A study to investigate the use of objectively structured practical examination in the assessment of undergraduate physiotherapy students' practical skills at one tertiary institution in South Africa.

Thesis (M.Ed.) - University of Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2003.Objectively structured practical examination (OSPE) is widely used in Physiotherapy to assess the practical skills of undergraduate students. The rationale for OSPE is to provide a means for evaluation of students' clinical skills, so that students may ultimately apply their skills to patients in the clinical situation. Students should show their ability to think critically and reason, for efficient and effective clinical application. It is therefore important that OSPE is structured such that these objectives may be achieved. This study presents the results of an investigation of OSPE at a Physiotherapy Department at one tertiary institution in South Africa. The present implementation has some merit. However, some adjustments need to be made in order that the OSPE process is more integrative of theory and practice, while simultaneously ensuring the holistic approach. This would facilitate an integrated approach to education and training aimed at integrating theory with the practice, and the academic with the vocational. Thus there would be a holistic and global approach to patient care

An analysis of the sociological variables which separate the employed from the unemployed in a typical peri-urban community.

Thesis (MBA)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, 2007.The main objective of this study was to establish the extent to which the un employed people in South Africa are placed at a disadvantage in the labour market as compared to the employed people. Two sample populations were investigated in a typical peri-urban community and certain variables were studied, namely demographic, educational and employment variables. The results strongly indicate that the unemployed people are regarded as 'under class' citizens and lack the protection they deserve in the labour market. Based on their backgrounds they are severely disadvantaged and if no positive steps are taken to improve the situation by training and development, entre preneurial support and government projects especially in the rural areas, the levels of unemployment will continue escalating accompanied by increasing poverty and high crime levels. This creates a vicious cycle acting as a deterrent to overseas investors. From this study it can be surmised that the creation of jobs only is not the solution to the problem we are faced with. The solution is certainly more holistic. Another area of study was to establish whether the current Labour Market Model is an appropriate one taking into consideration the current environ ment of escalating unemployment and poverty. The model is regarded as be ing inflexible in an environment such as ours. More flexibility may help curb the escalating levels of unemployment

A prospective randomised study to determine the effects of pulsed shortwave therapy, infrared radiation, laser and ultraviolet radiation on the healing of open wounds in the hand.

Masters Degree. University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban.Abstract available in PDF.Paper Presentations on page vi

Differences in personal and lifestyle characteristics among Zimbabwean high school adolescents with and without recurrent non-specific low back pain: a two part cross-sectional study

Background: Recurrent non-specific low back pain (NSLBP) is increasingly becoming common among adolescents worldwide. A recent study in Zimbabwe showed a relatively high prevalence (28.8 %) among high school students. Influential associated factors, however, remain unclear. This is a significant shortcoming. The aim was to determine personal or lifestyle-related factors associated with recurrent NSLBP among high school adolescents in Harare, Zimbabwe. Methods: This study was part of a large epidemiological study conducted in two continuous parts. Part one sought to determine self-reported associated factors among 532 participants (mean age =16 ± 1.72 years) drawn randomly from selected government schools using a reliable and content-validated questionnaire (Kappa coefficient, k = 0.32–1). Part two purposively identified adolescents (N = 64, median age =17 years, interquartile range, IQR = 15–18 years) with a history of ‘severe’ recurrent NSLBP from part one based on a specific eligibility criteria and compared body mass index, relative school bag weight and hamstring flexibility with matched adolescents without NSLBP. Data was analysed using Statistica version 11. Independent t-tests or χ 2 tests of association were used for continuous and categorical data, respectively. The statistical significance was set at p < .05. Results: Recurrent NSLBP was associated with self-reported factors such as perceptions of a heavy school bag [χ 2 (1) = 85.9, p < 0.001]. A significant proportion of adolescents with recurrent NSLBP spent over 30 min carrying the school bag to and from school [χ 2 (1) =32.2, p < 0.001]. It was also associated with prolonged sitting (p < 0.001), not playing sports [χ 2 (1) =5.85, p = 0.02] and tight hamstrings [χ 2 (1) =7.6, p = 0.006]. Conclusions: Although conclusions from this study are hesitant because of the cross-sectional nature of the study and the relatively small sample size in follow-up study, recurrent NSLBP is associated with perceptions of a heavy school bag, duration of school bag carriage, no sports participation, prolonged sitting on entertainment activities, and tight hamstrings. These findings add to the importance of promoting physical activity at school or home especially aimed at improving muscle flexibility

Survival of people aged 50 years and older by HIV and HIV treatment status: findings from three waves of the SAGE-Wellbeing of Older People Study (SAGE-WOPS) in Uganda.

BACKGROUND: Data on the survival status of older adults on antiretroviral treatment (ART) are scarce in sub-Saharan Africa. The objective of this study was to determine the survival status of people aged 50 years and older who were HIV-negative, HIV-positive not on ART, and HIV-positive on ART. METHODS: We used three waves of data from the World Health Organisation Study on Global Ageing and adult health- Well Being of Older People Study cohort in Uganda, conducted in 2009, 2012-2013 and 2015-2016. The cohort included HIV-negative and HIV-positive persons aged 50 years and older recruited from multiple rural and peri-urban sites in Uganda. Data were collected using interviewer-administered questionnaire. Time-dependent ART data were collected from medical records using a data-abstraction form. This study was conducted before the universal test and treat policy came into effect. We fitted Cox survival models to estimate hazard ratios to compare the risk of death between groups, adjusted for age, sex, marital status and hypertension. RESULTS: Of 623 participants, 517 (82.9%) of respondents had follow-up data and were included in this analysis. We observed 1571 person-years of follow-up from 274 people who were HIV-negative, and 1252 from 243 who were HIV-positive. The estimated mortality adjusted hazard ratio (aHR) was 1.89 (95% CI 1.0-3.4; p = 0.04) among people living with HIV compared to HIV-negative people. The aHR for mortality among people receiving ART compared with HIV-negative people was 1.75 (95% CI 0.9-3.5). People who were HIV-positive and not receiving ART had the greatest risk of death (aHR = 2.09, 95% CI 1.0-4.4 compared with HIV negative participants). The aHR for HIV-positive people not receiving ART, compared to those who were on treatment, was 1.19 (95% CI 0.6-2.5). CONCLUSION: Older adults living with HIV on ART had a risk of mortality that was nearly twice as high as HIV-negative adults. Further analyses of longitudinal data should be done to understand factors that affect the survival of older adults on ART

Content validity and test-retest reliability of a low back pain questionnaire in Zimbabwean adolescents

Background: In Zimbabwe, a recent increase in the volume of research on recurrent non-specific low back pain (NSLBP) has revealed that adolescents are commonly affected. This is alarming to health professionals and parents and calls for serious primary preventative strategies to be developed and implemented forthwith. Early identification initiatives should be prioritised in order to curtail the condition and its progression. In an attempt to be proactive in minimising the prevalence of recurrent NSLBP, this study was conducted to evaluate the content validity and test-retest reliability of a survey questionnaire with the aim of proffering a valid and reliable questionnaire which can be used in non-clinical settings to identify adolescents with recurrent NSLBP in Harare, Zimbabwe and determine the possible factors associated with the condition. Methods: The study was conducted in two parts. The first part assessed content validity of the questionnaire using four experts derived from academia and clinical practice. The second part evaluated the reliability of the questionnaire among 125 high school-children aged between 13 and 19 years in a test-retest study. Results: Twenty-six (26) out of thirty questions in the questionnaire had an Item Content Validity index of 1.00, demonstrating complete agreement among content experts. Overall, the Scale Content Validity Index for the questionnaire was 0.97. Item completion for the reliability study was satisfactory. The questionnaire items had kappa values ranging from 0.17 (slight agreement) to 1 (perfect agreement). High levels of reliability were found for the questions on school bag use (k=0.94), sports participation (k=0.97), and lifetime prevalence (k=0.89). Conclusion: Excellent content validity and slight to perfect test-retest reliability was found for the Low Back Pain (LBP) questionnaire. These results are comparable to findings of other studies evaluating the psychometric properties of LBP questionnaires. Cognisant of the limitations of the study, the results of this study suggest that the LBP questionnaire could be used in local studies investigating LBP among adolescents although questions enquiring on functional limitations and sciatica may need further consideration

Tobacco use in older adults in Ghana: sociodemographic characteristics, health risks and subjective wellbeing

BACKGROUND: Tobacco use over the life-course threatens to increase disease burden in older adulthood, including lower income countries like Ghana. This paper describes demographic, socioeconomic, health risks and life satisfaction indices related to tobacco use among older adults in Ghana. METHODS: This work was based on the World Health Organization’s multi-country Study on global AGEing and adult health (SAGE), conducted in six countries including Ghana. Wave one of SAGE in Ghana was conducted in 2007-2008 as collaboration between WHO and the University of Ghana Medical School through the Department of Community Health. A nationally representative sample of 4305 older adults aged 50 years and above were interviewed. Associations between tobacco consumption and sociodemographic, socioeconomic, health risk and life satisfaction were evaluated using chi-square and odds ratio (OR). Logistic regression analyses, adjusted for age, sex and other variables, were conducted to determine predictors of tobacco consumption in older persons. RESULTS: Overall prevalence of current daily smokers among older adults in Ghana was 7.6%. Tobacco use (i.e. ever used tobacco) was associated with older males, (AOR = 1.10, CI 1.05-1.15), older adults residing in rural locations (AOR = 1.37, CI 1.083-1.724), and older adults who used alcohol (AOR = 1.13, CI 0.230-2.418). Tobacco use was also associated (although not statistically significant per p-values) with increased self-reporting of angina, arthritis, asthma, chronic lung disease, depression, diabetes, hypertension, and stroke. Older adults who used tobacco and with increased health risks, tended to be without health insurance (AOR = 1.41, CI 1.111-1.787). Satisfaction with life and daily living was much lower for those who use tobacco. Regional differences existed in tobacco use; the three northern regions (Upper East, Northern and Upper West) had higher proportions of tobacco use among older adults in the country. Quitting tobacco use was higher in the 70+ years age group, in women, among urban residents and in those with at least secondary education. Quitting tobacco use also increased with increasing income levels. CONCLUSIONS: Tobacco use among older adults in Ghana was associated with older men living in rural locations, chronic ill-health and reduced life satisfaction. A high proportion of older adults have stopped using tobacco, demonstrating the possibilities for effective public health interventions. Health risk reduction strategies through targeted anti-smoking health campaigns, improvement in access to health and social protection (such as health insurance) will reduce health risks among older persons who use tobacco

The role of unhealthy lifestyles in the incidence and persistence of depression: A longitudinal general population study in four emerging countries

Background: Unhealthy lifestyles and depression are highly interrelated: depression might elicit and exacerbate unhealthy lifestyles and people with unhealthy lifestyles are more likely to become depressed over time. However, few longitudinal evidence of these relationships has been collected in emerging countries. The present study aims i) to analyse whether people with unhealthy lifestyles are more likely to develop depression, and ii) to examine whether depressed people with unhealthy lifestyles are more likely to remain depressed. A total of 7908 participants from Ghana, India, Mexico and Russia were firstly evaluated in the World Health Organization's Study on Global AGEing and Adult Health (SAGE) Wave 0 (2002-2004) and re-evaluated in 2007-2010 (Wave 1). Data on tobacco use, alcohol drinking and physical activity, were collected. Logistic regressions models were employed to assess whether baseline unhealthy lifestyles were related to depression in Wave 1, among people without 12-month depression in Wave 0 and any previous lifetime diagnosis of depression, and to 12-month depression at both study waves (persistent depression). Results: Baseline daily and non-daily smoking was associated with depression in Wave 1. Low physical activity and heavy alcohol drinking were associated with persistent depression. Conclusions: Unhealthy lifestyles and depression are also positively related in emerging countries. Smoking on a daily and non-daily basis was longitudinally related to depression. Depressed people with low physical activity and with heavy drinking patterns were more likely to become depressed over time. Several interpretations of these results are given. Further studies should check whether a reduction of these unhealthy lifestyles leads to lower depression rates and/or to a better clinical prognosis of depressed people.This paper uses data from the WHO's Study on Global AGEing and Adult Health (SAGE). SAGE is supported by the US National Institute on Aging through Interagency Agreements (OGHA 04034785; YA1323-08-CN-0020; Y1- AG-1005-01) and through a research grant (R01-AG034479). The research leading to these results has received funding from the People Programme (Marie Curie Actions) of the European Union's Seventh Framework Programme FP7/2007 – 2013 under grant agreement n° 316795 (MARATONE project). The present work was also supported by the Centro de Investigacion Biomédica en Red en Salud Mental (CIBERSAM) and by the Instituto de Salud Carlos III - FIS research grant PI13/00059, which has been co-funded by the European Union European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) "A Way to Build Europe". This study was also supported by the European Union's Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/2007-2013) under grant agreement n° 305968 (EMERALD project)

Sociodemographic and socioeconomic patterns of chronic non-communicable disease among the older adult population in Ghana

Background: In Ghana, the older adult population is projected to increase from 5.3% of the total population in 2015 to 8.9% by 2050. National and local governments will need information about non-communicable diseases (NCDs) in this population in order to allocate health system resources and respond to the health needs of older adults. Design: The 2007/08 Study on global AGEing and adult health (SAGE) Wave 1 in Ghana used face-to-face interviews in a nationally representative sample of persons aged 50-plus years. Individual respondents were asked about their overall health, diagnosis of 10 chronic non-communicable conditions, and common health risk factors. A number of anthropometric and health measurements were also taken in all respondents, including height, weight, waist and hip circumferences, and blood pressure (BP). Results: This paper includes 4,724 adults aged 50-plus years. The highest prevalence of self-reported chronic conditions was for hypertension [14.2% (95% CI 12.8–15.6)] and osteoarthritis [13.8%, (95% CI 11.7–15.9)]. The figure for hypertension reached 51.1% (95% CI 48.9–53.4) when based on BP measurement. The prevalence of current smokers was 8.1% (95% CI 7.0–9.2), while 2.0 (95% CI 1.5–2.5) were infrequent/frequent heavy drinkers, 67.9% (95% CI 65.2–70.5) consume insufficient fruits and vegetables, and 25.7% (95% CI 23.1–28.3) had a low level of physical activity. Almost 10% (95% CI 8.3–11.1) of adults were obese and 77.6% (95% CI 76.0–79.2) had a high-risk waist-to-hip ratio (WHR). Risks from tobacco and alcohol consumption continued into older age, while insufficient fruit and vegetable intake, low physical activity and obesity increased with increasing age. The patterns of risk factors varied by income quintile, with higher prevalence of obesity and low physical activity in wealthier respondents, and higher prevalence of insufficient fruit and vegetable intake and smoking in lower-income respondents. The multivariate analysis showed that only urban/rural residence and body mass index (BMI) were common determinates of both self-reported and measured hypertension, while all other determinants have differing patterns. Conclusions: The findings show a high burden of chronic diseases in the older Ghanaian population, as well as high rates of modifiable health risk factors. The government could consider targeting these health behaviors in conjunction with work to improve enrolment rates in the National Health Insurance Scheme