A faculty development strategy among academics to promote the scholarship of research

Background: Identifying strategies to promote the scholarship of research among health professionals is essential. The published evidence on which to ground this advice is weak. Aim: This paper presents an argument for using participatory action research as a powerful methodology for academic development strategies that focus on writing for publication, a key component of research capacity development. Method: Participatory action research was used and participants were all full-time academics in a department in a Faculty of Community and Health Sciences. Various strategies were adopted to promote the scholarship of research in this department, depending on the experience of the academic and at which stage they were in their academic careers. Results: Following the intervention strategies the participants were able to use the skills obtained in various activities relating to academia, and most of them were successful in publishing their work. Conclusion: It is evident that through the process of participatory action research, participants are able to identify their needs, design an action plan, implement the action plan and reflect on the progress made during the process. Creating a conducive environment with resource and human support assisted in creating an environment that promoted the scholarship of research

The views of learners regarding a school-based health education programme

The importance of schools as a setting for health promotion is increasingly being acknowledged. Part of this health promoting function includes curricular offerings to increase health awareness and to assist in ensuring that young adults are able to make informed decisions about their health. For these programmes to be successfully implemented and sustained there is a need to determine the views of the participants. This study aims to determine the views of learners regarding the impact of a school based health education programme relating to risk factors for chronic diseases of lifestyle. A questionnaire with three open ended questions was used to determine the views of the learners regarding the programme, what they would like to have changed and recommendations regarding the future of the programme. Information was recorded and coded by two independent reviewers. Themes were decided upon independently and agreed upon between the author and an independent reviewer. Focusing on the comments relating to what was good about the programme, three main themes emerged which included course structure, course content and personal development. The themes that emerged from what the students did not like about the programme included communication, group interaction/personal factors and feedback. The recommendations and suggestions were mostly positive and included focusing on the following aspects of the programme namely more interaction, content, links to other subjects and time. The opinions of participants provided valuable information during the evaluation process and the qualitative method allowed them to express their views.Department of HE and Training approved lis

A knowledge assessment questionnaire relating to risk factors for chronic disease of lifestyle for high school learners: validity and reliability

OBJECTIVE: The author aimed to develop a valid and reliable questionnaire that would measure the knowledge of learners relating to risk factors for chronic disease of lifestyle such as stroke, diabetes and hypertension. The questionnaire was intended to be used as part of a health education programme aimed at improving the knowledge of learners as it relates to risk factors for chronic diseases of lifestyle. METHOD: The development of the questionnaire was guided by Williams' nine steps of questionnaire design and was influenced by the national curriculum of education's life orientation programme and literature. A 31 item questionnaire was designed and presented to an expert panel. Content validity was done by the expert panel and face validity was tested through informal discussions with high school learners. Reliability testing was done using the test-retest method and Kappa co-efficient was used to test stability of the items. The questionnaire was administered to 40 high school learners but only 30 did the test the second time. RESULTS: The questionnaire yielded a reliability analysis that revealed internal consistency with a Cronbach's alpha of 0.897. The average score obtained by learners using this questionnaire was 14. CONCLUSION: The questionnaire can be used for learners with a grade 10 education. The questionnaire also highlighted that learners had a moderate knowledge relating to risk factors for chronic diseases of lifestyle and the need for appropriate information interventions was emphasized

Writing a case report for publication

Introduction: Research has become an integral part of all health care practitioners. Finding effective ways of sharing the valuable work that is being done in the clinical setting is essential. A case report is a form of communicating information to other health care practitioners regarding exceptional cases. Aim: This paper aims to describe the importance and role of case reports in the literature and summarise the guidelines for doing a case report. Method: A literature search was conducted in Pubmed and Medline using terms such as case reports, publishing, and guidelines to determine successful literature that highlights how to write a case report. Case reports will contribute to the body of evidence needed for professions and could stimulate debate around controversial issues. A summary of the relevant information needed to write a good case report for publication based on the literature is summarised in order to facilitate the process for new authors. Conclusion: Case reports if written in a scientific manner, can make a valuable contribution to research

Physical inactivity as one of the chronic disease risk factors among high school learners in public schools in a local community in South Africa

This study aimed to determine the physical activity levels and existence of risk factors associated with chronic diseases of lifestyle among high school learners. A crosssectional research design was used to obtain information about physical activity levels from 951 learners from two high schools in a local community in the Western Province of South Africa. Physical activity levels were obtained using the KUOPIO Ischaemic Heart Disease 24-hour physical activity record over a seven-day period. Anthropometrical and blood pressure measurements as well as behaviours including cigarette smoking and alcohol use were recorded as risk factors for chronic diseases of lifestyle. Statistical analyses were performed using the Statistical Package for Social Science (2000). Risk factors were identified as obesity, physical inactivity, smoking and hypertension. Variance of analysis (ANOVA) was used to statistically determine differences in groups. The results indicated that 32% of the learners were classified as being physically inactive and that 21% engaged in health risk behaviours. In addition, 35% of the learners had more than one risk factor for chronic diseases of lifestyle present. Since cardiovascular risk factors have been shown to persist into adulthood, health professionals should assume some responsibility for the prevention, detection, and intervention relevant to cardiovascular risk factors in adolescents

The impact of a school-based health education programme on knowledge regarding risk factors for chronic diseases of lifestyle: a pilot study

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of a health education programme on the risk factors of chronic diseases of lifestyle. This study adopted a one-group pretest posttest non-experimental design. The study sample consisted of 93 grade 8 and 9 learners at a high school in the Western Cape, South Africa. The intervention was a 5-week health education programme that aimed at improving knowledge regarding the risk factors for chronic diseases of lifestyle. The intervention included lectures, research and presentations. Data were analysed descriptively and inferential statistics were analysed to determine associations between variables. The pre-test questionnaire reported learners to have achieved low scores on the areas of diabetes and stroke but after the intervention there was a significant improvement (p<0.05). There is need to design and incorporate specific health education programmes within the school setting that will create an awareness among the youth as this is the most at-risk group to indulge in health risk behaviour. It is important to design interventions that are specific to the target population. This programme may be a step in teaching young people to identify risk factors of chronic diseases of lifestyle and also assist them to implement effective preventive measures

Stress and smoking among university students at the University of the Western Cape

INTRODUCTION: Stress is one of the most commonly reported reasons for smoking and generally smokers are perceived to experience more stress than non-smokers. Reducing stress may thus be an important part of smoking cessation. OBJECTIVES: The aim of the current study was to determine the prevalence of smoking and stress among university students attending the University of the Western Cape. METHODS: A cross-sectional descriptive survey study design was used to describe and identify smoking habits of university students as well as their stress levels. The data was captured on Excel and SPSS was used to analyse the data. PARTICIPANTS: Nine hundred and twelve university students. Setting: Students enrolled at six faculties at the University of the Western Cape. Intervention: Self-answered questionnaire RESULTS: Slightly more than half (53%) of the students had smoked previously but only, 61% of these reported having smoked in the last month (current smokers). Females reported to experience more stress than males (stress score 21.6 vs 16.6). The main reasons for smoking included helping to relax, just enjoying smoking , coping with stress and smoking because friends smoke. CONCLUSION: Students need to know that increased stress levels are associated with smoking. Groups at higher risk are: those being older than 30 years; female; of the coloured ethnic group; in the fourth year of study and studying in the law faculty

Implementing interprofessional education and practice: Lessons from a resource-constrained university

Interprofessional education is seen as a vehicle to facilitate collaborative practice and, therefore, address the complex health needs of populations. A number of concerns have, however, been raised with the implementation of interprofessional education. The three core concerns raised in the literature and addressed in the article include the lack of an explicit framework, challenges operationalising interprofessional education and practice, and the lack of critical mass in terms of human resources to drive activities related to interprofessional education and practice. This article aims to present lessons learnt when attempting to overcome the main challenges and implementing interprofessional education activities in a resource-constrained higher education setting in South Afric

The effects of a short term physical activity intervention programme on body mass index, blood pressure, and percentage body fat among high school learners

Introduction: The increase in physical inactivity is thought to be one of the main risk factors for the development of diseases of lifestyle. This has highlighted the need for prevention and intervention programmes that are thought to assist in influencing the modifiable risk factors. Physical activity programmes have been proven to positively influence risk factors such us blood pressure and body mass index (BMI). Interventions by health professionals can assist in combating the problem. This study aimed to determine the effects of a short term physical activity programme on the BMI, body fat and blood pressure of high school learners in a local community in the Western Cape. Methods: The total number of learners who volunteered to participate in the study was 106. The study used a pre-test post-test design. The intervention programme was a 6 week programme run for 3 days per week for a period of 40 – 60 minutes per session. The intervention consisted of moderate to vigorous activities. Data was analysed by comparing learners who participated in the intervention and those who did not. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used in this study. Results: Prior to the intervention it was found that 18% were found to be obese and at least 10% were hypertensive. Following the intervention it was reported that blood pressure as well as BMI and percentage body fat was influenced in positive way. Conclusion: One can conclude that, a short term physical activity intervention programme conducted three times a week with moderate activities can affect the BMI and blood pressure levels of adolescents

Influence of previous participation in physical activity on its perceptions among tertiary institution students

Physical inactivity is one of the leading causes of the major non-communicable diseases, which contribute substantially to the global burden of diseases, death and disability. The burden of mortality, morbidity and disability attributable to non-communicable diseases is currently greatest and is continually growing in the developing countries. Most declines in physical activity (PA) occur during the transition period when a person goes from high school to College or University. The objectives of this study were to identify perceived benefits of and barriers to PA and determine whether previous participation in PA does have an influence on these perceptions. A cross- sectional and descriptive study with quantitative design was conducted. Five hundred (500) tertiary institution students were randomly sampled from purposively selected departments and classes at each of the five government educational tertiary institutions in Rwanda. A pre-coded self-administered questionnaire with a small number of open-ended questions was administered to the students. A response rate of 425 (85%) was obtained. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to analyse the data, by means of SAS version 8 software. Frequencies and percentages for mean score values with standard deviations for each perception variable were descriptively obtained. False Discovery Rate (FDR) at 5% for multiple test adjustment and Spearman’s correlation (r) tests were used to identify the significant influence of previous participation on perceptions. More than 70% students were not participating in PA at tertiary level. Psychological benefits of PA were some of the most important perceived benefits cited by the students. Most of the important barriers cited concerned equipment and time constraints to exercising. Associations were found between previous participation and the current perceptions of PA. The findings of this study demonstrate that previous participation can influence perceptions of PA among the students. Physical activity promotion programmes should consider the role of these factors which should be emphasised from childhood