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The study was conducted in Polokwane sub-district targeting all the employees at Polokwane One-stop Centre. The specific focus was drawn to all permanent Social workers, Community Development workers and Social Auxiliary workers. The aim of the study was to explore barriers influencing employee participation in Employee Health and Wellness Programmes and to describe barriers influencing employee participation in Employee Health and Wellness Programmes. The data was collected through semi-structured face-to-face interview from all employees who are employed by the Department of Social Development, Polokwane Sub-District. The sample consisted of permanent Social workers, community development workers and social auxiliary workers who have more than one year of experience in the department of social development and excluded all employees who were on the internship programme. The researcher used thematic data analysis to analyse the findings of the study. The study concluded that employees were not participating in the EHWP because of limited knowledge of services rendered at the EHW programme, lack of access to EHW services, privacy and confidentiality of service providers and expertise knowledge of those offering the programmes and inadequate support from management. It is recommended that those in leadership should ensure that they disseminate information about EHWP to all employees.

Background: Employee Wellness Programmes (EWPs) is a comprehensive health initiative which is a strategy to maintain and improve the well-being of employees. EWPs are profoundly helpful in ensuring that the wellbeing of employees is taken care of. The programme can be assessed by the programme developers to ensure that the programme remains responsive to rapidly changing educational and healthcare settings. The evaluation of EWPs has greater potential to influence its utilisation by employees. This study sought to understand and document employee wellness programme utilisation in the Department of Transport and Community Safety. Objectives: To explore and describe employee wellness programme utilisation in the Department of Transport and Community Safety in Limpopo Province. Methods: The study used the qualitative research approach. Participants of the study were full-time employees at the Department of Transport and Community Safety. Data was collected through semi-structured interviews and the sample size was 15 participants which was determined by saturation of data. Data was analysed through Thematic Content Analysis. Results: Lack of wellness programme utilisation among employees and identified cases of chronic illness, insufficient physical activity and those case that are stress related amongst employees which were received at EWP component are associated with lack of understanding for the programme. The study provides a useful qualitative enquiry of employees at Department of Transport and Community Safety about the programme utilisation. Conclusion: Many employees have concluded that Employee Wellness Programmes intent to enhance and maintain the well-being of employees. However, in Department of Transport and Community Safety (DTCS), there is a serious need for strengthening the implementation of EWPs to improve utilisation.

Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) has affected all parts of the world, and as of 2019, more than 76 million people have been infected by HIV. South Africa has the largest population of people living with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) in the world and the highest infected group were aged 24 to 49, and females had the highest percentage in viral load suppression for all age groups. HIV infection leads to advanced loss of CD4 T cells and the roll out of antiretroviral therapy (ART) has bring about in significant cutbacks in HIV-associated complications by recovering the CD4+ T cell count. Some patients may not be successful in attaining this result, and some may accomplish it only after a number years of treatment. The disease progression and the health conditions amongst People Living with HIV-AIDS (PLWA) has improved substantially in the past two decades. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the disease progression of the patients initiated on ART from 2017 to 2019 at the University of Limpopo Health Centre, in Limpopo province. Methodology: A descriptive retrospective investigation was carried out which followed a quantitative approach in which secondary data from medical files of 259 patients initiated on ART at University of Limpopo Health Centre was used. where outcomes of ART initiation assessed and evaluated in association with characteristics of patients. Data analysis was done using the STATA statistical software version 12 for Windows (STATA Corporation, College Station, Texas). Frequency tables were used to make comparisons between groups for continuous and categorical variables using student t-test, and chi-square test. P-value less than 0.05 at 95% confidence level were regarded as significant. Results: The research finding revealed 80.0% of the study participants were females and the mean age group of participants diagnosed HIV positive was 28.28 years with standard deviation of ±7.5. The mean of the CD4 count cells at baseline for females was

PURPOSE OR OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to investigate factors that contribute to the relapse of substance abusers post rehabilitation at South African National Council On Alcoholism And Drug Dependence (SANCA) Polokwane. METHOD: A quantitative research method or approach, and a descriptive research design were employed respectively to conduct the study. Data was collected using group-administered questionnaires / surveys amongst substance abusers who relapsed post rehabilitation at the SANCA, and a total number of sixty-one (61) respondents at the centre responded to the questionnaires. FINDINGS: Findings revealed that personal factors that predisposed the relapse of substance abusers post rehabilitation include lack of coping mechanism; less committed and motivated towards staying clean or sober; having a craving for drugs; challenged with too many triggers; lack of believe in themselves; thinking they could deal with their emotions by using drugs; thinking they could be able to control my use; community members still look down on them for using drugs; peer pressure from peer group; easily influenced by others; significant relationship in their lives ending; social group still abusing drugs; finding it difficult to avoid social gathering; lack of financial support; feeling lonely and being bored. Findings also indicated that substance abuser receive sufficient support from their family. On the contrary, however, findings further show that respondents have indicated that they receive poor from their friends, community members, peers and the rehabilitation centre attended. CONCLUSION: The study successfully identified, and discussed diverse causes or factors that contribute or influence relapse amongst substance abusers post rehabilitation at SANCA, as listed above. Furthermore, also assessing the availability of social support systems post rehabilitation.

Background: The number of occupational injuries in manufacturing industries continues to rise despite safety regulations. Occupational injuries range from the spine, hands, head, lungs, eyes, skeleton and skin. Negligence, improper use of Personal Protective Equipment, lack of experience and age are some of the factors leading to occupational injuries. Even though there are measures to prevent these occupational injuries, the number of injuries amongst manufacturing industries keeps rising and the causes need to be identified. Objective(s): The purpose of the study was to develop a training programme for manufacturing industries in the Polokwane municipality. Methods: A qualitative, exploratory, descriptive and contextual design was used for the study. Five categories of manufacturing industries were visited where 22 participants were interviewed using a voice recorder until data saturation was reached. There were 4 managers, 6 supervisors and 12 general workers. Member checking was done to verify and clarify transcribed information. Field notes were also taken for non-verbal responses. Data were analysed using Tesch’s and Clarke and Braun open coding method following the eight steps. Results: The findings of the study indicated that hazards in the physical work environment of manufacturing industries in the Polokwane municipality contributed to most occupational accidents. It was also found that negligence, incorrect provision of PPE by management, improper use of PPE by workers, and lack of safety training were also contributors to workplace accidents. Commitment to health and safety by industries management was also found to be lacking and played a role in some occupational accidents in the manufacturing industries. Conclusions: The study concludes that lack of health and safety training, negligence, and commitment by those in management compromised the health and safety of workers

Background: The National Norms and Standards are aimed at providing regulatory minimum norms and standards to guide early childhood development centres in the provision of a range of services. It is therefore important for early childhood development centres to comply to regulations and failing that the health and safety of children is compromised. It has been observed by the researcher that compliance among early childhood development early childhood development in the Mankweng area is a challenge, and therefore an investigation on the general compliance was necessary. Objectives: The objectives of the study were to explore and describe compliance to National Norms and Standards among early childhood development centres’ in Mankweng area, Limpopo Province. Methods: The study used a qualitative approach and applied a phenomenological research design. Both observation and semi-structured interviews methods of data collection were used respectively. Purposive and Convenience sampling methods were used to select the study participants and all of them were workers employed in the selected early childhood development centres in Mankweng. Participants included both male and female workers, and the sample size of 16 was determined by data saturation. Data was analysed using the Teschs’ eight steps of data analysis. Results: It was established that there are existing personal hygiene and environmental practices challenges at different early childhood development centres. The study further discovered that there was inadequate provision of classrooms and deprivation of child developmental activities as well as challenges regarding the quality of classrooms and settings. Conclusion: The findings revealed that the early childhood development centres did not meet the physical requirements suggested in the norms and standards. These include the visible and tangible aspects toys for both indoor and outdoor use; the human resources capacity and the investments in capacity developme

Background Health care facilities are characterised by a high level of exposure to hazardous agents, which significantly endanger the health and life of workers. Occupational hazards, exposure to blood and body fluids accidents and safety precautions constitute an important public health issue. Occupational health is the identification and control of risks arising from physical, chemical, and other workplace hazards in order to establish and maintain a safe and healthy working environment. The high occurrence and burden of occupational hazards in hospitals include sharps/needlestick injuries, contact with blood and body fluids, blood-borne infections, and accidents. Health workers at Letaba Hospital are facing occupational health and safety risk at their workplace. Objectives The objectives of the study were to identify the type of work and related hazards that health workers are exposed to at Letaba Hospital and to find out if health workers at Letaba Hospital are aware of the occupational hazards at the workplace. Methods A quantitative descriptive cross-sectional method was used. The population comprised 649 nurses, doctors, cleaners, kitchen workers, laboratory technicians and laboratory technologists employed at Letaba Hospital. Stratified random sampling was used to select 374 health workers who participated in the study. A self-administered questionnaire was used for data collection. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used for data analysis. Results The study showed that health works, particularly nurses and doctors and nurses are exposed to needle pricks and kitchen workers are exposed to sharps. Cleaners and porters are exposed to slippery floors as well as uneven floors. Laboratory technicians, laboratory technologists and porters are exposed to specimen containers. Health vi workers lack knowledge on the toxic gases available at the hospital. The study also revealed that health workers are aware of the risk of using uneven floors and the risk of

The purpose of this study was to determine the provision and utilisation of personal protective equipment amongst contractors in a mine in Phalaborwa Limpopo Province. A quantitative, descriptive and cross-sectional research approach and design were used to conduct the study. Information was gathered through self-administered questionnaires that were analysed statistically. A cross-sectional study was used to investigate the provision and utilisation of PPE amongst contractors in a phosphate mine. A quantitative research study was conducted using a questionnaire to gather data from contractors working at Foskor mine. Two hundred sixty-one employees responded to the questionnaire. The findings revealed that contractors were not being provided with PPE hence there is little utilisation of it. They have to buy PPE from their own pockets. Respondents also reported that they were not trained on the use of PPE. The use of PPE among contractors is very low as compared to permanent employees. Conclusions The contracted companies were not providing PPE to their employees. As result, PPE was not utilised as required in the mine. The response also indicated that they were not trained in the use of PPE.

The purpose of the study was to assess the knowledge and practice of personal protective equipment amongst the employees at Laundromats in Seshego industrial site, Limpopo province. A quantitative research study was conducted using a questionnaire to gather information from employees who were working at Laundromats and possibly exposed to occupational injuries and diseases. Fifty-two employees responded to the questionnaires. The findings revealed that employees showed good knowledge (81%) about personal protective equipment but poor practice (52%) of personal protective equipment. The findings also revealed that the majority of employees (75%) did not receive training because it was not offered. Conclusion Majority of employees had good knowledge. There was an appropriate response to the majority of questions relating to knowledge about PPE. However, majority of employees had poor practice of PPE. The lack of training might have led to poor practice. Key concepts: Knowledge, Practice and Personal Protective Equipment.

Freshwater ecosystems in South Africa are losing their quality and quantity over time due to pollution mainly from mining, agriculture, industries, deforestation, sewage systems, construction of dams, channel modification and over extraction of water. The Dwars River, a tributary of the Olifants River, is of no exception, as recent studies indicated an increase in nutrient input possibly from agriculture. The Dwars River is an important source of water for nearby communities (Ga-Mampuru). The aim of the study was to assess water and sediment quality of the Dwars River using macroinvertebrates as bioindicators of pollution. Water and macroinvertebrates sampling were done seasonally from July 2017 to May 2018. The water quality results indicated that non-toxic constituents such as salinity and EC (Electrical Conductivity) were above permissible limits stipulated by the DWAF (1996) guidelines. More sensitive taxa were found upstream, despite high concentrations of some nutrients and metals in the water column. The high abundance and distribution of macroinvertebrates observed upstream was confirmed by the Canonical Correspondence Analysis (CCA), South African Scoring System (SASS5) and Average Score Per Taxon (ASPT) results during the study. Site 1 was dominated by the most sensitive taxa and this could be due to high dissolved oxygen content and increased heterogeneity of the area. Site 4 was dominated by the most tolerant taxa, according to the CCA, SASS score and ASPT results. This could possibly be due to the nutrients and heavy metals washed from upstream, which get adsorbed by the sediment. The results for species abundance, diversity and richness indicated that Ephemeroptera was the most abundant, while Diptera was the most diverse. Ephemeropterans are known to be indicators of good water quality. Site 1 had the highest number of families and orders while site 4 had the least families and orders. Ephemeroptera, Plecoptera and Tricoptera (EPT) taxa richness and S, National Research Foundation (NRF) and VLIR

Background- care of the mentally ill by family members is done with little or no supervision by skilled health workers. Therefore, the purpose of the study was to investigate the experiences of family members of patients living with mental illness in the Capricorn District of Limpopo Province in South Africa. Objective- to explore and describe the experiences of family members caring for patients living with mental illness. Methods- A qualitative, descriptive and exploratory design was used. Non-probability sampling of the purposive and convenient type was used to explore and describe the experiences of family members of patients living with mental illness in the Capricorn District. Data were collected from fifteen family members caring for MHCUs, by using open-ended semi-structured face-to-face interviews. Data were audio recorded and observations were done during interviews. Trustworthiness was ensured by applying credibility, transferability, confirmability and dependability. Data were analysed using Tech’s open-coding method. Results- family members experience disruptive behaviour from MHCUs and they also have to adapt to new routines that are at times unfavourable. As a result, the family members’ health and quality of life are affected, thus making them susceptible to having mental illness and other medical conditions as well. Conclusion- There is a need for family members caring for persons living with mental illness to be given emotional and social support. community projects such as support groups for family members caring for MHCUs and goal directed standard operations procedures at the Psychiatric Ward – specifically designed and implemented for family members caring for MHCUs, are recommended.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the challenges faced by health care workers caring for patients diagnosed with Tuberculosis at Tertiary 1 Military Hospital, Gauteng Province, South Africa. The quantitative research study was conducted and data was collected from 56 respondents who participated in this study conducted at Tertiary 1 Military Hospital, Gauteng Province, South Africa. Self-administered questionnaires were used to collect data from the respondents through a self-administered questionnaire. Data was then analysed using statistical STATISTICA 7, Software SPSS 23, as well as Microsoft Excel for presentation of tables and graphs. Respondents consisted of 59% females, compared to 41% of males. Majority of respondents (76.4%) were between the ages of 23-32. Respondents who were single were 66% compared to 32.1% married and 1.8% widowed. The findings of this study indicates that the health care workers, work in challenging environment with a lack of resources and need to be supported, as they experience more negative than positive experiences whilst caring for patients diagnosed with TB, further, revealed that, the health care workers did not get support from management. The analysis of the data has shown that management seemed not to understand fully what health care workers at grass-roots level are experiencing. Furthermore, findings of this research revealed that health care workers have never received any formal training on management of patients diagnosed with TB, wherein at times they have questions they have to ask their colleagues/friends, which at times they felt frustrated, the findings of this study furthermore revealed the lack of in-service training. The study concluded that, the respondents fears contracting TB from patients diagnosed of TB: there is compromised TB infection control measures, such as failure to wear protective masks (N95), and lack of adequate resources was also revealed by several respondents. The general findings of

The Olifants River is one of the major river systems in South Africa, providing water for industries, mines, agricultural and domestic activities. Consequently, the river has turned out to be one of the most polluted rivers in South Africa. The Blyde River is an important tributary of the Olifants River, known for its continuous flow and good water quality. However, the recent increase in human activities such as, commercial agricultural and large-scale forestry practices in the catchment may have a negative impact on the quality of the water, which may consequently affect the aquatic biota community structure. The aim of the study was to assess the water and sediment quality of the Blyde River using aquatic macroinvertebrates as bioindicators and the South African Scoring System version 5 (SASS5) protocol was followed. Seven sampling sites were selected at Blyde River and five samples were collected per site. Collected macroinvertebrates were identified to family level and classified according to their tolerance levels to pollution at the University of Limpopo Biodiversity Laboratory. In addition, seasonal readings of the physico-chemical parameters such as, pH, dissolved oxygen (DO), temperature, salinity, total dissolved solutes (TDS) and electrical conductivity (EC) were recorded in situ using YSI Model 554 Datalogger with a 4 m multiprobe and a Mettler Toledo SevenGo™. Most of the physico-chemical parameters recorded at Blyde River were within the South African water quality guidelines for aquatic ecosystems. Metals such as, As, Al, Ba, B, Cd, Cr, Co, Cu, Fe, Pb, Mn, Ni, Se, Ag, Sr, Sn, Ti, V, and Zn were tested from the water column, sediments and macroinvertebrate tissue. Almost all the metals analysed from the water column and sediments were within the quality guidelines. Out of the twenty tested metals, As, Ag, Cu, and Zn exceeded the recommended quality guidelines in the water column at some sites. Only As, Cr and Cu exceeded the recommended quality guidel, VLIR

Virological failure occurs when the viral load fails to supress to undetectable limit and immunological failure is when the immune system fails to improve with the CD4 count remaining low on clients on antiretroviral drugs. These being markers of poor adherence to antiretroviral drugs or treatment failure. Upon routine blood-monitoring of students on antiretroviral drugs, the researcher noticed that some students’ viralload levels were not suppressing and their immune system was not improving. The purpose of the study was to identify the experiences of those students whose viral load is not suppressing and their immune system not improving. The objective was to identify and describe the experiences of students with immunological and virological failure on antiretroviral drugs at the University of Limpopo. A qualitative, explorative and descriptive study design was used. Convenience purposive sampling method was adopted. Using a semi-structured interview guide, face-toface interviews were conducted on 10 students on antiretroviral drugs at the Student Health and Wellness Centre, University of Limpopo. Techs’ method was used to analyse data. Guba’s model for establishing trustworthiness was used. The study yielded the following themes: Disclosure, stigma, antiretroviral drugs packaging, side effects of antiretroviral drugs and service delivery. The study concluded that students are afraid to take their treatment for fear of stigmatisation and disclosure is still a problem. Students tend to forfeit taking drugs when studying for examinations due to side effects of the drugs. It is recommended that service delivery and antiretroviral drugs packaging be user friendly. Key words: Disclosure, stigma, side effects, antiretroviral drugs packaging and antiretroviral drugs.

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Background: The main goal of HAART is to achieve maximal viral suppression. However, with poor adherence to therapy the chances of achieving and maintaining successful viral suppression are decreased, leading to virological failure. And virological failure has been recognized by WHO as one of the early warning signs of drug resistance. This operational research sought to explore virological failure as a treatment outcome to evaluate program performance at a facility level. Methods: Purposive sampling as per inclusion and exclusion criteria was used to retrospectively review clinical records of the first 700 adult HIV positive patients (350 males and 350 females) who initiated antiretroviral treatment between April 2004 and December 2007 at this adult HIV clinic, were followed up for at least 3 years and treated according to the South African government’s National Department of Health 2004 HIV treatment guidelines for adults and adolescents. Major Results: 268 clinical records, 97 (27.71%) male and 171 (58.86%) female records were eligible for inclusion in the study. The proportion of females was higher (63.8%) than males (32.8%) with an average age of 38.95 years. 24 (8.9%) patients in the study sample experienced virological failure during the study period; 11 (11.3%) males and 13 (7.6%) females. Two-thirds (66.6%) of patients who failed to suppress at their first viral load measurement proceeded to develop virological failure. Overall, there was no association of statistical significance between age, sex, baseline CD4 cell count and baseline regimen, and virological failure at various intervals, p> 0.05. Conclusion: It was a challenge to keep patients in care but those that remained in care had good treatment outcomes with only 8.9% developing virological failure. Failure to suppress at first viral load preceded virological failure in the majority of patients.

Background: Health care workers produce various types of waste in the course of rendering health care services. Each classification of waste must be disposed according to the prescribed guidelines. Improper disposal of waste may pose a danger to employees, patients and the environment. Health care workers must have adequate knowledge on disposal of medical waste. This study was therefore done to determine the knowledge and practices of health care workers on medical waste disposal. Objectives: This study aims to determine the knowledge and practices of health care workers on medical waste disposal at a hospital in the Mpumalanga Province in South Africa. Methods: A quantitative cross-sectional research approach was used at a regional hospital for the Mpumalanga Province in the Bushbuckridge Municipality under the Ehlanzeni District. The study respondents included professional nurses, enrolled nurses, enrolled nursing assistants, medical doctors, dental health and allied health staff. Data were collected through self-administered questionnaires analysed using International Business Management Statistical Package for Social Sciences 22 (IBM SPSS 22). Results: The results show that a high percentage of health care workers did not have adequate knowledge regarding disposal of medical waste but disposed medical waste appropriately. The results further show that knowledge and practice of health care workers had no association with age, gender and years of experience. There is an association between professional category and knowledge and practice of healthcare workers. Conclusion: Disposal of medical waste is the responsibility of all health care workers. There should be regular training of all categories of health care workers to improve their knowledge on disposal of medical waste and minimise the risks associated with improper waste management. This will further increase compliance with the guidelines of disposal of medical waste. Key words: Health care workers, medica

Background. Healthcare professionals (HCPs) produce various types of waste in the course of rendering healthcare services. Each classification of waste must be disposed of according to the prescribed guidelines. Incorrect disposal of waste may pose a danger to employees, patients and the environment. HCPs must have adequate knowledge of the disposal of medical waste. Objectives. To determine the knowledge and practices of HCPs with regard to medical waste disposal at a hospital in Mpumalanga Province, South Africa. Methods. A quantitative cross-sectional research approach was used. The study respondents included nurses, medical doctors, dental health staff and allied health staff. Data were collected through self-administered questionnaires and analysed using IBM SPSS version 22.0. Results. A high proportion of HCPs did not have adequate knowledge regarding the disposal of medical waste, but nevertheless disposed of medical waste appropriately. While the knowledge and practices of HCPs with regard to medical waste disposal were not associated with age, gender or years of experience, there was an association between professional category and knowledge and practices. Conclusions. Disposal of medical waste is the responsibility of all HCPs. All categories of HCPs should receive regular training to improve their knowledge regarding disposal of medical waste and to minimise the risks associated with improper waste management. This will further increase compliance with the guidelines on disposal of medical waste.

The purpose of this study was to assess the knowledge and practices of food service staff regarding food safety and food hygiene in Capricorn District hospitals, Limpopo Province. Quantitative, cross-sectional research was conducted to determine the knowledge and practices of food service staff. A convenient sampling technique was employed to select 84 food service staff members (11 food service supervisor and 73 food service aids). Data collection was done using structured questionnaires. Food service staff members consisting of food service aids and food service supervisors participated in the study. The data were analysed using the statistical package for social sciences version 23. Of the respondents 50 (60%) are female whereas 34 (40%) are males. The largest group of them, 34 (40%) had secondary education, 23 (27%) had matric whereas 16 (19%) had post matric qualifications. 80 (95%) of them answered correctly that they use an air dryer or paper towel for drying hands after washing whereas 65 (77%) answered incorrectly when asked the difference between washing and sanitizing. Seventy eight of the respondents answered correctly on practice questionnaire that they only reheat leftovers once whereas 69 (82%) answered incorrectly about the temperature one should maintain for potentially hazardous food that has been cooked and needs to be reheated. In this study a significant correlation was observed between level of education and knowledge, with p-value 0.016 and again between level of education and practices (p-value 0.024), also between work activity and practice (p-value 0.021). There was significant difference between knowledge level and practice with p-value 0.045. The result of the study suggest that although most food service staff are knowledgeable regarding some aspects of food hygiene and food safety significant gaps remains in food safety practices, posing risk to hospitalised patients who are already vulnerable. There is a need for training in areas were

Introduction: Annually, hundred thousands of people worldwide die as a result of second hand smoke (SHS) exposure. There is no safe exposure level to SHS yet in Bulawayo, smokers have been observed smoking without restraint thus exposing non-smokers to SHS. The purpose of this study was to establish the prevalence and contributing factors of SHS exposure among adults in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe. Methods: A cross sectional study was conducted and participants were randomly selected from residents who visited the 13 municipal revenue halls. A structured questionnaire was used to collect data from respondents. Descriptive and multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed. Results: Home SHS exposure prevalence was 22% and females were 2.11 times more likely than males to be exposed at home. Prevalence of SHS exposure in public transportation, health facilities, educational and food premises was 40.9%, 26.3%, 42,9% and 36.8% respectively. Conclusion: SHS exposure in Bulawayo was high and there is need to reduce SHS exposure to non-smoking adults. Keywords: Second hand smoke (SHS), Bulawayo, Prevalence, Exposure, Adult

Purpose / Aim: To find out determinants affecting adherence to antiretroviral therapy in patients receiving free treatment from the wellness clinic at Bela Bela District Hospital in Limpopo province of South Africa. Objectives: To identify the determinants which affect the adherence to ART treatment among patients living with HIV and AIDS and to determine which of these determinants are significant predictors of adherence among HIV and AIDS patients. Methodology: a descriptive retrospective, quantitative research. Sampling: A population of 800 patients existing in the recording book was retrieved from the patients’ records at the wellness clinic. Out of 800 a sample of 260 was derived using a simple size calculator tool. Analysis: data were analysed by SPSS Windows Version 21.0. Descriptive statistics means and frequencies were calculated. Chi-Square tests were done in order to test the association between variables (such as age groups, gender, weight groups, regimens and WHO stages). Logistic regression was run to assess the effect of different determinants on the adherence to ART (e.g. viral load affected the adherence contrary to age, gender and others). Results: Female (65%) was more compliant to their male counterpart (35%). Most of the patients (47.3%) in the study belonged to the age group 21 to 35 years and only (2.7%) in the age group less or equal to 20 years. Most patients were categorised into WHO stage I (31.2%). Only 9.2% of the patients were categorised into WHO Stage IV. Most of the patients in group 2 (41.3%) had a weight between 40kgs and 54kgs and group 1 (4.2%) with patients whose weight was less than 40kgs. One of the patients has no record on weight. The majority of patients (44.2%) had CD4 count, less or equal to 100. Only 2.7% had CD4 count 300 and more. After 6 months of treatment, 37% of patients had CD4 count from 300 and above; 9.7% of the patients had CD4 countless than 200. For 136 (52.3%) of the patients in the sample the information o

Background: Disabled children with different conditions such as cerebral palsy, traumatic brain injuries, developmental delays, severe orthopaedic impairment, hydro and micro-cephalous are brought to Elim Hospital for rehabilitation therapy. Most of these disabled children stay with caregivers who are responsible for their care including rehabilitation therapy at home to avoid complications. The aim of the study was to establish factors that contribute to development of complications in disabled children. Methods: The quantitative descriptive study design was used and convenience sampling method was used to select 52 caregivers out of the population of 60. Questionnaires and observation checklist were used for data collection at the rehabilitation therapy clinic during their rehabilitation therapy visit. Data were analysed using SPSS version 22. Results: The results show that there is no association between diagnosis and the development of complications. There was an association between availability of resources which is one of the caregiver factors and the development of complications. Conclusion: The study concludes that, availability of resources to provide the rehabilitation therapy on the disabled children is the contributing caregiver factors on the development of complications in disabled children at Elim Hospital.

Topic An investigation of the visual and systemic symptoms experienced by computer users at the National Home Builders’ Registration Council (NHBRC) and British Petroleum (BP) in Johannesburg, Gauteng Province, South Africa. Background The repetitive use of computers in the working places results in the visual and ergonomic disorders that affect the computer users adversely. The computer users experience fatigue which causes visual symptoms such as eyestrain, blurred vision, heaviness of the eyelids or forehead, dry eyes, sensitivity to light and irritatedeyes. The ergonomic disorders like neck pain, backache and wrist pain are also experienced by computer users. These conditions are collectively called Computer Vision Syndrome which is considered as an occupational hazard. Uncorrected refractive errors and binocular anomalies can contribute to these symptoms. The visual and systemic symptoms that affect the computer users in the workplace need to be investigated. Purpose The purpose of the study was to subjectively investigate the visual and systemic symptoms experienced by computer users in the two selected companies in Gauteng Province South Africa. Methodology Structured questions, (open and close ended) were used to obtain information needed for this study. The questions covered demographic as well as information relating to the use of the computer such as the duration of working on computer, the offices/working environment, the appearance and the distance of the screen to the eyes, the working station and visual devices et cetera. Results Participants included 47 (72.3%) females and 17 (26.2%) males and their ages ranged from 20 to 59 years with the mean of 39.5 and the standard deviation of ± 13.1years. Many (80%) of the participants between the ages of 20 to 29 years reported experiencing eye strain. The highest (75%) percentage of slow refocus was reported by the participants that were between the ages of 30 to 39 years. Most males (58.8%) reported experien

Introduction: An observational study was undertaken to assess the level of compliance of school nutrition with standard hygiene requirements prescribed by Regulations R918 of 30 July 1999. Aim: To assess the level of compliance of Primary School Nutrition Programme with standard hygiene requirements prescribed by Regulations R918 of 30 July 1999 in Bushbuckridge area. Study: The study was conducted in primary schools located in Bushbuckridge sub-district with an estimated population of 611.048 and 212 primary schools. Method: Observational study was conducted in schools and information regarding food preparation area, food storage rooms, environmental hygiene, personal hygiene and food transportation was recorded. Sampling: A random sampling was conducted to select schools in each circuit. Thirty two percent was used to determine the sample size. Sixty eight primary schools of a population of 212 were select from the various circuits in Bushbuckridge sub-district. Data was gathered using observation method. An observation data gathering tool was developed to collect the data that was needed for the study. Results: The study revealed that 24.3% of the schools prepare their food in kitchens that meet the standards and the requirements prescribed by the health regulations. However, 75.7% of the schools prepare their food in structures that do not comply with the health regulations. The study on environmental hygiene revealed that 95.7% of the schools do not provide toiletries in their latrines most of which are not waterborne. The study further revealed that 87% of the schools do not provide soap for hand washing in their latrines. The study on personal hygiene revealed that 61.4% of the schools do not provide protective clothing to the food handlers who prepare food for learners. The study on food transportation revealed that 100% of the vehicles used to deliver food in schools do not comply with the standards and the hygiene requirements prescribed by the health regu

Background: The objective of this study was to quantify personal time-weighted average respirable dust and silica exposure of workers at foundries in Gauteng and to rank the occupations in foundries according to the risk of exposure to silica quartz. Methods: A task-based risk assessment of 56 personal samples from two foundries was conducted. Personal exposure data was collected from workers’ breathing zones for the full working shift. All analyses of samples for silica dust were carried out in the CSIR Centre for Mining Innovation’s Laboratory, which has SANAS accreditation (ISO 17025) for both x-ray powder diffraction and particle size analysis methods. Results: The personal time-weighted average mean and median respirable silica dust concentration was 0.184 mg/m³ and 0.167 mg/m³ respectively. The maximum exposure concentration was 0.835 mg/m³ and minimum exposure was 0.010 mg/m³. The occupations within the foundries with the highest exposures were moulders, sand mixers, furnace operators and the lowest exposed occupations were grinders, closers, and casting operators. The majority of foundry workers (62%) in both foundries are exposed to respirable silica dust at above the South African occupational exposure level (OEL). Conclusion and recommendations: Foundry workers are over-exposed to respirable silica dust and are potentially at high risk of contracting silicosis and other occupational diseases associated with respirable silica dust. It is recommended that a dust control programme be implemented and a baseline study be conducted.

Background: The objective of this study was to quantify personal time-weighted average respirable dust and silica exposure of workers at foundries in Gauteng and to rank the occupations in foundries according to the risk of exposure to silica quartz. Methods: A task-based risk assessment of 56 personal samples from two foundries was conducted. Personal exposure data was collected from workers’ breathing zones for the full working shift. All analyses of samples for silica dust were carried out in the CSIR Centre for Mining Innovation’s Laboratory, which has SANAS accreditation (ISO 17025) for both x-ray powder diffraction and particle size analysis methods. Results: The personal time-weighted average mean and median respirable silica dust concentration was 0.184 mg/m³ and 0.167 mg/m³ respectively. The maximum exposure concentration was 0.835 mg/m³ and minimum exposure was 0.010 mg/m³. The occupations within the foundries with the highest exposures were moulders, sand mixers, furnace operators and the lowest exposed occupations were grinders, closers, and casting operators. The majority of foundry workers (62%) in both foundries are exposed to respirable silica dust at above the South African occupational exposure level (OEL). Conclusion and recommendations: Foundry workers are over-exposed to respirable silica dust and are potentially at high risk of contracting silicosis and other occupational diseases associated with respirable silica dust. It is recommended that a dust control programme be implemented and a baseline study be conducted., Thesis (MPH. (Occupational and Environmental Health))-- University of Limpopo, 2012