1
|
Magocha B, Molope M, Palamuleni M. The effects of COVID-19 on rural communities in Mahikeng Local municipality. JAMBA (POTCHEFSTROOM, SOUTH AFRICA) 2024; 16:1629. [PMID: 39113932 PMCID: PMC11304220 DOI: 10.4102/jamba.v16i1.1629] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/01/2023] [Accepted: 05/10/2024] [Indexed: 08/10/2024]
Abstract
Global pandemics are known to disturb livelihoods. The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is an example of such pandemic in the recent past. Its outbreak prompted a global response characterised by unprecedented measures to mitigate its spread. Several preventative measures were recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) such as lockdowns to curtail the transmission of the virus and manage the crisis it caused. These measures hampered the movement and distribution of basic commodities inadvertently triggering a series of socio-economic consequences particularly in rural areas. This study delves into the intricate interplay between the COVID-19 lockdown and its impact on the accessibility, affordability and availability of basic commodities within the context of the Mahikeng Local Municipality, in a rural setting. Quantitative survey data were collected from 260 households, which were randomly selected. The data analysis was performed using chi-square, with a significance level of p < 0.05. The results showed that basic commodities were largely available (99%) in the market during lockdown. There was no significant association between background variables and availability of basic commodities. Accessibility of basic commodities was affected by many factors such as concerns of COVID-19 outbreak. The study demonstrated that prices of basic commodities increased during lockdown, thereby having a ripple effect on accessibility and affordability of basic commodities. However, the availability of basic commodities was less affected. Contribution The case study approach, focusing on Mahikeng Local Municipality, is essential for capturing localised nuances and providing actionable insights to policymakers, researchers and community leaders seeking to mitigate the negative effects of lockdowns on rural populations.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Blessing Magocha
- Department of Population and Health Research Entity, Faculty of Humanities, North-West University, Mahikeng, South Africa
| | - Mokgadi Molope
- Department of Population and Health Research Entity, Faculty of Humanities, North-West University, Mahikeng, South Africa
- Department of Development Studies, Faculty of Humanities, North-West University, Mahikeng, South Africa
| | - Martin Palamuleni
- Department of Population and Health Research Entity, Faculty of Humanities, North-West University, Mahikeng, South Africa
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Nyarko MJ, Ten Ham-Baloyi W, van Rooyen DRM. Qualitative Exploration of Health Professionals' Perceptions of Addressing Malnutrition Within the First 1,000 Days. JOURNAL OF NUTRITION EDUCATION AND BEHAVIOR 2024; 56:442-451. [PMID: 38639691 DOI: 10.1016/j.jneb.2024.03.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/26/2023] [Revised: 03/12/2024] [Accepted: 03/12/2024] [Indexed: 04/20/2024]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Explore health professionals' perceptions toward how to address malnutrition within the first 1,000 days of life in underresourced communities. DESIGN A qualitative explorative-descriptive study using 8 face-to-face focus group discussions. SETTING Health facilities serving underresourced communities within Nelson Mandela Bay, Eastern Cape Province, South Africa. PARTICIPANTS Fifty-six health professionals (n = 13 doctors, n = 28 nurses, n = 6 dietitians, and n = 9 social workers) aged between 20 and 60 years, with 1-16 years (5 years average) of working experience. The majority (n = 53; 94.6%) were women. PHENOMENON OF INTEREST Health professionals' perceptions of effective methods or strategies to address malnutrition are referred to as undernutrition. ANALYSIS Content analysis. RESULTS Health professionals perceived socioeconomic conditions; caregiver lack of nutrition knowledge; and behavioral, cultural, and generational infant feeding practices as contributing factors to malnutrition. Participants recommended efforts to strengthen the availability, accessibility, and utilization of contraception, especially for teenagers, increase support to caretakers of children from families, health facilities, and communities, and a multisector and multidisciplinary approach to improve social determinants of health in underresourced communities. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS To address malnutrition within the first 1,000 days of life, data supports that health professionals in underresourced communities require a multisector, multidisciplinary approach. This approach entails educational interventions, peer mentoring and community empowerment through support to and involvement of caregivers of children.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Marian Joyce Nyarko
- Department of Nursing Science, Nelson Mandela University, Gqeberha, South Africa
| | - Wilma Ten Ham-Baloyi
- Department of Nursing Science, Nelson Mandela University, Gqeberha, South Africa.
| | | |
Collapse
|
3
|
Zharima C, Singh R, Closson K, Beksinska M, Zulu B, Jesson J, Pakhomova T, Dong E, Dietrich J, Kaida A, Basham CA. Economic hardship and perpetration of intimate partner violence by young men in South Africa during the COVID-19 pandemic (2021-2022): a cross-sectional study. Inj Epidemiol 2024; 11:2. [PMID: 38229136 PMCID: PMC10790426 DOI: 10.1186/s40621-024-00483-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/12/2023] [Accepted: 01/01/2024] [Indexed: 01/18/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Economic hardship is a potential trigger for intimate partner violence (IPV) perpetration. While higher IPV rates have been reported in low-income regions, few African studies have focused on IPV being triggered by economic hardship among young men during the COVID-19 pandemic. We therefore estimated economic hardship's effect on IPV perpetration by young men in eThekwini District, South Africa, during the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS A cross-sectional survey of COVID-19 pandemic experiences was conducted among youth aged 16-24 years through an anonymous self-administered questionnaire, including questions about economic hardship (increased difficulty accessing food or decreased income) and IPV perpetration. A prespecified statistical analysis plan with a directed acyclic graph of assumed exposure, outcome, and confounder relationships guided our analyses. We measured association of economic hardship and IPV perpetration through odds ratios (ORs) computed from a multivariable logistic regressions adjusted for measured confounders. Secondary outcomes of physical and sexual IPV perpetration were analyzed separately using the same specifications. Propensity score matching weights (PS-MW) were used in sensitivity analyses. Analysis code repository: https://github.com/CAndrewBasham/Economic_Hardship_IPV_perpetration/ RESULTS: Among 592 participants, 12.5% reported perpetrating IPV, 67.6% of whom reported economic hardship, compared with 45.6% of those not reporting IPV perpetration (crude OR = 2.49). Median age was 22 years (interquartile range 20-24). Most (80%) were in a relationship and living together. Three quarters identified as Black, 92.1% were heterosexual, and half had monthly household income < R1600. We estimated an effect of economic hardship on the odds of perpetrating IPV as OR = 1.83 (CI 0.98-3.47) for IPV perpetration overall, OR = 6.99 (CI 1.85-36.59) for sexual IPV perpetration, and OR = 1.34 (CI 0.69-2.63) for physical IPV perpetration. PS-MW-weighted ORs for IPV perpetration by economic hardship were 1.57 (overall), 4.45 (sexual), and 1.26 (physical). CONCLUSION We estimated 83% higher odds of self-reported IPV perpetration by self-reported economic hardship among young South African men during the COVID-19 pandemic. The odds of sexual IPV perpetration were The seven-times higher by economic hardship, although with limited precision. Among young men in South Africa, economic hardship during COVID-19 was associated with IPV perpetration by men. Our findings warrant culturally relevant and youth-oriented interventions among young men to reduce the likelihood of IPV perpetration should they experience economic hardship. Further research into possible causal mechanisms between economic hardship and IPV perpetration could inform public health measures in future pandemic emergencies.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Campion Zharima
- Perinatal HIV Research Unit (PHRU), Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
- Centre for Health Policy, School of Public Health, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Rishav Singh
- Vaccine Evaluation Centre, BC Children's Hospital and Research Institute, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Kalysha Closson
- Center On Gender Equity and Health, School of Medicine, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
- Faculty of Health Sciences, Simon Fraser University, Blusson Hall Rm 10522, 8888 University Drive, Burnaby, BC, V5A1S6, Canada
| | - Mags Beksinska
- MRU (MatCH Research Unit), Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Durban, South Africa
| | - Bongiwe Zulu
- MRU (MatCH Research Unit), Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Durban, South Africa
| | - Julie Jesson
- Center for Epidemiology and Research in POPulation Health (CERPOP), Inserm, Université de Toulouse, Université Paul Sabatier, Toulouse, France
| | - Tatiana Pakhomova
- Faculty of Health Sciences, Simon Fraser University, Blusson Hall Rm 10522, 8888 University Drive, Burnaby, BC, V5A1S6, Canada
| | - Erica Dong
- Faculty of Health Sciences, Simon Fraser University, Blusson Hall Rm 10522, 8888 University Drive, Burnaby, BC, V5A1S6, Canada
| | - Janan Dietrich
- Perinatal HIV Research Unit (PHRU), Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
- Health Systems Research Unit, South African Medical Research Council, Bellville, South Africa
- African Social Sciences Unit of Research and Evaluation (ASSURE), A Division of the Wits Health Consortium, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Angela Kaida
- Faculty of Health Sciences, Simon Fraser University, Blusson Hall Rm 10522, 8888 University Drive, Burnaby, BC, V5A1S6, Canada.
- Women's Health Research Institute, Vancouver, BC, Canada.
| | - C Andrew Basham
- Faculty of Health Sciences, Simon Fraser University, Blusson Hall Rm 10522, 8888 University Drive, Burnaby, BC, V5A1S6, Canada
- Division of Pharmacoepidemiology and Pharmacoeconomics, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital/Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Ngarava S. Effectiveness of the indigent support policy on food insecurity in South Africa: Experiences from Matatiele Local Municipality. Heliyon 2023; 9:e19080. [PMID: 37636418 PMCID: PMC10457532 DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e19080] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/07/2023] [Revised: 08/08/2023] [Accepted: 08/10/2023] [Indexed: 08/29/2023] Open
Abstract
The indigent and societally vulnerable have compromised capacities to achieve their full welfare potential. This necessitates polices that can cushion them, such as the indigent support policy in South Africa. However, there is little acknowledgement on the welfare effects of community and contextually derived support policies. The study seeks an understanding of the effectiveness of the indigent support policy on food insecurity in Matatiele Local Municipality, South Africa, using a cross sectional survey of a purposively selected sample of 549 households. Food insecurity, determinants of awareness and beneficiation as well as effectiveness from the policy are assessed through the Household Food In-Access Scale (HFIAS), Heckman two step model and Propensity Score Matching (PSM), respectively. Households are found to be food secure, with awareness and beneficiation from the indigent policy being affected by duration of stay, employment status, location, tenure, total monthly income, monthly food expenditure and food insecurity status. To add, the indigent support policy has a positive impact on food security. In conclusion, there is food security partly due to indigent support with beneficiation affected by various socio-economic factors. There is need to compliment indigent support products to include food products and promote the policy to increase awareness. Furthermore, there is need to capacitate and coordinate policy making to target food insecure households to augment and magnify the positive effects of indigent support.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Saul Ngarava
- Copernicus Institute of Sustainable Development, Vening Meinesz Building A, 8a Princeton Avenue, 3584 CB Utrecht, Netherlands
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Mukoma G, Bosire EN, Hardy-Johnson P, Barker M, Norris SA. ' We were not allowed to gather even for Christmas.' Impact of COVID-19 on South African young people: Exploring messaging and support. Glob Public Health 2023; 18:2264968. [PMID: 37801722 DOI: 10.1080/17441692.2023.2264968] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/24/2022] [Accepted: 09/21/2023] [Indexed: 10/08/2023]
Abstract
COVID-19 prevention measures including lockdowns, school closures, and restricted movement disrupted young people's lives. This longitudinal qualitative study conducted in Soweto, South Africa aimed to explore young people's knowledge and perceptions of COVID-19, vaccination, and the impact of infections. A convenience sample of 30 young black people (n = 15 men; n = 15 women, aged 16-21 years) from Soweto participated in 24 focus group discussions (FGDs), conducted in six phases - each phase had four FGDs stratified by gender and age. Young people's understanding of COVID-19 deepened throughout the study, however, did not always translate into adherence (following the government's COVID-19 prevention measures). Although deemed inadequate, TV and radio were preferred over internet COVID-19 information. Parents, teachers, and schools were trusted sources of information. Vaccines and limited access to information attributed to low-risk perception, while new COVID-19 variants attributed to high-risk perception. A low-risk perception and conspiracy theories contributed to non-adherence (disregarding COVID-19 preventative measures provided by the government), particularly among young men. Accessing reliable information that considers young people's lives and their living context is important. Communities, scientists, and policymakers must learn from the COVID-19 experience and implement localised preventive strategies for education, awareness, and economic support in future emergencies.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Gudani Mukoma
- SAMRC/Wits Developmental Pathways for Health Research Unit, Department of Paediatrics, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
- Department of Biokinetics, Recreation and Sports Science, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Venda, Thohoyandou, South Africa
| | - Edna N Bosire
- SAMRC/Wits Developmental Pathways for Health Research Unit, Department of Paediatrics, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
- Brain and Mind Institute, Aga Khan University, Nairobi, Kenya
| | - Polly Hardy-Johnson
- Medical Research Council Lifecourse Epidemiology Centre, University of Southampton, Southampton, UK
- Primary Care Population Sciences and Medical Education (PPM), Faculty of Medicine, University of Southampton, Southampton, UK
| | - Mary Barker
- Medical Research Council Lifecourse Epidemiology Centre, University of Southampton, Southampton, UK
- School of Health Sciences, Faculty of Environmental and Life Sciences, University of Southampton, Southampton, UK
| | - Shane A Norris
- SAMRC/Wits Developmental Pathways for Health Research Unit, Department of Paediatrics, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
- Institute for Developmental Science and Global Health Research Institute, School of Human Development and Health, Faculty of Medicine, University of Southampton, Southampton, UK
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Spatio-Temporal Pattern of Green Agricultural Science and Technology Progress: A Case Study in Yangtze River Delta of China. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2022; 19:ijerph19148702. [PMID: 35886555 PMCID: PMC9316088 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph19148702] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/21/2022] [Revised: 07/11/2022] [Accepted: 07/12/2022] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
Green agricultural science and technology progress (GASTP) plays an important role in the green transformation of agriculture. This study calculates the contribution rate of GASTP by using the Super-SBM model in the Yangtze River Delta (YRD) from 2011 to 2020. The exploratory spatial data analysis (ESDA) method and the Fixed Effect (FE) panel data model method were adopted to empirically analyze the spatio-temporal patterns of GASTP and its driving mechanism in the YRD. The results showed that: (i) except for Shanghai from 2011 to 2015, the contribution rate of GASTP in the YRD was generally lower than 1 in Anhui Province, Jiangsu Province, and Zhejiang Province, (ii) the level of GASTP had a positive spatial correlation with the study period, except for 2017, and (iii) per capita GDP, agricultural mechanization level, agricultural financial support, and planting structure are four influencing factors of GASTP in the YRD, while total retail sales of social consumer goods and total exports did not have significant effects on GASTP in the YRD. Therefore, we need to increase the opportunities to exchange GASTP experience between cities, improve the environment for agricultural technology extension, and develop follow-up monitoring mechanisms.
Collapse
|