Post-election challenges for Zambia

The two leading candidates in Zambia’s presidential election are in a tight race. The result will have a big influence on the country’s future economic directio

Exploring Community Radio Programming Practices to Inform Environmental Education at Livingstone Museum in Zambia

This paper reports on a study (Muloongo, 2010) that investigated how participatory radio programming might be used to inform and extend museum-based community engagement in environment and sustainability concerns. Preliminary research on museum education practices established that these are primarily expert-led and centred on exhibitions and outreach, with limited participation by the community. The study was initiated after a brief experience of working on community radio that revealed a contrasting approach, including the community in discussing locally relevant content that was followed by the addition of the knowledge of a mediating expert.A collective case study (multi-site) design was used to probe educational programming practices used in community radio. The paper explores how community radio station programming engages listeners in community generated education programmes that are produced through collaborative work with radio listener clubs. Research on three cases of community radio programming concludes that community radio provides opportunities for community-led social learning which the Livingstone Museum could make use of to extend and localise its engagement with the community in environmental learning

Policies Addressing Barriers to Low-Income Women and Children’s Health Care Utilization in the United States and Kenya: The Role of Physician Payments and Cash Transfer Programs

This dissertation examined two policies to improve low-income women and children’s healthcare utilization: physician payments and cash transfer programs. Higher physician payments increase the supply of healthcare services while cash transfers increase individuals’ demand for healthcare services. Cash transfer programs can improve health outcomes, yet the extent to which they are a cost-effective strategy is largely understudied. Therefore, this dissertation examines three overarching research questions: Are Medicaid physician fees associated with access to substance abuse disorder (SUD) treatment among low-income women of reproductive age? Do economic preferences moderate cash transfer program effects on children’s health care utilization? Evidence from a randomized field experiment in Kenya. Are cash transfer programs cost-effective in reducing infectious diseases amongst orphans and vulnerable children in Kenya? Broadly, the evidence from these papers suggests that supply and demand driven public policies increase the use of healthcare services for low-income women and children. Specifically, higher state Medicaid physician payments improve access to SUD treatment for low-income non-Hispanic Black women of reproductive age. Further, cash transfer programs improve the use of preventative healthcare services for children, and this impact is moderated by a caregiver’s time preference. Additionally, a cash transfer program is cost-effective in reducing illnesses amongst children compared to the status-quo. Policy makers should invest resources in policies supporting increased physician payments and cash transfers to improve low-income women and children’s health

Access to HIV care in the context of universal test and treat: challenges within the ANRS 12249 TasP cluster-randomized trial in rural South Africa

Introduction: We aimed to quantify and identify associated factors of linkage to HIV care following home-based HIV counselling and testing (HBHCT) in the ongoing ANRS 12249 treatment-as-prevention (TasP) cluster-randomized trial in rural KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. Methods: Individuals ]16 years were offered HBHCT; those who were identified HIV positive were referred to cluster-based TasP clinics and offered antiretroviral treatment (ART) immediately (five clusters) or according to national guidelines (five clusters). HIV care was also available in the local Department of Health (DoH) clinics. Linkage to HIV care was defined as TasP or DoH clinic attendance within three months of referral among adults not in HIV care at referral. Associated factors were identified using multivariable logistic regression adjusted for trial arm. Results: Overall, 1323 HIV-positive adults (72.9% women) not in HIV care at referral were included, of whom 36.9% (n488) linked to care B3 months of referral (similar by sex). In adjusted analyses (n1222), individuals who had never been in HIV care before referral were significantly less likely to link to care than those who had previously been in care (B33% vs. 42%, pB0.001). Linkage to care was lower in students (adjusted odds-ratio [aOR] 0.47; 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.240.92) than in employed adults, in adults who completed secondary school (aOR0.68; CI 0.490.96) or at least some secondary school (aOR0.59; CI 0.410.84) versus 5 primary school, in those who lived at 1 to 2 km (aOR0.58; CI 0.440.78) or 25 km from the nearest TasP clinic (aOR0.57; CI 0.410.77) versus B1 km, and in those who were referred to clinic after ]2 contacts (aOR0.75; CI 0.580.97) versus those referred at the first contact. Linkage to care was higher in adults who reported knowing an HIV-positive family member (aOR1.45; CI 1.121.86) versus not, and in those who said that they would take ART as soon as possible if they were diagnosed HIV positive (aOR2.16; CI 1.134.10) versus not. Conclusions: Fewer than 40% of HIV-positive adults not in care at referral were linked to HIV care within three months of HBHCT in the TasP trial. Achieving universal test and treat coverage will require innovative interventions to support linkage to HIV care

Men's perspectives on male participation in antenatal health care with their expectant wives at Arakan Garrison Hospital in Lusaka, Zambia

Background Male partner participation in antenatal care services is of great importance if pregnant women are to fully utilise and benefit from the services offered to them at antenatal clinics. Male partner participation in antenatal care services is low in Zambia. At Arakan Garrison Hospital in Lusaka, only one in twelve pregnant women attends antenatal care with the husband or partner. This study aimed to explore the perspectives of men on male participation in antenatal care services at Arakan Garrison Hospital. Methods The study used a qualitative case study approach. Maximum variation purposive sampling was used to enlist sixteen men whose wives were pregnant both those who participated in antenatal care with their spouses and those who did not. In-depth interviews were conducted with participants to get their perspectives in relation to being involved in antenatal care. Collected data was transcribed in verbatim and codes, categories and themes were generated from the collected data. Data analysis was guided by thematic the framework analysis approach. Results This study showed that male participation at antenatal clinic mean knowing what pregnant women went through during pregnancy, commitment and collective responsibility and an opportunity to learn. The study showed that the men‟s roles in antenatal care are providing necessities during pregnancy, acquiring information on pregnancy and needed care and provision of physical and emotional support to the wife during pregnancy. Motivators for male participation in antenatal care are, having knowledge about the importance of male participation in antenatal care, desire to have a healthy mother and baby, the desire to learn about pregnancy and needed care, privileges that are given to those who attend as a couple, the desire to be part of the decision making process and being a responsible father. The study identified deterrents to male participation as being military operations, not knowing that men needed to attend, fear of Human Immuno-deficiency Virus (HIV) test and belief that women and/or health workers would be uncomfortable if the husband was also present during the screening of a pregnant woman. Conclusion The study suggests that military men in Arakan Garrison are willing to participate in antenatal care. However, they faced some challenges particularly, the engagement in military operations that made them stay away from their homes most of the time. Furthermore, some men were not aware of the importance of participating in antenatal care with their wives. The study generated knowledge on men‟s perspectives on participating in antenatal care with their pregnant wives. This knowledge is useful in coming up with interventions to improve the male partner participation in antenatal care

HIV-related knowledge, perceptions, attitudes, and utilisation of HIV counselling and testing: a venue-based intercept commuter population survey in the inner city of Johannesburg, South Africa

PKBackground: HIV counselling and testing (HCT) and knowledge about HIV have been key strategies utilised in the prevention and control of HIV/AIDS worldwide. HIV knowledge and uptake of HCT services in sub-Saharan Africa are still low. This study was conducted to determine factors associated with HCT and HIV/AIDS knowledge levels among a commuter population in Johannesburg, South Africa. Objective: To identify the factors associated with HCT uptake among the commuter population. Design: A simple random sampling method was used to select participants in a venue-based intercept survey at a taxi rank in the Johannesburg Central Business District. Data were collected using an electronic questionnaire. Logistic regression analysis assessed factors associated with HIV testing stratified by gender. Results: 1,146 respondents were interviewed, the ma[j]ority (n = 579, 50.5%) were females and (n = 780, 68.1%) were over 25 years of age. Overall HCT knowledge was high (n = 951, 83%) with more females utilising HCT facilities. There was a significant difference in HIV testing for respondents living closer to and further away from health facilities. Slightly more than half of the respondents indicated stigma as one of the barriers for testing (n = 594, 52%, p-value = 0.001). For males, living with a partner (aOR: 1.68, 95% CI: 1.02-2.78, p-value: 0.041) and possessing a post-primary education were positively associated with testing (aOR: 2.00, 95% CI: 1.15-3.47, p-value: 0.014), whereas stigma and discrimination reduced the likelihood of testing (aOR: 0.40, 95% CI: 0.31-0.62, p-value: <0.001). For females, having one sexual partner (aOR: 2.65, 95% CI: 1.19-5.90, p-value: 0.017) and a low perceived benefit for HIV testing (aOR: 0.54, 95% CI: 0.30-0.96, p-value: 0.035) were associated with HIV testing. Conclusion: The overall HIV/AIDS knowledge was generally high. Gender-specific health education and HIV intervention programmes are needed for improved access to HCT services. One favourable intervention would be the use of home-based HCT programmes

Occupational health and safety information management system based on district health information system.

Thesis of Master of Science in Computer ScienceThere is a significant gap in research on occupational health and safety in Africa. This study addresses this need by investigating the potential of District Health Information Software 2 (DHIS2) to develop health information systems that cater specifically to the requirements of occupational health and safety, filling a critical knowledge gap in the region. Data from Health Information Systems are extremely important; nevertheless, the majority of developing countries' methods for collecting, collating, compiling, analysing, and reporting health data are insufficient, erroneous, and tardy, rendering the data worthless for decision making. This study investigates how different user perceptions affect the health and safety behaviours at work. The purpose is to carry out a baseline study with the intention of investigating the difficulties encountered by NEPAD (the New Partnership for Africa's Development) in terms of exchanging occupational health data with regional partners. A questionnaire was sent out to a random sample of people who interact with occupational health and safety data as part of a descriptive research study. This study surveyed 210 individuals who work with occupational health and safety data, representing various departments such as Workers' Compensation, OSHD, OHSI, and MSD. Of the 140 questionnaires sent out, 130 were completed and included in the analysis, yielding a response rate of 93%. This high response rate was considered a success, as it closely matched the target sample size for the research. Statistical Package for Social Scientists (SPSS) was used to do descriptive and correlation analysis on the data to investigate whether users of the Occupational Health Information Management System believed that the software would improve their performance and efficiency in carrying out their tasks. According to the findings of the study, factors such as Effort Expectancy, Performance Expectancy, and Social Influence have a significant impact on behavioural Intentions to use occupation health information management systems. A prototype was developed and deployed for users to interact with and later gave feedback that showed improved performance and efficiency in conducting their tasks. Keywords: Health Information Systems, Occupational Health and Safety, Occupational Health Information Management System, District Health Information System, DHIS

Community radio and museum outreach: a case study of community radio practices to inform the environment and sustainability programmes of Livingstone Museum

This is a qualitative study whose purpose was to investigate the community radio education practices and the museum outreach education activities with a view to understanding how a museum-radio partnership may be used to engage the Livingstone community in environment and sustainability learning. Environment and sustainability issues require a community approach in order to bring about sustained responses to environmental challenges. As such, the study worked with social learning ideas of engaging the community in environment and sustainability learning. The data was generated mainly from face-to-face semi-structured interviews involving three community radio stations, Radio Listener Clubs and museum experts. The data generated was then presented to a strategy workshop involving the Livingstone Museum and Radio Musi-otunya staff. Arising from this workshop, recommendations were made about the possibility of the museum working in partnership with the radio to engage the community in environmental education. The study has shown that much of the museum environmental education activities have been confined to exhibitions and lectures within the museum building, which has affected the number of people being serviced by the museum. These education activities are arranged such that museum expert-led knowledge is presented to the audience with minimal community engagement on the environmental learning content. The study has also shown that community radio programming provides opportunities for community-led social learning which the Livingstone Museum could make use of to engage the community in environmental learning. Community radio programming allows community participation through Radio Listener Clubs, in identification and presentation of local environmental issues. This makes it a suitable tool to address locally relevant environmental issues, by the local community. Environmental issues are different from one place to another. Therefore environmental education approaches that bring issues into the museum may fail to address the different environmental education issues in different community context. The study concludes by recommending that Livingstone Museum should explore the use of community radio so that their expert knowledge and that of the radio producers could be used to shape environmental education programmes to go beyond awareness-raising

The effectiveness of the media in climate change coverage: a case study of the daily nation newspaper.

Master in Mass Communication (MMC)This study aims at analysing the effectiveness of the media in covering climate change issues, with a particular case of the Daily Nation newspaper. To achieve this, the study establishes three objectives which include the analysis of the prominence of climate change articles in the newspaper and an investigation of the knowledge, attitudes and practices of Daily Nation journalists on climate change coverage. The final objective is to investigate how effectively the Daily Nation newspaper educates people on issues of climate change. To undertake this research study, the researcher employs mixed research methods, which include content analysis for analysis of news stories, questionnaires for journalists and in-depth interviews for a climate change expert and a journalism Lecturer. To analyse the data obtained, the study uses SPSS, Excel and thematic analysis. The findings indicate that there was less prominence of climate change articles in the newspaper. This is because there were few climate change related stories appearing in the newspaper. For those that appeared, the majority were not page leads and were not long. Furthermore, the majority of journalists were not knowledgeable about climate change and therefore could not handle the task of reporting on it. In addition, despite most journalists indicating that they viewed climate change as an important topic, some editors did not share their views. This partly explains the non-prominence of climate change stories in the newspaper. Furthermore, the majority of stories did not carry research data and had no opinion of experts, thereby lacking authority and reducing their effectiveness. However, the majority of the stories were above the fold line, were issue based and were striving to provide a solution. Based on the foregoing parameters, it is therefore concluded that the overall effectiveness of media coverage of climate change issues in the Daily Nation newspaper is low. With the foregoing findings, the research recommends that just like courses that mainstream gender issues, journalism schools should establish courses that mainstream climate change issues. Secondly, media houses and journalism schools should frequently engage climate change experts to help in improving the knowledge of journalists on climate change issues. In addition, media houses should ensure that Editors are highly trained in issues of climate change. Another recommendation is that media houses should ensure the mainstreaming of climate change coverage in their editorial policies. In addition, stories published must contain research data and the views of experts. Finally, science institutions should emphasise the dissemination of their work in an easy to read manner to media houses and they should employ communications personnel for this job

An assessment of government-funded small-scale cage fish farming in Siavonga District, Zambia: performance, challenges and opportunities

Aquaculture is a key driver of food and nutrition security, rural livelihoods, and economic development in Zambia. This study evaluated the performance, challenges, and opportunities associated with government-funded small-scale cage fish farming in Siavonga District, contributing to the discourse on sustainable aquatic food systems and climate resilience. Using mixed methods including questionnaires, interviews, and insights from the Ministry of Fisheries, data were gathered from 30 purposively selected farmers between 2020 and 2023. The findings show that government investments have improved income generation and job creation by lowering entry barriers through infrastructure support and extension services. However, constraints such as theft, fish predation, currency fluctuations, and bureaucratic inefficiencies continue to hinder adaptive decision-making and reduce the competitiveness of publicly supported farmers compared to their private-sector counterparts. Key opportunities for sustainable transformation include expanding access to quality inputs such as fingerlings and feed, improving lake transport systems, and fostering public-private partnerships. Importantly, this study offers a climate-smart perspective by highlighting how adaptive support systems and inclusive policy frameworks can enhance the resilience of small-scale aquaculture in the face of climate variability. Integrating government-led initiatives with market-driven innovations is essential to strengthen the resilience, inclusivity, and long-term viability of Zambia’s aquaculture sector. The study provides practical insights for advancing blue transformation in similar socio-ecological settings