Search

INTRODUCTION: Oral pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) is an effective and safe option to prevent HIV acquisition and vertical HIV transmission in pregnant and breastfeeding women. Understanding health system factors influencing the integration of PrEP into care for pregnant and breastfeeding women is key to increasing access. We explored managers and health care workers (HCWs) experiences with integrating PrEP into antenatal care and postnatal care services in primary health care clinics in Cape Town, South Africa. METHODS: This exploratory qualitative study used codebook thematic analysis, where HCWs were purposively, heterogeneously sampled from an implementation science study. Semistructured individual interviews were conducted with 9 managerial-level staff, and 3 focus group discussions were conducted with HCWs (nurses, midwives, and HIV counselors) providing PrEP (6-7 HCWs per group) between November 2022 and January 2023 (N=28). Interview guides covered health system facilitators, barriers, and recommendations. The Health Systems Dynamics framework guided data analysis and presentation of results. RESULTS: PrEP integration into antenatal care services was described as acceptable and feasible; however, changes to HIV testing policy and indicators in breastfeeding women are needed to integrate PrEP into postnatal clinics, together with identification of mother and baby as a dyad in visits. Results showed that supportive policies facilitated wider, simplified PrEP provision. The availability and accessibility of prescribing nurses and lay HIV counselors, PrEP (both within facilities and in communities), and information about PrEP for implementers and pregnant and breastfeeding women will be pivotal to facilitating integration. CONCLUSION: Facilitators for PrEP integration include task-shifting PrEP education and identification of women for PrEP initiation to HIV counselors, changes to national guidelines defining who can prescribe PrEP, revision and integration of PrEP training for HCWs, community-level interventions for PrEP demand creation and stigma reduction, and provision of differentiated PrEP delivery options.

Globally, the appraisal of educators remains a contested issue as the process, which aims to provide support and development to educators, is generally considered a punitive measure for educators. Within the South African context, the Integrated Quality Management System is used to evaluate educators. Drawing on Fraser's theories of social justice, this article explores the perspectives of 11 educators regarding educator developmental appraisal in post-apartheid South Africa as a catalyst for social (in)justice. Data was collected through semi-structured interviews and analysed using critical discourse analysis. This article highlights the importance of social justice practices in enhancing learner achievement and foregrounds the (in)justices often witnessed during the appraisal process. Findings reveal that the developmental appraisal process has the potential to promote social justice; however, contextual factors seem to be hindering the successful implementation of the appraisal process.

This paper investigates the athlete’s perspective of the role of mentorship in a cricketer’s career progression, from elite youth to the senior arena. A qualitative study explored the understanding and experience of mentorship by the cricketers (n=15). The findings indicated that mentorship played an important role in the cricketers’ career development, irrespective of whether they progressed to the professional arena or not. The study provides a more nuanced understanding of mentorship in professional sports development and career progression from the athlete’s perspective. The unique context of diversity in sport and society in South Africa further impacts the mentorship experience.

Abstract Background This study assessed the influence of social, economic, and psychological factors on South African’s responsiveness to the COVID-19 pandemic. Although the South African government responded quickly to manage the pandemic, the strict lockdown placed a significant burden on the population. Understanding the converging influence of social, economic, and psychological factors on the population’s responsiveness is important for improving people’s cooperation in controlling COVID-19 and for supporting individuals and communities during the ongoing and future pandemics. Methods Using data collected from a national telephonic survey (December 2020 to March 2021), we assessed whether selected social, economic and psychological factors were related to: 1) adoption of COVID-19 behavioural measures (hand hygiene, wearing of face masks, and physical distancing), and 2) adherence to government restrictions on movement. Results South Africans were highly responsive to the pandemic with respondents generally reporting that they very often engaged in the protective behaviours and often to very often adhered to government restriction on movement. However, those from the white population group; with a higher education; living in uncrowded households; who perceived less vulnerability to contracting COVID-19; supported the measures; trusted the scientists; thought the measures by government were implemented fairly and fairly enforced by the police; felt more anxious, sad, hopeless, isolated, angry or had trouble sleeping; inclined to engage in coping behaviour, were more likely to adopt COVID-19 protective behaviours. Furthermore, females, those with a lower education, those less likely to have experienced poverty since the beginning of lockdown; who perceived greater vulnerability to COVID-19, trusted government, and were more supportive of the behavioural measures were more likely to adhere to the restrictions of movement. Conclusions Strengthening the South African population’s responsiveness to the pandemic requires supporting those living in poor socioeconomic circumstances, promoting trust in the scientific evidence, and ensuring that the measures by government are perceived to be fairly implemented and fairly enforced by the police. Due to the impact on livelihoods, restrictions of movement should only be considered if necessary, and this will require trust and confidence in government and strategies to support those experiencing financial hardship.

COVID-19 not only had deleterious effects on the overall well-being of individuals and communities but also amplified existing structural impediments such as food insecurity, unemployment, and poor access to resources. Under-resourced communities thus felt the brunt of the pandemic, having to find resourceful ways to combat vulnerabilities brought on by the crisis. The dire states in which such communities throughout the world found themselves inspired various acts of solidarity and support in the face of adversity. The primary aim of the study was to explore the perceptions and experiences of community solidarity and support during the COVID-19 pandemic of members of two under-resourced communities in South Africa. To obtain a comprehensive account of these perceptions and experiences, a qualitative community case study design was used, and thirty key informant interviews and four focus group discussions were conducted with multiple community stakeholders across the two communities. Participant responses were explored through two main themes, namely: (1) The brutal materialization of lockdown in communities and (2) Experiences of and contributions to community solidarity and support. This article attempts to emphasize the value of collective action during times of crisis and to encourage the promotion of sustainable community solidarity initiatives as a way to mitigate future crises. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Helminth-induced eosinophils accumulate around the parasite at the site of infection, or in parasite-damaged tissues well after the helminth has left the site. The role of helminth-elicited eosinophils in mediating parasite control is complex. While they may contribute to direct parasite-killing and tissue repair, their involvement in long-term immunopathogenesis is a concern. In allergic Siglec-FhiCD101hi, eosinophils are associated with pathology. Research has not shown if equivalent subpopulations of eosinophils are a feature of helminth infection. In this study, we demonstrate that lung migration of rodent hookworm Nippostrongylus brasiliensis (Nb) results in a long-term expansion of distinct Siglec-FhiCD101hi eosinophil subpopulations. Nb-elevated eosinophil populations in the bone marrow and circulation did not present this phenotype. Siglec-FhiCD101hi lung eosinophils exhibited an activated morphology including nuclei hyper-segmentation and cytoplasm degranulation. Recruitment of ST2+ ILC2s and not CD4+ T cells to the lungs was associated with the expansion of Siglec-FhiCD101hi eosinophils. This data identifies a morphologically distinct and persistent subset of Siglec-FhiCD101hi lung eosinophils induced following Nb infection. These eosinophils may contribute to long-term pathology following helminth infection.

Globally, the appraisal of educators remains a contested issue as the process, which aims to provide support and development to educators, is generally considered a punitive measure for educators. Within the South African context, the Integrated Quality Management System is used to evaluate educators. Drawing on Fraser's theories of social justice, this article explores the perspectives of 11 educators regarding educator developmental appraisal in post-apartheid South Africa as a catalyst for social (in)justice. Data was collected through semi-structured interviews and analysed using critical discourse analysis. This article highlights the importance of social justice practices in enhancing learner achievement and foregrounds the (in)justices often witnessed during the appraisal process. Findings reveal that the developmental appraisal process has the potential to promote social justice; however, contextual factors seem to be hindering the successful implementation of the appraisal process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Emotional labour (EL) is an integral and inextricable, organic aspect of human interaction and research. This paper offers the reflections of activist researchers on the nuances of EL and compassion when conducting community-engaged participatory action research in low-income settings. The authors employed critical collaborative autoethnography and reflexivity to disentangle their reflections on EL. The results comprise their testimonials (journal entries and reflections), while the discussion focuses on several themes that reflect a rich tapestry of collective experiential learnings and conversations. The EL process manifested the following themes: labour of love, looking inward: reflections of disquietude; internal and external conflict, emotional engagement and human loss; and emotional labour. The authors recognise that EL must transcend privilege, positionality and power dynamics, and that researchers must espouse compassion, empathy, mindfulness and active listening when interacting with individuals in an organisation and/or with community members. This recognition may promote solace, humaneness and efficiency when expanding EL within the context of community-engaged participatory action research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims to investigate the visual anticipation of skilled adolescent cricket batters during a temporal occlusion task. Thirty skilled adolescent cricket batters were recruited for the study. A temporal occlusion paradigm was employed to allow participants to predict the swing and length of the delivery. A projected video was occluded at seven points during the delivery, with each subsequent point providing progressively more visual information. Skilled adolescent batters were not able to correctly anticipate the delivery without ball flight information. They required between 100 and 200 ms of ball flight to correctly perceive the delivery type above the level of chance. These findings have implications for the development of visual anticipation skills for children in striking sports. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Helminth-induced eosinophils accumulate around the parasite at the site of infection, or in parasite-damaged tissues well after the helminth has left the site. The role of helminth-elicited eosinophils in mediating parasite control is complex. While they may contribute to direct parasite-killing and tissue repair, their involvement in long-term immunopathogenesis is a concern. In allergic Siglec-FhiCD101hi, eosinophils are associated with pathology. Research has not shown if equivalent subpopulations of eosinophils are a feature of helminth infection. In this study, we demonstrate that lung migration of rodent hookworm Nippostrongylus brasiliensis (Nb) results in a long-term expansion of distinct Siglec-FhiCD101hi eosinophil subpopulations. Nb-elevated eosinophil populations in the bone marrow and circulation did not present this phenotype. Siglec-FhiCD101hi lung eosinophils exhibited an activated morphology including nuclei hyper-segmentation and cytoplasm degranulation. Recruitment of ST2+ ILC2s and not CD4+ T cells to the lungs was associated with the expansion of Siglec-FhiCD101hi eosinophils. This data identifies a morphologically distinct and persistent subset of Siglec-FhiCD101hi lung eosinophils induced following Nb infection. These eosinophils may contribute to long-term pathology following helminth infection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims to highlight the push factors leading to children's vulnerabilities especially in historically impoverished communities in post-apartheid South Africa (SA). These push factors are hangovers that Black1 children continue to experience in their daily lives because of the ongoing impact of poverty and family behavioural patterns. Furthermore, the paper highlights how socially constructed violence is perpetuated in the form of gangsterism when factors such as unemployment, mental health issues and lack of services contribute to a lack of care, safety and protection of children, alluding to the State's failure to provide basic services in impoverished communities. The lack of access to services coupled with the need to protect the rights of children promulgated in the UN Declaration of the Rights of the Child highlight how the State is directly implicated in the neglect of SA children's wellbeing. Data collection included focus group discussions and semi-structured interviews with adult community members from two South African communities, exploring perceptions and experiences of everyday violence. Collaborative thematic analyses was used for analyses. Core themes that emerged centre on perceptions on the various dynamics within the family system that ruptures the family system and the various pull factors that attracts children to other replacement family systems. These factors are discussed under sub-themes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Street children remain a social phenomenon in many low- and middle-income countries in which they experience alienation, discrimination, and social and spatial exclusion. The aim of this study was to identify and understand how girl street children perceive safety, space, and their livelihood on the urban streets of Yogyakarta, Indonesia, and to identify the multilevel components and processes that can contribute to improving the effectiveness of interventions for this group. A mixed-methods design was applied using a critical community based participatory research and asset-mapping approach. Both quantitative descriptive statistics and qualitative thematic content analysis were used. The results highlight that the girl street children are subjected to various forms of hegemony linked to power, space and place, gender, and socio-economic marginalisation. Factors that contribute to their safety and survival include a sense of place, belonging and connectedness, and access to various tangible and intangible assets in their created spaces. We recommend further exploration of the mobilisation of assets to transform the quality of life and livelihood and to enhance the safety of the girl street children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Taliep, MS, Prim, SK, and Gray, J. Upper body muscle strength and batting performance in cricket batsmen. J Strength Cond Res 24(12): 3484-3487, 2010--The aim of this study was to determine if upper body muscle strength (as measured by the 1 repetition maximum bench press) was associated with cricket batting performance. Cricket batting performance was defined by the maximum hitting distance during a batting task and batting average and strike rate during 1-Day and Twenty/20 (T/20) matches. Eighteen, provincial level, elite cricket batsmen participated in the study. Upper body muscle strength was found to be positively correlated with maximum hitting distance (p = 0.0052). There were no significant correlations between upper body strength, batting average, and strike rate for both the 1-Day and T/20 matches. The results of this study have implications for coaches choosing a particular batting line-up. Batsmen who have stronger upper bodies could be favored to bat when a match situation requires them to hit powerful strokes resulting in boundaries. However, coaches cannot use upper body strength as a predictor of overall batting performance in 1-Day or T/20 matches. KEY WORDS powers, skill, training, fitness, elite