Attitudes of Black South African Mothers towards the Use of Indigenous Healing and Western Medicine in the Treatment of Newborn Infants

2020 ◽  
Vol 22 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Nteseng Lekgothoane ◽  
Eleanor Ross
Keyword(s):  
Infant Mortality ◽  
South African ◽  
Western Medicine ◽  
Newborn Infants ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Traditional Healers ◽  
Infant Mortality Rate ◽  
Health Seeking ◽  
Black South African ◽  
Health And Well Being

While the infant mortality rate in South Africa has decreased, it remains a concern. Although there may not be any direct link between infant mortality and maternal infant-care practices, the health-seeking behaviour of mothers of newborn infants is a neglected area of research. Consequently, there is a need to understand the persons that mothers approach to prevent ill-health and restore and promote their infants’ health and well-being. The study therefore explored the attitudes of Black South African mothers regarding the use of indigenous and/or Western medicine for the treatment of childhood or infancy conditions. The study adopted a qualitative approach, guided by an Afrocentric perspective. Interviews were conducted with 18 participants and responses were analysed using thematic analysis. A key finding was that participants viewed monthly visits to Western-based healthcare clinics as necessary to monitor the development of their children. Consultations with traditional healers were intended to protect their infants against evil spirits. The main conclusion reached was that the use of traditional healing and Western medicine are not necessarily mutually exclusive. Mothers were able to see the value of both approaches, despite a preference for biomedicine.

scholarly journals ‘The fact that she just looked at me…’ – Narrations on shame in South African workplaces

2017 ◽  
Vol 43 (0) ◽  
Author(s):  
Claude-Hélène Mayer ◽  
Rian Viviers ◽  
Louise Tonelli
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Higher Education ◽  
South African ◽  
Well Being ◽  
The Body ◽  
Theory And Practice ◽  
Work Context ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
Managerial Implications ◽  
Health And Well Being

Orientation: Shame has been internationally researched in various cultural and societal contexts as well as across cultures in the workplace, schools and institutions of higher education. It is an emotional signal that refers to experienced incongruence of identity goals and the judgement of others.Research purpose: The purpose of this study was to focus on experiences of shame in the South African (SA) workplace, to provide emic, in-depth insights into the experiences of shame of employees.Motivation for the study: Shame in the workplace often occurs and might impact negatively on mental health and well-being, capability, freedom and human rights. This article aims at gaining some in-depth understanding of shame experiences in SA workplaces. Building on this understanding the aim is to develop awareness in Industrial and Organisational Psychologists (IOPs), employees and organisations to cope with shame constructively in addition to add to the apparent void in the body of knowledge on shame in SA workplaces.Research design, approach and method: An interpretative hermeneutical research paradigm, based on Dilthey’s modern hermeneutics was applied. Data were collected through semistructured interviews of 11 employees narrating their experiences from various workplaces, including the military, consulting organisations and higher education institutions. Content analysis was used for data analysis and interpretation.Main findings: The major themes around which shameful experiences evolved included loss of face, mistreatment by others, low work quality, exclusion, lifestyle and internalised shame on failure in the workplace. Shame is experienced as a disturbing emotion that impacts negatively on the self within the work context. It is also experienced as reducing mental health and well-being at work.Practical/managerial implications: SA organisations need to be more aware of shame in the workplace, to address the potential negative effects of shame on employees, particularly if they are not prepared to reframe shame into a constructively and positively used emotion. Safe spaces should be made available to talk about shame. Strategies should be applied to deal with shame constructively.Contribution/value-add: This article expands an in-depth understanding of shame from emic and culture-specific perspectives within SA workplaces. The findings are beneficial to IOPs and organisations to understand what shame is from the perspective of SA employees across cultural groups. The article thereby adds value to theory and practice, offering IOPs a deeper understanding of shame in the work context.

scholarly journals Role of Globalisation in Women’s Health: A Key Issue

2016 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 63
Author(s):  
Neelesh Pandey
Keyword(s):  
Infant Mortality ◽  
Women’S Health ◽  
Labor Force ◽  
Women's Health ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Son Preference ◽  
Poor Health ◽  
Infant Mortality Rate ◽  
Indian Women

The health of Indian women is intrinsically linked to their status in society. Research on women’s status has found that the contributions Indian women make to families often are overlooked, and instead they are viewed as economic burdens. There is a strong son preference in India, as sons are expected to care for parents as they age. This son preference, along with high dowry costs for daughters, sometimes results in the mistreatment of daughters. Further, Indian women have low levels of both education and formal labor force participation. They typically have little autonomy, living under the control of first their fathers, then their husbands, and finally their son. All of these factors exert a negative impact on the health status of Indian women. Poor health has repercussions not only for women but also their families. Women in poor health are more likely to give birth to low weight infants. They also are less likely to be able to provide food and adequate care for their children. Finally, a woman’s health affects the household economic well-being, as a woman in poor health will be less productive in the labor force. While women in India face many serious health concerns, this profile focuses on only five key issues: reproductive health, violence against women, nutritional status, unequal treatment of girls and boys, and HIV/AIDS. Because of the wide variation in cultures, religions, and levels of development among India’s 25 states and 7 union territories, it is not surprising that women’s health also varies greatly from state to state. To give a more detailed picture, data for the major states will be presented whenever possible. The discrimination against the girl child is systematic and pervasive enough to manifest in many demographic measures for the country. For the country as a whole as well as its rural areas, the infant mortality rate is higher for females in comparison to that for males. Usually, though not exclusively, it is in the northern and western states that the female infant mortality rates are higher, a difference of ten points between the two sexes specific rates not being uncommon.

scholarly journals Mortality level and trend in South Africa and their Implications

2021 ◽  
pp. 53-62
Author(s):  
K. A. KYEI ◽  
P. GAVHI
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Health Status ◽  
Infant Mortality ◽  
Life Expectancy ◽  
South African ◽  
Household Survey ◽  
Infant Mortality Rate ◽  
Critical Measure ◽  
Study Results ◽  
Credible Information

Mortality is a critical measure of population’s health and public health systems. Infant mortality, for example, indicates quality of life, accessibility to primary healthcare and the overall health status of a country. Reduction in infant mortality shows improvement in the health status. No credible information about mortality in South Africa because the two previous censuses’ data from Statistics South Africa (StatsSA) were not reliable, this study makes attempt to bridge the gap in the lack of knowledge. Th is study uses South African General Household Survey (SAGHS) data, to fi nd the level and trend of mortality and their implications. Data for the years, 2012, 2013 and 2015, have been used. Demographic and statistical methods, including an evaluation of data quality using UN joint score, and construction of model life tables. The results indicated that the infant mortality rate (IMR) was 43 per 1000 in 2012, 36 per 1000 in 2013 and 21 per 1000 in 2015. Th is study further indicated that the general health status of South African population improved marginally from 2012 to 2015 because the life expectancy in creas ed by 7 years for the males, and by 8 years for females, between those years. The study results that SAGHS data are reliable, mortality is decreasing with increasing life expectancy. The study recommends that more proactive measures need to be put in place to improve the health status of the population, especially the children because the IMR is still quite high and creates concerns.

Energy Consumption, Carbon Emission, and Well-Being in Africa

2020 ◽  
Vol 47 (3) ◽  
pp. 295-318
Author(s):  
Ebenezer Adesoji Olubiyi
Keyword(s):  
Energy Consumption ◽  
Mortality Rate ◽  
Infant Mortality ◽  
Carbon Emission ◽  
Energy Use ◽  
Electricity Consumption ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Infant Mortality Rate ◽  
Coal Consumption ◽  
Human Welfare

The link among energy use, human welfare, and carbon emission has been a topical issue in the literature. In Africa, energy consumption has been on the increase owing to the production and consumption of sophisticated consumer goods and home appliances. Increased energy use triggers carbon emission that is detrimental to human welfare. This study investigates this puzzle in emerging African countries by utilizing panel vector autoregressive and system generalized method of moments (SYS-GMM) in the context of a mix of theories. The results indicate a unidirectional causality running from FUEL, COAL to per capita income (PCI). A unidirectional causality running from mortality rate (MOR) to COAL and CO2 was observed. There is a bidirectional relationship between MOR and energy use. The SYS-GMM results show that the effects of energy consumption on well-being are diverse. Increase in coal consumption reduces unemployment rate while electricity consumption reduces infant mortality rate. Fuel consumption aggravates incidence of mortality rate. CO2 reduces unemployment but worsens infant mortality rate. Electricity consumption reduces infant mortality rate. Hence, for the purpose of policy harmonization tailored toward improving well-being in the emerging economies of Africa, it is recommended that more of coal consumption and efficient use of electricity must be encouraged.

Health and well-being among teenage mothers in a rural South African community

2016 ◽  
Vol 26 (5) ◽  
pp. 428-431 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jabu P. Mokwena ◽  
Saraswathie Govender ◽  
Mokgadi B. Setwaba
Keyword(s):  
South African ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Teenage Mothers ◽  
Rural South ◽  
African Community ◽  
Health And Well Being

scholarly journals Socio-demographic determinants of under-five mortality in rural Agra

2017 ◽  
Vol 4 (9) ◽  
pp. 3108
Author(s):  
Krishan Kumar ◽  
Rajiv Srivastava ◽  
S. K. Mishra
Keyword(s):  
Mortality Rate ◽  
Infant Mortality ◽  
Neonatal Mortality ◽  
Nuclear Family ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Infant Mortality Rate ◽  
Age Group ◽  
Neonatal Mortality Rate ◽  
Important Indicator ◽  
Live Births

Background: One of the most important indicator or index of socio-economic development of a country or region is infant mortality rate. The present study was undertaken to assess the quantum of childhood mortality and to find out the social factors associated with these deaths by verbal autopsies. Methods: This one year cross-sectional study was undertaken in a purposively selected community Development Block Sainyan, district Agra among children aged between 0-5 years using multistage random sampling technique. Suitable statistical methods were applied. Results: Out of total 8355 families surveyed, a total of 185 deaths were reported among children. Number of deaths was higher among those belonging to nuclear family and lower socioeconomic status. The neonatal mortality rate was estimated to be 33.55/1000 live births. The post neonatal mortality rate was found to be 40.78/1000 live births and infant mortality rate was 74.33/1000 live births. Mortality rate in 1-5 year age group children was 10.6/1000 same age group children, while 0-5 yrs. mortality was estimated to be 22.39/1000 children of same age group. Out of 185 children who died, 52.7% were unimmunized and another 35.67% were partially immunized. Conclusions: Female education and socioeconomic well-being should be strengthened. 

Introduction

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-58
Author(s):  
Philip Kreager ◽  
Vénique Petit ◽  
Kaveri Qureshi ◽  
Yves Charbit
Keyword(s):  
Local Population ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Health Interventions ◽  
Historical Background ◽  
Health Issues ◽  
Health Seeking ◽  
Principal Parts ◽  
Historical Methods ◽  
Health And Well Being

Anthropological demography in recent decades has expanded beyond a focus on fertility regulation shared initially with demography, taking on a much wider range of health issues, and locating them in the context of inequalities that have frequently given rise to major differentials of health and well-being. Key problems involve collaborative research with genetics, epidemiology, gerontology, clinical practice, linguistics, social and medical history, and also with historical and contemporary demography. This work prioritizes bottom-up inquiry, in which ethnography is combined with quantitative and historical methods. The approach provides more than substantive knowledge of the role of cultural and social formations in health variation; it enables examination of how local institutions and experience are translated into the demographic and health measures on which survey and clinical programmes rely. We are then in a position to consider the empirical adequacy of such translation, what happens when models and measures become standardized evaluations of health statuses, and what this implies for governance. The five principal parts of the book chart components of the current agenda, drawing on recent conceptual and methodological advances, with each section providing detailed case studies. Main themes include: the historical background to demographic governance and its continuing influence on health interventions in the global South; demographic translation—the analysis of whether conventional research and administrative instruments render people’s health experience accurately; compositional demography—the identification of local population units and structures that track people’s agency in health-seeking behaviour; and the reconceptualization of reproductive and related risks that this approach enables.

scholarly journals The Case For Corporate Responsibility: An Exploratory Study

2006 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Lucy Da Piedade ◽  
Adele Thomas
Keyword(s):  
South African ◽  
Exploratory Study ◽  
Corporate Responsibility ◽  
Delphi Technique ◽  
Cost Benefit ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Development Cost ◽  
Bottom Line ◽  
Management Recommendations ◽  
Health And Well Being

Stakeholder demands and the introduction of the ‘triple bottom line’ as a means of reporting corporate performance, make it critical that South African companies assess why they should undertake corporate responsibility initiatives. This exploratory study (part two of a two-part study) investigated the issues that are being or should be addressed by companies under the banner of corporate responsibility and the reasons for this. The views of a convenience snowball sample of consultants, academics and practitioners of corporate responsibility, was gained by means of a Delphi technique. Content analysis was employed to categorise the views into themes. The findings indicate the need for corporate responsibility action in the areas of ecology, the environment, health and well-being, building human capital and in the encouragement of economic development. Cost benefit and defensive arguments dominate the case for corporate responsibility. There is little indication that organisations have identified the opportunity of corporate responsibility initiatives to increase innovation and organisational learning and its contribution to risk management. Recommendations are made regarding the assessment of investment in this area.

Restoring Human Connections to Health Care at the Pregnancy Aid Center

2013 ◽  
Vol 35 (4) ◽  
pp. 49-52
Author(s):  
Amanda Pike
Keyword(s):  
Child Health ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Postnatal Period ◽  
Reproductive Age ◽  
World Health ◽  
Maternal Child Health ◽  
Health Seeking ◽  
Mother And Child ◽  
Health And Well Being ◽  
And Child Health

Health seeking practices of the mother in the pre/postnatal period can serve as an indicator of future maternal child health, according to the World Health Organization's (WHO 2013) 11 indicators of maternal, newborn, and child health. Postnatal care and the initiation and maintenance of breastfeeding are important to the immediate health and well-being of both mother and child for many reasons, yet these findings are unconnected to the health seeking practices of women of reproductive age.

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