4 research outputs found
Neighbourhood responses to drought in the Western Cape
An extreme drought event occurred in the
Western Cape when the mean level of water supply
dams declined to 28% of capacity in August 2017
(Odendaal 2019). Our survey of 240 households and
71 businesses identified neighbourhood variations in
response to the drought and to local government
restrictions in water usage, and in the methods of
adaptation that were implemented to mitigate the
impact of the disaster. Whereas water consumption
declined dramatically in comparison with drought
responses in other contexts (Shaw et al. in Am Water
Works Assoc 84(10):34–41, 1992, https://doi.org/10.
1002/j.1551-8833.1992.tb05862.x; Miller and Buys in
Soc Nat Resour 21(3):244–257, 2008; Buurman et al.
in Int J Water Resour Dev 33(1):31–50, 2017, https://
doi.org/10.1080/07900627.2016.1138398; Okaka and
Odhiambo in S Afr Geogr J 100(3):378–393, 2018),
significant variations in attitude and behaviour
emerged between respondents of Western Cape
neighbourhoods with different socio-economic profiles. Middle class and older households and waterintensive businesses or organisations were more likely
to report substantial decreases in water usage and to be
critical of official interventions than were poorer or
younger households and small businesses
Predictors of COVID-19 Vaccine Hesitancy in South African Local Communities: The VaxScenes Study
South Africa launched a mass COVID-19 vaccination campaign in May 2021, targeting 40 million adults. Understanding predictors of COVID-19 vaccine intentions was required to achieve this goal. We conducted a population-based survey in June–July 2021 using the WHO Behavioral and Social Drivers (BeSD) of COVID-19 Vaccination tool to determine predictors of vaccine hesitancy, defined as intention to refuse or uncertainty whether to accept COVID-19 vaccination. There were 1193 participants, mean age 39 (standard deviation 15) years, and 53% women, of whom 58% trusted information provided by healthcare workers and 32% were vaccine hesitant. Independent predictors of vaccine hesitancy included concerns about side effects (odds ratio (OR) 11.41; 95% confidence interval (CI) 3.5–50.80), lack of access to the online vaccine registration platform (OR 4.75; CI 2.15–10.37), distrust of government (OR 3.0; CI 1.33–6.77), belief in conspiracy theories (OR 3.01; CI 1.32–6.77), having no monthly income (OR 1.84; CI 1.12–3.07), and depending on someone else to make vaccination decision (OR 2.47; CI 1.06–5.77). We identified modifiable predictors of vaccine hesitancy at the start of South Africa’s COVID-19 vaccination rollout. These factors should be addressed by different stakeholders involved in the national immunization program through tailored communication and other effective strategies that increase vaccine literacy, reach low-income households, and engender confidence in government