Teaching of Earth Geometry at Secondary School in Zambia

The study explores the challenges associated with teaching Earth Geometry in secondary schools.  Selected secondary schools of Mufulira District in Zambia were the focus of the study and a total of 21 Teachers and 97 pupils formed the sample population to whom questionnaires were administered. In addition, a 5-point Likert scale formed part of the research instrument used to investigate the phenomenon. The collected data was analysed using SPSS which allowed for simple frequency counts, percentages, means and analysis of variance. To further understand the phenomenon under study, data collected from the pupils by way of interviews and document reviews was analyzed using the QDA miner 4.0 version software. It was established that pupils faced the following challenges: computation of the shortest distance between points on the same latitude, distinguishing between knots and kilometres per hour, and distinguishing great circles and small circles. Keywords: learners, teachers, earth geometry, latitudes, knots and kilometer, circle

FACTORS RESPONSIBLE FOR LOW CONVICTION OF CHILD SEXUAL ABUSE OFFENDERS- LUSAKA DISTRICT, ZAMBIA

Child Sexual Abuse (CSA) is a worldwide phenomenon which has evolved from a matter of family to public concern. Numerous researches have demonstrated tremendous after-effects inclusive but not limited to psychological and physical. The international community, Zambia included battles to combat this ravaging scourge. Prosecution of offenders has reemerged as a measure to stop CSA. This study examined factors responsible for low conviction of offenders of CSA in the face of substantial evidence. Survey design using qualitative methods: a questionnaire, semi structured interview and participant observation methods were used to conduct the study. The results showed: absence of technical knowledge of child psychology in courtrooms, an adversarial court system, official’s lack of skills and training, understaffing and poverty, contribute to the failure to convict offenders

FACTORS RESPONSIBLE FOR LOW CONVICTION OF CHILD SEXUAL ABUSE OFFENDERS- LUSAKA DISTRICT, ZAMBIA

Child Sexual Abuse (CSA) is a worldwide phenomenon which has evolved from a matter of family to public concern. Numerous researches have demonstrated tremendous after-effects inclusive but not limited to psychological and physical. The international community, Zambia included battles to combat this ravaging scourge. Prosecution of offenders has reemerged as a measure to stop CSA. This study examined factors responsible for low conviction of offenders of CSA in the face of substantial evidence. Survey design using qualitative methods: a questionnaire, semi structured interview and participant observation methods were used to conduct the study. The results showed: absence of technical knowledge of child psychology in courtrooms, an adversarial court system, official’s lack of skills and training, understaffing and poverty, contribute to the failure to convict offenders

Navigating 'ethics in practice': An ethnographic case study with young women living with HIV in Zambia.

While 'procedural ethics' provides essential frameworks for governing global health research, reflecting on 'ethics in practice' offers important insights into addressing ethically important moments that arise in everyday research. Particularly for ethnographic research, renowned for it's fluid and spontaneous nature, engaging with 'ethics in practice' has the potential to enhance research practice within global health. We provide a case study for such reflexivity, exploring 'ethics in practice' of ethnographic research with middle-income young women living with HIV in Lusaka, Zambia. We explore the ethical issues arising from the layered interaction of the population (young women), the disease under investigation (HIV), the method of study (ethnographic), and the setting (Zambia, a lower middle income country). We describe how we navigated five key practical ethical tensions that arose, namely the psycho-emotional benefits of the research, the negotiated researcher-participant relationship, protecting participants' HIV status, confidentiality and data ownership, and researcher obligations after the end of the research. We exemplify reflexive engagement with 'ethics in practice' and suggest that engaging with ethics in this way can make important contributions towards developing more adequate ethical guidelines and research practice in global public health

The epidemiology of gonorrhoea, chlamydial infection and syphilis in four African cities.

OBJECTIVES: To compare the epidemiology of gonorrhoea, chlamydial infection and syphilis in four cities in sub-Saharan Africa; two with a high prevalence of HIV infection (Kisumu, Kenya and Ndola, Zambia), and two with a relatively low HIV prevalence (Cotonou, Benin and Yaoundé, Cameroon). DESIGN: Cross-sectional study, using standardized methods, including a standardized questionnaire and standardized laboratory tests, in four cities in sub-Saharan Africa. METHODS: In each city, a random sample of about 2000 adults aged 15-49 years was taken. Consenting men and women were interviewed about their socio-demographic characteristics and their sexual behaviour, and were tested for HIV, syphilis, herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2), gonorrhoea, chlamydial infection, and (women only) Trichomonas vaginalis infection. Risk factor analyses were carried out for chlamydial infection and syphilis seroreactivity. RESULTS: The prevalence of gonorrhoea ranged between 0% in men in Kisumu and 2.7% in women in Yaoundé. Men and women in Yaoundé had the highest prevalence of chlamydial infection (5.9 and 9.4%, respectively). In the other cities, the prevalence of chlamydial infection ranged between 1.3% in women in Cotonou and 4.5% in women in Kisumu. In Ndola, the prevalence of syphilis seroreactivity was over 10% in both men and women; it was around 6% in Yaoundé, 3-4% in Kisumu, and 1-2% in Cotonou. Chlamydial infection was associated with rate of partner change for both men and women, and with young age for women. At the population level, the prevalence of chlamydial infection correlated well with reported rates of partner change. Positive syphilis serology was associated with rate of partner change and with HSV-2 infection. The latter association could be due to biological interaction between syphilis and HSV-2 or to residual confounding by sexual behaviour. At the population level, there was no correlation between prevalence of syphilis seroreactivity and reported rates of partner change. CONCLUSION: Differences in prevalence of chlamydial infection could be explained by differences in reported sexual behaviour, but the variations in prevalence of syphilis seroreactivity remained unexplained. More research is needed to better understand the epidemiology of sexually transmitted infections in Africa

SUSTAINABILITY IN RETAIL BUILDINGS: A CASE STUDY OF SHOPPING MALLS IN LAGOS STATE

This study investigates with empirical data, the influence of supply chain management practices on building development projects undertaken by estate firms in Lagos State. Structured questionnaires were administered to principal officers of the 200 firms of estate surveying and valuation in the state while 136 were returned completed constituting 68.0% rate of response. Uni-variate analysis was performed to present the profile of the respondents while further analysis carried out with correlation regression analysis. Pearson correlation coefficient was used to establish the relationship among the aspects of SCM practices and efficiency of the firms while linear regression analysis was used to investigate the strength of the relationships. Results revealed that the p-value of the independent variables are all less than 0.05, signifying that these variables are all significant to SCM practices, hence the efficiency of the firms. Moreover, the correlation coefficient indicates a varying degree of positive and direct relationship between the SCM aspects and productivity. The results of the regression analysis showed among others that although the six integral components of the SCM practices are all significant, only the primary supply chain and human resource supply chain currently have the highest contributory capacity (61.8% and 54.4% respectively) to the firms’ productivity while the ICT, finance and payment, mutual trust among stakeholders each had less or weak impact on the firms’ productivity. The study concluded by suggesting that estate firms strengthen these aspects of the firms’ SCM practices to improve productivity

Maternity waiting homes as an intervention to increase facility delivery in rural Zambia

Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/150534/1/ijgo12864_am.pdfhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/150534/2/ijgo12864.pd

Postpartum physical intimate partner violence among women in rural Zambia

ObjectiveTo examine the demographic characteristics and mental health of women in rural Zambia who experienced physical intimate partner violence (IPV) postpartum.MethodsThe present secondary analysis was conducted using baseline data from an impact evaluation of a maternity waiting home intervention in rural Zambia. A quantitative household survey was conducted over 6 weeks, from midâ April to late May, 2016, at 40 rural health facility catchment areas among 2381 postpartum women (13 months after delivery; age â ¥15 years).ResultsA total of 192 (8.1%) women reported experiencing any type of physical IPV in the preceding 2 weeks; 126 had experienced severe physical IPV (had been kicked, dragged, beat, and/or choked by a husband or partner). High levels of depression were recorded for 174 (7.3%) women in the preceding 2 weeks. Being a female head of household was associated with an increased likelihood of experiencing severe physical IPV (aOR 2.64, 95% CI 1.70â 4.10). Women with high depression scores were also at an increased risk of experiencing any physical IPV (aOR 17.1, 95% CI 8.44â 34.9) and severe physical IPV (aOR 15.4, 95% CI 5.17â 45.9).ConclusionFuture work should consider the implications of government and educational policies that could impact the screening and treatment of pregnant women affected by all forms of physical IPV and depression in rural Zambia.Postpartum physical intimate partner violence among women in rural Zambia was associated with being a female head of household and high levels of depression.Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/146407/1/ijgo12654.pdfhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/146407/2/ijgo12654_am.pd

'I will choose when to test, where I want to test': investigating young people's preferences for HIV self-testing in Malawi and Zimbabwe.

OBJECTIVES: The current study identifies young people's preferences for HIV self-testing (HIVST) delivery, determines the relative strength of preferences and explores underlying behaviors and perceptions to inform youth-friendly services in southern Africa. DESIGN: A mixed methods design was adopted in Malawi and Zimbabwe and includes focus group discussions, in-depth interviews and discrete choice experiments. METHODS: The current study was conducted during the formative phase of cluster-randomized trials of oral-fluid HIVST distribution. Young people aged 16-25 years were purposively selected for in-depth interviews (n = 15) in Malawi and 12 focus group discussions (n = 107) across countries. Representative samples of young people in both countries (n = 341) were administered discrete choice experiments on HIVST delivery, with data analyzed to estimate relative preferences. The qualitative results provided additional depth and were triangulated with the quantitative findings. RESULTS: There was strong concordance across methods and countries based on the three triangulation parameters: product, provider and service characteristics. HIVST was highly accepted by young people, if provided at no or very low cost. Young people expressed mixed views on oral-fluid tests, weighing perceived benefits with accuracy concerns. There was an expressed lack of trust in health providers and preference for lay community distributors. HIVST addressed youth-specific barriers to standard HIV testing, with home-based distribution considered convenient. Issues of autonomy, control, respect and confidentiality emerged as key qualitative themes. CONCLUSION: HIVST services can be optimized to reach young people if products are provided through home-based distribution and at low prices, with respect for them as autonomous individuals

Differences in human immunodeficiency virus-1C viral load and drug resistance mutation between plasma and cerebrospinal fluid in patients with human immunodeficiency virus-associated cryptococcal meningitis in Botswana.

To determine effects of cryptococcal meningitis (CM) on human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-1C cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) viral escape, CSF/plasma viral discordance, and drug resistance mutation (DRM) discordance between CSF and plasma compartments, we compared CSF and plasma viral load (VL) and DRMs in individuals with HIV-associated CM in Botswana.This cross-sectional study utilized 45 paired CSF/plasma samples from participants in a CM treatment trial (2014-2016). HIV-1 VL was determined and HIV-1 protease and reverse transcriptase genotyping performed. DRMs were determined using the Stanford HIV database. CSF viral escape was defined as HIV-1 ribonucleic acid ≥0.5 log10 higher in CSF than plasma and VL discordance as CSF VL > plasma VL.HIV-1 VL was successfully measured in 39/45 pairs, with insufficient sample volume in 6; 34/39 (87.2%) participants had detectable HIV-1 in plasma and CSF, median 5.1 (interquartile range: 4.7-5.7) and 4.6 (interquartile range:3.7-4.9) log10 copies/mL, respectively (P≤.001). CSF viral escape was present in 1/34 (2.9%) and VL discordance in 6/34 (17.6%). Discordance was not associated with CD4 count, antiretroviral status, fungal burden, CSF lymphocyte percentage nor mental status. Twenty-six of 45 (57.8%) CSF/plasma pairs were successfully sequenced. HIV-1 DRM discordance was found in 3/26 (11.5%); 1 had I84IT and another had M46MI in CSF only. The third had K101E in plasma and V106 M in CSF.Our findings suggest that HIV-1 escape and DRM discordance may occur at lower rates in participants with advanced HIV-disease and CM compared to those with HIV associated neurocognitive impairment