Barriers to utilisation of physiotherapy services among the elderly in the Livingstone district, Zambia

AIM: The purpose of this study was to identify the barriers to utilisation of physiotherapy services among elderly people in Zambia. METHODS: By means of a convenience sampling technique, 200 elderly people, both males and females aged 60 years and above, were recruited from the Livingstone District in Zambia. A structured questionnaire, developed from literature, was used for collecting data. The Excel software programme and Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) were used for the capturing and analyses of the data, using descriptive and inferential statistical analyses. RESULTS: The factors that influenced the utilization of physiotherapy services by the participants were: non-referral to the service, long distances, transport, unavailability of the service in the communities and lack of awareness of physiotherapy. Income was significantly associated (p<0.05) with their inability to go for physiotherapy services. DISCUSSION: The results of this study show that physiotherapy services are not meeting the needs of the elderly in the Livingstone District in Zambia there is a need for the physiotherapy profession to raise awareness of their role in the elderly and become promoters of healthy and active aging by providing services at primary health care level through outreach programmes. CONCLUSION: Well-coordinated health services that integrate social, economical and physical services for the elderly in the district are recommended in order to achieve active and healthy ageing

Common physical problems among the elderly in the Livingstone district in Zambia: opportunities for physiotherapists

INTRODUCTION: The study identified prevalent physical problems with regard to physiotherapy needs in elderly people in the Livingstone District in Zambia. OBJECTIVES: To identify the physiotherapy needs of common physical problems in the elderly. METHODS: A cross-sectional study design, utilising a quantitative research method and a convenience sampling technique. Participants: A total of 200 elderly people from the age of 60 years SETTING: Livingstone District in Zambia INTERVENTION: A structured self-administered questionnaire was used to collect data. RESULTS: The most common self-reported physical problems identified were musculoskeletal problems, physical inactivity, decreased ability to walk and the need for walking aids. Hypertension was a common cardiovascular disorder. CONCLUSION: Physiotherapists are ideally suited to alleviate the discomfort, activity limitation and participation restriction associated with ageing

Perceived built environment and physical activity: relationships and consequences on prevalent cardiovascular disease and risk factors in urban and rural South Africa

Philosophiae Doctor - PhD (School of Public Health)Built environment (BE) attributes have been associated with a variety of health risks and outcomes, including cardiovascular disease (CVD) incidence and mortality. However, most of the existing evidence is from high-income countries which exhibit different BE attributes than those from an African context

A molecular dynamics study of liquid-solid coexistence

Thesis (B.S.) in Chemical Engineering--University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 1992.Microfiche of typescript. [Urbana, Ill.]: Photographic Services, University of Illinois, U of I Library, [1992]. 2 microfiches (64 frames): negative.s 1992 ilu n

A Preliminary Comparison of Pilots\u27 Weather Minimums and Actual Decision-Making

Adverse weather conditions remain a leading contributing factor in general aviation accidents. In compromising situations, such as severe weather, pilots continue to make decisions, which endanger themselves, passengers, and the aircraft. Although technology and training have lowered the risks associated with poor decision making by aviators, they are often still faced with scenarios requiring split second judgments. A countermeasure to these risks is the use of personal weather minimums by pilots. The purpose of this study was to examine pilot’s decision-making and performance, while flying an instrument approach, under extreme conditions of low visibility and ceiling as based on their stated personal minimums. A sample of 35 flight students with instrument ratings was recruited from a large university flight program located in the southeastern part of the United States. Participants were asked a series of pre-test questions, including their personal weather minimums, and then flew an ILS instrument approach on an Elite-1000 flight simulator at the subject university. The findings indicate approximately eighty percent of participants, on average, descended nearly two-hundred feet below their stated personal minimums before aborting the approach. Furthermore, forty percent of them also flew twenty-five feet below the federal requirement (200 feet above ground level) before aborting the approach. These results are pertinent to advance our understanding of the many different variables affecting pilot’s decision making. Understanding these outcomes will progress our initiatives to ensure safer air travel, while improving pilot’s competence and their passenger’s confidence

Associations of perceived neighbourhood safety from traffic and crime with overweight/ obesity among South African adults of low socioeconomic status

BACKGROUND The relationship between perceived neighbourhood safety from traffic and crime with overweight/ obesity can provide intervention modalities for obesity, yet no relevant study has been conducted in sub-Saharan African contexts. We investigated the association between perceived neighbourhood safety from traffic and crime with overweight/obesity among urban South African adults. METHODS This cross-sectional study included 354 adults aged ~35 years drawn from the Prospective Urban Rural Epidemiology (PURE) cohort study. The Neighborhood Walkability Scale- Africa (NEWS-A) was used to evaluate the perceived neighbourhood safety. Adjusted odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated to examine the associations between perceived neighborhood safety and overweight/obesity defined “normal weight” and “overweight/obese” using the 25 Kg/m2 cutoff criterion. RESULTS In the overall sample, adults who agreed that “the speed of traffic on most nearby roads in their neighborhood was usually slow” were less likely to be overweight/obese (adjusted OR = 0.42; 95%CI 0.23–0.76). Those who agreed that “there was too much crime in their neighborhood to go outside for walks or play during the day” were more likely to be overweight/ obese (OR = 2.41; 1.09–5.29). These associations were driven by significant associations in women, and no association in men, with significant statistical interactions. CONCLUSION Perceived neighborhood safety from traffic and crime was associated with overweight/obesity among South African adults. Our findings provide preliminary evidence on the need to secure safer environments for walkability. Future work should also consider perceptions of the neighbourhood related to food choice.IS

How Supervisors Influence Performance: A Multilevel Study of Coaching and Group Management in Technology-Mediated Services

This multilevel study examines the role of supervisors in improving employee performance through the use of coaching and group management practices. It examines the individual and synergistic effects of these management practices. The research subjects are call center agents in highly standardized jobs, and the organizational context is one in which calls, or task assignments, are randomly distributed via automated technology, providing a quasi-experimental approach in a real-world context. Results show that the amount of coaching that an employee received each month predicted objective performance improvements over time. Moreover, workers exhibited higher performance where their supervisor emphasized group assignments and group incentives and where technology was more automated. Finally, the positive relationship between coaching and performance was stronger where supervisors made greater use of group incentives, where technology was less automated, and where technological changes were less frequent. Implications and potential limitations of the present study are discussed

Ultrafiltration of whey: membrane performance and modelling using a combined pore blocking-cake formation model

[EN] BACKGROUNDUltrafiltration has been considered as a green' technique to treat different industrial wastewaters, such as whey in the dairy industry. However, fouling is one of the major drawbacks in the industrial implementation of this process. Thus, in this work, the performance of ultrafiltration membranes was investigated in terms of permeate flux and protein rejection when treating different whey model solutions. Modelling of permeate flux was performed combining two main fouling mechanisms (complete pore blocking and cake formation) by a time-dependent pore blocking parameter. RESULTSResults demonstrated that high protein concentration and the presence of calcium salts in the feed solution favoured permeate flux decline. The combined model was appropriate to describe the main fouling mechanisms, with fitting accuracies higher than 0.960. Model parameters were correlated with both calcium and protein concentration and the developed model was successfully validated with an additional fouling test. CONCLUSIONAll the membranes tested were suitable for carrying out whey protein separation, with rejection indexes greater than 99%. The combined model and the statistical correlation of model parameters with calcium and protein concentrations were useful to predict permeate flux decline when the ultrafiltration of a new whey model solution was performed. (c) 2017 Society of Chemical IndustryThis work was supported by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation (project CTM2010-20186).Corbatón Báguena, MJ.; Alvarez Blanco, S.; Vincent Vela, MC. (2018). Ultrafiltration of whey: membrane performance and modelling using a combined pore blocking-cake formation model. Journal of Chemical Technology & Biotechnology. 93(7):1891-1900. https://doi.org/10.1002/jctb.5446]S1891190093

Conducting Mode 2 research in HRM : a phase-based framework

Recent studies in the field of human resource management (HRM) have highlighted that current research is mostly performed and consumed by academics, and is driven by theoretical and disciplinary concerns rather than practical ones. This debate has invoked the need to produce more Mode 2 research in the HRM field, that is, research driven by practical problems that integrate collaborative efforts by academics and practitioners. Yet, guidelines on how academics and practitioners may implement Mode 2 research remain disjointed and incomplete. Our study provides a phase‐based collaborative‐based framework for the implementation of Mode 2 research in the HRM field, in ways that both academic rigor and practical relevance are achieved. Our framework is informed by a comprehensive review of previous Mode 2 research, within and outside the HRM field. The proposed framework details four macro‐phases: the codevelopment of research questions with practitioners; the design of collaborative spaces and mechanisms; the design and management of double‐loop iterative research processes; and finally the academic and practice legitimization of Mode 2 outcomes. Our framework has the objective to support HRM researchers and practitioners, as well as relevant institutions and gatekeepers in the design, implementation, education, and assessment of Mode 2 research