Urban density, deprivation and road safety: A small area study in the eThekwini metropolitan area, South Africa

Following a general paucity of small area research on road traffic injuries (RTIs), this study examined small area variations in RTIs for the eThekwini Metropolitan Area (comprising predominantly the City of Durban) in South Africa. Population density was used as an organising framework to examine variations in RTI outcomes, and correspondence with a range of measures relating to characteristics of the crashes and to socio-economic deprivation. Analyses were undertaken at the suburb level, using data from 2005–2009 and employing a cross-sectional geographical design. Analyses were also undertaken for disaggregated injury, crash severity, and road user groups. The distribution of the injury outcome measures corresponded with several measures that proxied risks relating to excessive driving speeds, excessive travel exposure, and general social as well as area level deprivation. Negative binomial models, fitted for the injury outcome measures, showed population density to be a significant predictor of all injury outcomes but also that its effects was only partially explained by the explanatory measures considered. The findings on deprivation provide new insights to rural-urban variations in RTIs, at least in the South African setting. The findings also have implications for informing integrated developmental policies and strategies across a range of disciplines and departments, especially at the city level.Keywords: road traffic injury, small area, Durban, population density, densification, deprivatio

A STUDENT’S EXPERIENCE OF GAINING ACCESS FOR QUALITATIVE RESEARCH

Listening to lecturers and reading text books, students may think that planning a research project, gaining access to a site and finding willing participants is a straightforward process. On the ground, however, they are confronted with a much messier situation. To deal with the practical realities and the often unforeseen challenges of the particular project, they have to apply their classroom knowledge, develop a range of research skills and learn new attitudes. Gaining access is critical. The success of data gathering depends directly on how easy or difficult it is to access the site and how well the student can build and maintain relationships with the participants and hold them to agreements (De Vos, Strydom, Schulze & Patel, 2011). It is a process with many potential pitfalls (Johl & Renganathan, 2010). Failure to access the study site successfully can put paid to the whole project

Social enterprises, social value and job creation in Cape Town

Social enterprises are organisations which seek to meet social needs whilst generating their own financial returns. They are becoming increasingly important in South Africa as their approach is not dependent on philanthropy and is therefore largely self-sustainable. Meeting social needs can happen in many ways, but bottom up approaches, which are driven by the poor through providing access to satisifers for fundamental needs are becoming increasingly important. The impact which social enterprises have is not clearly understood and is seldom measured. There is a need to develop tools which are able to portray the social value of these impacts. This study seeks to explore the impact of three social enterprises in Cape Town. The study focuses on the social value of job creation, a pressing need across South Africa, and a social return common to all three enterprises. The study found that a primary concern for staff was job security and earning a decent wage, and without this as a starting point other social returns are minimised. Camaraderie and a sense pride are two important social returns which are also produced. The study also showed that producing social returns must be an intentional activity, and involves a process of negotiation and understanding the needs and values of different stakeholders

Social enterprises, social value and job creation in Cape Town

Social enterprises are organisations which seek to meet social needs whilst generating their own financial returns. They are becoming increasingly important in South Africa as their approach is not dependent on philanthropy and is therefore largely self-sustainable. Meeting social needs can happen in many ways, but bottom up approaches, which are driven by the poor through providing access to satisifers for fundamental needs are becoming increasingly important. The impact which social enterprises have is not clearly understood and is seldom measured. There is a need to develop tools which are able to portray the social value of these impacts. This study seeks to explore the impact of three social enterprises in Cape Town. The study focuses on the social value of job creation, a pressing need across South Africa, and a social return common to all three enterprises. The study found that a primary concern for staff was job security and earning a decent wage, and without this as a starting point other social returns are minimised. Camaraderie and a sense pride are two important social returns which are also produced. The study also showed that producing social returns must be an intentional activity, and involves a process of negotiation and understanding the needs and values of different stakeholders

Understanding the physical and social environmental determinants of road traffic injury in South Africa

Abstract Road traffic injuries (RTIs) are a major public health challenge, accounting for significant injury, economic and psycho-social burden to societies across the world. While decreases are projected for many high-income countries (HICs) over the next decade or so, staggering increases in the burden of mortality and morbidity are forecast for low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). The unique contextual influences on RTIs in LMICs are, however, not well understood. Conceptual frameworks applied mostly to HICs also do not provide adequate recognition of the unique contextual influences of LMICs. Accordingly, the research in this thesis adopts a predominantly geographical approach to incorporate a large range of physical and social environmental effects, and which are aggregated at different spatial and spatial-temporal scales to understand the contextual influences to road traffic injuries (RTIs) in the South African (S.A) setting. In this regard, four studies are presented; these include: a geographical epidemiology and risk analysis at the district council level and for time, space and population aggregations; an integrated spatialtemporal analysis at the province-week level; a fine-scale geographical analysis at the police area level; and a small area analysis at the suburb level for the city of Durban. In addition to important effects relating to alcohol and travel exposure, findings have shown most environmental influences on RTIs in S.A to be development-related, including effects relating to social and area deprivation, violence and crime, and rurality. With the exception of rurality, the above effects showed a positive association with the occurrence of RTIs in S.A. The findings have implications for alignment and possible integration of road safety policies and practices with other developmental policies in the country. In addition, this research has shown that geographical approaches may provide a useful analytical framework for understanding the complexity and interacting influences within broader systems-based approaches; and especially those of the contextual environment that are particularly relevant for LMIC settings

Assessment at Antiretroviral Clinics during TB Treatment Reduces Loss to Follow-Up among HIV-Infected Patients

A South African township clinic where loss to follow-up during TB treatment may prevent HIV-infected TB patients from receiving life-saving ART.To determine factors associated with loss to follow-up during TB treatment.Regression analyses of a cohort of ART-eligible TB patients who commenced TB treatment and were followed for 24 weeks.Of 111 ART-eligible TB patients, 15 (14%) died in the ensuing 24 weeks. Of the remaining 96 TB patients, 11 (11%) were lost to follow-up. All TB patients lost to follow-up did not initiate ART. Of 85 TB patients in follow-up, 62 (73%) initiated ART 56 days after TB diagnosis (median, IQR 33-77 days) and 31 days after initial assessment at an ART clinic (median, IQR: 18-55 days). The median duration from TB diagnosis to initial assessment at an ART clinic was 19 days (IQR: 7-48 days). At 24 weeks, 6 of 85 (7%) TB patients who presented to an ART clinic for assessment were lost to follow-up, compared to 5 of 11 (45%) TB patients who did not present to an ART clinic for assessment. Logistic regression analysis (adjusted odds ratio = 0.1, 95% confidence interval [95% CI]: 0.03-0.66) and our Cox proportional hazards model (hazard ratio = 0.2, 95% CI: 0.04-0.68) confirmed that assessment at an ART clinic during TB treatment reduced loss to follow-up.Assessment at antiretroviral clinics for HIV care by trained health-care providers reduces loss to follow-up among HIV-infected patients with TB

Small Business Development and the Inclusive Business Concept

Trends in developing countries over the last two decades show that the involvement of small and very small enterprises makes a constructive contribution to building economies, especially during periods of economic recovery  (Government of South Africa, Detea et al. 2012a). Small, Medium and Micro Enterprises (SMMEs) play a vital role in encouraging job creation and their successes are influenced greatly by their ability to enter the value chains of  larger organisations, in both the private and public sectors