the community. The issues are imperative in community resilience as they underpinned the personal ability to preparedness, response and recover from a disaster. Originality/value Although the research provides insight into the resilience of the South African community, it constitutes preliminary research towards a further understanding of the resilience of the South African community in Auckland.

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