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Improving throughput in the B. Tech. Nursing Sciences programme is a complex issue as not only the theoretical but also the practical component and undefined inner strengths of the student influence success. The purpose of this article is to report factors in the prospective students' social background, their perceptions of nursing and nurses and their motivation that could influence their academic success in the first year of study. The research design was contextual, qualitative and exploratory. Triangulation of data gathering methods was obtained by using two instruments, a targeted selection interview and a written instrument. Data analysis was done through Tesch's approach. The results indicate that prospective students perceive a nurse to be functioning from the affective domain, and that they judge themselves to be strong in the affective domain. The cognitive domain was rarely mentioned (7%). Due to the myths regarding the nursing profession, the profession continues to attract students who are interested in the myth and not the reality. (Contains 2 tables and 4 figures.)

Some African communities, contrary to media portrayals of the general health perspective, might view obesity in a positive and desirable manner as a sign of affluence. Globally, obesity has reached epidemic levels (WHO, 2003). The target population for this study comprised a rural community in the Limpopo province of South Africa which is showing signs of modernisation. Such societies are generally prone to malnutrition. The researchers suspected that there might have been a discrepancy between community members' perceived and actual body weights, with individuals accepting bigger bodies as the norm, with potentially harmful health effects. The purpose of the study was to determine the level of obesity-related knowledge of the community members, as well as to investigate community members' anthropometric measurements, perceptions and practices relating to obesity. The study used both quantitative descriptive and qualitative exploratory designs. A convenience sample (n=111) of healthy community members participated in the study and a purposive sample was utilised for the qualitative study component. The data gathering methods included self-completion questionnaires, focus group discussions and field notes. The quantitative data were analysed using descriptive statistics, whilst the qualitative data were analysed by using content analysis. The findings illustrated obesity levels of 83.0% (n=92) amongst the participants and a lack of awareness of the health-related risks associated with obesity. Apparently, in the Venda and Tsonga languages, the concept of "obesity" does not exist. The findings also indicated that culture-competent health education is required to address cultural concepts of obesity as portraying beauty and affluence while thinness is associated with illness and suspicions of HIV and AIDS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study explored teenagers' knowledge and perceptions regarding teenage pregnancy by using the Johnson Behavioural System Model. The increase in the termination of pregnancies in the study area, and the lack of guidelines for registered professional nurses to prevent teenage pregnancies, were reasons for undertaking this study. The research design was contextual, exploratory and qualitative in nature. The study participants were female teenagers using the participating primary healthcare (PHC) clinic's services. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 30 teenagers. The findings indicated that most teenagers' sexuality education occurred at school and at home but on a very superficial and non-specific level. Although schools offered sexuality education, some teenagers became sexually active before they received any such education. Teenagers had unprotected sexual intercourse despite their awareness of contraceptives to prevent pregnancy. Most pregnant participants regarded their pregnancies as mistakes and the lack of communication about sexual issues with their parents presented problems. Recommendations and guidelines, addressing factors contributing to teenage pregnancies, are provided. These focus on the four chosen subsystems of the Johnson Behavioural System Model including the attachment system, dependency subsystem, achievement subsystem and sexual subsystem and guide the registered nurse to assess the drive, set and choices the teenager has and not just the observable behaviour, the pregnancy. If the registered nurse does not understand the drive underpinning the behaviour of the teenager, her counselling might focus only on the behaviour and be ineffective. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of the study was to survey knowledge, lifestyle risks and screening practices of women living in a resource-poor community in Tshwane, South Africa. Convenience sampling was used to select the sample (N=299) and self-reported data were collected using structured interviews. A pre-tested self-developed structured interview schedule served as a data collection instrument. Knowledge of cervical cancer and its risks was very low as 95.0% (n=284) of the sample mentioned they had never heard about cervical cancer and only 3.0% (n=9) mentioned that a Pap smear could help to prevent cervical cancer. Screening uptake was low as only 18.1% (n=54) of the respondents indicated that they had had Pap smears done previously. Women's lifestyle risks in terms of the age of their sexual debuts, sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and smoking were low, but were outweighed by the number of lifetime sexual partners and the absence of condom use. Lack of screening practices added to the risks, but the greatest risk was the lack of knowledge about cervical cancer as a disease, self-protection against this cancer and their inability to recognise the danger signs. Women cannot prevent any disease, nor use available screening opportunities, if they have never heard about it. Having a national programme for the prevention of cervical cancer would serve no purpose without increasing women's knowledge about cervical cancer and the potential benefits of cervical screening, as well as the accessibility of such services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Routine immunisation at an appropriate age is the best means of averting vaccine-preventable diseases. Though the immunisation coverage rates for all nine provinces in South Africa are available, these are not available for smaller locations, such as Ga-Rankuwa, in the Gauteng province of South Africa (hereafter Gauteng). The main problem addressed by this study was the unavailability of immunisation coverage rate for Ga-Rankuwa, based on the Expanded Programme on Immunisation (EPI). Information was also lacking about mothers' knowledge regarding immunisation and barriers they encountered to immunise their children younger than five. Data were gathered by direct observation of the Road-to-Health charts (n = 926) of children in Ga-Rankuwa. The mothers' knowledge levels were estimated by using structured interview schedules. Of the children, 46.1% (n = 426) missed one or more immunisations according to the schedule. The 60 month coverage rate was only 19.0%. Some mothers (59.8%) only used the Road-to-Health chart for the child's weight and 31.4% were unable to interpret the chart. Community-specific interventions, based on the evidence generated by the study, are urgently required to enhance the immunisation coverage in Ga-Rankuwa. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Living with HIV and AIDS is a recent worldwide phenomenon known to be a distressing condition causing disruptions in interpersonal relationships between women and their significant others, families and society. This study describes the meaning of living with HIV and AIDS for 16 HIV-positive women using a phenomenological qualitative method. In-depth interviews were conducted with purposively sampled HIV-positive women between March and December 2008. The purpose of the study was to investigate the lived experiences of HIV-positive women and consequently to develop, implement and evaluate a non-government organisation (NGO) based support framework to meet these needs. Tesch's data analysis approach was used to synthesise a description of the women's lived experiences. The findings revealed myths about methods of HIV transmission leading to negative public attitudes including stigmatisation, discrimination, humiliation, blame and rejection resulting in anxiety, suicidal ideations, low self esteem and sleeplessness. HIV-positive women's rights appeared to be often violated and legal aid services were inaccessible due to lack of privacy and confidentiality in court rooms. Parse's Theory of Human Becoming framed the researcher's theoretical perspective. The study concludes by emphasising the need for implementing HIV and AIDS anti-stigma programmes in Ghana. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Spouses are the primary source of support for married patients and patients suffering from gynaecological cancers and play a major role in the positive, or negative, management of the disease and treatment. The purpose of the study was to explore the experiences of life partner support among hospitalised women receiving treatment for cervical cancer at an academic hospital in Tshwane, South Africa. An exploratory, qualitative study was conducted using a convenience sampling method. Seventeen (n = 17) women were interviewed. The data were analysed using open coding and a template analysis style. The support women treated for cervical cancer received from their life partner varied. Some were fully supported while others received limited support and some were even abandoned. Both the women and their life partners were challenged in terms of giving and receiving support. How the support they received from their life partners influenced their quality of life is not known and should be the next exploratory step before designing and testing a support intervention to maximise the outcomes for these patients., (© 2013 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

During 2008-2009, only 4% of women targeted for cervical screening were screened in Tshwane, South Africa. The purpose of the study was to determine whether cervical screening uptake could be improved when breast and cervical screening are combined. An intervention research design was used. The intervention was assessed in terms of two outcomes, namely cervical screening uptake and the findings of the screening. The study was conducted in a resource poor environment in Tshwane. Convenience sampling was used to recruit the sample (n = 299) and a baseline survey was conducted before delivering the intervention. Only 14% of the sample (n = 299) reported having been screened for cervical cancer previously. The total sample (n = 299) were willing to have a clinical breast examination; however, only 65.4% of those eligible for cervical screening (n = 283) used the opportunity to be screened. The majority of the sample screened (n = 185) using acetic acid for visual inspection (VIA) were VIA negative; 12.4% were VIA positive and 4.4% were VIA positive, invasive cancer; the screening of 8.7% failed. Despite women's lack of knowledge of cervical cancer and the screening thereof, combining cervical screening and breast screening lead to an increase in cervical screening uptake., (© 2011 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.)

The purpose of the study was to determine the level of knowledge regarding cervical cancer among Black men living in Ga-Rankuwa, South Africa. A quantitative survey was conducted. The population consisted of 980 (n = 980) convenience sampled men. Self-reported data were gathered using a structured interview and a pre-tested questionnaire served as data gathering instrument. The study provided evidence that men living in Ga-Rankuwa did not have knowledge of cervical cancer. None of the sample mentioned the HPV as risk factor while some knew that having multiple sexual partners add to a woman's risk. It is, however, doubtful whether the respondents experienced themselves as those with the multiple partners. More than 90% of the sample (n = 963) reported to have had more than one sexual partner in the previous 5 years while less than a quarter indicated that they would have to change their sexual behaviour to prevent cervical cancer. Men add to the cervical cancer burden in South Africa as their knowledge would not enable them to protect their partners from HPV infections, motivate them to be screened or allow them to protect themselves against this dreadful disease., (© 2011 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.)

Hypertension is a global, non-communicable chronic disease being asymptomatic and known as the silent killer with signs and symptoms only occurring when a target organ is damaged. Being a condition common in South Africa, hypertension is also a risk factor for cerebro-vascular incidents, myocardial infarction, left ventricular hypertrophy, renal disease and retinopathy. Black adults in an urban environment appear to be especially vulnerable to excessive increases in blood pressure. The research question explored was what was the knowledge of hypertensive adults attending day clinics in Ga-Rankuwa regarding nutrition and hypertension management practices. An exploratory strategy was used as no similar research had previously been conducted in Ga-Rankuwa. A cross sectional survey design was used to investigate hypertensive adults attending the three primary health clinics in Ga-Rankuwa. The sampling method was convenient and the sample size 101 participants. Two data gathering methods were used, these being physical measurements and self-report. For the self-report, a structured interview was conducted. The data were analysed using descriptive statistics. The results indicated a lack of knowledge regarding nutrition and management of hypertension. The proportion of participants with uncontrolled hypertension was high (58.6%) and non-compliance with medication occurred frequently (58.1%). A third (28.7%) of the sample lacked knowledge of the complications of hypertension (28.7%). A community-based intervention, based on the results of the study, is recommended.

Health promotion is a multifaceted activity. Women and children are particularly vulnerable regarding access to quality health care, with young African women reportedly the poorest and most economically marginalised and least educated sector in South Africa. Understanding the context within which a person lives is an essential component in the health educator's teaching strategy. Understanding urban black women's health care practices will enable health promoters to develop interventions that are successful. The problem investigated was to gain an understanding of the health care practices of urban black women that could influence health promotion activities. The design was qualitative exploratory. The respondents were women living in an urban township in Tshwane, South Africa. The sampling method was convenient and purposive and the sample size was determined by saturation of the data. Data was gathered through semi-structured interviews using six specific themes and the analysed using open coding. The results indicated that the social environment created by the registered nurses in the primary health influenced the health care practices of the women negatively. Practices regarding the seriousness of a health problem suggest a possible reason for late admission of a person with a serious health problem.

The development of palliative care in terms of recognizing the needs of the dying, palliative care becoming a nursing and medical speciality, the involvement of the World Health Organization in palliative care and the continuous development of treatment modalities available to cancer patients creates the expectation that the outcomes for the patient should also be positively influenced. The purpose of the study was to determine the most common symptoms of advanced cancer patients treated in a public and private hospital in Tshwane, and whether advances in palliative care improved the outcomes for these patients by decreasing the prevalence of symptoms experienced. The design of the study was a quantitative survey. The population consisted of patients with advanced cancer receiving palliative treatment as out patients in radiation and medical oncology clinics in a public and private hospital the Tshwane Metropolitan area. The sampling method was convenient and the sample size was 148 participants (n = 148). Data was gathered by means of an interview and self report. Data analysis was done by means of descriptive statistics. The results of the study indicated that a high number of patients still experience problems that could have been prevented. Pain was found to be the biggest problem for patients (76.4%) followed by weakness and fatigue (65.5%), nausea and vomiting (65.5%) and a dry mouth (46.6%). Thirst was reported by 41.2% of the sample. The study provides evidence that the development of palliative care did not have a positive outcome for patients by reducing the prevalence of symptoms experienced.

The research question addressed in the study was to determine the prevalence of the following lifestyle risk factors: obesity, waist-hip ratio, physical inactivity, high blood glucose, and hypertension in an urban community. The research objective for the study was to determine the prevalence of specific risk factors in an urban community. Based on the results, a health intervention could be planned and implemented to reduce the prevalence of the risk factors and the possibility of chronic non-communicable diseases in later life. The design was a quantitative survey using physical measurement and a structured questionnaire. The target population of the study was black urban adults (n=218). The sampling method was convenient and purposive. The results of the study indicated that the prevalence of hypertension and obesity were higher than the national prevalence for South Africa. The waist-hip ratio revealed that 20% of the men and 49.7% of the women were at risk for cardiovascular disease. High blood glucose levels were demonstrated for 21.6% of the group. Physical activity was also shown to be inadequate. In conclusion, the potential for cardiovascular and metabolic health problems in future is high. It is recommended that an intervention, based on the results of the study, should and must be developed and implemented. The more challenging question is to know what to do and how to do it. A framework is suggested to guide the development of an intervention.

Sexually transmitted diseases are the second highest cause of death among women aged 15-44 years. The incidence and prevalence of sexually transmitted diseases is on the increase at many health care centres despite their dreadfulness and many preventative measures. According to the Scope of Practice of registered professional nurses working in a community health clinic, the registered professional nurse has a responsibility to prevent disease and promote health as well as do research. This paper aims to describe guidelines to reduce sexually transmitted infections at primary health care centres based on research done to investigate the community specific knowledge, attitudes and perceptions regarding sexually transmitted infections. Structured interviews were used to collect data from 1694 participants (males and females) who were consulted at a primary health care clinic in Mamelodi, Gauteng province. Existing patients' records were also utilised to calculate the incidence rate of sexually transmitted infections. Data were computerised and analysed quantitatively to reflect the results in frequencies and percentages as reported in Part 1 of this research. Guidelines to direct the practice of registered professional nurse were developed based on the findings of the results. These guidelines must underpin community specific interventions to reduce the incidence of sexually.

Sexually transmitted infections are a major public health problem in South Africa. The high incidence and prevalence of sexually transmitted infections in South Africa pose a serious threat to public health for two main reasons. Firstly, the long-term consequences of these infections are a major cause of loss of health or life, and secondly, sexually transmitted infections are important co-factors in driving the human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) epidemic. The control and prevention of sexually transmitted infections has become an urgent priority. At a primary health care clinic, the nursing personnel experienced an increasing number of persons daily seeking treatment for sexually transmitted infections. The purpose of the study was therefore to investigate the knowledge, attitudes and perceptions of people seeking treatment at Stanza Bopape Clinic regarding sexually transmitted infections. The study was a contextual, quantitative survey. The population was all patients (15 years and older) who visited the clinic for a health-related problem during November 2004 to January 2005. The sampling method was convenient. The data gathering method was self-report using a structured questionnaire basic on current knowledge. The data analysis was done with descriptive statistics.

Cardiovascular disease is the most common and yet one of the most preventable causes of death in the world. Rapid urbanization in South Africa is accompanied by rapid changes in lifestyle and environmental exposure that increase the burden of chronic cardiovascular diseases. Risk factors, modifiable or nonmodifiable, exist that increases a person's chances of developing cardiovascular disease. Though some knowledge is available about the prevalence of the risk factors in South Africa, no information is available regarding the community of Ga-Rankuwa. The purpose of the study was therefore to investigate the prevalence of risk factors for cardiovascular disease amongst the working-age people (18-40 years) in Ga-Rankuwa community. A quantitative survey was done and the sample was selected from zone 1, 2, 4, and 16 of Ga-Rankuwa from July 2005 to October 2005. The sampling method was census sampling (n=604). The data-gathering was self-report using a structured questionnaire as well as physical measurement. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics. The results indicated that risk factors, specifically obesity, physical inactivity and hypertension, were very prevalent in Ga-Rankuwa community. Different distributions of risk factors exist in the various sex and age groups. This finding again emphasises the importance of not developing health interventions with a single focus, for example hypertension or obesity. The risk factors are interwoven and affect each other. It is important to initiate a comprehensive health project to lower the risk factors of cardiovascular diease in the Ga-Rankuwa community.

Teaching research to undergraduates has it own challenges and involving undergraduates in research practical experience is just one of those challenges. As nursing students are in the process of becoming professional nurses, knowledge and skills in research are specific outcomes of the curriculum. One of the outcomes of the B Tech Nursing Science programme offered by the Tshwane University of Technology states that for the baccalaureate nursing programme include analysis, interpretation and utilisation of a range of research findings in scientific nursing and midwifery care as well as the development of a research protocol in a given context. In an effort to ensure that students would experience research as an essential part of their daily activities, an integrated approach is suggested whereby the nursing experiential learning opportunities are also research experiential learning opportunities. Using the integration strategy, research theory come 'alive' for the students. The integration approach is uncomplicated and transferable to any other discipline. The case study presented is the second year nursing students using school nursing experiential learning as a research project. The second year nursing students have a community focus during their second year and one of the experiential learning opportunities is school health nursing in a primary school in Tshwane. The results of the school health survey are presented. The students developed a health education intervention based on the research results.

Though research is often referred to the lifeblood, hallmark or cornerstone in the development of a profession (Brink, 1996:2), teaching research in nursing is a challenge. The challenge does not just lie in teaching the subject, but in resistance and unwillingness of students to engage in the subject. In the experience of the researcher, registered nurses identify themselves with being a nurse and a caregiver; the role of researcher has never been internalised. The challenge is to achieve the outcome envisaged, namely, nurses who are knowledgeable consumers of research as well as continuous productive scholars in their application of nursing. Research generates knowledge and knowledge is the basis of caring with excellence. Nursing is an art and a science and the science must produce the knowledge upon which the art is based. The purpose of this article is to propose a conceptual framework of how to teach research in order to achieve such a successful outcome. The conceptual framework proposed in this article is based on four pillars, theoretical knowledge of research, scientific writing, psychological support and experiential learning. The importance of the research facilitator, not just as a teacher but also as a positive role model, is also described.