Assessment of diabetes dietary knowledge and its impact on intake of patients in Senwabarwana, Limpopo, South Africa

There is prevalence of overweight and obesity in South Africa. Evidence of nutrition knowledge and challenges affecting the promotion of nutrition interventions is needed to produce more effective strategies to prevent nutrition problems in schoolchildren. The study sought to explore challenges encountered by stakeholders of the school nutrition programme in promoting nutrition education. Furthermore, the study aimed to assess the implications of the stakeholders ‘challenges on learners’ dietary knowledge of excess fats and carbohydrates. The study took place in eight secondary schools in the Pinetown District, KwaZulu-Natal,South Africa. The qualitative data from nine interviewees who were stakeholders of the school nutrition programme were analysed using thematic content analysis. Quantitative data were collected from 108 grade 12learners using self-administered questionnaires.The quantitative data was coded, collated and analysed using SPSS. Independent sample t-test was used to evaluate if there was significant difference between gender and the mean values. One-way ANOVA was used to establish if there was any significant difference between the mean values of learners’ knowledge on various nutrition principles.Learners displayed inadequate knowledge of a healthy diet(34%),the importance of vegetables in the diet (71%), the health risks of excess fats (64.8%) and excess carbohydrates (77.8%),and nutritious food to be eaten daily (40.7%). Comparison of group means of various nutrition principles using one way ANOVA indicated significant difference at p < 0.05 level[F(4, 528) = 43.3, P < 0.001]. The 44 male respondents had significantly higher scores for the awareness of health risks of excess fats t (103) = 2.6, p =0.01and excess carbohydrates t (103) = 2.7, p =0.01 compared to 61 females.Each food group could be listed only by less than 22% of the participants. Challenges encountered in promoting nutrition education included time constraints, lack of training on nutrition principles, lack of supporting documents and lack of nutrition principles in the curriculum.The inadequate knowledge displayed by learners and lack of training and supporting documents in promoting nutrition education indicate areas that can be targeted by intervention programmes to improve nutrition knowledge of learners and stakeholders.

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Time and Latitude in South Africa

International Astronomical Union Colloquium ◽

10.1017/s0252921100026816 ◽

1972 ◽

Vol 1 ◽

pp. 27-38

Author(s):

J. Hers

Keyword(s):

South Africa ◽

Cape Town ◽

Astronomical Observations ◽

Royal Observatory ◽

The Republic ◽

Astronomical Determination ◽

Limited Accuracy ◽

Better Than

In South Africa the modern outlook towards time may be said to have started in 1948. Both the two major observatories, The Royal Observatory in Cape Town and the Union Observatory (now known as the Republic Observatory) in Johannesburg had, of course, been involved in the astronomical determination of time almost from their inception, and the Johannesburg Observatory has been responsible for the official time of South Africa since 1908. However the pendulum clocks then in use could not be relied on to provide an accuracy better than about 1/10 second, which was of the same order as that of the astronomical observations. It is doubtful if much use was made of even this limited accuracy outside the two observatories, and although there may – occasionally have been a demand for more accurate time, it was certainly not voiced.

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Indirect Rule in South Africa

10.1017/upo9781580467421 ◽

2009 ◽

Author(s):

J. C. Myers

Keyword(s):

South Africa ◽

Indirect Rule

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Combining Professional Interests and Travel: People to People Citizen Ambassador Program

Perspectives on Global Issues in Communication Sciences and Related Disorders ◽

10.1044/gics1.2.47 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 1 (2) ◽

pp. 47-54

Author(s):

Alex Johnson ◽

Amanda Hitchins

Keyword(s):

South Africa ◽

Health Education ◽

Communication Disorders ◽

Social Conditions ◽

Speech Language Pathologists ◽

Exchange Program

Abstract This article summarizes a series of trips sponsored by People to People, a professional exchange program. The trips described in this report were led by the first author of this article and include trips to South Africa, Russia, Vietnam and Cambodia, and Israel. Each of these trips included delegations of 25 to 50 speech-language pathologists and audiologists who participated in professional visits to learn of the health, education, and social conditions in each country. Additionally, opportunities to meet with communication disorders professionals, students, and persons with speech, language, or hearing disabilities were included. People to People, partnered with the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA), provides a meaningful and interesting way to learn and travel with colleagues.

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