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The chronic illness trajectory and its outcomes are well explained by the concept of illness identity; the extent to which ill individuals have integrated their diagnosed chronic illness into their identity or sense of self. The capacity to measure illness identity in people living with HIV (PLHIV) is still relatively unexplored. However, this is potentially useful to help us understand how outcomes for PLHIV could be improved and sustained. This paper aims to explore the cross-cultural adaptation of a Belgian developed Illness Identity Questionnaire (IIQ) and validate the instrument using a sample of South African adults living with HIV. We followed a phased scale adaptation and validation process which included an investigation of conceptual, item, semantic and operational equivalence and also examined the psychometric properties of the IIQ. The concept of illness identity with its four factors; engulfment, rejection, acceptance and enrichment in PLHIV, was found to be relevant within this context. Five items from the original IIQ were excluded from the adapted IIQ due to either semantic insufficiency and/or inadequate measurement equivalence. The mode of administration of the IIQ was changed to accommodate current study participants. The original four factor 25-item model did not fit current data, however, a better contextualized, four-factor, 20-item model was identified and found valid in the current setting. The results showed adequate statistical fit; χ2/d.f. = 1.516, RMSEA = 0.076, SRMR = 0.0893, and CFI = 0.909. Convergent and discriminant validity were also tenable. The cross-cultural adaptation and validation of the IIQ was successful, resulting in the availability of an instrument capable of measuring illness identity in PLHIV in a high HIV prevalence and resource-constrained setting. This therefore addresses the paucity of information and expands on knowledge about illness identity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This study aimed to investigate the attitudes of speech-language pathology--related specialists (SPs) and speech-language pathology (SLP) students toward stuttering. Furthermore, we identified the factors that influence changes in the attitudes of SLP students and SPs in various countries. Method: Using a search formula, the PubMed and ScienceDirect databases were used to conduct primary and secondary screening for analysis. All previous studies included in the systematic review focused on SPs or SLP students and were published in English. Studies were collected and screened independently by the first and second authors and then discussed between them. Twenty-two studies with varying research designs and sample sizes were included in the systematic review. Finally, information on authors, publishing year, participant, country or region, assessment materials, and the results were extracted and organized before analysis. Results: Twenty-two articles from eight countries and one region (Middle East) were extracted. The results showed that SLP students and SPs in different countries have different attitudes toward stuttering depending on their education, experience, geographic location, cultural status, and societal development, but stereotypes of people who stutter (PWS) persist (e.g., nervous), and the attitudes toward the clinics appear to be more negative in Western countries. Conclusions: Negative attitudes toward PWS remain among both SLP students and SPs. Thus, the factors that may influence the attitudes of SLP students and SPs should be taken into account in academic and clinical education in fluency disorders, and the education content must be structured to improve the quality of education and the attitude toward PWS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

More than six and half million people have died as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic till Dec 2022. Vaccination is the most effective means to prevent mortality and infection attributed to COVID-19. Identifying public attitudes and perceptions on COVID-19 vaccination is essential to strengthening the vaccination programmes. This study aims to identify attitudes and perceptions of twitter users towards COVID-19 vaccinations in four different countries. A sentiment analysis of 663,377 tweets from October 2020 to September 2022 from four different countries (i.e., India, South Africa, UK, and Australia) was conducted. Text mining using roBERTA (Robustly Optimized Bert Pretraining approach) python library was used to identify the polarity of people's attitude as "negative", "positive" or "neutral" based on tweets. A sample of 2000 tweets (500 from each country) were thematically analysed to explore the people's perception concerning COVID-19 vaccines across the countries. The attitudes towards COVID-19 vaccines varied by countries. Negative attitudes were observed to be highest in India (58.48%), followed by United Kingdom (33.22%), Australia (31.42%) and South Africa (28.88%). Positive attitudes towards vaccines were highest in the United Kingdom (21.09%). The qualitative analysis yielded eight themes namely (i) vaccine shortages, (ii) vaccine side-effects, (iii) distrust on COVID-19 vaccines, (iv) voices for vaccine equity, (v) awareness about vaccines, (vi) myth busters, (vii) vaccines work and (viii) vaccines are safe. The twitter discourse reflected the evolving situation of COVID-19 pandemic and vaccination strategies, lacunae and positives in the respective countries studied. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Epilepsy is a disorder that disturbs nerve cell activity in the brain, resulting in seizures. It was noted that it occurs mostly in children, especially at the primary school level, and could result from a genetic condition. The aim of this study was to develop and validate life skills education guidelines for primary school learners of Limpopo and Mpumalanga provinces in South Africa to educate them about epilepsy with the aim of reducing stigma and discrimination towards people with epilepsy. The guidelines were developed by adapting the World Health Organization (WHO) guideline development guide, which included the formulation of PICOS (population, intervention, comparison, outcome, study design) questions, conducting a systematic review of the literature, and using GRADE (grading of recommendations assessment, development, and evaluation) to develop evidence-based recommendations. The recommendations that informed the guideline development were that epilepsy education should be included in the primary school life skills curriculum to improve learners' understanding, attitudes, and skills related to epilepsy. This epilepsy education should be tailored to the needs of primary school learners and cover topics such as seizure recognition, management, medication, and coping strategies. Collaboration between healthcare providers, educators, and policymakers is crucial to developing culturally appropriate and evidence-based epilepsy education guidelines. Teachers and healthcare providers should also receive training on how to support learners living with epilepsy. The resulting guidelines provide clear and concise guidance on epilepsy education in life skills for primary school learners, caregivers, and teachers. The guidelines are expected to improve the quality of epilepsy life skills education and contribute to the overall well-being and inclusion of learners with epilepsy in Mpumalanga and Limpopo provinces, South Africa. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Children under five depend on the caregivers to provide them with nutritious food to combat malnutrition. Several studies have been conducted about malnutrition in children, yet limited attention has been paid to the caregivers. Thus, the study investigated the perceptions of caregivers with regard to non-nutritious foods in rural areas in South Africa. This study explored caregiver's perception regarding non-nutritious food in children below five. This was done in primary health care clinics of Tshilwavhusiku local areas of Makhado Municipality in Vhembe District, South Africa. A qualitative approach was adopted. Nine caregivers were sampled randomly. In-depth individual interviews were conducted, and Tesch's analytical approach was adopted to analyze the data measures to ensure trustworthiness and ethical considerations were adhered to throughout the study. The study revealed that caregivers were lacking knowledge regarding nutritious food to be given to their children and signs of malnutrition were also not known. It is imperative to ensure the improvement of caregivers' knowledge regarding nutritious food and children's nutritional status in order to reduce the malnutrition rate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Faith, belief, and religion can powerfully shape how people live with and heal from illness. Engaging in religious practices, from gathering for services to reading the holy texts and engaging in private prayer, can serve as a critical way of coping or building resilience amidst everyday social, moral, and medical challenges. In this article, we investigate why, what, and how people living with chronic illness in an urban South African township prioritise healing practices of the Church over the Clinic. We conducted 88 in-depth qualitative interviews to understand how people think about health, chronic illness, and healing. Most people described complex socio-spiritual beliefs and practices that many prioritised or practiced apart from biomedical care. This included religious practices, such as prayer and drinking church water, as well as one's spirituality, which was an essential way in which people found healing. Recognising how socio-spiritual practice fosters healing and wellness is critical for thinking about health and healing for Soweto residents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Women in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) often present to the health care system at advanced stages of breast cancer (BC), leading to poor outcomes. A lack of BC awareness and affordability issues are proposed as contributors to delayed presentation. In many areas of the world, however, women lack the autonomy to deal with their health needs due to restrictive gender norms. The role of gender norms has been relatively underexplored in the BC literature in LMICs and little is known about what men know about BC and how they are involved in women's access to care. To better understand these factors, we conducted a qualitative descriptive study in South Africa. We interviewed 20 low-income Black men with current woman partners who had not experienced BC. Interviewees had limited knowledge and held specific misconceptions about BC symptoms and treatment. Cancer is not commonly discussed within their community and multiple barriers prevent them from reaching care. Interviewees described themselves as having a facilitative role in their partner's access to health care, facets of which could inadvertently prevent their partners from autonomously seeking care. The findings point to the need to better consider the role of the male partner in BC awareness efforts in LMICs to facilitate prevention, earlier diagnosis and treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While intellectual disability is experienced worldwide, with much greater rates in contexts of poverty, relatively few studies on intellectual disability have been conducted in low- and middle-income countries. High levels of intellectual disability in South Africa exist alongside high levels of poverty, malnutrition and poor or inaccessible healthcare services. The lack of access to services partly explains why many turn to traditional healers. Within this context there is very limited research on the role that traditional healers play in relation to intellectual disability in South Africa. The current study investigated traditional healers' understanding and beliefs about intellectual disabilities and the treatment modalities that they use. An exploratory qualitative research design was used to examine the views and perspectives of traditional healers on intellectual disability. Fifteen traditional healers participated in the study. Key findings show that the naming of and the terminology used to describe and identify intellectual disability are very much similar to what has been observed in African cultures in general where intellectual disability is identified as an abnormality. Some traditional healers located the presentation of intellectual disability within the biomedical sphere while others gave supernatural explanations for how intellectual disability presents in children and for its causes. All traditional healers expressed a willingness to work with the Western formal healthcare system. Findings on traditional healers' views on future collaborations with the formal health system provide opportunities for these two forms of healthcare services to be synergised for the strengthening and improvement of services provided to children with intellectual disability and their families. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]