scholarly journals Compliance with Lockdown Regulations During the COVID-19 Pandemic in South Africa: Findings from an Online Survey

2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. 45-55
Author(s):  
Natisha Dukhi ◽  
Tholang Mokhele ◽  
Whadi-Ah Parker ◽  
Shandir Ramlagan ◽  
Razia Gaida ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Tertiary Education ◽  
South Africans ◽  
Factors Associated ◽  
Bivariate Logistic Regression ◽  
Education Status ◽  
Study Population ◽  
Nationally Representative

Background: Background: SARS-CoV-2 has resulted in the COVID-19 pandemic. Based on a nationally representative online survey conducted several weeks on the pandemic, this paper explores how South Africans responded to the compliance regulations laid down by the national government and factors associated with individuals’ confidence in their community adhering to lockdown regulations. Methods: The study was conducted using a closed-ended questionnaire on a data-free online platform. Additionally, a telephonic survey was included to accommodate individuals who do not have access to smart-phones. The study population consisted of respondents who were 18 years and older and living in South Africa (n=19 933). Data were benchmarked to the 2019 midyear population estimates. Descriptive statistics and bivariate logistic regression are presented. Results: Over a quarter (26.1%) of respondents reported that they had not left home, indicating compliance with the COVID-19 control regulations, and 55.3% who did leave their homes did so to purchase essential items. A small proportion (1.2%) reported that they had visited friends. People, classified as coloured, those who were more literate (those with secondary, matric and tertiary education status), those residing in disadvantaged areas (informal settlements, townships, rural areas and farms), and those who perceived their risk of contracting COVID-19 as moderate and high, reported not being confident of their community adhering to lockdown. Conclusion: Communication strategies must be employed to ensure that important information regarding the pandemic be conveyed in the most important languages and be dispatched via various communication channels to reach as many people as possible.

scholarly journals Determinants of Confidence in Overall Knowledge About COVID-19 Among Healthcare Workers in South Africa: Results From an Online Survey

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thabang Manyaapelo ◽  
Tholang Mokhele ◽  
Sibusiso Sifunda ◽  
Philisiwe Ndlovu ◽  
Natisha Dukhi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Nurse Practitioners ◽  
Healthcare Workers ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Control Measures ◽  
Doctorate Degree ◽  
Logistic Regression Models ◽  
Factors Associated ◽  
Positive Performance ◽  
Study Population

Background: Adequate information and knowledge about COVID-19 has been shown to induce the confidence and positive performance among healthcare workers (HCWs). Therefore, assessing the relationship between confidence in knowledge and associated factors among HCWs is vital in the fight against COVID-19. This paper investigates factors associated with HCWs' confidence in their overall knowledge about COVID-19 in South Africa in the early stages of the epidemic.Methods: Data utilized in this paper were from an online survey conducted among HCWs using a structured questionnaire on a data free online platform. The study population were all the medical fraternity in South Africa including medical and nurse practitioners as well as other healthcare professionals. Bivariate and multivariate logistic regression models were performed to examine the factors associated with confidence in HCWs' overall knowledge about COVID-19.Results: Overall, just below half (47.4%) of respondents indicated that they had confidence in their overall knowledge about COVID-19. Increased odds of having confidence in the knowledge about COVID-19 were significantly associated with being male [aOR = 1.31 95% CI (1.03–1.65), p < 0.05], having a doctorate degree [aOR = 2.01 (1.23–3.28), p < 0.05], being satisfied with the information about COVID-19 guidelines [aOR = 6.01 (4.89–7.39), p < 0.001], having received training in 6–8 areas [aOR = 2.54 (1.89–3.43), p < 0.001] and having received training in 9–11 areas [aOR = 5.33 (3.81–7.47), p < 0.001], and having already treated COVID-19 patients [aOR = 1.43 (1.08–1.90), p < 0.001]. Those who were highly concerned with the levels of training of HCWs [aOR = 0.47 (0.24–0.92), p < 0.05] had decreased odds of having confidence in their overall knowledge about COVID-19.Conclusion: This study sheds light on the importance of capacitating HCWs with knowledge and adequate relevant training as part of infection prevention control measures during pandemics. Future training and information sharing should be sensitive to knowledge gaps by age, gender, qualifications, professional categories, and experience.

scholarly journals Household Vulnerability to Food Insecurity in Rural South Africa: Evidence from a Nationally Representative Survey Data

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (4) ◽  
pp. 1917
Author(s):  
Sandile Mthethwa ◽  
Edilegnaw Wale
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Food Insecurity ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Food Policy ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
Rural Household ◽  
Eastern Cape ◽  
Household Vulnerability ◽  
Nationally Representative ◽  
Vulnerable Households

Using a nationally representative dataset from rural areas in South Africa, the study examines vulnerability to food insecurity using the Vulnerability as Expected Poverty framework. The dataset used was large and comprehensive to develop robust profiles of vulnerable households. This is executed employing the sustainable livelihoods framework. The findings show that human and financial capital plays a critical role in making rural households resilient from vulnerability to food insecurity. The failure of natural resources to support agricultural livelihoods emerged as an important factor for rural household vulnerability to food insecurity. Gender-based imbalances still prevail, explaining most of the rural household vulnerability to food insecurity. Female-dominated households still endure most of the prevailing vulnerabilities to food insecurity, and this is even worse for households headed by younger females. Policies, strategies, and institutions in South Africa have not been able to address household vulnerability to food insecurity. The study identified Eastern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal as the most vulnerable provinces where food policy has to be a top priority agenda.

scholarly journals Determinants of Nutrition Facts Table Use by Chinese Consumers for Nutritional Value Comparisons

2022 ◽  
Vol 19 (2) ◽  
pp. 673
Author(s):  
Zeying Huang ◽  
Haijun Li ◽  
Jiazhang Huang
Keyword(s):  
Nutritional Value ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Nutrition Labeling ◽  
Chinese Consumers ◽  
Nutritional Values ◽  
Factors Associated ◽  
Interaction Detection ◽  
Chi Squared ◽  
Nationally Representative ◽  
Adoption Level

The nutrition facts table is a nutrition labeling tool designed to inform consumers of food nutritional contents and enable them to make healthier choices by comparing the nutritional values of similar foods. However, its adoption level is considerably low in China. This study employed the Chi-squared Automatic Interaction Detection (CHAID) algorithm to explore the factors associated with respondents’ adoption of nutrition facts table to compare the nutritional values of similar foods. Data were gathered through a nationally representative online survey of 1500 samples. Results suggested that consumers’ comprehension of the nutrition facts table was a direct explanatory factor for its use. The usage was also indirectly explained by people’s nutrition knowledge, the usage of nutrition facts table by their relatives and friends, and their focus on a healthy diet. Therefore, to increase the use of nutrition facts table by Chinese consumers, the first consideration should be given to enhancing consumers’ comprehension of the labeling

scholarly journals Infrastructural and human-resource factors associated with return of infant HIV test results to caregivers: secondary analysis of a nationally representative situational assessment, South Africa, 2010

2019 ◽  
Vol 19 (S1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Nobubelo Kwanele Ngandu ◽  
Vincent Maduna ◽  
Gayle Sherman ◽  
Nobuntu Noveve ◽  
Witness Chirinda ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Human Resource ◽  
Secondary Analysis ◽  
Risk Difference ◽  
Staff Nurses ◽  
Outcome Variable ◽  
Blood Draw ◽  
Factors Associated ◽  
Nationally Representative ◽  
Situational Assessment

Abstract Background In June 2015, South Africa introduced early infant HIV diagnosis (EID) at birth and ten weeks postpartum. Guidelines recommended return of birth results within a week and ten weeks postpartum results within four weeks. Task shifting was also suggested to increase service coverage. This study aimed to understand factors affecting return of EID results to caregivers. Methods Secondary analysis of data gathered from 571 public-sector primary health care facilities (PHCs) during a nationally representative situational assessment, was conducted. The assessment was performed one to three months prior to facility involvement in the 2010 evaluation of the South African programme to prevent mother-to-child HIV transmission (SAPMTCTE). Self-reported infrastructural and human resource EID-related data were collected from managers and designated staff using a structured questionnaire. The main outcome variable was ‘EID turn-around-time (TAT) to caregiver’ (caregiver TAT), measured as reported number of weeks from infant blood draw to caregiver receipt of results. This was dichotomized as either short (≤3 weeks) or delayed (> 3 weeks) caregiver TAT. Logit-based risk difference analysis was used to assess factors associated with short caregiver TAT. Analysis included TAT to facility (facility TAT), defined as reported number of weeks from infant blood draw to facility receipt of results. Results Overall, 26.3% of the 571 PHCs reported short caregiver TAT. In adjusted analyses, short caregiver TAT was less achieved when facility TAT was > 7 days (versus ≤7 days) (adjusted risk difference (aRD): − 0.2 (95% confidence interval − 0.3-(− 0.1)), p = 0.006 for 8–14 days and − 0.3 (− 0.5-(− 0.1)), p = 0.006 for > 14 days), and in facilities with staff nurses (compared to those without) (aRD: − 9.4 (− 16.6-(− 2.2), p = 0.011). Conclusion Although short caregiver TAT for EID was only reported in approximately 26% of facilities, these facilities demonstrate that achieving EID TAT of ≤3 weeks is possible, making timely ART initiation within 3 weeks of diagnosis feasible within the public health sector. Our adjusted analyses underpin the need for quick return of results to facilities. They also raise questions around staff mentoring: we hypothesise that facilities with staff nurses were likely to have fewer professional nurses, and thus inadequate senior support.

scholarly journals Migration and Urbanization in Post-Apartheid South Africa

2019 ◽  
Vol 34 (2) ◽  
pp. 509-532 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jan David Bakker ◽  
Christopher Parsons ◽  
Ferdinand Rauch
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
South African ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Natural Experiment ◽  
Rapid Urbanization ◽  
South Africans ◽  
Black South Africans ◽  
Migration Cost ◽  
Process Of Urbanization ◽  
Positive Population

Abstract Although Africa has experienced rapid urbanization in recent decades, little is known about the process of urbanization across the continent. This paper exploits a natural experiment, the abolition of South African pass laws, to explore how exogenous population shocks affect the spatial distribution of economic activity. Under apartheid, black South Africans were severely restricted in their choice of location, and many were forced to live in homelands. Following the abolition of apartheid they were free to migrate. Given a migration cost in distance, a town nearer to the homelands will receive a larger inflow of people than a more distant town following the removal of mobility restrictions. Drawing upon this exogenous variation, this study examines the effect of migration on urbanization in South Africa. While it is found that on average there is no endogenous adjustment of population location to a positive population shock, there is heterogeneity in the results. Cities that start off larger do grow endogenously in the wake of a migration shock, while rural areas that start off small do not respond in the same way. This heterogeneity indicates that population shocks lead to an increase in urban relative to rural populations. Overall, the evidence suggests that exogenous migration shocks can foster urbanization in the medium run.

Poverty and Inequality in South Africa: A History

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Colin Bundy
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Social Relations ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Industrial Revolution ◽  
African National Congress ◽  
Rapid Expansion ◽  
South Africans ◽  
Poverty And Inequality ◽  
Black South Africans ◽  
Job Reservation

Contemporary South Africa exhibits widespread and persistent poverty and an extraordinarily high level of inequality. Historically, poverty and inequality were forged by forms of racial subordination and discrimination shaped successively by slavery, by colonial settlement and conquest, and by a mining-based industrial revolution in the last quarter of the 19th century. The explosive growth of capitalism and urbanization in a colonial context shaped a set of institutions and social relations—the “native reserves,” migrant labor, pass laws, job reservation, urban segregation, and the like—which reached their most stringent form under apartheid legislation, from 1948 on. The political, social, and economic system of apartheid entrenched white wealth and privilege and intensified the poverty of black South Africans, particularly in rural areas. By the 1970s, the apartheid project began to flounder and the National Party government launched a series of concessions intended to stimulate the economy and to win the support of black South Africans. A historic transition during the late apartheid years saw a shift from labor shortages to a labor surplus, generating structural unemployment on a massive scale. This was a problem that the African National Congress (ANC), in power since 1994, has been unable to solve and which has been a major factor in the levels of poverty and inequality during the democratic era. The ANC has made some advances in combating poverty, especially through the rapid expansion of welfare in the form of pensions and social grants. This has reduced ultra-poverty or destitution. In addition, the provision of housing, water, sanitation, and electricity to black townships has seen significant growth in assets and services to the poor. Yet since 1994, inequality has increased. South Africa has become a more unequal society and not a more equal one. Two factors have caused inequality to deepen: increasingly concentrated income and wealth, and a sharp rise of inequality within the African population. The ANC continues to commit itself to “pro-poor” policies; yet its ability to reduce poverty, and especially to achieve greater equality, appears to be substantially compromised by its failure to reverse or reform the structure, characteristics, and growth path of the economy.

Climate Change Communication in South Africa

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sebastian Levi
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
South Africa ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Trade Unions ◽  
English Language ◽  
South Africans ◽  
Environmental Ngos ◽  
Change Communication ◽  
History Of ◽  
Apartheid Regime

In South Africa, one of the world’s most carbon-intense economies and a society marked by gross social inequality, climate change is not a popular topic. As of 2018, more than half of the population had never heard of climate change and only one in five South Africans believed that human activities lead to global warming. The communication of climate change in South Africa is influenced by the notorious inequality that the country still suffers decades after the apartheid regime has ended. Few South Africans are able to live a life in prosperity and security on par with life in industrialized nations, more than half of the population are considered poor, almost a third of the population are chronically unemployed, and many work for carbon-intense industries. The country’s prevalent inequality and its economic dependency on coal influence the way climate change is communicated and interpreted. Environmental NGOs, journalists, and scientists frequently set communication cues on climate change. However, their messages are largely circulated in newspapers catering to an urban and educated readership and resonate less with people living in rural areas or those who rely on employment in the coal and mining sector. In South Africa, most people hear about climate change in mass media, but journalists frequently lack the resources and training necessary to investigate climate change stories or to interact with local scientists. Environmental NGOs, in contrast, provide easily comprehendible communication cues for unspecialized journalists and often share similar worldviews and demographic backgrounds with dedicated environmental reporters. However, because Black South Africans are underrepresented among environmental journalists and because many affordable local newspapers cannot afford to hire specialized reporters, climate change is covered mostly in high-quality English-language outlets to which most people have no access. Moreover, environmental NGOs are frequently accused of prioritizing abstract ecological concerns, like climate change, over the interests of the South Africans workers, a sentiment that is informed by the country’s history of racial injustice. Counterintuitively, living in a coal area is associated with higher climate change awareness and belief, likely because coal companies and trade unions conduct awareness-raising programs among their workers and because many residents experience the adverse impact of coal mining and combustion firsthand.

scholarly journals Spatial Analysis of HIV Infection and Associated Risk Factors in Botswana

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (7) ◽  
pp. 3424
Author(s):  
Malebogo Solomon ◽  
Luis Furuya-Kanamori ◽  
Kinley Wangdi
Keyword(s):  
Risk Factors ◽  
Hiv Infection ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Tertiary Education ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Female Gender ◽  
Hiv Prevalence ◽  
Scan Statistics ◽  
Nationally Representative ◽  
Associated Risk Factors

Botswana has the third highest human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) prevalence globally, and the severity of the epidemic within the country varies considerably between the districts. This study aimed to identify clusters of HIV and associated factors among adults in Botswana. Data from the Botswana Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS) Impact Survey IV (BIAS IV), a nationally representative household-based survey, were used for this study. Multivariable logistic regression and Kulldorf’s scan statistics were used to identify the risk factors and HIV clusters. Socio-demographic characteristics were compared within and outside the clusters. HIV prevalence among the study participants was 25.1% (95% CI 23.3–26.4). HIV infection was significantly higher among the female gender, those older than 24 years and those reporting the use of condoms, while tertiary education had a protective effect. Two significant HIV clusters were identified, one located between Selibe-Phikwe and Francistown and another in the Central Mahalapye district. Clusters had higher levels of unemployment, less people with tertiary education and more people residing in rural areas compared to regions outside the clusters. Our study identified high-risk populations and regions with a high burden of HIV infection in Botswana. This calls for focused innovative and cost-effective HIV interventions on these vulnerable populations and regions to curb the HIV epidemic in Botswana.

scholarly journals Prevalence of Hepatitis B & Hepatitis C Virus Infections in Potential Blood Donors in Bahawalpur

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tahira Shamim ◽  
Laila Sumreen
Keyword(s):  
Hepatitis B ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Blood Donors ◽  
Descriptive Analysis ◽  
Demographic Variables ◽  
Blood Bank ◽  
Virus Infections ◽  
Education Status ◽  
Study Population ◽  
Record Review

Abstract Hepatitis is commonly transmitted during blood transfusion. The study aimed to find the prevalence of hepatitis B & C among blood donors in Bahawalpur and try to find relation of prevalence with socio-demographic variables. The study was conducted in Bahawal Victoria Hospital Bahawalpur (BVH). The data was collected by trained nurses working in blood bank in supervision of investigator through a structured record review check list developed by investigator in English. The investigator checked data for completeness and cross check from registers. The collected data had been coded before analysis. Descriptive analysis was done to determine the prevalence of hepatitis B & C virus in the study population and its distribution categorized by independent variables i.e. age, gender, marital status, residence and education status of blood donor. The results of study indicated that both Hepatitis B & C are prevalent among 20 – 23 years old persons, males, uneducated people, married and people residing in rural areas of Bahawalpur visiting blood bank of Bahwal Victoria Hospital (BVH) Bahawalpur. So, by providing education to uneducated population and teaching sanitation and careful measures for avoiding hepatitis to married and people residing in rural areas could be a helpful tool in decreasing and controlling hepatitis in this area.

scholarly journals Rural and Urban Correlates of Stunting Among Under-Five Children in Sierra Leone: A 2019 Nationwide Cross-Sectional Survey

2021 ◽  
Vol 14 ◽  
pp. 117863882110470
Author(s):  
Quraish Sserwanja ◽  
Kassim Kamara ◽  
Linet M Mutisya ◽  
Milton W Musaba ◽  
Shirin Ziaei
Keyword(s):  
Sierra Leone ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Tertiary Education ◽  
Under Five ◽  
Factors Associated ◽  
Under Five Children ◽  
Rural And Urban Areas ◽  
Rural And Urban ◽  
Childhood Stunting

Background: Undernutrition accounts for at least 50% of the annual global under-five mortality burden. Although disparities in the childhood stunting between urban and rural areas in Sierra Leone have been documented, information on factors associated with these differences is lacking. We aimed to determine rural-urban correlates of stunting among children under the age of 5 in Sierra Leone. Methods: We analyzed data from 2019 Sierra Leone demographic and health survey (SLDHS) focusing on under-five children. We conducted multivariable logistic regression to examine rural-urban factors associated with childhood stunting. Results: Prevalence of stunting was 31.6% (95% CI 29.8-33.2) in rural areas and 24.0% (95% CI 21.6-26.1) in urban areas. Within the rural areas, children of stunted mothers (aOR = 2.37; 95% CI 1.07-5.24, P < .05), younger mothers aged 15 to 19 years (aOR = 2.08; 95% CI 1.17-3.69, P < .05), uneducated mothers (aOR = 1.87; 95% CI 1.28-2.71, P < .01), as well as older children (24-59 months) (aOR = 1.83; 95% CI 1.48-2.27, P < .001), and boys (aOR = 1.37; 95% CI 1.12-1.66, P < .01) were more likely to be stunted compared to those of non-stunted, older, post-primary education mothers and those who were less than 24 months and girls respectively. While urban children whose fathers had lower education (aOR = 1.94; 95% CI 1.10-3.42, P < .05), whose mothers were more parous (para 2-4) (aOR = 1.74; 95% CI 1.03-2.95, P < .05), and boys (aOR = 1.48; 95% CI 1.06-2.08, P < .05) were more likely to be stunted compared to their counterparts with fathers that had tertiary education, mothers of low parity and girls, respectively. Conclusions: Stunting is more prevalent in the rural areas compared to the urban areas. Sex of the child was the only significant factor in both rural and urban areas. Our study findings suggest that programs designed to reduce stunting should aim for integrated yet context specific interventions in rural and urban areas.

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