Dietary and lifestyle practices in rural and urban South African adolescents

A THESIS Submitted to the Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy JOHANNESBURG, SOUTH AFRICA 2016Introduction: Among adolescents, the occurrence of overweight and obesity has become a crucial public health challenge, in high-income and low- and middle-income settings. It is a phenomenon that has been strongly associated with environmental factors, particularly modifiable lifestyle factors and behaviours linked to diet and physical activity. Dietary practices and habits developed in childhood and usually maintained into adulthood, are said to predispose individuals to obesity and increased risk of metabolic diseases. South Africa is also undergoing rapid nutrition transition, which is associated with changes in dietary and physical activity patterns. Recent national findings have shown onsets of obesity among African children as early as 2-5 years of age, and the combined prevalence of overweight and obesity of 22.3% and 10.2% among 10-14 year old female and male adolescents, respectively. Not much is known about dietary, eating and physical activity practices of urban and rural South African adolescents, and the social factors that influence these practices within the home, community, and school environments. Research is needed to help inform interventions that curtail the burgeoning obesity epidemic among South African adolescents. Aims: This thesis aimed to explore and compare dietary practices, eating practices, and lifestyle practices of adolescents across various levels of social influences including the household, school and community in rural vs urban adolescents. Methods: This study employed a mixed methods study design, using both qualitative in-depth interviews and retrospective cross-sectional data. There are four studies to the thesis, with study components one, two, and three employing qualitative research, in both an urban and rural setting. Firstly a qualitative exploratory multiple case study approach was used to explore eating patterns, friendship and social interactions around dietary habits among 58 female adolescents (29 friend pairs) still in high school (mean age =18 years) in an urban Soweto setting; secondly narratives pertaining to dietary and physical activity practices among 58 female adolescents (29 friend pairs) still in high school (mean age =18 years) in an urban Soweto setting; thirdly semi-structured duo-interviews to explore perceptions, attitudes, barriers and facilitators related to healthy eating and physical activity practices among 22 female adolescents (11 pairs) still in high school (aged 16-19 years) in rural Agincourt Health and Socio-demographic Surveillance System (AHDSS); lastly a cross-sectional quantitative assessment and comparison of dietary habits, eating practices, and anthropometric measurements were performed on rural (n=392, mean age=13 years) and urban (n=3098, mean age=14 years) South African adolescents. Results: In study 1, among urban female friends, food sharing and money pooling was common. Joint food choices at school were mostly unhealthy, influenced by availability, prices and quality. Within shopping malls, food preference influenced joint food choices. In study 2, which was conducted on the same sample as study 1, majority of the urban girls were purchasing locally prepared convenience foods from school vendors instead of home-prepared breakfast, and most preferred to purchase food from the school tuck shop instead of using lunch boxes. ―Kotas‖, ―fat‖ cakes and snacks were popular lunch choices because of their affordability, convenience, and popularity. Respondents engaged in minimal active recreational activities due to lack of facilities and safety concerns. Findings of study 3, among rural adolescent girls, majority of participants considered locally grown and traditional foods to be healthy, but their consumption was limited due to availability. Female caregivers and school meal programmes were the main promoters of healthy eating practices. Limited food within the household was a barrier to eating breakfast before going to school, majority cited limited accessibility to healthy foods as a major barrier to healthy eating, and noted the increasing intake of ―convenient and less healthy foods‖. Girls were aware of the benefits of physical activity and engaged in various physical activities within the home, community, and schools. According to study 4 findings, there were differences in dietary habits and eating practices by gender and between urban and rural adolescents within the home, community, and school. After adjusting for gender, and site, irregular and regular frequency of consuming family meals, and irregular frequency of consuming breakfast on weekdays were all associated with increased risk of being overweight or obese. For mid-adolescent participants, irregular frequency of consuming breakfast on weekends within the home environment was associated with increased risk of being overweight and obese. For both early- and mid-adolescent participants, being male and residing in a rural setting were associated with reduced risk of being overweight and obese. Conclusion: In conclusion, interventions aimed at reducing the increasing prevalence of overweight and obesity among adolescents in particular, have to be sensitive to socio-cultural contexts and specific realities within the different settings. Our findings suggest that future research aimed at addressing the increasing risk of overweight and obesity among rural, and especially urban adolescents; should investigate interventions to: (i) improve the availability and access to healthier breakfast options within the home; (ii) healthier and affordable fast food options within the community; (iii) subsidising good quality food, with the involvement of school vendors and tuck shops within school environments and (iv) improving dietary habits and eating practices within the home environment in order to reduce the risk of being overweight and obese among adolescents.MT201

Effect of potassium and potting-bag size on foliar biomass and related attributes and oil composition of rose geranium (Pelargonium graveolens)

Published ArticleThis study was conducted to evaluate the effect of four concentrations of potassium (K; 1.3, 3.3, 5.3 and 7.3 mmol L−1) and two potting-bag sizes (5 and 10 L) on foliar biomass and related attributes and oil composition of rose geranium (Pelargonium graveolens). Plants were grown in a climate-controlled greenhouse at the University of the Free State and treatments were arranged in a split plot design. Potassium concentrations were allocated to the main plots and potting-bag size to the subplots replicated three times. Plant height, K tissue content, linalool, geraniol, geranyl formate and citronellol:geraniol ratio were affected by the K application. Plant height, number of branches, branch:height ratio, foliage fresh mass, K tissue content and oil yield were affected by the potting-bag size. Foliar fresh mass was significantly increased by the interaction between K concentration and potting-bag size. Growers may use a 5.3 mmol L−1 K concentration and a 5 L potting bag for optimum production of rose geranium under soil-less cultivation

In a Privileged World: The Psychosocial Experiences of Underprivileged Adolescent Girls in a High Fee Independent Gauteng Private School

To overcome the effects of socioeconomic barriers on education, many independent schools offer financial aid in the way of scholarships and bursaries. This financial aid is intended to offer access to quality education for underprivileged youth; however, positive school experiences rely on more than just physical access. This study explored the psychosocial experiences of underprivileged adolescent girls attending an independent affluent school. By using Erikson’s psychosocial theory of development, Bronfenbrenner’s Ecosystemic Model, gender differences in development, as well as the Students Multiple Worlds Model, an understanding is created of how moving between worlds of affluence and poverty may influence the identity formation of the female adolescent learner. This phenomenological study was conducted using the qualitative, interpretative method of interpretative phenomenological analysis. Using a series of unstructured interviews with each participant, information was gathered that provided insight into the psychosocial experiences of each of these girls. Findings were focused on areas of cultural identity, value formation, feelings of belonging, social comparison and perceptions of support. These findings contribute to the improved functioning of bursary programmes in independent schools and will enhance the well-being of adolescent girls in navigating between the worlds of affluence and poverty

Farmers’ production constraints, perceptions and preferences of cowpeas in Buhera District, Zimbabwe

Many smallholder farmers face crop production constraints, especially under rapidly changing climatic conditions. A survey was carried out to assess farmers’ production constraints, traits, and preferred cowpea varieties. A semi-structured questionnaire was used in a survey of Buhera District, Zimbabwe, in March and April of 2018. Women farmers dominated the survey as they were 52% of the  surveyed population, while men occupied 48% of the total population. Eighty-three percent of farmers cited the shortage, unavailability, and cost of fertiliser. Sixteen per cent of farmers acknowledged that they do not have access to quality seeds, and 1% cited labour as the major constraint in cowpea production. Cowpea yield varied from 100 to 500 kg/ha. However, 48% of farmers harvested 200 kg/ha. As for abiotic factors, farmers ranked heat (86%), drought (10%), and soil fertility (4%) as the most important abiotic factors. Ninety-one percent of farmers ranked rust as the most destructive disease, while 2% ranked storage rot, 1% ranked anthracnose, and 1% ranked downy mildew. Eighty-one percent of farmers cited aphids as the main pests, while 3% ranked thrips, 3% ranked legume borers, and 2%ranked pod borers as other pests. Fifty-two percent of farmers preferred varieties that are resistant to diseases such as rust, whereas 48% were not concerned about diseases. As for qualitative traits, 50% of farmers had no specific colour preference, 32% preferred white colour, 14% preferred brown colour, 3% preferred red colour, and 1% preferred tan colour. For quantitative traits, such as grain size, pod size, plant height, and head size, the preferences of farmers varied. Ninety-nine percent of the farmers interviewed preferred cowpea varieties that are bred for drought tolerance, as Buhera District is frequented by intermittent droughts. Farmers’ experience in growing cowpeas ranged from 5 to 30 years. The top ranked accessions were CBC1, IT 18, and Chibundi Chitsvuku, while the least ranked was Kangorongondo. Identified constraints to cowpea farming included lack of education, insect pests, diseases, drought, weeds, harvesting difficulties and a lack of agriculture extension advice. The survey showed that there is a need to breed for biotic factors such as pests and diseases and abiotic factors such as drought and moisture stress. Key words: Buhera District, Constraints, cowpeas, perceptions, preference, variety, Zimbabw

A comparative study of the variables contributing towards the establishment of a learning culture in schools

The establishment of a culture of teaching and learning in disadvantaged high schools is a challenging phenomenon since the inception of the new democratic South Africa. This study attempts to investigate variables contributing towards the establishment of a culture of teaching and learning in high schools. It is revealed through literature study that some investigations into this research topic has already been done in South Africa, but little if none is done in the disadvantaged high schools in the North-West Province, that is the reason why I was prompted to pursue this topic further. The high failure rate in Grade 12 results according to my opinion is a serious concern and is on the lips of every teacher, learner, parent, politician and relevant stakeholders. This high failure rate is, according to the findings from the literature review, caused by factors such as underqualified and unqualified teachers, inadequate resources, over-crowded classrooms, poor infra-structures (buildings), poor socio economic background of learners’ parents, inconducive environment at school and inadequate role played by teachers and learners in the teaching and learning situation. One expects that the majority of disadvantaged schools would have achieved above the 70% as the pass rate benchmark in the final Grade 12 examinations. However, in most schools in the disadvantaged area this is not the case. Based on the above statement and the complexity of the study in consultation with variables employed, I opted to use both quantitative and qualitative research designs with an aim to attempt to obtain consistency, validity and reliability of the research results. The analyses of the results reveal that most disadvantaged schools still experience a poor culture of teaching and learning. This is evidenced by low Grade 12 pass rate results in some of the provinces, including North-West. The research revealed that the variables impacting on the performance of learners at schools are subjected to a complexity of integrated activities many of which are difficult to isolate as predominantly responsible for poor performance as such. What does appear to be an issue of concern is the apparent lack of dedication one would expect from some teachers working with secondary school learners. One could conclude from the many responses that poor achievement is directly linked to poor teaching and that the latter would again be the result of poor qualifications, lack of resources, poor support systems and most important however, a lack of commitment and dedication needed to ensure a professional approach towards classroom management and teaching.Dissertation (PhD (Curriculum and Instructional Design and Development))--University of Pretoria, 2006.Curriculum Studiesunrestricte

Bioactive compounds and functional potential of Uapaca kirkiana (Muell. arg.) fruits

Consumption of Uapaca kirkiana indigenous fruit by the local populace is growing in popularity because of the acclaimed health and  functional benefits. The aim of the study was to determine the bioactive compounds and functional properties of the U. kirkiana fruit. Besides the fruit’s pulp yield, the bioactive phytochemical constituent, physicochemical properties and functional characteristics of the pulp were analysed. The sugar, starch, minerals, and ascorbic acid constituents of the fruit pulp were, respectively determined using the following instruments: brix refractometer, megazyme kit, inductive coupled plasma-optical emission spectrometer and 2,6- dichlorophenolindophenol (DCPIP) titration test. The total phenolic content (TPC), tannin, and flavonoid contents were evaluated using Folin Ciocalteau test, tannin binding test and vanillin test, respectively. The average weight of the U. kirkiana fruits harvested from three  regions having different climatic conditions ranged from 23.56 to 34.20 g per fruit. The mean pulp weight was from 12.15 g/100 g to 15.09 g/100 g per fruit. The biochemical and functional parameters obtained include total titratable acid (0.3 - 0.48 g/kg), antioxidantactivity (34.96 - 36.68%), vitamin C (15.74 - 16.63 mg/100 g), dry matter content (28.81 - 29.38%), pH (4.3 - 4.6) and sugar content (20.29 - 21.87 g/100 g). Fructose was the dominant sugar (10.12-11.0 g/100 g). Preliminary phytochemical screening of the pulp indicated the presence of tannins, flavonoids, amino acids and carbohydrate content. Total phenolic content ranged from 67.0 to 82.5 µg GAE/g. The essential elements constituent evaluation of the pulp revealed that Fe content was 11.3 - 12.2 mg/100 g, K (383.07 - 439.8 mg/100 g), Mg (28.7 - 35.1 mg/100 g), Ca (16.4 - 17.3 mg/100 g), P (13.4 - 15.1 mg/100 g), Na (9.08 - 9.78 mg/100 g), Cu (0.8 - 0.94 mg/100 g) and Zn (0.87 - 0.94 mg/100 g). This study, besides establishing U. kirkiana fruit as a good source of micronutrients (Fe, Cu, Zn), reveals that the fruit is also an excellent source of phenolic compounds, vitamin C and sugars, hence use as a dietary supplement may combat some nutritional deficiencies. We, therefore, recommend U. kirkiana fruits to be used to produce nutritive functional foods with health  benefits such as probiotic jams and as an additive. Key words: Indigenous fruit, micronutrients, phenolic, pulp, phytochemicals, U.kirkiana, megazyme ki

The black adolescent in the single parent family : a guidance perspective

Please read the abstract in the section 07 summury of this document CopyrightThesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2009.Education Management and Policy Studiesunrestricte