3 research outputs found
The risk of metabolic syndrome as a result of lifestyle among Ellisras rural young adults
The study aimed to investigate the association between metabolic syndrome (MetS) and lifestyle risk
factors among Ellisras
adults. A cross-sectional study was conducted on 624 adults (306 males and 318 females). MetS was
defined according to the criteria of the International Diabetes Federation. The prevalence of MetS
was 23.1% (8.6% males and 36.8 % females). Females appeared to have higher mean values for waist
circumference (WC), fasting blood glucose (FBG), total cholesterol (TCHOL) and low-density
lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), while males had high mean values for high-density lipoprotein
cholesterol (HDL-C), triglycerides (TG), systolic blood pressure (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure
(DBP). No significant age and gender differences were observed for dietary intake. Significantly more
females (51.9%) presented with increased WC than males (4.6%). Participants who had a high dietary
energy intake were significantly less likely to present with larger WC (OR: 0.250 95% CI [0.161;
0.389]), low HDL-C (OR: 0.306 95% CI [0.220; 0.425]) and high LDL-C (OR: 0.583 95%
CI [0.418; 0.812]) but more likely to present with elevated FBG (OR: 1.01 95% CI [0.735; 1.386]),
high TCHOL (OR: 1.039
95% CI [0.575; 1.337]), high TG (OR: 1.186 95% CI [0.695; 2.023]) and hypertension (OR: 5.205 95%
CI [3.156; 8.585]).
After adjusting for age, gender, smoking, and alcohol status, high energy intake was more than two
times likely to predict MetS in adults with a large WC (OR: 2.766 95% CI [0.863; 3.477] and
elevated FBG (OR: 2.227 95% CI [1.051; 3.328]). Therefore, identifying groups that are at an
increased risk and those that are in their early stages of MetS will help improve
and prevent the increase of the MetS in the future
Smallholder irrigation schemes in the Limpopo Province, South Africa
A survey of 76 public smallholder irrigation schemes in the Limpopo Province was jointly conducted by the International Water Management Institute (IWMI), Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (DAFF), South Africa, and the Limpopo Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (LDARD), as part of the ‘Revitalization of Smallholder Irrigation in South Africa’ project. About one-third of those schemes was fully utilized; one-third partially utilized; and one-third not utilized in the winter of 2015; however, no single socioeconomic, physical, agronomic and marketing variable could explain these differences in utilization. Sale, mostly for informal markets, appeared the most important goal. Dilapidated infrastructure was the most important constraint cited by the farmers. The study recommends ways to overcome the build-neglect-rebuild syndrome, and to learn lessons from informal irrigation, which covers an area three to four times as large as public irrigation schemes in the province