scholarly journals Classroom Temperature and Learner Absenteeism in Public Primary Schools in the Eastern Cape, South Africa

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (20) ◽  
pp. 10700
Author(s):  
Vicky Pule ◽  
Angela Mathee ◽  
Paula Melariri ◽  
Thandi Kapwata ◽  
Nada Abdelatif ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Primary Schools ◽  
Significant Proportion ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Apparent Temperature ◽  
Eastern Cape ◽  
Multiple Factors ◽  
Classroom Characteristics ◽  
Learning Imperative

Children spend a significant proportion of their time at school and in school buildings. A healthy learning environment that supports children should be thermally conducive for learning and working. Here, we aimed to study the relations between indoor classroom temperatures and learner absenteeism as a proxy for children’s health and well-being. This one-year prospective study that spanned two calendar years (from June 2017 to May 2018) entailed measurement of indoor classroom temperature and relative humidity, calculated as apparent temperature (Tapp) and collection of daily absenteeism records for each classroom in schools in and around King Williams Town, Eastern Cape province, South Africa. Classroom characteristics were collected using a standardized observation checklist. Mean indoor classroom temperature ranged from 11 to 30 °C, while mean outdoor temperature ranged from 6 °C to 31 °C during the sample period. Indoor classroom temperatures typically exceeded outdoor temperatures by 5 °C for 90% of the study period. While multiple factors may influence absenteeism, we found absenteeism was highest at low indoor classroom Tapp (i.e., below 15 °C). Absenteeism decreased as indoor Tapp increased to about 25 °C before showing another increase in absenteeism. Classroom characteristics differed among schools. Analyses of indoor classroom temperature and absenteeism in relation to classroom characteristics showed few statistically significant relations—although not exceptionally strong ones—likely because of the multiple factors that influence absenteeism. However, given the possible relationship between indoor temperature and absenteeism, there is a learning imperative to consider thermal comfort as a fundamental element of school planning and design. Furthermore, additional research on factors besides temperature that affect learner absenteeism is needed, especially in rural areas.

Social Media and the Psychosocial Well-Being of Youths in the Amathole District Municipality, South Africa

2021 ◽  
Vol 33 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Eleanor Alvira Hendricks ◽  
Nkosiyazi Kanjiri
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Social Media ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Research Approach ◽  
Eastern Cape ◽  
Awareness Campaigns ◽  
Social Events ◽  
Use Of Social Media ◽  
Depth Interviews

The use of social media in the rural areas of South Africa is growing, with the youth being the prominent users. The growth of social media has incited a growing knowledge about impending forthcoming social events. However, there are concerns about mental illness, such as depression, owing to the increase in social comparison. There is a lack of literature on the use of social media in rural areas. The aim of this study was thus to investigate the effects of social media on the psychosocial well-being of the youth in selected rural areas of the Eastern Cape. The study was conducted in the Amathole District Municipality in the Eastern Cape, South Africa. Using a qualitative research approach, 30 youths from the Amathole District Municipality were purposively sampled. The data were collected through in-depth interviews and analysed using a thematic analysis. The findings revealed that using social media has a negative bearing on the psychosocial well-being of the youth owing to the discrepancies between appearance, reality and expectations. Some youths use social media as a means of recreation whereas some use social media as a networking method. The study concluded that the extensive use of social media among the youth can lead to comparison and ultimately depression and, therefore, recommended awareness campaigns on the good use of social media so the youth benefit rather than become victims.

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.

Social determinants of subjective well-being among young adults living in the Eastern Cape, South Africa

2018 ◽  
Vol 28 (4) ◽  
pp. 284-290
Author(s):  
David Morton ◽  
Dalena van Rooyen ◽  
Danie Venter ◽  
Lena Andersson
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Young Adults ◽  
Social Determinants ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Subjective Well Being ◽  
Eastern Cape

DEATH ‘ON THE MOVE’: FUNERALS, ENTREPRENEURS AND THE RURAL–URBAN NEXUS IN SOUTH AFRICA

Africa ◽  
2011 ◽  
Vol 81 (2) ◽  
pp. 226-247 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rebekah Lee
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
South African ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Eastern Cape ◽  
Funeral Directors ◽  
Rural And Urban Areas ◽  
Rural And Urban ◽  
Cultural Mediators ◽  
The Dead

ABSTRACTThis article primarily concerns the intersection of the changing management of death with the problems and possibilities presented by the growing mobility of the African, and specifically Xhosa-speaking, population in South Africa from the latter half of the twentieth century to the present day. I am interested in how shifts in the practices and beliefs around death are mediated by individuals, households and businesses who have an historical affinity towards movement, particularly across what has been called the ‘rural–urban nexus’. In what ways has this more mobile orientation influenced the perception of rites and responsibilities surrounding death? And how have more mobile ‘ways of dying’ in turn created new subjectivities and new ways in which to imagine relations between the living and the dead? I argue that African funeral directors based in Cape Town and the rural areas of the Eastern Cape – a steadily more numerous and prominent group of entrepreneurs – are well-placed to shape these processes, through their role as cultural mediators and technological innovators, and their particular emphasis on maintaining a flow of bodies (both dead and alive) between rural and urban areas. I focus on two aspects of contemporary South African funerals – embalming and exhumations – that are suggestive of how the migration dynamic, and the continuing demands from mobile mourners for innovations via the funeral industry, have encouraged new perceptions of and relations to the dead body.

scholarly journals Health emergency preparedness: an assessment of primary schools in Abakaliki, South-Eastern Nigeria

2017 ◽  
Vol 4 (5) ◽  
pp. 1436
Author(s):  
Chinonyelum Thecla Ezeonu ◽  
Clifford Onuorah Okike ◽  
Maria Nwakaego Anyansi ◽  
James Osaeloka Ojukwu
Keyword(s):  
Public Schools ◽  
Private Schools ◽  
School Safety ◽  
Primary Schools ◽  
Significant Proportion ◽  
Well Being ◽  
First Aid ◽  
Legal Responsibility ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
The Public

Background: Children spend a significant proportion of their day in school, thus pediatric emergencies such as exacerbation of medical conditions, accidental and intentional injuries are likely to occur. An estimate of 10 -25% of injuries occur while the children are at school. It is the legal responsibility of the schools to ensure the safety and well-being of the pupils/students and staff during school hours working towards prevention of accidents and being prepared for immediate solutions when the accidents occur.Methods: A cross sectional descriptive study of 31 registered primary schools in Abakaliki Metropolis. A prepared check list of facilities necessary for emergency care at schools derived from the school health programme evaluation scale was used for the assessment. Data was analyzed using the SPSS statistical package version 8, comparing findings in public schools with the private schools using Chi square. The level of significance was set at p<0.05.Results: A health room was available in 9.7% of schools exclusively private schools.  Nurses, doctors and trained first aiders were found in 6.5%, 9.7% and 32.3% respectively of schools. First aid boxes were available in 80.6% of the schools but only 67.7% of the schools could offer first aid treatment at emergencies. None of the public schools had a school safety patrol or a fire extinguisher in contrast to the private schools.Conclusions: Schools, especially the public schools in Abakaliki metropolis are ill prepared for emergencies.

Multi-mycotoxin exposure of children (0-24 months) in rural maize-subsistence farming areas of the Eastern Cape Province, South Africa

2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (3) ◽  
pp. 401-410
Author(s):  
R.S. Tshalibe ◽  
J.P. Rheeder ◽  
J.F. Alberts ◽  
C. Taljaard-Krugell ◽  
W.C.A. Gelderblom ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Daily Intake ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Vulnerable Groups ◽  
Subsistence Farming ◽  
Eastern Cape ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Daily Intakes

In South Africa, child malnutrition is highly prevalent among children from in rural areas mostly at risk. In the Eastern Cape (EC) Province, maize is commonly used as complementary and weaning food. Previous studies conducted in parts of EC have indicated high levels of fumonisin B (FB) mycotoxins in home-grown maize, as well as the co-occurrence of other Fusarium mycotoxins, such as deoxynivalenol (DON) and zearalenone (ZEN). A cross-sectional study of children below 24 months was conducted in rural maize-subsistence farming areas in Centane, EC to determine mycotoxin exposure. Home-grown maize samples (n=171) were collected from households in the study area and analysed by LC-MS/MS for FB, DON and ZEN. Food intakes of 129 children were quantified using a validated quantitative food frequency questionnaire (QFFQ). Individual raw maize consumption was calculated using recipes from the QFFQ. Probable daily intakes (PDIs) for each mycotoxin were determined using a deterministic approach and were compared to the respective mycotoxins’ provisional maximum tolerable daily intake (PMTDI). The numerical means for total FB (sum of fumonisin B1, B2 and B3), DON and ZEN levels in home-grown maize were 1,035, 24.5 and 31.0 μg/kg, respectively. Mean daily maize intakes of children ranged from 2-321 g/day and increased with age. The mean PDIs for total FB, DON and ZEN were 8.4, 0.2 and 0.3 μg/kg body weight (bw)/day, respectively. Exposures stratified by age indicated persistent high mean PDIs for total FB, above the PMTDI of 2 μg/kg bw/day, ranging between 5.0-11.6 μg/kg bw/day. Mean exposure to DON and ZEN were below their relevant PMTDIs (1 and 0.5 μg/kg bw/day, respectively). Individually, 81 and 13% of children had exposures above the PMTDI for total FB and for ZEN, respectively. Results confirm the magnitude of FB exposure among vulnerable groups from rural maize subsistence farming areas in EC.

scholarly journals Food-borne disease prevalence in rural villages in the Eastern Cape, South Africa

2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Khanya Z. Bisholo ◽  
Shanaz Ghuman ◽  
Firoza Haffejee
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Health Care ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Second Phase ◽  
Eastern Cape ◽  
African Countries ◽  
Cross Sectional Survey ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Rural Villages ◽  
Food Borne

Background: The highest burden of food-borne diseases is in Africa. Despite this, food safety does not seem to be a major concern in many African countries. There is also a lack of concern within rural areas of South Africa.Aim: The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of food-borne diseases in rural areas in the Eastern Cape, South Africa, by comparing data obtained from a cross-sectional survey and clinic records.Setting: The study was conducted in Ncera, Mpongo and Needscamp villages in the Eastern Cape, South Africa.Methods: In the first phase of the study, a random sample of household heads (n = 87) were interviewed to determine the prevalence of food-borne diseases between 2012 and 2014. In the second phase, registers from clinics serving the villages were screened for food-borne disease cases during the same time period.Results: A total of 109 (27.3%) household members fell ill because of food-borne diseases. Half (n = 56; 51.3%) of the respondents who fell ill because of food-borne diseases did not seek medical treatment for their illness. Of those who sought treatment, 19 (46%) attended primary health care clinics. However, examination of the clinic registers showed only four recorded cases of food-borne diseases.Conclusion: The prevalence of food-borne diseases in rural villages in the Eastern Cape, South Africa, was reported as high but the records in clinic registers are low, indicating a gap in the health care system. Monitoring of these diseases needs to improve.

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